13. Stephen Curry – 2 MVPs, 2 time 1st team All-NBA, 2 time 2nd team All-NBA, 2 time champion, 1 time scoring leader
12. Dwayne Wade – 2 time 1st team All-NBA, 3 time 2nd team All-NBA, 3 time 3rd team All-NBA, 3 time champion, 1 finals MVP, 1 time scoring leader
Steph Curry definitely has a chance to move up further on this list in the coming seasons, but for now I need to see more than 4 All-NBA caliber seasons from him before he shoots past the guys currently above him. He is undoubtedly the best shooter the game has ever seen due to his ability to shoot off the dribble, coming off screens, and from DEEP. Combine that with his ankle breaking ball handling and court vision and he has a chance to be one of the greatest guards of all time. He has already put up one of the greatest seasons of all-time in 2015-16 when he became the only unanimous MVP in NBA history while putting up a 31.46 PER, which only Wilt, Jordan, and Lebron have ever matched.
D. Wade is already one of the greatest guards of all time and I give him the slight edge for now due to the fact that he has been the best or second best two-guard in the league (battling it out with Kobe) for a decade and only the past couple of seasons has begun to fall off. And to top it off, his performance in the 2006 finals against Dirk and the Mavs is on the short list for greatest finals performances in NBA history. Here are his scoring totals in the final four games of the series, all Heat wins: 42, 36, 43, 36! Steph doesn’t have that defining finals performance under his belt yet, and he may need that if he is going to move past Wade on this list. And with Durant now on his team, as we saw in last year’s finals, that may be hard for him to come by.
11. Kevin Garnett – 1 MVP, 2 MVP Runner Ups, 4 time 1st team All-NBA, 3 time 2nd team All-NBA, 2 time 3rd team All-NBA, 1 time champion, 1 time DPOY, 4 time rebounding leader
10. Karl Malone – 2 MVPs, 1 MVP Runner Up, 11 time 1st team All-NBA, 2 time 2nd team Al-NBA, 1 time 3rd team All-NBA
9. Charles Barkley – 1 MVP, 1 MVP Runner Up, 5 time 1st team All-NBA, 5 time 2nd team All-NBA, 1 time 3rd team All-NBA, 1 time rebounding leader
Here are three hall of fame power forwards who have been MVPs of the league but were never able to lead the teams that drafted them to the title. Garnett was, however, able to do what the other two tried but failed to do, and that’s join up with other hall of famers of equal or even greater talent to finally achieve that elusive championship (Barkley unsuccessfully joined up with Hakeem and Clyde in Houston while Malone joined up with a dysfunctional Shaq and Kobe in LA). Barkley and Malone both were able to take teams to the finals during their MVP seasons but both fell short to Jordan and the Bulls once they got there. Garnett was only able to get the T-Wolves to the conference finals, but his legacy grew when he was able to join up with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to form a truly great team where he brought the defense and toughness to go with the other two’s scoring punch.
Malone’s 11 first team All-NBAs would seem to give him the edge over Barkley, but to me, the fact that he routinely came up small in big moments while Barkley routinely came through gives Barkley the extra push. Plus, let’s be honest, he was way more fun to watch, and if you need proof of that, just watch highlights of The Round Mound of Rebound hitting the glass and starting a freight train one man fast break.
8. Dirk Nowitzki – 1 MVP, 4 time 1st team All-NBA, 5 time 2nd team All-NBA, 3 time 3rd team All-NBA, 1 time champion, 1 finals MVP
7. Kevin Durant – 1 MVP, 3 MVP Runner Ups, 5 time 1st team All-NBA, 2 time 2nd team All-NBA, 1 time champion, 1 finals MVP, 4 time scoring leader
On the surface, these two appear to have pretty similar careers. Both have won a regular season MVP and a finals MVP and they may be the two best shooting seven footers the league has ever seen. But what gives Durant the edge for me is the smoothness and ease with which he scores. It’s easy to forget that he has lead the league in scoring four times and is a career 27 point a game scorer. He is one of those guys that can appear to be effortlessly flowing through a game when next thing you know it’s the fourth quarter and he has put up 35. And one thing that really caught my eye is that he has finished second in MVP voting 3 times! I realize there is no award given for second place, but in a league with Lebron in it, it is pretty impressive to have been one of the two best players in the league for most of your career.
Dirk takes the eight spot due in large part to being the only hall of famer besides a well past his prime Jason Kidd on a Mavs team that took out Lebron and his “super team” in Miami. He has had a great career with remarkable longevity, but that series and his leadership on that team vaults him up a few notches on my board. Plus he just seems like he would be a fun guy to grab a beer with, which I think counts for something.
The Jello's Jiggling 