ESPN Top 500 Player Rankings

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jlprk said:
Woohoo! Trade him fast before GMs hear that this is the opinion of a few writers, not scouts.

The same writers who get all their Blazer information from the local Portland media. So we read nothing but glowing reviews about Pritchard in the national media.
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2006 called, they want their thread back... Unless by local media you mean the Indianapolis Star.

BNM
 
Here's how the players have changed from last year to this summer:

We're currently at #30 - Lowest ranked #1 man, but a #1 man nevertheless.
The ranking of Damian Lillard is basically an admission that they were wrong about him, and expect great things from him this year.
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LaMarcus Aldridge:
2012=20, 2013=x, improvement = ?​
Damian Lillard:
2012=211, 2013=30, improvement = +181​
Nicolas Batum:
2012=63, 2013=57, improvement = +6​
Robin Lopez:
2012=169, 2013=128, improvement = +41​
Wesley Matthews:
2012=109, 2013=130, improvement = -21​
Mo Williams:
2012=125, 2013=169, improvement = -44​
Dorrell Wright:
2012=182, 2013=200, improvement = -18​

Thomas Robinson:
2012=215, 2013=204, improvement = +11​
Meyers Leonard:
2012=330, 2013=255, improvement = +75​
 
ESPN projects Damian Lillard as the worst overall 1st man in the league, slightly better than the best 2nd man.

Big 3 Average: +0.55/position (with LMA not included yet)
Starter Average: +0.13/position
Bench Average: +.74/position
3rd Stringers Average: -.98/position

Update (To 30):
Blazer's 1st man: xx, Average 1st man: xx >>>>> Net: +xx
Blazer's 2nd man: 1.0, Average 2nd man: 1.5 >>>>> Net: +0.5
Blazer's 3rd man: 1.9, Average 3rd man: 2.5 >>>>> Net: +0.6
Blazer's 4th man: 4.3, Average 4th man: 3.5 >>>>> Net: -0.8
Blazer's 5th man: 4.3, Average 5th man: 4.5 >>>>> Net: +0.2
-------
Blazer's 6th man: 5.6, Average 6th man: 5.5 >>>>> Net: -0.1
Blazer's 7th man: 6.2, Average 7th man: 6.5 >>>>> Net: +0.3
Blazer's 8th man: 6.7, Average 8th man: 7.5 >>>>> Net: +0.8
Blazer's 9th man: 6.8, Average 9th man: 8.5 >>>>> Net: +1.7
Blazer's 10th man: 8.5, Average 10th man: 9.5 >>>>> Net: +1.0
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Blazer's 11th man: 12.3, Average 11th man: 10.5 >>>>> Net: -1.8
Blazer's 12th man: 12.6, Average 12th man: 11.5 >>>>> Net: -1.1
Blazer's 13th man: 13.7, Average 13th man: 12.5 >>>>> Net: -1.2
Blazer's 14th man: 14.1, Average 14th man: 13.5 >>>>> Net: -0.6
Blazer's 15th man: 14.7, Average 15th man: 14.5 >>>>> Net: -0.2

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

1st man LaMarcus Aldridge (xx) is ranked as xxth man
2nd man Damian Lillard (30) is ranked as 1.0th man
3rd man Nicolas Batum (57) is ranked as 1.9th man
4th man Robin Lopez (128) is ranked as 4.3rd man
5th man Wes Matthews (130) is ranked as 4.3rd man
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6th man Mo Williams (169) is ranked as a 5.6th man
7th man C. J. McCollum (185) is ranked as 6.2th man
8th man Dorrell Wright (200) is ranked as 6.7th man
9th man Thomas Robinson (204) is ranked as 6.8th man
10th man Leonard (255) is ranked as 8.5th man
-------
11th man Watson (370) is ranked as a 12.3rd man
12th man Barton (379) is ranked as a 12.6th man
13th man Crabbe (412) is ranked as a 13.7th man
14th man Claver (422) is ranked as a 14.1st man
15th man Freeland (441) is ranked as a 14.7th man
 
Wizard Mentor said:
ESPN projects Damian Lillard as the worst overall 1st man in the league, slightly better than the best 2nd man.
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When you exclude 3-4 teams (Heat, Clips, Spurs, and maybe Nets) that are likely to dominate the top twenty spots, Lillard probably rates close to middle of the pack among 1st men on the remaining teams, say #15-20 of 25. Fun with statistics!
 
handiman said:
When you exclude 3-4 teams (Heat, Clips, Spurs, and maybe Nets) that are likely to dominate the top twenty spots, Lillard probably rates close to middle of the pack among 1st men on the remaining teams, say #15-20 of 25. Fun with statistics!
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The Heat will be the only team with 3 players in the top 30 (no surprise there). The Spurs only have 2 in the top 30, but their 3rd is 34 and that doesn't even include Manu. The teams you mentioned (and the Thunder and Lakers) will have 2 players in the top 30 and their top 2 will be rated higher than our top 2. And Memphis will only have 1 top 30 player (Marc Gasol), but 3 players in the top 35 (Conley at 32 and ZBo at 35).

Still considering where we were at this time last year, I'm very pleased to have 2 top 30 players and 3 in the top 60. That doesn't make us elite, but we're a lot better off than half the teams in the league. We knew our starters were good last year, but we had a horrible bench. This year our starters will be even better and we now have a really good bench. We won't be title contenders, but I'm confident we will make the playoffs. Can't wait for the season to start!

BNM
 
If your starting 5 is in the top 66 (two in top 30), is that better than 3 in the top 30?
 
GIMME' BACK MY THREAD!!!!!!! You geeks and all your math is ruining a quality thread!
 
#29 Pau Gasol
#28 Brook Lopez
#27 Rajon Rondo
 
Good thread. Have you considered pitching Hollywood with a proposal for a 10-year TV series?
 
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Before we get too excited about our players' rankings, keep in mind the Lakers had 4 players in the top 19 last season:

Dwight - 3
Kobe - 6
Pau - 15
Nash - 19

and barely made the playoffs.

While this is a superstar driven league, basketball is still a team sport and sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, and sometimes it's not.

Of course, injuries play a part, but that's hard to predict.

BNM
 
Boob-No-More said:
Before we get too excited about our players' rankings, keep in mind the Lakers had 4 players in the top 19 last season:

Dwight - 3
Kobe - 6
Pau - 15
Nash - 19

and barely made the playoffs.

While this is a superstar driven league, basketball is still a team sport and sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, and sometimes it's not.

Of course, injuries play a part, but that's hard to predict.

BNM
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3 of those guys 33 years old or more. Two 35 or more.

My take is you need some athleticism, too :)
 
Denny Crane said:
3 of those guys 33 years old or more. Two 35 or more.

My take is you need some athleticism, too :)
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Oh, I'm not saying I agreed with those rankings (I thought Nash at 19 was ridiculously high). Just pointing out that these rankings are 100% subjective, and therefore, bound to be inaccurate. It's a fun list to discuss, but I wouldn't put too much stock in it.

I also think the voters are only looking at individual performance and not fit. I always thought Nash was a horrible fit with Kobe. Nash's biggest strength is he's a great distributor who creates shots for his teammates. But, he can only do that if he has the ball in his hands. Take the ball out of his hands and he becomes a rich man's Steve Blake. Kobe is a great individual creator and needs the ball in his hands to breakdown the defense and get his own shots. So, two players who are at their best when they have the ball, but only one ball. Putting them together in the same starting back court was bound to cause problems, and given Kobe is the stronger personality, Nash's performance was bound to be diminished. 19 would have been too high if Nash had stayed with the Suns. On the Lakers, 50 would have been too high.

BNM
 
If I were the L*kers, I'd put the ball in Nash's hands and let him create. Get it to Kobe with :06 left and let him score when the plays aren't working. Let Kobe dominate the ball when Nash needs a breather.

I don't think they were very good with just Kobe doing his thing.
 
Denny Crane said:
If I were the L*kers, I'd put the ball in Nash's hands and let him create. Get it to Kobe with :06 left and let him score when the plays aren't working. Let Kobe dominate the ball when Nash needs a breather.

I don't think they were very good with just Kobe doing his thing.
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Did Jordan ever have a Steve Nash type point guard? I thought he mostly ran with guys like Steve Kerr or Ron Harper.
 
Eastoff said:
Don't forget the Pip
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Yeah, but even Pippen was a guy that didn't need the ball in his hands to be effective. Jordan fulfilled the same role as Kobe in the offense, if I remember correctly. A point guard like Nash would never have worked on the Bulls.
 
Natebishop3 said:
Yeah, but even Pippen was a guy that didn't need the ball in his hands to be effective. Jordan fulfilled the same role as Kobe in the offense, if I remember correctly. A point guard like Nash would never have worked on the Bulls.
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Pippen was a scoring PG. 4 times 20+ PPG, and usage % of mid 20s.

Nash would have been fine with MJ, but PJax liked the players to play defense. Kukoc managed to get minutes.
 
Kobe at #25.

Screamin' A Smith is going OFF on this on Sportscenter. Quite entertaining, I must say.
 
Damn.....they have Kobe slipping from #6 to #25!!
 
People are upset at Kobe at 25. I think there all forgetting he is going to miss 15+ games. Same reason Rondo/Westbrook should fall greatly as well.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk
 
If you guys think Kobe will be the 25th best player in the league when he returns, you have no common sense or knowledge of the game. He is a killer and Kobe at 50% is better then most of this league.
 
ESPN

Kobe Bryant averaged 27.3 PPG last season, but no player has averaged 21 PPG in their 18th season or later.
 
Isn't this ranking of players for this year? If so Kobe/Westbrook are not top 20 players for the year because of the time they will miss.
Also on Kobe he plays no defense anymore and his injury is very severe for someone his age. He may no longer be anywhere close to the player he was preinjury.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk
 
Denny Crane said:
Pippen was a scoring PG. 4 times 20+ PPG, and usage % of mid 20s.

Nash would have been fine with MJ, but PJax liked the players to play defense. Kukoc managed to get minutes.
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I guess I just don't remember Pippen dominating the ball like Nash. The dude just dribbles and dribbles until someone gets open. I don't remember that from Pippen at all. I'm not talking about scoring specifically.
 
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