Michael Whittenberg’s Top 10 Favorite NBA Players Today
Making a list of the NBA‘s best players can be fun at times. But the real fun comes when you plug a little bias into the equation.
The 10 players listed below are Michael Whittenberg’s top 10 favorite players in the NBA today. And though all of them may not be All-Stars today, none of them will have to worry about going their entire careers without being one.
Now, onto the list
The Top Dogs
The top dogs consist of Whittenberg’s five most favorite players in the league today. This will probably be the only list of top five players that excludes players like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets
Melo’s numbers are down this season, but he still sits at the top of this list for third consecutive season. It’s a travesty that he was snubbed from the All-Star team this season.
Why he’s a favorite
Anthony won Whittenberg over during his days at Syracuse. Melo was a man-child who led his team a national championship as a freshman in 2003. And while he hasn’t made the same type of impact in the pros, Melo has still impressed Whittenberg enough to replace the No. 2 guy on the list.
Melo’s smooth jump shot, strength and ability to finish at the rim are the main reasons why he has been Whittenberg’s favorite the last three seasons. Kobe? LeBron? forget about, Carmelo reigns as the No. 1 top dog on this list.
Ray Allen, Boston Celtics
For years, Walter Ray has held his own as the No. 1 man on this list. Until Carmelo replaced him, Allen was Whittenberg’s favorite player since his days as a Milwaukee Buck.
Though he’s longer No. 1, you can only imagine how Whittenberg felt once Allen finally won an NBA championship.
Why he’s a favorite
Ray-Ray is the best shooter in the game, period. And has been since Reggie Miller finally hung up his sneakers.
His jump shot is like no other, and it’s impossible to duplicate. Aside from being one of the best pure shooters of all-time–Allen has been a great scorer his entire career, and still continues to produce 13 years after being drafted.
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Durant won Whittenberg over before his days as a pro. During his one dominant season at the University of Texas, Whittenberg made it a priority to add Durant to this list once he went pro.
But it wasn’t until earlier this season that Durant became top 10 material. Not only did he make it, but he made it into the top five, too.
Why he’s a favorite
He may not be the biggest or strongest guy on the court, but he can still score with the best of them. Durant, in his second NBA season, is fourth in the league in scoring averaging 26.1 PPG.
Not to mention, he scored a career-high 47 points against New Orleans just a few days ago. The only bad news for Durant is that he plays for one of the worst teams in the league.
But don’t expect it to be that way for long. Durant will have his team clicking on all cylinders once the right pieces are put in front of him. Also, look for KD to win a scoring title or two within the next few years.
Whittenberg guarantees it.
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe is arguably the best player in the game today, but that doesn’t mean he’s Whittenberg’s favorite. Bryant is the closest to Michael Jordan you’re going to get, so it would be wrong to omit him.
As surprising as this may be, this is Kobe’s first time ever on this list. In fact, Whittenberg didn’t jump on the Kobe bandwagon until the 2005-06 season.
Why he’s a favorite
As mentioned above, Whittenberg didn’t become a Kobe fan until a couple of years ago. And it wasn’t until Kobe scored 62 points in three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks that Whittenberg decided that it was time to stop the hatred towards him.
Almost everything about him reminds Whittenberg of the great MJ:kobe bryant
His killer instinct, his ability to guard the opposing team’s best player, his will to win, his ability to score at will and the way he closes out a game by himself are why he’s the second coming of the greatest of all-time.
And to make things scarier, Kobe is 30 years old and has at least six years or seven years left before his legacy is fully written.
Amar’e Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
Stoudemire, or as Whittenberg calls him, Stoddy, has also made his way into the top five for the first time as well. Just like Melo, Stoddy’s numbers are down this year, too.
But he’s still been the same freakish athlete he’s been since the day he entered the league.
Why he’s a favorite
Amar’e is a super-athletic big man who is dominant under the rim. And has an outside shot that is almost automatic if left open.
The way he dunks on opposing players are just sick, nasty and looks as if he has no regard for whoever is under the rim. As great as he can be on the offensive end of the ball, it wouldn’t hurt him to start better defense. If that happens, along with more from him in the rebounding department, and Stoddy can become the best big man in the league.
But until then, he will just be Whittenberg’s favorite big today.
The Newcomers Not in the Top Five
The newcomers were always fans of Whittenberg’s, but it wasn’t until this season they made it into the top 10.
Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers
Bynum became Whittenberg’s favorite center this season. Before tearing his MCL a few weeks ago, Bynum quickly made into Whittenberg’s list of favorite players when he averaged 26.2 five of his last six games before his injury.
Why he’s a favorite
Natural centers in the NBA are a dying breed, so when a young big man who can produce comes along–Whittenberg is quick the become a fan. If you were one who thought the Lakers were crazy for picking Bynum with the 10th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, you’re not alone.
But now it looks as if Mitch Kupchak and the entire Lakers organization knew exactly what they were doing. Bynum himself has also proved the doubters wrong. And if you think that’s good, Bynum also works out with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
It wasn’t until last season that Bynum began to become one of the league’s up-and-coming centers. But a season-ending knee injury put everything on hold.
Who knows how the NBA Finals series last season would have turned out had Bynum been suited up.
Kevin Martin, Sacramento Kings
Whittenberg has had showed some type of love to the Kings since the days of Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, Peja Stokajovic and Co. And though the Kings aren’t the team they were earlier this decade, K-Mart has at least brought some type of excitement to Sac Town since the departures of C-Webb, Bibby and Stokajovic.
Why he’s a favorite
Martin may have an awkard form to his shot, but he’s still a good shooter. And is one of the league’s best scorers as well.
Similar to Durant, K-Mart is isn’t the biggest and strongest guy on the court. But he is still managing to get it done, averaging 24.1 PPG, good enough for seventh in the points per game category.
Though he stands tall at 6’7, he weighs only 185 pounds, and still manages to score in bunches. K-Mart is only going to get better, and don’t be surprised if he’s competing with Durant and LeBron James for scoring titles the next few years.
Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks
Johnson, or as Whittenberg loves to call him, Joe Cool, has been one of Whittenberg’s favorite players since his last season in Phoenix.
Why he’s a favorite
The name Joe Cool says it all.
Johnson stay cool, calm and collected on the court, and hardly ever shows any emotion. Yet he still produces at an All-Star level. Along with being a good scorer, he’s also a great shooter and is unselfish, too.
At 6’7 and 240 pounds, Johnson can play point guard, shooting guard and some small forward. Just look back to his days in Phoenix. Joe Cool is the epitome of a Whittenberg type player, so look for him to make the top 10 list every season.
Deron Williams, Utah Jazz
Remember that Illinois team that reached the NCAA Championship, but went on to lose to North Carolina? Well, Whitteberg’s love for D-Will goes back that far.
Why he’s a favorite
So much can be said to why Williams is one of Whittenberg’s 10 favorite players. But we’ll keep things simple. Williams is a good shooter and his size and quickness gives him an advantage over most point guards in the league.
| Williams, one of Whittenberg’s top 10 players, also plays for his favorite coach. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images |
He’s a great passer, and is one of the top five point guards in the game today. And to make matters just a little better, Williams plays for Whittenberg’s favorite coach, Jerry Sloan.
D-Will struggled a bit when he first entered the league, but he has developed into a Jerry Sloan built player the last two and a half seasons. It didn’t take long for coach Sloan to find another great point guard after John Stockton walked away from the game.
And though he still has many years to play before he’s done, Williams just might be the second best point guard in Utah Jazz history.
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron at 10? Does he dare? Yes, but he definitely won’t be sitting here for long.
Why he’s a favorite
Whether you thinks he’s the best player in the NBA today or second next to Kobe Bryant, LeBron will go down as one the league’s greatest players when it’s all said and done.
LeBron can do anything from jumping out the gym to rebounding to scoring to dishing out the ball. James could average a triple-double one day, but don’t count on it.
The only thing Whittenberg doesn’t like about LeBron is the comparisons he gets to Michael Jordan. He is more like Magic Johnson if anything.
He’s already unstoppable when he penetrates, but if LeBron developed a jump shot as deadly as Kobe, he would be unstoppable.
Player Left Out of the top 10 due to injury
Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards
Gilly is pretty much a lock on Whittenberg’s top 10 every season, but not having played a game this season got him thrown off temporarily. Though he’s not in the top 10 this season, Whittenberg still has much love for Arenas.
In fact, had he played this season he would probably rank No. 3. Arenas can score at will, and when he gets hots his shooting range is unlimited.
You can put Arenas right up there with Kobe and LeBron as the league’s best scorers.
He may be a bit of a ball hog at times, but looking at Washington’s record they most certainly miss him this season.
Michael Whittenberg is one of two NBA Community Leaders for bleacherreport.com
ALL ABOUT BASKETBALL 