Top 10 most valuable players in the NBA under 28 years old. Notice that this doesn't rank them by skill, but rather by their long-term value to a franchise. If I were to build an expansion franchise around a young player, I would pick them in this order:
1) LeBron James - Obvious Choice
2) Kobe Bryant - Should be #1, but his reputation severely hurts his value to a franchise
3) Yao Ming - By 2006, there will be no legitimate center left in the NBA to challenge him. Yao Ming will rule the league almost by default. He'll be a legitimate 7'5" All-Star big man beating up on wannabe powerforwards trying to play center.
4) Tim Duncan - Hard to believe he's only 28 years old. Especially if you consider all that he's accomplished, and the fact that he actually graduated from college before turning pro.
5) Kevin Garnett - Like Tim Duncan, but not as good. A perrenial first-round playoff loser who obviously needed more than a little help to take his team to the next level.
6) Tracy McGrady - Orlando tried building around him, and it got them nowhere. Still, he's the best of what's left.
7) Dirk Nowitzki - Far from being a complete player. But he's proven that he can almost single-handedly take a downtrodden laughing-stock of a franchise from the bottom of the NBA cellar to within 1 game of the NBA Finals. Make no mistake: Dirk made Don Nelson, Mark Cuban, Michael Finley, and Steve Nash look good. If not for him, Dallas would've extended its record setting playoff drought from 1991 all the way to 2004.
8) Jermaine O'Neal - He is not nearly as impressive on the court as his gaudy statistics might suggest. Quite frankly, if he were in the western conference, he'd have a tough time even making the All-Star team as a 4th string reserve.
9) Amare Stoudemire - At this point, I'm just grasping at straws. Amare's young, and he's a stud. I suppose he's the most valuable player of what is left out there.
Notice that of the Top 9 players in the league 28 years old or younger, only Tim Duncan went to college. None of the other 8 players played college ball. I think that says a lot about the future of the NBA.
1) LeBron James - Obvious Choice
2) Kobe Bryant - Should be #1, but his reputation severely hurts his value to a franchise
3) Yao Ming - By 2006, there will be no legitimate center left in the NBA to challenge him. Yao Ming will rule the league almost by default. He'll be a legitimate 7'5" All-Star big man beating up on wannabe powerforwards trying to play center.
4) Tim Duncan - Hard to believe he's only 28 years old. Especially if you consider all that he's accomplished, and the fact that he actually graduated from college before turning pro.
5) Kevin Garnett - Like Tim Duncan, but not as good. A perrenial first-round playoff loser who obviously needed more than a little help to take his team to the next level.
6) Tracy McGrady - Orlando tried building around him, and it got them nowhere. Still, he's the best of what's left.
7) Dirk Nowitzki - Far from being a complete player. But he's proven that he can almost single-handedly take a downtrodden laughing-stock of a franchise from the bottom of the NBA cellar to within 1 game of the NBA Finals. Make no mistake: Dirk made Don Nelson, Mark Cuban, Michael Finley, and Steve Nash look good. If not for him, Dallas would've extended its record setting playoff drought from 1991 all the way to 2004.
8) Jermaine O'Neal - He is not nearly as impressive on the court as his gaudy statistics might suggest. Quite frankly, if he were in the western conference, he'd have a tough time even making the All-Star team as a 4th string reserve.
9) Amare Stoudemire - At this point, I'm just grasping at straws. Amare's young, and he's a stud. I suppose he's the most valuable player of what is left out there.
Notice that of the Top 9 players in the league 28 years old or younger, only Tim Duncan went to college. None of the other 8 players played college ball. I think that says a lot about the future of the NBA.
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