Your 5 Favorite Players?

[LionsFanNJ]

1. Tim Hardaway. His #10 jersey was the first NBA jersey I've ever owned. Watching him run tmc and cross people up before crossing people up was what everyone did.

2. Dennis Rodman. Rodman laying out for loose balls and knowing exactly where to be at all times for a rebound for whoever shot the ball(the greatest modern era rebounder) I was fascinated.

3. Shawn Kemp. The Seattle green and yellow and Kemp just yamming it on who the hell ever was downlow and some of the best fast break dunks during gametime.

4. Jason Kidd. First saw him in one of his years in college, Cal @ Zona and I don't remember a single score he had in the game, just that his passes were always on target and he was ripping the ball from the Zona pg so much when he missed a steal of an outlet pass the crowd had an audible 'awww'(don't know if it was sarcasm or actual awe) and he shrugs his shoulders at the crowd right before he hustled back on D. There was no doubt he was the best player on the court that night. First man I knew could take over a game without scoring a point. Watched it in person multiple times in his stint with Jersey.

5. Allen Iverson. I hate talking about AI on here because of the damn fanboys but the handles and the way even back in G'town he played with a reckless abandon and brought a style of iso streetball that succeeded in the league (for a time) was cool to see. His faults are obvious though and we've had pages and pages of threads about it.

Honestly Hakeem and the Glove could have made the list, but Hakeem I sadly didn't notice till he won b2b and the Glove I have a bias because of how close he was tied to Kemp outside of the reasons I like him.

[slowdifference]

Vince Carter- Youtube his early days and you'll understand why
Dirk Nowitzki- Always loved his shooting ability and was so happy when he finally got his ring
Hakeem Olajuwon- Best post player on offense I've seen
Micheal Jordan- The Goat
Allen Iverson- Say what you want about him but you can't say he wasn't polerizing
Tracy McGrady- Wish injuries never robbed him

[Rule of Two]

1. Michael Jordan
2. LeBron James
3. Dennis Rodman
4. Dwyane Wade
5a. Vince Carter
5b. Scottie Pippen

[Gosens6]

Vince carter being all over this thread hurts my brain.

[ojandpizza]

Quote: Originally Posted by Gosens6

Vince carter being all over this thread hurts my brain.

Whaaat? Why, it's a favorite players thread not a best players thread.. Vince and LeBron are the only guys who have ever been able to bring me the excitement Jordan did.. I'm sure most here feel the same.

[Altimus]

Michael Jordan
Scottie Pippen
Derrick Rose
Allen Iverson
Tracy McGrady/Hakeem Olajuwon

[Gosens6]

Quote: Originally Posted by ojandpizza

Whaaat? Why, it's a favorite players thread not a best players thread.. Vince and LeBron are the only guys who have ever been able to bring me the excitement Jordan did.. I'm sure most here feel the same.

O no I understand that trust me. I'm not gonna be calling anyone out for there love of a certain player. Which is why I refuse to go into why I don't see all the hype about him.

Merely out of respect for other people's adoration of him

[VDusen04]

Quote: Originally Posted by Gosens6

O no I understand that trust me. I'm not gonna be calling anyone out for there love of a certain player. Which is why I refuse to go into why I don't see all the hype about him. Merely out of respect for other people's adoration of him

I think folks are drawn to NBA basketball for different reasons. For me, winning has always been cool (the Pistons winning in '04, their first championship of my non-kindergarten life, was sublime) but it has never been the only thing. Even regarding my own playing career, winning was never the sole driving force. If it was, I probably would have picked a sport or game for which I would have had an easier chance of succeeding. I've loved basketball because it's fun and entertaining. It's just a game. As such, I've often enjoyed players who've made the game fun. And guys like Shawn Kemp and Vince Carter, have made the game fun.

Carter was literally can't-miss TV for me for just about 10 straight years. In fact, even in 2012, I was still making a point to watch Mavericks highlights just in case he pulled off something old-school spectacular (which he did at many points). I've also never bought into the "he never tries, could have been the greatest with all that talent" line. I find that terribly played out. I don't believe anyone can not try and produce 10 consecutive years of averaging 20 points per game and 5 rpg and 5 apg. If Carter somehow did, in some strange universe, manage to put up those numbers (and 37% career three point shooting) without ever working, then all the more reason for me to be blown away by his accomplishments.

I do not need to love a player who is gritty and accepts nothing but victory. It's basketball, not war. It's still a game and at the end of the day, even Michael Jordan's going to be spending a lot of time thinking about things other than the game everyone assumes consumes his life every waking moment of every waking day. I look to players who have often brought me joy, and Vince has been one of those guys.

And surely, he's flawed, there's no taking back that moment in '04 when he decided to go 50% in hopes of forcing a trade. But I've accepted that. The fact other players have also demanded trades or gone half-speed doesn't make Carter's move any better, but he sure wasn't the first player in the history of the NBA to pull such an unsavory maneuver. It just happens that for me, it did not affect how much I liked watching him play.

The running theme here is I think people were drawn to Vince Carter for what he could do on the basketball court. Maybe we're optimists. We think about and appreciate all that Vince Carter did, as opposed to wallowing about everything he didn't. It seems many people wanted him to be Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant because he could jump high and make shots. I just wanted him to be Vince Carter.