Top 10 Active NBA Careers

[IrishCanadian25]

Another discussion from Mike & Mike this morning. Out of the current, active NBA players, who are the top-10 right now in terms of overall career?

My list:

Shaquille O'Neal - Won multiple titles, highly dominant at his position, has changed many teams for the better. Amazing rebounder.

Jason Kidd - Took the Nets to 2 finals, one of the greatest passing point guards ever. An assist machine in the late 90's and early 00's.

LeBron James - as dominant as they come. Took the hapless Cavaliers to the finals with no supporting cast. About to take the heat to the finals.

Dirk Nowitzki - Possibly the best foreign-born player in NBA history. Skill set no man his size should have. So versatile.

Kevin Garnett - Anything positive having to do with the Minnesota Timberwolves was due to Garnett. Won a ring with Boston, truly dominant player right out of High School.

Kobe Bryant - Another amazing player to come right from High School to the NBA. A fist full of rings and a place in Lakers all time history as well as NBA all time history.

Tim Duncan - Damn sure an all time great. 4 titles with the Spurs, the most classy and unassuming player of the era.

Steve Nash - 2-time MVP and one of the best Canadian players ever.

Paul Pierce - A Celtic great - one of only 3 Celtics with 20,000+ points, 9-time all star, NBA Finals MVP in 2008.

D-Wade - Won a title with the heat in '07, leading the young Heat through an 0-2 hole vs the Mavericks.

Anyone who you think should be on this list? And if so, who gets taken off?

 

[Big Sexy]

The list you have is correct and I highly doubt you'll find anyone who disagrees, and if they do it will be easily disputed. So instead of finding replacements I'll just put the 10 in order.

1. Kobe Bryant- More titles then anyone else on the list with 5 and he will more then likely go down as the second greatest shooting guard of all time behind MJ. Easy choice for number one.

2. Shaquille O'Neal- When Shaq was in his prime he was unstoppable. Definitely a top 5 center of all time and that position has more competition then any other when it comes to the all time greats. He has 4 titles to his resume.

3. Tim Duncan- The Big Fundamental. 4 NBA titles and he may go down as the greatest power forward ever. The anchor of the NBA's most consistent franchise.

4. Kevin Garnett- When he was in Minnesota he often had to carry his team and he put up amazing numbers in doing so. He finally got a well deserved title in 2008 with Boston as part of the big three.

5. LeBron James- The best, most talented player in the NBA right now. He doesn't have a title but I still put him at 5 with everything he has accomplished thus far in his young career.

6. Dirk Nowitzki- The best foreign player ever. Again, he doesn't have a total but his body of work puts him ahead of a few other guys on this list. I'm hoping he gets the title this year as his playoff run has been remarkable.

7. Dwyane Wade- 1 NBA title and he has put up huge numbers throughout his career. The Heat had a rough patch with the loss of a lot of players and an injury to Wade but Flash got them back on track last year and this year with the big three they seem to be on a crash course with Dallas for the title.

8. Jason Kidd- One of the best pure point guards the game has ever seen. Never the greatest scorer but he still put up solid points numbers. However, he is a beast in every other aspect of the game. Tremendous passer, elite rebounder for his position, and a great defender. Overall He is better then Nash which is why I have him here.

9. Steve Nash- Two time MVP and along with Stoudemire and Mike D'Antoni he helped lead one of the more exciting teams of the last decade to some exciting regular season runs. Playoff success has never really been there for Nash but he still easily makes this list.

10. Paul Pierce- Pierce had a great run with Antoine Walker in Boston but was never able to win a title. He then had to carry weak teams for a few years before he finally got help in Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Pierce won a title with those guys in 2008 and that helps his Celtics legacy a lot.

Honorable Mention: Ray Allen, Chauncey Billups, Manu Ginobili