NBA Team of the 00's

Now the that NBA finals are over, the draft has come and gone, it is time to reflect on what has happened in the last ten years. I have put together some lists. I have my All Decade 1st, 2nd , and 3rd teams. I have my All Defensive team, my All Annoying team, and then I have chosen active players that I think are locks for the Hall of Fame, as well as guys, that if they stay healthy, should get in as well. I also pick my coach of the decade, as well as the Franchise of the decade. Lets begin.

Lets start with my All Decade First Team:

PG - Jason Kidd. He was the most consistent pg of this decade. He was a triple-double machine, and he took New Jersey to the Finals, when it had no reason to be there at all. He is still playing well, and could be a welcome addition this offseason for Cleveland or Boston.

SG - Kobe Bryant. This is the most complete player of the decade. He won scoring titles, championships, and became the face of the NBA for a while. He is the guy you wanted taking the shot at the end of a game.

SF - Kevin Garnett. Garnett is the ultimate team player. He easily could have put up bigger stats, but he was the most unselfish player in the league. That was probably what kept Minnesota from winning in the playoffs, but it is also why he was able to coexist with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to win in Boston.

PF - Tim Duncan. Mr. Fundamental is one of the best to ever play his position. He played well alongside David Robinson, as well as played the pick and roll with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. He also could have put up better stats, but when they needed him, he came through.

C - Shaquille O'Neal. - He is the most dominating player for the past 15 years. He won with Kobe, Wade, and if Penny would have stayed healthy, him too. He brought the big man to a whole new level. He had fun, while being dominant, and had the best smile in basketball.

Here is the All-Decade second team

PG - Steve Nash. Any time you can win the MVP 2 years in a row, you are doing something right. He turned a down Phoenix team into a title contender. Unfortunatly, they ran into the Spurs, and Lakers, that were beating everyone.

SG - Allen Iverson. The best small man to play the game. He was fearless going to the paint, and could score on anyone. For him, he also ran into the Lakers, when the were beasts, and could not get back. Also the most selfish player of the decade.

SF - Paul Pierce. He was one of the best players on one of the worst teams of the decade. He tried to work with Antione Walker, but Walker thought he was a star. He finally got help with Garnett, and Allen, and as long as they stay together, they are threats.

PF - Dirk Nowitzki. He will go down as the best international player to ever play in the NBA. He brought outside shooting with a 7-foot frame, and now consistently averages a double double. He started a new wave of big men.

C - Yao Ming. Yao has become the dominant force Shaq once was. Yao's biggest problem is staying healthy. When he is in the lineup, Houston is a totally different team. He scores, passes, blocks shots and rebounds. He will win a championship if he stays healthy.

And finally the all decade third team

PG - Chauncey Billups. This was a difficult call. I debated between Billups and Tony Parker, but went with Billups. He was the heart and soul of the Pistons team, and has now made Denver a contender.

SG - Dwayne Wade. I don't really like his game, but he gets results. He has lost some of his explosion, but can still dominate a game when he wants to. Until Miami gets some pieces that mesh with him, he is stuck in the middle of the Eastern conference.

SF - LeBron James. When we look back in a few years, he will be the standard for the NBA. The reason, I have him so low is Garnett was the ultimate team player, and has a ring, and Paul Pierce, solid for the whole decade, with a ring. LeBron needs the ring. He will get it, along with some others. He is the face of the NBA the next decade.

PF - Chris Bosh. He quietly puts up 20 points and 12 rebounds every game. The problem is, no one outside Toronto knows it. Once he leaves Toronto in 2010, he will show the rest of the NBA what they have been missing.

C - Ben Wallace. This is a guy who understood his role, and did it perfectly. His job was to rebound and play defense. He did both. He won rebounding titles and 4 defensive players of the year. He was the anchor for Detroit.

Now to my overall Player of the Decade.

I narrowed it down to 4 players. Kobe Bryant, Shaq, Tim Duncan, and Steve Nash. Both Duncan and Nash had 2 MVPs. Shaq was the dominant force, and Kobe was the closest thing to Michael Jordan as we have seen. Taking all of that into consideration, my Player of the decade was Tim Duncan. He won championships with different players, and styles of play. He played defense, rebounded, and scored at will, especially in the playoffs. The one knock on Duncan, was the fact that he acted like he never committed a foul. Stop whining. But the man could play basketball. Mr. Fundamental is my player of the decade.

Coach of the decade.

Greg Popovich. He molded talent together better than any coach going. The only other coach I considered was Jerry Sloan. Pop changed out role players year after year, and always got the same results. His players always played hard, and if it was game 7 in San Antonio, you knew you had a fight ahead of you.

My Team of the decade.

Los Angeles Lakers. In the NBA, as well as any other sport, it is about wins and championships. Nobody had more championships than the Lakers. The Spurs were close, but fell 1 short. The good news is, both of these teams do not look like they are slowing down at all. With the additions of Richard Jefferson, and DeJuan Blair, the Spurs are set, and if the Lakers stay in tact, they are the teams to beat in the West.

Now, My All Defensive Team of the Decade.

PG - Allen Iverson
SG - Kobe Bryant
SF - Kevin Garnett
PF - Tim Duncan
C - Ben Wallace

Defensive Player of the Decade:

Ben Wallace. 4 defensive players of the year awards sums it up.

Now to My ALL Annoying Team of the Decade.

PG - Allen Iverson. "Practice. We talking about practice." All that needs to be said for the most selfish player of the decade.

SG - Kobe Bryant. You can always talk about Colorado. But what got me was, he told Jerry Buss, that it was either him or Shaq. Then after they traded Shaq, he whines that he didn't have any help. Finally, they trade for Gasol, and he is happy.

SF - Ron Artest. He did whatever he could to get into trouble. Whether he was trying to get into trouble of just dumb, he was in the news for all the wrong reasons. He now, though, seems to have turned it around.

PF - Rasheed Wallace. The only person to fined more than Rasheed over the last decade was Mark Cuban. He leads the NBA in technical fouls almost every year, and just flat whines way too much.

C - Vlade Divac. The ultimate whiner. He reinvented the flop. Enough said.



Now for my favorite part. Which of the guys that played in the 00's are Hall of Fame worthy?

I did not include guys who only played at the beginning of the 00's, like Karl Malone, Jordan, Stockton, etc. These guys are in. I focused on guys who are still playing. I came up with 7 locks, 3 maybes, and 8 guys, who if they stay healthy and improve will get in.

Here are my locks:
Shaquille O'Neal
Kobe Bryant
Tim Duncan
Jason Kidd
Allen Iverson
Kevin Garnett
Dirk Nowitzki

My 3 maybes are :
Steve Nash
Paul Pierce
Ray Allen

My 8 guys looking good:
LeBron James
Yao Ming
Dwayne Wade
Carmelo Anthony
Chris Bosh
Chris Paul
Dwight Howard
Kevin Durant


Like always, if you agree or disagree, let me know at jpconner9@yahoo.com. I will respond to all emails. I hope you like it.

JOhn Conner aka J-Conn