Mountain in the Middle

With a few games left in 2008 regular season... the Houston Rockets have put Dikembe Mutombo in their line up after Yao fell down..

I am writing this article after I just saw another amazing block from Mutombo.

He is now 42 years old... i think he is the leaugues oldest player...

Even at 42.. he was the best( in the 90s and 2000s).. at his trade mark skill... SHOT BLOCKING...


EVen at 42... when he is supposed to play a few mins .. maybe 15 off the bench.. when Yao is tired.. I am conviced that he is still the best at SHOT BLOCKING...

since the rise in the dominance of the guards.. and increase in dunks.. and guards coming all the way to basket... there is much lesser shot blocking in todyas game than compared to the 90s.. game when Mutombo dominated....

But.. even at 42.. Mutombo.. is still the best shot blocking in the league...

When he was at his best in the 90s..... he was the only franchise player on a contending team, the Atlanta Hawks, that led the way with a Defense Game..

All the other Big name players averaged 20 points/. game plus...


On my Rank... He is the best player... Defense Player from the last 3 decades in the NBA .. 80s ,90s, 2000s.

I define a " Defense " Player... as someone who excels with mainly defense... so all 20 plus scorers are not counted... such as Olajuwan, David Robinson, and Shaquille Oneil...

Among those Defense Players... he is the absolute best..

His Atlanta team.. .had him as the big star.. and 4 role players.. and they were contending for the title.. against the Bulls in the 90s...

Every other team.. had a star scorer...

He is also in another class....of special players.. who can be the best player on his team and game... while leading the way with less than 10 points....

Any usual star has to score atleast 16 to have a good game and probably 25 to have a great game...

Mutombo could score 5 points.. get 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks and dominate the game...

THe only other star players who could dominate wiht less than 10 points are...

Jason Kidd..
Ron Artest
Scottie Pippen
John Stockton

Only 5 players in this group from all those who played in the last 20 years...

I am convinced that he can play well until he is 45... and set the NBA record for oldest player ever to play.... and get 20 , 15 , and 10 rebounds in a game...!

MVP....

For this season... 2007-2008....

with 10 games left... it is again time to name the leagues " MVP"...

Defined as the MVP...of the regular season... it decorates the very players of the era... this era being this decade....

The Best player of this decade has been overlookek every year by conventional excuses..." the team is no1, doesnt make the other players better than him." etc.

Here are my rankings for the MVP... in order who of who deserves it most...:


I consider : skills, impact, stats, wins, clutch,, and game winning shots..


1. KOBE
The best player for many years... He scored 36 points/ game.. didnt get it for not winning enough games.. Now he is near the top in wins.. and i still the best player in the game: best shooter, best game winning player

2. Baron
His team makes the most number of difficult shots.. no insidre game they play 5 shooters/ skilll players.. with a small forward playing center... Davis runs the whole team.. they are the new phoenix suns. His team is ranked 8th in the west .. but they are above Lebron


3. Ginobilli:

Best player for the spurs last 4 years... won the 2005 championship.. with great game winning shots... Scores the big points at the end... He is the Superstar that chose to just be a basketball player...
He does all the work.. the touch shots.. and clutch play.. Duncan as usual gets all the credit.



4. Paul:
New orleans in number 1, at will be near the top... first playoffs for NO... 20 and 10 assists... He can do it all... No weakness...He is Kidd and Nash in one.. He looks like he is 10 years old...

5. Lebron James:
The east is weak... his team is no 13 in wins... lower than the guys above him. He scores 30points... no1 in the league...The other guys are better shooters than him.. He is great... MVP of the EAST... but the west is just oo good in competetion.. and star guard play...

Sports Talking ....

A big part of the cultural phenemena of sports... is the relationship between the vieweres and the game. The media serves as an occasional buffer between the viewers and the game as they have more access to the game ... since they directly view it and some people dont know they game well enough to take it all in by themselves..

The media is in the form of the color sports commentators..

Here I will describe those commentators that have encouraged my interest and understanding of American sports... esp... NBA and to a lesser extent NFL , tennis



1. Bob Costas .... the best of best... he covered MJ and Bulls in later 90s..
His coverage is some of the best english I think i have ever heard from a an american

2. John Madden... NFL... We all know the name from his brand of video games.. .the highest paid broadcasted for NFL... His natural impulse comments and attention to other wise un noticeable things keep me coming back... He is the only reliable entertainment for Monday Night Football..

3.. Tony Kornheiser... A DC local...Has his daily PTI tv show... , the Washington Post.. and now Monday night football...


4. Steve Young...
NFL... The most charming white man in America... His natural personality is the like that of leading man hero character of 1960s film of a more chaste America... You forget how lewed and nasty the defining qualities of America have become becuase of how serene his persona is ..


5. Hubie Brown

6. Skip Bayless

Bill Walton

7. Stephen A Smith

8. Peter Vescey

9. Mark Jackson..

10. Kenny Smith

NFL... NBA.... Who are the "stars"...

Since it is free agent time...

Here is my ranking of the best players in the NFL...

the very best players are on offense... since they score the points.. that win the game... and there just 5 offense players on the team.. and even less than that have an impact:


the best attack in football... is long deep ball passes... whihc require a QB and WR...so i put them as a set...the more imporatant of the two.. will appeear first...


1) Tom Brady / Randy Moss
2) T. O. / Romo
3) Eli Manning / Plaxico
4) L.T.
5) Brian Westbrook
6) Peterson / Min
7) Devin Hestor

8 ) Brett Favre
9) Drew Brees
10) Mcnabb
11) Marion Barber




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Since I ventured to carefully rank the top NFl players....

I might as well do that for the NBA... even though my interest in the NBA is declining... as I have spent too much time with it in recent years... or the final years of my youth...

I will judge the value of the top players.. without considering...what anyone else says... the media... the journalists... the majority views... NBA awards..

I will judge the players by my standard of good NBA basketball....set by the likes of the only person represented by the no 23.... .


the top players in the game at the moment( this year and last yr's playoffs)...


1. Kobe Bryant

2. Baron Davis
3. Steve Nash
4 Ginobili
5. Allen Iverson
6. Tracy Mcgrady

7. Chris Paul
8. Lebron James
9. Chauncey Billups
10. Deron Williams

That is the top class of players in the NBA.. with a clear no1...
All the other players are big step beneath all these players...
since I weight ....
the most important thing for a star player in the NBA..

An "iso package".. meaning an islation.. one on one set of moves... which means
a great jump shot and a great dribble drive manuevere....
I great player must have command of both... to be top in the NBA... since not having one.. will allow the defense to take away the other move..

So this set of skills... that I focus on.. favor guards...
Here are the best players... after my elite set... who are lacking.. intheir iso package.. but have other skills... to use as well:

I will divide the next set of players .. into two groups... Skill/Guards and Big Players...

they are listed in order:

Guards: Bigs:

Dirk
Lamar Odom
Tim Duncan
Carlos Boozer
Amare Stoudemire
Shawn Marion

Rasheed Wallace
Kevin Garnett
Yao
Dwight Howard
Pao Gasol
Mehmut Okur


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The next topic I will address is to clarify who is a star...

The allstar game and selections is the standard of who is star...
If youre not an allstar , you can be called a star...

THat is the standard of the NBA...
And if youre an allstarr.. for the curent season..
No one can challenge that you are a star.

But there is more to it than that.
The Elite players in the game make their status.. by making routine regular allstar games for several consecutive season.......let me set 5 all star games the standard for a 'super star"

these players are about 15.... beyond these players.. the remainder of the team is made up by occasional allstars... meaning they make it once or twice in their career.. .only...

These occasional players get the acknowledgement of being a " star" for atleast one season...

But there are other players in the league that are better than these occasional all stars.. who have neve rmade a single all stars game becuase they dont have the stats... to make the allstars... which is about 20 points...
These players have the skill and the impact.. but score less points because they play behind a star player...

Here I will name the best players .. in this decade.. to never make a single all star game... to this point:


1. Lamar Odom
2. Jamal Crawford
3. Jason Terry
4. Damon Stoudamire

5. Robert Horry
6. Derek Fisher
7. Ben Gordon
8. Bobby Jackson
9. Kirk Heinrech
10.. Mike Bibby
11. Jason Williams
12 Richard Jefferson
13. Jalen Rose
14. Stephen Jackson
15. Jason Richardson
16.


The next list:

I have closely followed the careers of many players who were stars or legitimate players at some point in there career with great prospects for higher stardom in the NBA.. but circumstances went against them... and their position in the NBA fell..

These are players that were/ are stars but had the ability... from my view.... of superstars... or the elite level of NBA performance. These players at best made 3 all stars in their peak.. but had convinced me they could have been MVP caliber with just a few more steps of gains..

( 1990s and 2ks)
Past:

1. Kevin Johnson
2. Damon Stoudamire
3. Nick Van Excel
4. Stephon Marbury
5. Peja Stojakovic

6. Hedo Turkolu
7. John Starks
8. Jerry Stackhouse
9. Antoine Walker
10. Toni Kukoc
11 Jamal Mashburn
12. Sam Cassell


! The Best players to never win the MVP of leaugue:

The MVP of the NBA is most meaningfull MVP in any of the 4 big sports in USA..
Why...? Because the NBA is the only league.. where the superstar is the SUPERSTAR...
in baseball.. the superstar is only a star... when he hits a homerun... whihc is at best 1 out 3 games on average
.....So on most nights the Baseball Superstar is just a name and a threat in the lineup

In Football... the effective Superstars is the most recent Superbowl deep ball Quarterback...
If a running back wins the MVP.. he will by overwhelming superceeded by the SUperbowl and the superbowl quarter back. This is the convention of the NFl.. It is in extreme rarity that anyone other than the superboql QB can be called a superstar.... ie LT.

THe League MVP is a momentary acknowledgement.. It doesnt decorate anyone with the glory of the NBA MVP

Ice Hockey comes close to the NBA in its signigicance of MVP.... since the 2 big stars in the history of the game dominated it the 80s and 90s... Mario Lemiuex and Wayne Gretzky...
But the MVP and more so.. the entire NHL has lost lot of its impact in this decade... becuase of the decline of stars.. and increased role of defense.. low scoring games...

This leaves the NBA MVP...
The NBA is game of stars.. the ultimate " STAR WARS" in sports....
Since the real suspense in the NBA is which NBA approved and recognized ( Super) Star can win in the playoffs while playing the top of the line .. maximum entertainment basketball with dramatic game winning shots and sudden 4rth quarter cinema syle heroics...

The NBA MVP makes official.. the NBA confirmation of the SUPERSTARDOM..... which the fans will inevitably accept...
In the last 3 decades only the elite of the elite have won..

Prior to Larry Bird , MAgic Johnson, and no 23.. dramatic entry and subsequeny rescue of the NBA from the black and white TV / screen and roll... / white high school style game .... the MVP lost its value becuase it went to roll players that i wont even mention...

The superstar became symbolic and unqique to the NBA.. when MAgic, Larry, and no 23... made themselves the best in USA... In 1983... a role player won the MVP... He was the last to do.. so and is virtualy forgotton to the modern basketball historian and is definately not comparable to the caliber of players who win the MVP today..

After 1983, only SUPERSTARS have won it. For the next 9 years... after 1983... only 3 players won it... no 23, Larry Bird and Magic. It was only the dominion of the MVP and NBA by these defining stars the revitalized the meaning of the NBA MVP.

Here I will mention the best players ... from 80s , 90s, 2ks... to never win the MVP...
Only retired players... and current players that i think wont win it.... will be considered.

1. Isiah Thomas
2. Dominique Wilkens
3. Scottie Pippen
4. Jason Kidd
5. Tracy Mcgrady
Ginobilli

6. John Stockton
7. Reggie Miller
8. Kevin Johnson

Un Ranked

9. Mark Price
10 Clyde Drexler
11. Chris Webber
12. Grant Hill
13. Ron Artest
12. Vince Carter
14. Stephon Marbury
15. Paul Pierce
16. Stojackovic
17. Carmelo Anthony
18. Dikembo Mutombo
19. Penny Hardaway
20. Chris Mullin
21. Baron Davis
22. Steve Francis
23. Shawn Marion
24. Chauncey Billups
25. Lamar Odom
26. Ray Allen

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What do u think Serign...?