Ones and One Point Fives

I was reading reviews of Bill Simmons’ gargantuan Book of Basketball at NY Mag and couldn’t help but peruse the comments section. I find that some of the most profound ideas and insights can be found not in the reviews themselves, but website viewers reviews of the reviews – that and dick jokes and homophobic insults. After reading Tommy Cragg’s backhandedly positive assessment of the Simmons’ NBA magnus opus, I couldn’t help but have my interest peaked by the following comment from Sam Anderson:

“This whole "1.5" thing is fascinating. I want a list of all the true 1s in the league (LeBron, Kobe, Wade, et al) & then a list of all the 1.5s (Nowitzki, Pierce, Garnett, Roy...). And then I want a compatibility list showing which 1.5s would fit together to win you a championship, & which pairings wouldn't work. E.g., who (just hypothetically) would be the perfect 1.5 to help Nowitzki win a title? Brandon Roy? Deron Williams? Heat-era Shaq?”

I thought to myself that one: I can’t believe no one has done this before, and two, I am going to do what a good writer would do and steal this idea. A Simmons column about the subject would of course be more popular and get roughly three quarters of the USA reading it, but I think I could do a much better job, as I am without the Beantown bias and, unlike Bill what with his man-crush on Kevin Durant exposed, I have an affinity for players who know how to play defense.

I am going to take what Sam Anderson wants and accomplish it. First of all, I am going to take the true franchise players in the league and then match them with their ultimate 1.5 guys to create the best possible pairings, some of which may already be in place. What I am trying to do is piece together dynasties. You can have a championship team with no true number 1, exhibit A the 2004 Detroit Pistons, but a dynasty requires at least one number guy. Let’s get started shall we.

The True Franchise Players

Kobe Bryant
LeBron James
Dwyane Wade
Chris Paul
Dwight Howard
Carmelo Anthony

Honorable mentions and omissions:

Tim Duncan - No longer a guy you can presumably built a championship team around.
Dirk Nowitzki - I have always seen Dirk as a 1.5 guy. He lacks the mental toughness to be a number 1.
Kevin Garnett - Offensive game, defensive prowess and leadership make him a no-brainer. A gimpy knee does not.

Anyways, here is the fun part, matching our Franchise Guys with the best possible 1.5er. I have put a lot of thought into these pairings and taken into account style of play, amount of touches needed, etc. which is why you won’t see silly pairings like LeBron James and Steve Nash – they both control the ball too much to a be successful pairing.

Kobe Bryant – Pau Gasol

First up is a bit of a cop out. Kobe has found his 1.5 guy - its none other than Pau Gasol. Who better complements Kobe’s game right now? Pau doesn’t require 20 shots a game, hits a high percentage of the shots he does take, is an incredible passer for a big man, and is the Lakers’ best rebounder. He seems to be ego-less, never complaining or slouching when Kobe is having one of his 40 shot bonanzas and gives max effort, all while looking completely calm and collected. Not only have the Lakers built a championship contender with these two, but they have the makings of a dynasty.

LeBron James – Dirk Nowitzki

Now who would fit best as LeBron’s partner in crime? They would have to be able to hit the three, taking advantage of James’ ability to get into the lane and draw defenders. They would have to be fine in the role as second option, even relishing the fact that they don’t get called out and blamed for losses. His second-in-command should be able to fill it up on a regular basis, allowing LeBron’s talent for passing to flourish. This has to be Dirk right? And if LeBron ever developed a post game, can you imagine Dirk giving the entry pass and either letting Bron go to work or awaiting the kick out? Disgusting.

Dwyane Wade – Kevin Garnett

Many would say Chris Bosh, but Bosh’s allergic reactions to defense wouldn’t fit with Wade’s gambling in the passing lanes. KG would be the perfect companion to Wade’s offensive prowess. Could you imagine having to gameplan for these two? They would be like Bryant and Gasol but better, because Garnett is miles ahead of Pau as a rebounder and defender. At this point in his career, KG lacks the offensive game that Gasol carries, but who cares! Wade would fill it up, and Garnett would scare Wade into staying at home on defense. You know who else would work great alongside Wade? Tim Duncan.

Chris Paul – Josh Smith

Right now Josh Smith isn’t quite there as a 1.5 guy, he’s more of a 1.75. But could you imagine Chris Paul being able to run an uptempo offense with a guy like Josh Smith on the wing – it is absolutely frightening and also quite funny, because if Atlanta had done the right thing, this would be a reality. I could see Josh Smith putting up 25 points per game with still being able to swat 2 or 3 shots and get 2 steals a game. Paul has never had anyone like Josh Smith before. He would turn J-Smoove into a superstar and they would win a TON of games. Instead of this being real, I have to watch Paul carry David West, Emeka Okafor, and the corpse of Peja Stojakavic up and down the court for 48 minutes – 3 guys who are the complete opposite of the type of players who should be flanking CP3.

Dwight Howard – Carmelo

I know, I know they are both franchise guys. But it’s been done before (i.e. Kobe-Shaq) to fantastic results. Carmelo can score more ways than anyone without the middle name Bean. Dwight is the bestbig man on D in the league. If these two ever got together I would say 4 championships would be within reach. They would be unstoppable. If I was Orlando I would do anything to wrangle Carmelo away from Denver. Of course it will never happen but one can dream.

An Honest Confession

I have something I need to get off my chest. It will only take a moment, but it is something that I need to say and something I just realized. It may seem as though I hate LeBron James. I bash him and the Cavs constantly on my Twitter account (@midrangejumper), I tell everyone who will listen that Kobe is better, I convince myself that Carmelo is superior; it goes on and on. I am sick of everyone crowning him "The King" when he hasn't won anything. I hate the whole "he makes his teammates better" blabber, and when the Cavs lose, his teammates catch all the blame. Wait, I though you said he made them better? Why doesn't he ever get any blame.

Just a few weeks ago I realized what my problem was. Watch the video below:




Do you see what I see? At the conclusion of the first NBA game of his career, I was geeked about the possibilities that young LeBron had. I saw a young Magic, mixed with a little Dr. J, and maybe some Jim Brown thrown in there. But mostly I thought I saw Magic. And this is where my disappointment came in. LeBron did not turn out the way I wanted him to. I thought he was going to be Magic 2.0, a pass-first point guard with big-man size who could also get to the hoop whenever he wanted. Numbers and visions danced in my head. I wanted to see his averages more Magic than MJ. I thought we would see something like 25 points, 13 assists and 8 rebounds per game. I was ecstatic: a new era. Instead we get seasons like this: 30-7-7. I'm heartbroken.

Too often now we get players coming into the league emulating Jordan. Glory in points, breathtaking dunks. It's not a bad thing, because, as you may have guessed, my favorite current player is in the Jordan mold, Mr. Kobe Bryant. But LeBron was supposed to be something new, something fresh. Magic for Millenium. Instead he kind of turned into another player in the Jordan ilk.

What it all boils down to is this. When LeBron James gets a fastbreak he goes straight for that tomahawk power-filled throwdown we have all come to know. But, in that first game of his career, he got a fast break and did something I loved: he turned around and shoveled it off to a teammate. It said "let him have the highlight, I'm good." Can you remember how refreshing that was? How many players of his caliber go for the dunk? 99.9%. MJ did it, Kobe does it... How many pass it off so their teammate can have the glory? I thought it was going to be LeBron. But its not.

K4XXUKZFEPAS

One Man's Legacy

Ever since Kobe Bean Bryant arrived in the National Basketball Association as a precocious young phenom, there have been enduring themes to his career which have gotten continous play on ESPN, SI, and the like. The love/hate relationship with the fans, the comparisons to Michael Jordan, and the whispers of Kobe's awkwardness are just a sample of this seemingly complicated man's life. Another theme that has continued in his now storied career is the potential for greatness, and if he would ever harness that potential and turn it into reality. Some wanted him to fail, some wanted him to succeed, but we all wanted to see exactly where this cocky kid would end up. We are now getting a look at the homestretch of Bryant's career - and it is a glimpse of what we had always hoped for (or against).

When Kobe, at the tender of age 23, was in the middle of the Dynasty Years with Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson was asked how many rings Kobe could retire with. Magic, who is no slouch with 5 championships under his belt, was thoughtful for a moment, his eyes glancing towards the roof, perhaps thinking back to his days as young star with endless posibilites. He settled on 2 staggering numbers for Kobe's ring potential - 9 or 10. At that time, Magic Johnson, one of the greatest who ever lived, predicted that Kobe would finish his career with 3 more rings than Michael - at least. Quite amazing praise when you think about where Kobe's career has gone since then - the twists, turns; highs and lows.

Kobe is now 30 - a wily NBA veteran. He is no longer electrically athletic phenom he was in the first act of his career, nor the selfish gunner in his second act. In The Third Act of Kobe he has now entered a sort of post-retirement Jordan phase: using his brains and basketball wizardry more than pure athletics to beat the competition. When Kobe has the ball on the elbow with one defender guarding him, for pure basketball fans, there may not be a prettier thing to watch. The assortment of jabs, fakes, and moves he will use is hypnotizing. It seems as though with every move he is setting the defender up for the final blow. He gets the defenders hips and feet moving in all directions, hands low, hands high, lunging forward, falling back. If LeBron's power drives to the hoop are simple checkers - all athletic ability, not so much artistry, then Kobe is playing chess - and he is a Grandmaster.

Last summer Bryant got his symbolic fourth ring - his first without Shaq. The Lakers then added Ron Artest and let go of Trevor Ariza, presumably reloading for a run at a fifth Kobe championship. The negativity that plagued Kobe during his Second Act - the rape charges, falling out of favor with Nike, losing endorsments, becoming Black Mamba, derision as selfish and a poor teammate - have all but disappeared. The questions we used to ask, way back when he was a young stud on a three-peating Lakers squad, are back: how many rings can Kobe now win? Can the Lakers repeat? Three-peat? Is he one of the greatest of all-time? The questions that had seemingly disappeared for 7 years. If leading the USA to Olympic Gold back in 2008 had brought mainstream America's love affair with Kobe fullcircle, a fourth title sent him to heights uncharted in his career. The question is: what would a fifth title do for the legacy of Kobe?

Will Bryant fulfill his potential, nab 6-8 rings and retire as a top 5 of all time (note: in my opinion, Bryant is top 10 right now)? My answer is this: Bryant will retire with 6 rings. I think this Lakers team is built for another mini-dynasty with Bryant and Gasol starring, Odom and Artest as supporting players, and Bynum as the X-factor who will be better than anyone realize next year. Another 3-peat? Probably not - but 3 titles in 5 years? Maybe so.