Michael Jordan was and always will be my favorite basketball player of all time. Even after his retirement and enshrinement into the Hall of Fame, he still graces video game covers, sells shoes like no other, and stays more relevant than most NBA stars of today. To get pumped up and ready for my men’s league games I will pop in my Jordan DVDs for pregame. I originally fell in sports love with Jordan simply because I was young, just started getting into sports, and we shared the same first name. After he retired I was still relatively young and decided I needed a new favorite player. Vince Carter stepped into that void in my basketball player obsession nicely. Vince had the excitement factor with his ridiculous in game dunks and he played for a new team with a kick ass dinosaur as its mascot. I have supported Vince throughout his career and to this day have owned him in every fantasy basketball league I have taken part in. I have won 2 in a row and looking for three in a row this season after trading Brandon Roy for Vince Carter in week two. So without rambling on too much more I am going to use the power rankings format to make a list of my favorite NBA players and why. I love the NBA and many of its players. Some reasons are stupid, well most are, and players will move up and down from week to week. So here is the first Favorite Player Power Rankings…
- Vince Carter – Phoenix Suns
Vince was amazing as a high flying new star of the NBA and fulfilled my every need in an entertaining athlete. It helps that Vince is a former Tar Heel like Jordan. As Air Jordan left Air Canada arrived and has held this top spot for a while now.
2. Derrick Rose – Chicago Bulls
Because of my love for Jordan, I obviously turned into a Bulls fan. I enjoyed their dynasty as a youngin and suffered through many MANY years of the “baby bulls” with players like Elton Brand, Ron Artest, and Jamal Crawford entering and exiting. When the Bulls were fortunate enough to get Rose at number 1 I was so pumped. Now Rose is an MVP candidate, is a simply fun player to watch play, and carries himself like a pro. There is nothing not to like about Rose and when he has your favorite team looking like a top team in the league its hard not to love the guy.
3. Monta Ellis – Golden State Warriors
Small guys doing amazing things is always enjoyable. Monta is a little dude with a big game. Speed, quicks, a smooth stroke, and a lot of hops are some of the things that Monta brings to the table. I began to like Monta when I saw some youtube videos of him hitting over the head shots from the seats during practice. To make him seem even cooler, he followed these shots up with a slick handshakes with what looked to be an arena employee. Creative handshakes is always a plus, creative handshakes with non teammates is even better. Monta has skyrocketed up to number three in just the last year.
4. Dirk Nowtizki – Dallas Mavericks
Dirkus Circus is one of those freaks on the baseketball court. I guess in the real world all NBA players are freaks with their size and athleticism, but Dirk stands out amongst them. He is a 7 footer that knocks down threes and has an outside game of a small forward. When he lets his golden locks flow and his jumper is wet, he tempts me to put him near the top of this list. For now Dirk is a little banged up, has short hair, and is hit or miss on his jumper.
5. Kevin Durant – Oklahoma City Thunder
Durant is one of the few guys that I, and the rest of us, got to watch a lot in college and knew he was going to be a star in the NBA. Durant’s laid back team first attitude intrigues all of us. Rarely does such a young kid with so much talent carry himself the way he does. Durant is a unique player and makes my starting 5 for favorite players at the moment.
6. Wesley Matthews – Portland Trailblazers
I admittedly knew next to nothing about this guy this time last season. Since he signed a big contract with a team I love to watch, Trailblazers, and is now getting a lot of minutes with half the team in suits during the game. Wes can fill it up on any given night and flashes the three goggles which I am a HUGE fan of.
7. Matt Bonner – San Antonio Spurs
As a kid who grew up ( and still growing up I guess ) in the great state of New Hampshire, it is exciting when anyone or anything happens in New Hampshire. Unlike most states across the country, New Hampshire rarely gets national attention aside from winter storms (sweet) and the Primaries. The only thing rarer than NH making national news, is an athlete making it big from NH. Matt Bonner is one of those guys. After winning the NBA Championship Matt Bonner didn’t announce his plans of going to Disney Land, he excitingly proclaimed how he was, “Going to Canobie Lake Park”, a staple for any New Hampshire resident. Bonner has a sweet nickname (Red Rocket), a knack for sandwich making, and a decent game. But mostly, Bonner is from New Hampshire.
8. Brandon Roy – Portland Trailblazers
This guy is clutch, underrated, and everytime I see the highlight of his game winner against Houston with the crowd going nuts I get the chills. Roy is sooooo talented but just can not stay healthy anymore. A healthy Roy could be in the top three on this list.
9. Gilbert Arenas – Orlando Magic
A couple seasons ago Gilbert was one of the best players in the NBA. He had a humorous and insightful blog on NBA.com, and about thirty anecdotes that made him the most loveable guy in the NBA. Then injuries happened, the gun thing happened, and the silent Agent 0 happened. If the original Gilbert comes back he could be my next Jordan. Until that time, I will continue to display my autographed Gilzero’s and Agent 0 uni on my wall until he returns to glory.
10. Zach Randolph – Memphis Grizzlies
Randolph makes the top ten for me mostly because of fantasy sports. Like Vince, Z-Bo has been a part of Jordan’s 3rd Comeback for every season of its existence. Every year other owners pass on the automatic 18 and 12 and he falls right in my lap. Z-Bo can barely jump over a dollar bill but remains one of the top rebounders in the NBA.
11. Steve Nash – Phoenix Suns
Nash is one of the most skilled ball handlers and creative players in the league. Year after year people expect him to fall off yet he is quietly having one of his top seasons of his career. Thanks to twitter his awesomeness has grown. The many videos he has made have been comedic gold and definitely help him in these rankings.
12. Dwyane Wade – Miami Heat
You do not know how badly I wanted Wade to sign with the Bulls this past off season. Wade carried a team on his back for a couple seasons and might be the best player in the NBA right now. If he were on the Bulls he would probably have to be my favorite player right now. His complete game is so much fun to watch and is THE reason I watch Heat games.
13. Brandon Jennings – Milwaukee Bucks
Fear the Deer! Jennings at first was the guy that played in Europe for a year. Now he is the skinny little lefty that lights it up in Milwaukee. His double nickel a year ago caught my attention followed by his gumby hair cut during the All Star break.
14. Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers
“Mamma there goes the man” Kobe plays, acts, and carries himself similar to Jordan and is close to catching him in titles. He is just as competitive and fearless on the court. The Black Mamba is the NBA and has been for some time. I love this guy, and his lower jaw.
15. Luke Walton – Los Angelas Lakers
This one occurred mostly because of anti Walton talk from my friends. I am always intrigued by NBA greats spawns in the NBA so I flocked to Walton once he hit the NBA. Walton is an underrated passer and does the dirt dog stuff because he has to. Hes not gonna win you a game, make the headlines, or even play minutes but I love when he comes in the game. One of my friends hates Luke Walton so that only makes me “love” him more. In 2K8 he was ridiculous from beyond the arch and won me some tight games in the dorms.