Player of the NBA Decade
Errol
LeBron James, no question. Just this decade alone he’s won all three of his championships with two teams while staying relevant chasing another one with his current. He’s won three MVP award. He has been All-NBA first team all but one year in this NBA decade(2019) and has climbed up numerous record books in the years.
He may be the only player ever in NBA history to have such high relevancy where people are asking if his numbers were better outside of his quote “prime” years than the body of work he presented during them. He’s impacted the game in so many ways more than just hoops.
I think this decade has easily belonged to Lebron and it may not be close.
Paul
I have to go with a player that has changed the game over the past 10 years. LeBron James when he decided to get with his friends in an offseason and determine where they wanted to be to win an NBA championship and then won it, became an icon. The thought that you could get with another star and then pick where you wanted to go and who you wanted to play for was game-changing. The super team, a team of all-stars, or at least three, and a great supporting cast wins you a title.
He did it for Miami and then went back to Cleveland to team up with Kyrie and Kevin Love. Golden State took the rout and went and got Kevin Durant to go with the core they had. The NBA has seen the light and these type of teams are the way to go. This year more than any other had players teaming up to make dynamic duos. And yes, of course, James got another All-Star to join him in L.A this year. He won doing it at every stop so to think he won’t do it again in L.A is nieve. I will not even mention what he does off the court, but for these reasons, LeBron James is my player of the NBA decade.
Jade
I know one name pops into mind for most people when thinking of the player of the decade. I’m going in another direction. My pick has to be Steph Curry. We all talk about how much the game has changed and the reality is, you can track those changes directly back to Steph Curry. Sure, LeBron changed the way teams looked to win championships. He tweaked the system. But Curry reinvented the damn wheel.
The drastic increase of screenplays, dribble handoffs and three-point shooting are all a result of Steph Curry’s incredible shooting ability. And he hasn’t impacted the way the game is played just in the NBA. His impact is felt all the way down to children first learning the game. Range shooting has never been as big a part of learning basketball as a child as it is now.
Steph Curry changed the way the game is fundamentally approached and learned at all levels. That should be recognized. That’s why Curry is my player of the NBA decade.
Who Got Next
Errol
The temptation to say Giannis Antetokounmpo is at an all-time high, but because of a slight age difference, I will go with Luka Doncic. Luka will enter the new decade essentially as a 21-year-old when he has his birthday in February. However, his body of work to end this NBA decade as a 20-year-old can’t be ignored.
His second season shows averages of 29.1 PPG, 9.6 rebounds, and 8.8 assists. Those numbers help him sit in very elite company. Players such as LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Shaquille O’Neal had similar leaps.
Notice some consistents with all the names mentioned? MVPs and Championships.
With so many teams having heavily stacked rosters, it could be likely that Doncic may not bring home a championship. But individually, Doncic should continue to improve and go on a tear this decade and at least keep the Mavs competitive.
Paul
If we are talking about which player will lead the next NBA decade I must go with a couple of young guys. I do not see a LeBron type guy but guys like Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic are a couple of players that have a feel for the game that goes above most. Both know when to make the pass and where it should go. Are the type that can lead a team in more than one category. But one player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, will lead the way for the next decade.
His style is might be the closest thing to an LBJ than any. He is a big powerful guy that can handle the ball as good as anyone. He can play defense and guard just about anyone. Well, just about. He does have trouble with quick guards still. But that is not a knock on him as he is not supposed to guard NBA guards. He is an unstoppable offensive guy with room to grow still. He has won an MVP and will win more in the future. The only real question is, which city will he win an NBA title for?
Jade
Easy, Luka Doncic. He’s already among the best players in the league and such an important part of his team. In only his second season in the league, he’s averaging 29.1 PPG, 9.6 rebounds, and 8.8 assists. There are still enough games left for him to average a triple-double this season. Oh, and by the way, until February he can only legally drink when the Mavs are on the road against the Raptors.
This kid has that foundation of fundamental basketball that I always like from players that come over from Europe. And he hasn’t nearly peaked. Assuming he stays with the Mavs, if he doesn’t lead them to an NBA Finals appearance in the next 3 to 5 years, I’ll be very surprised indeed.
Belly Up Dunce Award of the NBA Decade
Errol
“I just wanted a frosty.”
Not to fall victim of recency bias but the moment was an undeniable act of stupidity. In one of the most egregious moments of the NBA decade, two fans during the Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards game proceed to distract Wizards guard Isiah Thomas while he was shooting free throws.
One of the fans decided to take it next level.
The fan screamed out several expletives which promoted Thomas to confront the man on the stands.
During Thomas’s post-game interviews with media, media asked Thomas about the situation.
Thomas told the story and explained that during the 76ers promotion, fans would get Frostys if a player on the Wizards missed two free throws.
Both fans have since been banned from attending any home 76ers game for a year.
Don’t act reckless fans.
Paul
There are so many that come to mind over that span. The thing about mankind is we will always do dumb things so this should be easy. After thinking about it though I must go with the NBA commissioner Adam Silver. The whole Idea a changing up the playoffs and what teams get in and how they are ranked is one thing. I am not for that change but I could live with it. But this idea of a midseason tournament is just ridiculous. He has done a lot of good things for the league and should be commended for that. But this will be a bad mark on his legacy.
There is word that teams will call up G league guys to play in the tournament and it just seems like an amateur AAU type thing to do. The idea to take two weeks out of the middle of the season for this thing to take place is crazy. What about the All-star game? It has been a staple of the season for far too long to take that away. Call me old fashioned but this is a terrible idea that will change the game and not for the better. For this reason, I will give the BUSDA to Adam Silver.
Jade
There is one name that always comes to the top when I think of the King of the Dunces. James Dolan. I didn’t know that one individual was so capable of being so terrible at something for so long a period of time. And you can argue all you want that Dolan can’t be wholly responsible for the raging dumpster fire that is the Knicks’ organization. But for me, when I see something going on in the same pattern for a long period of time, I look for a common denominator. There’s no denying that Dolan has been the only constant for the Knicks not just for the last ten years but for the last two decades.
Let’s have a look at some low-lights for the past 10 years, shall we?
Dolan in the Last NBA Decade
- Spent two-years getting ready to pursue LeBron James, pitched the idea that money was the ultimate reason he should play in New York and then didn’t offer him a max contract? Sure, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and James all ended up taking pay cuts to play together. But who were the Knicks offering to play alongside James? Joe Johnson and Amar’e Stoudemire? Get outta here!
- Trading away all the teams’ young talent to get Carmelo Anthony was another Dunce move by Dolan. Melo was within months of becoming a free agent and the Knicks were showing promise for the first time in a long time. Whether Melo forced the issue is beside the point. Melo had made it clear that he wanted to play in New York. If Dolan had any sense of the meaning of leverage at all, he would have played the game instead of making a terrible trade that set the team back once again.
- Having Melo on the team definitely lead the departure of Mike D’Antoni. And if you ask D’Antoni, Melo was the death of Linsanity.
- Dolan’s response wherein he completely overreacted in writing to a fan who said he should sell the team.
- The constant revolving door of coaches and executives.
- Messing it up with Kristapz Porzingis
- The Charles Oakley incident
- After neither Irving or Durant opted to play in Madison Square Garden (I wonder why?) Dolan making a statement intending to make it sound like they didn’t really want Durant anyway.
Is it possible that I could be wrong and the problems in New York are not as Dolan-centric as I believe they are? I mean, I suppose so. I guess? Maybe… But the only way to prove or disprove that is to have Dolan gone. Since that’s not happening anytime soon, I’m very comfortable with naming James Dolan my Belly Up Dunce of the Decade.
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