When searching for a comparison to the current dominance of two teams and one player; I found it easy. In fact the NBA has always been a league of super teams and superior talent. During the 1980’s, the LA Lakers played in 8 of the NBA Finals and they won five. Their primary opponent was the Boston Celtics who participated in 5 Finals. I mean we can go back to the dominance of Bill Russell’s Celtics in the 60’s or Jordan and the Bulls in the 90’s. The NBA has never been about parity. So complaining about it doesn’t make any sense.
Instead, true hoop fanatics like myself simply enjoy the beauty of a good basketball game. However, even that pleasure has been robbed by mediocrity and apathy. Basically a lot of players have gotten a lot of money for doing nothing. Thank goodness we have Russell Westbrook for some relief. And despite my ranting, I still love the game. My new Top Ten NBA list will prove that the more things have changed, the more they the same. Special thanks to the readers who support the TTNL! You guys are appreciated.
Centers
DeMarcus Cousins
26.9 ppg
11.5 rpg
1.4 bpg
This is the first year that DeMarcus Cousins has made my Top Ten NBA list. It should be noted that his absence was not from his production on the court. Quite simply, he hasn’t made the list because throughout most of his career he has been listed as a power forward and not a center. Don’t get me wrong, even as a power forward he has been good enough to make the list.
However, I just didn’t think he was more of a superior difference maker for his team than my previous selections. I still went back to double checked my previous selections at power forward throughout the years. I wanted to clear my conscious and make sure I was being fair to “Boogie” Cousins. In the 2014-2015 season he averaged 24.1 points and 12.7 rebounds, which are great numbers. But I still wouldn’t put him ahead of LaMarcus Aldridge and Anthony Davis that season.
On the other hand, if he was listed as a center, I would have put him ahead of Al Jefferson; who made the list that year. Last season, I wrote about how I was this close in putting Cousins ahead of Blake Griffin. Then I came to the conclusion that I didn’t think he was that much better than Griffin. The truth is, some people might select him over Blake and LaMarcus. But I just think when you put him at power forward, it becomes a tossup. Combine that with the fact that he has never led his team nowhere near the playoffs and he loses the competition. The bottom line is that when you put Cousins at center he is probably the best at his position. His numbers outshines the other players at the spot and overshadows his teams shortcomings.
Hassan Whiteside
14.2 ppg
11.8 rpg
3.7 bpg
In the past couple of years there has been an uptick at the center position. Greg Monroe, Andre Drummond, along with the emergence of Karl Anthony Towns, has made my task of selecting the top centers a little bit more difficult. No longer can I just flip flop between Marc Gasol, Dwight Howard and occasionally Al Jefferson. Although those guys are still in the conservation of the top big man in the league, there has been a shift. Hasan Whiteside has jumped in my two selection for the second year in a row. The big fella has come along to be not only a productive offense player; but also one of the top defensive threats. His defense is what has gotten him the nod over Andre Drummond the last couple of years. Although Drummond is a beast on the boards, he doesn’t pose the same threat on the defensive end as Whiteside.
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