Which team is truly the best in the NBA?

[MaineDolFan]

Insulting you have the Knicks on the poll but not the Magic.

They are on there, please refer to "other."  Vote "other" and add your reason why!

[Tenshot13]

They are on there, please refer to "other."  Vote "other" and add your reason why!

Fine.  Other.  Magic.  Because I'm a homer for all my teams and Dwight Howard is a beast.

[Fau Teixeira]

I picked the Heat, mainly because i'm a homer and also because i think they are winning with talent and without chemistry and when those combine, they'll have a huge advantage over other teams.

I don't agree with the Knicks being on this list, they aren't even a "solid" team, they're just a cut above mediocre .. i put them in the same spot the heat were in the past 2 seasons .. 1 star, 1 decent starter, maybe a 6th man type guy and then a whole bunch of nobodies.

The only reason people even remember the Knicks exist is because of the new york sports media  and overall north east sports snobbery. They are at best, a 6th seed in the east .. at the very top of their game they're a .500 club. and that's only because seeds 7-8 could possibly have losing records.

[Sunstroke]

I don't agree with the Knicks being on this list, they aren't even a "solid" team, they're just a cut above mediocre .. i put them in the same spot the heat were in the past 2 seasons .. 1 star, 1 decent starter, maybe a 6th man type guy and then a whole bunch of nobodies.

I have to disagree with you on this one...with the qualifier that I've watched a "lot" of Knicks games this season, and not just the two Heat-Knicks games. Amare' is the superstar, but Raymond Felton is arguably playing like one of the top-5 PG's in the league so far this season. Wilson Chandler is also more than a "decent starter," and I'd trade Mike Miller, James Jones and Eddie House all together for Danilo Gallinari.

Not saying the Knicks are an elite team...not even close, but they're definitely a solid squad.

...and this is coming from one of the most vehement "I hate all NY sports teams" fan you're likely to ever meet.

[Fau Teixeira]

Then we'll just disagree then. I think gallinari is in the same boat as michael beasley .. a starter on a poor/mediocre team that wouldn't get minutes on an elite squad .. felton has been a decent PG but he's not top 5 .. top 10-15 maybe .. but there are quite a few in front of him.

Chris Paul
Derron Williams
Derek Rose
Rajon Rondo
Steve Nash
Russel Westbrook
Brandon Jennings
Stephan Curry
Chauncey Billups
Tony Parker
Jason Kidd

so who of those PGs would you trade for felton right now .. not "because they're getting old and felton has a few more years left in him"

I didn't even include the tweener PGs .. ala Jameer Nelson, Mo Williams, Monta Ellis, Baron Davis types

[Sunstroke]

Then we'll just disagree then. I think gallinari is in the same boat as michael beasley .. a starter on a poor/mediocre team that wouldn't get minutes on an elite squad ..

Then we agree that Gallinari and Beasley are in the same boat...we just are picturing two completely different boats. Beasley is now a "star" caliber player, and he would have attained that with Miami as well, had Miami kept him around and fed the offense through him.

felton has been a decent PG but he's not top 5 .. top 10-15 maybe .. but there are quite a few in front of him.

Chris Paul
Derron Williams
Derek Rose
Rajon Rondo
Steve Nash
Russell Westbrook
Brandon Jennings
Stephan Curry
Chauncey Billups
Tony Parker
Jason Kidd

so who of those PGs would you trade for felton right now .. not "because they're getting old and felton has a few more years left in him"

I didn't even include the tweener PGs .. ala Jameer Nelson, Mo Williams, Monta Ellis, Baron Davis types

On the first list, if I'm ranking them today (not career body of work), I put Felton ahead of Tony Parker, Brandon Jennings, Chauncey Billups and Jason Kidd. I'd bump Monta Ellis up from the second list to the first one and slot him just ahead of Felton as well. That still locks Felton in the top-10 PGs, which has to be considered a star player by any scale. Felton is averaging right at 17.5 points, 9 assists and 2 steals per game. What about those numbers do you "not" consider impressive?

[MaineDolFan]

Fine.  Other.  Magic.  Because I'm a homer for all my teams and Dwight Howard is a beast.

In all seriousness...

I just picked teams, by the way, that seem to be "media darlings" right now.  You could also make a case for a bunch of others (Denver, example).  Hence the "other" option.  I only had so many slots to use.

[Fau Teixeira]

The part about gallinari / felton in NY that doesn't impress me is that amare can only take so many shots .. someone else has to shoot the ball .. it's those two by default right now .. not out of choice

put mike bibby in felton's spot on the NY roster and he'd have similar numbers .. it doesn't mean that suddenly bibby goes from PG afterthought to top 10 PG

I understand where you're coming from .. and all i'll say is that metrics and fantasy value aren't the only measures of the quality of a player. The measure i'm more interested in is all things being equal .. if you were a GM and could choose any player in the NBA for your PG spot .. at what point would you say "raymond felton" .. i think it's far down the list and when push comes to shove you'd have similar success with a group of 5-6 PGs that are in that "solid starter, not star" category .. which is what he is

amare - star .. not 1st team nba, maybe not even 2nd team nba but a star
felton - solid starter.. would start on over half the teams in the nba .. but not an all star
gallinari - solid 6th man at best on any good team .. starter on a mediocre team with no other options .. scores by volume but lacks efficiency .. will never sniff an all-star selection

[norad34]

I'd have to go with the San Antonio Spurs.

They have managed to reload with younger players and fit them in with Parker, Ginobli and Duncan. Gregg Popovich is one of the best coaches in the NBA when it comes to assessing unknown talent. The organization is first class all the way. You can tell that it's a close knit group.

The Spurs play basketball the way it is supposed to be played (defense and movement on offense). If the Spurs can keep rolling and get the top seed in the Western Conference they will meet Boston in the NBA Finals.

[Sunstroke]

The part about gallinari / felton in NY that doesn't impress me is that amare can only take so many shots .. someone else has to shoot the ball .. it's those two by default right now .. not out of choice

For a second time in this thread, I have to disagree...and might even request that you to watch a couple more Knicks games before we end up with a third.

put mike bibby in felton's spot on the NY roster and he'd have similar numbers .. it doesn't mean that suddenly bibby goes from PG afterthought to top 10 PG

Too late on the request above...and you went for the gold with this one.  I love Bibby "more" than anyone you know...unless you know other U of Arizona fanatics, and Bibby couldn't carry Felton's jock at this point of his career. Not even close. If you'd said "put Joel Anthony in Amare's spot..." you'd have a similar level of accuracy.

[EDGECRUSHER]

I didn't want to start a new thread just for this, so did anyone know that Rajon Rondo is shooting under 50% from the FT line this year? Is that even possible?

[Fau Teixeira]

so Felton scored 6 points with 3 boards and 7 assists in 37 minutes yesterday while being guarded by chalmers/arroyo

top 10 PG indeed .. he got outscored by joel anthony

[Sunstroke]

LOL...quit being ridiculous, Fausto. You take a one game sample size, and a game against one of the top defenses in the NBA.

...and a game where they upset the Heat, btw...

Missing from your commentary was the 20 point game by Gallinari, and the overall quality performance by the Knicks, which would seem to back up my original statement more than adequately:

Not saying the Knicks are an elite team...not even close, but they're definitely a solid squad.

It's OK that you're a complete Homer, Fau...I actually like that about you. Just try not to let it obstruct your view of reality.

[EDGECRUSHER]

The Knicks are definitely in the 2nd tier, but they are still pretty good. The thing with them is they are very young and it takes a bit to find your groove in D'Antoni's system. When/if they learn to create their own shot, the team will be a perennial contender. Gallo is lights out from 3, he just doesn't take many of those shots unless he is open.

This whole analysis changes if they trade for Melo.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Seems like the conversation has kinda spun significantly away from the topic.  Nobody is talking about who is better among Spurs, Heat and Celtics but whether whether the Knicks should be on the list.