Cohen's Position-by-Position Rankings
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By Josh Cohen
December 14, 2011
ORLANDO -- Ranking players position-by-position is one of the more subjective arguments one can get involved in.
If you poll NBA fans in Dallas, on one hand, nearly everyone will suggest Dirk Nowitzki is the best power forward in the league. On the other hand, if you ask Bostonians to vote, Kevin Garnett probably receives utmost support. In New York, conversely, Amar’e Stoudemire likely gets favoritism.
It’s also difficult to compare talent because players are at distinctive stages of their careers. Steve Nash, for instance, earned MVP honors twice several years back and Tony Parker claimed Finals MVP in 2007. Are Nash and Parker, however, presently better point guards than, for example, John Wall, Tyreke Evans or even Kyrie Irving?
There needs to be some sort of criteria to properly rank players at each position. Sure, it’s easy to just glance at statistics and come to a conclusion. But frankly, that’s somewhat irrational considering stat sheet stuffers aren’t necessarily helping their team’s crunch out victories.
It’s also essential to define each position. For instance, one must ask, what is a point guard alleged to be and how is he supposed to manage his team? To be considered an elite shooting guard, does one have to be a great 3-point shooter or is attacking the basket and earning frequent trips to the free throw line more important? Should an advantaged center be able to consistently knock down open jumpers or is interior defense and a doggedness in the paint more essential?
Also when matching up players, we must examine who everyone plays with. It would be unjust to conclude that Rajon Rondo is absolutely better than some of the other supreme point guards bearing in mind he gets to play with future Hall of Famers Paul Pierce, Garnett and Ray Allen.
Should persona play a factor? Some players just seem more engaged than others even if they don’t necessarily possess as much talent. For instance, many classified John Starks as one of the top shooting guards in the 1990’s because of his unwavering passion and enthusiasm. However, from an aptitude standpoint, Starks probably didn’t have as much talent as, let’s say, Eddie Jones or Hersey Hawkins.
It is much more reasonable, however, to compare players from the same generation than it is to compare players from separate eras. It’s a common argument amongst NBA fans, but it’s practically impossible to make decisive judgments when comparing the best from the 1970’s or 80’s with the best of today.
While it wasn’t easy, I decided to rank the top 10 players of today at each position. My assessments were based on a myriad of factors, including statistics, value, potential, leadership and merit. Note: I did not include any rookies in my rankings.
Follow Josh Cohen on Twitter here
December 14, 2011
ORLANDO -- Ranking players position-by-position is one of the more subjective arguments one can get involved in.
If you poll NBA fans in Dallas, on one hand, nearly everyone will suggest Dirk Nowitzki is the best power forward in the league. On the other hand, if you ask Bostonians to vote, Kevin Garnett probably receives utmost support. In New York, conversely, Amar’e Stoudemire likely gets favoritism.
It’s also difficult to compare talent because players are at distinctive stages of their careers. Steve Nash, for instance, earned MVP honors twice several years back and Tony Parker claimed Finals MVP in 2007. Are Nash and Parker, however, presently better point guards than, for example, John Wall, Tyreke Evans or even Kyrie Irving?
There needs to be some sort of criteria to properly rank players at each position. Sure, it’s easy to just glance at statistics and come to a conclusion. But frankly, that’s somewhat irrational considering stat sheet stuffers aren’t necessarily helping their team’s crunch out victories.
It’s also essential to define each position. For instance, one must ask, what is a point guard alleged to be and how is he supposed to manage his team? To be considered an elite shooting guard, does one have to be a great 3-point shooter or is attacking the basket and earning frequent trips to the free throw line more important? Should an advantaged center be able to consistently knock down open jumpers or is interior defense and a doggedness in the paint more essential?
Also when matching up players, we must examine who everyone plays with. It would be unjust to conclude that Rajon Rondo is absolutely better than some of the other supreme point guards bearing in mind he gets to play with future Hall of Famers Paul Pierce, Garnett and Ray Allen.
Should persona play a factor? Some players just seem more engaged than others even if they don’t necessarily possess as much talent. For instance, many classified John Starks as one of the top shooting guards in the 1990’s because of his unwavering passion and enthusiasm. However, from an aptitude standpoint, Starks probably didn’t have as much talent as, let’s say, Eddie Jones or Hersey Hawkins.
It is much more reasonable, however, to compare players from the same generation than it is to compare players from separate eras. It’s a common argument amongst NBA fans, but it’s practically impossible to make decisive judgments when comparing the best from the 1970’s or 80’s with the best of today.
While it wasn’t easy, I decided to rank the top 10 players of today at each position. My assessments were based on a myriad of factors, including statistics, value, potential, leadership and merit. Note: I did not include any rookies in my rankings.
| |  Derrick Rose |  Chris Paul |  Deron Williams |  John Wall |  Steve Nash |  Russell Westbrook |  Tony Parker |  Tyreke Evans |  Jameer Nelson |  Rajon Rondo |
| |  Kobe Bryant |  Dwyane Wade |  Joe Johnson |  Monta Ellis |  Manu Ginobili |  Eric Gordon |  Ray Allen |  Kevin Martin |  DeMar DeRozan |  Jason Richardson |
| |  LeBron James |  Kevin Durant |  Carmelo Anthony |  Paul Pierce |  Rudy Gay |  Danny Granger |  Gerald Wallace |  Lamar Odom |  Luol Deng |  Caron Butler |
| |  Dirk Nowitzki |  Amar'e Stoudemire |  LaMarcus Aldridge |  Blake Griffin |  Kevin Love |  Kevin Garnett |  Pau Gasol |  Chris Bosh |  Al Horford |  Zach Randolph |
| |  Dwight Howard |  Andrew Bynum |  Tyson Chandler |  Brook Lopez |  Marc Gasol |  Nene |  Andrew Bogut |  Joakim Noah |  DeMarcus Cousins |  Roy Hibbert |
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Which position ranking from the table above do you think is most accurate?
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