The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.
Growing up a few miles from Hawk Hill, I never really had a chance. Saint Joseph’s University (PA) and I were too close not to be close.
Truth is, my connection to SJU goes further and deeper. In their day, the Hawks were a major team, one that attracted top-level talent. In 1971 that talent went by the name of Mike Bantom. B
antom was nice on the court, so nice he represented the USA in the Olympics and was the 8th overall pick in 1973. That’s how he came to be written about for a major publication by a close relative of mine. Add that SJU connect to the fact that I grew up ballin’ on the same team as another ex-Hawks’ son, and, again, I had no chance. And that’s how I first came across Jameer Nelson.
When Meer was young and still in high school, local cats used to whisper about the prodigy. Based on the trickle of talk that fell my way, I was picturing this 6-2 pg created by God strictly to dribble the rock and crack unworthy defenders. So when I saw him on local TV during his senior year at Chester, I was surprised as hell—dude was 5-11 and chubby. That couldn’t be the Meer I was hearing all the talk about. Hell no! A little less than two hours and four quarters later, I was a believer: Jameer may have had a body like Beanie Sigel (OK, it wasn’t that bad) but he had the heart of Hercules.
After that game, I didn’t see or hear about Nelson for a good couple of summer months. Just when he was slipping out of my consciousness, word came down before the start of the ’01 college season that he had signed with the Hawks and would be suiting up as a frosh that campaign. That’s when Jameer earned the right to have his picture cut out of the Philadelphia Inquirer and put up on my door, next to those of Allen Iverson, Freeway and the 1980 Phillies team.
I remember a few things from Nelson’s first season on Hawk Hill. For one, I remember him standing out as the best pg in the A-10…recall, I’m talking about freshman year. That Hawks squad captured the city’s full attention, as one-year wonder Marvin O’Connor put on two of the most incredible displays of bball I’ve ever witnessed. The first was a regular season game against La Salle, where I tuned in to the game on a whim, and got to see Marvin drop 18 points in the last 60 seconds of the contest. He drained a few threes, stole an inbounds pass and rocked the rim a time or two. Game is still seared vividly in my mind. The other memory from that season is the Hawks second round Tourney game against Stanford. Down big at the half, O’Connor dropped a whopping 37 points on the night (a Saturday night I believe?), leading a stunning comeback that fell just short. Jameer also killed in that game, running the point like a true vet. Maybe you had to see it to appreciate—kind of like Nelson’s game.
The next year, Meer’s second and O’Connor’s last, the Hawks were supposed to do big things. But they flamed out, as M.O. suffered some leg injuries. Nelson, the reigning SI Freshmen of the Year kept bringing it, though, but it wasn’t enough without his running mate. With O’Connor due to receive his diploma, nobody was expecting much from Phil Martelli’s Hawks in the upcoming season.
As a matter of full disclosure, it was around this time that I started rocking Jameer’s No. 14, taking the digits as my own. I didn’t just cop his number, though; I tried to emulate his whole game. From the nifty fullcourt bounce passes to the pull-up 18-footer, Chester’s finest influenced not only my game, but that of every kid at my gym. Now plenty of us still wanted to be Kobe, another local hero, but being Jameer was just more realistic. He wasn’t too tall; he wasn’t super speedy; and he didn’t do anything we couldn’t work on at the Y.
Fast-forward to senior year. With Delonte West on the wing and host of hard workers wearing Hawks colors, a beautiful thing happened: the Hawks didn’t lose a regular season game. Headed into the A-10 Tourney, everything looked perfect. The Hawks were the No. 1 team in the Nation, and Jameer was the catalyst. The team was special that year, and I realized that early on, as I started to listen to games over the crackling radio by my bed. When I should’ve been doing work, I was wrapped up in the never dying Hawks. Be it the Holy War (games against Villanova) or just a game against Xavier (one in which Delonte had a perfect game from the field, 12-12, and the FT line, 6-6), I was in a trance.
The Hawks didn’t complete the dream the way they would’ve liked, losing to Xavier in the A-10 tourney, and Oklahoma State in the Elite Eight (Nelson missed a final shot that could’ve won the game). But Jameer had as close to a perfect year as a short, chubby college senior could possibly have, pulling home the Wooden Award and the Bob Cousy Award, in addition to landing on an SI cover.
With “All Eyes On Me” tatted in bold print across his shoulder blades, Jameer and his family (his son was mad cute) waited on Draft night to find out where he would go. Somehow, it probably had something to do with his aforementioned physical attributes, Meer found himself still waiting to hear his name deep into the first round. Finally, with the 20th pick, the Denver Nuggets drafted him…and then promptly swapped his rights to Orlando.
Meer always had these sad eyes. Eyes that always look like they’re searching, be it for the man cutting to the hoop or something more profound. That June night, Nelson’s eyes told me all I needed to know: he’d be searching for revenge when the time came.
The rest is history. It took him a few years to get comfortable and find his place in the L, but Jameer finally found it all clicking last year, making the All Star team before getting sidelined with a shoulder injury. Before getting hurt, Meer was shooting at a nice clip (over 50%), guiding the offense smoothly and, maybe most importantly, was Dwight Howard’s best friend and team leader.
In the 42 games Nelson did play last year, he averaged close to 17 ppg, 5.5 apg, 3.5 rpg, 1 spg and only 2 turnovers per. Jameer truly was in the midst of putting it all together. He wasn’t just an All-Star and the Magics second-best player through January, he was their very pulse and breath.
All most people remember now is the shot that Derek Fisher hit over him in the Finals. I remember everything leading up to that: From the undersized kid playing on for Chester to the little PG dominating at SJU, from hosting all of his teammates for a week of bonding before every season to losing his father in a sad accident on the Delaware River, from seeing little action early in Orlando to making the All-Star game, from being shut down for the year to showing grit and guile by making it back for the Finals, I remember every step along the journey. One that continues this year with Nelson as a top NBA player on a Title contender.
All eyes will be on Jameer this season. But then, check his ink. They always have been.
Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’09-10 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Jake Appleman, Brett Ballantini, Russ Bengtson, Toney Blare, Shannon Booher, Myles Brown, Franklyn Calle, Gregory Dole, Emry DowningHall, Jonathan Evans, Adam Fleischer, Jeff Fox, Sherman Johnson, Aaron Kaplowitz, John Krolik, Holly MacKenzie, Ryne Nelson, Chris O’Leary, Ben Osborne, Alan Paul, Susan Price, Sam Rubenstein, Khalid Salaam, Kye Stephenson, Adam Sweeney, Vincent Thomas, Tzvi Twersky, Justin Walsh, Joey Whelan, Eric Woodyard, and Nima Zarrabi.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.
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: @Hussman25 I remember Marvin at Nova; it didn’t work out too well. And by 1-year wonder I meant that in college he had one year where he was a top player. He didn’t have it like that his senior year (mainly injuries).
: @Eboy: Like you said though, AI is an “if,” and he’s a “maybe.” If had a team and a deal he very well may have been placed higher. We’re pretty sure we know what Meer will be bringing this year, so we have to give him the 2-up on Iverson for know.
@darksaber lol just what are you going to say when it’s time for durant…?
He put up 33 and 7 as the point in Philly.
1. Im a laker fan since the showtime days(let the hate begin)
2. Kobe Bean IS the best damn bball player in the planet!!!!!!!!
3. Contrary to popular belief michael jordan is not the greatest basketball player ever(ask me who i dare you)
4. let the arguin commence………oh and feel free to test my knowledge if you want i love to be doubted
And just for the heck of it… who if not mj?
You think Durant is the “worst” defender in the league? That’s a mighty bold comment, care to back it up with some actual logic or facts?
1. ncaa title in his sophmore year
2. first Nba title the next season!! and the finals mvp to go wit it
3. in that finals he started at pg and C!!!!!!!!
4. 3 mvps i know thats not 5 but remember he retired at 32.
5. had he not retired so early whose to say mike wins 6 titles.
6. once again he could play all five positions on both ends of the floor.
7. literally changed the game and i know thats a cliche that is thrown around way to much but in this case its the truth.
8. He made all of his teammates better with out having to learn how a la mike and kobe.
9. he had the killer instinct lebron dosents.
10. when you add up his size, skill, mental attributes, attitude and will to win you literally have the perfect bball player.
11. and as good of a showman as there ever was he just chose to throw a no-look and not throw down…theres my case
He’ll probably be a career 25-28 point scorer, something ridiculously high. He’ll hit a few thirty point seasons.
But that’s really all I see from him. I mean, his passing is subpar (he sees people fine but he can’t create and he has trouble passing out of double teams.. I see 3-4 assists) and his rebounding so far is only because of height… I say six or seven boards a game, no more.
I also question if he will be a good defender in the future. Sure, D takes time to develop in the league, but his frame makes me doubtful.
He wont even come close to reaching the greatest of either Wade or Lebron. Book it.
1. Jordan got an NCAA title too.
2. Magic was flanked by Hall of Famers but I can still concede this one. It’s a remarkable feat, no doubt.
3. Again, I concede.
4 & 5. Jordan denied Magic his 6th title when the Bulls took out the Lakers in 5. Magic’c only shot at another MVP would’ve been during the 1st baseball season. A 35 year old Magic would not have got MVP during the Dream Season.
6. First 2-guard to join the conversation of most dominant ever.
7. Jordan bucked the idea that you needed a dominant big to win a title. This holds true if not for the squabbling ’04 Lakers v. play-the-right-way Pistons.
8. Point, Magic.
9. I’m pretty sure MJ’s picture is in the dictionary next to “Killer Instinct”
10. I can concede this because I think LeBron is the only one with a chance to become the new prototype but his fingers are too naked challenge at this point.
11. So this one I think is a little superfluous.
I’m going to add one of Mike here. Jordan is the only player since Russell to deny such a large # of HOFers titles. Oh, and two 3peats
I think Z’s in the right, though. Okur can probably score in way more ways than Shaq. That does not make Okur the better scorer. While the difference in offensive output between Lebron and Durant is far smaller than Shaq and Okur, the basic principle remains the same: because Durant has a better outside shot and midrange game, it means nothing because Lebron can still score easier by running at the inside a billion times.
Lebron’s stronger, more agile, can jump higher, and I know people are going to probably try and disagree with me but… Lebron is probably twice as fast.
But although I don’t agree with Bryan that Wade is better than Lebron… I actually am one of the few people on earth who think Wade is very close to Lebron, and (don’t hate me James) Kobe is number 3 right now.
Also, I hate when players like Lebron get All Defensive honours when they spend 36 minutes per game guarding scrubs to avoid foul trouble. For example in the Atlanta series in the playoffs, Delonte was the one who was guarding Joe Johnson for most of the game.
Durant might be the same, 1 OKC game a year on ESPN isnt really enough to judge that.
Kobe scores in more ways than Jordan, but I wouldn’t say he’s a better scorer than Jordan was at his prime.
Just saying.
Also, Jordan went for 35 in a season before, and 37 in the season before that…
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