Friday, September 11th, 2009 at 8:00 am  |  79 responses

Top 50: Rashard Lewis, no. 38

The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.

by Chris O’Leary

Next Year.

Often the unofficial mantra of losers, Next Year finds its way onto Rashard Lewisthe lips of athletes and fans alike across the planet. It becomes the band-aid to what ails your team.

Out-rebounded on a nightly basis? Can’t play D? Have locker room issues with teammates? Run out of gas and come up short in the Eastern Conference Finals?

Next Year can fix all of that. Embrace it, let it be your savior.

Rashard Lewis’ pairing with the word is different. This summer, Next Year threw itself at the Orlando Magic swingman like an overeager high school girl at a frat party.

After Dwight Howard, Shard will be the second-most important piece of the puzzle this season for Orlando. Dwight will continue to do his thing, looking like the Incredible Hulk under the basket. Jameer Nelson will play his part, setting the table for everyone. As revitalized as Vince Carter may be this coming season, you can’t help but think that he’s salivating at the prospect of winning while being the third or fourth banana some nights. In many ways, Shard is the glue of this team’s core.

Having just turned 30 (how fast did that happen?), the time is now for Lewis and the Magic. The arrival of Brandon Bass will let Shard play as the consummate three that he’s built to be, knocking down the trey with his robotic form and still capable of slashing to the bucket for the dunk. And to think, he could have been your favorite team’s forward for a meagre $18 million per season.

Actually, Shard will make a little bit more than that this season.

Winning does a funny thing to those inflated numbers though, doesn’t it? That milk-out-the-nose reaction that everyone had to the contract he signed in 2007 isn’t as jarring as it once was. A trip to the Finals (at the expense of the Cavs) tends to force your critics to bite their tongues, at least for the summer months and as long as things stay sunny for the Magic.

Is he overpaid? Definitely. There’s no way he should be Orlando’s top earner through 2013. But at the same time, Orlando is on the cusp of getting to a place it hasn’t legitimately been able to think about about since 1995-96 and they wouldn’t be there without Rashard Lewis.

While other players in the League have made careers out of putting up strong numbers on non-contenders and talking about winning, Shard has gone out and helped lift his team to that next level. When he steps on the court, his heart seems to be in the right place. Maybe it’s because his wallet acts as a stilt to get him there, but regardless, the guy has helped take Orlando into the elite of the NBA.

He seems to enjoy the pressure that comes with pro ball. A second-round pick (32nd overall) by the Sonics in the ’98 draft, Shard was fueled to prove all those other teams wrong for not picking him sooner. Now in Orlando, he’ll have to justify the $213,643.79 he gets paid to play night-in and night-out this year.

As he told everyone’s favorite Twitterer, Russ Bengtson in SLAM 113, a championship was in his sights well before this past season with Orlando.

“Seeing these guys win championships, especially Dwyane Wade and then you have the Spurs that dominate every year, I wanna be in that position to where I’m tryin’ to compete for a ring also,” he said. “And I feel like I can do that in coming to Orlando.”

If the Magic’s success last year is any indication, things are only going to get sunnier in Orlando.

Next Year, Shard. It could be all yours. Well, 10 games into Next Year.

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.

  • Add a Comment
  • Share
  • RSS

Tags: , , ,

← Older Comments
  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    Thank you, Myles. Other teams were HAPPY last year whhen Bynum was on the floor because it meant that LO was sitting. Pau is much more comfortable with having the low block to himself. The thing that goes a bit under the radar with Bynum is that he has no lift at all (even before the injuries), he’s agile for a center but he can’t just go up with bad intentions like you foul me or I’ll dunk on you. That’s a very valuable asset when you’re a big. I remember a young Shaq not even having to shake his man off and just banging on him. STAT does that every game too.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Brad idk about what you think is gonna happen but Tim Duncan will be the starting center for the west this year. Amar’e will be the 4

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    This years starting all stars for the west (as voted by the fans) Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Amar’e Stoudemire, Tim Duncan

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Andrew Bynum is one of the most overrated players in the league. When he’s healthy he has a pretty high ceiling to reach, but even if he gets voted an All-Star (due to Yao’s injury), he still shouldn’t be top 50 on this list. I’m curious to see what he can do though. Last year he seemed kind of slow, but that’s due to his injury.
    I like how the Lakers + Media were saying how they’d win a championship because Bynum was coming back, but the real reason they won was because of getting Trevor Ariza (I mean new additions).

  • http://slamonline.com B-Moore

    Well.. While you are all arguing over who will be ballin for the west in the All Star game…

    I just received word from David Stern that Deron Williams will be playing in his first All Star Game.

    FTW.

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com BETCATS

    David West should be between 37-30. Stop hating.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Deron Williams being in 0 All-Star games is a travesty to basketball.

  • http://www.anwilson.blogspot.com rainman10

    What about the big “O” trio having a better shot at the all-star center spot in the west? Okafor, Oden, and Okur? Al Jefferson and maybe even Amare could be listed as centers. How about Nene? I am a big Bynum fan, but I don’t think he is the automatic choice for the western center spot.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    niQ: Yes they do. Demar DeRozan is starting for the Raps.

  • Don

    what? people are still believing bynum can be worth something?

  • Furious

    firstly, david west has no business on this list. Also, bynum isn’t getting 25 and 10 on any team because he has no moves. He shoots 56 percent cos he gets open dunks from his teammates.

  • ENDS

    Now I see it like this: a team who has had Shaq, Penny, Nick Anderson, Tmac, Darrel Armstrong, Grant Hill, The Franchise, Ben Wallace, Billups, Maggette, D12, Turk, and Premiere Nelson, and the highest Paid player EVER is RaW Lew? Shouldnt be, Right?
    .
    However, if Orlando wouldnt have given it to him Cleveland or Boston Most Certainly would Have. So IIWII

  • ENDS

    It is What It Is! my thing no biting

  • Solon

    Co-sign Don. Bynum is crap. Whoever thinks he can be the best center in the west in obviously smoking smack. No way he makes the list.
    Also-Rashard Lewis is better then Odom. Should be higher.

  • http://sevendeu2u.wordpress.com/ Seven deuce

    David West is top 50, but not over Artest or even Raw Lew. He’s like the only 20ppg scoring forward who is totally dependent on his shot being created for him. He may take two dribbles, but mostly it’s catch, one dribble & shoot. Crazy accurate though. And that inconsistent D….

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Aaron Brooks should be on this list soon. But he’ll probably be shafted for Andrew Bynum. =\.

  • Pingback: Orlando Magic News & Notes | Howard the Dunk | An Orlando Magic Blog

  • http://dfsjklf.com Jukai

    Teddy: Aaron Brooks deserves no remote spot on this list. Stop.

  • http://dfsjklf.com Jukai

    I think Scola has a SHOT to be on this list, because the keys to the team have pretty much been handed to him. But Aaron Brooks is short and has no ceiling and his opponent wont be Derek Fisher everyday. I don’t get what you see in the kid.

  • http://www.hoopsvibe.com/christopher_sells-authorHV106.html chiqo

    i’d rather see brooks on the list than ariza, who is probably about to make an appearance.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    “Aaron Brooks has no ceiling.” That’s why he’s always improving and he’s only a sophomore. Right.

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com Hursty

    If Brooks/Scola were going to be on the list, they’d be here by now. Same goes with Bynum.
    Oh, and Brad? Remember there was that arguement about whether Chris Mihm was a top 10 NBA centre 2 years ago? He had almost the same stats that year as Bynum did this year. So pssht to your ‘arguement’ and Myles destroyed you. Besides, Al Jefferson is the T-Wolves centre.

  • Esco

    Damn, Myles made BLong disappear. It was mad funny scrolling down to see if he would respond and not finding him anywhere. Funny stuff.

  • Tomas

    hahaha I jsut saw jamison is ahead of rashard this list is such a joke lololol
    fun read tho

  • D.A.

    The highlight of Aaron Brooks’career, will be being asked if he is Chris Rock in the street.

  • D.A.

    Mind you, he is playing in the NBA and I am not. Touche Aaron, Touche.

  • chintao

    All of Rashard’s records should have an “*” next to….

  • chintao

    Well, I guess SLAM could at least write the heading of this post as: Top 50: Rashard Lewis, no. 38*

  • http://hibachi20.blogspot.com Blinguo

    ENDS new thing reminds me of WW whatever #, Nintendo Wii, Wienerschnietzel’s W logo, and chintao’s Michael Jackson post.
    -
    BTW chintao, think you missed the NY & Michael Jordan piece this weekend. “Hate and Respect”
    One Knicks fan softened completely over the years for MJ’s HOF induction. The last post is a huge F you to New York too and that article does not need to end that way.

← Older Comments
Advertisement