Top 50: Tony Parker, no. 15
The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.
Look up the word envy and you will see it is described as a noun originating from France that expresses a feeling of discontent and resentment aroused by and in conjunction with desire for the possessions or qualities of another. Ask me to use it in a sentence and I can give you a few.
For example, I envy the speed and teardrop floater that Tony Parker shows off every night he plays. You could also say I, a Houston Rockets fan, envy how many titles Tony Parker has helped lead the San Antonio Spurs to in his career. And it should go without saying that any sane individual must envy Parker for his relationship with a certain Desperate Housewife. It’s only fitting that both the word being dissected and the player in focus come from the same country.
Let’s step back a few sentences and clarify a point of discussion. You might be thinking, “Tony Parker didn’t lead S.A. to multiple titles. That was Tim Duncan.” You’d be partially right. Tim has unquestionably cemented himself as the greatest power forward of all-time. Without him the Spurs don’t have a dynasty. But there is a lack of respect that the point guard position receives, none more understanding of this notion than Parker. It wasn’t Tony’s job to take the last shot. That was Timmy’s job. Until recently, it has always been Parker’s job to defer. And while Duncan stepped into the spotlight from day one of his NBA career, there is a certain beauty to the way Parker’s game has grown over the years, so much so that it shouldn’t be surprising if Parker supplants Duncan this season as the franchise player in San Antonio.
To study the timeline of Parker’s career is an exercise in maturity. He was a player that was initally dismissed by Gregg Popovich in a workout because he couldn’t handle the physical nature of the NBA game. Nothing has come easy for Parker. He had to figure out how to craft his style of play. He’s been in Pop’s doghouse plenty of times, even to the point where he was warned not to shoot 3’s. But every season that we see Parker, there is a new facet to his game. He’s not perfect but neither are we. Have any of us not been chastised by a coach for firing outside of our range? Parker is a player worth celebrating because he is the best of us. He has had to weather the same hardships every talented baller with a touch of recklessness had to endure, the difference being that he found a way to put it together. Parker’s growth as an NBA player is what we wish we could have achieved, if only we had that speed, that elusiveness, that… sorry, here comes the enviousness again.
It is only a matter of time before you see an ESPN header that reads “The French-ise” with Parker’s smiling mug underneath it. There’s no accounting for taste in headlines but it is time that we start accounting for Parker in terms of importance to the Spurs and the league in general. He’s already become the first European player to win an NBA Finals MVP, and Parker had career highs last season in points per game and assists, at 22.0 and 6.9 respectively. As Manu Ginobili and Duncan enter perhaps the twilight of their careers, which is strange to hear myself say, Parker is hitting his prime.
Anyone who questions this notion can go back to the 4-1 series loss the Spurs suffered at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. Tony dropped 28.6 a game on Dallas even though the Mavericks knew he and Duncan were the only two players worth guarding on the Spurs. Try convincing me Michael Finley was a threat. You have a better chance of arguing that Paul Blart: Mall Cop deserves an Academy Award. It takes a special player to slash through a defense that is waiting for him. Parker is that player.
Ask someone to name the best point guards in the NBA and you almost assuredly will hear the names of Chris Paul, Steve Nash and Deron Williams listed first. How many rings do those guys have between them? Nada. Parker has three to his name. If he wins this year, and the Spurs have to be considered a serious contender with the acquisitions of Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess, maybe Parker will be generous enough to keep one ring for himself and give one a piece to the aforementioned PGs on the list.
You can argue that Parker’s outside game is sorely lacking, that his jump shot can be inconsistent at times and that he has been blessed with exceptional talent around him. I’ll give you the first two contentions but you can’t blame a player for being placed on an organization that understands the importance of chemistry, balance and depth. And talent doesn’t equal championships. I submit the Phoenix Suns for your consideration. At the end of the day it is all about winning and right now there isn’t a point guard in the league with the amount of talent and rings to match Tony Parker.
In the same way that the New England Patriots don’t measure success by number of magazine front covers or jersey sales, the Spurs all understand that legacies are measured by championships. Based upon that criteria, Parker’s legacy rises higher than Vince Carter did in the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest. Parker said it best. “When there is talk about the best point guards, sometimes they don’t talk about me. But that’s not my main motivation. They can talk about Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Deron Williams and Chris Paul. I still have the most rings.“
Truer words have never been spoken.
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.
This story is filed under: SLAMonline Top 50
He can be basically un-guardable at times (ask the Cavs). One of the fastest 3 players in the league, killer teardrop, and the hardware to back it up. All that being said-I hate french people-lazy basturds…
had TD been drafted by memphis, he’d be a ringless PF
TP and TD being drafted by SA (plus Manu), they are 4 or 3 rings PF/PG
that simple
@Tons….:don’t worry about Solon, he ain’t the smartest guy around…
@rog…8:34am: EXACTLY. A this moment Parker is over Duncan(breaking news to my kids:all humans ,unfortunately, are aging.) and slightly under a healthy Manu.
@kobesfriend….9:32am: IVERSON!!!!!(with twice as many shot attempts but who cares…)
Tony Parker is mad underrated. Dude understands the game for real.
Okay I’m done, I’ma get back to work. lol
Make my name taste like ass when you speak it….
2. DWill
3. Tony “My wife is hotter than yours” Parker
@Allenp…..:once again solid argumentation!!!Well,everybody knows you are under 90(maybe even under 80), we do not need any more confirmations.At the same time you unconsciously achieve exactly this daily ,so, for the sake of instant comedy… PLEEEASE keep posting !!!!!
I was reading some of Greek dude’s old posts from the last Top 50.
He revealed that he used to stan for Iverson at Georgetown, but was turned off once AI got to the league.
Unrequited love drives some folks crazy.
@tavoris&Allenp….: i love you both.
Look, this is coming from me, ME, so take this to heart guys: Nash can NOT get buckets like Parker can get buckets. It’s not close. It never was.
Prickly.
Plus you’re trolling Spanny hardcore. It’s against the rules, bud.
How can you argue that Tony Parker is inefficient if he shoots over 50 percent from the field, from the guard spot, and gets 22 points a game?
No following that logic.
Personally, I think Nash could score 22-25 a game if he was really gunning, but I understand Jukai’s point.
Parker has a scorer’s mentality all the time, while Nash is more of a traditional point guard on offense. HE can score when you test him, but he’d rather just run the show. Parker is constantly looking to tear your heart out.
As for his effectivness versus Iverson, you cannot discount the fact that when he drives the lane, big men would have to leave the greatest power forward of all time to come stop him.
My bad, you didn’t say Parker was inefficient, you said Nash could do what he does more efficiently.
Not sure if that’s true, but it’s different from what I thought you said.
Redd didn’t make the list. Booser was already listed. Duncan and Durant are higher, Gerald Wallace was already listed, or not included at all.
Kobe and Lebron will be 1,2, can’t have it any other way.
Dwight
Wade
Kobe
Cp3
Dirk
Broy
Durant
Melo
Williams
Kg
Timmy
Bosh
Wallace?
FOR THE RECORD: As everyone who has been on this site for at least 5 years knows. I am the biggest Kobe supporter here. But we know he isn’t dropping 35.7 ppg this year. So he is a little lower … I would put him number one but I am bias!!
But, Parker takes easier shots, mostly layups, so that elimates long rebounds and run outs.
I think the fact that Parker is consistently in the lane and forcing players into foul trouble is a sign of efficiency in a way. I rarely see Parker shoot a stupid shot, while I have seen Nash, because of his talent and the system, shoot some pretty wild three pointers.
I don’t know.
Not saying I think Parker’s overall better, just saying score-wise, there really isn’t anyone in the NBA who can stop him. Footwork and speed is too much.
It gets a little annoying when players who have decent jumpers get labeled as poor shooters. I don’t care what “experts” and “analysts” say, no defender in the league would feel comfortable leaving Tony Parker wide-open for a jumper. The same goes for Allen Iverson, LeBron James, etc.
Bryan: Well, you missed my point. If Nash took 17 shots like Parker does a game… that doesn’t necessarily mean that Nash is going to keep the same percentages. Nash doesn’t force things, he either a) heats up and shoots quick Js or b) waits for his smart opportunity to score. If he took six more shots, he’d likely be taking worse shots, and his percentages would drop.
Would it drop past Tony Parker? I don’t know. Doubtful.
TP’s issue was he couldn’t score enough coming off high pick n rolls (round about 6-8 feet above the 3pt line) because the defensive guard would just slip into the lane so TP couldn’t throw the rock to TD or anyone else. Forcing him to pick the ball up and throw a dodgy jumper or force a pass.
From personal experiences with every french person I have ever met-they are generally snobbish, snooty, lazy (everyone in the country goes on strike at the drop of a hat, if you work for two years anywhere in the EU the french government will pay you almost 2000 euros a month to sit on your a$$), arrogant, thinks they are the best people in the world-that their food, their art, their women, their cheese, their wine, etc. are better than anything else any country has ever done. While these are all generalizations, they have held generally true. Just as Americans are generally fatter, louder, and better at basketball then the rest of the world.
Greece sucks too.
If I was to make broad, sweeping remarks about the French, snobbish and arrogant are words I would use too. C’mon.
Also, he’s ‘attacking’ a country - not a race or sexual orientation.
(Note: I don’t condone what was written either)
@Darksaber……:Alba is fighting for the last spot for next years Euroleague. They lost in Athens by 9 points and they have to cover it. Marousi is a small team but with much pride.
stop lamenting on what could’ve been, people.
NO, he did not get drafted by memphis.
NO, nash didn’t average 23 ppg.
parker is with the spurs and he has developed under the pop system into the player that he is right now.
and stop with the “john had more rings than charles” BS. gahd, you guys are dumb@$$e$.
just give tony his props. he deserves it.
Nash #6
Stoudemire #9
Shaq #38
But the Suns didn’t make it to the playoffs. (almost the same could be said with the Pistons, thank you AI)
…
Parker #21, Billups #25, Roy #28 and Gasol #31 (way too low for these players). It shows how silly are these rankings, but yet we love them !!
No one can argue that Roy was only the 28th best player this year, nor Gasol only 31st !! So 2008 ranking was quite bad, and so will be 2009 ranking, but that’s the way prospectives go !
Also, Durant went from 50th to Top 13 ?!
…
Baron Davis #16
Gilbert Arenas #17
AI #18
T-Mac #20
Marion #23
All these players weren’t in the 50 best players this year for sure, despite what the stupid ASG votes tell.
…
Is there a kind of forum on SLAMonline ? It could be nice to compare and discuss the past and present Tops, and be useful for the next.
To me, your Top 50 is too much based on the regular season and on top tens.
Pau dominated in the play-offs, Parker was great all the year long and did his best without TD and Ginobili, Artest was huge in the playoffs, not to mention Billups’ effect ; yet, they don’t have the respect they deserve. But Arenas does, which is stunning !
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