[R-Dot-13Participant]

Well, Im sure we know the answer here, so lets find out who 2-5 is.

1. Lebron James
No contest, there is nobody that you can put ahead of Lebron in this catagory.

2. Danny Granger
A great scorer, an all star, and is still very young. At 6’8, he handles the ball like a guard, and moves like one. Athletic, a great scorer, although he could rebound the ball at a higher rate. But still, although he doesnt have a great team, he is still one of the best scorers in the league, and should be in an all star uniform again this year. If Ford has a great year, and Murphy scores and rebounds at a high rate, they have a solid shot at the 8th seed.

3. Paul Pierce
A veteran, a great scorer, and finals MVP. Numerous all star appearances, a career 23 ppg scorer. He is 32, so he has a couple years before he completely slows down. He will still score at a high rate this year, and with Garnett healthy, along with Allen and Rondo, I believe that the Celtics will be in the finals this year. A lot of people may think that he could be ahead of Granger because of what he has accomplished, but I think I think 3rd is a good spot to put him in.

4. Andre Iguodala
One of the best players in the league yet to make an all star team, and I believe he will get that this year. One of the best defensive players in the NBA, gets steals and blocks at a high rate, and is incredibly athletic. Pretty good offensively as well, and should put up stats like 20 ppg, 7 rbg, 7 apg, which are what he put up in the playoffs last year. With Lou Williams expected to breakout, Andre should lead the Sixers to a 6 seed in the playoffs.

5. Caron Butler
Could be the most underrated player in the league. Is a great #2 option to Arenas, but steps it up when Arenas is hurt. A former all star, he is a 20 ppg scorer, but also passes and rebounds at a high rate. He is a very talented offensive player. He is also very good defensively, and gets steals. (1.7pg in his career)
Butler should have a great season yet again, and the Wizards will make the playoffs as a high seed.

[R-Dot-13Participant]

I consider Rashard Lewis a PF for this.

[trojans13Participant]

i would flip flop granger and pierce, just because of what pierce has accomplished and i think he has 3-4 real solid years ahead of him yet. i would also slide tayshaun prince into the 5 spot instead of caron butler. i thiink caron would beat tayshaun 1-1 but in a team setting i think prince does more things that lead to victories

[JNixonParticipant]

I honestly think Granger should be behind Iguodala and definitely Pierce. Granger is the better scorer than Iguodala, but what else does he do better? And he does nothing at all better than Pierce, except (statistically) he’s the better scorer.

[trojans13Participant]

i could be talked into that iggy, your points are well taken. i wouldnt have a problem with iguodala moving ahead of granger on the list. andre does so many things well and if he took the same amount of shot attempts as granger he would probably be in the 22-23 ppg area as well

[R-Dot-13Participant]

I really like Iggy, hes one of my favourite players.
The 2-4 spots are pretty debateable in my opinion, I believe that both Granger and Iggy in the future will both be very good, but I had to put 1 ahead of the other.

[trojans13Participant]

I forgot about Hedo, are we classifying him as a SF? He’s got to be on this list somewhere don’t he?

[R-Dot-13Participant]

He isnt top 5, I dont see it, he is very good, but I think hes a bit overrated. Do you really see him as better than anyone on this list?

[trojans13Participant]

its hard to say, i think you can make a legit case for hedo, butler, and prince to be #5 on the list. they are all such different style of players. hedo is matchup nightmare against some teams and causes fits(celtics, cavs) and sometimes he’s nothing special (lakers). i guess its just personal preference when it comes to those 3. what you think?

[RickyRubio9Participant]

Number 1 is a no-brainer, but I do think Pierce should be number 2 due to his past accomplisments and still doing his thing at his age while playing with other Superstars. Then Iggy, he may not score as much as Granger, but his team wins ball games and he leads them to doing that. Then Granger and Caron Butler. Granger did more on a bad team then Butler did on Washington. They shouldn’t have even been that bad to begin with.

[xbadgerhustlerParticipant]

I think Granger belongs at #3, just from looking at those 5 guys… Paul Pierce is just on another level as far as understanding how the game works. Paul can get his shot any time he wants to and his defensive has really improved since the trade and spending time with that defensive asst coach the celtics have.

Iguodala-Granger-Butler are all interchangeable in my mind, although if I had to order them I’d go Granger-Iggy-Butler…Butler is an underrated distributor and so is Iggy, and I had originally thought that they belonged ahead of Granger because of that passing ability, but then I relooked at Granger’s 3pt shooting and he is outta this world. Neither Butler or AI2 gets even close to his 3FG%

[xbadgerhustlerParticipant]

Gerald Wallce, Tayshaun, and Wilson Chandler all deserve mention, although they’re all best when on defense…

I donno if I’d put Gerald above any of the 5 u mentioned, but I think it’s worth considering.

[nthegoodlifeParticipant]

has to be at the two right now. Pierce at one time, would be ahead, but not now. Right now at this moment I also take Granger. He plays hard and leaves it out on the court. BTW, look how far he has came, he clearly puts the work in to get where he wants to be. You have to love that mentality. Iggy is nice, but he’ll always be one of those “freak athletes” that survive on mostly athleticism and will never reach the level of skill that he is capable of. Thats why I choose Granger at two.

[xbadgerhustlerParticipant]

but nthegoodlife… what about pierce?

[Bryant24Participant]

Yea the list good i think Igouodala is underrated because he dont shoot as much as others u could of put hedo in. But i dont think Hedo is better than Caron when he healthy

[R-Dot-13Participant]

I gave everyone else thats been mentioned consideration, but I feel that none of them deserve on here over these 5.

[RickyRubio9Participant]

Freak Athlete who never reached his potential?
Iggy has worked on that Jumpshot and it’s improving. LeBron is a freak athlete as well, he bulldozes his way into the lane and his jumper isn’t great neither. I’m not comparing the two, but they still have plenty of time to reach their potential. Iggy is still young. Granger had one All-Star season where he put up Great Numbers on a BAD Team. He was the focus of the offense. I mean, he’s good, but I don’t think the Second Best Small Forward in the East.

[R-Dot-13Participant]

Im still disappointed that my Raps passed up on Iggy.

[JNixonParticipant]

THANK YOU Rubio…freak athlete that never meets his potential. Ha, you really must not watch basketball that much because he clearly is leaps and bounds ahead of where he was as a player since he’s came into the NBA.

[blazer_fan_foreverParticipant]

Over Granger…I don’t even think Granger is on the same level as Pierce. Iggy and Granger…I give the nod to Iggy cause he has a very versatile game.

[gatorheelsParticipant]

If anything I would put Caron Butler at #3.

[RickyRubio9Participant]

Granger’s Numbers
Year Team G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
05-06 IND 78 17 22.6 0.462 0.323 0.777 1.7 3.2 4.9 1.2 0.7 0.8 1.03 2.70 7.5
06-07 IND 82 57 34.0 0.459 0.382 0.803 1.4 3.3 4.6 1.4 0.8 0.7 1.65 3.00 13.9
07-08 IND 80 80 36.0 0.446 0.404 0.852 1.2 4.9 6.1 2.1 1.2 1.0 2.14 3.60 19.6
08-09 IND 67 66 36.2 0.447 0.404 0.878 0.7 4.4 5.1 2.7 1.0 1.5 2.46 3.10 25.8

Iggy’s Numbers
Year Team G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
04-05 PHI 82 82 32.8 0.493 0.331 0.743 1.1 4.6 5.7 3.0 1.7 0.6 1.70 2.50 9.0
05-06 PHI 82 82 37.6 0.500 0.354 0.754 1.4 4.4 5.9 3.1 1.6 0.3 1.87 2.40 12.3
06-07 PHI 76 76 40.3 0.447 0.310 0.820 1.0 4.7 5.7 5.7 2.0 0.4 3.43 2.60 18.2
07-08 PHI 82 82 39.5 0.456 0.329 0.721 1.0 4.4 5.4 4.8 2.1 0.6 2.61 2.30 19.9
08-09 PHI 82 82 39.9 0.473 0.307 0.724 1.1 4.6 5.7 5.3 1.6 0.4 2.71 1.90 18.8

I tried to space them out to make for easier reading. Field Goal Percentage wise, Iggy wins, but behind the Arc it’s all Granger, but come on. Iggy gets to the hoop more and is aggresive. He draws fouls. They rebound at same rate, but Granger is bigger and should be able to get 7 boards. Iggy also racks up way more assits, a better playmaker for his team. He can help his team win in different ways, not just scoring. His PPG is alot lower, but his team had players like Miller, Brand, Young, S. Dalambert. Plus THE DUDE PLAYS EVERY GAME and more minutes! They took about the same amount of shots and were fairly close last season. Check it out – Iggy – 542-1,147 and then Granger – 571-1,277
Only difference is and this is where Grangers points per game jumps up, he shoots almost 200 more three pointers then Iggy and he made 100 more. If Iggy can get that shot down, no question he will be way better then Granger.
It’s debateble, but I give Iggy the nod. He does so much more and when I seen the two of them play he just seems better. Plus he has been to the Playoffs twice and is one year younger then Granger
It didn’t let me space them out…sorry if it’s all mushed up

[xbadgerhustlerParticipant]

One point I definitely agree on, especially with the number of possessions Indiana has… he should be grabbing WAY more than 5 rpg with his height and athleticism

[gatorheelsParticipant]

Put it on a level playing field:

Per 48 minutes  2008-2009

Granger 34pts  7rebs  4ast  1steal 2blocks 3TO  45%FG 40%3pt 88%FT

Iggy 23pts  7rebs  6ast 2steals 1block  3TO  47%FG 31%3pt  71%FT

 

They are both really solid defenders.  

Overall I give the edge to Granger because he is simply a better shooter & has better size/length.  

[xbadgerhustlerParticipant]

Gator, what are Caron’s per 48 min numbers? I’m interested in his TOs mostly. he gives away possessions tooooo often from what i’ve seen of him

[gatorheelsParticipant]

Per 48

Butler  26pts  8rebs  5ast  2steal 4TO  45%FG 31%3pt  86%FT

[RickyRubio9Participant]

but do you really think these players can keep it up for 48 minutes every game? I get what you mean, but I don’t think Granger would score 34. Just a thought.

[gatorheelsParticipant]

Rubio- Thats not saying they have to play 48 minutes….It just makes things even as far as both players getting equal playing time.  If you are going to use stats then it has to be even in order to show how effective players are when they are on the court playing the same amount of time.

[xbadgerhustlerParticipant]

it’s just a way to compare them without the variable of mpg…

[xbadgerhustlerParticipant]

where do u get those per 48 stats?

[RickyRubio9Participant]

My bad, that’s why I put just a though. It’s just Iggy only gets 3 more minutes then Granger

[gatorheelsParticipant]

xbadger- well said

 

Iggy is a better passer than Granger but what else does he do better?  I just don’t see anything.  To me Granger is a better scorer, shooter, with better size/length. 

[gatorheelsParticipant]

badger-  you can find the per 48 minutes stats on espn….just click on the team name then click stats then click per 48 minutes

[xbadgerhustlerParticipant]

verrrry niiiiceeee. thx

[gatorheelsParticipant]

With all this being said I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Iguodala takes his game to another level this season.  This new offense should suit his game very well.  If he can work on his long range shooting then he will be a beast.  Both Iggy & Granger are still young, they both should keep improving.  Who knows after this season Iggy may surpass Granger in the rankings.

[JNixonParticipant]

Iggy is a better passer than Granger but what else does he do better? I just don’t see anything. To me Granger is a better scorer, shooter, with better size/length.

Iguodala is the better defender, rebounder,passer (like you said), and he is tougher and more durable. Granger just shoots and scores better. Thats all. He also doesnt have Iguodala’s length or strength, and he isnt as clutch.

[gatorheelsParticipant]

Iggy is better at guarding the smaller guys but Granger is better at guarding the tougher/bigger guys.  I don’t think Iguodala is a better defender.  They are pretty even in my eyes.  The rebounding numbers are even too.  Granger has the better length.

[gatorheelsParticipant]

How is Granger not as strong?  How does Iguodala have better length?

To me Granger is stronger & has better length than Iggy. 

 

I agree Iggy is more clutch. 

[JNixonParticipant]

Danny Granger is nowhere near as strong as Iguodala, and he isnt the defender Iguodala is. He does have more length after looking at their wingspans but Iguodala is a better defender than Granger is, easily. Iguodala guards every teams best perimeter player, big or small. Nate Robinson to LeBron. Look at how well he defended Turkoglu in the playoffs. Turk is a much bigger player too.

[gatorheelsParticipant]

Yeah Iguodala is a better perimeter defender but in the post Granger is better.  Grangers size allows him to guard bigger guys.  Also Granger could play PF so I would say he is pretty strong.

[JNixonParticipant]

Iguodala is too short to defend the post without getting shot over, but he is a very, very strong player. One of the strongest wing players in the NBA to me. I cant recall hardly any times he’s fallen to the floor off contact or get posted up. Granger does defend 4 sometimes, and he does it good. He’s a strong player, but I really think Iguodala is stronger. Granger’s height and length allows him to defend the post more than strength.

[Henry25Participant]

1. Lebron (no contest)

2. Pierce (the best player on the best team in the east, even though i hate him, u gotta respect him)

3. Iggy( Led the sixers to the playoffs, in my mind is much better than Granger because he does so much more, and in all honesty, it’s not like the sixers squad is much better than Indiana and they almost beat Orlando in the first round because of Iggy)

4. Gerald Wallce (may seem a lil high, but i love how versatile he is, and i still cant get out of my mind the season where he averaged 2 blocks per game and 2 steals per game)

5. Granger (Even though i think he is extremely overated, he is still better than Butler and Hedo)

[Henry25Participant]

Ps. I think after this year Beasley will move into the top 5 small forwards in the east, and I wouldve put Josh Smith in over Danny Granger, but Smith plays power forward for the hawks even though he is a natural small forward

[invalidParticipant]

isnt melo SF?

[OrangeJuiceJonesParticipant]

He sure is, but this is best small forward in the east.

[OrangeJuiceJonesParticipant]

Henry25, you really think Pierce is better than Garnett?

[Henry25Participant]

Its tough, but yeah as of right now i think Pierce is the better player on the team. They always go to him in the clutch and most of the time he delivers. Plus Garnett missed a bunch of time with injury last year, so as of right now i think Pierce is the best player on the Celtics. But if Garnett comes back healthy and dominates like he should, then i’ll probably switch back to KG, but as of right now it’s the Truth and nothing but the truth

[invalidParticipant]

yeah.. sorryy . best sf in the EAST.
1.bron, 2.pierce, 3.iggy, 4.granger, hmm hard to pick the fifth..
5. caron or hedo .

[Author]

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