[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

High school recruiting services rank players every year.  With five star guys being the highest and 3 and 4 star guys being better prospects than 1 star guys.  5 star guys usually turn out ok as do 4 star players.  3 star and even some 2 star guys project as decent 4 year college players given the right coaching and development.

I think we need a system for rating NBA players too.  We all know what the word superstar means, some people are more stingy with the designation though.  Yesterday we had some posters thinking there were at most 7 or 8 superstars in the league.  I am basically in that camp.  I think though that we need a designation between superstar and all-star.  We also need a designation for guys who are really good but not an all-star according to who makes the all-star game.

Here is my new rating system:

****** Mega Superstars.  Five star guys.  These are superstars who are legit MVP candidates at the top of their game.  Not only can they carry a contender they can also carry a league.

**** Superstars.  The handful of top players in the league.  4 star players.  Should be no doubt who the superstars are.  Most all of these guys are in their prime, even if they are slightly past their peak.

*** Semi-superstars.  3 star players who are on the cusp of superstar status.  They are better than all-stars and some are even MVP candidates. 

** All-stars.  2 star players who play in the all-star game.  These guys are some of the best players.  You can build solid playoff teams around these guys.  Others are legit 2nd or 3rd options on contenders.

* Stars, aka Very Good Players.  One star guys who are solid options.  They make great role players.  Nearly all are core guys.  Many of these players are youngsters who are quickly moving up the ranks or just very good players who have yet to make an all-star team. 

 

Here are my lists of Mega Superstars and Superstars plus most of my 2 star guys and some of my 1 star guys.

Five star Mega superstars:  Only two here.

LeBron James:  Best in the league.  A great two way player who can fill a stat sheet.  Can carry a team and the league.

Kevin Durant:  On the short list of MVP candidates who is surging in talent.  An assassin on offense with nice rebounding numbers.  His Thunder looks like a favorite to win the West, and are on the short list of legit title contenders.

 

Four star superstars:

I have six super star players:

Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Dirk Nowitzki, and Dwight Howard. 

Not much debate here.  Dirk gets somewhat of a pass due to his great performance last year and his weaker supporting cast this year.  Rose was last year’s MVP and Howard is the top center in the league, the best defensive stats guy, and the most physically imposing player of the year.

Three star semi-superstars:  

These guys just miss the superstar cut. 

Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook are getting there but not there yet. 

Carmelo Anthony is a great player in his prime and fits here. 

Blake Griffin is debatable but he is a true force and has put up 20 and 10 for the second straight season.  He’s a guy that is a runaway train (plane?) on the fast break who you gotta wrap up.  Even then he still might make a circus shot or an unholy dunk. 

Andrew Bynum is another great player who has still not peaked yet. 

Paul Pierce is an old vet but he is just as good as Carmelo.  He is a guy who can close.  A great go to player who is a bit understated. 

Rajon Rondo: A triple double threat at all times.  One of the best pure point guards in the league.

Deron Williams: Just a notch below the Chris Paul/D Rose level.

Steve Nash:  the best passer in the business.  Can run a team and also shoot the lights out.

Tony Parker:  Playing fantastic ball now.  He can still beat anyone to the basket.  The leader of a great Spurs team.

This gives us 10 semi-super star players.

 

A combined 6 mega super stars and super stars with another 10 semi-super star players.

16 total vs. 24 all stars.  So another 8 guys are all-stars.  I would include Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett in the all-star category but you can make a case for them being 3 star guys instead.  These guys are at least 2 stars though.

One star guys:  These are star players who either dipped a bit but still very good players or really good guys who haven’t made the all-star team yet. 

The one star guys are the most debatable.  I will put a few of these guys here, either as youngsters or veteran guys who are on the cusp of being an all-star or older players who still have something left.

One star youngsters: 

James Harden

Serge Ibaka

Greg Monroe

DeMarcus Cousins

Rudy Gay

Mike Conley

OJ Mayo

Danny Granger — has made the all-star team though, but lost the Pacers spot to Roy Hibbert.

Louis Williams

Al Jefferson — more of a veteran, but a damn good player nonetheless.

Kyle Lowry

Ty Lawson

Joakim Noah

Steph Curry

Marcin Gortat

Kyrie Irving

Al Horford

Danillo Gallinari

Paul Milsap

Eric Gordon

Brandon Jennings

Andrea Bargnani

Ricky Rubio — he is going here, based on his passing and leadership, but you could make a case that we don’t have enough evidence yet.

Ryan Anderson

John Wall

Evan Turner, Jeremy Lin, Javale McGee, and Kenneth Faried are guys to keep an eye on who could end up here (or higher).  The Kings have 3 wait and see guys in Tyreke Evans, Marcus Thornton, and Isaiah Thomas. 

Veteran one star guys:

Pau Gasol — slipped a bit this year but still very impressive.  Can do some of everything from the 4 and even the 5 spot.

Monta Ellis

Josh Smith

Ray Allen — may be slipping a bit but still an offensive force

Zach Randolph

Tyson Chandler

Amare Stoudemire — can’t bring it every night but still shows glimpses.

Tim Ducan

Manu Ginobili

Kevin Garnett

Grant Hill

Carlos Boozer

Andrew Bogut

Luis Scola

Shawn Marion

Jose Calderon

Vince Carter might belong here.  Not sure.  Elton Brand could make a case too.  But most of these guys on this list are pretty good.

Another guy who could be a one star guy:

Big Baby Davis — not the best but he is a solid player who can score and get you some rebounds.  A classic 4th, 5th, or 6th guy who can still step up and have some big games.

Chris Kaman if he is not injured.  Same with Billups.  Perhaps Rip Hamilton.  Metta World Peace is a one star talent with negative five star brains. 

 

I might have left some one star guys off.  But this is basically my list.

Role players such as Tony Allen, Shane Battier, and Udonis Haslem are either high level rotation guys or half star guys.  Maybe I will talk about that more later.  But these 3 aren’t clear cut one star guys.  DeAndre Jordan is a guy in this group.

 

 

 

[NiceWithTheRockParticipant]

In your mold I would say Rose and Howard are mega stars. Dwight Howard obviously because he dominates both ends of the floor and Rose because he is near unstoppable. I feel like should be there too just because he can still take over games at will.

[mosdefParticipant]

I think putting Vince Carter now and Grant Hill in the same tier as Pau Gasol and Josh Smith skews your tiering but the overall concept is a good idea. If you consider you put Lou Williams as a young 1 with old Vince Carter as a 1 but still have Josh Smith and Pau Gasol as a 1 totally blows up your line of thinking, IMO. You hate the Lakers and Hawks?

[Tight ButtholeParticipant]

First of all, props for the effort and time you put into this. Although keeping it on a star system alone would have been better, the mega, superstars, semi superstar got a little confusing in the middle. But overall nice effort.

I would probably put Kobe in the 5star level though. He’s won multiple championships, the leader of the Lakers, and still a huge part of the marketing of the NBA. While Durant and LeBron havent won any championships, I certainly see where youre coming from. But as of right now neither player has won anything, aside from a couple MVPs for LeBron. Their careers thus far are pretty much based on their insane stats they put up every year and their regular season records. Not to take anythig away from the 2 of them, but you gotta have Kobe in there too based on chamionships won, statistics: it came down to the final few games to determine the scoring chamipon this season with Durant, MVP probablity, and marketability as the face of the NBA.

[NiceWithTheRockParticipant]

i meant to say kobe

[M-DYMESParticipant]

The range of talent of the 1 star guys is far to broad.  When have Jose Calderon, Grant Hill, and Shawn Marion are in the same class as Manu, Ellis, J-Smoove, and Pau…something isn’t right. overall nice job.  I just think some guys should be left off entirely and a few guys could be moved around.

[ilike.panochasParticipant]

Dwight Howard and Rose should be considered “Megastar”. Howard is a perennial MVP candidate every year, and you can argue he should have had atleast one by now, Rose just won it last season.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

Even past his prime, Kobe Bryant is a megastar. No question about that.

 

[goneParticipant]

 Your basically saying KD is the second best player in the nba…..

 

-_- right 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

I debated only putting LeBron as a Mega Superstar. My superstar is pretty exclusive the way it is and you can make an argument
for any superstar that I listed to at least be considered a 5 star guy. I put Durant as a 5 star guy due to his great offensive game and because
he is even better than last year. KD is on the short list of MVP candidates and the Thunder look like the favorites to win the West.

I think Kobe is up there somewhere in Superstar land, but maybe not quite a 5 star guy. He has to pick his spots more now, and he isn’t quite as good as he used to be at his peak.

I think Rose and Howard slipped somewhat which took them out of 5 star territory this year.

Yeah, there is a broad range for my 1 star guys. Maybe I should have had 1 star guys and then half star guys.
1 star guys are stars like Pau Gasol (slipped somewhat but still a cord guy on a contender) and Josh Smith (elite numbers),
and then vets like Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan — a couple of stars who can get it done in big games. Same with Manu Ginobili.
Kyle Lowry is a pit bull who can score, pass, and steal. He’s a star player who for whatever reason has not been an All Star yet.

Rudy Gay and Danny Granger are 1 star players. Guys slightly behind the all-stars.

I think I left Jason Terry off the list. He is a good one and deserving of 1 star status if just because of
his great run last year.

James Harden is a classic young 1 star guy who is a force and looks to be a multi-year all star.

I think there might be a half star designation for players who are just below 1 star level. Half star guys would be
you basic upper-tier rotation guys like an OJ Mayo (not quite on Harden’s level), Udonis Haslem (very solid role player who sometimes doubles
as the fourth option), Vince Carter (has lost a couple of steps or three, but can still score ok), and glue/utility/defensive guys like Shane Battier and Tony Allen. Half star guys are very debatable. Half star guys are key rotation guys but no one really says they are stars. Kendrick Perkins might be considered to be a half star guy who can shore up the middle for the Thunder, grab rebounds, and defend.

To show you how this plays out take two of the top teams in the league: the Miami Hear and the OKC Thunder.
The Heat one of the two 5 star guys on the league in LeBron. They also have one of the handful of superstars (4 star guys)
in the league in D Wade. Then you have a 2 star player in Bosh. Those are your Big Three. If we consider half star guys now,
then you put Haslem and Battier there. That would give the Miami Heat a total of 12 points.

The Thunder have the other 5 star guy in KD. Westbrook is a 3 star guy (semi superstar). Hardness and Ibaka are both 1 star
players (almost all-stars). So those are your Big Four. Kendrick Perkins is an important role player who bangs and clogs up the middle.
I don’t have him on Harden’s or Ibaka’s level so I am giving him a half star, similar to the rating Shane Battier and Haslem get.
Kendrick Perkins basically plays the role that Bill Cartwright used to play for the Bulls. That gives you all five of the Thunders’ starters. Thabo and Collison are fairly important but not one of the key players. Both slipped a little
too this year. So the Thunder has a total of 10.5 points.

The Heat and Thunder score about right with the Heat having more talent at the top with the Thunder having more talent outside their own Big Three.

The Bulls have been hurt by injuries. With Rose they get a 4 star guy. Without him they only have Deng (a 2 star all-star) and one star guys like
Noah and Boozer (or only half star guys like Rip Hamilton). If that team is healthy and if Rip is a half star guy then the Bulls get
8.5 points. If not, they only get 4 points. So that team without Rose and without a reliable Rip Hamilton looks vunerable. Actually they look similar to the Sixers with Iggy as a 2 star guy, and a few half star guys (at least) in Louis Williams, Jru Holliday, Evan Turner perhaps,
Spencer Hawes, and Elton Brand. You can make a case for the 76ers having 4.5 points.

The Spurs are a one seed but might be a little vulnerable. They have a 3 star player in Tony Parker and two 1 star guys in Manu and TD.
That gives them 5 points. Maybe you are generous and Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green and Matt Bonner are half star guys. That gives them 8 points which is solid but still behind the Heat/Thunder even if you bump up Manu and TD up a point.

The Lakers and Celtics appear to be two dangerous playoff teams. The star system backs this up.
The Lakers have a 4 star guy in Kobe, a 3 star Bynum, and a 1 star Pau. That gives you 8 points, tied with the Spurs.
You could also give Metta half a point which would give the Lakers 8.5 points which would equal a healthy Bulls squad.

The Celtics have two 3 star players in Pierce and Rondo. Plus a 2 star guy in Kevin Garnett. Ray Allen gets 1 star and I am thinking
of giving Avery Bradley half a star. The Celtics get 9.5 points which would actually put them in 3rd place if they were healthy.

A key matchup now is the Clippers and Grizzlies. Whoever wins this matchup could give the Spurs trouble and could be the sleeper team
out West.

The Clips have a 4 star player in Chris Paul and a 3 star player in Blake. Those two give the Clippers 7 points which is great but there talent drops off after that. I can see Caron Butler and DeAndre Jordan being half star guys which would take the LA Clippers up to 8 points.
Very solid, but not elite. But a point total that suggests that the Clippers are dangerous.

The Grizzlies don’t have as much talent at the top but they have more core guys. Marc Gasol is a 2 star all-star. I think Rudy Gay is a 1
star guy. Z Bo is a 1 star guy. He is not playing at an all-star level but he still must be respected.
It is up for debate whether these are 1 star guys but Mike Conley, OJ Mayo, and Tony Allen are all at least half star guys.
The Grizzlies get 5.5 points at a minimum. More, if you consider OJ and Conley to be 1 star guys.

Two teams have been swept. The Mavs go swept even though they have the 4 star Dirk. Unfortunately, they have little else.
Terry is a 1 star guy. Marion is a 1 star guy at best. I will give half a star to Jason Kidd and half a star to Vince Carter. So they only
have 7 points which puts them 3.5 points behind the Thunder.

The Jazz lost to a Spurs team that featured a 3 star player in Tony Parker and some other 1 star and half star guys.
The Jazz lack a super star and even an all-star. Al Jefferson is a 1 star guy. Milsap is a 1 one star guy in my book too.
Even if you think that Hayward, Favors, and Devin Harris are half star guys you can still see why the Jazz came up short.
The Jazz get 3.5 stars while TP, Manu, and Duncan alone give the Spurs 5 points. Plus, the Spurs have better role players who thrive
in their system.

[stepback3Participant]

LaMarcus Aldridge is not on this list AT ALL!! Thats not on.

[BrentSuriaga01Participant]

1. Why in the hell Kobe is a 4 star – He has the most championship, plain simple.

2. Did a quitter just get a 5 star – go ask people from cleveland.

3. Carlos Boozer is listed while Lamarcus Aldridge isn’t – LA is a one man all star in portland while boozer, a guy who can’t even fill the shoes of their superstar player when needed. Boozer is like a Pippen guy who plays like a Dickie Simpkins (idk if anyone of you knows who he is).

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

Yeah, the only reason i’ll take Durant over Kobe is becuz Durant is much younger..Kobe will finish is career as a Top 10 All Time player..Durant will finish his career as a Top 50 All Time player..

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

LaMarcus Aldridge was an all-star this year, so he is a 2 star guy.  I should have listed the All Stars but I couldn’t think of some of them.  I know Iggy made it and I couldn’t put him as a 3 star guy.  Nash didn’t make it but I have him as a 3 star player.  I have TD and Garnett as 1 star guys but you can debate if they are 2 star guys or not.  I have Pau as a 1 star guy since he slipped a bit, and he wasn’t an all-star this year.  … I think the all-star team was pretty good but you could obviously have some arguments.  Josh Smith probably should have made it.  But, he is at least a 1 star guy and one of the better 1 star guys in the league.

On the subject of superstars I think that the number I have is about right (you can make cases for guys like Love though), but I wanted a higher level for someone like LeBron James who is just a bit better than the other superstars.  Kobe is awesome but he picks his spots sometimes.  Rose is great but LeBron is a bit better, and LBJ is a great two-way player.  So I gave him 5 stars.  Maybe I should have just had one 5 star guy, but I put Kevin Durant there because he is great on offense, plus a good rebounder and shot blocker.  I think KD is just a bit better than D Rose too.  

I just feel like LeBron and Durant are the two best players in the league and are playing at somewhat of a higher level than even the handful of 4 star superstars. 

At first I wanted to rank players starting with very good players who are not quite all-stars.  So those were my 1 star guys.  All-stars got two stars.  Semi-super stars received 3 stars.  These are players like Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook who are close to being superstars but not there yet.  They are a cut above your normal all-stars.  … I basically used the handful of superstars that I have been talking about as my 4 star guys.  I really wanted to do a 5 star level so LeBron James came to my mind.  I then thought who else should be up there, so I picked Kevin Durant.  

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