Ranking NBA Players By Height - Part 1

5'9" - Nate Robinson, Denver Nuggets

Robinson dunking against the Heat
Photo by NBA.com

Nate Robinson is one of the smallest players in the league, yet he is very good, proving that size isn't everything. Robinson stepped up last year as a member of the Chicago Bulls, being a solid replacement for the injured superstar point guard, Derrick Rose.

During the Bulls' 2013 playoff run, Robinson averaged 16.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1 steal per game. For a player who was unexpectedly given a starter role, he performed on a very high level. Beside his great skillset, Robinson has other ways to entertain NBA fans. Being 5' 9" he is, surprisingly one of the best dunkers in the league.

The point guard recently signed with the Denver Nuggets where he will play as a backup point guard behind Ty Lawson. In case Lawson is not able to play sometimes, Robinson can take over the starting spot and play well, just like he did it in Chicago.


Next-best : Isaiah Thomas, Sacramento Kings

5' 10" - No players eligible

5' 11" - Ty Lawson, Denver Nuggets

Lawson going up for a layup
Photo by Getty Images

Another Nugget on the list. Ty Lawson is another undersized point guard, but his size doesn't prevent him from being a great player that he is. In his last season, Lawson averaged 16.7 points along with 6.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. These numbers significantly improved in the postseason where he averaged 21.3 points, 8 assists and 1.7 steals per game in just 6 games.

Since entering the league, Lawson has been constantly improving and it is best reflected in his stats which get better and better every year. Of course, there is still room for improvement and the guard could improve his shot selection. The only stat which has been constantly declining throughout his career is a field goal percentage. In his first season, Ty shot 51.5% from the field, but it went down to 50.3% in his sophomore year. A year later it declined to 48.8% which is still very good, but in his last season Lawson converter only 46.1% of his shots. It is not bad either, but considering that he can do better, he should work on his shot. If he keeps his starter role, which I believe he will, and if he improves his field goal percentage by at least 2%, he could easily average 20 points a game.


Next-best: John Lucas III, Toronto Raptors

6'0" - Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers 

Paul established himself as one of the

best floor generals in the NBA

Photo by AP

Chris Paul is probably the best point guard in the league today. His great vision of the court mixed with scoring and passing ability makes him one of the hardest players to guard and the numbers he posts show that he's right on the top of the league.

Last season Paul almost averaged double-double with assisting and scoring, as he finished the season posting averages of 9.7 assists and 16.9 points per game. Although Paul has never had much success in the postseason, he is only 28 and in his prime. Los Angeles Clippers are a very good team and they might have more success in playoffs next year.  


Next-best: Jameer Nelson, Orlando Magic

6'1" - Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics 

Celtics might start rebuilding around Rondo
Photo by Getty Images

Another easy choice. Rajon Rondo is one of the best playmakers in the league and probably the best player on the Boston Celtics right now. He is a guy who can easily finish a game with a triple-double, let alone a double-double, which he averaged last season. The 27-year-old guard led the league in assists per game last season, with 11.1 dimes per a contest. Beside his assisting, Rondo is also capable of scoring, as he proved when he dropped 44 points on the Heat during the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals.

Last season he averaged 13.7 points per game while making 48.4% of his shots. His free throw shooting (64.5% last season) and 3-point shooting (24% last season) should be improved since both are low for a superstar point guard  like Rondo. Considering that he will have more freedom on the offensive end of the floor next season, we can expect him to improve these numbers. Hopefully he will recover quickly from his injury, and dominate NBA floors sooner than we expect!


Next-best: Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets

6'2" - Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs 

Parker is one of the best European players
in the NBA today
Photo by SLAM Online

The 31-year-old French point guard, who almost won his fourth NBA championship ring, is still one of the best players in the league - I would say that he ranks within ten best players in the NBA today. Last season he posted averages of 20.3 points and 7.6 assists per game, while shooting 52.2% from the field. He stayed consistent during the playoffs last season, but unfortunately for him, he failed to win another championship trophy.

Right now, Tony Parker is representing his country's colors in the Eurobasket 2013, and he is one of the best players there. It seems that he only gets better with age, so it will be interesting to watch him and the San Antonio Spurs next season. Although many people say they are done, I believe they still have fuel in their tanks and they will have another big season.

When it comes to Parker's career, he has an enourmous advantage over other 6'2" players in the league, as well as over many other players. Parker is a 3-time NBA champion and he was an NBA Finals MVP in 2007. During his career he was selected to play in 5 All-Star games and he was selected to a few All-NBA teams.

Next-best:  Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks

 6'3" - Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder 

Westbrook going up high!
Photo by Getty Images

Russell Westbrook is, in my opinion, the most athletic point guard in the NBA. His speed, quickness, agility and vertical leap are just incredible, and mixed with his ball-handling, passing and scoring skills, they make Westbrook one of the top ten NBA players in the league right now. Although his shot selection needs a big improvement, Westbrook managed to score 23.2 points per game last season. He also added 7.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds to his averages, showing that he is a versatile player, who can do many things on the court.

During the playoffs last season, everyone saw how valuable Westbrook is to his team. After he went down with the injury, the Oklahoma City Thunder couldn't reach the conference finals again, let alone NBA finals. We will see how well Westbrook will perform after the injury, but I'm sure he'll completely recover and remain as athletic as he has been so far.


Next-best:  Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

6'4" - Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat 

Despite many injuries he faced throughout

his career, Wade is still one of the most

prolific players in the league.

Photo by NBA.com

Like Tony Parker, Dwyane Wade is a 3-time NBA Champion and has 1 Finals MVP award. Last season Wade won his third championship ring, although he underperformed during most of the postseason games as a result of his numerous injuries. That resulted in Wade averaging only 15.9 points per game in the playoffs, but he still redeemed himself with a few great games in the finals against the Spurs. During the regular season, Wade averaged 21.2 points on 52.1% shooting. He also added averages of 5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game.

If he manages to stay out of injury trouble, Dwyane Wade could dominate his opponents with an ease once again and lift his scoring averages. Wade will turn 32 next season, so that will be another problem for the superstar guard. However, I'm sure he will perform well if he stay healthy throughout the season. Considering the Heat are on their 3-peat mission, they will need Wade to play very well since the mission is anything but easy.
 

  Next-best:  John Wall, Washington Wizards

Dwyane Wade vs Kobe Bryant (The Twitter Debate)

Before I get into the whole premise of this article let me just first start off by saying that this is not to slander or discredit the knowledge of these basketball fans. In fact I would appreciate if you guys followed everyone of these people on Twitter. The whole point of this post is to help you guys better understand what it is I am referring to in my video up top. With that said, several weeks ago Court Vision asked the following question down below and you can clearly see my answers.

The question of top 5 shooting guards was on display in a public forum (Twitter). So my top 5 Consist of the following as you can see in my Tweet above.

1. Michael Jordan

2. Dwyane Wade

3.Kobe Bryant

4.Reggie Miller

5.George Gervin

@CourtVisionNBA Jordan,Wade,Kobe,Reggie Miller,Gervin
— Brendan Taylor (@ThatboyBTaylor) July 26, 2013

Minutes after posting my tweet answering the question many people attacked my list with a bunch of tweets about how Kobe is better then Dwyane Wade but gave me no concrete facts. After I stated that Wade is a more efficient player then Kobe, Court Vision even said that FG percentage isn't everything when it comes to determining how great a player is. He is right but it is certainly the foundation in which we judge how great a player, which is exactly the reason Michael Jordan is held in such a high regard 

@ThatboyBTaylor @NBAsNewsDaily FG% isn't everything my man.
— Court Vision (@CourtVisionNBA) July 26, 2013

While I continued to get many more tweets which lacked any kind of facts or logic to back up the opinion the Kobe is a better shooting guard than Dwyane Wade, I pulled an article from ESPN's John Hollinger which ranked the greatest NBA Finals performances ever. The article was basically a guide or reference if you will of how great certain players played on the games biggest stage. In the 2006 NBA Finals vs Dallas, Dwyane Wade put the Heat on his back from a 2-0 deficit to their 1^st ever NBA Title. His statistical averages were beyond crazy.

Dwyane Wade's 2006 Finals Statistics

34.7 PPG 7.8 Rebounds 3.8 Assists 46 FG% 33.8 PER (Highest In NBA Finals History)

So think about that for a second this guy is a 6'4 shooting guard and averaged 7.8 rebounds a game in the NBA Finals. He leads his team to a championship down 2-0 to a very good Dallas team lead by Dirk Nowitzki. To top it all off in the process of doing that he averages just under 35 points per game and collects the highest player efficiency rating at 33.8 in Finals history. Kobe Bryant NEVER played at that level on the biggest stage in basketball. To make matters worse Kobe Bryant isn't even in the top 10 all-time statistically as far as finals performances go, Wade has 2 top 10 performances (2006,2011).   

If you think Kobe Bryant is better then Dwade then you are probably a Laker fan or just uninformed here you go http://t.co/V5bo76k5jL. READ!
— Brendan Taylor (@ThatboyBTaylor) July 26, 2013

I then posed the challenge of to any Kobe/Laker fans to debate me on why Kobe is better then Wade using facts and it didn't happen.

This Tweet is directed at ALL my Laker/Kobe Followers...If Kobe is better then Wade give me just a few logical reasons why and back it up
— Brendan Taylor (@ThatboyBTaylor) July 26, 2013

One of the funnier responses basically said Kobe was better than Wade based solely on the fact that he gets comparisons to Michael Jordan and Dwyane Wade doesn’t. That’s because Kobe plays offense like him to a degree. Kobe has never been a shutdown defender and most likely will never win defensive player of the year. The premise of that statement is nonsense.

@ThatboyBTaylor @CourtVisionNBA Kobe is no MJ but he at least gets comparisons.
— SportsFeedDaily (@SportsFeedDaily) July 26, 2013

So after that I was tweeted a picture placing Wade and Kobe's accomplishments next to each other. Keep in mind that Kobe has played in the league 7 seasons longer then Wade and the accolades were still close (which was sad by the way). Wade has done more in his 10 years then Kobe has in 17, its about number of seasons not accolades. Again this comes back to efficiency and in terms of making all-star teams and the playoffs in that department Wade is more efficient than Kobe as All NBA Talk says down below.

@CourtVisionNBA @thatboybtaylor Wade missed playoffs/all stars 1x, Kobe did twice. Both missed all NBA team 2x. Gotta think abt # of seasons
— All NBA Talk (@OnlyNBATalk) July 26, 2013

A new Kobe supporter decided to join the conversation and asked if I was serious about my pick of Wade over Kobe Bryant, of course I told him yes and backed it up with facts as you can see down below.

@NBAsNewsDaily @CourtVisionNBA Wades better on defense, oiffense and you can't sit here and tell me that he isn't a winner because he has 3
— Brendan Taylor (@ThatboyBTaylor) July 26, 2013

@NBAsNewsDaily @CourtVisionNBA rings and at 31 years old shot the highest % of his career at 52% at 31 years old your boy Kobe shot 45%
— Brendan Taylor (@ThatboyBTaylor) July 26, 2013

Real acknowledges real as you can see down in he tweet below!

@ThatboyBTaylor @courtvisionnba @nbasnewsdaily this dude is speaking with all facts! Efficiency makes players great!
— All NBA Talk (@OnlyNBATalk) July 26, 2013

In a very empty statement I get another opinion on from what I think is Kobe supporter.

@ThatboyBTaylor I've been watching basketball as long as you've been alive Wade is great but he's just not in Kobe's class, no knock on wade
— rellimsportingview (@rellimsportview) July 26, 2013

One last opinion based statement.

@rellimsportview I'm not getting any reasons though besides your opinion and an opinion without facts is just words
— Brendan Taylor (@ThatboyBTaylor) July 26, 2013

Had to let my followers know its love and that I love talking basketball with them at the end of the day.

Just wanted to let all my followers know that regardless of what I say to you I love talking hoopswith you guys #Salute
— Brendan Taylor (@ThatboyBTaylor) July 26, 2013

I know many would beg to differ on my opinion on the NBA's top 5 shooting guards but I feel like Wade is better then Kobe. He has accomplished as much in a decade as Kobe has in 17 seasons and has been more efficient as far as shot made along with displaying a better shot selection. As a basketball player you need to have a great since of self and stay within yourself while not trying to do that. Wade does that, Kobe doesn’t which explains why he is a more efficient player than Bryant. If you disagree with me feel free to tweet me @Thatboybtaylor or @Truschoolsports.

Hip Hop & Basketball: What NBA Players Can Learn From Kendrick Lamar

They say basketball and hip-hop have always been intertwined and anybody who disagrees with that clearly doesn’t watch nor are they in tune to the culture of basketball. Over the last few seasons Lebron James and the Miami Heat have ruled the basketball world but many old school fans or fans of that era will say that this era of NBA basketball is soft or not as strong as the 90's. The same people who say that can say the same about hip-hop music. For years hip-hop has lost its core value in lyrics and clever wordplay in exchange for catchy beats and song lyrics for the radio but like anything in life it has its cycles.

Enter Compton MC Kendrick Lamar-one of the top rappers in the game today. As an up and comer gunning for the top spot in the world of hip hop Kendrick was featured in a song with Detroit based rapper Big Sean titled “Control”. In this song Kendrick took shots at every rapper who he sees as competition and didn't mention rappers he doesn’t fear as competition. He even went as far as calling himself “King Of New York” even though he is a native of California. He stirred up a lot of controversy and although he may have respect for his peers in the rap game such as J.cole,Cassidy and Big Krit that dosen't mean he isn't trying to destroy them as far as competition is concerned because at the end of the day its about being the best and most well respected at your craft and Kendrick Lamar’s craft is hip hop music.

Fraternize-To associate with others in a brotherly or congenial way.

The word Fraternize or the act of it known as fraternizing is incredibly obvious in the NBA today. The Miami Heat's big 3 of Dwyane Wade, Lebron James and Chris Bosh all joined all once number 1 options for their respective franchises joined forces in the summer of 2010 to compete for championships. Or at least that’s what they will tell you but a big reason they are together is because well...they are friends. Now I’m not hating on them but I'm giving an example that everybody knows about. Now I will not say that the players in the NBA aren't competitive because to play in the NBA you have to be but I will say that guys are a bit to buddy-buddy.

Just picture this right its 1990something (you fill in the year) and Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller are playing in an intense playoff series between the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers. Its approaching halftime the Pacers have the basketball and Reggie Miller comes off a screen and drills a 3 point shot at the buzzer. Nice play right? Well this play was so nice that in the middle of a playoff game that Michael Jordan goes up to Reggie Miller and high fives him in honor of him drilling a shot on his team. Visualize and marinate on that for a second,does that look right?

The answer is a resounding “HELL NO” so why do we see NBA players fraternizing with each other during playoff games. For example take this seasons Eastern Conference Finals between the Pacers and Miami Heat. Paul George dunks on Chris Andersen the following play Lebron James comes back and hits a 3 pointer to beat the buzzer at halftime. They could have just went to the locker room and that’s that but no they had to high five each other because of course they are friends. Now I know those guys train together in the off season but save that stuff for post game this is the Eastern Conference Finals and a trip to the NBA Finals is on the line. Lebron James has friends on the Heat he can go clap up Dwyane Wade and Paul George can go give Roy Hibbert some dap but don't fraternize during games its just not right and it looks wrong.

Players from back in the day such as Charles Barkley can't stand guys being friends saying “I hate that stuff I see today”. He has every right to while this is the highest level of basketball in the world and there is a certain level of respect that it commands you can't show it during the games though its war. Like I said though just like hip-hop everything has cycles and maybe basketball will once return to the days of genuine hatred and less fraternizing it makes for better basketball.

Rajon Rondo is a guy I have a tremendous amount of respect for. Along with being one of the top guards in the NBA this guy is hyper competitive and isn't about being Chris Paul's or Russell Westbook's best friend because he is to busy trying to beat them and prove he is the best. Rondo embodies everything right with basketball from a competitive standpoint. Again not hating on the Miami Heat but everyone and their mom is taking the veterans minimum to go there and not all NBA fans agree with that and some even myself may see it as a cop out or just more fraternizing. Rondo isn't in the best situation in Boston and could easily go somewhere better if the right scenario was presented but He wants to be the guy in Boston and he isn't friends with that many NBA players and I actually admire that it's not about making friends its about winning so Rondo gets it.

The NBA could learn a lot about having a competitive balance from Kendrick Lamar. He isn't tweeting J.Cole about how great he is nor is he speaking about how musically gifted he thinks Wale's last album may have been. He is trying to destroy his opponents (whom he has respect for) but he is trying to be the best at his craft so you aren't going to hear him talk about how great he thinks those guys are when he is trying to stake his claim as the best in hip-hop. The way Michael Jordan told people to step up their game through his exceptional play is the same way Kendrick is telling his peers in the rap world to step their game up lyrically.

So what has been the aftermath of Lamar's verse calling out all of his peers. He has gotten responses from some notable names such as Joell Ortiz, Papoose, Cassidy and Joe Budden. It has sparked some great lyrics in hip-hop over the last week or so and fans of the genre couldn't be happier.

Will the NBA ever follow in hip-hops current foot steps and stop the acting like friends while on the court? Hopefully, I think it makes the sport look bad when dudes are hugging each other just before tip-off. I don't care how much respect Kevin Durant has for Lebron I along with millions don't want see him be friends on court with James nor do we want to see him back down we want more guys in the league to take on the attitude of Joakim Noah, Nate Robinson,Rajon Rondo and Roy Hibbert. That’s the attitude of “This is basketball and I respect your game but I'm here to kick your ass”. So NBA Players follow the lead of your favorite rapper Kendrick Lamar and respect the hard work the opponent puts into their craft but tear their head off on that hardwood. Kendrick Lamar is the perfect example of striking a balance of respect for someones craft and confidence in your ability and the NBA needs to get back to that.

Great Rookie Cards (Part 1)

I have always said that sports card whether it baseball,basketball or football cards are like cardboard time machines. You can always just pick one up and its like you are there in that exact time period on the card. Rookie cards are a huge deal in the hobby especially if they are older rookie cards. For the older generation the very sight of guys they grew up watching can stir up memories from long ago. For the younger generation of sports fans rookie cards can be a history lesson. So with that said I bring you the 1st of 4 installments of “40 Great Rookie Cards”.

#40 1986 Topps Brian Bozworth RC

Brian Bozworth never lived up to the hype in the NFL but he was a 2 time all-american at Oklahoma. Bozworth was drafted #1 overall by the Seattle Seahawks and was signed to the biggest rookie contract ever at 10 years/11 million$. This card represents disappointment and unfulfilled hype.

#39 1991 Upperdeck Dikembe Mutombo

Recognized for his trademark finger wag after blocked shots Dikembe Mutombo is the 2^nd best shot blocker in NBA history behind only Hakeem Olajuwon. He is also responsible for one of the biggest upsets in NBA history as the #8 seeded Denver Nuggets upset the #1 seeded Seattle Supersonics. He recorded 31 blocks in that series which is a record for 5 game series.

#38 1990 Fleer Shawn Kemp

When you talk about the NBA in the 90’s you got to talk about those Sonics teams with Gary Payton&Shawn Kemp. They never captured an NBA title but they are arguably the greatest team to never win the title and had it been any other team than the 96 Chicago Bulls they would probably have a ring. Shawn Kemp though was a very fun player to watch and a productive one at that making 6 all-star teams.

#37 1991 Fleer Larry Johnson

“Grandmama” was one of the most productive forwards in the NBA during the early 1990’s. The 2-time all-star captured the rookie of the year award in 1991-1992 averaging 19 Points and 11 Rebounds. Many wonder how much greater his career would have been had he not had knee problems. When healthy though LJ and Alonzo Mourning were one of the best frontcourts in the NBA.

#36  2003 Topps Dwyane Wade

Its been a great decade and some change for Dwyane Wade he is a 3 shooting guards. It was in his rookie season when he hit the game winning shot over Baron Davis to win game 1 of the eastern conference quarter finals over Hornets that we know he would be special.

 

#35  2003 Topps Carmleo Anthony

Fresh out of Oak Hill Academy Carmelo Anthony was heading to the Nuggets with the burden of now being the franchise player. He didn’t disappoint leading the Nuggets in scoring at 21 points per game and back to the playoffs for the first time in 2 seasons.

#34 1990 Upperdeck Sammy Sosa

Pre Chicago Cub days Sammy Sosa had a stint with the Whitesox. Sosa remains one of the preeminent figures in the steroid era but is still the only player in Major League history 3 seasons of 60+ home runs.

#33 1986 Fleer Dominique Wilkins

Known as one of the greatest dunkers in NBA history and for his battles in the dunk contest with Michael Jordan Dominique Wilkins was an accomplished basketball player. The 9 time all-star remains to this day the best player in Atlanta Hawks franchise history.

#32 1984 Topps John Elway

John Elway to this day is Denver Broncos football whether its speaking about the past or right now. Elway led his team to the super bowl 5 times but didn’t capture his 1^st until 1998 against the Green Bay Packers in his 4^th appearances. The Broncos repeated in 1999 as champions and Elway cemented his place in football history.

#31 2005 SP Authentic Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby since he stepped foot in the NHL has been the face of it and in some ways revived the game and has been responsible for its growth. In 2009 Crosby helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup over the Detroit Redwings.

#30 1990 Fleer Isiah Thomas

Isaiah Thomas was the leader and best player on the “Bad Boys” Pistons teams who won back to back titles and gave Michael Jordan problems early in his career. Thomas is recognized as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.