HoopsHype.com NBA Blogs - Eddie Johnson

More than three months into the season, I guess it’s time to update my Top 25. Here you go…

25. Al Jefferson

Jefferson bumps Shawn Marion out the last spot and gets in over players like Devin Harris, Rajon Rondo, Jameer Nelson and Mo Williams. When Shaq retires, Jefferson will probably become the game’s most dominant low-post scorer. He has a variety of moves and stays so low on his drives, it is extremely difficult for players to guard him. The Wolves have improved at a fast rate since Kevin McHale took over and Jefferson has been dominant. That should be no surprise since McHale was the best post player of his time.

24. Ray Allen

Allen should have probably been here already. He is one the best shooters ever and has played as well or better than Garnett and Pierce the first half of the  season. Pick any player you want to take a game-tying jump shot to tie or win the game and Allen will be definitely at the top of the list. He replaces Tracy McGrady, who can’t stay healthy enough to warrant a spot.

23. Danny Granger

A scoring machine who plays on the ground although he can elevate on a defender when he needs to.  He is the most improved player in the game and I see him getting better. Granger can play 15-plus years and be productive with his efficiency towards the game. The Pacers are very competitive despite their poor record and  that is why first-time All-Star Granger moves in and  Caron Butler drops out.

22. Steve Nash

No player has been asked to change his game this year more than Nash. He has been asked to slow down his tempo and creativity. I guess it is similar to buying a Ferrari and only being able to drive it 55. The reason Nash has dropped is not because of his abilities, which I think are still there. It’s his inability so far to grasp the new system and give us the production we have seen and been spoiled with the last few years. I still consider Nash the most unselfish player in  the league and its best all-around shooter.

21. Brandon Roy

Moves in as Baron Davis drops out. Roy is the cousin of Manu Ginobili. He finds a way to attack the basket regardless of the defensive tactics of the opposing team. He uses his left hand better than some left-handers. He is dangerous because he has continued to stretch his range and now can run off numbers at a rapid pace. The Blazers are the most talented team in the league 1 through 12 and one way Roy can continue to move up is not becoming too shot happy and getting his teammates involved more in the early parts of the game.

20. Manu Ginobili

Moves up four spots and I am sure my Spurs readers will still not be happy. The guy is just a pure nightmare to guard and he is definitely one the toughest clutch players in the league, but I still can’t stand how he flops consistently when touched. I will still give him the benefit of the doubt and call him one the top 10 offensive players with the game on the line. And yes, I would love to have him play on my favorite team.

19. Deron Williams

Has been dealt a tough blow. He gets hurt to start the season and he loses his running mate Carlos Boozer as well. He falls eight spots by no fault of his own. I still think he is the second best point guard in the game and will be in the Top 10 at season’s end if he gets healthy. He is the only player in the league that gives Chris Paul problems on a consistent basis.

18. Shaquille O’Neal

Stays at number 18 and probably deserves to be rated higher. Please name me a  true center other than Howard that has played better than Shaq? The reason he stays at 18 is because although he is playing extremely well, the Suns as a team have struggled. I would like people to finally applaud Shaq for improving not only on his conditioning but his free-throw shooting as well.

17. Amare Stoudemire

Falls 10 spots and, if he does not improve his basic defensive skills, could fall further. Amare potentially could be the best power forward in the game, but has not shown an overall consistency on the defensive end to warrant staying at number 7.  I admire how Amare was able to rebound from ACL surgery and regain his explosiveness, but we need to see more growth on the court with regards to the dirty parts of the game, like defense and rebounding.

16. Joe Johnson

Moves into the Top 25 as Allen Iverson drops out. He has proven that the Hawks’ run last year was no fluke and his ability to lead and become a  top-notch scorer was real as well. He has the best handle (next to LeBron and Kobe) for players over 6-foot-5. He has become a triple threat and is one of the league’s best defenders as well.

15. Pau Gasol

Gets in the Top 25 and Elton Brand drops out because I am convinced that he is determined and motivated to get to the level I expected him to. I thought  he would take a back seat to Andrew Bynum, but he did not. His passing ability is the reason why he scores so easily around the post. I still think he can be a better shot blocker and he will have to now with Bynum down.

14. Carmelo Anthony

Has had tough luck come All-Star time, but he is one of the best players in the league and he moves up three spots. I think he is the most versatile small forward in the game offensively with his ability to post and knock down the three-point shot. I have always wondered when he would start to show the leadership abilities that he showed at Syracuse during his NCAA championship run.

13. Chauncey Billups

Jumps nine spots and could be higher if Denver continues to play consistent basketball. Billups has undoubtedly become the best pick-up this season based on the improved play of the up-and-down Nuggets. Billups has helped them realize working hard every game and staying focused will have them in most games – and, most importantly, beat bad teams. The Nuggets are 20-1 against sub .500 teams all because of Billups’ leadership.

12. Dirk Nowitzki

Stays at number 12 and deservedly so. He is really starting to gain momentum and the Mavericks seem to be regaining their swagger back as a team. Dirk is the best shooting seven-footer ever and if he can continue to improve defensively the Mavericks will make a serious run come playoff time.

11. Paul Pierce

I think Paul is the best scoring small forward in the game not named LeBron. He scores whenever he wants and does not run come crunch time. Garnett is the Celtics’ MVP, but Pierce is their MIP (Most Important Player). He is also the biggest trash talker in the league, which I happen to think fuels his consistency.

10. Chris Bosh

Could have dropped more because he has not shown me an ability to put his team on his back and get them through tough times. He is so unorthodox offensively that he is impossible to figure out. His mid-range shot has improved big time and has shown a willingness to take the big shots. I still believe we should be seeing better leadership abilities and, if not, I can’t see him staying at this spot for long.

9. Tony Parker

I keep trying to figure out why I put Parker seven spots up from 16. I just flat out think he is a point guard with a center mentality. The guy constantly is in the Top 5 in scoring in the paint.  Name me a point guard historically that dominated like that consistently. He now has improved his mid-range jump shot, which makes him virtually impossible to guard. He also has become one of the best clutch players in the league as well.

8. Yao Ming

Drops two spots but only because Tracy McGrady and Ron Artest can’t stay on the floor. Yao is the most unguardable center in the game because of his ability to shoot from 20 feet and post up without fear of a hand in his face. I would like him to get tougher, but there is not one team that would not think about trading their best player for him other than the Lakers, Hornets, Spurs and Cavaliers. I still say the Rockets, if healthy, can win the Western Conference.

7. Dwyane Wade

He is proving how good a player he is when in top shape. I have said consistently over the last  few years that he has a bad body and will always have injuries. But with a new body and demeanor, Wade is showing why he is one of the best players we have ever seen. What he is doing with Miami is equivalent to what Chris Paul is doing in New Orleans.

6. Kevin Garnett

I would love to be a psychologist and sit in a room with KG for a day. He goes from calm to incredibly psychotic within minutes. The one thing I enjoy about KG is that he has always been like this on the floor. There is no fake in him when it comes to exuberance on the court. The Celtics have molded themselves around him and that’s why a small blip of losing games did not affect them for long.

5. Tim Duncan

Drops a spot and mainly because of one little blemish that seems to be always correctable and that is the Spurs’ slow start against teams above .500. The  Spurs are 11-11 against top teams.  Duncan is ageless. Just when you think he is losing a step, he makes you look bad for speaking too soon. I think he is the most professional player on and off the floor in the NBA. And its best leader.

4. Dwight Howard

Moves up four spots because he has become the second coming of Shaq. The Magic is his team and he has elevated everybody’s games – especially first-time All-Star Jameer Nelson. That appealing smile is hiding a nastiness that opposing players fear and Howard seems to get a kick out it. Just remeber one early season incident where he elbowed Suns rookie Robin Lopez and received a technical foul. As they retreated, he mockingly patted Lopez on the rear, thus sending a message… It’s not personal, but I will hurt you next time you get in my way.

3. Chris Paul

If there was a wonder how valuable Paul is, just witness the Hornets’ second half meltdown against the Blazers and the beat-down from the Chicago Bulls in the first two games of Paul’s  groin injury. I have not seen a team fall to such levels since Magic Johnson missed games. Paul has re-defined the two-man game and how to guard against it. He is the toughest player in the game pound for pound.

2. Kobe Bryant

His drive to succeed is beyond reason. He is the best late-game assassin offensively I have seen since Jordan and Bird. I really have enjoyed his willingness to allow his talented teammates to excel, but with Bynum down are we ready to see the old Kobe surface again? The 61 points and 0 rebounds against the Knicks were probably a sign of things to come. I feel sorry for all the players who have to guard Kobe from here on out, but will it be for the good of the Lakers?

1. LeBron James

He continues to hold on to the No. 1 spot because he is doing the best job of carrying a team since Hakeem Olajuwon carried the Rockets to back-to-back championships. Also, his follow up to Kobe scoring 61 against the Knicks was downright ridiculous. Scoring 50-plus is one thing, but getting a (quasi) triple-double to boot was the icing on the cake that has kept LB on top. I watched that game and he could have easily gotten 60 if he wanted to.

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In terms of this upcoming season, with New Jersey upgrading with the acquisition of Magloire at the center position, and with the Celtics getting KG and Allen, how do you see Toronto fitting into that Atlantic Division? Do you believe we were riding luck last year, or you think we can hold off these emerging teams and retain our Atlantic Division title?

I think Toronto will be improved as well. They learned a valuable experience last year. They should have beaten the Nets and just that thought should have had each of those players in the gym all summer working hard. The key will be Bosh and staying away from the injuries to key players that affected them last year. Morris Peterson’s defection to the Hornets will hurt, but the Raptors are talented enough to make a serious run at duplicating what they did last year although the competition has definitely gotten better.

How will the effect of playing for Team USA, or their respective countries, be on each of the players bodies? How much wear and tear will be done by participating in these games? Last year for the World Baseball Classic, a lot of those players saw a decrease in their performance and a physical decline towards the end of the season.

I think it does wear on you to an extent, but it all goes back to how you take care of your body. I think it will only affect the older players like Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups, but then again they did not play many minutes. I really liked how the players minutes were limited. So I don’t think it will be much of a factor during the season. LeBron is the only player that should be a little winded since his season lasted longer than any other player.

Eddie, I miss the good old days of the NBA, the days when you played and the game was physical. How do you feel when you see a hard foul in an NBA game and the player is ejected or even suspended, when if that happened back when you played, you just got two free throws and that was that? How many points a game do you think you would of scored if no one was allowed to touch you or give you a “Charles Oakley” clothesline when going into the lane?

You have gotten me so worked up now. People ask me all the time about the way the game has changed. I honestly felt it was needed, because players were becoming too sensitive. That might be the one major problem I have with players today… Why so sensitive? During my era everything was fair game including momma jokes. I tell you what, if players were as sensitive in my era as they are now, it would have been a fight every quarter. We had running dialogue all the time during the course of a game. I would have two or three trash talking conversations going on with different players all the time. The difference for us was that we did not take it personally and we used it as motivation to play even harder. Here is an example of players that I would have confrontations with every time I played them…

Xavier McDaniel and I hated each other on the court. I would be shooting and calling him a bald headed so and so at the same time he would come back and try and crack me with an elbow and then proceed to try and tear the rim down. It was vicious, but not one time did we have a fight and believe it or not we shared a drink and laughed about it during an NBA cruise during the offseason.

Larry Bird called me every name in the book when we played and I tried to reciprocate as much as I could and maintain some energy to guard him. The first time I guarded him in my career at Boston Garden he looked at me and said I am going to kick your @#$% and even during a game later in the season I popped him in the mouth with an elbow and laughed because they called a foul on him as well. He never lost his concentration and only waited till after the game to come in the locker room and drop his room key on my lap and said, “Let’s finish this at my hotel.” I reminded him of that years later and he laughed.

Lonnie Shelton was probably the quickest 6-8, 260 player I have ever seen and I hated him to guard me. He would throw me all around the court, but one night I got tired of it and I started talking about everyone in his generation to take his attention off the game. Nothing seemed to bother him till I came by the Cavalier bench and called him a fat @#$% in front of his teammates and they started laughing and he stared at me no matter where I was on the court till it really started to bother me. When he got in the game, he had nothing on his mind other than hurting me. I finally went up to him during a free throw and apologized and he said, “Cool, let’s play.” True story.

Tom Chambers and Frank Brickowski, I will mention them together because I use to get under their skin big time when they played for the Sonics. I would talk so much smack that both of them would take turns trying to pop me, but I was not stupid. I always took care of the wide bodies on my team and LaSalle Thompson and Mark Olberding would always be there to protect me. What’s so funny about those two is that in later years we would become teammates (Chambers-Suns and Brickowski-Hornets) and I consider both very good friends. They understood the method to my madness when we played together and they looked out for me as well.

Believe me, if guys were as sensitive then as they are now the league would have been out of control and David Stern would not have had one chance of turning the NBA around financially like he has done.

The only thing I will say about the defensive rule of not touching a player when he catches the ball and faces his defender is this, I would have scored at least 8 to 10 more points a game in my career. That would have put me at about 27 a game. So now what do you think Jordan would have averaged? Think about this, Jordan catches the ball 15 feet from the basket and he is allowed to turn and face the defender without the defender being able to touch him, are you kidding me. End of story!

Since you are Mr. Jumpshot, I would like to ask you about the NBA and “sidewinder” releases. Like Larry Bird and Chris Mullin, O do not square up to the basket; rather I turn about 40 to 45 degrees to the left. I think it gives a player the best chance to make the jumpshot a one-handed shot. Can I have your opinion on this release?

Hold up, you just gave me a headache. I only have an opinion about one thing when it comes to shooting and that is what’s the result? Bird, Mullin, Miller, Redd and Stojakovic were and are not text book shooters. Who cares? They have and had a great result. When I teach players, I try and work within their mechanics and go from there. I think anyone can become a very good shooter with proper understanding of why the ball has the best chance to go in. I will give no more of my secrets unless you pay or go to my website and purchase the best shooting DVD on the market!

How will Memphis Grizzlies do for the PG position with four guards (Tarence Kinsey, Damon Stoudamire, Juan Carlos Navarro and Mike Conley)?

I have no idea how they will do if Marc Iavaroni just hands the point guard duties to Conley. I do think they will have some stability if he allows Stoudamire to run the team and allow the youngsters to move slowly. The one thing Iavaroni does not want to do is alienate his scorers because he is force feeding young point guards and they are struggling to get the scorers the ball efficiently. The Grizzlies have talent, but it remains to be seen if they can develop heart and toughness to get back to the 50-win plateau again.

Am I the only one that is a little concerned about how Kevin Durant will hold up for the season? He is really good but you have to wonder, how will his skinny frame hold up over the 82-game season? As a catch-and-shoot player ( i.e. Reggie Miller) he would be OK. But let’s be real, he wasn’t drafted to be a catch-and-shoot player.

You just answered your own question. If you remember Reggie Miller early in his career, he drove the lane consistently and gave up his body and played 18 years. The offensive players in today’s game are protected and because of it Durant will be fine. He is an extremely committed young man and will get stronger and better as the season goes along.

I’ve been following the Bobcats since their inception. They appear to have done things the right way – building through the draft. They seem to have many talented players, but it can be hard to tell because so many players are young and many others have been injured. How does a team like this reach the next level? How does management or a coach decide what players are the nucleus of the team, and which ones are not (I remember Charles Barkley saying once that every NBA player is good enough to play). The next two years seem crucial to the Bobcats. What needs to happen for them to be successful?

Hopefully, Michael Jordan is allowing everyone to have a hand on decisions, which I am sure he is this time around. Luck plays a lot with getting to the next level. Assembling a team is extremely difficult because mixture can either enhance or destroy. If you look back at history, great teams have started with either the center position or the point guard position. Well, the Bobcats have neither. Yes, they can improve and win. But if they are to get out of the Eastern Conference it will have to be with the formula I just described. Emeka Okafor is not the answer at center and Raymond Felton is a stretch at the point position. Bottom line, the Bobcats need to find a way to convince some big time free agents to get on board in the next few years or they will just be termed a team that competes but comes up short.

Did you listen to some specific kind of music or song before you had to play a game?

I did not have a set order of doing things before a game. I just went with the flow. I never listened to music once I got in the locker room. That is another pet peeve of mind with today’s player. They isolate themselves from the people they are going to battle with. When I played, we talked to one another before games and not just about basketball. We would talk world issues and debate at times as well. That’s really the only part I miss about the game when I played – the fun we had in the locker room. For instance, when I played with the Charlotte Hornets in 1993, we had a fashion show before each game. Players would actually wait for you to walk in the locker room so they could dissect what you were wearing. Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson, Muggsy Bogues and Johnny Newman wore a different outfit for 82 games. I often wondered why Muggsy Bogues had his suits tailored when he was only 5-5 and could have bought his wardrobe at Target. They would hang up the worse outfit of the night and debate about it before our team meeting before the game. I have never laughed so hard in my life. I got to know all of those players that year because they did not isolate themselves and that was special.

I was just wondering what your thoughts are on the upcoming season for the Suns. Do you think DJ Strawberry and Alando along with Grant Hill will be enough to make up for losing Kurt Thomas and Junior or do they really need another quality big man to come off the bench before they can make it to the Finals? Also, Amare shot 66 percent from three-point land with Team USA. Are you going to give him some shooting pointers so he can become a deadly threat from anywhere on the court?

The question for the Suns this year and probably for the next three years with Steve Nash around is if they can get over the emotional hurdle the San Antonio Spurs present. That’s it! There are no other teams in the conference that can beat the Suns in a seven-game series (sorry, Maverick fans). The lost of Kurt Thomas and James Jones will hurt a lot if the Suns can’t find decent replacements. PJ Brown would be a welcome addition, but I believe he should jump in the fold now instead of during the season which is being tossed around. The hardest thing to do is come to a running team and try and catch up. Go ask Jalen Rose. If they do not get another big man, then Boris Diaw will have to play huge – which I personally believe he will this season. This will allow Amare to stay out of foul trouble and continue to dominate the paint for the Suns all season long. And yes, when the time comes he might be the second or third best three-point shooter on the roster. His mechanics are excellent.

Grant Hill will have the best season he has had since his years in Detroit. The pressure to perform and lead will not be there and so his relaxed role will pay major dividends on and off the court for the Suns this season.

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