The shooting guard position can be considered as the most bland of the five positions because although they were talented performers, only two or three really stood out whereas the rest all basically measured at the same level in terms of their performances and impact. One thing that stands out about this group is despite the name of the position, the players named on this list were not that accurate when it actually came to shooting the ball as most if not all of them shoe under .450 from the field. Some of these guys barely even passed the .400 mark as they showed how really inefficient they were as a whole as most of them were simply "volume scorers" taking more than making shot attempts. One can actually go as far to say that a lot of the top scoring shooting guards were more of a hindrance than a help of their team because their poor choices in shot attempts could have gone to a more efficient player instead of either having the shot miss and the ball turnover as a rebound. So here's the second to last part of this five part series of the +NBA's best of 2013 and be sure to watch out for the final climatic piece right here on +Slap Dog Hoops.
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Over the last three years he has spent with the Thunder, Thabo Sefalosha was seen as more of a useless accessory rather than an actual contributor in the starting five. That was primarily the ball was primarily dominated by +Russell Westbrook and +Kevin Durant on the offensive end; however, this season saw a dramatic shift in the Thunder's style of play which led to Thabo getting more involved in the team offense. Over the course of the season both Thabo's shot attempts and points per game doubled from the previous one as he took advantage of the new opportunities bestowed upon him thanks to a new and improved Russell Westbrook handling the point. Thabo carved himself quite the reputation for being a clutch shooter as he hit the three point shot with surprising accuracy despite his few shot attempts that remained rather minuscule at just under six per game. Nonetheless, with .417 accuracy and half of his shot attempts coming from from beyond the three point arc, Thabo made very shot count and a dangerous weapon for the roaring Thunder.
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29
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High expectations were also put upon Dion Waiters as he was selected fourth overall in the draft; however, due to an injury riddled rookie campaign where he would miss 21 games, Waiters failed to live up to them. Although he was second among rookies in scoring as he averaged 14.7 per game, Waiters did so rather inefficiently as he shot just .412 from the field and an even more woeful .310 from beyond the arc. In the first two months of the regular season, Waiters jacked up close to 16 shot attempts per game only making less than .350 of them making him more of a hindrance than a help to his team. If he wants to be taken seriously as a player in the NBA and a building block for the Cavaliers' future, Waiters needs to work on his shot selection because the last thing he would want to be known as a ball chucker.
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28
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When Washington selected Beal with the third overall pick in the draft, many saw him as the perfect complement to the Wizards' star point guard John Wall as he had the perfect blend of size, strength, and athleticism to keep up with Wall along with a deadly shooting stroke. Unfortunately, he was not able to showcase his skill set for much of the season as he missed 26 games and struggled greatly with his offense when he did actually play. Although he averaged a solid 13.9 points per game, he did it shooting a rather unimpressive .410 from the field; however, most of that was due to Wall missing a good chunk of the season due to his own injuries. Hopefully with a full season and a healthy John Wall at opening tip-off, Beal will live up to the promise that the Wizards envisioned from him when they selected him so high in the draft.
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27
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Jordan Crawford spent most of his season trying to get a sinking Washington Wizards team afloat leading the team in scoring over the first two months of the season; however as the season wore on, Crawford's minutes would drop sharply as he would soon head to another shipwreck in the Boston Celtics. Fortunately for Crawford, at least the Celtics were not as in bad a shape as the the Wizards were as they still remained in playoff contention despite being on the verge of completely collapsing. Unlike his time with the Wizards, Crawford spent much of his time coming off the bench at Boston, but he still remained a valuable contributor averaging close to ten points in about 23 minutes of playing time per game. Now with the season over and the Boston Celtics hitting rock bottom, Crawford now has another great opportunity facing him as he will be given more minutes more touches and possibly the chance to be one of the new faces of this Celtics team. With the departure of veterans +Paul Pierce, Jason Terry, and +Kevin Garnett, he will be looked upon to help the team carve a new identity alongside veteran holdover +Rajon Rondo and up and coming star Jeff Green as the Celtics march forward to a very bleak future.
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26
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At the start of the season Arron Afflalo came to Orlando from the +Denver Nuggets along with teammate Al Harrington as part of the massive trade that sent the Magic's former star +Dwight Howard to the LA Lakers. Many saw the Magic as the losers in that trade in that trade as many considered the players that they received to be of little or no consequence whatsoever; however, these same voices who blasted the Magic for its choices would later be silenced in dramatic fashion as all the players Orlando received played WELL above expectation. Afflalo led the charge as he would go on to have the best season in his career leading the Magic in scoring with 16.5 points per game while on the flip side, the three other teams involved in that trade would ironically become the biggest losers on that deal. Both Howard and the Lakers would struggle through the regular season just barely making the playoffs while +Andrew Bynum the other big name in that trade, would not even play a game for his his team, the Philadelphia 76ers. Ironically, upon the start of off season, all the three teams involved in that mega trade would see the players that they gave up so much for leave them with nothing as Howard would leave for Houston, Bynum for Cleveland, and +Andre Iguodala for Golden State, leaving Orlando as the biggest winner with possibly the deepest treasure trove of young talent in the NBA with Afflalo being one of those players.
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25
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Coming into the 2013 season at the ripe old age of 36 along with having his skills and abilities ravaged and swept away by both injuries and Father Time, it seemed as if it would be the beginning of the end for Manu Ginobli. He would post the worst numbers in his career since coming into the league averaging just 11.6 points per game and shot a rather mediocre .425 from the field. At the same time, Manu missed more than a quarter of the Spurs' regular season games and upon arriving to the playoffs, he was almost a non factor as he came out a shell of the player that he once was. With his decline being so very apparent, it was shocking to see that San Antonio would sign the aging and slowly decrepit Argentinian to two more years after his contract had expired at the end of the season. Although it is understandable that the Spurs would have loyalty to the man had helped them win four out of five NBA Finals, that roster spot could have been utilized by a younger and more athletic player. Instead the chose to waste it on a player who is admittedly WAY past his prime and will become an untradable dead weight contract.
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24
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The tragic story of Ben Gordon would continue to go on in NBA history as one of the worst free agent signings ever done; however, this time it would not be the +Detroit Pistons who would be forced to endure the suffering anymore as team GM +Joe Dumars would find and bigger sucker to unload his biggest mistake ever. In a cruel ironic twist, that "sucker"would be none other than Charlotte Bobcats owner, +Michael Jordan, who over the course of his basketball playing days had tormented Dumars for many years. Now Jordan would receive the ultimate payback by taking on the bloated salary of a player who was expected to be a future All Star only to be considered as on of the biggest free agent failures of recent memory. Upon arriving in Charlotte, Gordon would fall immediately out of favor with the coach and organization and would be nothing more than a marginal player coming of the bench. At least Jordan can hold solace in the fact that once the season ends, he will be rid of Gordon's contract and his stain will finally be removed from the NBA once and for all.
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23
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Boston Celtics
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Someone really had to question Danny Ainge's reasoning in signing a 6'1" 35 year old shooting guard for four year contract worth 20$ million and wonder the #$%^ he was thinking? Terry was already heading for the twilight of his career and probably would never put up the 15 odd points per game that he did while playing for the Dallas Mavericks. Add the fact that he was a defensive liability because of his height, age and diminishing abilities, Terry's presence would prove to be more of a hindrance than a help for a team that was trying to keep the window open for another deep playoff run. Sadly, Terry only went on to prove all his doubters correct by averaging just under 11 per game in nunder 27 minutes and was nothing more than a spot up shooter at best. Fortunately for Celtics boss Danny Ainge, he was able to pawn off Terry's rather erroneous contract to another sucker in the Brooklyn Nets although he had to take a terrible contract back in return--that of George Wallace's who still has three years and 30$ million left on his deal.
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22
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Two seasons after coming to New Orleans in that mega deal that sent +Chris Paul to the Clippers and having signed him to a five year 70$ million contract extension, Eric Gordon has played a grand total of 51 games thus far. He had just played only nine games in the previous lockout shortened season and 24 the following season making many question whether Gordon can be the franchise cornerstone that the former Hornets projected him of being. In his short time on the court Gordon led the team in scoring averaging 17.0 points per game; however, he shot a woefully inefficient .400 from the field which made his contributions more of a hindrance than a help to his team. With four years and 56$ million left on his deal, both the newly named Pelicans and their fans simply hope that he will at least be able to play a season injury free and provide some sort of contribution. If he fails yet again to remain healthy, Gordon will just might be remembered as one of the worst NBA free agent signings in league history.
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21
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During the regular season, Lance Stephenson did not turn that many heads as he averaged a solid yet very unspectacular 8.8 points per game, but he certainly raised numerous eyebrows with his performance in the post season. It was there that he exploded onto the basketball scene as he was one of the primary catalysts in the Pacers' triumphant performance in the playoffs. In the 19 games he played, Stephenson averaged close to eight boards per game which was third on the team and was a terror for his opponents on the defensive end grabbing more than a steal per game. He was certainly a crucial factor in the Pacers' eliminating the heavily favored New York Knicks in the second round as he torched the Knicks in game six posting a double-double 25 points and grabbing 10 boards while shooting .692 from the field. Stephenson was also instrumental in the Miami series which went to the full seven games before the Heat pulled away in game seven and advance to the NBA Finals.
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20
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Sixers fans had been waiting so long to see whether the player that their team had selected second overall in the 2010 NBA Draft would finally pan out and it looked as if their wait was finally over. After having two rather sub par seasons, Evan Turner finally had the breakout season and finally showed fans why Philly was so high on this +Ohio State Buckeyes product to select him over such higher rated prospects as +Derrick Favors, Greg Monroe, or even +DeMarcus Cousins. Turner played all 82 games last season and averaged not only a career high 13.3 points per game, but also was avid rebounder for his position grabbing 6.3 boards per game. Although his shooting remained quite spotty at .419 from the field, he also contributed to the offense by facilitating his teammates averaging four assists per game--second behind the team's All Star point guard +Jrue Holiday. At just 24 years old and heading into his fourth season, Turner still has room to grow as a player and if last season's numbers are a sign of things to come, then Philly fans will certainly be giddy with anticipation to see what he will give them this upcoming season.
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19
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Last season, Gerald Henderson was the leader of a Charlotte team that won a league worst seven games; however this season, Henderson would carry his team, along with his back court mate +Kemba Walker to the Bobcats winning 300% of their last win total. Although he missed 14 games due to injury, Henderson remained a vital piece of Charlotte's rather impressive turnaround as he averaged 15.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and a steal per game. His impressive play earned the former +Duke University star a three year contract extension worth in the area of 18$ million and if he continues the same production, he would be considered quite the steal; however not only should he show improvement, but also his team in order to prove what a valuable signing he can potentially be. With returning teammates Kemba walkers and +Michael Kidd-Gilchrist along with newcomers +Al Jefferson and fourth overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft in +Cody Zeller, Henderson and the Bobcats will look to build from that 21 win performance and hopefully be in the running for a playoff bid as well. Regardless of whether that will happen anytime soon, one things remains for certain and that is Gerald Henderson is a player that should be kept a close eye on.
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18
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After having such a phenomenal rookie season where he led the Kings in scoring and looked like an All Star franchise player in the making, Tyreke Evan had essentially disappeared of the the face of the Earth. For three straight disappointing seasons he had failed to recapture that magic that made him on of the most talked about young players as his scoring dropped for the third straight year from 20.1 points per game his rookie year to 15.2 this season. It had come to a point where the Kings chose to cut their ties with the faltering young guard that had so much promise that they did not even bother offering him a contract extension when it came time to negotiate one. Instead they chose to send him away and have the New Orleans Pelicans try to reignite the fire within Evans which had all but extinguished. Hopefully the change of setting and playing on a team with up and coming young player will reawaken this sleeping giant as he is only 23 years old and has still plenty of years left to grow and become the player that the Kings had hoped that he would be.
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17
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After an impressive 2011 season where he averaged nearly 16 per game leading Portland to the Playoffs for the third straight year, both the Blazers and Wesley Matthews severely fell off the following year. Matthews' lost his shooting touch in 2012 as it dropped from .449 the previous season to just .417 which led to a drop in scoring to just under 13 per game and him losing his place in the starting five. At the same time Portland struggled much of the regular season resulting in them missing the playoffs altogether giving Blazers fans the fear that not only the good times were finally over, but their hidden gem in Matthews was more of a cubic zirconium than a diamond in the rough. Many expected Portland to simply crash and burn, but that did not happen as the Blazers would return to contention thanks to the efforts of the soon to be named Rookie of the Year, +Damian Lillard; plus, at the same time Matthews would recover his lost shooting touch and bounced back from his rather sub par sophomore season with a solid performance of nearly 15 points per game. Although the Blazers failed to make the playoffs, they managed to remain in contention through much of the season while at the same time, Wesley Matthews earned back the love and faith of Blazers fans as well.
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16
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Klay Thompson can be considered as the unsung hero of Golden State's miraculous run to the post season after spending the previous year wallowing at the bottom of the Western Conference standings. While most of fan and media attention circled around his teammates +Stephen Curry and David Lee, Thompson put forth quite the productive season averaging nearly 17 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal per game while at the same time shooting an outstanding .401 from beyond the three point line. He played equally as well in the playoffs despite his scoring dropping slightly to 15,2 points per game, as he his accuracy from long ranged improved to .426 and helped the underdog Warriors not only surprise the world by eliminating the heavily favored +Denver Nuggets out of the first round, but giving the San Antonio Spurs a fight in the second round coming within two games of the Western Conference Finals. If it were not for his inconsistency and poor efficiency due to his high volume of shot attempts, Klay Thompson would have been ranked far higher than 16 in this countdown. Nonetheless he remain as a young athletic sharpshooter to keep an eye on in the future, and at just 23 years old heading in his third years, he has plenty room to grow and mature thus giving him a very high ceiling for years to come.
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15
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Not many people took much notice when Lou Williams signed to the Hawks, but the former second round draft pick who came straight out of high school eight years ago certainly made many take notice. In less than 30 minutes per game, Louis came off the bench to average 14 points, 4 assists, two rebounds and a steal per game which is pretty impressive considering the time constraints he was under. His shooting was pretty spotty at just .426, one has to remember that came from just 11 shot attempts with a little less than half of them coming from behind the arc making him one of the most efficient scorers in the league. It was rather unfortunate that his season was cut short due to injury as he played just 39 games, but hopefully he will bounce back and continue where he left off and be that fire cracker off the bench ready to explode at anytime. At already 28 years old and with eight years under his belt, it is doubtful that will become anything more than a scorer coming off the bench, but he has made such a good career of it that given the right team and circumstances, he can be a major contributor on any team looking to take that next step.
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14
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Ray Allen certainly made the right choice to turn down the Celtics who offered him FAR more money to take much less money to play a for the Heat as Boston looked to going straight down while Miami was in a place to win another NBA title. Had he remained on the Celtics, he would have had spent the entire regular season wearing himself down even further trying to keep that sinking ship afloat instead of simply cruising along in the warmer and more hospitable South Beach shore to his second championship ring. And it was not as if he was asked to do that much either--all the Heat expected him to do was what he did best and that was to shoot threes from the corners whereas in Boston, he would have been expected to do much more and possibly ruin the few years of basketball that he still had left. One can go as far to say that he did the Celtics a favor by not accepting their money because the Boston had already wasted the much earned cap space on an aging Kevin Garnett to a three year deal worth 36$ million that had a NO TRADE CLAUSE. Credit Allen for not being blinded by money and delusions as he went for greener and warmer pastures instead of having to bail out a sinking Boston Celtics team.
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13
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No one even knew who this guy was until this amazing performance in the NBA Finals setting the record for not only three points field attempts but also in three point field goals made, This relatively unassuming guy who had averaged just 10.5 points per game in the relative season could have possibly been named Finals MVP had the Spurs pull out the game six win. Green shot an amazing 27 of 49 shots for the series shattering all previous Finals records and essentially carried the offensive load of Spurs in five of the teams seven games averaging 18.0 points per game. Had he not been not been shut down in games six and seven where the Heat held him to 1 for 19 shooting, perhaps he and his teammates would have been the ones hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy in the air rubbing it in the face of Miami fans on their home court. Now with the NBA season starting in as little as over a month, the question on everyone mind will be what will he do for an encore? Will that amazing performance be just a one time affair or the start of something greater?
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12
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For much of the 2013 regular season, JJ Redick spent much of it coming off the bench for a struggling Orlando Magic team while at the same time having the best season of his career. In 58 games, Redick was one of the primary cogs of the Orlando Magic averaging over 15 points per game and scoring at a rather efficient rate as he connected on .450 from the field and .390 from the three point arc. Along with pumping in points, Redick also helped on the offensive end by getting his teammates involved as he dished out 4.4 assists per game--second on the team behind Magic starting point guard +Jameer Nelson. Redick would have continued wasting his talents on a moribund team had the +Milwaukee Bucks saved him by acquiring him for point guard +Beno Udrih and swing man Tobias Harris which gave him a chance to finish the season on a playoff team. Although his number dropped slightly in Milwaukee, his overall season effort earned him a contract with the Clippers and the chance to play for a championship contender.
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11
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No one can say that Kevin Martin did not do a good job in filling in the massive void left by James Harden, but one could certainly see that there was a great difference in the way the Thunder played compared to last season. Although he performed more that adequately in the regular season averaging 14.0 points per game coming off the bench while shooting .426 from behind the arc, Martin did not have the presence that Harden had. Even with Durant and Westbrook on the floor, Harden was still able to take over a game when needed whereas Martin merely stayed within his limit of 14 points and did not strive to do any better. He certainly had a chance to step his game up in the playoffs when Russell Westbrook fell to injury, but he never really rose to the occasion forcing Kevin Durant to take up the load himself. And that what made Kevin Martin, in the eyes of many, as a failure because he did not step up game as Harden would have had he stayed in Oklahoma City.
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10
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Nets GM Billy King thought he got himself a real prize acquiring the six time NBA All Star from the Atlanta Hawks for a bunch of useless spare parts, he was really the one who got the short end of the stick. What he received was a 32 year old veteran that not only had lost his shooting stroke, but who also arrived a step slower and was no longer in the All Star shape he once was. What's even worse is that King will have this player, who had shown was in slow decline for the next three years to the tune of 60$ million thus making Johnson all but un-tradeable. Despite posting solid numbers of 16.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3 assists, that is nowhere near the worth of his monstrosity of a contract and in already his prime as a player, the only place his production will be going is down. And there is nothing really much else that King can do but simply sit on his rather poor executive decision and watch Johnson's massive contract clog up his Nets' salary cap space for the next three years.
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9
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Milwaukee Bucks
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Monta Ellis can be seen as one of the biggest disappointments in the 2013 season as he was not nearly the impact player that the Milwaukee Bucks and their their fans anticipated him being. For starters, despite him leading the team in scoring averaging 19.2 points per game, Ellis did so very inefficiently as he shot a woeful .417 from the field--well below his career average of .456. He was exceptionally terrible from beyond the arc shooting an even more disappointing .287 from range and considering the fact that he took the most shot attempts on the team at 17.5 per game, his inefficient offensive performance actually hurt the Bucks more than help them. From taking a mere glance of his number his numbers, one can certainly see that Ellis was not a high volume volume scorer as his scoring output certainly did not match the amounts of shot attempts he had taken over the course of the season. He certainly proved in his time in Milwaukee that he is certainly not the kind of player to build a team around--that's for sure.
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8
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He was basically given up on as a lost cause when Memphis chose not to pick up his rookie contract option making him an unrestricted free agent so when Dallas pick him up, not very much was anticipated from him. Upon arriving at Dallas, however, Mayo would prove his naysayers wrong as he would have one of the best seasons of his career averaging 15.3 points, 4.4 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. He performed exceptionally at the start of the regular season as he led the Mavericks and carried the offensive load until the injured +Dirk Nowitzki returned to the lineup. Mayo started the season averaging nearly 21 points per game in November and shot unconsciously from the field making nearly .510 from beyond the three point arc; unfortunately however, he was not able to maintain such a high performance as the season worse on. Nonetheless, Mayo proved that maybe the Memphis Grizzlies had given up on him too early and at the age of 25, he will certainly have the room to grow from his impressive performance and possibly develop even more as a player.
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7
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After spending most of career playing on haphazard and less than mediocre teams, at 33 years old Jamal Crawford finally got his chance to play for a true contender in the Clippers and he certainly did not disappoint, either. Coming off the bench, Crawford scored 16.5 points per game which was third on the team behind +Blake Griffin and +Chris Paul and what was even more impressive about these numbers is that he did so in under 30 minutes per game. Thanks to his efforts, Crawford not only helped the Clippers reach a franchise record 56 wins in the regular season, but also finally had the chance to experience his third playoff appearance EVER in his 13 year career. Unfortunately for both Crawford and the Clippers these moments were bittersweet as they were shockingly upset out of the first round by the Memphis Grizzlies despite having a two games to none lead to start the series. Regardless, at 33 years old, Crawford still proved that he still has a lot of basketball left in him and with the team he has, will certainly have a chance to taste championship glory.
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6
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Àfter five years and more than 55$ million dollar of broken hope and shattered dreams, JR Smith had finally lived up to the promise and the potential that the Denver Nuggets saw in him when they game him that massive contract extension. Unfortunately for Denver, he did not accomplish this feat as a Nugget, where he spent his career as the most expensive bench player in NBA history, but in New York for a fraction of the cost. Despite earning less than 4$ million, Smith exploded on the court and in turn had the best season in his career as he averaged a career high 18.1 points and 5.3 rebounds coming off the bench. He was certainly instrumental in the Knicks' return to prominence as he helped the team reach its first 50 plus win season in 13 years and its first playoff series win that same amount of time thus earning him the league's Sixth Man of the Year Award. Unfortunately despite his phenomenal year, the knock on Smith was the fact that he was mainly a chucker taking mostly bad shots and was very streaky and unreliable to say the least; however, that should not take away how he revitalized his career in the Big Apple--a harsh city where more dreams get shattered than come true.
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5
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Dallas Mavericks
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Just a couple short years ago, it looked as if it would be the end for this one time superstar who had electrified fans with his high flying acrobatic to the basket. After two rather disappointing seasons in Orlando and Phoenix, it seemed that Vince Carter would be headed to career oblivion being shipped to an already crumbling Dallas Mavericks squad to finish his one time impressive career. Many expected, and even hoped that Carter would simply just fade away on a team riding towards to sunset, but surprisingly instead of disappearing, Carter reemerged to put forth possibly the most heroic performance of his career. Coming of the bench, Carter played harder with more heart and determination than possibly any point of his career earning the respect of those who had since lost it. It is only fortune that he had not played with that same fire earlier in his career because he would have been certainly portrayed in a more positive light.
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4
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Toronto Raptors
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Say what you want about DeMar Derozan's game--that he cannot shoot farther than fifteen feet and that even at ten feet people should wince at his shot selection--but he is possibly one of the best dribble drive scorers in the league. The strength in his game overrides his weakness as he is ready, willing and able to attack the lane and get to the free throw line rather than settle for an outside shot. And when he got to the line, he was almost automatic as he made .831 from the charity stripe while finishing the season eighth in the league in free throw attempts taken. Many in Toronto balked at the fact that he was given a lucrative five year extension at 55$ million complaining that he is not worth it, but those critiques are way off base considering what DeMar has given the team and his limitless ceiling. At 24 years old, he has yet to reach his full potential making it a wise move on the part of the team's General Manager at the time, Bryan Colangelo, to lock him down as early as possibly before his value skyrocketed to the point where he would not even have been able to retain him.
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3
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Miami Heat
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At 32 years old, Wade who is the elder statesman of the combo RUN DLC (Dwyane, Lebron and Chris) had showed signs of slowing down as his explosiveness greatly diminished as a result of not only injuries but of overall wear and tear. It became strikingly apparent on how Wade's abilities and skills had diminished as he missed 13 games to injury and was almost a non factor upon arriving into the post season. From averaging 21.2 points per game in the regular season, Wade scoring numbers sank like a stone down to 15.9 as he struggled greatly in the first round averaging just 13.9 per game in the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks, being held to 12.6 in the second round against Chicago, and just 15.4 against Indiana in the Conference Finals. In the 22 games he had played in the playoffs, Wade only managed to score 20 or more points in just five of them and was held to single digits in two of them thus proving once again that he can no longer be counted on to put up the big number in which we have all been accustomed of seeing him do. Despite having won his second straight NBA title, it has become apparently clear that the Dwyane Wade we knew and loved has now become a distant memory and at the athletic peak of his career, there is nowhere else to go but down.
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2
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With his championship shattered within the first week of the season, that did not stop Kobe Bryant from yet again putting the team on his back and carrying to the playoffs. At 35 years old, Kobe pushed his physical limits as he dragged his team to 45 wins averaging 27.3 points (3rd highest in the league) while dishing out six assists and grabbing six rebounds per game. Unfortunately for both Kobe and the Lakers, the physical strain proved to be too much for the 17 year veteran's body to handle as he fell to injury just two games before the regular season came to a closed and would be out of commission for the playoffs. He was then forced to watch his team get steamrolled rather handily in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs. Now it is uncertain whether or not Kobe will be ready for the opening tip off as he is currently undergoing rehab for the back breaking effort that he gave his team the previous season.
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1
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This was certainly the obvious choice as James Harden not only led the Houston Rockets in scoring averaging 25.9 points per game (5th in the legue), but also to the team's first playoff appearance since 2009. Harden not only take up most of the scoring load for the team but also got his teammates involved averaging nearly six assists per game--second on the team behind +Jeremy Lin--while at the same time grabbing a good share of the rebounds averaging around five per game. And although his .438 field goal percentage sort of tarnishes his reputation somewhat as it portrays him to be somewhat of a "chucker," he was a complete player in every sense of the world as he worked on both ends of the court. Harden certainly showed his mettle when the chips were down as he pulled his team out of a three games to none hole in the first round of the playoffs against his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder stretching the series to six games before eventually falling. Thorugh his stellar performance, harden has shown the world that he is worthy of being called the best shooting guard in the NBA.
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