Number 7: If healthy, all retina attached and what not, then this should be a big season for Ama're Stoudemire. He wanted to be in the MVP talk last season and most certainly wasn’t. With Alvin Gentry at the helm for the entirety of this year, and the Big Cactus taking his scrabble skills to Cleveland, perhaps this is Ama're’s year. The team didn’t make a lot of changes, so expect for them to struggle to make the playoffs again while being at least a little more exciting this year. Sure, you can’t really rely on STAT, but you also can’t rely on him not ripping you to shreds as he comes thundering down the lane. In the past, he's come back strong from missing a ton of games, so I'm betting on him a bit this season. The leadership is in place in Phoenix (Nash, Grant Hill, Louis Amundson) for him to really succeed. Past years have seen him play a little distractedly, and I think this year he'll able to get over that. Ama're was sixth last year, maybe I should stop betting on him. Then again, six meant more last year than it does this year, when I feel a lot of the top guys are coming in a little low energy.
Number 6: 2008-2009 wasn't a bad season for the Big Fundamental. Not an outstanding one either, in terms of Duncan outstandingness. His ranking was half this last offseason. The team seemed to be more Tony Parker’s team this season. Tim Duncan’s still one of the greatest playing today, but this team has had questions since Parker won the MVP in the ’07 playoffs. This team desperately needs an infusion, and Richard Jefferson is not it. One might argue a double standard here with Duncan and one or two of the guys above him. Shouldn’t the age factor in my rankings put him lower? In stating such an argument, you’d be correct and justified. In talking about the best of the best, I feel it’s important to consider their general irreplaceability. Over the next five to ten years, Kevin Durant has to be considered more valuable than Duncan to a team.
Number 5: Dirk Nowitzki is the one guy on this list who hasn't changed spots at all. The German has perhaps gotten lost in the shuffle since the unfortunate 05-06 and 06-07 seasons when he and the Mavericks were on top of the league. Just for the record, by the way, the MVP has been becoming a retrospective award since he won it in 06-07, as he actually had a more huge-angous season in 05-06. As Kobe should’ve won it in 04-05, thus allowing Lebron to win it in 07-08, but that's how the dominoes fall. Anyway, I know we try tend away from stats here at OtB, but Dirk’s are irresistible for last season. Not only did he score more points per game last season than he has since 05-06 (25.9, good for 4th in the league, which he also hit for in 05-06), but he did it at a higher clip (24.7 points per 36 minutes) and while making up more of his team’s offense than he ever has in his career (30.3% usage rate).
