Past NBA greats have used an NBA championship title in order to cement their place in the history of the game. But not every great pro has the glory of capturing the NBA crown. For every Jordan there is a Malone and for every Barkley there is a Duncan. Of the players in this year's playoffs who have yet to win a title, I've come up with a top ten list of who I find most deserving of finally winning a ring.
1. Kevin Garnett -- Already regarded as one of the best all-around players in NBA history, KG could soon add his second MVP award to an already overcrowded mantle. Adding an NBA trophy would be the final piece to KG's career puzzle and I find him to be the most deserving of taking it home this year.
2. Allen Iverson -- For comparison, Allen Iverson's 27.8 career point per game average is third all-time behind only Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. Iverson's career has allowed him to see an NBA finals floor in 2001, but his team lost 4-1. Iverson is one of the best point guards to ever play the game, but without an NBA championship ring he might be remembered in the same group as Barkley and Malone.
3. Steve Nash -- Two-time MVP Steve Nash doesn't want another MVP trophy, the only hardware that Nash cares for is a championship trophy. There are excuses, just like how Barkley and Malone can blame Jordan and his bulls, Nash can point the finger at Tim Duncan and his Spurs. Even when Nash spent time in the post season wearing a Dallas uniform he managed to get beat by the Spurs. Nash will be remembered as one of the best passers ever -- it's a shame how great Steve Nash could compare to John Stockton if he can't win a championship.
4. Jason Kidd -- Kidd has been able to carry two teams to the NBA Finals, but on both occasions he walked away without a ring. As one of the best all-around point guards since Magic Johnson, it's hard to imagine that Kidd will end his career without a ring while Magic won five. The Maverick's have a lot of players who feel like they deserve a ring, but the newly acquired Mav makes the best case.
5. Dikembe Mutombo -- Mutombo might not even have room on his mantle for any more trophies, but he definitely deserves one. Pulling off ESPN Classic's best NBA Playoff upset of all-time is a great post season memory, but I imagine that Mutombo would like a ring. Ironically, Mutombo found his way to the NBA finals riding Allen Iverson in 2001 and Jason Kidd in 2003.
6. LeBron James -- You might be saying: How does LeBron deserve a title?? Well, he's probably not. But I put him on this list because it's already clear that James is the future of the NBA and will eventually need a title to solidify his place next to Michael Jordan. And why not get that over with early in the career, rather than later.
7. Ray Allen -- Give Walter Ray a championship ring because of the fact that the guy had to play for Milwaukee for seven years and Seattle for five years. Allen and Sam Cassell were two parts to Milwaukee's big three (Glen Robinson being the third) that went to the Eastern Conference Finals, but there wasn't much success for the Bucks during Allen's days in Milwaukee. After a putting up with 12 years of lousy attempts at winning a title, I'd say Allen deserves it this year.
8. Tracy McGrady -- T-Mac hasn't seen the second round, but for his troubles he deserves to see the NBA finals. McGrady has been the NBA scoring champion twice and will go down as one of the most natural scorers in history. Forget the championship; I'm sure McGrady would be just as satisfied with a first round series win.
9. Mike Bibby -- As a clutch shooter for the Kings, Bibby found his chance for a championship trounced by the Los Angeles Lakers on more than one occasion. Bibby has tasted what it's like to win it all on the colligate level, but his career might be incomplete if he can't win it all on the professional level.
10. Antawn Jamison -- As one of the most underrated players in the NBA, Jamison is also one of the most deserving players to end his career with a championship on his resume. Since 1999, Jamison consistently scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds. And like Ray Allen, because of the teams that Jamison has had to put up with throughout his career, he deserves to finally play for the best team in the NBA.
Other ring-less players I debated over: Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki, Jerry Stackhouse, Yao Ming, Carmelo Anthony, T.J. Ford, Andre Miller
Since I was researching the topic I started to compile my own list of the best title-less players of all time and I came up with this top 10:
1. Charles Barkley
2. Karl Malone
3. John Stockton
4. Pete Maravich
5. Elgin Baylor
6. George Gervin
7. Patrick Ewing
8. Gary Payton
9. Reggie Miller
10. Sam Perkins
Other all-time ring-less players I debated over: Shawn Kemp, Dominique Wilkins, Kevin Johnson
Leave a comment with where you would rank the all-time ballers and let me know if I overlooked anybody playing in this year's postseason more deserving than the guys I mention...
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