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I've heard many people argue over who is the best player in the NBA. So today, I'm making a blog, in which I will list the positive points and the negative points of each of the top 3 candidates. They are, in no particular order, Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, and Kobe Bryant. I've conveniently left all of the respective player's team records of this blog to make it only a judging of the player. All stats are accurate as of February 21st, 2009.

Candidate #1

Dwyane Wade

Team: Miami Heat

Jersey Number: #3

Position: Guard

Year in the League: 6th year

Stats

PPG  RPG  APG  SPG  BPG  TPG  FPG  FG%  3pt%  FT% 

28.4  4.9   7.1   2.2   1.4    3.4   2.3   47.9   27.4   74.5

Postive Points: Great Athleticism, Good driving ability, improved mid-range jump shot, good defender, good stealer, good shot blocker for height.

Negative Points: Despite improvement, jump shot still inconsistent. Low 3-point shooting. Often Turnover Prone. Lowest Free-Throw shooting of the three.

League Leading Stats

Points per Game: 2nd

Steals: 2nd(tied with Jason Kidd)

Assist: 7th(tied with Lebron James)

Blocks: 11th(tied with 7 other players, all 6"+ taller than him)

Summary: Dwyane Wade is an extremely athletic player, as most people know. He often finishes at the rim with powerful dunks or acrobatic layups. In recent years, he has improved his jump shot, making it pretty reliable up to 20 feet. Inconsistent from 3-pt range, lowest 3 point percentage of the 3 nominees.

Candidate #2

Lebron James

Team: Cleveland Cavaliers

Jersey Number: #23

Position: Forward

Year in the League: 6th year

Stats

PPG  RPG  APG  SPG  BPG  TPG  FPG  FG%   3pt%  FT%

28.9  7.4   7.1   1.8    1.2   3.2   1.9   49.3   31.7    77.2

Positive Points: Has amazing athleticism. Is extremely heavy, and is also very fast. A good rebounder. A good passer for his height. A good ball handler. A good stealer and blocker, one of the better off-ball defenders in the NBA.

Negative Points: Has a tendency to take long fade away 3 pointers, resulting in his somewhat low conversion of them. Often chooses to try and run the passing lanes instead of staying on his man at the defensive end. Is often turnover prone.

League Leading Stats

Points per Game: 1st

Steals per Game: 5th

Assists per Game: 7th(tied with Dwyane Wade)

Blocks per Game: 14th(tied with 5 players)

Summary: Lebron James has incredible athleticism combined with his incredible strength. While he is listed as 240 pounds, he is easily 25 pounds more than that. He also posesses great speed and quickness. When a 265 pound player is gifted with that amazing athleticism and speed, he is unstoppable. The ONLY thing anyone could criticize about his game is his jump shot, but he has greatly improved that as well. While his 3 point shot is a little bit inconsistent due to his habit to take difficult, fade away shots, he still has a good jump shot, hitting 8 of 11 3 point attempts against the Millwaukee Bucks on his way to a 55 point night, one off his career high. He does have a tendency to commit turnovers, and sometimes chooses to pass instead of taking the last shot, his teammates have the ability to knock down the shot now when he passes to them.

Candidate #3

Kobe Bryant

Team: Los Angeles Lakers

Jersey Number: #24

Position: Guard

Year in the League: 11th year

Stats

PPG  RPG  APG  SPG  BPG  TPG  FPG  FG%  3pt%  FT%

27.6  5.5   5.0   1.3    0.4   2.7   2.2   47.1   35.9   87.2

Positive Points: Very Athletic, Great ability to finish at the rim. Very good jump shooter, by far the best of the three nominees. Not amazing at off-ball defense, but the best on-ball defender of the three, perennial All-Defensive team player. More willing to pass now, and above average rebounder. Best free throw shooter of the three nominees.

Negative Points: Shoots too much sometimes, hits the lowest percentage of the three nominees. Still needs to learn to pass more at times, averages almost two assists less than the other nominees. Could rebound more with his athleticism and 6'6 frame.

League Leading Stats

Points per Game: 3rd

 Steals per Game: 10th(tied with 10 players)

Assists Per Game: 19th(tied with Tracy Mcgrady)

Summary: Kobe Bryant may be slightly less athletic than the other two due to being the oldest of the three nominees, but he still makes it up with a jump shot that is far better than the other two nominees. He is the best on-ball defender, something that cannot be measured in stats. Because he is the best shooter of the three, and is also very athletic, he is the toughest player to guard of the three nominees, probably the toughest to guard in the league. Often shoots too much despite having very good teammates now, needs to learn to pass more to his gifted teammates in Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum(injured) and Pao Gasol.

So these are the three nominees, with all their stats and pros and cons listed out. On the comments, give your vote for who is the best player in the league. Even a vote for a player not on this list will be tallied when the final score is announced on February 27th, 2009. Thank you, and I hope to get your vote!