HoopWatch

We are now down to our Top Five! The place for Legends and the best of the best. It is intriguing to note that these guys are MVPs and franchise guys. Let’s start things off with:
5. Larry Bird – Dirk Nowitzki
I know that Dirk is much taller than Bird. But they play pretty much alike. […]

Now we are down to our top ten pairs of NBA cagers who play similarly. Players now who remind us of stars we admire in the 90’s, 80’s, all the way from the 50’s. Here’s the bottom five of the top ten:
10. Kevin Johnson – Gilbert Arenas
They are All-Star point guards, but they love to […]

15. Shawn Kemp – Amare Stoudemire
The “Reign Man” Shawn Kemp ruled the 90’s and his Seattle Supersonics went to the NBA Finals, only to bow down against the 72-10 Chicago Bulls. He dunks with impunity off passes from Gary Payton, and he can shoot from the perimeter. Much like Amare is with the Suns. Steve […]

20. Kevin McHale – Chris Webber
Both guys are hardworking but Webber was the more athletic one during his younger years. McHale is the more sacrificial cager. He gets his hands dirty all the time, grabbing lose balls and making put-backs. But both guys can be trusted from the perimeter. With Webber now with the Detroit […]

It’s been a long while since this series has been followed through. The last time I had numbers 26 to 30 in Top 50 list of players who are similar, though they belong to different eras. Now, let’s continue to the list:
25. Robert Parish – Dikembe Mutombo
The Chief may have played against Mount Mutombo, but […]

30. Hakeem Olajuwon – Pau Gasol
Both international players have a thousand moves inside the paint. And they shoot that perimeter shot with ease. These franchise players have the ability to take over a game. Olajuwon won two titles for the Rockets in the mid-90’s. But Gasol’s game has deteriorated as of late, maybe due to […]

35. Bill Walton – Tim Duncan
Both these guys have two things in common – heart and leadership. Though each expresses their leadership in different ways. Duncan is a leader by example. Day-in-and-out, he does what is necessary for the team. Walton, on the other hand, is the vocal type. But both big men are franchise […]

40. James Worthy – Jerry Stackhouse
Coach Avery Johnson has inculcated into the mind of Jerry Stackhouse what his role is in the much-talented Dallas team. He has emerged as a great supporting player for Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard. And he has readily embraced it, becoming a spark off the bench for the Mavericks’ championship […]

45. Randy Levingston – David Lee
David, Oh David! You are the future. You have the potential to be better than Ben Wallace, a better hustle guy with a lot more of heart. You will be the next blue-collared star! For now though, your game reminds me a lot of a Bulls enforcer, Randy Levingston. Levingston […]

As I was having trouble sleeping the other night, it got me thinking. There are a lot of NBA players in the past who have similar attributes to present NBA players or simply put – NBA Greats have present counterparts. My mind started working. I jotted a total of 100 pairs, but I trimmed it […]