Derrick Rose I think you mean....
Rondo, Russ I'd take over him as well.
I don't really wanna rip Parker too much but Barkley is underrating how much weaker of a defender he is than other top PGs. In the GS series they basically had all perimeter guys who could score and for long stretches they just kept isolating whoever he was guarding over and over and over. You can't do that vs a good defender.
I'd take Curry healthy over him too and probably even John Wall/Kyrie Irving. Those guys are up and comers though so it is a little harder to argue them over him...
Has 3 rings. Considering I like Ginobili over him before he got old I don't think he was better than the 3rd best player on any of those teams.
I'm not really trying to take away from him and its not an insult but I don't see him as a superstar moreso is what I'm saying.
Also while some other positions like C/PF are lacking in the NBA right now. PG is pretty stacked so saying 4-5 guys are better than him isn't really a huge insult (although 2 of those guys can't walk right now so I'm guessing Barkley wasn't including them)
Yeah he's looking good tonight. I do think he's often overlooked but wouldn't put higher than 3 or 4 right now (at this moment). Chris Paul, Rondo, healthy D Rose all better IMO (not sure if we're taking Rose out of this conversation). Westbrook and Curry in the conversation, probably would rate them as follows personally:
Paul
Rose
Rondo
Parker
Westbrook
Curry
Paul
Rose
Rondo
Parker
Westbrook
Curry
I think Parker has been overlooked. For much of the Spurs run, I seem to recall them not being well watched finals. Labeled the anti-USA style of ball. They weren't flashy enough for the short-attention spans in the US. Or at least I always got the sense that people didn't like the Spurs.
[h=1]Jalen Rose Deems Tony Parker 3rd-Best NBA Player Behind LeBron, Durant[/h] [h=3]By Dan Favale
(Featured Columnist) on May 28, 2013[/h] 1,817 reads
26
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Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Jalen Rose has spoken. And what did he say? That Tony Parker is the third-best player in the NBA behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
Since Jalen tweeted it to more than one million followers, it must be true. Or not.
What exactly is ESPN allowing Jalen to smoke? Parker is incredible and deserved to garner more MVP consideration than he did this year, but Rose is overvaluing his talents.
Oh, Jalen.
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Please don't mistake my skepticism for insolence. I love Parker. Always have. His postseason accolades have only left me further enamored. But the third-best player in the league? Behind only LeBron and the Durantula? That's a tough sell.
Parker has had a magnificent year. He averaged 20.3 points and 7.6 assists per game on 52.2 percent shooting during the regular season and has followed that up with 23 points and 7.2 assists on 47.5 percent shooting during the playoffs.
Now one of just five players—LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Gary Payton being the others—in NBA history to average at least 23 points, seven assists and one steal while shooting 47 percent or better from the floor and 37 percent from deep through 10 playoff games, there has never been a better time to sing Parker's praises.
Having just carried the San Antonio Spurs to their fourth NBA Finals appearance since 2002, bold assertions are expected and arguably warranted.
Declaring him the third-best player in the Association is too bold, though.
That puts him ahead of players like Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Dwyane Wade and James Harden. And that's just to name a few.
Should Parker be ranked ahead some of them? Yes. All of them? Absolutely not.
As decorated a point man as Parker is, we can't misconstrue his most recent success for top-three greatness. It borders on unfounded and, quite honestly, ruins what Parker has been able to accomplish.
[h=4]Where does Tony Parker rank amongst the best players in the NBA?[/h] <form action="/polls/create" method="post" id="poll-vote-form"> <label> <input name="vote" value="choice0" type="radio"> Top 3 </label> <label> <input name="vote" value="choice1" type="radio"> Top 5 </label> <label> <input name="vote" value="choice2" type="radio"> Top 10 </label> <label> <input name="vote" value="choice3" type="radio"> Top 20 </label> Submit Vote vote to see results </form>
Rose is holding him to an impossible standard. Instead of appreciating what Parker has done and is still poised to do, he's tweeting in hyperbole.
Parker will never live up to top-three expectations. He's never even been held to them, because he wasn't supposed to be.
A case can be made for Parker as the league's second-best point guard behind Paul. Arguments that maintain he's the best floor general in the NBA can even be listened to without laughing. He's that good.
Just not third-best-player-in-the-league-good.
Sorry, Jalen.
(Featured Columnist) on May 28, 2013[/h] 1,817 reads
26
Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more storiesNext
Jalen Rose has spoken. And what did he say? That Tony Parker is the third-best player in the NBA behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
Since Jalen tweeted it to more than one million followers, it must be true. Or not.
What exactly is ESPN allowing Jalen to smoke? Parker is incredible and deserved to garner more MVP consideration than he did this year, but Rose is overvaluing his talents.
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Please don't mistake my skepticism for insolence. I love Parker. Always have. His postseason accolades have only left me further enamored. But the third-best player in the league? Behind only LeBron and the Durantula? That's a tough sell.
Parker has had a magnificent year. He averaged 20.3 points and 7.6 assists per game on 52.2 percent shooting during the regular season and has followed that up with 23 points and 7.2 assists on 47.5 percent shooting during the playoffs.
Now one of just five players—LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Gary Payton being the others—in NBA history to average at least 23 points, seven assists and one steal while shooting 47 percent or better from the floor and 37 percent from deep through 10 playoff games, there has never been a better time to sing Parker's praises.
Having just carried the San Antonio Spurs to their fourth NBA Finals appearance since 2002, bold assertions are expected and arguably warranted.
Declaring him the third-best player in the Association is too bold, though.
That puts him ahead of players like Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Dwyane Wade and James Harden. And that's just to name a few.
Should Parker be ranked ahead some of them? Yes. All of them? Absolutely not.
As decorated a point man as Parker is, we can't misconstrue his most recent success for top-three greatness. It borders on unfounded and, quite honestly, ruins what Parker has been able to accomplish.
[h=4]Where does Tony Parker rank amongst the best players in the NBA?[/h] <form action="/polls/create" method="post" id="poll-vote-form"> <label> <input name="vote" value="choice0" type="radio"> Top 3 </label> <label> <input name="vote" value="choice1" type="radio"> Top 5 </label> <label> <input name="vote" value="choice2" type="radio"> Top 10 </label> <label> <input name="vote" value="choice3" type="radio"> Top 20 </label> Submit Vote vote to see results </form>
Rose is holding him to an impossible standard. Instead of appreciating what Parker has done and is still poised to do, he's tweeting in hyperbole.
Parker will never live up to top-three expectations. He's never even been held to them, because he wasn't supposed to be.
A case can be made for Parker as the league's second-best point guard behind Paul. Arguments that maintain he's the best floor general in the NBA can even be listened to without laughing. He's that good.
Just not third-best-player-in-the-league-good.
Sorry, Jalen.
