Decade's Best: Ten Athletes to Build a Team Around
Let's face it — being the GM of our favorite team would be the ultimate dream job.
But with great power comes great responsibility, and one of the most difficult challenges any GM faces is to actually build a coherent team.
This decade has seen a lot of GM's with deep pockets who simply cannot figure out how to get high-priced stars to play well together. And it's usually because they do not pick the right players.
This slideshow aims to honor those athletes of this decade who put up good numbers and actually delivered results where they were most noticeable: in the win column.
It doesn't matter if they peaked this year or eight years ago — these guys are the decade's finest team foundations.
About the Author Bryan Goldberg (senior writer)
- 33 articles written
- 389 comments posted
- 53 fans
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about 1 month ago
Bryan, super work mate, just wondering how you inked this...bravo! 5 starz and POTD and I am the first one to comment :-)
about 1 month ago
I'm sorry, i really like the article and the slide show, and you'e completley entitled to your opinion. But i can't believe to tell you how off base you are about Shaq. At one point, yeah, any GM in the NBA would die for the guy, but he is becoming dead weight real fast -- he's not even close to the same player -- and at his age, there's not a chance in hell a single GM in his right mind would pick Shaq to start a team right now.
For the same reason, age, i would to a lesser extent disagree with you about Nash and Ray Lewis too.
Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James should be above Nash hands down NBA wise.
Just my two cents. Nice job.
from about 1 month ago
It was the best of the decade, so it's not about whether they are in their prime at this moment... an "all decade team" of sorts...
about 1 month ago
Fantastic article. Love the slideshow. You have to let me in on your secret.
from about 1 month ago
The secret will be out soon enough :)
about 1 month ago
I tend to disagree with your list. If you wrote this list 5 years ago, then you are completely right in everything. But other than "Sid the Kid," I would have to disagree with all of your choices. Most of them are on the backside/end of their careers.
from about 1 month ago
Brent -- it was best of the decade... so it doesn't matter where they are in their career right now.
from about 1 month ago
Sorry, I see that now. It was a well written article. I was just kind of surprised that you would say that those players were franchise players. It makes sense now.
about 1 month ago
oh ok. all decade explains it much better. i have an easier time accepting the list that way.
from about 1 month ago
Yeah, should have made it more clear. It was an All Decade Team... which actually hurts some of the newer guys like LeBron. Wasn't enough to hurt Sid though :)
about 1 month ago
Wow, Bryan. If that's not a POTD, I don't know what is...
from about 1 month ago
Agreed
from about 1 month ago
Thanks guys!
about 1 month ago
Where's Peyton Manning, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James? All of them should be in the top 5.
from about 1 month ago
All are great players, but each of them had someone better on top of them. Manning had Brady higher on my list. Kobe had Shaq higher on my list (I could only take one of the two). And LeBron's accomplishments are not up to snuff with Duncan's.
If I had done a Top 15 list, all three of those guys would have made it.
from about 1 month ago
Awesome article you have got there. But picking Shaq without Kobe is just wrong. Call me Kobe Homer or what have you, but any one who saw them play through those 00-04 knows Shaq was the better player only during the 2000 season. Since then, it was #24 (8 back then) who carried them in regular season and most of the playoffs. Plus the biggest reason, I think he shouldn't be on the list is the fact that when you want to "build a team" around a great player, making sure the player gives his best every day, during practices or games, regular season or playoffs, a la Jordan, Kobe...not someone who chooses to come out of shape to camp year after year...I think you missed a great point by not adding the work ethic factor...Just look at transformation of Trail-Blazers from the Jail-Blazers of few years back to see how much of a difference that makes when you build a team.
about 1 month ago
Where's Rex Grossman?
from about 1 month ago
Yeah. Or how about Tim Couch?
from about 1 month ago
was Akili Smith this decade? Ryan Leaf? Can I get a little Charles Rogers?
from about 1 month ago
Yeah. And what about Tim Couch?
about 1 month ago
Congratulations on taking the 10 biggest names in sports and putting them on a list. With the exception of Crosby, the most important factor in this debate was totally disregarded, and that is age. Manny, Shaq, Nash are all getting older. I'm sorry to be so critical, but this was not very well done.
from about 1 month ago
I am going to clarify this on the article itself: This was an ALL-DECADE team. So if someone was the best player in 2002, that counts as much as 2008.
from about 1 month ago
That makes things a whole lot different.
My apologies.
about 1 month ago
About a new list: The Next Decade (2010-2020)???
about 1 month ago
I liked it. I would've picked someone else other than Manny though. Again thats your opinion and its a well written article. Joe Thornton is a great pick however.
from about 1 month ago
Yeah, he's not a typical leader at all. But I wanted to have one guy where you said, "he gets the job done, but how?"
about 1 month ago
Good article. Absolutely love Ray Lewis, phenomenal pick, he never has and never will get enough credit for carrying the Ravens over the years. Manny will be Manny; love him, hate him, he's a leader on the field no matter what he pulls.
Shaq?? Come on, big, funny, dominant, sure - not a leader, the team never looks to him to lead when it matters most, I can still accept it though.
Surprised that LeBron or Kevin Garnett aren't on there, never liked Tim Duncan. Just has a cocky layer under than boring, "put up with anything" attitude that thinks he deserves everything.
Lastly, if you're gonna pick a QB how can it not be Brett Favre? I guess, everyone has their own opinion, but come on. We don't even know if Brady will come back, and if he does how will he do? Brett wins wherever he goes no matter who he plays with.
Its all a matter of preference I guess, good analysis. No Michael Jordan? I guess before the decade.
from about 1 month ago
LeBron may be on the Next Decade list, but not this one.
I'm of two minds re: Favre. I think that he was a great QB and leader, but he had an AMAZING team around him. People forget how many fantastic players were on those Green Bay teams. It wasn't just him. And he was 1 for 2 in Super Bowls, the only victory coming against a really underwhelming team. I would put Favre in the same league as Steve Young... not quite enough to be at the Brady level.
from about 1 month ago
Favre has never played with a Hall of Famer (future, current, or past) on offense his whole career. He has played with some very underwhelming receivers, some barely above average running backs. 96, 97 he had two great defenses...but don't tell me he's played on some great teams.
from about 1 month ago
Thank you Zach! Bryan, its your article so I'm not knocking it, but don't tell me that Favre has played on great teams. Don't tell me that Brady is even in the same league, let alone above, Favre. Tell me the last offensive player to come out of Green Bay and do anything anywhere else under Favre's era...
No one! The only player whose been below average vs. horrible is Javon Walker who is currently AGAIN done for the season.
I would absolutely argue the exact opposite. Brett has NEVER had anything close to a hall of fame reciever let along running back or offensive lineman. Any wide out in Green Bay that has made it to the pro bowl in the past 17 years is because Brett Favre made them good. That list is so long Bryan.
Thank you again Zach. The defense was great with Reggie White leading the way, and Favre beat himself vs. the John Elway Broncos.
It proves right now Bryan. How many balls are Driver and Jennings getting right now compared to when Brett was there, and your looking at Leon Washington, Coles, Cotchery, Keller, and possibly some of the offensive line all looking at probowl seasons right now after just five months with Favre.
Sorry, man, but what if Brady doesn't even come back? What if Cassel replaces him, or Brady gets lazy and doesn't know how to deal with an injury like this. I'm not knocking Brady either, but he isn't even in the same sentence as Favre at this point.
I'm still wondering about Michael man... you wouldn't build a team around him?
about 1 month ago
Love the slideshow! How'd you do it? You had a theme going with solid franchise guys and then threw in some wild cards.
Manny is a wildcard. You can't build a house on a shaky foundation. He seems to be more of a hired gun kind of guy. As far as being a leader, talent aside, he is not in the class of Duncan, Jeter and Brady.
On the fence with Lewis. Rock solid now, but those early days were not so smooth.
I agree Peyton Manning is the player missing. The second most impactful player of the decade for the NFL. Brady has that title locked up!!
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Lucky.
#8 was a debate between Peyton and Ray Lewis. They both won their team a Super Bowl, but I felt that it was better going to Ray Lewis, since he did it at a position we don't typically think of when picking an MVP.
As for the slideshow, this is a new feature that is in development. This article was a chance for me to see how it would turn out. I'm pretty happy with the look -- the large, high-quality images really bring the article together.
about 1 month ago
how'd u get the slide show? anyways, great article. loved it. potd for me.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks! (see comment above re: slideshow)
about 1 month ago
Reminds me of Forbes.com. Excellent job, Bryan! Can't wait for this secret to be released! :)
about 1 month ago
I seriously question your hockey decisions. Firstly, I think if you are going to build around any player in the NHL, it's probably going to be a goalie. I wouldn't mind building around Crosby or Thornton, but if you offered me Brodeur or Luongo instead, I'd be all over it. A goalie can carry you through the playoffs. The Conn Smythe trophy is won by goalies one in three times, when they are only one sixth the number of players on the ice, and one tenth of roster. How can you have two skaters on your list, but no goalies!?
Also, Crosby but no AO? Crosby is good, but AO is better. The Capitals rode AO to the playoffs, and they'll continue to ride him wherever they go, and they didn't have the benefit of five straight top 5 draft picks (seriously, five in a row).
from about 1 month ago
I worry about Crosby's health, but I don't worry about whether he is a greater talent than AO. As for Thornton, I think that he will go down as the player who has made the most marginally-talented players into consistent standouts. It seems like everyone they put next to him goes from a nobody to a somebody.
from about 1 month ago
I don't doubt that they're great players, they are. And again, I would not at all mind building a team around either one of them (well, Crosby, but that's because I don't like him personally). I'm just saying that there are better choices for this decade. For instance...Martin Brodeur has been one of the best goalies to ever play the game, and he's been incredibly reliable and durable, even through the playoffs, for 15 years. He backstopped his team to 3 cups. And he's a goalie. He would be a better player to build a team around than Sidney Crosby. And yes, players like Thornton will make their linemates better, but a player like Brodeur can account for all of his teammates' mistakes 77 games in a regular season.
about 1 month ago
great article. Gotta find out how you worked the slideshow. I don't see how so many people read this and didn't get the whole All-Decade concept. As much as I am sick of the guy, I felt Favre is deserving to be on the list. Regardless, lists like this are subjective and always lead to debates. Good job. 5 stars and POTD
about 1 month ago
this was probably a really tough article to write considering all the choices but i've gotta disagree with the choices of steven gerrard and derek jeter. i see them more as faces of specific franchises rather than THE athlete to build any franchise around if you get my point. Tim Duncan at number one is a really good decision because i couldn't imagine him missing the playoffs even if he was on a team of senior citizens. really interesting article though good job
about 1 month ago
Great idea mate.
Bet no-one agrees with all ten, but anyone reading this will be thinking .......
Though a Mets fan, I totally agree on Jeter over A-Rod. Hopefully David Wright will be in your thoughts for the next decade's best!!!
Don't agree with Steven Gerrard though. The fact that he doesn't even command the same position in his club team suggests that he has to fit in to meet coach's requirements.
I'll give you Shane Warne and Brian Lara from the world of cricket, and of course Lance Armstrong from cycling (just about qualifies as team sport)
about 1 month ago
I'll tell you what: You can start a team with Derek Jeter from 2000 on, and I will start a team with A-Rod from 2000 on. The rest of our players will be exactly the same, and I can assure I will beat you 9 times out of 10.
Just because a player like Jeter or Duncan is unassuming or a good leader doesn't make them the best player on the field. The fact that you overlooked the two best baseball players of this decade (A-Rod and Albert Pujols) for a guy with average power and average defensive skills makes this list (or at least the baseball portion of it) bad. I don't see how Jete making the playoffs makes him such a great player. The Yankees are always fielding a team of hugely talented players (I'm a die hard Yankee fan, btw)
Also don't agree with the snubbing of Kobe or Lebron. For Christ's Sake, Lebron carried a team all the way to the NBA Finals two years ago, then he came a couple lucky bounces from doing it again last year, almost beating a 66 win team in the process. There's no question he's #1 on my list.
from about 1 month ago
Duncan has lead his team to FOUR championships. The first of which occurred in his second year. Duncan is way ahead of where LeBron was at a comparable phase of their careers. So if you are saying that LeBron is a better player, teammate, or champion than Tim Duncan, you are wrong overall and you are wrong in terms of an apples-to-apples comparison.
Once LeBron is brought in to some other team, with a better cast waiting for him, he might earn a ring. And then he will make the 2010's list of All Decade team.
from about 1 month ago
Even for that first championship he had David Robinson, who, even at the end of his career, is better than anyone who has ever played with Lebron. You can see this year how the loss of people like Ginobili and Parker really hurts Duncan.
Meanwhile, Lebron finally has someone to pass to: Mo Williams. So far, so good for the Cavs.
from about 1 month ago
Robinson was 34 during the first championship, and he was 37 (and not very good) during the second championship. I'll admit that he was still decent in 1999, but he was no longer a star.
Duncan is the player of the 2000's, I just don't think that there's any question. People hate the Spurs, well fine. Their accomplishments speak for themselves.
from about 1 month ago
No doubt A-Rod is the best player, but it's about franchise stability. Over the same time in the league, A-Rod has been with three teams, Jeter one. A-Rod would be playing on number four right now if he could have gotten a better contract. Jeter is a franchise guy you can count on, just like Duncan.
from about 1 month ago
Oh I'm not doubting that Robinson was not the same in '99 as he was earlier in the decade. But who has Lebron played with that's any good at all? Zydrunas Ilgauskas? Drew Gooden? Delonte West? These are average players, nowhere near even an aging Robinson.
And if we're talking about franchise stability, why is Shaq on this list over Kobe? Why is Manny on this list at all? Seems confusing to me.
about 1 month ago
Oh and sorry for the double posting (I'm new here, is there a way to edit posts?) but the Yankees were already a playoff team when Jete came around. They were on the brink in 95 and though he helped win them their first championship, players like Andy Pettitte (and his 21 wins) and the dynamic bullpen led by Wetland and Rivera was just as important.
Oh, and I'm a Yankee fan, and I think A-Rod is a better player than Jeter. Better individual, not by a long shot. But better player for sure. So not all Yankees fans are unanimously pro-Jeter.
from about 1 month ago
I also think A-Rod is great. Is he to blame for their recent post-season woes? Probably not, but he surely has not helped the cause.
A-Rod will go down in history as the greatest journeyman baseball has ever seen. Which hat will he wear into the HOF? Honestly, the theme of this article was teamwork, and I just don't think that A-Rod belongs on that kind of list.
about 1 month ago
I was going to disagree with some of your picks, then realized the time frame. Well done! How the heck did you do the slide show? That's awesome! POTD, five stars!
from about 1 month ago
Thanks for the nice words.
The slideshow is a pilot of a new feature we're developing. We realized that we have tens of thousands of high-resolution images that are really being marginalized by being shrunk down and put in the corner of article pages. Until I saw them in a slideshow form, I had no idea how amazing some of these images really were.
Hopefully people will take to them. I love the new direction that sports media has taken in the 21st century, but I think that the visual aspect was one of the few good things that went away after print publishing fell out of fashion and blogging got big. I'd like to see it make a comeback. Hopefully, Bleacher Report will help rejuvenate this.
about 1 month ago
Slide shows are awesome, and there's an added benefit- they get a page view for each click! (I know this doing slide show top ten list for other websites). It's 10x the page views or reads, which is good for advertising revenues, if you do ten panes. Everybody wins- we get to see awesome pics, and b/r gets more reads! That's a smart business decision. Awesome!
about 1 month ago
how did you get the slide show working ?
i completely agree with this article - kickass - stevie G is a perfect choice !
i picked it -
and now for an honest question
may you please explain the reason why you left out a bloke - who pretty much took a motor racing team from the absolute bottom ... to respectability and culminating in - seven world championships
he put together then chief mechanic, race strategist and engine designer - brought them on board, wored with them
above all - if you are speaking TEAM, he and his team stood through the thick and thin - never criticised each other
i really think the scarlet clad German shud ve been there
otherwise mate - LOVELY article
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHhV0hn9qLQ (just watch this from the 6th minute)
from about 1 month ago
yeah - like Lise, i dont disagree with some of the choices, am curious about an exclusion, which is logical inclusion
about 1 month ago
Steve Nash at number 9 is that a joke? I'm laughing so hard at this. I mean Nash is a great passer and a great team player, but individually he's not that great. Make him play defense and you'll see him get burned every time not something you want from the leader of a team. Have a defender put pressure on Nash and his turnovers go way up.
Out of the players you didn't put on the list such as Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Elton Brand, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Baron Davis, Jason Kidd, Dwayne Wade, etc...........Even if the list was 10 players in the NBA you would build a team around, Nash wouldn't be on the list.
With Nash being on the list it brings the whole article down. Look at Pete Newell's quote "Players today have increased physical skills, but basketball skills have diminished." Nash has some basketball skills he's not a physical athlete in a sense of a Chris Paul or a Deron Williams. Nash has the passing skills, he has the shooting skills, but he doesn't have the defensive skills.
The difference between every other athlete on this list is that their games are complete. There's a huge hole in Nash's game and that is his defensive ability and not being able to handle pressure.
Let's take a look at who else you have on the list Joe Thornton well what can be said about Thornton? He's 6'4 235 pounds he may not be the goal scorer that Sidney Crosby is but he is an excellent passer, plays great defense, and knows how to use his body to his advantage while handling the puck. Him and Patrick Marleau quite possibly one of the most underrated players in the game have helped the Sharks to a 16-3-1 record this season.
You're number 8 with Ray Lewis definitely can agree with. A great multidimensional linebacker who plays with such intensity. The problem with Lewis that may steer people away from putting him as a team builder is his run in with the law and the fact he celebrated injuring Steelers rookie Rashard Mendenhall. He's a great tackler and he can cause turnovers.
Manny Ramirez at number 7 is a joke as well. Ramirez is far from a superior athlete. He doesn't hustle, he quit on the Red Sox because they weren't going to pick up his options for the next two season. He didn't play that great with the Red Sox but as soon as he was gone from Boston he was Manny again for the time being, you even say him try to hustle on defense something you rarely saw in Boston. Manny is all about money. Also just like Nash his defense is less than desireable.
Sidney Crosby there's no doubt in my mind that he's beloning on this list. Although, I don't see why you wouldn't put in Alex Ovechkin in place of someone such as Steve Nash.
Shaq of course he belongs on the list. Quite possibly the most dominant big man ever to play in the NBA. He still has the ability to use his basketball skills and was the best defender the Suns had in guarding your number one on the list Tim Duncan. The problem is that no one else on the Suns played any kind of defense.
Steven Gerrard no soccer player should be on the list. Anyone who flops so much to get a penalty doesn't belong.
Don't get me going on Derek Jeter at number. The only reason why Jeter is even mentioned on the list is because he plays for the Yankees. Jeter's like Nash he has the ability to hit for the high average, occassionaly drive in runs, but he needs superstars around him so he can do well. Jeter also has never been a great defensive player either. The only reason why Jeter has to use a jump through is because he doesn't have a great arm and he's not even the best short stop on his team.
Tom Brady's career has taken off ever since he took over for the injured Drew Bledsoe. Brady has won superbowls, he's almost had an undefeated season. He has the most touch downs thrown in a season. He's similar to Tim Duncan he's got great fundamentals.
Tim Duncan at number one is an excellent choice. Why because he's so rare in today's NBA game. He's a player who still has the fundamentals. He's a great rebounder, he's a great defensive player, he's a great offensive player. There's not many holes in his game. The only one being free throw percentage, but other then that he's been apart of 4 championship teams.
Overall some glaring picks on this list. I think you could do better and go back and truly think about it and you would find that some of these players listed have no business being on here.
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