Franchise Player vs. Best Player

[The Lone Granger]

A lot of people on Basketball forums uses the term franchise player very loosely! So if you were asked to differenciate the term of best player vs franchise player how would you go about explaining the difference between the two?

 

Source: Another NBA Forum

 

There is a very simple answer to this question.

 

A franchise player is a player who you can build your team around, and be that #1 guy who can win games, and in the end win a Championship for you. Your best player, is a player who can put some points up, but who can't take you to the promised land on his own. There are only a few guys in the NBA who I call a franchise player. Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Dwight Howard (assuming he keeps playing the way he has been lately), Kevin Durant (still not sure about him, but I'm leaning towards putting him on the list), are all franchise players. I'm not listing them all but those are the majority of them.

 

As for best players. Guys like Danny Granger, Derrick Rose, Monta Ellis, and those types of players are best players for their respective teams. At least that's my two cents worth on this subject.

 

Thoughts?

[Check my Stats]

Kobe, LeBron, Wade, Dwight and Chris Paul are probably the only championship franchise players in the NBA right now to me. To build around another player, you are going to need supreme talent, with these guys you can get away with a bit less.

 

The verdict is still out on Durant for me, he is really, really good already, but he needs to find other ways to dominate besides just putting the ball in the bucket.

 

Are there other 'franchise' players? Sure, Amare, Bosh, Melo, Deron, Joe Johnson, etc are all guys you can build 50 win teams around, maybe even compete for a championship, the difference is that you need almost a perfect supporting cast. With the guys in my first paragraph, you almost inherently compete for a title with them on your team.

 

This is why it is so hard to compete in the NBA. Unless you have one of the best players in the league, you are going to be struggling to compete. That is why I am such a big advocate for losing big in rebuilding years, in hopes you pick up that Kevin Durant or John Wall player.

Edited November 11, 2010 by Check my Stats

[Real Deal]

Legit franchise players need to be the best players on your team, but sometimes, the best players on your team aren't always considered legit franchise players.

[Guest mr_sunshine]

i think Kobe is a franchise player. he does everything well and can do it all consistently, players like Roy.. they aren't as consistent but can blow up any game and will put up around 19-25 PPG, but they aren't good in all areas of game. i love granger though, he is a good shooter.

[AA25 Mamba]

I think there's a big difference between the two terms.

 

Your best player is just what it implies, the player that has the best skill set on your team and produces the most efficiently.

 

When the term franchise player is applied though, I think it means that it's obviously your best player, but it is also a player that draws a lot of attention to the franchise for the better, plays hard every night, is a good individual off the floor, and takes pride in being part of the franchise.

 

Kobe, Paul Pierce and Kevin Durant are franchise players to me. Whereas, LeBron, Carmelo and Dwight Howard are their teams best players.

[Real Deal]

I think there's a big difference between the two terms.

 

Your best player is just what it implies, the player that has the best skill set on your team and produces the most efficiently.

 

When the term franchise player is applied though, I think it means that it's obviously your best player, but it is also a player that draws a lot of attention to the franchise for the better, plays hard every night, is a good individual off the floor, and takes pride in being part of the franchise.

 

Kobe, Paul Pierce and Kevin Durant are franchise players to me. Whereas, LeBron, Carmelo and Dwight Howard are their teams best players.

If Paul Pierce is a franchise player right now, that means James, Melo and Howard are easily franchise players, even if Melo is having his disputes with Denver right now.

 

Franchise players are those you build around. The Magic have done that with Howard, and it resulted in 60-win seasons and a Finals appearance. Denver has had a lot of success with Melo as far as the regular season goes, and they also strolled into the WCF and lost to the eventual champs. And there's no MVP, past or present, that isn't a franchise player...let alone a guy that averages 30/8/8 and propels his team into the NBA Finals, so I don't have to explain the LeBron pick.

 

I know you love Pierce, but two of those players (LeBron and Howard) have done more with less. The franchise player tag doesn't disappear once a guy switches teams...he's still considered a franchise player for whoever picks him up, until his numbers begin to decline due to age or injury.

[AA25 Mamba]

If Paul Pierce is a franchise player right now, that means James, Melo and Howard are easily franchise players, even if Melo is having his disputes with Denver right now.

 

Franchise players are those you build around. The Magic have done that with Howard, and it resulted in 60-win seasons and a Finals appearance. Denver has had a lot of success with Melo as far as the regular season goes, and they also strolled into the WCF and lost to the eventual champs. And there's no MVP, past or present, that isn't a franchise player...let alone a guy that averages 30/8/8 and propels his team into the NBA Finals, so I don't have to explain the LeBron pick.

 

I know you love Pierce, but two of those players (LeBron and Howard) have done more with less. The franchise player tag doesn't disappear once a guy switches teams...he's still considered a franchise player for whoever picks him up, until his numbers begin to decline due to age or injury.

 

Well, I only through Pierce in there because he's been with Boston for his whole career and takes pride in the franchise. I agree with what you're saying about building a team around a franchise player, that's definatly a given. I just think there's more to it than being the centerpiece to a good or great team.

 

The thing that seperated the best players from the franchise players in my eye is loyalty and promotion of the player's franchise and team. You know, guys like Kobe and other I mentioned have that, they care about their franchises as a whole.

 

The reason I don't include LeBron or Melo in that group is because LeBron basically betrayed his hometown, state and franchise, which has left the Cavs decimated. He is not the centerpiece to the Miami Heat, but I just think it's dis-loyal to his old team.

 

As with Melo, he still is a part of the Nuggets, but with all of the demanding a trade talk nonsense, it could impact the Nuggets negativly.

[Real Deal]

See, LeBron may have done the Cavs dirty, but this is the same guy that put Cleveland back on the basketball map (maybe even on the sports map). He was, without a doubt, their franchise player for seven years.

 

When asking if a player is a franchise player, it shouldn't be about previous exits unless he proves to be a cancer. While I absolutely hate him now, I can't say that LeBron is a cancer to his team, or any other team in the NBA if he was suiting up for someone else.

 

Look at it this way: the Knicks get offered LeBron for Amare and Gallo. Do they pull the trigger? Most definitely, because James is a player you build around...a franchise player.

[Newman]

I see a franchise player as plainly someone you would associate with the team. For example, Paul Pierce and Chris Paul are both franchise players in my opinion.

[Finch23]

Kobe, LeBron, Wade, Dwight and Chris Paul are probably the only championship franchise players in the NBA right now to me. To build around another player, you are going to need supreme talent, with these guys you can get away with a bit less.

 

The verdict is still out on Durant for me, he is really, really good already, but he needs to find other ways to dominate besides just putting the ball in the bucket.

 

Are there other 'franchise' players? Sure, Amare, Bosh, Melo, Deron, Joe Johnson, etc are all guys you can build 50 win teams around, maybe even compete for a championship, the difference is that you need almost a perfect supporting cast. With the guys in my first paragraph, you almost inherently compete for a title with them on your team.

 

This is why it is so hard to compete in the NBA. Unless you have one of the best players in the league, you are going to be struggling to compete. That is why I am such a big advocate for losing big in rebuilding years, in hopes you pick up that Kevin Durant or John Wall player.

 

Duncan?