NBA: 2000s All-Decade third team

Honorable Mentions:

G – Tony Parker:

2000s Resume: Eight seasons, three NBA titles, one NBA Finals MVP award, one-time All-NBA Third Team, three-time NBA All-Star, 16.8 PPG, 5.7 APG and 3.1 RPG, 18.4 average PER

I know what you’re thinking: a three-time NBA champion deserves better than an honorable mention. But Parker never really dominated the 2000s, he was simply great on a consistent basis. Parker only has one All-NBA selection to show for his consistency, and his NBA Finals MVP award probably should have gone to Tim Duncan. Parker is one of the all-time great champions, but there were better guards in the decade.

G – Vince Carter:

2000s Resume: 10 seasons, one-time All-NBA Second Team, one-time All-NBA Third Team, eight-time NBA All-Star, 23.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 4.3 APG, 21.5 average PER

Vinsanity narrowly misses the cut due to his lack of postseason to success, not to mention how many other talented players there are at the guard and forward positions. Though he put up an awesome stat line and emerged as one of the league’s all-time great dunkers, Carter also was never really considered an elite talent. He was a regular in the All-Star Game and put more people on posters than anyone, but he never quite broke through and his tenure with the Toronto Raptors ended on a less than stellar note.

G – Stephon Marbury:

2000s Resume: 10 seasons, two-time All-NBA Third Team, two-time NBA All-Star, 18.1 PPG, 6.9 APG and 2.8 RPG, 17.3 average PER

Starbury’s attitude issues often overshadowed his accomplishments on the court, which seemed even worse when the Phoenix Suns panic-traded Jason Kidd to the New Jersey Nets in the middle of his prime. Still, at the peak of his game in the early part of the decade, Marbury was one of the best guards in the league. Not counting the whole Being Paid To Sit On The New York Knicks’ Bench thing, of course.

G – Chauncey Billups:

2000s Resume: 10 seasons, two NBA Finals appearances, one NBA title, one NBA Finals MVP award, one-time All-NBA Second Team, two-time All-NBA Third Team, four-time NBA All-Star, two-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team, 15.0 PPG, 5.6 APG and 3.0 RPG, 18.7 average PER

In his six seasons with the Detroit Pistons, Billups helped lead his team to six Eastern Conference Finals appearances thanks to his excellent defense and playing the role of Mr. Clutch. He didn’t put up the kind of numbers to warrant a spot on the Third Team, especially with so many other talented point guards, but Billups at least deserves a shout out for leading one of the most prominent teams/defenses of the decade.

F – Chris Webber:

2000s Resume: Nine seasons, one-time All-NBA First Team, two-time All-NBA Second Team, one-time All-NBA Third Team, four-time NBA All-Star, 19.2 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 4.1 APG, 19.3 average PER

Chris Webber’s career got a little less relevant with each passing year after leaving the Sacramento Kings, but since his prime was spent with one of the best teams in NBA history to never win a championship, Webber definitely deserves a place in our honorable mentions (at least). As one of the best passing bigs of all time, Webber could beat you on the offensive end in a variety of ways and if not for a controversially officiated Game 6 in the 2002 Western Conference Finals, the Kings might have won an NBA title that year.

F – Carmelo Anthony:

2000s Resume: Six seasons, three-time All-NBA Third Team, two-time NBA All-Star, 24.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 3.1 APG, 19.7 average PER

Melo’s best years didn’t come until the second decade of the 2000s. But in 2009, Anthony led the Denver Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals, where they were beat by the Los Angeles Lakers. Melo never had the luxury of playing for a great team, but he led every team he played on to the playoffs every single season until last year with the New York Knicks. Regardless of the way he left, Carmelo Anthony was one of the best players in Nuggets franchise history.

F – Shawn Marion:

2000s Resume: 10 seasons, two-time All-NBA Third Team, four-time NBA All-Star, 17.4 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 2.0 APG and 1.8 SPG, 20.0 average PER

Like many of the players in our honorable mentions, Shawn Marion was never quite elite. But The Matrix had some truly stellar seasons and in his prime, he was a frightening blend of athleticism, speed and versatility on both ends of the floor. During the 2005-06 season, Marion was the only player ranked in the top 20 for points, rebounds, blocks, steals, field goal percentage and minutes. Marion didn’t break through and win a title until 2011, but the Phoenix Suns had quite a few memorable years thanks to him.

C – Yao Ming:

2000s Resume: Seven seasons, two-time All-NBA Second Team, three-time All-NBA Third Team, seven-time NBA All-Star, 19.8 PPG, 9.4 RPG and 1.9 BPG, 23.2 average PER

Yao Ming’s career was cut short by nagging injuries, but his seven seasons in the first decade of the 2000s turned “Shaquille O’Neal or Yao Ming?” into a legitimate question for awhile. Despite missing 250 games in his last six seasons in the league, Ming still finished second all-time in blocks for the Houston Rockets franchise and had it not been for all those injuries, he seemed destined for the Hall of Fame.

Other Honorable Mentions: Baron Davis, Pau Gasol, Amar’e Stoudemire, Gary Payton, Michael Redd, Jermaine O’Neal, Gilbert Arenas, Manu Ginobili, Alonzo Mourning, Elton Brand, Sam Cassell, Carlos Boozer, Chris Paul, Ron Artest, Peja Stojakovic, Deron Williams, Chris Bosh and Dikembe Mutumbo