So the comments about Curry in the NBA Game Thread, along with perennial comments about Harden and occasional comments about Lebron, made me think we need a more structured set of hating data.
Please rank, from most-hated to least-hated, the following players, which are LIMITED TO A ROUGH CONSENSUS* OF TOP NBA PLAYERS, in no particular order:
Basis for hating is intended to be limited to what happens from tipoff to final whistle, i.e. how they play the game, how they behave while playing the game, how much of a team player they are, etc. Their rectitude off the court is not under discussion. You need not justify your rankings, given that this is ultimately an aesthetic question, but it might be more fun if you do (a little).
My haterade flows strongest for:
* you can make an argument for several other players too of course, but I had to draw the line somewhere. Davis and Westbrook are in, Jokic and Chris Paul and Towns and Paul George and Embiid are out. Feel free to make an honorable mention if you must.
Please rank, from most-hated to least-hated, the following players, which are LIMITED TO A ROUGH CONSENSUS* OF TOP NBA PLAYERS, in no particular order:
- Steph Curry
- LeBron James
- James Harden
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Kevin Durant
- Russell Westbrook
- Kawhi Leonard
- Anthony Davis
Basis for hating is intended to be limited to what happens from tipoff to final whistle, i.e. how they play the game, how they behave while playing the game, how much of a team player they are, etc. Their rectitude off the court is not under discussion. You need not justify your rankings, given that this is ultimately an aesthetic question, but it might be more fun if you do (a little).
My haterade flows strongest for:
- Harden - cynically drawing contact, also a whiner
- Lebron - primarily whining and expecting foul calls on every play, also acts like he's never committed a foul in his life
- Giannis - one-dimensional game: charge to the hoop. Incredible athleticism but seems like a one-trick pony, and when it works so well it's annoying.
- Westbrook - selfish play, whiny.
- Durant - cynically drawing fouls so often that they had to change rules about rip-throughs because of him. And he didn't / doesn't have to do it, either - he's a monster threat from anywhere on the court.
- Leonard - I don't really hate him at all, but don't personally find his game all that beautiful. Maybe his defense moreso than his (still-prodigious) offense.
- Curry - Who doesn't love someone with the confidence and precision to take shots from his range?
- Davis - He does stuff someone his size shouldn't be able to do. Probably deserves the "freak" label more than Giannis.
* you can make an argument for several other players too of course, but I had to draw the line somewhere. Davis and Westbrook are in, Jokic and Chris Paul and Towns and Paul George and Embiid are out. Feel free to make an honorable mention if you must.