Player of the last decade

[albanycuse]

I decided to pick a player of the decade based on impact on the team, winning meaningful games and impact in the Syracuse community, and years of service. The award goes to Gmac.

 

[OrangeCrush22]

It's either McNamara or Anthony.

 

[Eric15]

I decided to pick a player of the decade based on impact on the team, winning meaningful games and impact in the Syracuse community, and years of service. The award goes to Gmac.

There's not a close second.

 

[bballbeadle]

GMAC. However, I'm surprised that others think this as well! The biggest heart of any of our players, and that says something.

 

[albanycuse]

GMAC. However, I'm surprised that others think this as well! The biggest heart of any of our players, and that says something.

All guts, grit and heart.

 

[Gabjon]

It's Gmac but Warrick should get some love too!

 

[moqui]

Kris Joseph - most victories of any player in SU history; key player on two different squads to be ranked #1, to earn #1 seeds and to win 30 games; one of just three Syracuse players (with Stevie Thompson and Derrick Coleman) to play in 3 Sweet 16 games

GMac was second banana - at best - on the title team, after which he went 2-3 in the NCAAT and authored the first sub-.500 conference record in 25 years. If he wasn't short and white, he wouldn't get half the love that SU fans shower on him.

 

[stuckinbig11]

Kris Joseph - most victories of any player in SU history; key player on two different squads to be ranked #1, to earn #1 seeds and to win 30 games; one of just three Syracuse players (with Stevie Thompson and Derrick Coleman) to play in 3 Sweet 16 games

GMac was second banana - at best - on the title team, after which he went 2-3 in the NCAAT and authored the first sub-.500 conference record in 25 years. If he wasn't short and white, he wouldn't get half the love that SU fans shower on him.

GMac is to Moqui as Triche is to Albanycuse. I never understood your dislike for him.

 

[albanycuse]

GMac is to Moqui as Triche is to Albanycuse. I never understood your dislike for him.

I dont dislike triche , the thing that bothers me is he has all the talent in the world and no aggression and mental toughness to go from a good player to a great player. if he had dions attitude that noone can stop me , he'd be a 1st rounder, instead hes going over seas.

 

[jdubs30]

Carmelo.

And I don't think it's close.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

I decided to pick a player of the decade based on impact on the team, winning meaningful games and impact in the Syracuse community, and years of service. The award goes to Gmac.

Interesting question and with GMac's return to the school to be on the coaching staff, I can't see anyone else winning although Melo's contribution on the court and with his wallet certainly has to place him immediately second. My favorite player, someone I just enjoyed watching the way he played the game, was Andy Rautins.

 

[stone567]

It is Carmelo, Carmelo or Carmelo. It is not a close . A distant second would be Warrick, one of the most underrated SU players ever. Very, very talented. I would also think that Wes Johnson and Arinze Onuaku merit some consideration as they were instrumental in restoring SU back to the top of the NCAA world after some mediocre years after the championship year. As for GMAC, a very good player, but I am not sure I understand the love affair SU fans have with him. He is a great best man, not sure he was such a great groom (except in the Big East Tournament).

Here is the ultimate answer. If GMAC but no Carmelo, SU does not win a national championship under any circumstances. If Carmelo, but no GMAC, we very likely still win the title. Carmelo over anyone else by a landslide.

 

[SUintheVille]

Melo and GMac were both freshmen on the championship team. GMac hit a bunch of 3s in 1st half, so he certainly also was important to that victory, although Melo probably more important in getting SU to that game. Then Melo went to NBA but GMac stayed (no where else to go) and played his heart out on less talented teams, carrying SU to BET champs with his grit. Thus, nod goes to GMac.

Then Melo contributes $$$ to help build Melo Center while GMac now a valuable asset to team as a coach. Both very valuable to team in different ways, but nod to Melo. Both are loyal to the team.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

It is Carmelo, Carmelo or Carmelo. It is not a close . A distant second would be Warrick, one of the most underrated SU players ever. Very, very talented. I would also think that Wes Johnson and Arinze Onuaku merit some consideration as they were instrumental in restoring SU back to the top of the NCAA world after some mediocre years after the championship year. As for GMAC, a very good player, but I am not sure I understand the love affair SU fans have with him. He is a great best man, not sure he was such a great groom (except in the Big East Tournament).

Here is the ultimate answer. If GMAC but no Carmelo, SU does not win a national championship under any circumstances. If Carmelo, but no GMAC, we very likely still win the title. Carmelo over anyone else by a landslide.

If the question had just been player of the decade and was limited to talent and winning, then you'd be right with Melo, but that's not the question that was asked. It still might be Melo, but not including GMac in the top three seems off to me. Wes was a nice player, but he was here for a year and didn't really have any meaningful wins.

And I don't think anyone can say we still VERY likely win the title without GMac. No outside shooter of his caliber and growing reputation and the defenses SU faced would be very different.

 

[stone567]

If the question had just been player of the decade and was limited to talent and winning, then you'd be right with Melo, but that's not the question that was asked. It still might be Melo, but not including GMac in the top three seems off to me. Wes was a nice player, but he was here for a year and didn't really have any meaningful wins.

And I don't think anyone can say we still VERY likely win the title without GMac. No outside shooter of his caliber and growing reputation and the defenses SU faced would be very different.

The question was who was the best player of the decade. The best player of the decade won SU a national title. It is very simple. Carmelo was just a phenomenal player in every aspect of the game, and he made every other player that much better. He is the single most important ingredient in winning the title. Carmelo would have likely been able to take any group of supporting players to the promised land. Based on your argument, SU doesnt win the title without Pace or Edelin...those are the two players who really kept us in the second half of the championship game. Every player had a role. Basketball is a team game; however, there was only ingredient on that team that was indispensable and that was Carmelo. He did more in one year than any players not named Bing, Coleman, Sherm, Pearl, Owens and Moten did their whole careers. I dont think people realize how good Carmelo was.

Ultimately, I would probably pick GMAC three, barely over Arinze, one of the most unheralded and underrated players in SU history. However, I do think he was overrated. I was not impressed with his performance (except for the Big East Tournament) when he was the leader of the team. He was a very good player, but I dont think he made other players better and I don't think he was great, certainly not player of the decade.

 

[moqui]

GMac is to Moqui as Triche is to Albanycuse. I never understood your dislike for him.

I don't dislike him, I just think know that he is over rated. Over rated does not mean bad.

If I dislike anything, it is the irrationality that causes so much inability to objectively rate a good-but-not-great player

 

[br801]

I dont dislike triche , the thing that bothers me is he has all the talent in the world and no aggression and mental toughness to go from a good player to a great player. if he had dions attitude that noone can stop me , he'd be a 1st rounder, instead hes going over seas.

Somehow you manage to make these same baseless statements about Triche's mental toughness in just about every damn thread on this board. You live in a dreamworld.

 

[albanycuse]

Somehow you manage to make these same baseless statements about Triche's mental toughness in just about every damn thread on this board. You live in a dreamworld.

He asked me why i dislike triche and i told him i didnt but then this guy named br01 who is mentally unstable has to repeat himself in every thread im in mentioning triche. You are so predicticable and bland with your attacks. I cant help it if you dont see it, the only thing you probably notice is the score changing and time winding down each game. You need new material to hang with me.

 

[Gabjon]

It all depends on how you define "Player of the decade" I don't take it to mean best player of the decade because there is no debate there, but rather player that did the most or meant the most to his team(s) in the last decade. Gmac had the 43pt game verse BYU, the BET run, and a NC to be fair Vermont is on his resume too. Melo has done more after his playing days than any player in the past decade but I don't read the question to include post playing days. By the way if it was straight numbers it would be Hak 2000+ pts 1000+rebs; 1 of 3 players to do that in his SU career Coleman and Wallace were the other two.

 

[SUFAN1]

Josh Pace, The Glue.

 

[Knicks411]

I don't dislike him, I just think know that he is over rated. Over rated does not mean bad.

Seems like people never remember this. The JB rant was awesome about it, but Gerry was considered a first team all BE player if i remember and that would make him overrated

 

[stone567]

It all depends on how you define "Player of the decade" I don't take it to mean best player of the decade because there is no debate there, but rather player that did the most or meant the most to his team(s) in the last decade. Gmac had the 43pt game verse BYU, the BET run, and a NC to be fair Vermont is on his resume too. Melo has done more after his playing days than any player in the past decade but I don't read the question to include post playing days. By the way if it was straight numbers it would be Hak 2000+ pts 1000+rebs; 1 of 3 players to do that in his SU career Coleman and Wallace were the other two.

Doesn't "Player of the Decade" mean the best player of the decade??? How does "Player of the Decade" come to mean the player who meant the most to his team in the last decade? Are we now just creating new rules to a simple question. Who was the best player of the decade??? Either way, how can anyone not argue that Carmelo was not the best player and meant the most to his team. Besides the national title, he completely reinvigorated the program to a level not seen since the late 80's-early 90's. And we are still enjoying his benefits, with two recent NCAA #1 seeds and our amazing recruiting streak. Completely agree that Hak was a really great player, but no one seems to notice it

 

[Eric15]

Kris Joseph - most victories of any player in SU history; key player on two different squads to be ranked #1, to earn #1 seeds and to win 30 games; one of just three Syracuse players (with Stevie Thompson and Derrick Coleman) to play in 3 Sweet 16 games

GMac was second banana - at best - on the title team, after which he went 2-3 in the NCAAT and authored the first sub-.500 conference record in 25 years. If he wasn't short and white, he wouldn't get half the love that SU fans shower on him.

I feel like your analysis of GMac is awfully glass half-empty. He is the 4th all-time scorer in SU history, 3rd in assists, 2nd in steals, 1st in free throw percentage, 1st in third pointers made, and was a central part of two of the most iconic moments in the history of the program (2003 national title, 2006 BET). Not to take anything away from Joseph, but every team that KJo played on had more overall talent than every team GMac played on except for 2003.

And I think if GMac happened to be black, Syracuse fans would still love him, the way they idolized Pearl in the 1980s.

 

[stone567]

Seems like people never remember this. The JB rant was awesome about it, but Gerry was considered a first team all BE player if i remember and that would make him overrated

Gerry was a very, very good player, but I will say many SU fans have overrated him as a player in the context of SU history. There are many people who deem him in the top two or three SU players in history. There is no objective argument to make that he was better player than Bing, Pearl, Sherm, Coleman, Owens, Moten, Seikaly. Wallace, Warrick or Anthony. And those are just the players that I don't think there is a real argument

 

[RF2044]

Frankly, I'm surprised by all of the support for GMac in this thread.

From my point of view, it is Carmelo by a landslide, with nobody else truly belonging in the discussion.

Now, if you're talking about an all-decade team, then GMac would certainly be on it, along with Flynn, Warrick, Wes, and Onuaku [with Carmelo as MVP].