As respect to the 4 people who's legacy were hanging in the balance...
JKidd... I hate the guy.. And liked GP better than him... But a person who came in the league as a terrible shooter will leave as a respectable shooter.. And #3 on the all time 3's list (although him playing 18 years has something to do with it, you don't get to #3 if you don't hit the shot)... Very good defender... 6.5 boards a game as a point guard is tremendous.. And one of the best court visions in history, no Magic Johnson but still is toward the top... I'd say Top 5-7 Point Guard of all time (Magic, Oscar and could make a convincing argument for Isiah, CP3, Nash, Cousy ahead of him).. And the consumate professional.... And the ring definately helps his legacy especially that he made solid contributions to the team and wasn't a 5 minute guy in his last year just trying to get a ring..
Dirk... Unworldly.. That's all I got to say.. Top 20..
Wade... It's really tough because his best days could be ahead of him.. Could be behind him... If the Big 3 don't win at all he falls... But as it stand like JKidd Top 5-7 2-guards of all time... I think when said and done he can be #3 all time 2-guard... As respect to the Kobe vs. DWade debate DWade's resume will never stack up unless the Heat absolutely dominate in the next 5 years because if they get bounced out year after year or fail in the finals that will be a microcosm of Wade's career... And when you do head-to-head comparison you see the stats are fairly close.. But if you look closer Kobe's personal career stats are held down by only starting 7 times in his 1st 2 season.. When he played in 150 of the 164 possible games.. It puts him in 11th all time points per game when if you take his 1st year of full time playing he is in 3rd or 4th all time.. Not much Kobe could have done about that.. He was a person out of high school, that was drafted then traded to a team that had an All Star 2 guard on the team already.... Kobe's FG%, FT%, RPG, APG, and PPG are all disproportionally represented because he played 2 full seasons as a bench player...
LeBron... His legacy suffered this past 11 months... But was shredded in the span of 2 weeks.. That Killer instict that the MJ's, Kobe's, Magic's, Larry's have he just doesn't possess.. The thing that separates the Greatest from sparks of Greatness is showing up in the big stage... LeBron is one of the best raw talents the NBA has ever seen.. But on the court, and relating to things having to do with basketball his legacy has been Mike Tyson KO'd... He's made himself into a spectacle.. Whether it was the Decision debacle which was one of the worst self-aggrandizing moments in sports.. To declaring the Heat would win 7+ titles... Showboating... Making excuses... Having the worst PR team... Blowing every pressure situation in the past... Making himself one of the most hated players in basketball by not just fans but writers by acting like a ****... With all that he still had the opportunity to @%!! on all of that and put himself in the top 5 discussion in terms of legacy if he came up big... It looked like it was his time because he was torching everyone in the playoffs.. But when the spot light got bright he shrunk to the point of disappearance... He can still change that, but we are talking about legacy.. And with him completely blowing it getting massacred in his first finals appearance (which is ok because the Spurs had a far better team)... To being worse than a role player this year.. He cost them that series.. And with that his legacy went from potential top 5, to just outside the top 20... (Once again we are talking LEGACY... Before any one says anything)... He's got 7-10 years left in his career so it is plenty of time to change it, but right now his legacy is on the downside rather than the upside...