As I was reflecting and contemplating of the fallen healthworkers due to the Coronavirus, I thought of those players who were good but not quite enough to win the NBA championship. Those doctors/nurses were unable to see the light of defeating the virus despite working day in day out and all their efforts. The same way goes to these players, some were franchise cornerstones or significant pieces to their teams players but despite their individual greatness, they could not see te light of winning it all. The list only includes active players as I could not fathom listing from a massive pool of all the great players from the previous decades and eras. I only list those players who have played long enough for not having won a ring yet. We exclude Zion, Doncíc, Giannis and the like for obvious reasons. (They are still too young and have plenty of gas left in the tank.) The list is in no particular order.

Chris Paul (Oklahoma City Thunder)The Point God himself has not won a ring yet despite being the best pointguard for so long. He had mediocre help in New Orleans, the Lob City was exposed and became stagnant. The Thunder may be sitting pretty at 5th but the teams ahead them are a ton better than them. Paul might need to configure things out if he wants to win that ring before he hangs up his jersey; he is 34 years old.

James Harden (Houston Rockets)I had a difficult choice between he and his teammate, the “other MVP” Brodie Westbrook. However, James Harden has established himself as one of the greatest offensive players in league history. Stepback here, crossover there, he can torch anyone in any way he wans but it is surprising really that the Rockets have not won with him in the lead. The West is as stacked as usual and it does not help that they are struggling at 6th seed. The smallball experiment might be effective for now but they cannot stay as experiments in the long run; the coaching staff must adjust well so that they do not always die by the three. 

Vince Carter (Atlanta Hawks)It seems that VC is content of chasing the all time seasons played record. He has been playing since the 90’s. He may be a gret mentor to Trae and Collins but they are at the bottom of the conference. The Hawks suck right now and as much a we love VC and his entertainment value, he will inevitably join a category of NBA greats who have never won a ring in their entire career.

Dwight Howard (Los Angeles Lakers)C’mon man! Dwight has been hated for too long now. He was once a freak of nature and led the Magic to the 2009 Finals. Back in 2012, he joined a dsyfunctional Lakers “Dynasty” that signalled the supposed beggining of the end of his career. Teams waived him and got bounced from one team to another. Now bouncing with the Lakers (and an adjusted role), he currently serves as the backup to AD in the inside and he has a legitimate chance of winning once playoffs roll. This could be his only hope to silencing his critics once and for all.

Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)AD has been so good for so long. But Basketball is a team game and it won’t help if you are the only one good in the team. Prior to the Lakers, he was only able to lead the Pels to the 7th seed in the 2015 playoffs. Got swept and retained his MVP numbers for a couple of years wasting his prime in a wasted team. Things have gone for the better now for him as he is part of a West-leading Lakers team. This is his chance to win the championship because he has LBJ as his teammate. There may be rocks along the wat but winning atleast one ring is a guarantee while he is playing with the Purple and Gold.

Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat)Wether it was an argument of who is the real alpha in Chicago, conplacency issues in Minnesota, or chemistry issues in Philly,  Jimmy Buckets has not yet won the Larry O’Brien trophy. For the past few years, It was unexpected for a player of Butlers stature– perennial all star and top 15 player to get bounced from team to team like him. Now playing in South Beach and under coach Spo, he has played the most comfortable basketball ever in his career. They are now serious contenders as their team has one of the deepest benches now. So far so smooth and the only roadblock for them and Jimmy to win are the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. I think Butler could still spend a year or two figuring out the key pieces for him to finally win it all.
DeMar DeRozan (San Antonio Spurs)

I might have forgotten a player or two but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.With as much as we want the season to resume and as much as we want these guys to win their first chip, safety is the most important thing now. The virus is our common enemy and all we can do is to hope and pray that things get back to normal as soon as possible. The season will resume, but not for now. Stay safe everyone and give appreciation to the frontliners in this Covid-19 crisis!!! 😎

ps: I think when the season resumes, the league will be bigger. Amidst the global crisis we are facing, the NBA has partnered with Henessy and Microsoft. Two big companies that are synonymous to the brand of spirits and technology respectively.  The partnerships will really help the league in its recent struggles as both Henessy and Microsoft are global brands; they are significant in helping the league rise up again.

Written by: Le Miguel Ylanan Jumonong