NBA Smackdown: Top Faces and Heels in NBA
By Josh Roth
With football coming to an end soon it will officially be basketball season...and wrestling season (not that amateur BS we are talking pro wrestling i.e. WWE). So with that in mind we at PUN Sports have a fun little article for you today. We will analyze which NBA Players are faces (the nice guys) and heels (the not so nice guys). With all this being said let's get this party started!
We will start with the faces of the NBA. Here are the top five faces (In no particular order)
Faces:
Steph Curry: Clearly one of the most fan friendly characters in the NBA. I don't think there are many people out there, besides maybe Cleveland and Houston fans that hate Steph. Steph Curry really embodies the ultimate underdog, from his days at Davidson when not many teams in Division I wanted him, to the questions of whether he was a super star or not and whether he could lead Golden State to a championship. He is the NBA's version of Daniel Bryan circa 2014 and it's hard to see this baby face assassin losing fan support or face appeal any time soon.
Kwahi Leonard: Kwahi Leonard is a coach’s dream player, a man who plays both ends of the court and you rarely hear a peep from him. He was the biggest key to the Spurs winning the NBA Championship in 2014 and is one of the top 10 best players in the league. You will never hear a person complain about Kwahi Leonard and all fan bases would love to have him on their team. It is hard to put a comparison on him, I think the best one could find is Cesaro. If Kwahi was more dominate I think Brock Lesnar would be an acceptable comparison, but since he seems too nice Cesaro (modern day comparison) seems more appropriate. Cesaro is a phenomenal athlete and is constantly overlooked much like Kwahi Leonard. Both should be in MVP/Main Event discussion, but seemingly never are.
Tim Duncan: Spurs are a very lovable team and one of the main reasons for that is the greatest Spur and power forward of all time Tim Duncan. Tim Duncan is also quiet and lovable. He is fundamentally sound and plays the game the right way. If you follow the Spurs closely you can also tell he is a bit of a goofball. Now this was another one that was hard to compare, but I think Undertaker makes some sense as he aged well and can still put up a great performance. He is also a legend like Undertaker and will go down as one of the greatest of all time.
Anthony Davis: He is the new sensation in the league, the next big thing, and freak of nature on both sides of the court. Anthony is a very likable character and seems like a great guy both on and off the court and re-upped with New Orleans right away, seeming like a guy that is committed to the Pelicans franchise. Also he has a marketable unibrow! If there is a comparison that he has in the WWE it would have to be either Roman Reigns or Neville. Now most will likely say Roman for the obvious reasons, but Neville is an up and coming star that is a jaw dropping performer and needs a little work and help to get to the top like Anthony. However, if you are one to talk size, promise, current talent level and marketability I would say Roman comparison is best, which is why I will officially nab him as the Roman Reigns of the NBA.
LeBron James: Look as a Bulls fan this pains me to do, but since moving back to Cleveland put himself up as a baby face. Yes he still complains a lot, but he made the right call and even a small part of me wouldn't mind him winning a title in Cleveland. He obviously is the most marketable and top star in the league. Therefor his comparison is John Cena. It is way too obvious! He is the face of the NBA like Cena, he has fans that despise him and fans that absolutely adore him. Kids seem fairly obsessed with both James and Cena. Finally both are considered Kings of their industries (That almost killed me to say).
Honorable Mentions:
Al Horford (Titus O'Neal or an Uso with Korver)
Marc Gasol (Bubba Ray w/ Zach Randolph as Devon)
C.J. McCollum (Neville)
Blake Griffin (Dean Ambrose)
Andrew Wiggins (Apollo Crews)
John Wall (Sami Zayn)
Now it is time for the heels of the NBA and here is the top five (once again no particular order)
Heels:
Dwight Howard: Since Dwight publically voiced his displeasure over being in Orlando, he seems to have become one of the better heels in the league. He had what seemed to be a pretty big tiff with one of the best players in basketball history in Kobe Bryant, he demanded the ball more with wanting to be the vocal part of the offense and at times seemed more interested in making it in to Hollywood then he did playing basketball. You could argue his move to Houston tempered his heel heat a bit, but I think the damage was already done. His comparison will be Sheamus. Sheamus tried so long to be a face then finally accepted and embraced the heel heat, he has his own faction he created (much like Dwight with James Harden) and both have grins that even make the top baby faces cringe.
Matt Barnes: There has been some controversy surrounding Matt Barnes for years now, whether that be shoving Ibaka, verbally attacking players or driving 95 miles to pick a fight with Derek Fisher. He is tough minded player and one of those guys you like on your team, but hate him if you any of the other 29 teams. The only comparison that I could think of (besides the verbal jawing aspect) is Luke Harper. Harper is arguably Bray Wyatt’s greatest ally and attacks anyone that opposes him. Like Barnes he is an enforcer for his team and like Barnes, Harper would travel 95 miles to beat up whoever Bray told him to.
Dwayne Wade: Once again I need to reiterate I am a Bulls fan and there may be some bias here. Personally speaking he wasted our time when the Bulls were making a play for LeBron James, which ticked us off more that he got two of our top targets in Chris Bosh and LeBron James. He is one that to a degree rode the coat tails of other stars for titles (Shaq only to a certain degree but Wade was fantastic in that playoff). He seems attached to his owner Pat Riley (who is like HHH or Vince) and he loves to complain on the court. This one is hard to type but he is the Seth Rollins of the NBA. Seth played a character that needed help to get and maintain the WWE Championship. Seth Rollins was a character that loved to whine and did it well. He also was buddy buddy with the authority. Only difference would be current athleticism but Wade was a pretty special athlete in his prime. And unfortunately both have suffered significant injuries (sad face).
Rajon Rondo: Rondo personality wise is an excellent heel. He doesn’t get along with many, he is willing to turn on anyone and he comes off at times as self-absorbed. Rondo had some very good years in Boston and up until his final year or two the only issue he had was fighting with other teams. Then in the last couple of years he turned on Boston and then turned on Dallas the following years. He had given himself a bad rap and was really only able to land with the woeful Sacramento Kings. His comparison seems to be Alberto Del Rio. If you think about it Del Rio turned on Ricardo Rodriguez (Boston Celtics) and recently turned on Zeb Colter (Mark Cuban) and joined up with the evil powers that be the League of Nations (Sacramento Kings). Plus Del Rio’s character has a lot of similarities to Rondo’s personality (vicious, mean, quality trash talkers and guys that like to pick fights).
DeMarcus Cousins: This one was a tough one for me, but I feel he has to be considered a heel. Cousins is a tremendous talent that I personally think is misunderstood, but he has had a ton of issues with the Kings organization (can you really blame him #WorstSportsFranchise #BringBackTheSonics). It seemed like he was turning the corner a bit last year and then came hiss issue was with George Karl, which I haven’t seen many not get along with Karl. Therefor we have to put him in the heel category. He reminds me of Kevin Owens, who is a character that is a bit of a lone wolf character and a tremendous wrestler with in the WWE. He has his supporters like Cousins and also has the people who despise him. However both are guys many want to see as a face someday.
Honorable Mention:
James Harden (Kofi Kingston)
DeAndre Jordan (Erik Rowan)
Deron Williams (Curtis Axel)
Morris Twins (The Ascension)
Jahlil Okafor (Baron Corbin)
So I have decided to add another category for this article and it is the all mystery team. This is will be those who border the line of heel and face or we just aren’t quite sure where to fit them yet. Here is your mystery team.
Mystery:
Chris Paul: Has played both roles. Off the court he is a total face with all the charity work he does. But on the court he can be one of the biggest complainers in the league and did request to leave the Hornets. (Comparison: Randy Orton)
Jimmy Butler: I don’t think anyone really considers Jimmy Butler a heel (minus the ridicule of his coach) but he doesn’t for some reason get the publicity that some other guys in the league get. He is becoming an elite player in the league and you have to figure that will all change soon and will eventually see himself as a top face in the NBA. (Comparison: Finn Balor)
Tony Allen: Once considered a heel, Tony Allen has seemed more of a face as of late then a heel. He seems like a positive guy (if you follow him on Twitter) and teammates seem to love him. He is a bit annoying to those that have to go up against him but that is the worst of it lately. (Comparison: Mark Henry)
Kristaps Porzingis: Kristaps is a young exciting new prospect and budding star for the New York Knicks. He is a character that knows how good he is, even though he was despised by Knick fans coming in. He quickly got them behind them and although it’s hard to peg him right now, I’d say he is headed toward being a face. (Comparison: Tyler Breeze, maybe Big E)
Giannis Antetokounmpo: Very similar to Porzingis except he is a freakish athlete and people already love him in Milwaukee and those that follow NBA religiously. He will be a top face if he figures it all out, but for now he is still a bit of a mystery. (Comparison: Apollo Crews)
And finally we leave you with the final awards for top faces and heels along with some other categories, enjoy!
Awards:
Face MVP: Steph Curry
Face Heel: Dwight Howard
Heel We Most Want to See Turn Face: DeMarcus Cousins
Face We Most Want to See Turn Heel: Blake Griffin (I think it would be fun to see Kwahi Leonard with a mean streak personally, LeBron James could be considered here too)
Mystery Guy Who Could Be a Top Face: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Jimmy Butler would be a good candidate too)
Mystery Guy Who Could Be a Top Heel: Kristaps Porzingis
Which Group Would Win in a Survivor Series Match: Faces, duh!
Face’s Coach: Steve Kerr
Heel’s Coach: Doc Rivers
Face’s Front Office: San Antonio Spurs
Heel’s Front Office: Chicago Bulls
With football coming to an end soon it will officially be basketball season...and wrestling season (not that amateur BS we are talking pro wrestling i.e. WWE). So with that in mind we at PUN Sports have a fun little article for you today. We will analyze which NBA Players are faces (the nice guys) and heels (the not so nice guys). With all this being said let's get this party started!
We will start with the faces of the NBA. Here are the top five faces (In no particular order)
Faces:
Steph Curry: Clearly one of the most fan friendly characters in the NBA. I don't think there are many people out there, besides maybe Cleveland and Houston fans that hate Steph. Steph Curry really embodies the ultimate underdog, from his days at Davidson when not many teams in Division I wanted him, to the questions of whether he was a super star or not and whether he could lead Golden State to a championship. He is the NBA's version of Daniel Bryan circa 2014 and it's hard to see this baby face assassin losing fan support or face appeal any time soon.
Kwahi Leonard: Kwahi Leonard is a coach’s dream player, a man who plays both ends of the court and you rarely hear a peep from him. He was the biggest key to the Spurs winning the NBA Championship in 2014 and is one of the top 10 best players in the league. You will never hear a person complain about Kwahi Leonard and all fan bases would love to have him on their team. It is hard to put a comparison on him, I think the best one could find is Cesaro. If Kwahi was more dominate I think Brock Lesnar would be an acceptable comparison, but since he seems too nice Cesaro (modern day comparison) seems more appropriate. Cesaro is a phenomenal athlete and is constantly overlooked much like Kwahi Leonard. Both should be in MVP/Main Event discussion, but seemingly never are.
Tim Duncan: Spurs are a very lovable team and one of the main reasons for that is the greatest Spur and power forward of all time Tim Duncan. Tim Duncan is also quiet and lovable. He is fundamentally sound and plays the game the right way. If you follow the Spurs closely you can also tell he is a bit of a goofball. Now this was another one that was hard to compare, but I think Undertaker makes some sense as he aged well and can still put up a great performance. He is also a legend like Undertaker and will go down as one of the greatest of all time.
Anthony Davis: He is the new sensation in the league, the next big thing, and freak of nature on both sides of the court. Anthony is a very likable character and seems like a great guy both on and off the court and re-upped with New Orleans right away, seeming like a guy that is committed to the Pelicans franchise. Also he has a marketable unibrow! If there is a comparison that he has in the WWE it would have to be either Roman Reigns or Neville. Now most will likely say Roman for the obvious reasons, but Neville is an up and coming star that is a jaw dropping performer and needs a little work and help to get to the top like Anthony. However, if you are one to talk size, promise, current talent level and marketability I would say Roman comparison is best, which is why I will officially nab him as the Roman Reigns of the NBA.
LeBron James: Look as a Bulls fan this pains me to do, but since moving back to Cleveland put himself up as a baby face. Yes he still complains a lot, but he made the right call and even a small part of me wouldn't mind him winning a title in Cleveland. He obviously is the most marketable and top star in the league. Therefor his comparison is John Cena. It is way too obvious! He is the face of the NBA like Cena, he has fans that despise him and fans that absolutely adore him. Kids seem fairly obsessed with both James and Cena. Finally both are considered Kings of their industries (That almost killed me to say).
Honorable Mentions:
Al Horford (Titus O'Neal or an Uso with Korver)
Marc Gasol (Bubba Ray w/ Zach Randolph as Devon)
C.J. McCollum (Neville)
Blake Griffin (Dean Ambrose)
Andrew Wiggins (Apollo Crews)
John Wall (Sami Zayn)
Now it is time for the heels of the NBA and here is the top five (once again no particular order)
Heels:
Dwight Howard: Since Dwight publically voiced his displeasure over being in Orlando, he seems to have become one of the better heels in the league. He had what seemed to be a pretty big tiff with one of the best players in basketball history in Kobe Bryant, he demanded the ball more with wanting to be the vocal part of the offense and at times seemed more interested in making it in to Hollywood then he did playing basketball. You could argue his move to Houston tempered his heel heat a bit, but I think the damage was already done. His comparison will be Sheamus. Sheamus tried so long to be a face then finally accepted and embraced the heel heat, he has his own faction he created (much like Dwight with James Harden) and both have grins that even make the top baby faces cringe.
Matt Barnes: There has been some controversy surrounding Matt Barnes for years now, whether that be shoving Ibaka, verbally attacking players or driving 95 miles to pick a fight with Derek Fisher. He is tough minded player and one of those guys you like on your team, but hate him if you any of the other 29 teams. The only comparison that I could think of (besides the verbal jawing aspect) is Luke Harper. Harper is arguably Bray Wyatt’s greatest ally and attacks anyone that opposes him. Like Barnes he is an enforcer for his team and like Barnes, Harper would travel 95 miles to beat up whoever Bray told him to.
Dwayne Wade: Once again I need to reiterate I am a Bulls fan and there may be some bias here. Personally speaking he wasted our time when the Bulls were making a play for LeBron James, which ticked us off more that he got two of our top targets in Chris Bosh and LeBron James. He is one that to a degree rode the coat tails of other stars for titles (Shaq only to a certain degree but Wade was fantastic in that playoff). He seems attached to his owner Pat Riley (who is like HHH or Vince) and he loves to complain on the court. This one is hard to type but he is the Seth Rollins of the NBA. Seth played a character that needed help to get and maintain the WWE Championship. Seth Rollins was a character that loved to whine and did it well. He also was buddy buddy with the authority. Only difference would be current athleticism but Wade was a pretty special athlete in his prime. And unfortunately both have suffered significant injuries (sad face).
Rajon Rondo: Rondo personality wise is an excellent heel. He doesn’t get along with many, he is willing to turn on anyone and he comes off at times as self-absorbed. Rondo had some very good years in Boston and up until his final year or two the only issue he had was fighting with other teams. Then in the last couple of years he turned on Boston and then turned on Dallas the following years. He had given himself a bad rap and was really only able to land with the woeful Sacramento Kings. His comparison seems to be Alberto Del Rio. If you think about it Del Rio turned on Ricardo Rodriguez (Boston Celtics) and recently turned on Zeb Colter (Mark Cuban) and joined up with the evil powers that be the League of Nations (Sacramento Kings). Plus Del Rio’s character has a lot of similarities to Rondo’s personality (vicious, mean, quality trash talkers and guys that like to pick fights).
DeMarcus Cousins: This one was a tough one for me, but I feel he has to be considered a heel. Cousins is a tremendous talent that I personally think is misunderstood, but he has had a ton of issues with the Kings organization (can you really blame him #WorstSportsFranchise #BringBackTheSonics). It seemed like he was turning the corner a bit last year and then came hiss issue was with George Karl, which I haven’t seen many not get along with Karl. Therefor we have to put him in the heel category. He reminds me of Kevin Owens, who is a character that is a bit of a lone wolf character and a tremendous wrestler with in the WWE. He has his supporters like Cousins and also has the people who despise him. However both are guys many want to see as a face someday.
Honorable Mention:
James Harden (Kofi Kingston)
DeAndre Jordan (Erik Rowan)
Deron Williams (Curtis Axel)
Morris Twins (The Ascension)
Jahlil Okafor (Baron Corbin)
So I have decided to add another category for this article and it is the all mystery team. This is will be those who border the line of heel and face or we just aren’t quite sure where to fit them yet. Here is your mystery team.
Mystery:
Chris Paul: Has played both roles. Off the court he is a total face with all the charity work he does. But on the court he can be one of the biggest complainers in the league and did request to leave the Hornets. (Comparison: Randy Orton)
Jimmy Butler: I don’t think anyone really considers Jimmy Butler a heel (minus the ridicule of his coach) but he doesn’t for some reason get the publicity that some other guys in the league get. He is becoming an elite player in the league and you have to figure that will all change soon and will eventually see himself as a top face in the NBA. (Comparison: Finn Balor)
Tony Allen: Once considered a heel, Tony Allen has seemed more of a face as of late then a heel. He seems like a positive guy (if you follow him on Twitter) and teammates seem to love him. He is a bit annoying to those that have to go up against him but that is the worst of it lately. (Comparison: Mark Henry)
Kristaps Porzingis: Kristaps is a young exciting new prospect and budding star for the New York Knicks. He is a character that knows how good he is, even though he was despised by Knick fans coming in. He quickly got them behind them and although it’s hard to peg him right now, I’d say he is headed toward being a face. (Comparison: Tyler Breeze, maybe Big E)
Giannis Antetokounmpo: Very similar to Porzingis except he is a freakish athlete and people already love him in Milwaukee and those that follow NBA religiously. He will be a top face if he figures it all out, but for now he is still a bit of a mystery. (Comparison: Apollo Crews)
And finally we leave you with the final awards for top faces and heels along with some other categories, enjoy!
Awards:
Face MVP: Steph Curry
Face Heel: Dwight Howard
Heel We Most Want to See Turn Face: DeMarcus Cousins
Face We Most Want to See Turn Heel: Blake Griffin (I think it would be fun to see Kwahi Leonard with a mean streak personally, LeBron James could be considered here too)
Mystery Guy Who Could Be a Top Face: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Jimmy Butler would be a good candidate too)
Mystery Guy Who Could Be a Top Heel: Kristaps Porzingis
Which Group Would Win in a Survivor Series Match: Faces, duh!
Face’s Coach: Steve Kerr
Heel’s Coach: Doc Rivers
Face’s Front Office: San Antonio Spurs
Heel’s Front Office: Chicago Bulls