NBA Power Rankings: All 30 Starting Shooting Guards

16.  Danny Green — San Antonio Spurs

Can you believe it?  Not the notion that Green has elevated himself into relevancy, not even the fact that he’s a champion.  Can you believe he was once a teammate of LeBron James, playing just 5.8 minutes per game for Mike Brown and being attached to the “nobodies” LeBron had to carry to the playoffs?

So, fast forward your life tapes four years later, and Green is setting NBA Finals records against LeBron and his new buddies?  Fast forward that tape one year after that, and he’s kissing the Larry O’Brien trophy in front of LeBron?  These things aren’t supposed to happen … not in a world predicated on reality and scientific odds.

The Spurs defy science.  San Antonio couldn’t care less about what your preseason championships odds say.  The Spurs laugh demonically when you label these “n0-name” players as incompatible.

Gregg Popovich could take a newborn baby — fresh out of the womb — and mold him (OR HER!) into a systematically perfect role player.

Green may not have averaged double digits last season (just 9.1 points per game), and he may have only averaged 24.3 minutes in his third year as a starter.  But, isn’t that the logic San Antonio plays with?

There’s only one team that can work at a steady pace all season long with one hidden goal in mind:  Prove that superstars, league-leading scorers, and 40 minute per game guys aren’t needed to win a championship.  In order to raise the trophy at the end of the day, the Spurs believe you need all 10-12 guys to master the offensive game plan, pass the ball 650 times per possession, and never play “hero ball.”  Occasionally, throw a little nasty in there too, while you’re at it.

I hate to be the one that ever downplays a man’s professional career.  Really, I despise it.  But, Green has transformed into one of the many perfect Popovich gems.  Without the opportunity given to him by San Antonio, Green wouldn’t be a starter in the league, or shooting 41.5 percent from 3-point range on 4.7 attempts per night.

If any shooter had their choice of destination to land, where they knew all the proper floor spacing and unselfishness would be there to guide them … they’d be waking up Popovich in the middle of the night at his house.  It would be similar to Coach Carter, when Timo Cruz begged Samuel L. Jackson to let him play on his squad.

In four years with the Spurs, Green has learned how to become a better passer and how to read his teammates’ actions.  Being patient on offense is more of a virtue than the real-life saying, and Green has mastered it with the Spurs.  Notice the beautiful pass to Tony Parker after waiting for him to wrap around and get into the paint:

Many will be impressed with Green’s shooting, but it’s his love for the defensive end that keeps him in the game during crucial moments.  In the Finals, how can we ever forget the terrific on-ball pick-pockets Green had in South Beach, which he would ultimately throw ahead to his teammates for the fast break finish?

Being a part of a system and gaining recognition solely based on that isn’t such a bad thing.  Ask him what he would rather have;  a career in San Antonio or anywhere else on the globe.