Part two of my NBA player rankings, with apologies to the injured (Kevin Martin, Mike Dunleavy Jr., etc.) I must say, the position is a lot weaker than you would think, as the demise of the center has been widely documented.
30. Donte Jones – Denver Nuggets – 5.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.8 apg, 44% FG. He only starts over J.R. Smith because George Karl hates Smith, but ultimately Smith gets most of the playing time.
29. DeShawn Stevenson – Washington Wizards – 7.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.2 apg, 31% FG, 28% 3PT, 54% FT. His numbers are pretty miserable, but he plays hard for them.
28. Damien Wilkins – OKC – 5.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.2 apg, 32% FG, 38% 3PT, 83% FT. Yikes.
27. Marco Belinelli – Golden State Warriors – 9.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.8 apg, 47% FG, 37% 3PT. Will likely be glued to the bench when Monta Ellis returns.
26. Rasual Butler – New Orleans Hornets – 8.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.7 apg, 1 spg, 42% FG, 42% 3PT, 74% FT. He’s a good three-point shooter on a team with a lot of open looks via CP3.
25. Francisco Garcia – Sacramento Kings – 11.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1 spg, 1 bpg, 41% FG, 33% 3PT, 81 % FT. He’s a decent guy to have in your rotation.
24. Raja Bell – Charlotte Bobcats (8 games) – 8.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.1 apg, 39% FG, 43% 3PT. A Larry Brown guy on the downside of his career playing for Larry Brown, which means he’ll still get minutes.
23. Keith Bogans – Orlando Magic – 6.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.9 apg, 37% FG, 34% 3PT, 85% FT. He gets bonus points for a rep as a good defender.
22. Wilson Chandler – New York Knicks – 14 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1 spg, 1 bpg, 42% FG, 30% 3PT, 80% FT. I wonder what his numbers would look like with any team in the league besides these guys.
21. Anthony Parker – Toronto Raptors – 9.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.4 spg, 39% FG, 44% 3PT, 80% FT. I thought he would play better than he has so far and I’m guessing the Raptors did too.
20. Eric Gordon – Los Angeles Clippers – 9.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1 spg, 43% FG, 36% 3PT, 80% FT. With a stroke that pretty, it’s a wonder his shooting percentages are so low.
19. Mike Miller – Minnesota Timberwolves – 10.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 3.7 apg, 48% FG, 39% 3PT, 74% FT. He’s still a productive player and would probably be a better fit with a winning team, as the T’Wolves would be better served seeing what they have in McCants, Foye, Telfair, etc.
18. Ronnie Brewer – Utah Jazz – 12.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.9 spg, 47% FG, 25% 3PT, 69% FT. A solid defender and a good athlete, he’s a great compliment to Deron Williams running the point.
17. Marquis Daniels – Indiana Pacers – 16.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.1 spg, 47% FG, 19% 3PT, 75% FT. I probably like this guy a lot more than I should.
16. Roger Mason – San Antonio Spurs – 12.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.0 apg, 45%FG, 47% 3PT, 87% FT. I like this guy a lot more than I should too.
15. Delonte West – Cleveland Cavaliers – 12.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.5 spg, 45% FG, 39% 3PT, 85% FT. Believe it or not, the Cavs have a pretty solid team around LeBron James. While the king is playing as good as ever, it’s been the improved play of his sidekicks that make them a Top 3 team.
14. Andre Iguodala – Philadelphia 76ers – 15.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.6 spg, 44% FG, 24% 3PT, 73% FT. About that contract …
13. Ben Gordon – Chicago Bulls – 21 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.9 apg, 45% FG, 43% 3PT, 85% FT. A hell of a scorer and not much else.
12. Jason Terry – 20.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.4 spg, 47% FG, 36% 3PT, 86% FT. The Jet is having a career year in Dallas. The big difference between him and Ben Gordon is defense.
11. Jason Richardson – Phoenix Suns (5 games) – 16.8 ppg, 6 rpg, 2 apg, 46% FG, 73% FT. Although I wasn’t a fan of this trade, I must admit this was a hell of an upgrade over Raja Bell.
10. Michael Redd – Milwaukee Bucks – 18.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1 spg, 40% FG, 34% 3PT, 86% FT. He’d probably love to be LeBron’s sidekick right about now.
9. Allen Iverson – Detroit Pistons (24 games) – 18.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 5.7 apg, 1.8 spg, 43% FG, 35% 3PT, 84% FT. I wonder how much longer he’s going to play, as his contract expires at the end of this season.
8. O.J. Mayo – Memphis Grizzlies – 20.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.1 spg, 46% FG, 41% 3PT, 89% FT. Although he’s a ballhog, Mayo has played a lot better than I expected him to.
7. Ray Allen – Boston Celtics – 18.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.6 apg, 50% FG, 40% 3PT, 92% FT. Still has the prettiest stroke in the game.
6. Tracy McGrady – Houston Rockets – 15.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.1 spg, 40% FG, 40% 3PT, 83% FT. Sometimes I wonder if he wants it. Between the first round woes and the injury woes, it just seems like he doesn’t always go hard.
5. Vince Carter – New Jersey Nets – 23 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1 spg, 46% FG, 40% 3PT, 80% FT. In a season where most people expected him to mail it in, the back court duo of him and Devin Harris has arguably been the best in the east.
4. Joe Johnson – Atlanta Hawks – 23.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 5.7 apg, 1.2 spg, 45% FG, 36% 3PT, 82% FT. The Hawks hot start has him finally getting the shine he deserves.
3. Brandon Roy – Portland Trailblazers – 23 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.3 apg, 1 spg, 47% FG, 37% 3PT, 84% FT. After dropping 52 on the Suns the other day, the world finally knows who Brandon Roy is.
2. Dwyane Wade – Miami Heat – 28.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 6.9 apg, 2.2 spg, 1.6 bpg, 49% FG, 25% 3PT, 75% FT. He’s been the MVP of the league right now, and is closing the gap between him and you know who as the league’s best two guard.
1. Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers – 26.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.5 spg, 47% FG, 33% 3PT, 87% FT. All he needs is a non-Shaq title to solidify his status in the NBA Top 10 all-time.
Monday, December 29, 2008
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