Basketball Fiend

(Photo credit: respectkobe.com)

The Sporting News released its Top 50 NBA Players list Thursday with the help of a panel of over 100 players, coaches, former players, front office executives, and announcers, including: Hubie Brown, Mike D’Antoni, Joe Dumars, Tim Hardaway, and Jerry West.

Overall, it’s a solid list. I’m picky, though. I had some problems with it. Not the least of which is that Dickie V had a vote. (Does he even watch NBA basketball?)

Here’s a breakdown of the Top 50 with commentary:

The Top 5

Kobe Bryant topped the list, while LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard, and Tim Duncan rounded out the top 5.

I have no problem with Kobe at number one. He’s the best player on the best team in the league. He plays good defense. And he’s arguably the most dangerous offensive player in the league after training with Hakeem this summer. Yes, LeBron  was the MVP last year. But the two are neck-and-neck at this point, and Kobe has the better team. It makes sense to me that he’s number one overall.

LeBron and D-Wade are gimmes at the two and three spots. They’re the second and third most dangerous players in the league, respectively. Both have led their teams deep into the playoffs, and both are MVP candidates on a yearly basis.

Dwight Howard, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, makes sense at number four. He’s the most dominant center in the league, and he led his team to the Finals last year. No argument here.

I was glad to see Tim Duncan round out the top 5. He’s arguably the best power forward of all-time, and the Spurs have a legitimate shot at the championship this year. He deserves to be mentioned alongside Kobe, LeBron and D-Wade as the league’s best.

Great top 5. The panel did well with this.

The Next Five

Spots seven through ten went to Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Carmelo Anthony and Paul Pierce.

Here’s where I begin to have a problem. Garnett is clearly not as good as Nowitzki this season. Dirk’s a top 5 scorer and one of the most league’s most dangerous closers. KG’s having one of the worst statistical seasons of his career, averaging just 14.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He’s the 41st best rebounder in the league, for crying out loud. Putting KG above Dirk is like putting Jessica Alba above Megan Fox. It just shouldn’t happen. Dirk is hands down a better player right now. He should be seventh, and KG should be somewhere between 12 and 15.

Other than Garnett, I think the panel got the top 10 right. Chris Paul, when healthy, is the best point guard in the league. Dirk is playing like a man possessed. Carmelo Anthony is the third toughest player to defend in the league (behind Kobe and LeBron). And Paul Pierce is shooting over 50 percent from the field for the first time in his career. All good choices.

Replace Garnett with Steve Nash or Deron Williams and I’m a happy man.

More analysis after the jump, including thoughts on Yao, Shaq, Elton Brand, and Andrew Bynum.

Yao and Shaq

These guys are obviously legacy picks at 15 and 16. I don’t like legacy picks.

To his credit, Yao is a top 20 player when healthy. But he’s missing the entire season, meaning he will record exaclty zero points, zero rebounds, and zero blocks for the Rockets this season. I love Yao. But how can you say he’s a top 20, or even a top 50 player, when he contributes nothing but grimaces from the bench? He’s a great player, but he shouldn’t be on this list until he’s healthy.

Likewise, Shaq doesn’t deserve to be 16th. Shaq isn’t even the 16th best player in the Eastern Conference, let alone the 16th best player overall.

Here are stats for Pau Gasol, the 17th player on the list, compared to Shaq:

Pau Gasol - 17.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.5 blocks in 31.7 minutes per game, shooting 58.2 percent FG
Shaq - 11.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.3 blocks in 24.6 minutes per game, shooting 50.9 percent FG

Gasol blows him out of the water, right? Using the “reasonable person” argument, nine guys out of 10 pick Gasol over Shaq at this point. So why is Shaq ranked 16th? Because he had one brilliant game against the Wizards on Nov. 3? Because he’s built up a reservoir of good will throughout the league? Because voters are afraid he’ll sleep with their wives if they don’t vote for him?

It doesn’t make sense.

Shaq plays 24 minutes per game and is so far beyond his prime that he has actually become a detriment to the Cavs’ offense. If he’s the 16th best player in the league, then I’m J.A. Adande.

Tracy McGrady

The panel ranks McGrady 24th even though he hasn’t played a relevant game since February. What is this? A lifetime achievement award? If McGrady is such a valuable player, why are the Rockets shopping him like Frank Lucas and “Blue Magic?” Better still, if he’s so valuable why haven’t there been any bites?

McGrady deserves to be in the top 25 about as much as Keanu Reeves deserves an Academy Award.

There’s no way he should be 24th.

Baron Davis

Ranked 32nd. The panel knows he takes four and a half threes per game and only makes 30 percent of them, right?

Good. Just checking.

Al Horford

Hats off to the committee for putting him 34th. And, no, I’m not being sarcastic. Horford is one of the most underrated guys in the league. An undersized center who averages a double-double and plays vicious defense, he’s one of the main reasons the Hawks are doing as well as they are this season.

Horford’s also a terrific passer, averaging nearly two assists per game against just 1.4 turnovers.

I’m glad he’s getting the recognition he deserves around the league.

Shane Battier

Another terrific choice by the panel at number 44. Battier is an incredibly hard-working defender. (What else would you expect from a Dukie?) His stats aren’t much, but Battier is valuable to the Rockets based on his perimeter defense and his ability to hit threes.

At 10-8, Houston is one of the biggest surprises in the league, and Battier one of the main reasons why.

Elton Brand

He’s ranked 45th despite the fact that he doesn’t even start for a team that’s 5-14 heading into the sixth week of the season.

At age 30, Brand is having the worst statistical season of his career. He looks more washed up than the whale George “saves” on Seinfeld. The only explanation I can think of for why he makes this list is that the Sporting News accidently sent out stats from 2005-06.

There are roughly 20 power forwards playing better than Brand right now. I can’t believe he was even considered for this list, let alone selected.

O.J. Mayo and Charlie Villaneuva

47th and 48th, respectively.

Here are their stat lines for the 2009-10 season:

Mayo - 16.6 points, 2.8 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 44.9% FG, 32.8% 3PT
Charlie V - 15.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 1.1 blocks, 47.1% FG

With all due respect to Mayo, who will one day be an elite shooter in the league, 17 points in 37 minutes isn’t cutting it. Neither is 32.8 percent from downtown when he’s supposed to be a three-point specialist.

The only conceivable reason that I can think of for Mayo making this list is that panelists cast their votes in October; before the season started. The more I think about it, the more that that appears to be the case. What other explanation is there for the inclusion of guys like Brand, McGrady and Charlie V?

Speaking of Charlie V…WTF, committee?

How is Villanueva a better player than Al Jefferson, Kevin Martin, Brook Lopez, Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, Monta Ellis, and Rip Hamilton?

How many All-Star games has Villaneuva made? Zero. How many times has he averaged 20 points in a season? Zero. How many times has he been mentioned in a context other than “Best Tweet of the Year” by an NBA analyst who knows even a little bit what he’s talking about? That’s right, zero!

My point is this: Charlie Villaneuva is a great guy — entertaining, good natured, fun to follow on social media — but he’s nowhere near one of the 50 best players in the league. The idea that 107 people who “know the NBA” think that he is makes me incredibly angry. I can think of literally 25 players who aren’t on this list who deserve to be on it more than Villanueva does.

Hopefully the 13 people who read Basketball Fiend are nodding along with this. Otherwise, what the hell am I doing this for?

Andrew Bynum

Bynum clocks in at 50th. Yes, you read that right. Not 35th. Not 45th. Not even 49th. 50th!

All the guy’s done throughout the first month of the season is average an 18/10/2.2 while shooting over 57 percent from the field and getting to the free throw line five times a game. What’s not to like about that?

Bynum is playing like an All-Star. He’s arguably the best center in the West, and the most dominant interior player in the league other than Dwight Howard. There’s no way he should be this low. (Personally, I’d rank him no lower than 30th. Right before Vince Carter and Danny Granger.) Unless he gets injured again…

Just kidding, Lakers fans!

Omissions

Here are stat lines for five guys who I feel should have been included in the top 50:

Kevin Martin - 30.6 points, 2.6 assists, 2 steals per game; 42.3% FG, 44.7% 3PT

Brook Lopez - 18.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.3 blocks; 47.1% FG

Antawn Jamison - 21.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists; 51.1% FG

Gerald Wallace - 15.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, 1.7 steals; 40.9% FG

Chris Kaman - 19 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks; 48.7% FG

Did I miss anybody?

Let me know in the comment section below.

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