NBA Top 50 Trade Value: 7-25

25. Greg Oden, POR, C, 20 yrs
5,011,680 09/10- 5,361,240 10/11- 6,796,524 (TO) 11/12- 8,788,681 (QO)
Could Oden be in a better situation? It's not possible. Portland is completely off the national media radar in a town that is more infatuated with the Blazers than men are with Madmen's . The Blazers are in such good shape as an organization they get a free pass this year from everybody as long as they make the playoffs. For Oden, there's as little pressure as humanly possible for him to do or be anything. Some have either written him off or lost interest, and that couldn't be better. The Best Coach in Basketball (sorry there's my Sonics bias coming through) Nate McMillan can bring Oden along slowly (he played over 40 minutes for the first time in a game just last week) because he has a decent backup center in Joel the Vanilla Gorilla Prysbilla, and so far Oden's doing just fine thank you. He's not the next David Robinson or Hakeem or maybe even Patrick Ewing, but at worst (and this is not meant as a backhanded compliment) isn't he a more offensively skilled Dikembe Mutumbo? A force on the defensive end and on the glass that can give you 15-18 a night scoring? IF he can avoid injuries (and right now that's a huge if), his baseline skill set is a top 3 or 4 center in the league. The more I write the more I think I've got him rated too low- or I'm still just way too high on him.

24. Danny Granger, IND, F, 25 yrs
$2,329,804 09/10- $9,930,500 10/11- $10,973,202 11/12- $12,015,904 12/13- $13,058,606 13/14- $14,021,788
Living here in Minnesota I (thankfully) have no emotional investment in the Timberwolves, and if I get angry just thinking about how Wolves coach/VP Kevin McHale took Rashad McCants over Granger, I can't even imagine how the 12 Wolves that are left handle it. Saying Granger is infinitely better than McCants is like saying Paris Hilton has no discernable talent- it's the understatement of understatements. What's more of an understatement than an understatement? A way-understatement? Downunderstatement? Uberunderstatement? After a breakout 2007-08, Granger so far is averaging 24.5 pts, 5 boards, 3 assists, over an steal and block per game with a PER of 20. McCants is averaging 9 pts shooting 34% with a PER of 9 on a team that is giving him every opportunity to prove himself. Great pick there by McHale. I can't wait to see how he screws up their FOUR 1st round picks this summer (make no mistake, after this horrible season concludes for Minnesota McHale WILL keep a job with the team and WILL still have influence with their decisions).

23. Al Jefferson, MIN, F, 23 yrs
11,000,000 09/10- 12,000,000 10/11- 13,000,000 11/12- 14,000,000 12/13- 15,000,000
Yes he’s 23 and already averaging 20 and 10. But how can he be that good offensively and that bad defensively? If you’re agile, strong and quick on one end, shouldn’t you still be the same way on the other? Also, Big Al, when more than one defender is trying to take the ball away from you, it means someone else is open so you should probably pass it. Well unless that guy is Rashad McCants…or Jason Collins…or Bassy Telfair…or Kevin Ollie…or- you know what? Nevermind, just keep shooting over double and triple teams. Your odds of scoring are just as good as one of your teammates scoring with no one on them.

22. Andrew Bynum, LAL, C, 21 yrs
2,769,300 09/10- 12,526,998 10/11- 13,842,332 11/12- 15,157,667 12/13- 16,473,002 (TO)
On the plus side, Bynum has shown no ill effects from microfracture knee surgery, averaging 12/8/2 in just 28 minutes per game for a solid PER of 18.21. The negatives? I wonder if he hasn’t shown much of a low post game because he hasn’t had to, or because he’s just not going to be that kind of player. And I also wonder- just what exactly IS his ceiling? Can he be a franchise center or not? Do you also realize he’s just a year younger than Dwight Howard? I know Bynum lost a season because of his knee, but Howard is currently light years better, and was much further along at this stage of his career. Bynum is also about to get really, really expensive starting next season. Still has a lot of potential, but also a lot of questions, which is why I’m sticking him here.

21. Devin Harris, NYJ, PG, 25 yrs
7,800,000
I've read enough of the likes of USSMariner and John Hollinger to know that a 8 weeks worth of games is an extremely small sample size to be making much of a judgment about a player's performance, but I still can't help but be blown away by the first two months that Devin Harris has had. He's so far averaged 25 points (fourth in the league), 6.4 assists (with a 3-1 assist/turnover ratio), and 1.3 steals with 48% FG and 81 FT% with a ridiculous PER of 28.31 (last season he had a career high PER of 17.63). He just went off for 47 on Phoenix, the sixth time this season he's scored at least 30 points (number of 30 point games in four previous seasons- zero). Call me crazy, but I don’t think this is a mirage, and Harris has the potential to be one of the best guards in the league.

20. Brandon Roy, POR, G, 24 yrs
3,084,240 09/10- 3,910,816 10/11- 5,217,028 (QO)
Hey, speaking of players Kevin McHale passed on in the draft, it's Brandon Roy everybody! All he did in his first two years was average 19 points, 5 assists, 4.5 boards and a PER in the high teens. This year? Ree-freaking-diculous so far: the assists and rebounds have remained, but his shooting % is up in all three categories (FG, 3Pt and FT) as is his scoring at 23.4 a night (he went for 52 last night) which all equates to a PER of 25. Wow. Just wow. I'm going to stop now in case there are any Wolves fans listening, because the team can't afford to lose any more of those.

19. Emanuel Ginobili, SA, G, 31 yrs
9,900,000 09/10- 10,725,000
GI-NO-BI-LI!!!!!!!!!!!!! I still love it when Sir Charles yells that on TNT. I really do. I really, really dislike Manu for many, many reasons but he continues to be one of the most valuable players in the league. If he’d been healthier the last year, he’d be higher on the list. A steal of a deal at just $20 million for the next two years. Do they have rules in Argentina about being underpaid?

18. Carlos Boozer, UTA, F, 27 yrs
11,594,817 09/10- 12,657,233 (PO)
One of the league’s best power forwards, and he’ll look even better when he’s playing alongside Dwyane Wade and Michael Beasley in Miami next year. But don’t you figure the karma gods have to be coming for him, and soon? I mean it’s been three years since he stabbed a blind man in the back in Cleveland and bolted for Utah. Sure, having to live in Utah should probably be punishment enough, but he’s still going to be a bazillionaire and get to live in South Beach. Reparations have to be coming, right? Did I mention he went to Duke? Reparations are DEFINITELY coming then. Enjoy the good life while it lasts, Carlos.

17. (tie) Dirk Nowitzki, DAL, F, 30 yrs
18,077,904 09/10- 19,795,714 10/11- 21,513,524 (PO)
Paul Pierce, BOS, F, 31 yrs old
18,077,903 09/10- 19,795,712 10/11- 21,513,521 (PO)
Two of the best forwards in the league making identical salaries. Pierce may be a year older, but he didn’t just earn a championship ring, he was the go-to guy on that team. Nowitzki’s advantage is that while he’s a Euro and choked in the Finals, he didn’t fake an injury in the Finals where he had to get carried off the court looking like he might need his legs amputated only to return a quarter later looking like absolutely nothing happened. I know Pierce recovered from being stabbed, but you can’t overlook the fake knee injury either.

15. Carmelo Anthony, DEN, F, 24 yrs
14,410,581 09/10- 15,779,912 10/11- 17,149,243 11/12- 18,518,575 (PO)
Can you believe Melo’s only 24? Doesn’t it seem like he’s been in the league for at least 10 years? Can you also believe he’s now clearly the FOURTH best player from the 2003 draft (the top three are still to come)? An awesome offensive talent, Anthony has never emerged as the leader he was at Syracuse, and his reputation has taken a hit. This season his numbers are down, but he’s trying to play through two painful elbows that have bone spurs in them, so you can’t really blame them. If he can somehow get healthy for the playoffs Anthony may have his best opportunity to make a long playoff run with Billups running the point, but at the moment that seems like a big if ((espn.com says bone spurs can only be fixed through surgery).

14. Joe Johnson, ATL, PG, 27 yrs
14,232,566 09/10-14,976,754
Johnson is one of the least talked about free agents for the 2010 bonanza, yet he could have one of the biggest impacts for his new team. In four seasons since being traded to the Hawks in 2005, the 6’7 combo guard has averaged 40 minutes a game, 22.4 pts, 5.7 asts (with just 2.9 TO’s for an almost 3/1 assist-to-turnover ratio), and 4.4 reb, on 45% shooting. With the Hawks finally playing well this season, Johnson might finally get some recognition as one of the league’s best players. Of course the recognition he’d really appreciate would be a huge payday in the summer of 2010, and he should get it from somebody who misses out on Lebron and DWade.

13. Kevin Durant, OKC, F, 20 yrs
$4,484,040 09/10-$4,796,880 10/11-$6,053,662 11/12- $7,900,029
When I started putting this list together in late November, I had Durant ranked somewhere in the 20's. In his first year last season, and then the first month of this year, for reasons unbeknownst to modern science the dolts coaching him insisted on playing him out of position as a two guard. This would be like buying a Ferrari and then only using it to drive to the grocery store on back roads doing 25 mph. Coming out of college Durant had a rare blend as an unstoppable scorer, capable rebounder (averaged over 10 a game at Texas) and showed a work ethic you just don't see in teenagers. In other words, he would be a monster at forward and a total waste of his abilities at the two. Sure enough, as a guard he had horrible shot selection, jacked up threes, and picked up more bad habits than rebounds. Last season he averaged just 20 pts and 4 rebounds with a disappointing PER of just 15, and for the first month of this year his numbers were very similar. Then his coach PJ Carleismo got fired, and while it was a little ridiculous (Jesus Christ crossed with Red Auerbauch couldn't coach this team to the playoffs let alone 30 wins this year), it did finally clue in those in charge to move Durant to small forward. In the month of December, the results have been nothing short of spectacular, averaging 25 pts, 7.4 boards, over 1.5 stls and blks per game, and a PER near 19. THIS is the Kevin Durant we expected when he was drafted last year, and this is the kid with the limitless ceiling that could challenge Lebron and Chris Paul as the game's best in a few more years. If his December performance is sustainable, the 20 year old could be one of the most valuable players in the league by season's end.

12. Yao Ming, HOU, C, 28 yrs
15,070,550 09/10- 16,378,325 10/11- 17,686,100
The only reason Yao is ranked this high is because he’s from China. And because he’s from China he sells about a gazillion dollars worth of merchandise for the Rockets, so to trade him would mean no matter how much better they get on the court, they’d be missing out on a gazillion dollars of merchandise. If you haven’t noticed, owners like making a lot of money. But if Yao were white or black or Latino or from any other country besides the largest emerging Super Power nation with over a billion people, he would be ranked somewhere in the 20’s on this list. No seriously, he would. Yes, he hasn’t had a PER below 20 in his career, and you’re getting 20 points, 10 boards, and 2 blocks per game. But you know what else you’re getting? Him sitting in street cloths for at least 30 games a year because hasn’t played more than 57 games in a season since 2004-05. I would call that injury prone. Oh, and because he’s Chinese (and it’s “alleged” that China maybe can’t be trusted when they say how old their athletes are), he could be a little bit older than the 28 he says he is. Or a lot.


11. Amare Stoudamire, PHX, C, 26 yrs
15,070,550 09/10- 16,378,325 10/11- 17,686,100 (PO)
Of all the ways Suns owner Robert Sarver has killed Suns fans over the years, we’re starting to see that the worst thing he may have done was letting coach Mike D’Antoni walk. Only Shaq has been better this season, and that could be due as much to Shaq’s effort and being in shape as it is to new coach Terry Porter. We do know that Porter sure hasn’t helped anyone else, especially Amare. As far as we know, Stoudamire is as healthy as ever, yet his numbers are WAY down: last year he averaged 25 & 9 with 2 blocks while shooting 59% in just 33 minutes a night. This year he’s actually playing MORE (37 mins a game), but has managed only 21/8/1 on 55% shooting. He’s ranked this high because before this season, he looked like one of the best centers in the league. But if this is more indicative of his true level of production, then he’ll be dropping a long ways in next year’s rankings.


9. (tie) Deron Williams, UTA, PG, 24 yrs
$5,069,448 09/10- $13,785,000 10/11-$15,202,590 11/12- $16,647,180 12/13-$18,091,770 (PO)
Tony Parker, SA, G, 26 yrs
11,550,000 09/10- 12,600,000 10/11- 13,500,000
Both of these guys are PERFECT for their current systems and coaches. Parker's a scoring point guard whose slashing/penetrating style works beautifully with Duncan and Ginobili. He's taken his game to another level this season, bumping his scoring average from 16 to 22 a night and has upped his assists too from 5.5 to 6.7. He HAS to be in the top 5 MVP conversation so far with a ridiculous 24.33 PER (a full 3 points higher than his previous best in any other season). Williams is a pure pass-first point (2nd in the league in assists with 9.7 per game) who can be an efficient scorer when the opportunity arises (went for 29 on 61% shooting in a win over Detroit on 12/19 and scored 27 in just 33 minutes on an identical 11-18 and 61% shooting from the field in a blowout win of Philly on 12/29). They're both of the best point guards alive and at 26 and 23 years old respectively, will be two of the best at the position for years to come.

8. Derrick Rose, CHI, PG, 20 yrs
4,822,800 09/10- 5,184,480 10/11- 5,546,160 (TO) 11/12- 6,993,707 (TO) 12/13- 9,091,819 (QO)
While Williams and Parker are two of the top three or four point guards in the NBA, that's as good as they can be. I'd take Rose over both because he has the potential to be not just the best PG in the league, but to challenge Lebron, Kobe, CP3 and Dwight Howard as the best PLAYER in the league. And it could happen sooner than anyone thought. His first two months in the L have been nothing short of amazing, averaging 17 points and 6.3 assists (and just 2.74 turnovers) at the ripe old age of 20!! Even more surprising is that Rose, who was supposed to have a suspect jumper, has so far shot 34% from 3 (14-41), 47.7% from the field and just shy of 80% from the charity stripe. That might not sound that amazing until you realize that by comparison Parker didn't average 17 points a game until his 5th season and didn't average more than 6.1 assists until this year, his 8th in the NBA. Williams averaged just 10.8 pts and 4.5 asts his rookie year, and while his assists went way up, he still hasn't shown the scoring ability Rose already has. What about Chris Paul, you say? As a rookie in 05/06 CP3 did average more assists (7.8) and steals (2.2 to Rose's 1.0) with slightly less turnovers (2.3), but he didn't score as much as Rose has (16.3 pts) and shot much worse (43% FG and 28% 3PT). Believe it or not Magic Johnson is the only point guard to have better rookie numbers across the board than Rose has posted so far (Isiah Thomas scored about the same as Rose and had more assists and steals but WAY more turnovers and wasn't close in shooting percentages). Have I mentioned he's only 20?!? Have I? Parker and Williams might be perfect for the teams, but they'd give up either one for Rose, whereas the Bulls would say "what else are you throwing into the deal?" Well if their GM wasn't John Paxson, he'd say that.

7. Tim Duncan, SA, C, 32 yrs
20,598,703 09/10- 22,183,218 10/11- 18,700,000 11/12- 21,300,000
The Big Fundamental could also be called the Big Constant or Mr. Reliable. Not the most exciting nicknames but Duncan's never been about excitement, just productivity. At 32, he's shown few signs of slowing down, averaging 20 pts, 10 boards, and 2 blocks a game- all just slightly under his career averages. And since TD already relies on the fundamentals, it means he should be a 20/10/2 player well into his late 30's because he doesn't have to worry about losing quickness or jumping ability.

NBA Top 50: 1-6
NBA Top 50: 26-50