Jeff: Top 10

10. Andrei Kirilenko, F, Utah Jazz, 6'9, 225lbs, 24 yrs, 6yrs/$86.4 million, 38.2mpg, 15.6 ppg, 8.4reb, 4.4 apg, 1.69 stl, 2.75 blk, 20.43 PER
A 5 stat guy that does everything for you-- except lead. Hey I'd love to have this guy on my team doing anything I asked, but I have two problems: he's not a go-to guy, and he's making $86 MILLION FOR THE NEXT 6 YEARS!!!! AK47 at $50 mill? Love him. At $86 mill? Hmmmm not so sure. Great young talent who's underappreciated and overpaid. Coolest nickname in the league, though.

9. Gilbert Arenas, G, Washington Wizards, 6'4, 210lbs, 24 yrs, 4yrs/$46.2 million, 41.8mpg, 27.9 ppg, 3.7 reb, 5.9 apg, 1.8 stl, 22.72 PER
Wow, anybody else surprised by his scoring this year? A me-first type of point, but the 5.9 assists is respectable, and the 27.9 ppg and over 40 minutes a nice more than makes up for it. A reasonable contract for one of the 5 best points in the league. Memo to K. McHale: this is what can happen when you use your 2nd round pick on talent instead of an overrated, undersized Big 10 player. Just throwing it out there.

8. Chris Paul, G, New Orleans/Oklahoma City/Okabogee Hornest, 6'0, 175lbs, 20 yrs, 5 yrs/$20.8 million, 36 mpg, 16.3 ppg, 5.7 reb, 7.8 apg, 2.2 stl, 22.14 PER,
Where to even start with this kid? What impresses you most? THe assists? Rebounds? steals? An almost 3-1 assist-turnover ration? Yes he's only 6'0, but he's not as reckless going to the rim as Iverson, so I think his frame can hold-up. The only thing left for him to do to complete the Isiah Thomas comparison is win 2 titles, get left off the Olympic team, and single-handedly destroy an entire minor league, AND a prominent NBA franchise. I'm personally hoping the last two end up being the WNBA (wait who am I kidding? The CBA was WAY better than the WNBA!) and the Lakers.

7. Carmelo Anthony, F, Denver Nuggets, 6'8, 230lbs, 21 yrs, 3 yrs/$14.6 million, 36.6 mpg, 25.7 ppg, 5.3 reb, 1.22 stl, 21.43 PER
Yeah the age is not a typo there. In his 3 year career he's been labeled NBA savior, then a baby, and now "The New Bernard King". It was unfair to compare the kid to Lebron, only because so few people on planet earth have Lebron's maturity at 18 or 19. Melo's taken some time to mature, and has taken his lumps for it, but I honestly think he's better off without the Lebron comparisons now. He's a lethal scorer who wants and makes big shots, and believe it or not, has been much more clutch than LBJ early in their careers. Whoops, there's another Lebron comparison.
One other comment: Yes, Joe Dumars has built the NBA's best team in Detroit, but if I'm a Pistons fan, I'd still be upset we passed on Melo for $%^&ing Darko! Dumars can hum and haw all he wants about how "we had Tayshaun already" and "where he start on this team" and everything else. Stop it. You had the #2 pick in the draft and you're getting NOTHING from him. No team in basketball history couldn't use a 20 point-a-game scorer. With Melo the Pistons would be making a serious run at 80 wins- I'm not kidding. As the Jer would say "I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin.'"

6. Greg Oden, C, Lawrence North High School (Indianapolis, IN), 7'0, 245lbs, 18yrs
Being called by people smarter than me the best high school center since Shaquille O'Neal (remember Tim Duncan, from the Virgin Islands, was relatively unknown at the time). Could he just as easily be the next Eddy Curry as the next David Robinson? Absolutely, but the potential of being a once-in-generation center puts him this high. Thanks to the new draft rule, we'll all get a good look at him at Ohio State next year when he should destroy the Big 10 before going to the draft. If New Orleans/Oklahoma/Aberdeen was smart, Chris Paul would fake an injury next year to give them the best shot at him. Paul and Oden together? Wow. Instead he'll probably be wasted on the Raptors. Thanks to Isiah Thomas, at least the Knicks can't get him.

5. Chris Bosh, F/C, Toronto Raptors, 6'10. 230lbs, 21 yrs, 3 yrs/$13.3 million, 38.9 pmg, 22.9 ppg, 9.2 reb, 1.08 blk, 23.69 PER
If I didn't loathe Toronto as much as I do, I'd also feel sorry for any basketball fans they have there. First Vince Carter quits on them, they get literally nothing for him, and then he turns back into an allstar. Now Chris Bosh is making the leap just in time for Raptors fans to realize there's absolutely no way he'll resign there. Honestly, what has a better chance of happening: Chris Bosh resigning with the Raptors, or Canada renouncing beer? We're maybe 5 years away from contracting the Raptors, and I think we should take New Orleans/Oklahoma/Tombstone, and Orlando down with them. But of course that makes WAY too much sense to ever happen.

4. Dwight Howard, F/C, Orlando Magic, 6'11, 240 lbs, 20 yrs, 4 yrs/$23.2 million, 37 mpg, 15.3 ppg, 12.5 reb, 1.57 blk, 19.37 PER
Two words: "Man Child." Or "Moses Malone". Hey I'll admit I thought Orlando should have gone with the sure thing and taken Okafor instead of Howard. You just never know with high school kids how hard they're going to work until AFTER they've signed a 5 year guaranteed deal. Howard showed from day 1 he's the real deal, and because of the potential, high school kids keep getting taken so high. But as NBA GM, I'd still be nervous. Not the case with Howard though, a double-double machine for the next decade. Can he be the go-to guy, and become a 20-15 behemouth? Time will tell, but we know if it doesn't happen, it won't be because of a lack of effort.

3. Dwayne Wade, G, Miami Heat, 6'4, 212 lbs, 24yrs, 3 yrs/$11.8 million, 39mpg, 27 ppg, 5.9 reb, 6.9 ast, 2.0 stl, 28.01 PER
To me, the top 3 guys are head and shoulders better than anybody else on the list, but there's not much separating them from each other. Wade's "only" the third best player despite the fact he's proven more than the other two guys. He not only puts up monster numbers in the regular season, but proved last post-season he's capable of carrying a team by himself. Shaq was right when he said "this is Dwayne Wade's team". Too bad Shaq didn't tell that to Pat Riley, who went out and got Jason Williams and Antoine Walker to take shots away from Wade. Look when you have two dominant players, you surround them with complimentary guys, NOT selfish ball-hogging, no-talent ass-clowns. Not only that, he clogged up the salary cap for the next 3 years. Good thing Dwayne will only be 27 when they get some flexibility back.

2. Amare Stoudamire, F, Phoenix Suns, 6'10, 245 lbs, 23 yrs, 6 yrs/$75.2 million, 36.1 mpg, 26.0 ppg, 8.9 reb, 1.6 blk, 26.71 PER
Obviously this is contigent on his knee healing, and him returning to 100% health. He's due back in March, and considering the Suns are leading the Pacific with a solid hold on the #2 seed, if I'm Phoenix I'm keeping him out till April. Give him two weeks to get in shape, and then be ready to go for the playoffs. At just 23, he's ready to overtake Duncan as the league's best big man, and considering he AVERAGED almost 38 & 10 in the western conference finals loss to the Spurs last year, I don't think that's going out on a limb. IF he's healthy for the playoffs, I think they've got a great shot to knock off the Spurs.

1. Lebron James, G, Cleveland Cavaliers, 6'8, 240lbs, 21 yrs, 3 yrs/$21.1 million, 41.8 mpg, 30.9 ppg, 6.9 reb, 6.5 ast, 1.64 stl, 28.70 PER
You were expecting Darko? Three years in it's safe to say he's the best combination of size and skill we've ever seen. The question now should be: can you teach a killer instinct? Thus far in his career, we haven't seen it, and I know a lot of things come with age, but I don't know if that will to dominate is one of them. He hasn't had a great supporting cast in the past, and he certainly has less to work with than others even this year. Basketball fans love him for his passing talents, but those have diminished as his scoring has gone up, yet when the game's on the line, he seems more apt to pass instead of score. Am I wrong? I hope so, and this post-season will be VERY telling for me on just whether King James really can challenge MJ as the greatest of all-time. He's got the ability, but does he have the will? Will he be MJ, or the NBA's version of Peyton Manning/A-Rod?