Top 25, 25 or Under

I went through the NBA and ranked the top 25 players that are 25 years older or younger. Rankings were based on the idea that salaries and teams do not matter - solely the value of that player. So for instance, right now, Andrea Bargnani is clearly not as good of a player as Gerald Wallace. However, because of potential, the Raptors would not trade him straight up for Wallace.

The top eleven or so picks were pretty easy, but the rest of the way was very difficult. At the end, I had sixteen or so guys for ten spots. I had to leave off: Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor, Leandro Barbosa, Al Horford, Monta Ellis, Rajon Rondo, T.J. Ford, Devin Harris, Chris Kaman, Mike Conley, and David Lee.

Here were my rankings:

1) LeBron James
2) Dwight Howard
3) Dwyane Wade
4) Chris Paul
5) Carmelo Anthony
6) Amare Stoudamire
7) Chris Bosh
8) Kevin Durant
9) Greg Oden
10) Al Jefferson
11) Deron Williams
12) Andrew Bynum
13) Kevin Martin
14) Tony Parker
15) Yi Jianlian
16) Brandon Roy
17) Andrea Bargnani
18) LaMarcus Aldridge
19) Josh Smith
20) Marvin Williams
21) Gerald Wallace
22) Luol Deng
23) Andre Iguodala
24) Danny Granger
25) Al Horford

Off Day NBA Thoughts

On a Bulls off day and only one game occuring tonight, I wanted to record some random league thoughts I had:

-During Scott Skiles’ three full seasons as the Bulls head coach, the team has started off very slowly. It is probably impossible to determine if this is the fault of the players, coaches, management, scheduling or a combination of all, but it certainly is frustrating for everyone involved. In the 2004-05 season, the Bulls lost their first nine games and after 15 games they were only 2-13. In 2005-06, after ten games the teams record was 5-5. Last season, the Bulls were 3-7 after ten games and started the season with a 3-9 record before they turned things around. The Bulls have an important week ahead of them (Clippers, Pistons, Raptors) before they begin a six game road stand. They need to pickup their play very quickly, starting tomorrow night when they face the Clippers.

-Richard Jefferson certainly looks healthy for the first time in awhile after only playing in 55 regular season games last season. Jefferson scored 29 points in his first game against the Bulls, 27 against the Raptors, and 22 in his most recent game at Philadelphia.

-Kevin Durant has the chance to easily win the Rookie of the Year this season. With limited talent around him on Seattle's roster, Durant will be taking a great deal of shots and will play a lot of minutes. After three games, he has taken more than 19 shots more than the next player on his team.

-A key reason for the Wizards struggles so far this season is the amount of turnovers committed by their key players. Caron Butler leads the league in turnovers per game and Gilbert Arenas is in fifth in that category.

-Chris Paul looks like he's ready to take back the position of top rookie in the 2005 class from Deron Williams. Paul is fearless going to the basket and looks like he has improved his perimeter shooting. In addition, he has been getting to the free throw line a great deal.

-I don't want to hear anything more about the Bulls not playing with enough "energy". Their failures this season go much further than effort or energy concerns. Ben Wallace has not put up big rebounding numbers once this year, Tyrus Thomas continues to play inconsistently, Luol Deng has not shot the ball well from the field, Andres Nocioni is taking too many three point shots, Ben Gordon has not shown a sense of urgency until the second half, Kirk Hinrich has struggled from the field and picked up too many fouls, and Joe Smith appears to just be getting back into playing shape. They have not won a game yet this year because of a lack of energy, but because they have not executed well.

Utah's Return to the Top

Last season, Utah Jazz general manager, Kevin O’Connor, tasted success for the first time since his first year with the franchise. O’Connor joined the Jazz organization on August 26, 1999. After five straight seasons of not reaching forty wins and having not made the playoffs in three previous seasons, the Jazz found success. In 2006-07, Utah won 51 regular season games and made it to the Western Conference finals.

O’Connor’s fortunes changed with the 2005-06 draft. O’Connor had very limited success in the draft in his first several seasons, selecting mostly players who made no impact or insignificant impact with the franchise. Here’s a look at his first five drafts as the general manager of the Jazz:

2000-01 Deshawn Stevenson (23), Kaniel Dickens (50)
Comment: Stevenson was chose directly from high school and struggled to fit in with coach Jerry Sloan. Stevenson was productive in 2003-04 with the Jazz, but was not with the team the next season. Dickens never played for the Jazz.
Passed On: Primoz Brezec, Marco Jaric, Eddie House, Eduardo Najera, Michael Redd

2001-02 Raul Lopez (24), Jarron Collins (53)
Comment: Lopez was a disapppointment in two seasons with the Jazz. Collins provided nice value from a second round pick, but has never been a key contributor for Utah. The Jazz chose Lopez when a handful of better point guards were available.
Passed On: Gerald Wallace, Samuel Dalembert, Jamaal Tinsley, Tony Parker, Gilbert Arenas

2002-03 Curtis Borchardt (18); traded Ryan Humphrey (19) and Jamal Sampson (47) to Orlando
Comment: Borchardt had two very unproductive seasons with the Jazz.
Passed On: Tayshaun Prince, Nenad Krstic, John Salmons, Carlos Boozer

2003-04 Sasha Pavlovic (19), Mo Williams (47)
Comment: Although both players developed well later on in their careers, neither of these two players made an impact with the Jazz. Both players were traded relatively quickly after being drafted.
Passed On: Boris Diaw, Brian Cook, Carlos Delfino, Leandro Barbosa, Josh Howard

2004-05 Kris Humphries (14), Kirk Snyder (16); chose Pavel Podkolzin (21) then traded him to Dallas for their 2005-06 first round pick
Comment: Neither Humphries nor Snyder were impact players for Utah. Currently, neither play is on the team’s roster. However, the first round pick acquired from Dallas ended up paying off well for the Jazz.
Passed On: Al Jefferson, Josh Smith, Jameer Nelson, Delonte West, Kevin Martin

These five drafts provided no significant players for the Jazz and contributed to the low point for the organization. In the 2004-05, the Jazz went 26-56 and finished with the third worse record in the NBA.

Since then, however, the Jazz have turned things around. On the night of the 2005-06 draft, the Jazz traded their sixth pick and twenty-seventh pick to Portland for the third pick. With that pick, Utah drafted Deron Williams. In his rookie season, Williams finished fourth in the NBA among rookies in points per game, third in assists per game, and fourth in minutes per game. Although Utah only won forty-one games, it was obvious that they were making a step in the right direction. This year, Williams become one of the best point guards in the NBA and led Utah to playoff victories over Houston and Golden State before losing to the eventual champions, the San Antonio Spurs. In 2006-07, Williams finished amongst all NBA point guards, eight in points per game, second in assists per game, seventh in rebounds per game, and fifth in minutes per game.

In the second round, the Jazz selected C.J. Miles with the thirty-fourth pick and Robert Whaley with the fifty-first pick. Both players played in more than twenty games during their time with Utah, but neither is currently with the team.

In 2006-07, the Jazz selected three impact players: Ronnie Brewer at fourteen, Dee Brown at fourty-six, and Paul Millsap at fourty-seven. Brown saw time sporadically throughout last season, but will not be returning this year. Brewer and Millsap both figure into Utah’s long-term plans. In this past draft, the Jazz selected Morris Almond at twenty-five and Herbert Hill at fifty-five. Hill most likely will not be a relevant addition to Utah, but Almond could play a big factor almost immediately. Almond has an NBA-ready body and is an excellent perimeter shooter. He moves well without the ball and has shown an effective post game. Ball handling and quickness are the two biggest areas Almond needs to improve on.

With a core of Brewer, Millsap, Williams, and Almond added to the veterans the Jazz have on their roster, O'Connor has put together a team that should be able to contend consistently for the years to come. Mehmet Okur, Carlos Boozer, and Matt Harpring are important pieces to Utah's success, but without the Jazz's savvy drafting in the last three drafts, Utah would still be struggling to make the playoffs.

Ranking Young Point Guards

With this year's NBA Draft now past us, many will immediately begin to look towards next year’s rookie class. Point guards rule next years group led by O.J. Mayo (USC), Derrick Rose (Memphis), Ty Lawson (North Carolina), Sherron Collins (Kansas), D.J. Augustin (Texas), Scottie Reynolds (Villanova), Mario Chalmers (Kansas). With anticipation of possibly seven point guards being drafted in the first round next year, let’s take a lay-of-the-land and check out the top fifteen true point guards (Monta Ellis, Acie Law, and Leandro Barbosa ruled ineligible) twenty-five years old or younger:

(1) Deron Williams, Utah Jazz, 23

Williams has trimmed down his body fat since entering the league and has continued to show that he has a great grasp of Jazz coach, Jerry Sloan's system. He really knows how to play the game and is one of the best passers in the league. He has a knack for hitting big shots and is a great leader. He is able to compensate on defense for his lack of food speed by playing great position defense. Although he is not the most athletic point guard out there, he is able to bull his way to the hoop by overpowering smaller and weaker defenders. Williams has really improved dramatically each year in the league, and there is no reason to think that this will not continue.

(2) Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets, 22

Paul excels on offense in transition, making lead passes for dunks and lay-ups. In the half court, he has a great handle, including a deadly hesitation move with his right hand. Paul exhibits great court vision and plenty of shot-making skill around the basket. His one weakness right now is outside shooting, but considering how well he shoots free throws that should improve as he acclimates to the longer NBA three point line. Defensively, Paul is very good at getting into the passing lanes and coming away with the ball. The flip side of that is that he must gamble less, or choose his prey more carefully. Paul has quick feet and good strength, though as an undersized player in the league, he's always going to have difficulty with bigger guards backing him down.

(3) Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs, 25

Coming off his third NBA Championship and first as the MVP of the Finals, Parker has certainly solidified himself as one of the best point guards in the NBA. Much like Paul, Parker has mastered the ability to get into the lane at will. Parker is a deadly weapon on pick-and-roll plays because of his quickness. Defenders try to go under the screen and force Parker to shoot a jumper, but he's so fast that he often can beat defenders to the other side and go in for a lay-up. He also has a superb teardrop shot - perhaps the best in the game - which he uses to great effect when he can't get all the way to the rim. Unlike his jumper, Parker has always shot the teardrop with plenty of arc, and he releases it very fast. Defensively, Parker is underrated. Between his outstanding quickness and his now considerable experience, he's become one of the better defenders at his position. Long-range shooting is the biggest weakness in Parker's game.

(4) Devin Harris, Dallas Mavericks, 24

Harris has blinding quickness off-the-dribble reminiscent of Kevin Johnson, and seems able to get to the basket at will. He needs to get better at finishing once he's there, however, as he had a penchant for blowing layups. His shooting also seems to be inconsistent. Harris could stand to take more three point attempts in order to open his game up. In order to raise his game to the elite level, he will need to work on this perimeter shooting. On the defensive end, based on his quickness and size he can defend both point guards and shooting guards.

(5) Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies, 20

Conley is an ultra-quick lefty point guard with a solid feel for running a team. His ability to get by opposing guards and into the paint is on the elite level. He makes great decisions on the floor and has a great wingspan for a point guard. He is an above average athlete and plays the passing lanes well. Conley has a nice assortment of midrange runners and shots in the paint going towards the rim. His outside shooting is still a major question mark, and could stand to improve his percentage at the free throw line. However, he has proven in the past to be fearless and steps up big when it matters.

(6) Raymond Felton, Charlotte Bobcats, 23

Felton has outstanding quickness going to the basket and has a talent for creating plays off the dribble. He sees the court well, especially in transition, and he's a good rebounder for his size. Offsetting that is a shaky jump shot and finishing skills. Felton struggles to convert when he went to the rim against bigger defenders. Felton will also need to improve his overall defensive skills.

(7) T.J. Ford, Toronto Raptors, 24

Ford is a jackrabbit point guard who excels at pushing the ball and getting his team open-court opportunities. In the half court he can penetrate almost at will thanks to his quickness and an outstanding change of pace move. He tends to get in trouble when he over-penetrates, causing turnovers. Ford is a poor outside shooter who defenses continually dare to shoot. His weak shot makes him very easy to defend on pick-and-rolls, because the defender can go under the screen and know that Ford won't beat him from outside. Ford is great at pressuring the ball, but is a magnet for post-up guards.

(8) Marcus Williams, New Jersey Nets, 21

Though not a great athlete, Williams is a smooth operator at the point reminiscent of Mark Jackson. He sees the floor, can break down defenses, and has good size for his position. He's not a great shooter, but his lefthanded shot appears good enough to keep opponents honest. He may still be a step slow to defend the league’s top point guards, but as he gains more game experience, his defense should improve.

(9) Jarrett Jack, Portland Trail Blazers, 23

While his defense is certainly NBA-quality, Jack’s inability to connect from outside makes him less of a threat on the pick-and-roll. Of particular concern is his turnover ratio, although it did improve last season. With a solid base, Jack has the strength to power his way to the rim when he gets a step on defenders, and he may be able to develop a post game that complements his strength when he's opposed by smaller guards.

(10) Jameer Nelson, Orlando Magic, 25

Nelson is a short point guard, but powerfully built and penetrates explosively when going to the right. He shoots the ball well from the three point line, making him deadly in the pick-and-roll. Nelson's strength allows him to muscle up shots after taking contact, although he seems more content to pull up or shoot a floater. He's a score-first point guard but he's not blind either. Nelson is really good at pressuring the ball, forcing dribblers to take time off the shot clock while working upcourt, and he does it without taking unnecessary gambles.

(11) Sergio Rodriguez, Portland Trail Blazers, 21

Rodriguez is an outstanding dribbler and passer, has good size and at a young age, can still improve greatly. His outside shot and defense both are major question marks. He also needs to improve his physical strength in order to improve his overall effectiveness. Rodriguez owns a lethal crossover, and can take any defender one-on-one. He also has the ability to find the open teammate in traffic, but still can sometimes be careless with the ball. As he gets more experience, Rodriguez will continue to improve and may become one of the best point guards in the league in the near future.

(12) Jose Calderon, Toronto Raptors, 25

Calderon is a speedy dribbler with long arms. He dribbles equally well with both hands and sees the floor very well. He continually posts excellent assists numbers, but sometimes gets in trouble when he drives and leaves his feet before knowing where he'll pass the ball. Calderon needs to improve his outside shot, so opponents cannot sag off him. Because of he currently struggles with his outside shot, defenders force him to drive into crowds when he penetrates, which often leads to turnovers. Defensively, Calderon's length and quickness make him a good perimeter defender, but he needs to add muscle. Adding some meat on his bones would also help him absorb contact at the offensive end when he goes to the rim.

(13) Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics, 21

Quickness, long arms, and the ability to push the pace give many hope that Rondo will be a success in the NBA. He has great body control and finishes well at the basket. However, a lack of a jump shot could put that success in jeopardy. Defensively, Rondo excels with quick hands and a knack for stealing the ball. He’s also a fantastic rebounder for a guard, but his understanding of the game must evolve.

(14) Kyle Lowry, Memphis Grizzlies, 21

Although he has great promise, Lowry has struggled to get playing time in the league. He is an energetic, ball-hawking guard who can penetrate and dish. Lowry is a gritty and tough defender, who has a knack for stealing the ball. In the past, he has shown a big heart and great passion for the game. He plays bigger than his actual size and is a very physical guard. His jump shot off the dribble is his biggest weakness. His overall perimeter game needs more consistency.

(15) Sebastian Telfair, Boston Celtics, 22

Telfair is incredibly quick and a fantastic ball handler, qualities which made him a lottery pick. The first player of his size to turn pro directly out of high school, Telfair has taken his lumps in the NBA largely because of his poor jump shot. With defenders sagging several feet off him and daring him to shoot, his trademark penetrating ability has been neutralized. Because of this, his assist ratio has struggled. However, this is not because of his inability to see the floor – he can be a dazzling passer at times. It's just that he has no answer right now when teams take that play away. He needs to become a better finisher around the basket. Telfair thrives in an up-tempo environment, which would also have helped him defensively. With a small frame, he is great at pressuring the ball, but vulnerable when defending bigger guards.