Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at 8:00 am  |  153 responses

Top 50: Deron Williams, no. 11

The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.

by Russ BengtsonDeron Williams

For your perusal, a short list of Deron Williams’s accomplishments since joining the NBA as the third overall pick in 2005:

• 2005-06 All-Rookie First Team
• Second in assists (to Steve Nash) in 2006-07
• Led the Utah Jazz to the 2007 Western Conference Finals
• Averaged double-doubles in 2007-08 and 2008-09
• Third in assists (to Steve Nash and Chris Paul) in 2007-08
2007-08 Skills Challenge Champion
• 2007-08 All-NBA Second Team
• 2008 Olympic Gold Medal
• Second in assists (to Chris Paul) in 2008-09
Beat former Tour de France champion Floyd Landis in a bicycle race (with a considerable head start)
• One of only two active players (Steve Nash) to have four 20-assist games

And here’s a few things he hasn’t done yet:

• Gotten a triple-double
• Won the Nobel Peace Prize
• Been named to the NBA All-Star team

The first two are somewhat understandable. Williams is young. He has time. But the third? Entirely inexplicable. It’s not that his team doesn’t win—the Jazz have won 51, 54 and 48 games the last three seasons, after making a 15-win jump to .500 his rookie year. It’s not that Williams is just along for the ride—Jerry Sloan trusts him enough to let him call a majority of plays on the floor, something John Stockton rarely did. By any measurable standard (except for maybe tattoos and haircuts), Williams is one of the top three—if not two—point guards in the game. And he can’t even make an All-Star team? What in the name of Rod Strickland is going on here?

It gets better. In ’07-08, Williams made the All-NBA Second Team on the strength of his 18.8 points and 10.5 assists per game. Last year he boosted both of those numbers, to career-highs of 19.4 and 10.7—and didn’t make All-NBA at all. Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Brandon Roy, Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups, Tony Parker. They all made it. Williams was the only player to receive more than 100 points in the voting and not be named to one of the three teams. Yes, he missed 14 games last season (all but one in November), but Carmelo Anthony missed 16 and still was named to the third team. The Jazz were 15-26 on the road, but so were the Miami Heat, and Wade made first team.

To be fair, save the gold medal, Deron hasn’t won anything yet—at least not since he was the 116-pound Texas state wrestling champ as a 12-year-old back in 1997. But he led The Colony high school to two straight state semifinals, Illinois to the 2005 NCAA Finals (hitting a pair of huge shots against Arizona and being named MOP of the Chicago regional in the process), and the aforementioned Jazz to the aforementioned 2007 Western Conference Finals. He hasn’t won rings, but he’s won respect.

Is he as good as Chris Paul? Probably not. If you’re a Hollinger disciple who worships at the Church of PER, Paul ran roughshod over Williams last year. A big part of the disparity was thanks to steals—Paul led the League, while Deron wasn’t in the top 20. But Deron is big (a legit 6-3, 210), he’s durable (he’d missed four games total prior to last season), and every bit an All-Star in game, if not in name. And with Paul in his conference, not to mention Nash, Chauncey Billups and Tony Parker, next year isn’t guaranteed either.

For his sake, here’s hoping Allen Iverson doesn’t have a resurgence.

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’09-10 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Jake Appleman, Brett Ballantini, Russ Bengtson, Toney Blare, Shannon Booher, Myles Brown, Franklyn Calle, Gregory Dole, Emry DowningHall, Jonathan Evans, Adam Fleischer, Jeff Fox, Sherman Johnson, Aaron Kaplowitz, John Krolik, Holly MacKenzie, Ryne Nelson, Chris O’Leary, Ben Osborne, Alan Paul, Susan Price, Sam Rubenstein, Khalid Salaam, Kye Stephenson, Adam Sweeney, Vincent Thomas, Tzvi Twersky, Justin Walsh, Joey Whelan, Eric Woodyard, and Nima Zarrabi.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

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  • Bryan Posted: Oct.13 at 8:06 am
    Ryne has gotta be furious.

  • Ken Posted: Oct.13 at 8:13 am
    So, anybody else still bothered by how high D. Rose went?

  • alapatrick Posted: Oct.13 at 8:13 am
    how has he not been an all star yet!??!
    snagged myself a d will jersey a couple of summers back for about 12 dollars on a holiday from the uk!!

  • Solon Posted: Oct.13 at 8:18 am
    Durant>>>Derrron

  • karan Posted: Oct.13 at 8:23 am
    KG> durant and deron
    but i’m shocked that he isn’t an all star yet

  • Moose Posted: Oct.13 at 8:26 am
    This is a good piece. Good job, Russ…..but why didn’t Ryne get a crack at this post??

  • phil Posted: Oct.13 at 8:29 am
    chris paul>>>d will anyday

  • Moose Posted: Oct.13 at 8:31 am
    Nobody’s arguing that DWill’s better than Paul…but when they match up, historically Deron has the advantage.

  • Moose Posted: Oct.13 at 8:36 am
    And it’s an absolute crime that Deron hasn’t been recognized at all. Truly one of my favorite players in the game.

  • Bryan Posted: Oct.13 at 8:39 am
    I’m not as surprised about the all star thing since fans have a say and the pg’s in the west are all pretty great.

  • Bryan Posted: Oct.13 at 8:41 am
    This guy is a lot better than I thought he’d be.

  • DP Posted: Oct.13 at 8:48 am
    Honestly I’d take him over Paul anyday of the week. play wit it.

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.13 at 8:49 am
    Deron is an all-around great player and an all-around great guy (one of the two players I met in Vegas during the fiba americans).
    Still, he should probably listen to Coach Sloan more often..

  • DP Posted: Oct.13 at 8:52 am
    Paul does do a better job at running the team but when it comes down to getting straight buckets in the clutch, Dwill is the man and personally I want him higher than Paul. I know I will be shot for that statement but I’m just saying….play wit it.

  • Simon S.Y Lawy Posted: Oct.13 at 8:53 am
    I can’t believe slam put Durant ahead of D.Will … Durant Overrated …

  • sixersforlife_85 Posted: Oct.13 at 9:05 am
    @DP – What is the name of the groundskeeper in the Simpsons? Just need his first name only please.

  • Brad Long Posted: Oct.13 at 9:19 am
    I remember when this guy was still playing at the Colony. I can’t wait to see what he does with a fully heathly season hopefully ahead of him.

  • COLBY Posted: Oct.13 at 9:21 am
    how is it D will doesn’t make an all star team but mo williams does??

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.13 at 9:44 am
    Hey Brad, can I pull an Eboy and call you a wimp and a loser to ‘spice things up’ in this place?

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.13 at 9:44 am
    Oh, and Russ really should write more.

  • kobesbestfriend Posted: Oct.13 at 9:59 am
    no way he is better than Agent 0

  • Brad Long Posted: Oct.13 at 10:03 am
    Sure Jukai. and can I make fun of your race and tell Moose that you live in Jewville, USA? Wow, we’re such rebels, you and I.

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.13 at 10:07 am
    Brad: I went to High School in a town called Hewlett. Me and everyone at the school, we used to call it Jewlett. I was funny, you know, when you’re 15.
    Also, you’re a wimp and a loser and the Lakers suck.

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.13 at 10:07 am
    *It was funny

  • Moose Posted: Oct.13 at 10:11 am
    I wanna join the pointless arguments.

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.13 at 10:14 am
    Can we debate in strenuous detail whether Bob Lanier or Dan Issel is the 19th best center ever to play in the NBA?

  • sixersforlife_85 Posted: Oct.13 at 10:16 am
    America sucks?

  • Moose Posted: Oct.13 at 10:18 am
    I would, Jukai, but….there’s a slight problem…

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.13 at 10:24 am
    And that is..?

  • SLAM ONLINE | » Hot Topics? Posted: Oct.13 at 10:30 am
    [...] Top 50: DWill, no. 11 [...]

  • Ryne Nelson Posted: Oct.13 at 10:35 am
    Alright, without turning this into a Rose or Chris Paul debate (again), I’d like to say I’m pretty happy with where Deron fell in this year’s Top 50. Granted, he’s going to show everyone that he’s a top 10 player this season, now that he’s entirely healthy, and I know that All-Star selection is probably on its way. DWill’s a winner, and while the players ahead of him are great in their own right, there’s not a single one (except maybe… *maybe* Kobe) that’d I’d have in his stead.

  • Ryne Nelson Posted: Oct.13 at 10:38 am
    And Deron was the first NBA athlete to be impersonated (not the infamous @NotShaqONeal). As an aside, you all need to follow the Real DWill — he’s strong with the images and videos.

  • Scott Posted: Oct.13 at 10:42 am
    Lanier is clearly the 16th best center.

  • Ben Osborne Posted: Oct.13 at 10:44 am
    Nice work Russ.

  • Adam Fleischer Posted: Oct.13 at 10:48 am
    Dope piece. Don’t sleep on the tricep “No Guts” on one arm “No Glory” on the other tats, though…It’s gotta be that playing in Utah has hurt his All-Star chances a bit, cause everything you outlined points clearly to All-Star.

  • Moose Posted: Oct.13 at 10:49 am
    @Jukai: Problem is: Only seen those dudes on highlight reels.

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.13 at 10:52 am
    Scott: Over Unseld and Cowens and Thurmond?

  • Scott Posted: Oct.13 at 10:58 am
    Jukai: I have not really thought about it. I was just trying to stir sh*t up. I miss the NBA.

  • Scott Posted: Oct.13 at 11:02 am
    Centers better then Lanier. Off the top of my head Chamberlain, Russell, O’Neal, Abdul-Jabbar, Olajuwon, Malone, Robinson, Mikan, Reed, Unseld, Thurmond, Ewing, Cowens. Thats about all i can think of. Did i miss anyone?`

  • Scott Posted: Oct.13 at 11:04 am
    I haven’t really been following this list. Carmelo Anthony in the top ten really?

  • Overtime Posted: Oct.13 at 11:05 am
    11th?! You are kidding, he is much better than 11th!

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.13 at 11:06 am
    Scott: I hadn’t thought about it either. I was just throwing names out.
    But just for sh*ts and giggles, you forgot Bill Walton, Artis Gilmore, and Arvydas Sabonis. Oh, and maybe Issel.
    Consider this conversation done.

  • Allenp Posted: Oct.13 at 11:08 am
    I think it’s weird that Brandon Roy gets so much more love than Deron Williams.
    I really think Deron is better. Ah well.

  • Scott Posted: Oct.13 at 11:11 am
    The all star game is in William’s hometown in 2010. That’s all the motivation he will need to make his first of many trips to the game.

  • Bryan Posted: Oct.13 at 11:16 am
    But brandon roy plays in a super slow down system and still puts up 23 a game which easily translates to 35 if he played in any other system duh allenp.

  • Afonso Posted: Oct.13 at 11:18 am
    DWill is a legit top15 and this is a fair spot for him, he´ll have a big season…CP3 is better but in their match up Williams eats him for breakfast so give the guy some respect…HE SHOULD BE AN ALL STAR NEXT YEAR!……….TALK ABOUT A RIDICULOUS PART OF THIS RANKING,COMPARING ROSE 16 DWILL 11, ROSE IS NOT TOP 40!!!!!!!!!!!!!with ALL THAT HYPE, he must lead the Bulls to that 7th or 8th seed (WITHOUT BEN GORDON) AND PUT 20 and 10 with some kind of D..NOT GONNA HAPPEN

  • Scott Posted: Oct.13 at 11:18 am
    How is Danny Granger not in the top ten when Kevin Durant is? This is by no means a knock on Durant cause i believe he is also a top ten player. Can somebody at the slam staff enlighten me on why this happened? Thank you.

  • Ryne Nelson Posted: Oct.13 at 11:20 am
    Good call, Scott. Deron coming come for his first All-Star game would be extra special. I think he’s definitely good for 21 and 11 this season.

  • Brad Long Posted: Oct.13 at 11:20 am
    Scott, Not only is Melo an undisputed top ten player, he’s probably top 5. How can the best scorer in the NBA not be?

  • dutch Rob Posted: Oct.13 at 11:21 am
    It’s a crime D-Will is not an All Star. He def should be one.
    Yes Melo should be in the top ten he;s been improving his defense and imo his D was already a lot better watching him in the WCF last season.

  • niQ Posted: Oct.13 at 11:22 am
    @COLBY. Isn’t it obvious? It’s cause Deron plays on the West and Mo plays on the East. I’m 99.9% sure that if Deron played in the East he would be in the All Star Game already.

  • kadavour Posted: Oct.13 at 11:24 am
    Cosign DP. Deron > CP3. As a big PG he has his way with the smaller guards when he puts them on his hip, his first step is f*ckin incredible, probably has the best handle and change of direction game in the league (Jamal Crawford is the only other in his class), and his passing in that pick and roll is probably the best in the league too. And he’s clutch as f*ck. Perfect PG. The GM survey ranks his bball IQ quite favorably.

  • Bryan Posted: Oct.13 at 11:25 am
    Lebron is the best scoring b long he did win the scoring title after all. Jeez.

  • Allenp Posted: Oct.13 at 11:26 am
    Bryan
    I’m not sure if you were serious. I hope you weren’t.
    Anyway, I honestly think that Brandon Roy is a tad overrated. He’s nice as hell, but I wouldn’t mind having Joe Johnson instead of Brandon Roy as my starting two guard.
    And I wouldn’t want to build a team around either of them.

  • MR Posted: Oct.13 at 11:26 am
    dwillz has the sickest crossovers in the nba and just to name off the top 10 - 10 – carmelo anthony
    9 – kevin durant
    8 – brandon roy
    7 – dirk nowitzki
    6 – tim duncan
    5 – dwight howard
    4 – chris paul
    3 – kobe bryant
    2 – dwayne wade
    1 – lebron james

  • Scott Posted: Oct.13 at 11:31 am
    Anthony the best scorer? Kobe might have a problem with that statement Brad.

  • Ryne Nelson Posted: Oct.13 at 11:34 am
    Deron and Amar’e could probably lead a goggle movement.

  • Afonso Posted: Oct.13 at 11:35 am
    @Allenp: if you don´t get why BRoy gets more love than DWill is because you dont really get this game dude…if you think about a guy with 3 NBA years who is very quickly aproachingthe undesputed BEST SGs in the world (Kobe&Flash), hes allready in the conversation with those 2, not right there yeat, but getting there..that says everything!!! I could give you stats, PERs, his accolates, a general notion of his COMPLETE game but no, its easier to say hes the next Kobe or DWade, not on potencial because his numbers speak for themselves, but in reallity!!and MAYBE NOT AS FLASHY ( although he makes spectacular plays and posters like last season with Yao Ming and DeAndre Jordan) BUT MORE EFFICIENT AND AS CLUTCH AS KOBE OR DWADE

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.13 at 11:35 am
    Allenp: I’d take Brandon Roy over Joe Johnson every single day of the week and twice on Sunday.
    In my mind, they’re not close.

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.13 at 11:37 am
    Well, as I say that, I’d like to also state I’d take Deron over Roy, so, maybe I’m more in agreement with Allen.
    Still, not hating for the ranking.
    Love the new image.

  • Ryne Nelson Posted: Oct.13 at 11:39 am
    Melo had something like 45 points in a preseason game this weekend. Dude is a problem.

  • TADOne Posted: Oct.13 at 11:43 am
    Good piece, Russ. I’m kind of surprised Deron wasn’t in the top 10, but this spot makes sense for him.

  • Scott Posted: Oct.13 at 11:46 am
    Maybe i’m just bitter from having Anthony on my fantasy team last year. It was not one of his better years.

  • PANAGIOTIS VASILOPOULOS Posted: Oct.13 at 12:22 pm
    CAVS – OLYMPIAKOS :111 – 94 . Highlight of the game: coach Giannakis starting the game with Kostas Papanikolaou (remember the name, i will use it in the future,18 years old, captain of Greek national under-18 team )guarding Lebron. He did a good job.Brilliant move from our coach to have a guy that will see no playing time this year (third best SF after Vasilopoulos and Josh) but IS a part of the future of world basketball.
    More on Deron (best point guard in the world) along with the list with the top-10 PG’s worldwide later.

  • Mo Posted: Oct.13 at 12:24 pm
    Deron is a really good player. Not a better OVERALL player than Paul though. Deron has had good teammates around him. Better coach, better bench. He doesn’t really make any of his teammates better though. Boozer is and has been a star in his own right. Deron would never be able to carry that same Hornets team as far as Paul has. They don’t even make the playoffs without Paul last season. 2nd best pg in the league isn’t necessarily a bad thing fellas. If the Jazz beating the Hornets is the only thing you guys have to hold onto to claim Deron is > Paul, then you don’t have much. That’s not enough. Or at least it shouldn’t be. Not if you really know basketball. Good day.

  • Mo Posted: Oct.13 at 12:25 pm
    And to those of you still sleeping on Brandon Roy. STOP IT!

  • sab Posted: Oct.13 at 12:26 pm
    love DWill, fantastic player. i don’t care if he’s #20, #11 or #3 – he’s awesome. from here on out, it’s all awesome – i love how Durant has become “the next D.Rose”, but really, can people stop hating so much. let’s just pay homage…

  • Mo Posted: Oct.13 at 12:28 pm
    Maybe this will be the season he finally averages 20&10. CP3 was the first pg to average 20&10 in 15 years…. since Tim Hardaway.

  • Mo Posted: Oct.13 at 12:31 pm
    @sab, you’re right. People really need to stop hating and just pay homage. Just enjoy the great players we’re currently seeing in this league. Good day people. I can’t hang around here. Gotta go earn some money.

  • Ryne Nelson Posted: Oct.13 at 12:38 pm
    I know it’s really late, but to address Moose, I’m ‘saving’ my words on Deron. For what? When the Jazz win the ’10 NBA Chip. ;)

  • T Money Posted: Oct.13 at 12:46 pm
    Deron > Durant at this stage. In a year’s time, we might need to revisit it.

  • Moose Posted: Oct.13 at 12:59 pm
    I’m wishing you luck, Ryne. As long as you stay far away from the Beantown Bombers. ;)

  • Russ Bengtson Posted: Oct.13 at 1:00 pm
    They need to expand the All-Star rosters to 15 guys already. It’s been set at 12 since 1982 when there were 23 teams. That would solve a lot of problems.

  • Brad Long Posted: Oct.13 at 1:06 pm
    Scott:I get that, I had him on my fantasy team last year too. And just to let you know, I’m one of the bigger Kobe fans that post around here, I just feel like Melo’s role evolved to point last year in the playoffs where he was finally confident with Chauncey and his offensive repitore was insane. If I gotta have a basket right now, I’m picking Kobe every time, but I’ll be suprised if Melo doesn’t lead the league in scoring next year.

  • Brad Long Posted: Oct.13 at 1:07 pm
    Ditto Russ.

  • PANAGIOTIS VASILOPOULOS Posted: Oct.13 at 1:09 pm
    @Russ…..:and also expand the playing time….or better the number of players (from ’5 on 5′ to ’7 on 7′) !!!!

  • dfrance Posted: Oct.13 at 1:14 pm
    @ Russ Dudes already don’t get enough burn with it at 12 people. the should do 1 of two things which they will do neither of but i’m just saying. Make it the best 24 players in the league regardless of position, not just east and west, that way a dude like Jamaal Magloire will never ever ever make another all-star team. (I still can’t believe i witnessed that). or have the coaches select the entire team, then have the fans vote for the starters out of the coaches picks.

  • Thype Posted: Oct.13 at 1:19 pm
    The rankings, I think, are irrelevant, it’s really more of a tiered thing to me. You have the Kobe, Bron Bron, DWade tier. The BRoy, Dirk, DWill teir, etc. The whole BRoy, DWill, and C3P, argument is silly because these guys, especially as you go towards the top of the list, can interchange depending on how they do/did from week to week, month to month etc. My personal philosophy for winning championships is to take the bigger, stronger player because of the ultra-physical play during the playoffs. For that reason I’m a gigantic DWill fan and given the choice would probably pick him over C3P if my aim was to win a ring. At any rate, I’m a Blazer homer so I can’t really be objective enough when comparing BRoy to these guys, but on the topic of being overrated, well, I’m going to have to strenuously object to that notion.

  • PANAGIOTIS VASILOPOULOS Posted: Oct.13 at 1:26 pm
    @dfrance…..:Jamal was on his way to “game-MVP” up until the end of first half !!! (although i agree with you)

  • onlyclipfanonslam Posted: Oct.13 at 1:30 pm
    It’s the time in the list where everything is just splitting hairs. Everyone left, any team would be happy to build a franchise around them.

  • Russ Bengtson Posted: Oct.13 at 1:31 pm
    I still like the idea of 15-man All-Star rosters with a 30-team league. That way there’s no need to worry about injury replacements or that sort of thing. And yes, I’d like to see other changes like the coaches/players selecting the rosters, and positions only counting to where you’d need a starting center (or center-like object) on each side.

  • TADOne Posted: Oct.13 at 1:39 pm
    They should do like baseball and have 12 players picked for each side and then have the other 3 players voted in from like a group of 5 by the fans.

  • Scott Posted: Oct.13 at 1:45 pm
    At least the NBA doesn’t have to have every franchise represented like the MLB. Cause the Pittsburgh Pirates or San Diego Padres have many top players to pick from every year.

  • ben Posted: Oct.13 at 1:47 pm
    should be higher

  • Ryne Nelson Posted: Oct.13 at 1:49 pm
    I thought Russ’ original call to action was perfect — coaches pick the starters and the fans choose the rest. Or am I botching that, Russ?

  • Bryan Posted: Oct.13 at 1:56 pm
    Allen , I was being completely sarcastic I see that written all the time about roy , ” if his numbers are adjusted for pace” meanwhile his team gets like 99 points a game.

  • Ryne Nelson Posted: Oct.13 at 2:05 pm
    I’m actually on Thype’s wavelength. When compiling the 31 ballots, the ‘tiers’ were obvious. I might post a redux once the list is complete that breaks it all down in some more detail.

  • jude Posted: Oct.13 at 2:11 pm
    oh yea Durant’s top 10!!! anw, DWill got robbed of alot of things in his career. im rooting for him next season to make the All-star team, the All-NBA team, and to dethrone CP3 as the best PG in the NBA! go dwill! \m/

  • Allenp Posted: Oct.13 at 2:29 pm
    If cat’s think Brandon Roy is ever, EVER going to reach the same heights that Wade, Kobe and Lebron have reached, then he is overrated.
    Roy is nice as hell, but really all I can see him adding to his game right now is saavy and somewhat better jumper. His almost to his ceiling right now, and his ceiling is not in the same conversation as Kobe, Lebron and Wade.
    Now, on the Deron Williams tip, I think that Dwil has greater potential because of his ability to put up high scoring totals while almost giving you double digit assists, and shooting a high percentage. Seriously, Roy and Dwill damn near handle the ball the same amount, but Dwill is a better decision maker, and I honestly think he can get buckets against any guard in the league.
    I like Roy, but I think folks have an inflated idea of how great he’s going to be.

  • tavoris Posted: Oct.13 at 2:41 pm
    Allenp, Roy is already one of the better mid-range shooters in the L. I agree that he appears to have hit his ceiling. However, people were saying the same thing about him as a rookie, and a soph, etc…it’s the nature of his game. He is clearly a player that 1)carries his teams to wins, 2)makes everyone on his team better, and 3)has a game that translates into efficient playing well into his 30s. While Wade has a higher ceiling as a player, can we really imagine him dropping 25ppg once he’s 34 or 35? I’m glad people are finally giving Williams his love on this post. Is it possible for him to be the most underrated PG in the league-as the 2nd best PG in the league?

  • PANAGIOTIS VASILOPOULOS Posted: Oct.13 at 2:49 pm
    TOP-10 PG’s IN THE WORLD. There are many national leagues around the world, the spanish-ACB, the italian-SERIA 1, the american-NBA, the greek-A1,etc with major and minor differences between them. I don’t care about individual leagues, i care about players performance when almost every single position is make it or go home. For this reason i have in mind the WORLD’S and the OLYMPICS.Most of you will do the same in the future, it is just a matter of time,trust me on this(i know the reasons you cannot do such a thing now so no hard fillings whatever you write.At the same time, i talked with “you” 15 years ago and i am talking with “you” now so it is easy for me to see what is coming).Here we go:
    1)Deron
    2)Calderon
    3-5)Billups-Diamantidis-Parker
    6)Paul
    7-10)Lakovic-Nash-Rose-Spanoulis.

  • TADOne Posted: Oct.13 at 2:52 pm
    BRoy is certainly not on the Kobe/Bron/Wade level, but who is?? Brandon is definitely in that next tier of players and really only needs to work on his killer instinct and better defense. I see Roy being someone very difficult to handle for years to come.

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Oct.13 at 2:56 pm
    Deron Williams should be top 10! WOW.

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Oct.13 at 2:57 pm
    Brandon Roy can be a 23, 5, 5 player and crack the hall of fame if the Blazers do some work in the postseason.

  • Garett Posted: Oct.13 at 3:04 pm
    Obvious question for 30 all-stars question: how do you play 15 guys in one game? A headache for the coach (unless everybody starts pulling Karl Malones and don’t want to play), but also a disappointment for fans who get to see their fav player(s) in the game but they only get 8 minutes of run. Better than none I guess, but still…

  • PANAGIOTIS VASILOPOULOS Posted: Oct.13 at 3:08 pm
    TOP-10 PG’s IN THE WORLD. There are many national leagues around the world, the spanish-ACB, the italian-SERIA 1, the american-NBA, the greek-A1,etc with major and minor differences between them. I don’t care about individual leagues, i care about players performance when almost every single position is make it or go home. For this reason i have in mind the WORLD’S and the OLYMPICS.Most of you will do the same in the future, it is just a matter of time,trust me on this(i know the reasons you cannot do such a thing now so no hard fillings whatever you write.At the same time, i talked with “you” 15 years ago and i am talking with “you” now so it is easy for me to see what is coming).Here we go:

  • PANAGIOTIS VASILOPOULOS Posted: Oct.13 at 3:08 pm
    1)Deron
    2)Calderon
    3-5)Billups-Diamantidis-Parker
    6)Paul
    7-10)Lakovic-Nash-Rose-Spanoulis

  • Allenp Posted: Oct.13 at 3:19 pm
    TAD
    Some of the cats responded to me that he was knocking on the Lebron, Kobe, Wade door, and I thought that needed to be addressed. I really don’t see him every being as good as though three players have been at their absolute primes. He doesn’t have the physical tools in my opinion.
    That doesn’t mean he’s wack. He’s top five at his position right behind Kobe and Wade.
    However, I think he dominates the ball and makes it hard for a point guard to run the show. So, that’s why I kind of like Joe Johnson better because I think Joe can get his buckets with fewer shots. I mean, I read something where Roy was already a little miffed because he’s touching the ball less in the new offense Nate installed.
    Point blank, I think Roy is a better suited to being a second banana, but his skill set prospers with a lot of touches.

  • Allenp Posted: Oct.13 at 3:20 pm
    Damn, my bad on the typos.
    *ever
    *those

  • Spaceship Jay Posted: Oct.13 at 3:23 pm
    ^ You must not live in America, and recieve NBA games on TV at times when you should be sleeping.

  • Spaceship Jay Posted: Oct.13 at 3:24 pm
    That was to the PANAGIOTIS VASILOPOULOS guy.

  • Brad Long Posted: Oct.13 at 3:24 pm
    This is completely off subject but has anyone else seen the crossover that Marvin Williams put on Gerald Wallace last night? He put his ass on the ground! Then he dropped a spin move and finished at the rim. Sick, sick move.

  • kadavour Posted: Oct.13 at 3:25 pm
    cosign Thype. Considering these rankings from a tier stand point makes a lot of sense. I’m also feeling the logic about big PGs and durability.

  • Dagomar Posted: Oct.13 at 3:28 pm
    It’s too bad this is a list of who is projected to put up the best numbers next year, rather than a list of the NBA’s best players (as the titles suggest). Otherwise no way in hell Durant would be above D-Will.

  • jdote Posted: Oct.13 at 3:32 pm
    idk about the williams and paul debate. No one talks about it at all but I thought Chris Paul really layed an egg last year in the playoffs vs Denver. Not only did he get outplayed by Billups but Dante Jones seemed like he got into his head, as he shot like 38 percent in the series. he also let his team get blown out by like a 432934293 points at home.I can’t say much about Williams performances against Derek Fisher the past two post seasons, but I just think he’s a better scorer and shooter than paul. Also deron > durant

  • Anton Posted: Oct.13 at 4:11 pm
    10. Nissan GT-R
    9. Eva Angelina
    8. Stephen Colbert
    7. The corpse of Ben Wallace
    6. Kobe
    5. Wade
    4. LeBron
    3. LeBron
    2. Derrick Rose
    1. Allen Iverson

  • Thype Posted: Oct.13 at 4:11 pm
    # Jdote – Paul didn’t have the weapons around him last year, lots of injuries, etc. The beauty of setting up defenses against the Hornets is you key in on Paul and basically wager that the rest of the guys around him aren’t going to step to win big games. It’s a winning formula in this case because Paul just doesn’t have much to work with. As I stated in my previous post, for winning championships I go after the strong, big, and long, model when choosing who I like best to take me to a championship. With that said, DWill is my guy out of the two (C3P). However, to criticize Paul after one playoff series, against an extremely savvy veteran like Billips, is not really that fair given the fact Chauncy had five or six weapons he could go to when defenses keyed on him verses the one or two Paul has/had.

  • Z Posted: Oct.13 at 4:44 pm
    Late to the discussion. I think Roy is much better that Joe Johnson who tends to disappear from time to time. You always know when B-Roy is in the game. / Deron is the third best point guard in the NBA. He should have made the all-star team last year in front of Chauncey. / Melo is way overrated, he is nowhere close to Kobe/Wade/Bron status. Melo can get buckets with the best of em but he just doesn’t have the same impact on the outcome of games. You can beat Denver with Melo going off, his game is not transcendant. He can’t carry a team on his back.

  • Ryne Nelson Posted: Oct.13 at 4:59 pm
    It’s a matter of preference re: DWill and CP3. Do you want a big, versatile guard with proven ‘clutch’ and big-game leadership? Or would you rather a other-worldly talent with size and possible durability limitations?

  • Ryne Nelson Posted: Oct.13 at 5:00 pm
    Dagomar, I don’t see any difference between who’s better *right now* and how they’re going to perform this season (aka *right now*).

  • TADOne Posted: Oct.13 at 5:10 pm
    Ryne is still blinded by his Illini love. Chris Paul is better than Deron Williams. Always has been. I believe he will come around eventually.

  • SHAN Posted: Oct.13 at 5:13 pm
    seriously the CP vs Deron debate is so retarded but I am sure it will persist forever so carry on I suppose, I am just happy Deron is on my team. BTW…I can refute every single point made by the CP stat gushers and likewise I can even find a way to refute the (points) made by Deron lovers, lol. One thing, someone did already mention this and it deserves some repeating…Brandon Roy averages 23, yet his team is one of the lowest scoring teams in the league. Extrapolate this stat(you know use stats for the real prpaganda they are)and you can see that he doesnt really make his team better per se, maybe Im being nitpicky, he is an excellent player but I really have something against him since he is the reason my DWill has never made the all-star team….ha

  • Joey E. Posted: Oct.13 at 5:42 pm
    ok i know he was a rook, but you guys really missed DRose.

  • Dagomar Posted: Oct.13 at 5:49 pm
    Ryne: putting up good numbers doesn’t always make you a better player. Durant will score more than D-Will, but is his overall impact on the game more than Deron’s?

  • Utah Jazz Blog Posted: Oct.13 at 6:57 pm
    I won’t get into the DWill vs CP3 debate right now, but it’s clear to most that Deron is at worst the 2nd best PG in the game right now. I think #11 is too low for him. He definitely belongs in the top 10. Check out my Utah Jazz Blog for more DWill commentary.

  • Afonso Posted: Oct.13 at 7:11 pm
    BRANDON ROY CARRYED A YOUNG TEAM (BASICALLY WITHOUT ODEN) TO 54WINS IN THE BETTER CONFERENCE!! HES NOT THE BIG BULLY MELO IS, BUT HES ON THAT LEVEL, I´D PICK HIM OVER MELO CAUSE OF HIS EFFICIENCY AND REGULARITY…HE CAN GET YOU BUCKETS LITERALLY ANY WAY YOU WANT..ONLY KOBE AND MELO POSSESS THE SAME ARSENAL, FLASH IS NOT A GREAT JUMP SHOOTER AS WE KNOW..IF ROY PLAYED IN PHOENIX OR GSW HW WOULD AVERAGE 30,6,6

  • Pardeep Posted: Oct.13 at 7:13 pm
    This is my top 10: 10.)Tim Duncan- Parkers taking the franchise over.
    9.)Dirk Nowitzki
    8.)Brandon Roy
    7.)Kevin Durant
    6.)Dwight Howard
    5.)Chris Paul
    4.)Carmelo Anthony:Yeah I said it. 45 points in 24 mins!!dude is lethal
    3.)Dwyane Wade
    2.)Kobe Bryant
    1.)LeBron James

  • Pardeep Posted: Oct.13 at 7:17 pm
    Melo is 4th. Dude can average 30 if he wants. He had another scorer in AI for two season and still put 25 ppg and last season a balanced offence with Billups where players usually average under 20 he still avearged 23 and his boards went up plus he improved his defence. George Karl is going to officially hand the keys to Melo and this guy is going to show us all that hidden talent from the past 3 seasons. Remember a 22 year old Melo was averaging 30 before he got suspended in 06. This guy is arguably the second best scorer in the game and he is going to take over next year mark my word the 2010 season will be the year of Melo. Maybe even a MVP year. Expect 28 and 8 and a trip to the WCF.

  • Hum Posted: Oct.13 at 7:57 pm
    Durant is way overrated imo
    top 10… seriously?!
    At this point, he is a very good scorer. I’ll give him that. But that’s it. He is strictly one-dimensional- his rebounding, passing, ball-handling, and defense remain a work in progress. And yet, you’re telling me he has a bigger impact on a basketball game than say, Deron Williams? Sure, in a few years, he will be well on his way, but this ranking concerns the coming season (does it not?) I would argue that Danny Granger is a better player at this stage than Durant, and yet Granger is only ranked #21?
    KD is good, but he hasn’t done enough yet to justify being one of the top 10 NBA players.

  • Thype Posted: Oct.13 at 7:58 pm
    @ Pardeep – Until Billups showed up that team didn’t have a chance in hell to compete at the level they did last year. Billups is a hands down winner, Melo I’m not so sure about yet. I’ll tell you what though, I’m a basketball fan first and foremost, I’m routing for the guy to tear up the league and make the Nugs a CONSISTENT contender year in and year out. As it stands they are a flash in the pan until they prove otherwise (hopefully) this year. Good luck with those Nugs.

  • Thype Posted: Oct.13 at 8:03 pm
    @ Ryne – Totally agree. C3P is a straight freak in terms of sheer talent and athleticism. However, I like my big guards for the durability and definitely mismatches come playoff time. DWill is the truth, as much as it pains me to say it (Blazer fanatic here), this guy is going to always make his team solid, steady, and ready. Love his game. At the end of the day, you can’t go wrong, really. As basketball fans we’re lucky to see these guys run the floor all season long.

  • Ben Posted: Oct.13 at 8:52 pm
    how is he not a top ten player?

  • Shem Posted: Oct.13 at 10:53 pm
    Kevin Durant isn’t overated, he averages 25 pts and is very efficient. He also averages 5 boards and 4 assts. Next year, 30 pts 8 boards and 6 assts isnt out of the question. As for the article, hes good enough to make not one all star appearance but atleast 2 (he played well last year) but im not that surprised that he hasnt made an all star team. Kobe Bryant was put as PG in 07-08 and Chris Paul behind him and last year I think Chris Paul was starting and Billups was behind him (i think so atleast), so yeah he probably should have got the nod over Billups but its not absolutely shocking that he hasnt made an All star team over guys like Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant and Billups… in the east he would have made the starting line all three years.

  • Afonso Posted: Oct.13 at 11:12 pm
    hey shem!!!Tony Parker also made it righ?

  • ThrowSticks Posted: Oct.13 at 11:56 pm
    idk, this guy is the most underrated guard in the NBA right now. He has the best crossover in the NBA right now. Look at what he did to Shannon Brown in the Playoffs. Look at what he’s done to CP3. Has CP even won a game against UTAH? How this guy hasn’t made an All Star team, I just can’t believe it.

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.14 at 12:02 am
    In fairness, I’m a little confused about how people can think Deron is better than Paul. Paul has better stats in every single area of the game, has a worse team and a worse coach but gets the team farther.
    Utah as a team hasn’t changed but as Deron Williams is given the reins of the offense from Sloan and the team has gotten worse. Has anyone else noticed this?

  • Brad Long Posted: Oct.14 at 12:37 am
    Jukai:I blame Carlos Boozer.

  • lilhooperclo10 Posted: Oct.14 at 12:48 am
    Real talk CP3 a lil overrated. He dribble 2 much and he always crying. Look what Donte Jones and Chauncey Billups did 2 him. That heva happens 2 Deron. Ill take Deron ova Chris Paul anyday

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.14 at 1:29 am
    I’m sorry, “real talk,” this judging CP3 over one playoff series is bull, no real hoops fan would do that.
    Let’s take playoff averages:
    20.2/9.4 on 46% shooting for Deron
    21.9/11 on 48% shooting for Paul
    That’s “real talk.” Deron would never be shut down by Billups and Jones because Deron would just toss the rock to Boozer or Brewer and just work off the ball. Paul doesn’t have that luxury– dude’s the team, he has to control the rock.
    Man… some kids these days…

  • PANAGIOTIS VASILOPOULOS Posted: Oct.14 at 1:54 am
    @Jukai….: you write “Let’s take playoff averages:
    20.2/9.4 on 46% shooting for Deron
    21.9/11 on 48% shooting for Paul
    That’s “real talk.” “(!!!!!!!!!!)
    Man… some kids ,not these days but ALWAYS, do the same mistake…..bball is much more than stats, get over your fantasy league obsession and get out at the park just for a change. it will also do good to your health both physical/mental (please take with you tavoris,allenp,etc. they need it too)

  • SHAN Posted: Oct.14 at 2:06 am
    first off Id rather be young and infromed than old and dumb. But thats just me, Deron is better then CP at pretty much everything, passing, shooting, crossover, dunks, his stats could(and should) surpass Chris this year(besides in steals)and for the rest of his career and people still wouldnt admit it. Paul truly exploits his speed to get points. Dwill can cross you up and pull up for the jumper dead in your eyes, or pull off an impossible half court pass, or barrel his way inside just know he will get whatever he wants, whererever,however, basically he is good at EVERYTHING, not too many players are good at everything CP wishes he could be tho. Pretty soon deron will be the standard to judge everyone against, all point guards and you will be wishing too, stats do not account for greatness, which Deron owns, again CP only wishes and hes prob top 5 on this list. Stupid doo doo dumb.

  • SHAN Posted: Oct.14 at 2:09 am
    jukai…also when did the Hornets ever get ferther then the Jazz? Maybe it was in your video game, wake up….

  • PANAGIOTIS VASILOPOULOS Posted: Oct.14 at 2:16 am
    @SHAN…..:Deron is a better player overall than Paul(this has been repeatedly proven in big games), it is just that Paul is more equiped to produce in the NBA regular season and that’s where the problem begins with our video game friends here. Of course that does not mean that CP is not a really great player also…

  • SHAN Posted: Oct.14 at 2:29 am
    I know CP is the best( not really but just to be stat quo, I guess)but I watch Deron every game and if other people also did they would agree. Yes CP, he runs his very own video game on the Hornets, and I commend him for that but sheesh they need to get him some better teammates, damn… poor CP, of course he has crazy stats without him they are as effective as a cadaver. I am not AT ALL disputing his video game status but Deron is just like documentary status, with the way he can kill in the clutch and everything he does, just with him alone the Jazz are guaranteed 45+ wins a year….you know? Anyway we all shall see…cant wait for what the future holds for both of them and all the great wealth of talent in this league, hurry up!!!

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.14 at 2:50 am
    Shan: Outside of the year CP3 was injured, the Hornets have always done better than the Jazz.
    Spanny: Once again, your lack of anything outside of your boring FIBA basketball clouds your judgment.
    Chris Paul is ‘better suited’ for NBA style play. As we learned from the Olympics, Deron is ‘better suited’ for FIBA style play. Why does this mean Deron is a better overall basketball player? If I understand correctly, the best FIBA basketball players (Manu, Dirk, Gasol, Parker, Calderon) all play in the NBA, and since the american players came and beat all the European teams in the Olympics under FIBA style, I’m gonna go ahead and put the NBA one level above the ‘world’ style… and because of my amazing logic, which you could never grasp, that means that Chris Paul, who is ‘better suited to play in the NBA’ is better than Deron who is ‘better suited to play in FIBA’
    Maybe if they both played in the ACB, I’d say Deron was better than Paul.

  • Joey E. Posted: Oct.14 at 2:51 am
    i just dont understand how OJ could make this list and not DRose.

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.14 at 2:58 am
    Joey: Rose was 18…

  • cb 34 Posted: Oct.14 at 3:12 am
    @ jukai: Deron is better than cp3 and that’s a fact. Stats don’t tell the whole story. You keep whining that booze is on deron’s team but you keep omitting that cp has david west! And west, who by the way is even more clutch than cp3 himself. You give deron the ball and he’ll make a play. Paul most of the time has west bail him out. CP3 just gets more pub and it ain’t right that he’s higher than deron because deron is the superior player. Paul is fast and that’s his main thing. You take that away and you got a mediocre point guard.

  • PANAGIOTIS VASILOPOULOS Posted: Oct.14 at 3:25 am
    @cb 34….:exactly (but don’t wait for Jukai to figure this out).
    @Jukai….:american players had their first success in almost a decade and you come out with such a hilarious/arrogant argument like this…??LOL!!!! ok, i cannot pretend being amazed by this behavior this is exactly what i was expecting. I can only imagine what would have happened if Argentinians (or Serbs) had the same mentality as you(fontunatelly they are more down to earth and humble).

  • melvin ely Posted: Oct.14 at 4:28 am
    Holy sh!t that picture LOL

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.14 at 5:18 am
    CB34: First off, West plays like utter crap when CP3 is out… dude is still mint down low but he benefits so much from those easy pick and pops that Paul gives him. Think of West as the anti-Boozer: Boozer is mint with his nice midrange but gets most of his down-low buckets from the pick and roll with Deron (if you want my opinion, both are identical poor men’s Elton Brand without their respective points). But hey, let’s say West IS slightly better than Boozer (he is one spot above Boozer in Slam’s top 50, so I assume he is literally one spot better).
    But let’s go player for player, instead of naming one dude and ‘conveniently’ forgetting about the rest of the team:
    James Posey vs Andre Kirilenkoo
    Peja Stojakovic vs Ronnie Brewer (remember, this is today’s Peja, you know the dude shooting under 40%)
    Tyson Chandler vs ‘Memo’ Okur
    Hilton Armstrong vs Paul Milsap
    Morris Peterson vs Kyle Korver
    Rasual Butler vs CJ Miles
    EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE MATCHUPS, I put my money on the Jazz. Not even close (the only one that is debatable is Chandler vs Okur– lemme ask, which one of those dudes made an all-star team?). Utah has a superior team, I mean REALLY just much better team… and Utah is coached by one of the greatest coaches of all time in Jerry Sloan. New Orleans? Byron F’in Scott. But yeah, you got me, David West is ‘slightly’ better than Boozer so I guess I’ll have to give this one to Deron Williams.
    Lemme repeat: Cp3 has a better record on a worse team and has better stats, and he’s worse because “he’s all speed?”
    alright cb34, you think what you want.

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.14 at 5:21 am
    Pan: I’m confused here– before we won the olympics, all you talked about was how Europe was bette than the USA, even though you had only been champions for a paltry four years… and now I’m not allowed to use the fact that the USA is officially the best team in the world, under FIBA guidelines, because even though we’ve dominated the competition for the majority of the time in another rule system, we ‘just re-won it?’
    Great! Once again, your blinder logic is astounding.
    I gotta know dude, how old are you? Really. I think I’m going to be shocked when I found out the answer.
    Oh, and you’re wrong about CP3. Just because you like how Deron plays better, doesn’t mean he’s better. It’s a hard concept for me to get through your head, and I don’t have any finger puppets to help me explain, so you’re just going to have to take my word for it.

  • PANAGIOTIS VASILOPOULOS Posted: Oct.14 at 8:16 am
    @Jukai….:you want me to give you again the link,(you know,the world rankings in ALL levels of bball with acumulated results in the last 8 years, )??..you really do..??? i won’t do it (again) cause i’ve done it many times in the past and you just don’t get it. Why so…? i guess this ain’t the place to explain you…(and it wouldn’t help you either, you can change nothing)

  • PANAGIOTIS VASILOPOULOS Posted: Oct.14 at 8:18 am
    and even in the case you could change,then i woull lose all the fun here (at least a big part) so it’s a lose-lose situation for me…keep on playing (video/fantasy games that is)!!!!

  • tavoris Posted: Oct.14 at 9:42 am
    Greek dude…why are u mentioning my name? I have no doubt that I’d destroy you on the basketball court (come to NYC and find out), so don’t worry about my “health”. Jukai has a point-you’ve clung to the sac of international talents (who have turned out to be mediocre NBA players) for far too long. Furthermore, this is the wrong place for that. The reality is that there are a SMALL handful of international players who have been successful on the highest level.

  • fireman10101 Posted: Oct.14 at 9:43 am
    Cp3 is the best pg in the league hands down, but this is the right spot for dwill cuz he got more options than any other point in the league except for tony parker

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.14 at 9:40 pm
    Spanny… what are you talking about? What link? What ranking?

  • PANAGIOTIS VASILOPOULOS Posted: Oct.15 at 6:48 am
    15 hours later and you come up with this….??!!weak….(to say the least).Go drink your milk now (and hurry up cause tavoris is there since yesterday!!!)

  • Alex Posted: Oct.26 at 3:33 am
    I think Deron is a better playoff/longevity player. He also has a lot of good teammates, but the way the Jazz run there offense Deron is limited in stats. While Paul has to get those stats in order for the Hornets to win. He is there first and only option. So of course his stats will rack up. If you watch Deron he doesn’t need to rebound, Sloan doesn’t want him to gamble for steals, Sloan wants Deron to take his shots in crunch time or when the shot clock is running down. While the rest of the game he tries to get everyone there looks. Not to mention that Paul has more spot up shooters while Deron has more slashers which are harder to get assists off of.

  • DreXnaW21 Posted: Jun.11 at 8:35 pm
    DWill deserves to be at least top 5 players in the NBA for Slam’s list.

  • DreXnaW21 Posted: Jun.11 at 8:36 pm
    DWill FTW

  • DreXnaW21 Posted: Jun.11 at 8:36 pm
    DWill should be top 5 of this list.

  • Micah Posted: Jul.11 at 5:09 pm
    this article is garbage. dwill is better hands down. i don’t have any more to say than that, it’s all hype

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