The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.
by Aggrey Sam / @CSNBullsInsider
Since when is a former second-round pick, two-time All-Star and Olympic gold medalist a bum after averaging 17.5 ppg and 9.6 rpg, while shooting 51 percent from the field? Apparently when he misses 23 regular-season games and his Playoff numbers sink to 12.6 ppg and 43 percent shooting (his boards actually went up slightly, to 9.7 per), after getting a five-year deal for almost $80 million.
That’s the polite way of expressing the general sentiment I heard around Chicago last spring. Even with the Bulls having their most successful campaign since the Jordan era—best record in the League, Coach of the Year in Tom Thibodeau, League MVP in Derrick Rose and an unexpected run to the Eastern Conference Finals—fans in the Windy City couldn’t stop griping about Booz.
Jazz fans would probably say, “I told you so” (and before “The Decision,” Cavs supporters would have had a lot worse to say, but that’s neither here nor there) and I won’t argue against their reasoning. But the fact of the matter is Utah didn’t make the Playoffs (and even if you don’t think Boozer’s departure was a big reason, it wouldn’t be illogical to say it was a factor in Deron Williams leaving for Jersey), while the Bulls became an upper-echelon NBA team.
True, his D leaves a lot to be desired. At the same time, whether it was despite his presence on that end or not, Chicago was the League’s top defensive team. And yeah, he wasn’t always the dominant low-post force some people expected, but opponents had to least account for his presence, and he was probably the best inside scorer the City of Big Shoulders has seen since the days of recent HOF inductee Artis Gilmore. But none of that mattered.
Chicago is still the Midwest, a region where fans want their players to grind. None other than former Bulls greats like Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman called the Alaska native out for his post-season disappearing act, even insinuating he should become an enforcer to counteract teams playing physical with Rose. I can’t truly defend the way he came up short when it counted, but as somebody who spent all season around the team—from his infamous training-camp injury through his failure to come through in the clutch against Indiana, Atlanta or Miami—perhaps I can offer some perspective.
I’m not from Chicago, I wasn’t a Bulls fan coming up (I actually preferred the Bad Boy Pistons and while I acknowledged Mike’s greatness, I was more of a Pip guy), I’m no apologist and unlike GM Gar Forman, Thibs or any of the players, I don’t have a vested interest in team harmony, although the Bulls’ amazing on and off the court chemistry certainly made my job easier, so please don’t call me biased.
‘Los will never be the most athletic cat in the NBA, but it was obvious that his late start affected his bounce, conditioning and rhythm. On top of that, both he and his teammates seemed to overcompensate for his early absence by forcing him the rock—Thibs designed it that way, in an effort to take pressure off Derrick—something that affected their intended transition style of play, being that he’s much more of a half-court guy. Also, he was paired up with Joakim Noah, a unique player who was used to being a facilitaor (as is Booz) and being able to roam from low post to high post, and with both of them being out of the lineup at different times, they never fully jelled, affecting the team’s spacing.
Then, you have the “backup quarterback syndrome,” in which Taj Gibson, coming off an All-Rookie Team debut season, starting (and doing it well) when Booz was out and often sparking the team off the bench, was the talk of the town and in the minds of most observers, should have usurped Booz’s spot. Now, I love Taj to death and I think he’s a hell of a player now and will continue to develop into an even better one (one of the Bulls assistant coaches compares him to a more athletic young PJ Brown, the ultimate role player and the type of dude who should have a long, successful pro career on teams that excel), but Booz brings some things to the table that Gibson doesn’t.
First, understand that Carlos and I both graduated high school in ’99 (as did another much-maligned Bull, Keith Bogans, my fellow DMV native) and being a hoops junkie from an early age, I knew about him early on and saw him play in the McDonald’s All-American Game and at Duke, where he battled my man Lonnie Baxter in the ACC. Booz has always been extremely polished, with comfortable range on his J and nifty post moves to go along with that big body.
Obviously, Jason Williams was the man in Durham and being regarded as “undersized” (something I don’t get; he’s certainly not extremely tall for his position, but it’s not like he’s Barkley’s height out there), he slipped in the Draft, leading to him having a chip on his shoulder. He put in work for Cleveland, bounced for Utah (we all know the blind-man handshake story by now) and continued to put in work, elevating his game to the point where he was considered a top player at his position and even got on with USA Basketball. That jumper has only become more consistent out to 20 feet; he’s effective as both a roll or pop guy as a screener; he’s physical; rebounds well enough (if not above average) for a 4; is a crafty finisher; an underrated passer; and somebody who can operate on the low block or high post.
Basically, talent isn’t the issue.
But there’s something about buddy that makes it rain down “boos” (he claims it’s all “Booz” to him, but he knows the difference) when things go the slightest bit wrong. Maybe it’s the fact that he screams like a maniac after the smallest play, how he feels the need to rub the ball between somebody else’s free throws like he has OCD or even that he’s polite enough, but doesn’t really open up to the media (and therefore, fans), although after some of the stuff that’s leaked out about his personal life, I can’t blame him on that front.
As a beat reporter, would I like him to share a little more, not just answer questions on his terms and take a little more personal responsibility when he’s in the wrong on the floor? Sure, but that’s being picky and honestly, he’s a lot better than most dudes around the League on other teams and since the Bulls as a whole are some of the most easygoing players you’ll come across (including Booz, who, at least on a surface level, got along fine with each and every one of his teammates, going out of his way to do so from the jump), I probably got a little spoiled.
At the same time, Booz was probably smart to be on the defensive after some of what he went through in Utah and likely expected the media in a city the size of Chicago to be just as rough, if not worse. I won’t speak for my peers, but we basically gave him the kid-glove treatment until the last month or so of the season, even as we observed his teammates either seemingly becoming more frustrated or defending him to the point of pleading for us to leave him be.
All that’s well and good, and perhaps with this extended break the NBA is on, he’ll have the chance to get completely healthy, hone his game and redeem himself next season, whenever that may be. Because if he doesn’t, his ranking in next year’s SLAMonline Top 50 is the last thing he’ll need to worry about.
But for now, just going by his numbers (regular season, that is) and track record (when healthy, of course), then assuming another year in Thibs’ system (if he plays D) and building chemistry with Derrick, Jo and the rest of the squad, I’m betting that his pride has him bouncing back strong, silencing the critics and reclaiming his status as one of the better power forwards in the game. I know that’s a lot of variables, but call it an educated guess. At the end of that contract, however…that’s another story, so let’s just stick with the present.
Aggrey Sam covers the Chicago Bulls for Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
| SLAMonline Top 50 Players 2011 | ||||
| Rank | Player | Team | Position | Pos. Rank |
| 50 | Luol Deng | Bulls | SF | 8 |
| 49 | Andrew Bogut | Bucks | C | 7 |
| 48 | Ray Allen | Celtics | SG | 9 |
| 47 | Marc Gasol | Grizzlies | C | 6 |
| 46 | David West | Hornets | PF | 15 |
| 45 | Kevin Martin | Rockets | SG | 8 |
| 44 | Andrew Bynum | Lakers | C | 5 |
| 43 | Brandon Jennings | Bucks | PG | 11 |
| 42 | Lamar Odom | Lakers | PF | 14 |
| 41 | Gerald Wallace | Blazers | SF | 7 |
| 40 | Brook Lopez | Nets | C | 4 |
| 39 | Joakim Noah | Bulls | C | 3 |
| 38 | Carlos Boozer | Bulls | PF | 13 |
Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’11-12 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Maurice Bobb, Shannon Booher, David Cassilo, Bryan Crawford, Sandy Dover, Adam Figman, Jon Jaques, Eldon Khorshidi, Ryne Nelson, Doobie Okon, Ben Osborne, Quinn Peterson, Dave Schnur, Abe Schwadron, Dan Shapiro, Irv Soonachan, Todd Spehr, Tzvi Twersky, Yaron Weitzman, DeMarco Williams and Ben York.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.
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BUT since Aggrey Sam wrote the write-up, and I have mad respect for dude, not only his work with SLAM but also with Comcast in Chicago, and his dope play-by-plays on Twitter, I’ma read the write-up first….
The problem is that in the playoffs, the inferior bigs are already gone. You get to play talent in the playoffs, and Boozer is inconsistent against talent. He always has been. He’ll have monster games, then disappear. He did it in Utah and he’s doing it now.
The Bulls have 4 players in top 50, so will have the Celtics & Lakers. Miami is behind with three.
but Booz isn’t better than those 12 guys chosen before him with the exception of DWest.
Aggrey is always on point with his writing.
But still can’t cosign Boozer making this list.
Boozer is one of the best 10-15 scoring BIG MEN in the league …that means alot
he gets more boards than Aldridge n Amare they both gon be higher than him
if your team is top5 n 10 in overall D n u a Big than u matter on D period
All D starts in the paint
“Honey!, get my tachi ready. I’m about to perform Seppuku”
Trust me, I watched almost every single Bulls game last year except for like three or two that weren’t on League Pass.
Boozer’s D is horrendous, save for an occasional strip or benefiting from another player stripping the ball and getting credited with the steal.
And he is injured way too much for the team to really, truly benefit off his above average work in the post.
But most off, his disappearing act in the playoffs in inexplicable and unforgivable.
im not sayin the man a great player but there aint 50 better than him either
Noah cant up just as small or smaller than Boozer n the playoffs
is he a franchise player HELL NO
but he CLEARLY is one on the best bigs in the league after the elite
he in the next tier
For me, Scola is above Love and should be on that list. I think Scola & Smith ot Lee make the cut. Then it’s quite fair, although David West could be ranked ahead of Carlos Boozer.
And Scola will not be ranked ahead of Kevin Love, not on this list. If David Lee makes the list that would be surprising too.
Even though he probably deserves to, cause if the Thunder play him more than 35 mins per next season, he’ll probably give them like 13, 11 and over 3 blocks per.
I would wager Blake is higher than Bosh and Aldridge is higher than Garnett, if I was guessing.
Slam must really expect David Lee to bounce back hard for some reason. And, to be honest, I would rather have Boozer than David Lee.
Also, even though it’s unlikely to happen, LA was a better player than KG and ZBO. He finally proved that he could be the “man” and carried POR to the playoffs without BRoy. He also was a top-2 if not the best PF for a considerable stretch last season.
I would rather have him any day. I love his post moves.
Aldridge deserves to leapfrog KG on projected performance. KG is getting old, Aldridge is getting stronger, and now he has Crash to run with him and they dumped that pouting loser Rudy Fernandez.
However, he will miss the genius of Andre Miller. Nobody appreciates Dre until he’s gone.
I agree. Can’t name that many PFs before you get to Aldridge.
Also, Scola is a fantastic player with the coolest post moves in the league, but sometimes–and this isn’t often, but sometimes–he’ll blow wide open layups, or have a really bad turnover that just leaves you going wtf?!?!
Still, he’s one of the best PFs in the league and should be on this list.
Why are y’all Canadiens so high on DeRozan? The kid’s gonna be good but DAMN y’all act like he’s the second coming of Michael Jordan.
Id DeRozan deserves to make this list then so does Nick Young.
OH, THOSE ELBOWS! WATCH THE ELBOWS! BOSH HAS MOUTHS TO FEED!
What a b*tch…
You’re high on DD like Chicago is high on Rose?
Sounds to me like you’re just high.
Yeah, I’ll give you that he can score 25 per eventually for that sorry a** team.
Then again maybe not cause Jonas will be option #1 soon as he touches down there.
But 4 and 4?
Maybe 4 rebounds and 4 turnovers per, cause it sure as hell ain’t rebounds and assists.
And I feel your pain too.
The Heat paid $110 mil for a man who’s balls may never drop.
Which he accomplished ONCE in his career?
And you think he’ll average 4 per?
Yeah, ok….
Wade
Bryant
Eric Gordon
Jo Johnson
Monte ellis
Stephen Jackson
and Demar Derozen
I just hate on Bosh.
And not even his game, cause his game is beastly.
I just hate how much of a b*tch dude is at times.
So not sure where you’re getting at with that.
And in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not too high on Boozer either, cause I don’t blindly stand up for players on my squad that don’t deserve it like you do.
The funny thing is, had LeBron joined the Bulls, you’d be praising Boozer right now.
You could be right, DeRozan could be in this list.
I’m just saying if he is I wouldn’t agree with it.
There’s been others on this list I haven’t agreed with.
But he really rubbed me the wrong way last season when he acted like a punk with the whole Omer Asik thing, the Boozer elbow, and crying after that loss to the Bulls (I know it was him!)
Oh damn, I forgot about Harden! Dude’s gonna blow up next season!
Tyreke 17.8p 4.8r and 5.6 a on 37 min
Harden 12.2p 3.5r 2.3a on 28min Demar still got the edge on Harden and the other is a PG nbk Derozan averaged 8 points his rookie season not 14.3 check your stats
Damn, son…
DeRozan is good, and improving at a higher pace than nbk gives him credit for (DeRozan actually showed the most improvement out of any sophomore last season… most or second most), and I have a good feeling about him but hold your horses.
well, theres still the rose and john lucas III writeups to look forward to.
1. Nowitzki
2. Aldridge
3. Gasol
4. Stoudemire
5. Griffin
6. Randolph
7. Bosh
8. Love
9. Scola
10. Garnett
You have been from your very first post on here. A Bron lover and a Rose hater.
Rose deserved MVP.
Best player on the best team in the regular season.
I can understand being a fan, but damn try to have some objectivity and common sense.
DeRozan should consider himself lucky if he ever sniffs having as good a career as Manu has had.
Durant
Kobe
Rose
Wade Dwight
Nowitzki
CP
Melo
Dwill Rondo
Amare
Blake
Love
Westbrook Ellis
Zbo
Curry
Joe Johnson
Rudy gay Pau gasol
Bosh
Wall
Albridge
E gordan
Al Horford
Ginobli
Jsmoove
Granger Pierce
Nash
PArker
Kg
Tyrek Evans
Beasley
Jterry
dlee
Dirk
Aldridge
ZBo
DRose deserved it but he wasn’t my pick.
The MVP award doesn’t always go to the best player.
I still think LeBron James is the best player in the NBA, and while the Miami Heat had a solid record last year, there’s some things that I think rightfully deterred James and Wade from being the MVP.
They were 21-18 against playoff teams. They were 1-6 against the Bulls and Celtics, specifically.
The Bulls were 26-13 against playoff teams.
They didn’t lost against the Heat, or Mavs, and only lost once against the Celtics.
Derrick Rose stepped up huge in huge games.
Against the Spurs who had by far the best record at the time prior to the ASG, Rose had 42, 5 and 8 while shooting over 60% from the field.
Against the Heat, dude averaged 29 points per.
He had some clutch shots to win and tie games.
The Bulls never lost three straight games all season long.
I could go on, but the fact that you feel such hatred towards Derrick Rose for some unexplained reason won’t allow you to soak any of this in anyway so why bother…
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