Top 100 NBA Players: 2012 Update

It was only a couple of weeks ago that I finished my countdown of the top 100 NBA players of all time, but since then another season has ended, and I've spent some time adding in the new set of statistics to determine new spots in the rankings for current players. Here is how that list looks now, with previous ranking in parentheses. Current players are in bold.

1. (1) Michael Jordan
2. (2) Wilt Chamberlain
3. (3) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
4. (5) Kobe Bryant
5. (4) Karl Malone
6. (6) Shaquille O'Neal
7. (7) Magic Johnson
8. (8) Larry Bird
9. (12) LeBron James
10. (9) Tim Duncan

11. (10) Jerry West
12. (11) Hakeem Olajuwon
13. (13) Elgin Baylor
14. (19) Kevin Garnett
15. (17) Dirk Nowitzki
16. (14) Bill Russell
17. (15) Clyde Drexler
18. (16) Oscar Robertson
19. (18) Scottie Pippen
20. (20) Charles Barkley

21. (27) Dwyane Wade
22. (21) Bob Pettit
23. (22) David Robinson
24. (23) George Mikan
25. (24) John Havlicek
26. (25) Julius Erving
27. (26) Moses Malone
28. (33) Paul Pierce
29. (28) Elvin Hayes
30. (29) Jason Kidd

31. (30) Patrick Ewing
32. (31) Rick Barry
33. (32) Allen Iverson
34. (34) George Gervin
35. (35) Gary Payton
36. (36) Bob Cousy
37. (40) Pau Gasol
38. (37) James Worthy
39. (38) Vince Carter
40. (39) Walt Frazier

41. (41) Alex English
42. (68) Kevin Durant
43. (42) Ray Allen
44. (43) Isiah Thomas
45. (44) Dolph Schayes
46. (45) Dennis Johnson
47. (46) Kevin McHale
48. (47) Dave Cowens
49. (48) Dominique Wilkins
50. (49) Reggie Miller

51. (50) Shawn Marion
52. (51) Chris Webber
53. (52) Bob McAdoo
54. (53) Tracy McGrady
55. (54) Steve Nash
56. (55) Richard Hamilton
57. (56) Dwight Howard
58. (57) Gus Williams
59. (84) Rajon Rondo
60. (58) Amare Stoudemire

61. (NR) Russell Westbrook
62. (59) Adrian Dantley
63. (60) John Stockton
64. (61) Robert Parish
65. (62) Shawn Kemp
66. (63) Chauncey Billups
67. (66) Carmelo Anthony
68. (64) Sam Jones
69. (65) Michael Finley
70. (87) Tony Parker

71. (67) Sidney Moncrief
72. (69) Elton Brand
73. (70) Kevin Johnson
74. (71) Latrell Sprewell
75. (72) Horace Grant
76. (73) Anfernee Hardaway
77. (74) Antoine Walker
78. (75) Grant Hill
79. (86) Chris Bosh
80. (76) Hal Greer

81. (77) Jo Jo White
82. (78) Walt Bellamy
83. (79) Joe Fulks
84. (80) Bob Lanier
85. (81) Mark Aguirre
86. (82) Chris Mullin
87. (83) Neil Johnston
88. (91) Carlos Boozer
89. (NR) Chris Paul
90. (85) Max Zaslofsky

91. (88) Jerry Lucas
92. (89) Manu Ginobili
93. (90) Bill Sharman
94. (92) Tom Chambers
95. (93) Terry Porter
96. (94) Fat Lever
97. (95) Jeff Hornacek
98. (NR) Joe Johnson
99. (96) Walter Davis
100. (97) Bob Dandridge

Dropped Out

(98) Jerome Kersey
(99) Lamar Odom
(100) Cliff Hagan

Of the 30 active players among the top 100, 15 moved upward in the overall rankings at the conclusion of the season, and three of them entered the top 100 for the first time. Several who are still in their prime years still found themselves dropping this season, like Manu Ginobili, Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard, while others are still active but peaked long ago and won't be moving up again, such as Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, and Grant Hill.

LeBron James cemented his status as one of the top 10 players of all time at age 27 by winning his first NBA Championship, with the regular season and Finals MVP awards to go along with it. Another good year should vault him to #6, while another great year like this one could get him to #5, or even #4 if something happens to Kobe Bryant.

Kevin Durant made one of the biggest jumps with his third straight season leading the league in scoring, and getting his team to the NBA Finals for the first time helped his cause even more. Very few players have led the league in scoring 3 straight seasons, the others being Bob McAdoo, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, George Mikan, Neil Johnston, and George Gervin. Of those, only Jordan and Wilt ever went for more than 3 in a row, which the 23-year-old will be trying to accomplish next season.

Rajon Rondo also moved up big following his amazing playoff performance, in which he recorded four triple-doubles, which gives him 10 for his career in the playoffs, tying him for third all time at age 25. He recorded one of them in game 7 of the second round, which allowed him to join Larry Bird as the only Celtics to post a triple-double in a game 7, then he did it again in the Eastern Conference Finals. He's still ranked behind his "Big 3" teammates on the all-time list, but by the time he retires he may be the greatest of the four.

Russell Westbrook debuted at #61 after being one of the top players all season long, then helping to lead the Thunder to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1996, when they were still the Seattle Supersonics. With him and fellow 23-year-old Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City has a great foundation laid for a decade of dominance.

Tony Parker established himself as San Antonio's star this year, leading them to the league's best record and 10 straight wins to open the playoffs before his team collapsed against the much younger Thunder. Parker still has several good seasons in front of him, and could end up inside the top 25 if he can keep the Spurs near the top of the league for the remainder of his prime years.

Chris Paul had yet another strong season, and this time he matched his longest playoff run by reaching the second round of the playoffs with his new team, the Los Angeles Clippers. He also led the league in steals for the fourth time, and was among the top 4 in assists for the sixth straight season. All he needs is a deep playoff run to make a real move up the rankings.

It took 11 seasons, 7 playing at an All-Star level, for Joe Johnson to make his way into the top 100, but he still hasn't seen a win in the second round of the playoffs, which is the main thing holding him back from becoming a top-50 caliber player. Maybe his trade to Brooklyn will give him the supporting cast he needs to take the next step, although it could decrease his numbers enough that it won't be all that helpful.

Predictions - 3 May

Upset picks are in italics.

NBA

Celtics at Heat - Heat by 6

Grizzlies at Thunder - Thunder by 3

MLB

Blue Jays at Rays - Jays by 0.1

Yankees at Tigers - Yankees by 3.8

Nationals at Phillies - Phillies by 0.6

Brewers at Braves - Braves by 1.5

Astros at Reds - Reds by 2.3

Giants at Mets - Giants by 0.5

Angels at Red Sox - Sox by 0.2

Twins at White Sox - Sox by 1.0

Orioles at Royals - Royals by 1.5

Marlins at Cardinals - Cards by 2.5

Rockies at Diamondbacks - Rockies by 2.4

Indians at Athletics - Indians by 1.6

Pirates at Padres - Pirates by 3.0

Rangers at Mariners - Mariners by 0.6

Cubs at Dodgers - Dodgers by 3.0

NBA Player of the Day

Joe Johnson - ATL - 34 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 12-18 FG, 5-5 3P, 5-5 FT

We have another repeat winner, after Johnson won this award for his performance in the final game of the series against Orlando, but this time, Johnson won based on his shooting and scoring, while last time his rebounding played a large part in his victory. Johnson was perfect from behind the 3-point line last night, hitting big 3-pointers every time Chicago tried to make the game close, and he was also perfect from the free throw line. He was the best player in a game that involved the likely MVP, which is really saying something.

Prediction Results - 2 May

NBA Playoffs: 0-2 (.000) 34-14 overall (.708)

MLB: 6-3 (.667) 149-137 overall (.521)

Upsets: 1-1 (.500) 223-153 overall (.593)

NBA Playoff MVP Rankings - 29 Apr

Last week's playoff MVP leader, Dwight Howard, is no more. After tearing up the Hawks initially, he had a very disturbing week. He had two more extremely strong games, putting up 29-17 and 25-15, but Orlando lost both of those games. They did manage one win this week before being eliminated, but Howard only registered 8 points and 8 rebounds in the win. If a player is more valuable to his team while sitting on the bench, he's not really that valuable, is he? Not only did that performance drop him from the rankings altogether, it was bad enough that he didn't even win the first round honorable mention award, which I give to the best player whose team lost. I'll reveal the winner of that award later. First, let's get to this week's rankings. Last week's ranking is in parentheses.

1. Dwyane Wade - MIA - 22.2 pts, 8.4 reb, 5.2 ast, 2.0 blk, 1.4 stl (5)

There is no clear-cut MVP leader at this point of the playoffs, but Wade has to be considered a frontrunner after the series he had. In Miami's last two wins, Wade, a guard, posted point-rebound double-doubles while shooting over 90% from the free throw line. He also has the most experience of all of my current leaders, having won a Finals MVP award 5 years ago and owning the only championship ring of any of these five.

2. Kevin Durant - OKC - 32.4 pts, 5.6 reb, 3.6 ast (2)

Durant does not do much more than score, but who can deny that 41-point games to open and close the Denver series set the tone for an exciting, young Thunder team? In the clincher, he scored 16 points in the final 7 minutes and blocked a 3-point attempt in the final seconds that would have tied the game.

3. LeBron James - MIA - 24.2 pts, 10.6 reb, 6.2 ast (3)

Through the first 4 games of the playoffs, LeBron appeared to be the best player in the game. He was averaging nearly 29 points and 11 rebounds and had given the Heat a 3-1 lead in the series while Wade had struggled for a couple games, but in the deciding game Wade was the obvious star, while James managed only 16 points. He may be the King, but he's not the best closer on his own team.

4. Derrick Rose - CHI - 27.6 pts, 4.6 reb, 6.2 ast, 1.2 blk, 2.6 stl (4)

In the first two games of the playoffs, Rose showed why he is the leading candidate to win the regular season MVP award, putting up 39 points and 36 points in consecutive games, but he failed to match that in the final 3 games, scoring a total of 63 at the end of the series. His shooting percentages for the series were 37.1% from the field and 21.6% from three, both well below his regular season standards.

5. Dirk Nowitzki - DAL - 27.3 pts, 7.8 reb, 3.0 ast (NR)

Nowitzki finished with 33 points and 11 rebounds in Portland last night, winning the series for the Mavericks in a very tough arena for visitors. It was just the second time Dallas had won a playoff series since the lost to Miami in the 2006 Finals, and they won because Dirk took over the game and the series last night.

Honorable Mention

Chris Paul - NOH - 22.0 pts, 6.7 reb, 11.5 ast, 1.8 stl

Without David West, the Hornets' second-best player and leading scorer, Chris Paul took on an extra load and carried New Orleans into the playoffs and stretched their series to Los Angeles to 6 games, which is more than most expected out of them beforehand. He shot over 54% from the field and 47% from three during the series, but the Lakers finally shut down his scoring in the deciding game 6.

NBA Player of the Day

Joe Johnson - ATL - 23 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast, 10-25 FG, 1-4 3P, 2-2 FT

Johnson's stat line from last night is very similar to Dwyane Wade's from the night before, a performance which won the Heat star a Player of the Day nod from me, and Johnson's contribution was just as important. He was able to lead Atlanta to the second round of the playoffs for the third straight year, despite being a heavy underdog heading into the series.

Predictions - 29 Apr

Upset picks are in italics.

NBA

Spurs at Grizzlies - Grizzlies by 1

MLB

Tigers at Indians - Tigers by 1.1

Blue Jays at Yankees - Yankees by 2.6

Giants at Nationals - Nats by 0.9

Mets at Phillies - Phillies by 0.6

Mariners at Red Sox - Sox by 3.8

Angels at Rays - Rays by 1.2

Marlins at Reds - Marlins by 0.2

Cardinals at Braves - Braves by 2.4

Brewers at Astros - Brewers by 0.1

Orioles at White Sox - Orioles by 1.5

Twins at Royals - Royals by 1.8

Pirates at Rockies - Rockies by 0.3

Cubs at Diamondbacks - D-Backs by 1.1

Rangers at Athletics - Rangers by 1.2

Padres at Dodgers - Padres by 0.6

Prediction Results - 28 Apr

NBA Playoffs: 1-2 (.333) 32-11 overall (.744)

MLB: 6-5 (.545) 124-108 overall (.534)

Upsets: 2-4 (.333) 215-143 overall (.601)

College Basketball Hot and Not

Momentum can be huge in college basketball, especially during the tournament, where there are just 6 games to win, and momentum can carry a team to the title. These are the hottest and coldest teams entering the tournament.

Hot

The hottest team entering the tournament was a little bit of a surprising choice for many, but that doesn't mean they don't belong or deserve a spot. The Clemson Tigers demolished Boston College in the ACC Tournament before nearly upsetting the North Carolina Tar Heels, falling by 5 in overtime. They have already won their play-in game over UAB, and could upset 5th-seed West Virginia tomorrow as well.

Alabama State tore right through the SWAC Tournament last week even though they were only the #4 seed. They blew out the #5 and #6 teams and were able to knock out top seeded Texas Southern as well on their way to their 4th appearance in the Tournament.

Memphis is another team that was able to win its conference tournament despite being seeded fourth, and the championship game was not an easy one, because they were facing #2 seed UTEP in El Paso, but they did just enough to pull off the upset and sneak into the tournament in an otherwise disappointing season.

Duke was the highest-rated ACC team in my rankings heading into their conference tournament, and they took the toughest road possible to get to the title, beating the teams rated 2nd, 3rd, and 4th among ACC teams to win their 3rd straight conference tournament and a #1 seed in March Madness.

Penn State was very impressive in their march to the Big 10 Championship Game, beating two other teams that are still playing before falling to overall #1 seed Ohio State in the title game. It's been over 5 weeks since they lost to a team that was not ranked in the top 10 nationally.

San Diego State won consecutive games over MWC Tournament host UNLV and BYU, the only team to beat the Aztecs this season, as they won their conference tournament and earned a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and it's looking like they'll finally win their first-ever tournament game this weekend.

Cold

The Cincinnati Bearcats were a team that surprised a lot of people this year, but they did not surprise Notre Dame in the Big East Tournament, losing that matchup by 38 points and casting a little doubt on their readiness for the real tournament starting this week.

UCLA went into the Pac 10 tournament as the #2 seed and had the advantage of playing the games in their hometown, but fell to Oregon by 17 points in the very first game. Oregon doesn't even have a winning record, which makes me wonder whether UCLA was just feeling confident of their chances of making the tournament or whether they just aren't that good.

Luckily for Cincinnati, their first round opponent, Missouri, has been almost as cold as the Bearcats lately. The Tigers just barely held off conference doormat Texas Tech in the first round of the Big 12 tourney before overrated Texas A&M whipped them in Kansas City the next night.

Three straight games seemed to be too much for the Marquette Golden Eagles, who defeated Providence and West Virginia before falling hard against Louisville, dropping the game 81-56. They were the final Big East team selected for the tournament, but that doesn't mean they won't be good.

A lot more was expected from Purdue in the Big 10 Tournament, possibly a trip to the championship game against Ohio State, but they fell on day one to a Michigan State team that was fighting for their lives. Getting a #3 seed may have taken the target off their backs a little bit and may enable a long run in March.

Predictions - 16 Mar

Upset picks are in italics.

Possible upsets are underlined.

NBA

Nuggets at Hawks - Nuggets by 1

Pacers at Celtics - Celtics by 10

Raptors at Pistons - Pistons by 4

Suns at Hornets - Hornets by 5

Thunder at Heat - Heat by 6

Magic at Bucks - Magic by 4

Bobcats at Rockets - Rockets by 8

Timberwolves at Jazz - Jazz by 7

Cavaliers at Kings - Kings by 7

Mavericks at Warriors - Mavs by 4

76ers at Clippers - 76ers by 1

College Basketball

(16) Texas-San Antonio vs. (16) Alabama State - Texas-SA by 5

(11) USC vs. (11) VCU - USC by 4

NBA Player of the Day

Joe Johnson - ATL - 36 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 13-19 FG, 6-9 3P, 4-4 FT

Johnson came out wearing a new headband, and it appears that it may have been lucky. He scored 28 points in the first half alone, including 6 straight 3-pointers, as Atlanta pulled away from the Bucks early in a game that became a blowout.

Prediction Results - 15 Mar

NBA: 3-1 (.750) 576-243 overall (.703)

NCAA Tournament: 2-0 (1.000)

Upsets: 1-0 (1.000) 153-104 overall (.595)