Top 100 NBA Players — Nos. 21-30

These rankings are designed to spotlight the 100 best NBA players, regardless of salary or current team context, based on where they stand at this very moment, approaching the (still theoretical) 2011-12 season. There are no objective criteria for these rankings. The list represents my opinion after watching far too many basketball games, scouring every statistic available, recalling conversations I’ve had while reporting on the league and poring over hours and hours of clips on Synergy Sports. And even with all that information, separating some of these guys amounts to making an impossible subjective call.

The overarching goal here is to find two-way players. If you’ve been a regular reader of this blog, you know how much attention is paid to defense and efficiency with the ball. Those 18 points per game look nice in the box score, but if a player gets them by chucking up contested 20-foot jumpers and lazily watching opposing ball-handlers stroll into the lane, he’s going to have a hard time making this list. A one-dimensional player seeking to make the top 65 or so better be darn good at that one dimension.

Check back on Monday and Tuesday as I roll out the remaining 20 players on The Point Forward’s top 100 list:

Andre Iguodala is a tenacious defender, but his role on offense is unclear. (Howard Smith/US Presswire)

30. ANDRE IGUODALA
G-F, Philadelphia 76ers
Age: 27
2010-11 Stats: 14.1 PPG, 44.5 FG%, 33.7 3PT%, 6.3 APG, 5.8 RPG, 1.5 STL

Over the last few seasons, Iguodala has tried to be, at various times, an isolation dynamo and a three-point gunner. Iguodala has more or less failed — at least by superstar standards — at both. He averaged a LeBron James-like 6.3 assists per game last season but scored less and saw his free-throw attempts drop. He’s a versatile offensive player who has never quite found himself on that end, in part because he has been miscast as a first option in Philadelphia. Coach Doug Collins divided things a bit more democratically last season, and Iguodala showed what he could be as a point forward, occasional first option and designated defensive destroyer.

Oh, that defense. Iguodala and LeBron were neck-and-neck as the best wing defenders in the league last season, as Iggy limited one star after another to subpar nights. He can guard either wing position, and on those nights when he doesn’t have a star player to deal with, he can create chaos elsewhere on the court.

He’s a game-changing defender, and that defense plus his strangely productive offensive game are enough to get him here. But Philadelphia’s first-round loss to Miami provided a reminder that he still resides outside “superstar” status. He scored 19 points combined, on 7-of-25 shooting, over the first three games of that series (all losses), and although Iguodala’s knee tendinitis can be blamed for some of that, it wasn’t surprising to see him struggle as would-be top dog. He has never been a go-to scorer, and it got to the point where Miami coach Erik Spoelstra assigned LeBron to Louis Williams and was content to have James Jones take the Iguodala assignment.

In other words: As much as I love Iguodala’s game, he doesn’t deserve to be any higher on this list.

29. ERIC GORDON
SG, Los Angeles Clippers
Age: 22
2010-11 Stats: 22.3 PPG, 45.0 FG%, 36.4 3PT%, 4.4 APG, 2.9 RPG, 1.3 STL

Gordon’s breakout year in his third season — his first with a Player Efficiency Rating (18.56) above the league’s average — lasted just 56 games because of injury. But what Gordon showed suggests bigger things are ahead, and this ranking may undersell what he’s going to do in a full season alongside Blake Griffin.

Gordon was fantastic before a wrist injury in late January cost him two months and mucked up his season. He had found his three-point stroke by then, adding it to a revamped game that included more shots at the rim, more trips to the line, more assists and more points. The Gordon/Griffin side pick-and-roll was one of my favorite League Pass sightings, and it made clear the Clippers have two potential superstars.

But Gordon has to prove it for more than 56 games before climbing any higher. It will be interesting to see how he deals with bigger shooting guards. He is a tenacious defender and a strong guy, but at 6-foot-3, he could face problems on defense against bigger players. Other undersized two-guards are capable defenders, and Gordon could turn into another one.

28. RUDY GAY
SF, Memphis Grizzlies
Age: 24
2010-11 Stats: 19.8 PPG, 47.1 FG%, 39.6 3PT%, 6.2 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.7 STL

Gay might not have had a Gordon-type breakout campaign in his injury-shortened season, but the improvement was there — it just wasn’t spectacular or isolated to one specific skill. Gay got a little better at a lot of things, and that bodes well.

He shot nearly 40 percent from three-point range without seeing a big drop in his free-throw attempts; improved his rebounding and defended with more passion; finished his looks at the rim at a much better rate; and, perhaps most encouraging of all, started to pass better in the half court. Showing further improvement in that last area is the next step for Gay. He has also hit a bunch of clutch late-game shots, showing potential as the kind of wing player who can carry the score-or-pass burden when the clock winds down.

Memphis’ playoff run spawned a predictable “They’re better without Rudy!” line of thought, but you knew that wasn’t true when you saw the Thunder ignoring Sam Young and Tony Allen during the Western Conference semifinals. Memphis needs a dynamic perimeter threat who won’t take too much of the offense away from its post players, and Gay can be that guy.

Tony Parker's consistency puts him ahead of the flashier Rajon Rondo. (US Presswire)

27. RAJON RONDO
PG, Boston Celtics
Age: 25
2010-11 Stats: 10.6 PPG, 47.5 FG%, 23.3 3PT%, 11.2 APG, 4.4 RPG, 2.3 STL

The Rondo/Tony Parker debate raged in my brain for a long, long time before I finally settled on Parker, by the slimmest of margins. But for the next three years? Rondo, in a walk. To win a title next season? That’s a different conversation, and it’s where Parker’s all-around offensive game lifts him to a point where it’s a coin flip.

Rondo is a better defender, and he has the gaudy assist numbers that Parker has never compiled. But Rondo doesn’t have a Manu Ginobili type with whom to split his team’s assists, and Parker is a much better finisher. In short, you can’t ignore Parker the way teams ignore Rondo. Parker can’t shoot three-pointers; Rondo can’t shoot outside of 15 feet, and he struggles even from there, having shot a totally unacceptable 57 percent from the line last season. That low percentage was one reason Rondo got to the line just 1.9 times per game last season, a hard thing to manage for an aggressive point guard playing 37 minutes per game.

According to Synergy, Rondo averaged 0.76 points per possession on plays he finished last season with a shot, drawn foul or turnover. That ranked 421st among all players who saw the floor. You’ll notice “assist” isn’t listed there, and you’d be right to point out that this number badly understates Rondo’s impact on Boston’s offense. He is nearly impossible to keep out of the lane, and he throws passes that make you rewind the DVR to see how he angled the ball back to Ray Allen at the top of the arc while falling out of bounds under the hoop.

The Celtics’ offense would be dead without Rondo. But it is often comatose with him, because of his lack of range. You can tell me he shot 41 percent on long twos last season, and you’d be right. The league average is around 40 percent, but the league isn’t begging average players to shoot from a distance that could barely be called “the outside.” Spacing is a precious thing, and the Celtics have to work extra hard to get it, in part because of Rondo. Boston also continues to turn the ball over too often, both in the half court and (perhaps especially damaging) in transition, and Rondo has to bear some responsibility for that.

The fact that the team scores at an average rate despite all of this is a tribute to Rondo’s creativity and the skill of Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. But Rondo still ranks third on that totem pole, even if he has made it close with Pierce and KG.

Parker isn’t exactly Dale Ellis from the perimeter, but you at least have to guard him. In addition, Rondo wasn’t even in Parker’s league in terms of fast-break efficiency; Parker is the best little-guy, one-man fast break in the league. Rondo wasn’t close to Parker in PER (17.11 compared to Parker’s 20.44), either, but that stat will always underrate Rondo’s defense.

And before you start chirping about rebounding, know that Parker and Rondo averaged the same number of defensive rebounds per game — rebounds Parker was more adept at turning into transition scores.

It’s very, very close, and Rondo’s highs are higher and more exhilarating than Parker’s. Rondo is perhaps the best point guard defender in the league, but point guards can only tilt the game with their defense on the right nights; they cannot have the every-game impact of Dwight Howard or Garnett. Right now, Parker’s stability wins.

26. TONY PARKER
PG, San Antonio Spurs
Age: 29
2010-11 Stats: 17.5 PPG, 51.9 FG%, 35.7 3PT%, 6.6 APG, 3.1 RPG, 1.2 STL

See above.

25. AL HORFORD
C, Atlanta Hawks
Age: 25
2010-11 Stats: 15.3 PPG, 55.7 FG%, 79.8 FT%, 9.3 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.0 BLK

The next couple of spots feel like a demarcation line between very good, All-Star/All-NBA-caliber players and the best of the best, and Horford is right at that line. He is one of the best all-around big men in the game, but you can’t yet give him the ball late in the shot clock and ask him to create a good shot, either off the dribble or in the post. That is the next frontier in Horford’s game, and until he reaches it, he belongs on the bubble.

Horford represents everything you’d want in a teammate. He’s unselfish (3.5 assists per game), he can space the floor with a reliable jumper, he wants to win above all else and he’s an outstanding defender. He can bang in the paint, take care of the glass and jump out to cut off quick guards on pick-and-roll plays.

But at some point, a team needs to be able to give its star the ball late in the shot clock and know that he is going to produce a decent shot, draw a double team or earn a trip to the line. Horford isn’t at that point. If he gets there, he’ll move up on my list. He’ll rise even more if he adds that corner three-pointer he’s talked about.

24. NENE
C, unrestricted free agent (Denver Nuggets)
Age: 28
2010-11 Stats: 14.5 PPG, 61.5 FG%, 71.1 FT%, 7.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 BLK

Nene edges Horford because he brings more size and credibility as a first option when the situation demands it. Nene shot a whopping 57 percent on post-up chances, one of the best marks in the league, per Synergy. Some of those came via quick-hit cuts and passes, and not from him backing down a defender like Zach Randolph and drawing double teams. But Nene remained efficient after the Carmelo Anthony trade, and he’s more explosive than Horford around the rim.

He has his own reliable mid-range jumper, though it might not remain so reliable if he used it as often as Horford uses his own pick-and-pop jumper. Nene is on Horford’s level as an all-around, two-way skill player, and he he gets the slight edge — for now.

23. TIM DUNCAN
PF, San Antonio Spurs
Age: 35
2010-11 Stats: 13.4 PPG, 50.0 FG%, 71.6 FT%, 8.9 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.9 BLK

You can argue that he should be lower. He played just 28 minutes per game last season, stripping some of the value away from his 21.9 PER, which ranked 14th in the league, ahead of Griffin, Carmelo Anthony, LaMarcus Aldridge, Ginobili, Pierce and several other huge names. The Spurs’ first-round loss to the Grizzlies, even with Ginobili’s elbow injury as a mitigating factor, exposed the fact that Duncan can’t just take the ball and dominate against very good competition anymore. And he can’t consistently shut it down at the other end, either.

But this is Tim Duncan, one of the game’s all-time greatest players, and a guy who knows every angle on defense, every option out of the pick-and-roll on offense and every little thing he should be doing on every play. He is still, on many possessions, the centerpiece of what the Spurs do offensively, even if Ginobili and Parker and Gary Neal and Matt Bonner and (gulp) Richard Jefferson are finishing those possessions more often these days. He can still draw a double team in the post, knock down a mid-range shot (glass!) and make the proper play almost every time.

22. CHRIS BOSH
PF, Miami Heat
Age: 27
2010-11 Stats: 18.7 PPG, 49.6 FG%, 81.5 FT%, 8.3 RPG, 1.9 APG

Bosh is a fine two-way big man, capable of doing just about everything on both ends, save perhaps for shooting threes and boxing out centers like Tyson Chandler. If this were a year ago, and Bosh were putting up a PER of 25.0 on a bad Toronto team, he might rank as many as 10 spots higher. Now he’s the third-best player on a much better team, his PER (19.44) and scoring stats have taken a predictable hit, and the collective regard for Bosh has fallen. That seems weird.

It seems especially weird when you consider how central Bosh is to everything Miami does. His mid-range jump shot is a key element in many sets that boil down to him and one of the two other stars running a pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop. The Heat use him as a mobile screen setter, a post-up threat and even a guy (as we saw in the Finals) capable of running around a pick, making a catch and attacking.

On defense, Miami based its blitzing philosophy around the athleticism of its stars. Spoelstra knew that LeBron and Dwyane Wade could drop deep into the lane and recover in time to contest perimeter shots. Bosh was the question mark. Could he jump out on pick-and-rolls, bother the dribbler and rotate back to his guy? Turns out he could, and that was crucial to Miami’s emerging as an elite defense.

But questions remain about Bosh. His performance in the postseason was up and down, and he struggled to find himself in Year 1 of the “Heatles.” The drop-off in shots, points and even free throws was predictable — he wasn’t a first option anymore. But why the big drop in rebounding? Why didn’t he roll to the hoop or attack the basket more? The presence of Wade and James explains some of those things, and Bosh will find the right balance as this experiment matures. But he’s 27, and he may have hit his ceiling — just as a couple of younger power forwards are exploring their higher limits.

Kevin Love's rebounding and three-point shooting set him apart. (Jesse Johnson/US Presswire)

21. KEVIN LOVE
PF, Minnesota Timberwolves
Age: 22
2010-11 Stats: 20.2 PPG, 47.0 FG%, 41.7, 3PT%, 85.0 FT%, 15.2 RPG, 2.5 APG

I can’t wait for Love to make this ranking look ridiculous. But at this point on the list, when comparing the league’s top players, you begin to zero in on perceived weaknesses. Love has two right now, and that’s enough to knock the guy who ranked fourth in PER (24.39) down to No. 21.

Love’s first weakness: He’s still learning all the non-rebounding elements of defense, all the complicated help-and-recover stuff that separates the best defenders and defensive teams from the rest. This was a team-wide issue with the Timberwolves, and Love was far from the worst offender. But he was part of the problem, as any young big man would be.

Rebounding is part of the solution, and Love does that better than anyone. He does it so well, in fact, that you’ll occasionally find him prepping to box out a shooter rather than running at that shooter with his hands up, trying to bother the actual shot. That’s fine in some cases, but Love will have to find the right balance between eating rebounds and doing the other things that make a great defender.

Love’s second weakness: He can’t create his own shot consistently. He’s a decent post-up threat against the right defender, but he shot just 29 percent in isolations, according to Synergy, and he’s just not quite ready to be a go-to guy on a team that desperately needs someone other than Michael Beasley to be a go-to guy.

Love works his butt off, and he’s going to get better at these things. That’s what players do with experience, and every big man needs a season or two (or six) to learn how best to defend five fast-moving players darting around the court. And when that improvement comes, Love is going to rank among the top 10 players in the league for a long time. A big man who can rebound like this and shoot 40 percent from three-point range in high volumes makes him a threat both in the pick-and-pop and trailing the fast break. That player has never existed … until now.

MORE TOP 100

• Nos. 91-100
• Nos. 81-90
• Nos. 71-80
• Nos. 61-70
• Nos. 51-60
• Nos. 41-50
• Nos. 31-40