ROTOWIRE 150
By Christopher Liss
RotoWire Managing Editor
Rankings are based on a standard eight-category league (PTS, REB, AST, STL, BLK, 3PM, FT%, FG%). Rankings are as of October 20. For continually updated rankings - check out our Cheat Sheets or our Customized Rankings.
Rank | Player | Pos | Team | Comment |
1 | Amare Stoudemire | C | PHO | Was huge after Shaq's arrival; big help to percentages |
2 | LeBron James | SF | CLE | If he ever gets his FT above 75 percent, he's easily No. 1 |
3 | Chris Paul | PG | NOR | Second in the NBA in double-doubles; doesn't turn it over |
4 | Kobe Bryant | SG | LAL | Durable, consistent and without weaknesses |
5 | Dwyane Wade | SG | MIA | Would vie for top spot if we knew he'd play 80 games |
6 | Dirk Nowitzki | PF | DAL | Less 3s and blocks last year, but durable with great percentages |
7 | Elton Brand | PF | PHI | Star in all the big-man categories (FG, REB, BLK); 1 spg and 77% FT a bonus |
8 | Deron Williams | PG | UTA | 50 FG/80 FT, 10.5 apg; if he can boost his threes (83) look out |
9 | Shawn Marion | SF | MIA | Will he thrive in Miami without Steve Nash and Mike D'Antoni? |
10 | Allen Iverson | PG | DEN | 33-year old hasn't lost a step yet; unclear whether PG or SG this year |
11 | Danny Granger | SF | IND | Rising star; great source of FT, 3s; gets steals and blocks, too |
12 | Kevin Garnett | PF | BOS | Will play less minutes, but still huge in FG, FT, steals, blocks |
13 | Kevin Martin | SG | SAC | Second coming of Reggie Miller? Focal point of Kings offense |
14 | Josh Smith | PF | ATL | Great source of steals/blocks; weakness is FT% and threes |
15 | Caron Butler | SF | WAS | Top notch FT and steals source; needs to stay healthy |
16 | Andre Iguodala | SG | PHI | Added threes to his game, but FT dipped last year; box score filler |
17 | Rudy Gay | SF | MEM | Rising star; 20.1 ppg, 134 3s, 1.4 spg, 1.0 bpg |
18 | Al Jefferson | C | MIN | Gets all the big-man stats, but 0.9 spg and doesn't kill FT |
19 | Steve Nash | PG | PHO | How much will Terry Porter let him run? |
20 | Paul Pierce | SF | BOS | Finals MVP could see less minutes; still fills up the box score |
21 | Chris Bosh | PF | TOR | Addition of O'Neal should help; great FT shooter for big man |
22 | Kevin Durant | SF | OKC | Monster down the stretch; ceiling is off the charts |
23 | Carmelo Anthony | SF | DEN | Getting better every year; if he adds the 3-pointer, look out |
24 | Yao Ming | C | HOU | If we knew he'd play 80 games, he'd be top-7 |
25 | Pau Gasol | C | LAL | Great percentages; how will he fit in with Bynum back? |
26 | Carlos Boozer | PF | UTA | Rock solid big man, but doesn't block shots; helps in steals and assists |
27 | Joe Johnson | SG | ATL | Great source of threes; bumped up FT shooting, too |
28 | Jason Richardson | SG | CHR | Shot better last year; led the NBA in 3PM with 243 |
29 | Marcus Camby | C | LAC | Prolific rebounder/shot-blocker; also good source of assists/steals at C |
30 | Jose Calderon | PG | TOR | Has the job to himself with Ford gone; Steve Nash without the turnovers? |
31 | Rashard Lewis | PF | ORL | Good combination of threes, percentages and steals for a PF |
32 | Vince Carter | SG | NJ | Durable, reliable and consistent; not much help in NJ this year |
33 | Tim Duncan | PF | SAN | Improved FT boosted value last year; if he keeps that, bump up five spots |
34 | David West | PF | NOR | 1.3 bpg with good percentages - in a great spot with Chris Paul |
35 | Jason Kidd | PG | DAL | 35-year old still a force; should be more acclimated in Dallas this year |
36 | LaMarcus Aldridge | PF | POR | Rising star; bulked up this offseason |
37 | Baron Davis | PG | LAC | Improved shooting and stayed healthy last year |
38 | Dwight Howard | C | ORL | Part Ben Wallace, part Shaq; like both, a free-throw killer |
39 | Hedo Turkoglu | SF | ORL | Breakout season at age 28 last year; can he repeat? |
40 | Michael Redd | SG | MIL | Solid source of threes, FT and scoring |
41 | Andrew Bynum | C | LAL | The next great center? |
42 | Michael Beasley | PF | MIA | Odds-on favorite for Rookie of the Year |
43 | Chauncey Billups | PG | DET | Could lose minutes to Rodney Stuckey, but still easily a top-10 PG |
44 | Chris Kaman | C | LAC | Great first half last year; how will Camby's presence affect him? |
45 | Antawn Jamison | PF | WAS | 20/10 with 120 3s last year; could score more with Arenas out |
46 | Brandon Roy | SG | POR | Durability is key, but very solid all-around game |
47 | Greg Oden | C | POR | Might be raw, but 10 rpg and 2.0 bpg shouldn't be a problem |
48 | Mike Dunleavy | SG | IND | Is last year's breakout sustainable? |
49 | Stephen Jackson | SF | GS | Great source of threes, but FG percentage will hurt you |
50 | Josh Howard | SF | DAL | Should benefit from a full season of Jason Kidd |
51 | Devin Harris | PG | NJ | Some upside here, but other than Vince Carter, not a lot to work with |
52 | Gerald Wallace | SF | CHR | If we knew he'd play 80 games, he'd be top-35 |
53 | Ray Allen | SG | BOS | Great for FT and threes, but minutes could be reduced |
54 | Luol Deng | SF | CHI | Took a step back last year, but still just 23-years old |
55 | Corey Maggette | SF | GS | Could carry more of the load with Monta Ellis out |
56 | Rasheed Wallace | PF | DET | Rare combo of threes, steals and blocks |
57 | Lamar Odom | PF | LAL | Where does he fit in LAL frontcourt? |
58 | Peja Stojakovic | SF | NOR | Monster in threes and FT, but needs to stay healthy |
59 | Mike Bibby | PG | ATL | Good source of threes/assists, but FG-percentage will hurt |
60 | Ben Gordon | SG | CHI | Unhappy camper, but could thrive with Scott Skiles gone |
61 | Al Horford | C | ATL | Very solid rookie season; double-double guy with upside |
62 | Tracy McGrady | SG | HOU | Health is the key, but shooting percentages have trended south |
63 | Jamal Crawford | SG | NY | Could have a career year under Mike D'Antoni |
64 | Andre Miller | PG | PHI | Between Brand and Iguodala, Miller will rack up plenty of assists |
65 | Andrew Bogut | C | MIL | Made big gains last year, but FT-percentage is a problem |
66 | Emeka Okafor | C | CHR | Double-double guy with blocks that kills your FT-percentage |
67 | Richard Jefferson | SF | MIL | Great bounce-back year in 2007-08; can he thrive without J. Kidd? |
68 | Mike Miller | SF | MIN | Quietly very solid the last two years; should see good minutes in MIN |
69 | T.J. Ford | PG | IND | Improved shooting last year; should see more minutes in IND; injury risk |
70 | Mo Williams | PG | CLE | In a good spot in CLE - should see more open threes and driving lanes |
71 | Ron Artest | SF | HOU | Durability's an issue; will be the No. 3 option if everyone's healthy |
72 | Manu Ginobili | SG | SAN | Will miss a month or so; across-the-board contributor |
73 | John Salmons | SF | SAC | Produced when he got a chance last year; should start this season |
74 | Andrei Kirilenko | SF | UTA | Playing out of position and injury prone; big upside when healthy |
75 | Mehmet Okur | C | UTA | Could do worse than a C who shoots threes and hits free throws |
76 | Samuel Dalembert | C | PHI | Classic defense-first big-man, but won't kill your FT% |
77 | OJ Mayo | SG | MEM | Rookie should get shots on a rebuilding team; FG% could be an issue |
78 | Zach Randolph | PF | NY | Can a half-court player thrive in D'Antoni's scheme? |
79 | Tyson Chandler | C | NOR | Great source of FG, boards. Modest blocks for his skill set; FT killer |
80 | Rip Hamilton | SG | DET | Reliable scorer with good percentages |
81 | David Lee | PF | NY | Wild card - could have some upside running the floor under D'Antoni |
82 | Ronnie Brewer | SG | UTA | Great steals, FG numbers last season |
83 | Randy Foye | PG | MIN | Still needs to show he can handle the full-time PG job in the NBA |
84 | Beno Udrih | PG | SAC | Did a decent job running the show in SAC after Bibby left |
85 | Zydrunas Ilgauskas | C | CLE | Plodding big man still useful |
86 | Leandro Barbosa | SG | PHO | The loss of D'Antoni could hurt the speedy Barbosa more than most |
87 | Kenyon Martin | PF | DEN | Should log plenty of minutes, but will he hold up? |
88 | Jermaine O'Neal | C | TOR | Hasn't been able to stay healthy, but in a good spot next to Bosh |
89 | Jason Terry | SG | DAL | Sixth man is a good shooter, but modest production elsewhere |
90 | Andris Biedrins | C | GS | Poor man's Tyson Chandler |
91 | Kirk Hinrich | PG | CHI | Likely to hold off Derrick Rose for at least a few month |
92 | Gilbert Arenas | PG | WAS | Out for at least a month and possibly much more; big risk/reward pick |
93 | Al Harrington | PF | GS | Center-eligible in many leagues |
94 | Brad Miller | C | SAC | Great passing big man; could be dealt midseason |
95 | Marvin Williams | SF | ATL | Still just 22-years old, but needs to do more besides score |
96 | Francisco Garcia | SF | SAC | Should be in the swingman mix in Sacramento |
97 | Troy Murphy | PF | IND | Three-point shooting big man |
98 | Tony Parker | PG | SAN | Solid source of FG percentage from the backcourt |
99 | Raymond Felton | PG | CHR | Drafting of D.J. Augustin doesn't bode well |
100 | Rashad McCants | SG | MIN | Likely to start - can score and hit from long range |
101 | Al Thornton | SF | LAC | Looking to build on solid rookie season |
102 | Mike Conley | PG | MEM | Blue-chip prospect has upside as starter in Year 2 |
103 | Rudy Fernandez | SG | POR | Looked like a star in Bejing; will be in the swingman mix in Portland |
104 | Monta Ellis | SG | GS | Out for at least 30 games; needs to get his explosiveness back |
105 | Rajon Rondo | PG | BOS | Should see a bump in minutes; FT% liability |
106 | Ramon Sessions | PG | MIL | Played great in April; will compete with Luke Ridnour for minutes |
107 | Jamario Moon | SF | TOR | Steals, blocks and threes if he retains his minutes |
108 | Jeff Green | SF | OKC | Should have a bigger role in Year 2 |
109 | Ricky Davis | SF | LAC | Fills up the boxscore when he gets the minutes |
110 | Charlie Villanueva | PF | MIL | Versatile big man, can score from long range |
111 | Joakim Noah | C | CHI | Could be a good steals, boards, blocks player if he gets the minutes |
112 | J.R. Smith | SG | DEN | If AI plays PG, Smith could be a big factor at SG; great source of threes |
113 | Derrick Rose | PG | CHI | Sky's the limit for No. 1 pick, but PG hardest position to play as a rookie |
114 | Rafer Alston | PG | HOU | Less assists than normal PG as McGrady initiates offense; beware FG% |
115 | Tyrus Thomas | PF | CHI | Huge blocks upside if he can secure the minutes |
116 | Nene | C | DEN | Starting center on a running team; can he stay healthy? |
117 | Thaddeus Young | SF | PHI | Tremendous athlete; looking to build on solid rookie season |
118 | Jameer Nelson | PG | ORL | Modest source of assists without hurting percentages |
119 | Shane Battier | SF | HOU | All-around player returning from foot injury |
120 | Linas Kleiza | SF | DEN | Could be in for a bigger role due to fragile DEN frontcourt |
121 | Anthony Parker | SG | TOR | Good source of threes, but battling Jason Kapono for the job |
122 | Tayshaun Prince | SF | DET | Similar profile to Battier, but with less threes, more points |
123 | Drew Gooden | PF | CHI | Will battle Tyrus Thomas for minutes; solid, but modest upside |
124 | Kevin Love | PF | MIN | Should see good minutes out of the gate |
125 | Earl Watson | PG | OKC | Should win starting PG job |
126 | Wilson Chandler | SF | NY | Could see decent minutes at both forward spots under D'Antoni |
127 | Chris Quinn | PG | MIA | Competing for the starting PG job with Mario Chalmers and Marcus Banks |
128 | Raja Bell | SG | PHO | Could still see good minutes for his defense; good source of threes |
129 | Marcus Williams | PG | GS | Competing with C.J. Watson for the job - until Monta Ellis gets back |
130 | Luke Ridnour | PG | MIL | Will battle with Ramon Sessions for minutes at the point |
131 | Grant Hill | SF | PHO | Held up well last season, but is 36 years old |
132 | Steve Blake | PG | POR | Starting point guard on very talented young team |
133 | Nick Collison | C | OKC | Solid banger with modest upside |
134 | Luis Scola | PF | HOU | Crafty player who can score near the basket |
135 | Rodney Stuckey | PG | DET | Should see more minutes in DET |
136 | Sean May | PF | CHR | If healthy, will be involved on offense |
137 | Mickael Pietrus | SG | ORL | Good source of steals, blocks and threes if he holds starter's minutes |
138 | Ryan Gomes | PF | MIN | Undersized, but produces when he gets the playing time |
139 | Bobby Simmons | SF | NJ | He can shoot, but minutes yet to be determined |
140 | Hakim Warrick | PF | MEM | Athletic power forward should see decent minutes |
141 | Spencer Hawes | C | SAC | Would see good minutes if Brad Miller gets dealt |
142 | Amir Johnson | PF | DET | Could land the starting PF job in DET |
143 | Jason Maxiell | PF | DET | Will battle Amir Johnson and A. McDyess for frontcourt minutes |
144 | Larry Hughes | SG | CHI | Still in the backcourt mix, but it's crowded for now |
145 | Yi Jianlian | PF | NJ | Has all the skills, but is he physically and mentally ready for the NBA? |
146 | Andrea Bargnani | PF | TOR | Former No. 1 overall needs to show improvement |
147 | Chris Douglas-Roberts | SG | NJ | Strong preseason has him vying for regular minutes |
148 | Chris Duhon | PG | NY | Could be Mike D'Antoni's starting PG; won't be Steve Nash |
149 | Brandon Bass | PF | DAL | Improving big man having a strong camp |
150 | Marc Gasol | C | MEM | Wild card - who could see good minutes in a thin MEM frontcourt |
Article first appeared 10/20/08