Top 10 Players Heading Into The 2012 Season

Hello all, I needed a post to open this blog and since the 2011-12 season is just 2 days away I decided to count down who, in my opinion, are the 10 best players heading into next season. Without any further ado, here we go:

10. Amar'e Stoudemire - New York Knicks

 Season Stats: 25.3 PPG - 8.2 RPG - 2.6 APG

Amar'e Stoudemire signed with the Knicks last off season and lead them to their first playoff birth since 2004. The guy proved to everyone he was a legit scorer without the help of Steve Nash and could be depended on to carry a team. He was an early MVP Candidate and made New York relevant in the NBA again. Even when the Knicks made the trade for perennial All Star Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e remained a consistent scorer - who knows what would've happened if he was healthy for the playoffs. Amar'e is extremely athletic, a gifted passer and one of the best shooting bigmen in the league. His weaknesses on defense (which he addressed to an extent last year with 1.9 BPG) and rebounding may be hidden by the addition of All-Defensive Second team honouree Tyson Chandler, and his scoring should remain consistent next year, making Amar'e an obvious player for this list.

9. Derrick Rose - Chicago Bulls

 Season Stats: 24.1 PPG - 4.1 RPG - 7.7 APG

Derrick Rose had a breakout season last year, going from an All Star player to the league MVP. He added a 3 point shot to his already deadly offensive arsenal, stepped his game up on defense, and became an unquestioned top player in the league. He lead Chicago to the best record in the league and to the Conference Finals were he flamed out. The addition of Richard Hamilton and a healthy roster should make it easier on Rose, and if he doesn't have to keep doing everything himself maybe Chicago could make a title run this year. Rose still has stuff to work on though, his decision making was fairly poor last year as we watched him take a few too many 3s, leading to a career low field goal percentage. He also needs to continue working on his defense if he wants to be considered anything more than average. The guy has a lot of potential and I fully expect him to work out these flaws.

8.  Kevin Durant - Oklahoma City Thunder

 Season Stats: 27.7 PPG - 6.8 RPG - 2.7 APG

Kevin Durant is arguably the best scorer in the NBA. He has a deadly shot from pretty much anywhere on the court, he has a good post-up game, he can get to the rim and finish, he can create his own shot, he's adept at coming off screens, he can do it in the clutch, and he's still very young. Unfortunately, there's not much else he can do. His defense is still far from desirable, his rebounding is average, his leadership is average, his playmaking skills are average. Durant has a lot of potential, is surrounded by a good young team and could go bright places, but until he addresses these flaws I can't place him any higher than some of the more complete guys above him.

7. Chris Paul - Los Angeles Clippers

Season Stats: 15.9 PPG - 4.1 RPG - 9.8 APG 

Chris Paul was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers during the offseason and it remains to be seen how well he fill hit in there. However, if the pre-season is any indication, he's going to do good things with that team. Chris Paul is a decent defender, fantastic rebounding Point Guard, elite shooter, passer and can score when needed - he has very few holes in his game. However, he definitely doesn't look as good as he did a few years ago and has been bothered by knee troubles in recent years. Maybe all Chris Paul needed to get back on track was a change of scenery, or maybe that was the exact opposite of what he needed. However, this team is arguably his most talented yet and I'd put my money on him having another monster season next year.

6. Deron Williams - New Jersey Nets

 Season Stats: 20.1 PPG - 4.0 RPG - 10.3 APG

Deron Williams holds the honour of being the only player in the NBA to average 20 PPG and 10 APG last season. A lot of people won't like me having him above Chris Paul, but Deron Williams can do everything Chris Paul does and some other things too. Williams was unexpectedly traded to the Nets midway through last season and struggled with a wrist injury, but his passing, rebounding and defense remained elite throughout the injury. The talent in New Jersey is a massive step down from what Deron is used to playing with in Utah, so we will see how well he can perform playing a whole season with this roster, and how it will effect his scoring and assist numbers.

5. Dirk Nowitzki - Dallas Mavericks

Season Stats: 23.0 PPG - 7.0 RPG - 2.6 APG

 Dirk Nowitzki finally lead his 'choker' lable last year as he played one of the greatest post-seasons of all time and lead the Mavericks to the NBA title. Dirk is probably the greatest shooting bigman of all time, and one of the greatest shooting NBA players of all time regardless of position. He's also a fantastic passer. However, his rebounding is pretty average and his defense leaves a lot of room for improvement. For these reasons I can't put him higher than any of the more complete players on this list, but after the great post season he had last year the man is definitely worthy of his position in the top 5.

4. Kobe Bryant - Los Angeles Lakers

 Season Stats: 25.3 PPG - 5.1 RPG - 4.7 APG

Originally I struggled on who to put 4th - Kobe Bryant or Dirk Nowitzki. After a lot of thought I decided to place Kobe over Dirk due to the fact he's a more complete player. Kobe has definitely declined and isn't in his prime anymore, but he's still a great player and one of the best in the NBA. At this point in time he's a pretty average defender and rebounder, but he's still one of the great clutch players in the NBA, has phenomenal footwork and a knack for putting the ball in the basket. He's also still a good playmaker, leading the Lakers with 4.7 assists per game. We don't know how well he will do with Mike Brown, but the offseason knee surgery and extended rest should help him out a lot in the up and coming season. 

  

3. Dwight Howard - Orlando Magic

 Season Stats: 22.9 PPG - 14.1 RPG - 1.4 APG

Dwight Howard exploded in the second half of last year, solidfying his place as a top-5 player in the NBA today. No other center can even compare to him right now, he's one of the top low post players, arguably the best rebounder, 3 time defensive player of the year award winner, and is improving every year. His future remains uncertain and where he ends up will largely effect his stats for next year, but right now his talent level is undeniable and I don't see that changing any time soon. The most dominant center since Shaq still has a lot to improve on though, he's still a terrible free throw shooter, he's not a gret passer, his low post moves and footwork still need more work and he picks up a few too many technical fouls. If he addresses these issues then he could probably be the best player in the NBA.

2. Dwyane Wade - Miami Heat

 Season Stats: 25.5 PPG - 6.4 RPG - 4.6 APG

There were a lot of questions as to how well Dwyane Wade and LeBron James would mesh together last year after the whole off-season fiasco. They meshed together very well and better than pretty much anyone, myself included, could imagine. D.Wade is one of the most clutch players in the NBA, one of the best slashers in the NBA, a lockdown defender, one of the greatest shotblocking guards in NBA History, and just as complete a player as anybody. Despite Miami's shortcomings in the NBA Finals last year, Wade played fantastically and was Miami's clear MVP during the 6 game season.

1. LeBron James -- Miami Heat

Season Stats: 26.7 PPG - 7.5 RPG - 7.0 APG

LeBron averaged 27/8/7 last year despite the fact he was playing with a ball dominant shooting guard. That's a testament to how great this guy really is. LeBron averages 28/7/7 for his career, statistically he's one of the greatest players ever to play the game. Possesing a rare skill set, standing at 6"8 weighing in at about 260, yet still being incredibly quick, having a tremendous vertical leap, elite court vision, being able to play lockdown defense both on the ball and off the ball, LeBron is going down as an all time great in the NBA. The man isn't without his flaws though. His lack of fundamental skills such as a consistent jumpshot and a post game have come back to haunt him at times, and his chokejob in The Finals showcased his lack of mental toughness. If this guy was a little tougher up there he would definitely have an argument for the greatest of all time. Unfortunately, it seems likely that will always be an if.