SONICS: Kevin Pelton’s Top 100 - 2007 All-Star Break

Kevin Pelton’s Top 100 - 2007 All-Star Break

KEVIN PELTON'S TOP 100

No.	Player	Tm	Pos	Comment
100	Paul Millsap	UTA	PF	A nod to a brilliant first half from the second-best rookie in the league.
99	Rasho Nesterovic	TOR	C	One of the league's most underrated defenders; not sure why Spurs dumped him.
98	Udonis Haslem	MIA	PF	The master of the baseline jumper.
97	Brent Barry	SAS	SG	Resurgent season at age 35.
96	Alonzo Mourning	MIA	C	Better suited as caddy, but produces when he's on the floor.
95	Ricky Davis	MIN	SF	Not a part of Minnesota's problems.
94	Charlie Villanueva	MIL	PF	Solid outside of injuries.
93	Jeff Foster	IND	C	One of the best hustle players around.
92	Chris Webber	DET	C	Looked washed up in Philly, he's rejuvenated in Motown.
91	Peja Stojakovic	NOK	SF	Were we really debating him and Ray two years ago?
No.	Player	Tm	Pos	Comment
90	Dikembe Mutombo	HOU	C	The ageless wonder.
89	Leandro Barbosa	PHX	SG	The Brazilian Blur is hard to stop.
88	Sean May	CHA	C	Quietly very strong off the bench for Bobcats this season.
87	Nick Collison	SEA	C	Second straight great performance against Phoenix has sold me.
86	Bruce Bowen	SAS	SF	Has slipped from his prime, but still elite.
85	Raja Bell	PHX	SG	The more offensive-minded Bowen.
84	Andrew Bogut	MIL	C	Nightly double-double threat.
83	Zydrunas Ilgauskas	CLE	C	Defensive liability, but terror on offensive glass.
82	Chris Wilcox	SEA	PF	You wouldn't guess he's got he best plus-minus on the team.
81	Brandon Roy	POR	SG	Far and away the league's top rookie.
No.	Player	Tm	Pos	Comment
80	Ruben Patterson	MIL	SF	Like him or not, Patterson can play.
79	Brad Miller	SAC	C	Plagued by plantar fasciitis; best days behind him?
78	Josh Childress	ATL	SF	Could be a valuable piece on a good team.
77	Anderson Varejao	CLE	PF	Watch for him running pick-and-roll with LeBron in the playoffs.
76	Maurice Williams	MIL	PG	Pumping in 18.2 ppg this season.
75	Al Jefferson	BOS	PF	The challenge now is to sustain performance when team is playing well.
74	T.J. Ford	TOR	PG	Has improved his jumper to the point where he's hard to contain.
73	Jason Richardson	GSW	SG	This might be too harsh because of injuries.
72	Mike Miller	MEM	SG	Ugly haircut, gorgeous jumper.
71	Gerald Wallace	CHA	SF	Can he stay healthy? Blocks way down.
No.	Player	Tm	Pos	Comment
70	Lamar Odom	LAL	PF	3.5 turnovers per game are a concern.
69	Devin Harris	DAL	PG	Elite plus-minus; must step up in postseason.
68	Ben Gordon	CHI	SG	Is he consistent enough to be a go-to guy in the postseason?
67	Tayshaun Prince	DET	SF	Has improved three-point percentage this season, but hasn't taken next step like Josh Howard.
66	Josh Smith	ATL	SF	Doesn't need to shoot with 8.1 rpg, 1.5 spg, 2.7 bpg
65	Rasheed Wallace	DET	PF	Deserves credit for pitching in more on glass.
64	Jose Calderon	TOR	PG	Unreal performance stepping in for Ford as starter.
63	Brendan Haywood	WAS	C	Consistently strong defender who scores garbage points.
62	Anthony Parker	TOR	SG	Deserves much of the credit for Toronto's improved D.
61	David West	NOK	PF	Averaging career-high 8.5 rpg.
No.	Player	Tm	Pos	Comment
60	Erick Dampier	DAL	C	This is what the Mavericks thought they were getting.
59	Tyson Chandler	NOK	C	There's a legitimate argument he's better than Ben Wallace.
58	Mike Bibby	SAC	PG	Lacking fire, explosiveness of past seasons.
57	Sam Cassell	LAC	PG	I still wouldn't bet against him in the fourth quarter.
56	Samuel Dalembert	PHI	C	People have always focused on what he doesn't do instead of his many talents.
55	Antawn Jamison	WAS	PF	Knocked to third option by Butler's development.
54	Andrei Kirilenko	UTA	SF	Have years of all-out play taken their toll?
53	Andre Miller	PHI	PG	Consistently solid performer.
52	Zach Randolph	POR	PF	Defensive liability, but difficult to stop.
51	Mehmet Okur	UTA	C	Is there anybody you'd rather have shooting the last shot?
No.	Player	Tm	Pos	Comment
50	Richard Jefferson	NJN	SF	It's probably not fair that his injury has bumped him down.
49	David Lee	NYK	PF	Free David Lee!
48	Ben Wallace	CHI	C	Individual stats still solid, but terrible plus-minus. Why?
47	Shane Battier	HOU	SF	Key to Houston's ability to win without Yao.
46	Andris Biedrins	GSW	C	One of the NBA's top 10 centers and not even old enough to drink - how good could he be?
45	Joe Johnson	ATL	SG	All-Star, but his plus-minus has never matched rep.
44	Andre Iguodala	PHI	SG	Difficult to evaluate on team going nowhere.
43	Jason Terry	DAL	SG	206 represent!
42	Emeka Okafor	CHA	PF	Fulfilling expectations in third season.
41	Kirk Hinrich	CHI	PG	Always impresses me with defense on Ray Allen.
No.	Player	Tm	Pos	Comment
40	Shaquille O'Neal	MIA	C	Looks strange to see him here, but ... .
39	Luol Deng	CHI	SF	Jack of all, master of none.
38	Baron Davis	GSW	PG	Despite injuries, has responded well to Nellie.
37	Marcus Camby	DEN	C	Defense and rebounding big asset for AI-Melo Nuggets.
36	Deron Williams	UTA	PG	He's a better fit for the Jazz than Chris Paul.
35	Ron Artest	SAC	SF	Great player, but impossible to count on him.
34	Carmelo Anthony	DEN	SF	Can't get over mediocre plus-minus.
33	Rashard Lewis	SEA	SF	En route to a big season before surgery.
32	Pau Gasol	MEM	PF	Can you build a team around him?
31	Michael Redd	MIL	SG	Injury cost him All-Star berth
No.	Player	Tm	Pos	Comment
30	Richard Hamilton	DET	SG	Averaging a career-high 21.8 ppg.
29	Allen Iverson	DEN	SG	Has not been the boost we thought he'd be to Denver.
28	Kevin Martin	SAC	SG	Guess who was the only person to have Martin in his preseason top 100? Hmm.
27	Carlos Boozer	UTA	PF	Jazz finally doing what I expected in 04-05 and Boozer is biggest reason why.
26	Manu Ginobili	SAS	SG	Not a lot of players in the top 25 would be willing to come off the bench.
25	Tony Parker	SAS	PG	Improved three-point shooting a major plus.
24	Caron Butler	WAS	SF	Highest-ranked player not in my preseason top 100 (a gaffe, to be sure).
23	Chris Paul	NOK	PG	I'd love a chance to see him on the playoff stage.
22	Ray Allen	SEA	SG	Month of January was breathtaking to behold.
21	Vince Carter	NJN	SG	Will he be dealt by a week from now?
No.	Player	Tm	Pos	Comment
20	Josh Howard	DAL	SF	Anyone heard from Ndudi Ebi lately?
19	Jermaine O'Neal	IND	C	Defensive Player of the Year wouldn't be a major stretch.
18	Dwight Howard	ORL	PF	Top 10 once he cures turnover issues.
17	Elton Brand	LAC	PF	2005-06 was probably his peak, but a deserving All-Star almost any year.
16	Yao Ming	HOU	C	Dominant when he plays, but players his size have been cursed with injuries before.
15	Paul Pierce	BOS	SG	Uh, yeah, Boston has clearly mised him.
14	Chauncey Billups	DET	PG	Part of perfect marriage with Flip Saunders' offense.
13	Chris Bosh	TOR	PF	Now that Raptors are winning, he can't be ignored.
12	Amaré Stoudemire	PHX	C	Back with a capital b.
11	Jason Kidd	NJN	PG	See Vince Carter.
No.	Player	Tm	Pos	Comment
10	Tracy McGrady	HOU	SG	Knocking on wood that he stays healthy.
9	Shawn Marion	PHX	SF	Night in, night out, just produces.
8	Kevin Garnett	MIN	PF	That he's eighth is a testament to the depth of start talent in the NBA.
7	Tim Duncan	SAS	PF	See Kevin Garnett.
6	Gilbert Arenas	WAS	PG	Re: Mehmet Okur - yes. Hibachi!
5	LeBron James	CLE	SF	"Down season" means he's not a legit MVP candidate. The bar has been set high.
4	Kobe Bryant	LAL	SG	Not in any way a knock on the Mamba.
3	Steve Nash	PHX	PG	This might be his best year yet.
2	Dirk Nowitzki	DAL	PF	But he's my midseason MVP.
1	Dwyane Wade	MIA	SG	Capable of taking over a game at any time.