Most Desirable NBA Commodities (Part I)

Similar to how Bill Simmons puts together a yearly Top 50 list of what NBA stars currently have the highest trade value on the open market (including performance/age/salary/etc), I plan to run my own rankings by week's end (essentially, because I don't want to be accused of ripping off any of Simmons' assessments). Why? Because let's be serious...I challenge you to find me one human that knows the NBA and/or MLB better than your boy, Chieftain.

Before compiling such a list, I just wanted to let the readers know that my initial suspicions seemed to have been confirmed. What exactly am I talking about? Word out of NBA circles have alluded to the rumor that the Blazers have denied a straight-up swap of Garnett-for-the 2007 #1 pick.

Does anyone still not fully believe in Oden?? Does anyone still think that last month's draft lottery won't be as negatively influential (on the Celtics) as was the "Tim Duncan" draft of 1997??

So, yes...that's right -- the 2007 #1 overall pick (Greg Oden) is tentatively slotted as my 4th most valuable commodity/asset in professional basketball...only behind:

1. Lebron James, 22 (he's not the best...but, considering he's only 22, he DEFINITELY has the highest trade value)

2. Kobe Bryant, 28

3. Tim Duncan, 31

...Stay tuned, as the next 46 will be unvieled in the coming days.

Carry on...

Top 25 SP's in MLB

In putting together these rankings, heavy emphasis was put on recent success (specifically, the 2005 & 2006 seasons), the current season, the future which lies ahead, the league in which they pitch, and one's health resume. Essentially, my basis came down to which 25 pitchers you would trust most with the ball in their hands...going forward (in 2007 and beyond, to a much lesser degree).

(Disclaimer: These are not fantasy rankings)

(It should be noted that these rankings were not made on a whim, as I studied and analyzed every meaningful stat out there -- PECOTA peripherals, defined ERA+ numbers, replacement value, PERA stats, EqERA stats, etc.)

1. Johan Santana: 6-5, 3.30 ERA, 91 K's

2. Jake Peavy: 7-1, 1.68 ERA, 92 K's

3. Roy Oswalt: 6-4, 3.20 ERA, 57 K's

4. Brandon Webb: 5-3, 3.39 ERA, 75 K's

5. Roy Halladay: 5-2, 3.90 ERA, 45 K's

6. John Lackey: 9-3, 2.37 ERA, 65 K's

7. John Smoltz: 7-2, 2.82 ERA, 65 K's

8. C.C. Sabathia: 8-1, 3.78 ERA, 75 K's

9. Josh Beckett: 8-0, 2.95 ERA, 59 K's

10. Chien-Ming Wang: 4-4, 4.19 ERA, 25 K's

11. Dan Haren: 6-2, 1.70 ERA, 70 K's

12. Carlos Zambrano: 5-5, 5.62 ERA, 51 K's

13. Erik Bedard: 4-3, 3.73 ERA, 95 K's

14. Cole Hamels: 8-2, 3.55 ERA, 91 K's

15. Ben Sheets: 6-3, 3.51 ERA, 48 K's

16. Justin Verlander: 5-2, 3.44 ERA, 50 K's

17. Felix Hernandez: 3-3, 4.10 ERA, 42 K's

18. Jeremy Bonderman: 5-0, 3.27 ERA, 60 K's

19. Rich Hill: 4-4, 2.89 ERA, 63 K's

20. Tim Lincecum: 2-0, 4.05 ERA, 39 K's

21. Andy Pettitte: 3-4, 2.96 ERA, 41 K's

22. Chris Carpenter: 0-1, 7.50 ERA, 3 K's

23. Scott Kazmir: 3-3, 3.95 ERA, 71 K's

24. Barry Zito: 6-5, 3.87 ERA, 44 K's

25. Matt Cain: 2-5, 3.42 ERA, 54 K's

Others which garnered consideration (in no particular order): Harang, Schilling, Clemens, Jered Weaver, Chris Young, Hudson, Willis, Harden (way too injury prone...and likely bullpen-bound)

...I tried being COMPLETELY objective (if you know me, you know it pained me to drop Wang all the way down to #10). Where do we agree/disagree???

(As I'm writing this, the Red Sox just tied the game...in the 9th, on a Wily Mo Pena single. Francona is managing this team perfectly this year, thus far. It makes me sick.) Goodnight!

Who is Today's Best "Pure Athlete"?

Over the weekend, Chuck-Diesel and I got into an intense debate relating to the best athletes in the world today.

How did the debate start in the first place? Well, we were discussing Mike Vick and his propensity for dog-fighting. The discussion later transformed into whom is the best "athlete" in sports today.

Diesel's primary argument was that Vick is the best athlete...any sport -- because he believes Vick could play QB, RB, WR, and/or CB at an elite level in the NFL. In turn, I couldn't disagree more. While I rank Vick as one of the 10 best athletes, he doesn't come close to that coveted top spot. Why? Because not only could he not play at an elite level at all of the aforementioned positions, but he can't even perform as expected at the one postition that he has been groomed to play for his entire career.

WR??? Pleeeeease -- Vick can't grasp any offense which is thrown at him, yet you think Vick could learn the art of route running? As a wideout, running crisp routes is more vital for success than any amount of speed. If speed was the end-all to be-all for a WR, then why isn't Bethel Johnson on his way to the Hall of Fame? Vick has limited athletic attributes -- speed and quickness. Nothing else.

So, this debate got me thinking about "my" list of today's best "athletes". What defines a "pure athlete"?

Speed. (Lateral) quickness. Jumping. Hand-eye coordination. Reaction time. Endurance. Strength. Power. Flexibility.

But, there are other secondary attributes which must be considered -- such as:

Leadership. Clutch factor. Mental capacity (IQ for one's particular sport).

Without further ado, here is my comprised list (no hockey or soccer players allowed), in order:

• Jose Reyes
• Lebron James
• Reggie Bush
• Kobe Bryant
• Calvin Johnson
• Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
• Mike Vick
• Amare Stoudemire
• Jeremy Bloom (SLEEPER)
• Allen Iverson

Best of the Rest (NBA Power Rankings)

1. San Antonio - Great coach. Veteran leadership. Superstar player (in Duncan). Great defense. Great role players. Can win while playing any tempo. Your 2007 Champions.

2. Detroit - This just in...team basketball wins. I could watch Billups & Hamilton play for days -- they are so fundamentally sound. They don't force anything. Unbelievable defensive team. Is there any lingering doubt that Ben Wallace was a product of Detroit's system...and not vice versa??

3. Phoenix - Come playoffs, Steve Nash is a liability -- he can't cover his own shadow. Great offensive player...very exciting to watch, but he stands NO chance of EVER leading his team to a championship. D'Antoni would be better served playing Barbosa more minutes than Nash in this series vs. San Antonio. Who can D'Antoni possibly stick Nash on?? Tony Parker? Laughable, as Parker is the second fastest player in the NBA (only behind Barbosa). Manu Ginobili? Way too physical -- he'd score at will, either via dribble penetration and/or his patented fade-away. Michael Finley? Much stronger and taller -- he'd be able to launch 3's as if it were practice. If the Suns want to win more than 1 game in this series, they're going to have to implement a zone at some point. But, then again...a zone would further expose their rebounding deficiencies. Yeah, they have no shot against San Antonio.

4. Utah - Solid in every aspect, except that they lack that one go-to scorer that possesses the ability to take over a game. Exceptional frontcourt play, at least offensively. Deron Williams is a rock at the point -- is going to be a superstar for many years to come.

5. Chicago - They were exposed in Game 1 -- Detroit's Tayshaun Prince is a lock-down defender. He may be the most underrated player in the NBA (did you know that this twig once dated Serena Williams -- oddest couple ever??). They will be lucky to take a game from Detroit, as they play the same style -- but, haven't yet mastered it.

6. Golden State - As long as they stick around, I will root for them. Unfortunately, I don't think they can topple Utah. Biedrins to their lone low-post presence (and he disappears for stretches). Deron Williams is surprisingly quick on defense -- and, Kirilenko can guard any position on the court. Utah's Boozer and Okur can be exposed defensively, but Golden State has no punch on the blocks.

7. Cleveland - Both Cleveland and New Jersey are average teams, at best. Neither team has a prayer of advancing beyond this round. If someone can step up and become that consistent #2 scorer (ideally it would be Larry Hughes), they should successfully advance -- only to get smoked by Detroit.

8. New Jersey - Kidd, Carter, and Jefferson make up a formidible trio (although all have passed their prime). In order to make this series interesting, they will need to dictate the pace. Cleveland clearly cannot run with them, yet the Nets didn't fastbreak at all in Game 1. Instead, they settled for 3-point jumper after 3-point jumper. Their frontcourt of Jason Collins and Mikki Moore is disgusting -- they pose no threat on either end of the court.

NBA's Top 25

As a tribute to the NBA Playoffs (and because it's a slow news day), The Win Column has compiled a list of the NBA's current top 25 all-around players. As one of a select few true NBA fans which remain...the below list disregards fantasy numbers, John Hollinger's rankings, a player's age, and/or a player's value when compared to his standing salary -- this list is all about whom are the best 25 players in the NBA today (in order)...

1. Kobe Bryant, SG
2. Tim Duncan, PF
3. Dwyane Wade, G
4. Dirk Nowitzki, PF
5. Steve Nash, PG
6. Lebron James, SF
7. Kevin Garnett, PF
8. Tracy McGrady, SG/SF
9. Yao Ming, C
10. Amare Stoudemire, PF/C
11. Carmelo Anthony, SF
12. Gilbert Arenas, PG
13. Elton Brand, PF
14. Allen Iverson, G
15. Chris Paul, PG
16. Chris Bosh, PF
17. Chauncey Billups, PG
18. Jason Kidd, PG
19. Paul Pierce, SG/SF
20. Vince Carter, SG
21. Dwight Howard, PF/C
22. Jermaine O'Neal, PF
23. Ray Allen, SG
24. Luol Deng, SF
25. Richard Hamilton, SG

Others considered: Baron Davis, Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Michael Redd, Carlos Boozer, Tony Parker, Shawn Marion