Ok, we have all seen these types of list before, so I thought I would give it a shot. The season is over and the draft is two days away. I simply compiled my list based on the question, " Who would I pick first to be on my new NBA expansion team?" Many of these lists are based either on past accomplishments or perceived future greatness. I wanted to put my list together using a balance of the two. I am not looking so much for the best player to win a title with next year, nor am I looking for the player to win titles with for the next 10 years. Simply, who are the best players in terms of raw skill and experience together. An aging superstar like KG might win you a championship next season, if healthy, but in two or three seasons he will really begin to fade. On the other hand a player like D. Rose may become a top 3 point guard in two years, but that too is a risk to take. Bottomline, I am looking for the player that will be the best option for the next 5-6 seasons. So, in fear of all the negative replies, I give you my Top 20 Players.

 1) LeBron James.

I will admit I am more of a hater then a fan of James due to his sometimes abrasive attitude. He is the best player and he knows it. Sure Kobe is right there, but if I am looking longer term then this becomes a no-brainer. Sure Kobe has 3+ great years left, but James will only continue to get better in those 3 years as Kobe begins to fade. I saw it with MJ with my own eyes. As great as Michael was he lost his edge in his last few years with the Bulls. LeBron is both short term and long term making him my choice for number one. Sorry Laker fans.

2) Dwyane Wade.

Oh no I didn't! Yes, I did. To me Wade is as good as Kobe is already and is younger. If you put Wade in place of Kobe on the Lakers do you not think the Lakers would have won the Championship? They might have not lost a single playoff game. I hate all the Kobe vs LeBron threads, put a case can be made for Wade vs Kobe and if I had to pick from the two I would go with Wade. Both are very similar in that they are strong team leaders, clutch shooters, outstanding defenders, and nightmares to defend. In Wade's own words " I am heading into my prime", while Kobe is on the backside of his.

 3) Kobe Bryant.

You may think I am a Kobe hater but that is far from the truth. I think Kobe is still the best player today, but LeBron and Wade will shortly pass him as Kobe begins to fade. However, I think Kobe will fade much like MJ did in that he will still be a force until he is 35 or 36. Kobe is in great shape both mentally and physically and has a good few years left to lead the Lakers to more Championships. Kobe will also continue to be in the MVP talks for the next few seasons as well. I would still pick Kobe this high because he is that good. Remember I am not just looking short term here, so Kobe being at number three is generous considering the competition.

 4) Dwight Howard.

I argued with myself on this one a lot. If Howard would have led his Magic past the Lakers in the Finals or even pushed the series to seven games then I might have picked him ahead of Kobe. You can not teach size as we have all heard so many times. Howard has a couple of holes in his game for sure like free throw shooting and shooting in general. If he could get his ft% up to around 70% and learn how to shoot a 15 footer then he could become the greatest in the game. He also needs to step up and demand the ball like Shaq did back in the day. Howard is still very young and raw and in time could prove to be a top ten center all-time.

 5) Chris Paul.

With the rules the way they are right now in the NBA a player like Chris Paul is a thorn in every teams side. He can drive and kick better then any other player in the league. He is a threat to shoot from anywhere on the floor and he is a solid defender. In short, he is the total package. Maybe not as fancy as Steve Nash but I think nobody would doubt who the better scorer or defender is. You give Paul a solid bigman to play off of and good wingman and you have a contender everytime. If the Hornets had a better wingman this season they would have been a much better team.

 6) Kevin Durant.

I know that Durant at 6 may seem a bit high, but he is the real deal. He still has holes in his game but with a couple of veterans around him he would shine even more. He will become the NBA scoring champion a few times before his career is over and he will only get better as time goes on. If he can learn to use his length more on defense and bulk up a bit he will become an all-around force in this league for years to come. Can you imagine if the Thunder would have landed the 1st pick in the draft and got Blake Griffin? Scary thought. With a true lowpost player Kevin Durant would be even that much better.

 7) Al Jefferson.

A bit of a gamble here. Jefferson may not be the same after his injury, but all signs look good. He is young and a beast in the paint and as you can see I think he is the second best bigman in the NBA in the near future. He scores well down low and has the size to compete with the best in the league and will overwhelm lesser opponents. Pair him with a solid point guard and a slasher and you have a great team on your hands. It is always wise to build around a great bigman.

 8) Danny Granger.

On just about any other team Granger would be a Superstar. He has not only the stats to prove it but anyone who has watched him play about a half dozen games or so will see that he is a special kid. He is very athletic and is therefore a solid rebounder and shot blocker for a small forward. He seems to be getting better and better every game and the sky is the limit. Maybe the best testament to his ablilty is his consistency. You know what you are going to get from him day in and day out and that will help Pacer fans sleep at night.

 9) Dirk Nowitzki.

I understand that Dirk is getting older, but he just had perhaps his best season ever and Nowitzki has one thing going for him as he ages. He is an outstanding shooter. of all the aging superstar bigmen like Duncan and Garnett, only Dirk is really a great shooter from long range. With his size he will always be able to grab rebounds but even if he starts to rely solely on jumpshooting he will still be a huge threat on the floor. A seven footer shooting threes will always be scary. I still think he has 3 more years to in his prime and he will be very useful past then as well.

 10) Pau Gasol.

He is in the middle of his prime and he is as smart as they come with his back to the basket. Not as good as Duncan but has fresher legs. On just about any other team Gasol would be a 22 and 10 player but his scoring is effected by Kobe. Another huge factor for me with Gasol is he is a great teammate and while Amar'e may have more talent Gasol has more overall skills that make a team winners. Gasol has 5 more productive years left and for that reason he makes my top ten. I wish my Bulls would have snagged him. I still cry myself to sleep about that trade every night.

 11) Deron Williams.

Never should he be called the poor man's CP3. In many ways he is just as good as Paul. He has good size for a point guard and it shows in his ability to rebound and defend. He is still quite young as has many more years to prove himself. Some will argue that he is the best point guard right now in the NBA and deron's stats can make make a case for it. In any event, I think he is a great place to start when building a team. If you start building a team with a bigman or a great point guard you will most likely be ahead of the game.

 12) Chris Bosh.

He is not the best post player in the league, infact he likes to shoot to many jumpers if you ask me and a player of his size should block more then just one shot a game, but with that being said Bosh has a great all-around game and is still young so there should be a bunch of good seasons left in him. He will never contend for a MVP that is for sure but he will be considered a top power forward for the next 8 seasons barring injury. He is a good teammate and a smart player and that could take him far. Maybe even far way from Toronto.

 13) Brandon Roy.

Still young and is already one of the best guards in the NBA. 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists can not be balked at. He is the clear leader of a young rising team and his future is bright. I may even have him too low on this list. I just feel that Dirk and Gasol will still be great bigman for the next 5 years. If the Trail Blazers can make a solid trade they could contend next season. I still think this team would be better with a solid veteran leader to help calm them down a bit. Still if they stand pat they could blossom on their own.

 14) Amar'e Stoudemire.

He is a risk after knee surgery. He is however perhaps the best inside scorer in the game but he disappears on defense and I question him as a teammate. He seems to have an ego problem that could be a cancer in the locker-room. He is a hard player to wrap my mind around. If the stars are aligned correctly he could be a centerpiece of a championship team, but I do not think he is quite that good of a player. He needs to be in the right setting and a number two option behind a superstar point guard or shooting guard. He would do well teamed up with Wade on the Heat.

 15) Carmelo Anthony.

Let's face the facts, Melo could not lead this team with a map until Billups showed up. Chauncey Billups is the sole reason that the Nuggets had such a great season. I might have Billups on this list if he were not so old. I can not see Chauncey being a stud in 3 to 4 years. Anthony will however continue to fill up stat sheets do to his talent and athletic ability. If he could get his head on straight for 48 minutes on the floor then he could be a top five player, but he always seems to get lost in games at times. 

 16) Devin Harris.

What a season for Devin Harris. He has turned into a top player over night. If the Nets somehow land LeBron James in 2010 then look out NBA. Harris, LeBron, and Brooks will make for a great young core that will contend every season. Harris is a solid shooter and a good defender as well as a playmaker with insane speed. He has many more great years ahead of him as well and I think he would be a great 2nd option behind LeBron. Way better then Mo Williams. He is also a smart player and a great teammate.

 17) Tony Parker.

It is hard to think of the Spurs without thinking of Duncan, but this season some might say that Tony Parker was the best player on the floor. He has many great seasons ahead of him and with his ability to make things happen of the floor he will always be high on people's wishlists. He can drive and kick with the best of them and is a great finisher for a smaller player around the basket. As Timmy begins to slow down more and more I look for Parker to take over as the leadr of this team. He too could be higher on this list.

 18) Joe Johnson.

I think we might have seen the limits of Joe Johnson. I think he is a top talent for sure and coulf even be the go to guy on a championship team. What makes him stand out to me is his size for a shooting guard. He is big. I think he tried to do to much this season and attempted to many hard shots. He needs to work on that a bit. Two seasons ago people had him as the third best shooting guard behind Kobe and Wade. He has some work to do to get back there. I would love to see him in Chicago though.

 19) Tim Duncan.

If I wanted to win a Championship next season I might pick Timmy, but he has had a long career and I think we all see him starting to slide. For the same reasons I do not even have Kevin Garnett on this list I have Duncan at 19. While he will still be a great player for a few more seasons he will fade hard. His body can not take that much more, and his outside shot is not as pretty as Dirk's. It is sad to admit, because I have always loved his game, but I do not see Duncan being a huge factor in 5 years.

 20) Rajon Rondo.

From a fading legend to a rising superstar we come to my last player on my top 20 list for the next 5 seasons. Rondo proved to be a great all-around player all season long but in the playoff series against the Bulls fans got to see the Future of the Cletics. Rondo is a true triple double threat in the likes of Jason Kidd. I like to compare Rajon to kidd because to me they are very much the same. Rondo might be a better finisher at the rim, and Jason could dish out better passes, but neither player have a good looking jumpshot. Lucky for Celtic fans Rondo is still young enough to fix that.

Well I hope you enjoyed the read. I am sure I will not like my own list tomorrow and for that reason I am sure many of you will not like my list at all. You have to remember I am looking at players to build a team around now for the next 5 seasons or so, so players like Kevin Garnett and Chauncey Billups simply did not make my list. Players like Yao Ming and Carlos Boozer missed out as well because I think neither will ever play a full season again. Some of my choices were easy and others were a gamble. I would love to hear what you think and would like to see your Top 20 list using the same criteria. 

Ok, so the Allstar game is creeping up on us and a debate has sparked as to who should get on the Allstar Team in the East. Devin Harris should be the Starting PG without question but who should be the back-up. To me it is down to Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo. So let us take a look at both players and let the votes speak for themselves.

     Rajon Rondo is a solid all around player that is slowly becoming a top self PG in the NBA. He is quick and a great ball handler, but is over-shadowed by the Big 3 on the team. In the year or two as Ray Allen fades further, I see Rondo stepping up and being that third option. That is already starting to happen in a way.

     Some will say that his apg stats are inflated because of all the talent around him and that could be true, but that raises a solid question. Is Rondo good only because of the team he is on, or would he be averaging over 20 points a night if he was the go to guy on a lesser team?

     I happen to think that Rondo is a great talent and will continue to improve. I think he would be a stud if he were on another team but the Celtics are the place to be if you want to win. I wonder what will happen when he is a free agent?

11.6 ppg 5.0 rpg 7.4 apg 2.4 spg .543 FG% .286 3p% 2.24 TO

     Derrick Rose has been a real shocker to me and I bet just about everyone. I really thought it would take a couple of years for him to become a factor. I thought that Kirk Hinrich would be a starter all season, but Rose has been an instant star and the Bulls have needed a player of his talent since MJ left.

     Rose just might be the fastest player in the league and if not the fastest he is surely one of the most explosive. His crossover is as sick as they come and if the rest of the Bulls players would do a better job hitting their shots I bet Rose's assist would go up quite a bit. He has great court vision and is a true leader on and off the floor.

     He does need to work a little on defense and he is starting to show signs that he is hitting the Rookie wall and looks tired at times.

17.5 ppg 3.8 rpg 6.1 apg 1.0 spg .474 FG% .316 3p% 2.68 TO

So who do you think should make the Allstar Team?

     Well the Bulls are at it again. They look sharp one game and then the next they look like the B team down at the YMCA. No consistency at all. They bury the 76ers on the road last Sunday only to lose to them back home on Tuesday. I picked the Bulls to split those to games, but after seeing the number they did to the 76ers on Sunday I thought for sure they would win against the same team two day later at home. There is no reason to also not win a game against the Bucks. The Bucks game was one the Bulls needed to win and they are lucky they beat the Wizards on Saturday or I might have had to take a break from watching them. It is really hard on the fans when the team is so inconsistant. We have know idea what to expect each night. Let's break down a few things shall we.

     First, I would like to talk about Drew Gooden. I think he is a perfect example of the Bulls inability to play the same way twice in a row. I had Drew Gooden as my Player of the Week last week. I really thought that maybe the Bulls had a post player that was decent. For five games in a row he was averaging about 20 points and 10 rebounds and I was starting to get excited, but as a Bulls fan I should of heeded the warning as Gooden went on to lay two eggs the next two games. The 1 field goal game against the Bucks had me rethinking the Ben Wallace trade. OK, so it was not that bad, but the Bulls really changed their gameplan after that loss opting for a small lineup against the Wizards.

     Drew Gooden is still by far are best post player and I really liked it when Vinny had him and Derrick Rose running the high sreen and roll two weeks ago. Gooden is a pretty good shooter and an equally good passer and I felt they had a good thing going. When ever Gray, Tyrus, or Noah would set a pick the other teams would just double Rose because these three can not seem to either hit the open jumper or drive to the bucket after the pick for the open pass and a layup. Gooden really is the only bigman I want to see setting the pick because other teams understand he can hit the open shot and this forces teams to make a gamble. Do they still double Rose and allow Drew the open look or do they not double Derrick and allow him to drive to the paint? The Bulls need to employ this scheme more often.

     Something else that the Bulls need to be careful with is Derrick Rose's minutes. He is averaging over 38 minutes per game. He is bound to start wearing down at some point. My guess is some time in January. The Bulls are really going to need him in good shape if they really want to make a run at the playoffs. Kirk Hinrich should be returning come January, but he will be far from 100%. Infact I am not so sure he will be very effective until February or March and the Bulls could be out of the playoff picture by then.

     I hate to beat a dead horse but the Bulls need to make a trade if they are looking to make it into the playoffs and for sure if they plan on getting out of the first round. Now John Paxson and company may just play the hand they have until this next summer or maybe even hold out until 2010. I sure hope they know more then the rest of us do because a few trades have taken place that the Bulls could have been part of. We could have went after Camby or Harrington. I understand that neither of them would make us a contender but it would have been a move in the right direction. We could have moved Hinrich and his contract out of town for Camby's expiring contract.

     We still have options as of today. Chris Kaman was on the trading block a couple of weeks ago as the Clippers were trying to land Jason Richardson but that deal never got done. I think the Bulls should make a call to L.A. if you ask me. Also I came up with a trade on ESPN's trade machine that would package Tyrus Thomas and Andres Nocioni to the Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Charlie Bell. We all know how much Scott Skiles loves Nocioni, so this trade could happen. Also we would be losing a contract from a position that we have two large contracts. Those being Luol Deng's and Andres Nocioni's. We would still have money freed up by 2010 for a push for a Superstar like Wade or Bosh. I just hope Paxson is making phone calls because there is no reason not to try and shake things up a bit.

     Now for this weeks Ups and Downs:

Up - Luol Deng looks like his old self by posting 26-4-4 against the Wizards on Saturday.

Down - Drew Gooden goes 1 for 11 from the field in a loss against the Bucks.

Up - The same Drew Gooden plays a great game against Elton Brand and scores 20 points with 12 rebounds.

Down - The inconsistency of Nocioni. He scores 19 points one night and 1 point the night before. Sad, because I love Nocioni.

Up - Ben Gordon is putting up very consistant numbers lately, scoring 21, 18, 22, and 21 points in the four games last week. Who thought that he would be one of our most consistant players this season?

Down - Joakim Noah. Enough said.

     Now for the Player of the Week: Ben Gordon. As well as Derrick Rose has been playing and even though Derrick did win the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month Award, I still give a slight edge to Ben this week. I really could go with either of them and be happy but Ben has been a machine. He is not just scoring. He is playing at a very high level. He averaged 5.75 rebounds last week and 4.75 assists as well and lets not forget that his shooting has been lights out.

     This weeks Predictions:

At home vs the Knicks - Bulls 106 Knicks 100. Should be a high scoring game with little to no defense. I think the Bulls can keep up.

On the road vs the Grizzlies - Bulls 98 Grizzlies 93. Should be a fun game to watch. O.J. Mayo vs Derrick Rose should get national attention.

At home vs the Nets - Bulls 91 Nets 98. Bulls are bound to lose at least one game this week and Devin Harris has been the best PG in the east so far this season. D-Rose vs D-Harris will be great. We will get a chance to see what Rose is all about in this game.

     Once again the Bulls could win all of their games this week, but I also said that last week and they went 2-2. The Bulls really need to be winning these games against all these subpar teams. Their schedule is only going to get harder with the Celtics, Jazz, and Pistons around the corner.