My Top 10 NBA Players

A few days ago on ESPN's 1st & 10, Skip Bayless and Chris Broussard listed their top 5 players in the league. Here is my top 10:

1. Kobe Bryant- The 14 year pro is on the top of my list. When the game is on the line, there is no player in the world that can stop Kobe, but Kobe. With 14 years of wear and tear, The Black Mamba is still playing at a high level and putting fear in defenders' hearts. Not to mention this season he has a chance to match MJ's 6 rings.2. LeBron James- There has never been a player in the history of basketball that is as gifted as LBJ. At 6'8 and at least 250, LeBron moves like a point guard, is unstoppable going to the cup and has arguably the best passing ability in the NBA. His number 2 ranking is a result of what he has not yet done in the post-season. Kobe has 5 rings, LeBron has none.

3. Dwayne Wade- Flash is arguably the most explosive player in the league. His first step is unstoppable and his ability to twist his way to basket are just a couple things that contribute to his greatness. He also gets it done on the defensive end, flirting with 100 blocks and steals almost every year. A precedent for guards.

4. Dwight Howard- There is only one word needed to describe this man...BEAST. There is no reason to believe that Dwight will not be in the top 3 of both rebounds and blocks for the next 10 years. The only knock on D-Howard has been his offensive game but that has changed drastically this season. He has added a left hand hook, an 8-10 foot glass jumper and has improved his footwork. What Dwight can potentially be is scary.

5. Carmelo Anthony- In my opinion, Melo is by far the most offensively gifted player in basketball. There is not one thing on the court that he cannot do. Melo can dribble like a guard, blow past bigger defenders with ease, post up smaller players, probably has the best mid-range game in the league and leads the league in game-winners. He is unstoppable. The only flaw Anthony has is his lack of defensive effort, which he has shown in big games. He needs to commit to D in every game, not just ones against LeBron.

6. Kevin Durant- The smoothest player in basketball also has the best nickname, Durantula! Never has there been a player at 6'10 who can do what KD does with relative ease. He gives Melo a serious run for the best offensive player in the league. I give Melo the slight edge because Durant lacks the power that Anthony has. But where power is lacking, KD makes up with length. His ability to get his shot wherever he wants on the court makes him virtually unstoppable. And he's only 22! The folks in Oklahoma City will enjoy watching KD for a very long time.

7. Pau Gasol- There is not a more skilled big man in all of basketball. At 7', Pau can pass, consistently hit a mid-range jumper and shoots 80% from the line. Sounds like a guard, right? With his length he also can bother anyone's shot that comes into the paint. Playing on a team with Kobe Bryant may overshadow his ability, but Pau is definitely one of the best players in the league.

8. Paul Pierce- There is no player, other than Kobe, that I want with the ball with 5 seconds left on the clock. With the game on the line, The Truth already has it in his mind that he's gonna win it for the C's. His ability to come up big in big games still has the 12 year vet in my top 10. He's a sure-fire hall of famer.

9. Chris Paul- For some reason, a lot of people have been sleeping on CP3 the past two years. Probably because of last season's injury but I think people are forgetting about him altogether. With the exception of Dwight Howard, I don't think there is another player more important to his team. If you take Chris Paul off of New Orleans' roster, the Hornets would probably be as bad as Cleveland. He has made David West into an all-star and Tyson Chandler has not been an offensive factor since parting ways with Paul. He averages around 20 and 10 every season and is the only player in NBA history to average 20 points and 10 assists in their playoff career. Please stop sleeping on CP3.

10. Derrick Rose- I have never seen a player improve so much from one season to the next in NBA history. Derrick Rose went from hard to contain to unstoppable in one year. He has his hometown Bulls as the overall top seed in the playoffs and is almost 100% likely to win the MVP, making him the youngest player in league history to do so. I've always looked at D-Rose as a baby LeBron. Like LeBron, he is probably the strongest player at his position, is unstoppable when attacking the basket and is probably the most athletic point guard in NBA history. What he can do on the court is scary. I'm gonna enjoy watching him grow as a player.