2012 ESPN/CBS Player Rankings

[mkwest]

ESPN: 2012 NBA Player Rankings

What is #NBArank?

#NBArank is the Twitter hashtag to use if you want to get involved in the discussion or just follow along.

You can also follow along here: @NBAonESPN

How did we rank the players?

We asked 104 experts to rate each player on a 0-to-10 scale, in terms of "the current quality of each player."

Here is the full list of voters from ESPN.com, the TrueHoop Network, TrueHoop TV, Daily Dime Live, ESPN TV, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, espnW, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Insider, ESPN Fantasy, ESPN Games, ESPN Dallas, ESPN Los Angeles, ESPN Chicago, ESPN New York, ESPN Stats & Information, ESPN Topics and ESPN Analytics.

461 Travis Leslie 2.06
Los Angeles Clippers
G | Age: 23
2011 rank: #457

444 Trey Thompkins 2.23
Los Angeles Clippers
F | Age: 23
2011 rank: #451

346 Ryan Hollins 2.92
Los Angeles Clippers
C | Age: 27
2011 rank: #309

316 Ronny Turiaf 3.20
Los Angeles Clippers
C | Age: 29
2011 rank: #247

308 Willie Green 3.27
Los Angeles Clippers
SG | Age: 31
2011 rank: #276

229 Matt Barnes 4.04
Los Angeles Clippers
SF | Age 32
2011 rank: #185

CBS Sports: Eye on Basketball's Elite 100: No. 100 through No. 50

No. 93: Caron Butler, G/F, Age 32, Los Angeles Clippers

2012 Stats: 12.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, .8 spg, .472 eFG%, 11.7 PER

Tuff Juice bounced back from a serious knee injury and helped push the Clippers to the second-round. He's feast or famine, and when he's famine, it gets ugly. He's got a lot more help offensively this season with Jamal Crawford on board and Chauncey Billups back, but at 32 and with so many injuries under his belt, there's only so long he's got left on the wire.

No. 81: DeAndre Jordan, C, Age 24, Los Angeles Clippers

2012 Stats: 7.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.0 bpg, .632 eFG%, 16.4 PER

That's right, a guy who had his minutes yanked away by Reggie Evans (Reggie Evans!) in the playoffs comes in at 82. This from a center with rebounding issues given a massive contract last offseason. We have high hopes for the youth of today.

Matt More, CBS Sports

[mkwest]

ESPN: 2012 NBA Player Rankings

What is #NBArank?

#NBArank is the Twitter hashtag to use if you want to get involved in the discussion or just follow along.

You can also follow along here: @NBAonESPN

How did we rank the players?

We asked 104 experts to rate each player on a 0-to-10 scale, in terms of "the current quality of each player."


128 Lamar Odom 5.00

L.A. Clippers
SF | Age: 32
2011: #44

126 Caron Butler 5.06

L.A. Clippers
SF | Age: 32
2011 rank: #87

122 Eric Bledsoe 5.11

L.A. Clippers
PG | Age: 22
2011 rank: #194

[TheNewEra]

would think odom would be higher

[mkwest]

would think odom would be higher

He normally would be, but the tumultuous season that he had has left a bad taste in most people's mouths. I think he'll have a bounce back year, and we definitely need him to. He'll be a huge difference maker for us if he plays more along the lines of where everyone is used to.

[mkwest]

114 Grant Hill 5.22

L.A. Clippers
SF | Age: 39
2011 rank: #67

111 Jamal Crawford 5.25

L.A. Clippers
G | Age: 32
2011 rank: #76

110 Chauncey Billups 5.26

L.A. Clippers
G | Age: 35
2011 rank: #61

Paul should be in the top 5 and Blake in the top 10-15, but where does DJ land?

[mkwest]

86 DeAndre Jordan 5.72

Los Angeles Clippers
C | Age: 24 | 2011 rank: #114

[mkwest]

EOB resents the NBA Elite 100: No. 19 through No. 11

No. 14: Blake Griffin, PF, Age 23, Los Angeles Clippers (10)

2012 Stats: 20.7 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 3.2 apg, 54.9 FG%, 23.4 PER

Rankings: 11, 19, 22

Inevitably, some of the luster came off of Blake Griffin last season. His rookie campaign -- complete with highlight dunk after highlight dunk, topped off by his car-jumping Slam Dunk Contest title -- was so jaw-dropping and remarkable that it set an impossible standard. Griffin, like any phenomenon, took some time to process for fans. Last season, the dunks (and monster stat lines) continued unabated. Indeed, Griffin appeared in every game for the Clippers for the second straight season, even fighting through a knee injury to stay on the court during the playoffs. But the nitpicking began, too. Griffin was seen by many as an incessant complainer to officials, an unscrupulous flopper and a shameless preener. His awful free throw shooting -- 52.1 percent -- became a big deal, too, seeing as he went to the line more than seven times a game. His nonexistent jumper and lack of post moves drew some heat, too.

Even with the personality annoyances and limitations to his game, Griffin remains a revelation, one of the NBA's most athletic and fearless players. He was rewarded with a five-year, $95 million contract extension this summer, locking him in as a franchise centerpiece. His new partnership with Clippers All-Star point guard Chris Paul promises to bring postseason success, as it did in 2011-12 with a first-round series win over the Memphis Grizzlies, and Clippers management seems confident that the future is now, loading up on veterans to surround its All-Star duo this offseason. Griffin underwent arthroscopic surgery after tearing his meniscus in his left knee, the second time that knee had been operated on. Long-term, the big concern is that the knee injuries catch up to him before he's able to polish his all-around game. Short-term, he's expected to be ready to play for the Clippers' season opener and you can bet someone will get dunked on.

Ben Golliver, CBS Sports

[mkwest]

EOB presents the NBA Elite 100: No.5 through No.1


3. Chris Paul, PG, Age 27, Los Angeles Clippers (2011 rank: 8)
2012 Stats: 19.8 pppg, 9.1 apg, 2.5 spg, .522 eFG%, 27.0 PER
Rankings: 4, 3, 4

In the constant debate about the greatest point guard on Earth (or "Point God"), Paul remains notoriously ahead of the pack on most people's ballots. It's his control and his efficiency, it's his shot-making ability and his speed. It's how he can hit the big shot, find the open man, make the right play, and turn the ball over at such a low clip.

Paul's scoring went up with Los Angeles last year, but his assists went down, while his shooting percentage came in at just the fourth best of his career. Paul often gets points for his ability to "turn it on" in te biggest games and his management of his body has been the subject of much discussion over the past two seasons as he rests his knees for the postseason. But if Paul's slip is excused on account of his playoff superiority and big-game step-ups, why does Deron Williams not receive the same treatment?

I bring this up not to kock Paul off his No.3 pedastal, but instead to reinforce the fact that even despite these issues, this is how good Paul is, at his core. When he's dialed in, there is not a better floor general, and his infectious intensity turned the Clippers from an unsure amalgam of wings and forwards into a dangerous second-round team.

Matt Moore, CBS Sports

[mkwest]

14 Blake Griffin 8.25

Los Angeles Clippers
PF | Age: 23 | 2011 rank: #10

I expected a drop in his rank as many basketball critics were disappointed in his second year play versus the anticipated development. He had a strong rookie season and the expectations were high with him playing alongside Paul. His numbers didn't really skyrocket the way some critics would have thought they would. Some of his flaws became more evident.

It's a new year and hopefully the things that he has been tinkering with over the summer will have a positive effect on his game and the overall performance of the team.

[mkwest]

4 Chris Paul 9.52

Los Angeles Clippers
PG | Age: 27 | 2011 rank: #4

CP3 matches his 2011 rank. Personally, I think he could have been higher. After LeBron, you can make a case for a few different players. Durant is the best scorer and Dwight is top notch defensively, but Paul controls the game like only a couple players in the league can. His numbers were off the charts last year and was as valuable to the Clippers as any player in the league could be to his team. At the end of the day, 4 is nothing to sneeze at.

[Quake Griffin]

i think Paul is only 2nd to LeBron.


but i get the Durant love...young...great scorer...made the finals.
but that's just me.

[mj_shoefanatic]

DJ is way too at 86