Thursday, January 26, 2012

White American NBA Player Power Rankings, v2.0

(Check out our updated version 3.0 right here!)



1. Kevin Love

Still, with a bullet. Now with a new 4-year deal in hand (with an opt-out after the third), the Wolves will be even more aggressive in trying to improve their team in order to convince what will then be a 27 year-old Kevin Love to try and stay. As Derrick Williams and Ricky Rubio become more comfortable with their shots, I expect Love's 25 ppg scoring average to go down, but for his assists to go up. Get used to the altitude Kev - you're not leaving this power rankings perch any time soon.

2. Ryan "The Assassin" Anderson

OH YES. Just a week after I posted the inaugural rankings, I attended a Magic/Knicks game at MSG. Now, ignoring the fact that the 2012 Knicks couldn't guard the Liberty, Ryan Anderson went absolutely bonkers in that game at the Garden - draining 7 for 12 three pointers and ending up with 30 points and 7 rebounds. He's averaging 16.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, all while shooting 42% from beyond the arc. Anderson has become the second best player on this Magic roster, and one of the prime reasons why GM Otis Smith thinks his team is much better than they actually are. Besides Kevin Love and Joey Crawford, there's no deadlier threat from a white American than Ryan Anderson right now.

3. David Lee

Not for lack of trying or a dip in numbers (still with 18.3 points and 10.7 rebounds a game - both higher than his career averages), but David Lee has to take a back seat to The Assassin. If you ever watch a Warriors game, a lot of Lee's points come from spot-up jumpers, put-backs and easy baskets. He's a fantastic rebounder, which helps him clean up on the frequent misses from the unconscionable chuckers on his squad. However, when was the last time you saw D Lee play against your team and you left the game thinking "damn, Lee really destroyed us tonight"? In his 8-year career, I don't think I've ever said that. I've already had 3 moments like that regarding Ryan Anderson this season.

4. JJ Redick

At that very same Knicks/Magic game, I had this conversation with a friend: "Did you ever think that JJ Redick would amount to anything in the NBA?". He laughed, and as Redick torched the Bockers for 21 points, he responded "No. Never".


But something happened the last 3 seasons. Redick started playing over 22 minutes a night, in ever game. He began to shoot the ball with more confidence, playing within Stan Van Gundy's system of inside-out ball movement instead of doing nothing but hinder it. Every year, his scoring has gone up, and staying steady with it was his famed three-point shooting.

Somehow, some way, JJ Redick regained the confidence that made him a National Player of the Year and gave him the relevance I never thought he would have. But more importantly, and what I would consider an even greater honor, he's played his way into the White American NBA Player Power Rankings. Congrats JJ. I hate you.

5. Spencer Hawes

...only a mother could love
Though he's been hurt the previous 5 games for the surprising 76ers, Hawes has finally started playing like his 7'1" body would suggest he could. He's turned into a much better rebounder and defender, doing exactly the type of things to get himself minutes from the very demanding Doug Collins.

Dropped out: Tyler Hansbrough, Kirk Hinrich, Chris Kaman

Honorable Mentions: JIMMER, Luke Ridnour, Chase Budinger, Chandler Parsons

Mentions: Gordon Hayward, Chris Anderson, Josh McRoberts, Steve Blakers, Byron Mullens, Mike Miller

Dishonorable Mentions:
Jeff Foster, Troy Murphy, Steve Novak, Luke Walton, The Immortal Brian Cardinal, Brian Scalabrine

However, like any power rankings, there's a world of difference between that and real-life basketball. Some teams may play hotter and some may be worse that week, but power rankings don't always indicate which teams are most talented or capable of winning a title. They usually just point out which teams are playing best right now.

Similarly, the White American NBA starting five won't be the same as our power rankings. In putting this team together, we had to decide the best five players that would best complement each other, rather than who was having the best season.

PG: Luke Ridnour
SG: JJ Redick
SF: Ryan Anderson
PF: Kevin Love
C: Hawes

2nd Unit: JIMMER, Kirk Hinrich, Chase Budinger, Tyler Hansbrough, David Lee

Rounding out the 12: Chris Kaman, Chandler Parsons

I don't think there's a doubt about this lineup. Ridnour is the closest to a pure point that we'll get with this squad. He can push the pace and make good decisions. Redick, Anderson and Love can all spread the floor, while Hawes can do the dirty work. The first subs off the bench would be Lee and Hansbrough, who can clean up the boards and kick to the squad's many shooters. Hinrich can do a lot of the same things that Ridnour brings to the table, and JIMMER fills in as the JJ Barea-type with a deadly scoring punch. Kaman is on the team for big man depth, and Chandler Parsons, in the word of blog friend El Miz, is there to do a little bit of everything, as he's shown he can do in Houston.

There you have it. Let the debate begin, again.


  1. PG: Steve Nash
    SG: Manu Ginobili
    SF: Korver
    PF:Dirk Nowitzki
    C: Gasol

    Key Bench- Jkidd, Love, David Lee, Hawes

    Nash and Nowitzki already have the Chemistry from Dallas and Nash would feed Gasol or Korver at the 3 point line. the Whole squad is a team of pure shooters with kidd and hawes bringing the D.

    1. Well Jason Kidd is black, so he's out. This post was specifically for the Americans, so Dirk, Nash, Manu, etc are all out. Otherwise, solid choices for the all-white NBA player team!

      Thanks for the read man!

    2. Jason Kidd isn't black. His Mom is white and his Dad is mixed race and he was raised by his Mom. I know I grew up in Oakland where he's from.

      That being said, if you put together an all-mixed race team they'd be pretty nasty: Jason Kidd, Curry, Klay Thompson, Blake Griffin, Matt Barnes, Nic Batum, Tony Parker, Danny Green, Shane Battier for some D, Kris Humphries, Joakim Noah, Boris Diaw, Thabo Sefolosha. Ok, so guys like Hump & Noah & Kidd are almost all white, but still any mix should count, right?