I was hanging out in a local sports bar here in Budapest, catching a live NBA broadcast whilst hammering some ale down my throat. The game we were watching was too ugly to watch; the Celtics were blowing my Knicks team not only out of Madison Square Garden but the whole state of New York.

During a commercial break a smaller group of drunken Celtics fans started arguing about who is the best player in the NBA. Each had their favorite ranging from Kevin Garnett through Paul Pierce (and the rest of Boston’s roster). Before we knew what had hit us suddenly the small band of NBA fans gathered round the screen were all engaging in the conversation, throwing their favorite player’s name into the argument.

Once I got home I decided to compile a list of the 10 best active players of the NBA. It took me some time to compile it, but here are the results. These are the guys you have to have if you are building a team from zero. With them around your NBA team is guaranteed a near .500 finish. (please note that I did not take age and historical production into consideration):

'These are the guys you have to have if you are building a team from zero'


10. Luol Deng
I reserved the number 10 spot for the surprise appearance. Deng’s play should not have him in the elite ranks of the top 10 NBA players. Why did I include him then? Market value. Throughout the Bulls-Lakers trade talk Deng was the only player the Lakers were willing to accept for one Kobe Bryant, and he probably was the only one the Bulls never dangled into negotiations. That says something about this kid’s talent. Heck, news even broke out that Kobe is only willing to go to Chicago if Deng is there to be his Scottie Pippen. He has been having turnover problems recently, but if you look at his previous season he started coming on strong after Christmas, so expect the same this year.

9. Dwight Howard
Dude has got the Orlando Magic with the third best record in the league. This is the team that was devastated by the injury of 'starting big man' Tony Battie. Every time I read through that roster I am inclined to bump Dwight even higher up this list. He is a freak of nature, a big man with Spud Webb’s vertical. He has such athletic skills that at times the game just seems too easy for him. And by the way, I hereby ask the NBA to allow Howard to raise the rim for the All-Star slam dunk contest. If they decide to nix him on that request again, I will be outraged. They are robbing us fans of an unforgettable contest.

8. Carmelo Anthony
Melo is a scorer, period. He knows how to get the ball to go through the rim. Every NBA team is in dire need of an alfa-dog who will take over much of the scoring load of the team and Carmelo is as good as they come. Even when he was with Team USA this summer, he quickly found his role as the volume scorer of the team. He is having an awesome season thus far and his game has been on since the opening tip-off.

7. Dwyane Wade
Without that shoulder injury he probably would be much higher on this list. Dwyane is just a superb player, he is unstoppable, he is smart, he is a good defender, he’s also a calming presence on the floor. Dwyane led a Heat team with an aging Shaq to a championship two seasons ago, and he is still too young to be considered a player in his prime. What will he do once he gets to the age of 28-30, which is when most NBA players reach their best form? Alas his shoulder injury has been a huge warning sign, since the Grant Hill saga in Orlando every injury (no matter how little it may seem) labels a player as damaged good. Here’s hoping Wade will see no setbacks and recovers fully.

6. Kevin Garnett
Having to face ever improved opponents in the West for this past couple of seasons the Timberwolves quickly found themselves out of the post season before it even began. Despite the fact that KG still made this horrible team relevant we did not really take notice. The deeply devoted basketball aficionados who followed even these T'wolves knew that Garnett had not changed. He has been hungry and unbelievable all the time. With a change of scenery, and the building of a winning programme in Boston suddenly everybody is in awe of the forgotten man’s will to win and hustle. We knew all along though.

5. Tim Duncan
The 'big fundamental' only 5th? I just could not have him ahead of the upcoming four names. He is the best pure post threat in the league, he can pass as well as a point guard, and his off-the-backboard bank shot is legendary. Why oh why then could four others overtake him? The answer is simple; he has been hampered by minor injuries these past few years. Whilst it has not stopped him from winning multiple championships, we are currently awaiting another MRI to know whether he’s all right or not. With this top 5 it’s nuances like these that decide the final order of the day.

4. Dirk Nowitzki
This huge David Hasselhoff fan has turned into the first European megastar of the NBA. Dirk is coming off an MVP season that was initially marred by his team failing to reach the second round of the play-offs. He is, however, the biggest match-up nightmare in the NBA. Throughout the years Dirk has perfected his low post game to complement his incredible shooting touch. His defense has also become better, although that is the part of his game which still leaves something to be desired.

3. Steve Nash
Nash does not defend well, he does not score with enough consistency, he is too small, too scrawny, too Canadian, too whatever. Steve Nash is the anti basketball player. He is not athletic enough. We’ve heard all of these complaints yet we are still talking about a guy who has won back to back MVP awards, and has single handedly made the Suns one of the top three teams out west. I might be stoned like in the ancient times for saying this, but I think Nash is a better pure point guard than John Stockton or Magic Johnson.

2. LeBron James
LBJ is a phenomenon. The King arrived on the scene as a much-hyped high school player, and he has become even better than advertised. This summer I had the privilege of seeing Team USA live at the FIBA Americas tourney and seeing James live was just unbelievable. He is as quick and athletic as guys that are six feet tall, but he towers at an immense 6’7” with an enormous wingspan and muscles of a body-builder. Once all of this information sinks in you have to realize this guy would be hard to stop even if he had lousy ball handling skills. Did I mention that LeBron also has the gift of what we just call “he got game”. Nuf said.

1. Kobe Bryant
That gap between himself and the rest of the NBA is tightening as the young guns are maturing. Yet Kobe still is No. 1. He might have his haters (yours truly included), but nobody ever questioned his skills. He is the top defensive force at his position when he takes defense seriously (case and point, the FIBA Americas where he shut down each team’s best player with relative ease). He is the premier scorer of the league. There are tough shots and impossible shots that players should never take, some coaches simply call these Kobe shots, because he is the only one who can make them. Skillwise he is the mixture of the smart, great shooting1996 Michael Jordan and the athletic, all out 1991 Michael Jordan. Look at that Lakers roster and then look at the team’s record, amazing isn’t it? That’s what Kobe brings to the table.