We Hate Your Team: NBA Blog

1. Kevin Durant, SF, Oklahoma City Thunder: 

                    The Thunder beat the Nets last night in what was a strong, strong game from the league's youngest star, Kevin Durant. He put up 32 points vs. Brooklyn and looked like the best player on the court the whole time. He uplifted his team when need be, and put Brooklyn away late in the game. Kevin Durant is averaging 26.4 ppg and is currently 3rd on the scoring leader board. In terms of offensive efficiency, he leads the league at 30.4 edging out Lebron James. Durant has lead the Thunder to a 15-4 record, and they are 9-1 in their last ten games. Right now, they're playing at an extremely high level, and it's because of this man. 

2. Carmelo Anthony, SF New York Knicks

         Let's be honest, the Knicks haven't been playing NEARLY as well as they were at the beginning of the season. They're 6-4 in their last 10 games. They're 4-4 on the road. However, the New York Knicks are 7-0 at home and Carmelo Anthony is averaging 26.6 points a game. This is a significant statistic because as the Knicks have been blowing out teams, Carmelo has been sitting in the fourth quarter. If he's averaging these numbers (good enough for 2nd in scoring), then imagine the numbers he could be putting up if the Knicks were playing him more? That being said, the Knicks haven't been as magical as earlier without Jason Kidd and I believe that 'Melo has been a huge reason they've stayed competitive. As Kidd comes back to manage the game, look for 'Melo to go back to putting up big numbers while the Knicks keep winning.

3. Zach Randolph, PF, Memphis Grizzlies

        OK, I said that the Grizzlies don't have individuals on this team last week. This has completely changed after watching Zach Randolph put up a RIDICULOUS 38 points and 22 rebounds vs. the Phoenix suns last night. It is so incredible for someone who gets as much lift (not much) off the floor as he does. Zach Randolph is the rebound master, though Anderson Varejao is actually averaging more than him. However, Varejao's team is bad, and Randolph's team is scary good. That's because, they're the best team in the league at 13-3. They're 8-2 in their last 10 games and Zach Randolph is a huge part of this. No one else on this team claims as much attention as ZBO. No one else on this team rebounds like this man, and no one else on this team scores like this man. It is a huge maturation process that has happened in Zach Randolph's life, because he could be putting up these numbers while forcing it. Instead, he is doing this while keeping his team competitive. I hope that Randolph stays on this list all year long.

4. Lebron James, SF, Miami Heat

       Lebron, a player who confuses me at times. Lebron helped the Heat overcome the short-handed Spurs a couple games ago in what seemed to be a likely embarrassing loss. The Spurs didn't bring Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, or Tim Duncan to the party in Miami and it was still a close game till the end. The bench of the Spurs almost beat the Heat but Lebron pulled away, by being Lebron. Still, that doesn't excuse the loss to Washington last night. I'm throwing stats out the window on Lebron, because all you need is to watch the man play to see that he is the best player in the world. Unfortunately, he doesn't show it sometimes at night, because his team doesn't need it. Yet, the Heat are playing very well defensively, their 7-3 the last 10 games, and when they need it, they have Lebron win games for them. It didn't work last night vs. Washington, but I think we can all say that was a fluke.

5. Chris Paul, PG, Los Angeles Clippers 

        Chris Paul is 3rd in Win Shares with 3.2. This means how many win's are directly related to him as a player. Basically, the better you play, and the more your team wins, the higher the number. When your team is 11-6 like the L.A. Clippers, and you're 3rd in Win Shares, that's a pretty big deal. It's a big deal because that means take Chris Paul out of the clippers and they'll be 8-9. That means that Chris Paul takes the Clippers from a sub-.500 team to a 4th seed in the West (As of Now). That number puts Chris Paul on this list. And it's something you can see without stats: if you watch a Clippers you'll see that whenever the Clippers have a bad possession, whether offensive or defensive, Chris Paul will make a play to turn the game around. Whether it's hitting shots, getting steals, or assisting, Chris Paul is the one who does it for the Clippers. He's still the best player in Los Angeles. With the way the Lakers are playing, it looks like it may be like that the whole season. Sorry, Kobe.

Almost made the list: Tony Parker, Deron Williams, Jrue Holiday, Tyson Chandler, Rajon Rondo, James Harden, Anderson Varejao

Notes: Rondo left the list after the incident with Kris Humphries, Zach Randolphs on a tear and made the list. After watching the Heat game, I couldn't put Parker on the list because of the way they looked without him. Coach of the Year should be for Popovich as of now, by the way. Check out Anderson Varejao's stats on Basketball Reference; the numbers are absolutely ridiculous. 

Thanks for the read.