Fantasy Rankification!: 1-50.

Moreso than any season in recent memory, the top of the draft is loaded with questions. Are Kobe and LeBron gonna pout? Are Amare and Arenas hurting? Will Yao or Bosh break down again? And is Dwyane Wade ever going to be able to put together an entire campaign? Or is all that quite-literal throwing of himself into defenders wearing on the young superbad superstud? And are you there, God? It’s me, Tony.

1. KEVIN GARNETT, F, Celtics.
KG has shades of Barkley-in-93 written all over him. A rebounding title, an MVP, and an Eastern Conference Finals berth all seem in the cards. A season of 19 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal, a block, and robust percentages seems like just the beginning. He may not be as awe-inspiring as he was in 2004, but he’ll still be the #1 guy. Hail to thee, Kamp KG, in your hallowed emerald green.

2. SHAWN MARION, F, Suns.
I know he ends up being ranked #1 in the Yahoo! game every year, and finished 4th in the league in steals and 20th in blocks last season, and promises another year of do-everything ball at glittering all-over-the-book percentages. But I can never, in the preseason, commit to Marion as the #1 guy in fantasy ball. Maybe it’s the fact that 17.5 PPG and 9.8 RPG don’t look so impressive on their lonesome. Or, maybe, it’s just that painful shooting form.

3. KOBE BRYANT, SG, Lakers.
The current dramas surrounding Kobe seem too vague to truly take stock in; I can’t imagine someone as hyper-competitive as the Black Mamba pulling a Carter/McGrady and deliberately dogging it to get dealt. Even if he, y’know, once gave up in a playoff game to make a pathetic point. So, to slide #24 down your board because of trade rumours seems a little crazy; especially if he actually ends up getting dealt. Should Kobe land in Chicago, would he not do so with a monstrous chip on his shoulder, going out every night with a point to prove? And/or taking his ongoing Michael Jordan impersonation to Single White Female —or, moreso, Adulterous Black Male— extremes?

4. LEBRON JAMES, SF, Cavaliers.
Bron Bron hummer’d his way to the top of most humans’ preseason rankings last season, then proceeded to take a huge step back in his fourth year: -4.0 PPG, -112 FTM, -.041 FT%, and -28 threes headlining stats that took an across-the-board downturn. Adding to such pessimism, things’re looking even less rosy with the Cavs this year; LeBron seemingly stuck with a roster redefining mediocrity. As the load The Nailbiter carries grows and grows, he looks increasingly joyless, and often disinterested. Which isn’t exactly what you want from the-future-of-basketball, no?

5. STEVE NASH, PG, Suns.
Conversely, the game’s pre-eminent point-man is an eternal joy to watch; a study in continuous motion, in shot-generating, in risk-taking, in the marriage of unorthodoxy to fundamentals. Last season, he posted career-highs in FG%, 3PTM, 3PT%, and, most of all, assists. His 11.6 per contest are the most skewing statistic in all of fantasy basketball; the difference between that total and the tenth-best in the entire league —Raymond Felton’s 7.0— is incredible.

6. GILBERT ARENAS, PG, Wizards.
When Gilbert Arenas got hurt late last year, 1 minute into game 74 out of 74, he was leading the league in both FTM and 3PTM, was second in PTS, and third in STL. By average, he was third in the league in points, free-throws, and three-pointers, fifth in steals, and 15th in assists. Oh, and, just for kicks, he hung up six 40-point nights, two 50s, and a single sweet 60-point demolition (60/8/8) of the Lakers, as well as providing a seemingly endless arsenal of silly quotes and oddball anecdotes. Were he not coming off major knee surgery, you could make a case for Arenas at #3; especially given how fun it is to scream ‘Hibachi!’ at Wizards boxscores as they tick over.

7. DIRK NOWITZKI, PF, Mavericks.
Even Dirk’s hair seems boring by now. Yeah, yeah, I know: 50/40/90 shooting, 25 and 9, assists on the up. Just wake me when it’s over.

8. PAU GASOL, FC, Grizzlies.
If you think #8 seems too high for Gasol, let me learn you something. Last lap around the block, the furry-faced Iberian Macho, once recovered from a fractured footsie, got busy, consistently and thoroughly. Over his last 43 outings, Pau powered his way to an eyeball-poppin’ line of: 21.4 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 3.9 APG, 2.3 BPG, and 52.7 FG%. With Marc Iavaroni promising an uptempo time for the Grizzz, and Gasol’s homie Juan Carlos Navarro along for the ride, things should look that rosy for Pau all season long.

9. YAO MING, C, Rockets.
Yeah, he’s probably gonna average 27 and 10, but how much longer can we possibly keep someone so injury-prone in the top 10? One more 50-game campaign and Yao is officially tired and broken, his tongue twisted with words half-spoken; the next Bill Walton hobbling his way through a ruined career.

10. AMARE STOUDEMIRE, C, Suns.
So, uh, the knee surgery was just minor, right?

11. JASON KIDD, PG, Nets.
Last year, Kidd slipped into the third round in most drafts, fantasy GMs abandoning a guy who looked like he was on the downside of his career, set to groom his supposed replacement, Marcus Williams. Yet, proving that old dogs can learn new tricks, Kidd, in his 13th season, went out and groped up a career-high rebounding mark; his 8.2 a night obliterating his next best season (7.4). He also bumped his assists back up, from 8.4 to 9.2; making for a unique, unexpected renaissance that culminated in 12 regular-season triple-doubles, and a triple-double average in the postseason. His FG% remains forever ghastly, but it’s one of very few holes in an otherwise robust game.

12. RASHARD LEWIS, F, Magic.
If NBA teams paid players by their fantasy productivity, perhaps Lewis’s $118mil deal wouldn’t look so ludicrous. Whilst he’s a borderline All-Star in reality, in fantasy Lewis is a quiet assassin deluxe, someone whose broad range of skills —22.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 2.5 3PG, 84.1 FT%— leaves nary a column unfilled. This year, playing it as Ron Jeremy’s swing forward in a newly-uptempo Orlando offence, Rashard should be able to duplicate those numbers and then some; his unique combination of monstrous three totals and decent steals/blocks pushing him into the fantasy elite. Of course, he’s missed much of the preseason, which makes him yet another injury-risk at the top of this year’s picks…

13. DWIGHT HOWARD, C, Magic.
Amidst all the top-of-the-draft injury concerns, Dweeeezy stands out as a beacon of god-fearing cleanliness. In his three trips around the Association, Howard hasn’t missed a single tip; and, last season, he played under 30 minutes just ten times; under 24 twice. Howard is a rock you can build upon. With Battie dead and Darko gone, the kid could play 40 minutes a night, every night, for all 82. Really. Though some ‘experts’ have his pre-draft value rank somewhere south of the 40s, I ain’t buying that swill. I know, last year, his abhorrent TOs (3.9, 3rd in the league) and bricklaying FT% (58.6%, on 8 attempts a night) were fantasy killers, but, given his age (still only 21) and coach last season (Brian Hill), I don’t think those are permanent concerns. After the Magic played at a crawl —the second-slowest pace in the Eastern Conference— under the overmatched Hill, the arrival of Stanley Van Gundy should speed things up. Where more possessions usually lead to more TOs, with Howard it should help him cut down on such. There’ll be less slow dumps to the post, thus less need to struggle passing it out of double-teams, etc. And the arrival of Lewis means that it’ll be Howard and four shooters on the floor each night, which should open up the interior greatly. As for his FT%, the young buck ripped it for 66.7% for Team USA this summer, and through four preseason games, he’s hit 20/25. That’s 80%, my friends. Whilst it seems unlikely he’ll do that all year, keep in mind Tim Duncan once followed up a 61.8% season from the stripe with a whole campaign at 79.9. These things happen. And I, for one, am hardly gonna punce out on Howard —who, otherwise, should do 20 and 13 with a steal and two blocks— when it looks like the stars’re truly aligning.

14. TIM DUNCAN, FC, Spurs.
Timmy D has now played 80 games in back-to-back seasons, meaning the injury alarm-bells no longer are ringing. Last year, he mixed things up a bit; posting a career low 10.6 RPG whilst kicking his FG% from 48.4 to 54.6, and hauling his PPG averaged back up to 20.0 a night after his first ever year —18.6— below 20. Whilst he’ll obviously never again play the kind of minutes that makes for 23/12 seasons, drafting Duncan is to draft the rock-solid big-man building block. As long as you allow for the slow start to the year, no one should be unhappy to own Timmy.

15. DWYANE WADE, G, Heat.
So, uh, he is going to, y’know, play in November, isn’t he? And he is going to, y’know, stay on court for over 65 contests this season, right? If he was going to be healthy, he’d be probably a top-5 guy, but is sliding him to #15 low enough?

16. CHRIS BOSH, FC, Raptors.
Depending on how much the phrase ‘plantar fasciitis’ strikes the fear of Allah into your sound, sound heart, Bosh at 14’ll read as either larceny or idiocy. When the skinny southpaw’s on song, the world is his oyster cult: 23 and 11 on 16 shots a night; with A/TO numbers bordering on even, and a block-and-a-half per. Last year, he opened up with 14 double-doubles in the first 18 games, averaged 25.7 PPG in an 18-game stretch leading up to the All-Star Game, and generally earnt his place as an elite NBA player, both on the court and in the boxscore. But, uh, how ’bout them foot problems?

17. JOSH SMITH, GF, Hawks.
It’s rare that someone ranked this high is still blessed with the notion of ‘potential’, yet Josh Smith is still but scratching the surface of his. At just 21, the soaring Hawk seems to be forever adding to his game. Last year, he hit career-highs across the statsheet; grabbing the most rebounds in the league by a SF, spanking the second-most BPG in the tilt, and even coughing up a half-decent 3.3 APG. Smith’s high TOs and inconsistent stroke keep a ceiling on things, but as long as he can post nights like March 13 (pasting Philly for 26/17/5/4/3) and March 2 (wizzing on Washington to the tune of 24/14/2/2/7), Smith’s potential will be forever tantalising.

18. ANDRE IGUODALA, GF, Sixers.
When one AI cleared out of the Illadelph Halflife, the other AI stepped up; Iggy clocking 18.2 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 5.7 APG, and a third-best-in-the-L 2.0 SPG. His 452 FTM (at 82.0%) ranked 12th in the league, he had eight double-digit assist games, and last year he fucked around and got three triple-doubles. Year One, AAI, and Iguodala impressed. With nary any help on its way, he’ll haveta carry a mighty load for the Sixers this season.

19. VINCE CARTER, GF, Nets.
Yeah, so his numbers are amazoid and all, but what a detestable dickweed.

20. RAY ALLEN, SG, Celtics.
Before getting hurt last season and leaving the Sonics to tank themselves into a Kevin Durant frenzy, 32-year-old Ray Allen was actually averaging a career-high 26.4 PPG, and was, of course, leading the league in threes made at 3.0 a night. Coming across to Boston, Allen’s scoring numbers will slip, even if he’s a dead lock to sit atop the Association in 3PTM, and rank in the FT% top ten. A career 4.0 APG guy, Allen’s passing skills will ease the adjustment to Boston; and it’s easy to imagine his catch-and-shoot capabilities playing perfectly off of KG, and leaving him with at least a 20-a-night scoring clip.

21. BARON DAVIS, PG, Warriors.
Ahhh, B-Diddy. Most other injury-prone guys I stay away from like the plague, but every year, it seems, I end up drafting LeBaron onto at least one of my fantasy squads. And what’s ain’t to love: in Nellie’s drunken-gambling offence last time out, Boom Dizzle went goose silly, to the tune of 20, 4, 8, and 2 rips per. His threes fell, but, thanks to such, his FG% jumped, from 38.9 to 43.9; and his FT% was a decently 74.5, meaning the idea of Baron as percentage-killer was way passé hombre. The only concern is, really: did the Warriors use up all the good karma last year? Or was this just the start of things, for Golden State and their golden point?

22. DERON WILLIAMS, PG, Jazz.
In Yahoo! leagues, Chauncey Billups’ average draft position is #23, whilst Deron Williams’ is #33, proving that far fewer people actually watched the Conference Finals than I thought. I’d say book him in for 18 and 10, and ride the best young quarterback in the comp.

23. CHRIS PAUL, PG, Hornets.
CP3’s APG (8.9) and SPG (1.8) totals are ultra-elite, but, personally, I’m not one to get too swept up in the young kid’s game. Especially because he seems to be a little bit brittle.

24. CARLOS BOOZER, FC, Jazz.
After a couple years of serious pine-riding, the Boozehound hauled his yellow wide-load ass off the IL and delivered —through rain, sleet, snow, and Sloan— a serious statsheet package: 21 and 12 with 3 assists and 1 steal, at a career-high 56% from the floor. And, most importantly, the Booze did this in 74 games. Even when he hurt his knee, mid-season, Carlos came back earlier than expected, effectively ending accusations that his tolerance-to-pain was somewhere south of Matt Geigeresque.

25. AL JEFFERSON, FC, Timberwolves.
Big Al’s post-All-Star numbers were hefty: 19.9 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 1.7 BPG, at a 56 clip from the floor. Kids freaked out, Kevin McHale developed a schoolgirl crush, and, before you knew it, KG was a Celtic. With Jefferson set to be the foundation stone in Minnesota’s rebuilding effort, all expectations are that he’s gonna be 20/10 for the year; a legit fantasy big-man. And yet, keep in mind: those above numbers were posted on a team going out of its way to lose, in those ‘dead months’ at the season’s end where Acie Earl can hang up 40 points or Rex Walters can go for 27, 9, and 11. I mean, Chris Porter averaged 13 and 5 down the stretch of his rookie campaign, then was never heard of again. So why is Jefferson different? Because he’ll be the man in Minnesota. Whilst the Timberwolves have an overcrowded roster, no coach in his right mind is going to play a 47-year-old Juwan Howard or Mark ‘cashing a cheque’ Blount ahead of Jefferson. At just 22 years of age, Jefferson is already a gifted post scorer, an elite offensive rebounder (his 3.4 per were 5th in the league), and someone whose turnovers were surprisingly low (2.0) given the load he carried last go. Put it all together, and Jefferson has the potential to be a top-ten guy this time round. Which means #25 isn’t really going overboard.

26. CARON BUTLER, SF, Wizards.
Whilst the kids call him Tough Juice, I prefer to think of him as C-Butt.

27. MARCUS CAMBY, C, Nuggets.
After playing 70 games for the second time in four years, Marcus’s making a case that he’s not fatally injury-prone, just eternally banged up. Whilst his astonishing defensive/rebounding numbers and deft passing skillzzz would have him lodged in the top 10 if he were forever fit, the fact that you’re essentially punting 15% of the season away drafting Camby has him sliding down the rankings. Even at #27, he’s still a draft-day risk.

28. GERALD WALLACE, F, Bobcats.
The just-as-injured Crash would also crash the top 10 party if healthy; he having developed a Marionesque game that, in many facets, out-Marions Marion. Last year, Wallace was one of 12 NBA players to post multiple 40-point games, averaged 23 and 9 over the season’s final four months, ranked 4th in the league in steals, grabbed the second-most boards by a small-forward (7.2), blocked a shot a night, hit 120 threes, and shot over 50% from the floor. When Wallace is on song, it’s a sweet, sweet tune. Too bad he’s so often achin’.

29. PAUL PIERCE, GF, Celtics.
Whilst Ray Allen will slot alongside KG beautifully, the same can’t be guaranteed of Paul Pierce. Not that he’s destined to honk it up now he’ll be pressed into sharing, but if any of the trio’s stats’re set to slip in this glorious new era of non-kidnapping-caper-comedy Celtic Pride, they be Pierce’s; the career Bostonian favouring a pound-the-ball style that comes from being forever sent into isolation sets. Finding a way to maximise The Truth’s talents whilst keeping the ball moving around the new KG/Ray-Ray/Eddie House lineup would need the work of a sharp coaching mind. Unfortunately, the Cs have Doc Rivers.

30. MICHAEL REDD, GF, Bucks.
When Michael Redd went career-best crazy against the Jazzercisers last season, he should’ve been showered with naught but love. But, as so many pointed out: on a 57-point night, Redd had 2 rebounds and 0 assists. So it goes with the lefty slinger, whose hefty stacks of scoring stats —career best averages in PTS, 3PT, FTM last season— are tempered by his lack of much of anything else at all.

31. JOE JOHNSON, G, Hawks.
I’m still unsure if Joe Johnson’s 25 PPG explosion last season was the latest evolutionary step in an ever-improving career, or if it was just a one-of-those-years aberration. With Josh Smith gunning for alpha-dog status, Al Horford now on the block, and Marvin Williams having apparently learnt how to dribble, I don’t see Johnson being the same scoring-machine this time out. That said, 22/4/4, a steal, and 150 threes ain’t quite the burnt stick in your fantasy roster’s eye, either.

32. MIKE MILLER, GF, Grizzlies.
Doubling as the cutest girl in fantasy hoops, Mikey Miller hung up some mighty stats last year for the Grizzz: 18.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 4.3 APG, and a 2nd-best-in-the-L 2.9 3PTM. With the Barone-to-Iavaroni switcheroo promising to keep the tempo crankin’ this coming campaign, there’s no reason why Miller couldn’t post that line all over again; making him a deceptively-good fantasy pickup.

33. CARMELO ANTHONY, SF, Nuggets.
Everyone's favourite hightailin' backpedaller (Melo, what're you running from?, etc) became a genuine fantasy contributor last season; posting his first ever positive assist-to-turnover ratio thanks to a career-high 3.8 APG. Still, compared to his robust PPG numbers, Melo's fantasy rank will always be less than you expect.

34. TRACY MCGRADY, GF, Rockets.
Last year, McSooky finally moved into the canny-veteran-with-a-bad-back stage of his NBA tenure. Posting career-low BPG and his lowest-ever rebounding rate, McGrady was obviously no longer the athletic, defensive force he’s been. Instead, he became distributor; with both his assists (6.5) and turnovers (3.0) reaching new heights. This year, on a Rocket roster with about twelve PGs, McGrady may be less of a ballhandler; but the hope is that Rick Adelman’s more free-rein approach to Houston offence (after the Jeff Van Gundy era) could help T-Mac keep his 25-type scoring numbers up. Whilst that’s all well and good, keep in mind Tracy’s only played in an average of 66 contests over the last four seasons.

35. ALLEN IVERSON, G, Nuggets.
After Jim O’Brien moved him back to PG, Iverson posted his two best career seasons in 04/05 and 05/06, improving to the point where he was cracking the fantasy elite. With his assists on the up, his deep-stroke tightening, and the new contact interpretations letting him camp out at the line, the little man’s statistical game overcame his atrocious shot-selection and propensity for turnovers (both products of trying too do to much, not trusting your teammates, making oneself an obvious target for defences, etc). Yet, after posting 33.0 PPG, 9.4 FTM, and 81.4 FT% in his last full Philly season, the Answer’s 50-game stint in Powder Blue has even called his scoring-machine status into question: 24.8 PPG, 6.6 FTM, and 75.9 FT%. And his passing stats, which should theoretically benefit from being surrounded by more talent in a faster-paced system? APG from 7.4 to 7.2, TO from 3.4 to 4.0. So, for anyone expecting 30+ PPG and sweet PG numbers to boot: caveat emptor.

36. TYSON CHANDLER, C, Hornets.
Last season, finally away from the glowering gaze of Scott Skiles, Chandler flourished for the Hornets, putting up way better numbers than Ben Wallace, the old dude the Bulls brought in to ‘upgrade’ his position. Ty lead the league in offensive rebounds —4.4 a night!— whilst hauling in 12.4 RPG, spanking 1.8 BPG, and rounding things off with a career-high 9.5 PPG at an ass-reamingly amazing 62.4 FG%. He even played 73 of the year’s first 75 runs before being shut down. But what has Chandler up this high on the draft board is how he fared once he found his feet. Once the calendar turned over to the ought-seven, the skinny kid done brung it fierce, his averages in the 44 straight contests he played from Jan 2 to Apr 3 rolling: 11.7 PPG, 13.2 RPG, and 1.9 BPG. They’re numbers that he could actually match this whole season.

37. COREY MAGGETTE, GF, Clippers.
Are you ready for Maggette? Beginning last season as the Clips’ forgotten (sixth) man, Corey/Allegory/Montessori exploded after the leaguewide Vegas orgy, his post All-Star Break numbers going: 20.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, and 7.7 FTM at 79.7%. With Elton Brand sidelined for most of this season’s slate, the Freebie Machine has the potential to lead the league in FTM, and should post career-high rebounding numbers. Something in the neighbourhood of his 04/05 stats —22 PPG, 6 RPG, 3 APG, 1 SPG, and 8 FTM each night— should be just the beginning.

38. ANTAWN JAMISON, F, Wizards.
I remember once watching Jamison play for North Carolina, against NC State, and the young Antawn had some super-weird stat like he scored 30 points even though he only had possession of the ball for 46 seconds of gametime. Of course, I may’ve actually just imagined this, driven insane by the incessant idiocy of “analyst” (or, perhaps, “analrapist”) Dick Vitale. Yet, anyone who watched Jamison play in college saw a clinic in moving without the ball, setting up, catching, finishing. Whilst his game’s evolved much in the decade since, Jamison still does very little needless handling. Meaning, he rarely turns it over. Last year, he coughed it up only 1.5 times a night; and, in the games in which Hibachi! and C-Butt were both in the lineup alongside him, that dropped to 1.3. To go with such, Jamison posted 20 and 8, 2 assists, 2 threes, and a steal per contest. His percentages aren’t particularly power-forwardly, but otherwise Jamison’s game definitely stacks up.

39. KEVIN MARTIN, SG, Kings.
Last year, Kevin Martin needed just 13 FGA a night to hit his 20.2 PPG average. Just as a rough comparison, Richard Hamilton needed 15.6 FGA for his 19.8 PPG, and Larry Hughes’s 13.6 FGA, turned into just 15 points. To get suchbig-man efficiency from a scoring guard is unheard of. On a Kings team going very much nowhere, Martin should see his points rise a little this year; and, if Reggie Theus can truly utilise his lead-guard’s unique talents, Martin’s percentages could clock in at 50/40/85, with sweet steals and threes to boot.

40. CHAUNCEY BILLUPS, PG, Pistons.
When people call Billups’ fantasy game an ‘acquired taste’, it’s often meant as faint praise. Okay, his 8th-best FT% makes the 18th-most FTM, and, thus, Billups can influence that category on his own. His turnovers are still low and, last year, he even set a career high mark for steals. But Mr. Playoff Choke’s points, threes and assists all dropped significantly last year; his 3PT%, most notably, tumbling from 43.3% to 34.5%. Given he’s never been much inside the arc —his first four years in Detroit, he hit at 42.2% inside, 41.1% outside— such slippage from distance is alarming. As is the fact that he’s just turned 31.

41. LAMAR ODOM, F, Lakers.
So, wait, one injury-marred campaign and everyone’s already off the Odom wagon? The ultra-smooth lefty still averaged 16, 10, and 5 on the year, even if his dreadful (29.7%) struggles from range —the product of his sore shoulder/s— curbed a bit of that enthusiasm. Yet, that hardly should lead to the mass-abandonment of a guy who could add the magical boxscore-filling one-steal/one-block/one-three to those triple-double-threat numbers. To me, it’s pretty baffling that Odom is considered a sixth-round pick by many, even as they pencil piles of other injury-risk types in ahead of him.

42. JOSH HOWARD, SF, Mavericks.
After combining for just 81 threes in his first three seasons, Howard hit 92 of them last year; such range-finding bumping his fantasy output way upwards as he posted career-highs in PPG (18.9), RPG (6.8), and BPG (0.8). Notably, his FT% soared, too; the career 72.6% shooter jumping up to 82.7%. Whilst further sharp-improvements this coming campaign are unlikely, Howard has clearly established himself as the second option in Dallas, and his across-the-board numbers add up. If he can stay on the floor —he’s averaged just 68 games a season for his career— Howard will be an even better fantasy play.

43. LUOL DENG, SF, Bulls.
On a perpetually up-and-down Bulls team, the Dengler is as close as you’ll get to a rock. In his breakout 18.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 51.7 FG% season, LuLu posted only four single-figure scoring nights; and only one over the last three months of the season, in which he upped his ante to 20.1 PPG and 7.6 PPG, with his FG% sliding back to 50.6. This year, Deng has the potential to post 20-per on the year, with positive assist/turnover numbers, a steal and a scattering of blocks across his platter. Whilst you could be alarmed that his ‘backup’, Andres Nocioni, demands minutes, take note that Deng has improved noticeably in every season so far; and at just 22, likely isn’t done yet.

44. BRANDON ROY, G, Trailblazers.
Before the preseason dawned, I had the ROY ranked quite higher: he’s undoubtedly going to make a massive improvement in his second season, and his evolution into option #1 in Portland makes a 20/5/5 type season likely. Given he’ll contribute in every category save blocks —his 3PT% could hit 40 this year— Roy should be a fantasy stud in waiting. But, given he managed 57 games battling a variety of injuries last time, missed large stretches of his college career, and is already being ‘rested’ for the possibly the whole exhibition slate, Roy rather resembles an injury-risk in waiting.

45. EMEKA OKAFOR, FC, Bobcats.
Last season was a most unexpected breakout for Okafor, which peaked in career-highs for RPG (11.3), BPG (2.6), and, most importantly, FG%. After shooting a dreadful 41.5% in his truncated sophomore stint, Okafor bumped that shit all the way up to 53.2%, whilst slicing his turnovers from 2.0 to 1.7, and posting a solid 14.4 point per contest. So why the ranking this low? Two words: bad back.

46. JASON RICHARDSON, GF, Bobcats.
On draft night, the expectation was that J-Rich was gonna walk into Charlotte and get ridiculous. But, in his sparing preseason appearances, Richardson hasn’t looked like the guy who hung up 23 and 6 just two years ago. Coming off a hobbled 06/07 campaign, Richardson’s athleticism no longer seems so all-world; and joining a Bobcats squad forever bit by the injury bug hardly augurs confidence. He’s certainly gonna hang up threes in bunches, but it’s starting to seem more like Richo’ll end up at about 18 points per; essentially functioning as a deluxe version of his fellow Richardson, Quentin.

47. KIRK HINRICH, PG, Bulls.
Who would’ve though a guy who looks like such a weenie would end up such a baller. Last year, Cap’n Kirk’s poly-category career-high shooting numbers —44.8 FG%, 41.5 3PT%, 83.5 FT%— helped him hit a personal best 16.6 points per, showing capacity for growth in an otherwise rock-solid game.

48. LEANDRO BARBOSA, G, Suns.
In case you missed it: Lil’ Leandrinho averaged 18.1 PPG last season. Even though he started only 18 games. And played just 32 minutes a tip. The ridiculously-quick Brasilian also hit 190 threes, flirted with a place in the 50/40/80 percentile club, dished out 4.0 APG, and ripped 1.2 steals per. Unless the arrival of Grant Hill and the possible resurrection of Marcus Banks eat too much into his minutes, Barbosa should still be good to go for scoring outbursts at powerful percentages.

49. JASON TERRY, G, Mavericks.
So, is anyone else worried about Avery Johnson’s talk of the backcourt roles being up in the air, with JT and Devin Harris and Jerry Stackhouse and Trenton Hassell and Eddie Jones and Mo Ager all apparently duking it out? Since arriving in Dallas, Terry has sliced down on the TOs and upped the percentages, to the point where the high-sock’d guard is thought of as sound veteran, not eager chucker. Last year, his %s went 48/44/80; lessening the blow of his declining STL numbers. Before the preseason, I figured Socks was a lock for 17 and 5 and 150 threes, but now I’m not so convinced. He should still be very productive, but if he’s not the lead point-guard, who knows what that productivity will mean.

50. JERMAINE O’NEAL, FC, Pacers.
Perhaps naught surmises the Pacers’ falling fortunes more than the fate of its franchise player. Once thought of as peer to Duncan, Brand et al, O’Neal has slipped to league’s second-tier of big-men; an oft-injured veteran whose best years already seem a long time gone. Last season, O’Neal’s numbers waned to 19.4 PPG and 9.6 RPG, the first time he hasn’t posted 20 a night since 01/02. More disconcertingly, he again coughed it up 3 times a night, and, most woefully, shot just 43.6% from the floor, a lower clip than Kirk Hinrich, Baron Davis, Allen Iverson, JR Smith, TJ Ford, Chris Paul, and countless other percentage-challenged guards. When coupled with his incredibly-high injury risk, Jermaine is lucky to still be ranked this high.