Top 100 Players

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1. LeBron James, Cleveland - The King may not shake your hand if you get the better of him, but pound-for-pound, individually, no one in the league currently does. He figures to only improve over the next five years, so hopefully he'll get all cartoonish and chase averaging a triple-double in a season in addition to his quest for a title, global icon status and world domination.

2. Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers - You know he'll be driven to win three more now, right? To top Mike. Jordan was 33 when he won his fourth ring, while Bryant captured his at 30, recently celebrating his 31st birthday on Aug. 23. He's got a stacked team, the will and the skills, so even though his scoring average has dropped over the past four seasons, he's reached the point where winning it all is all that matters. It will be fun to see how the next five years play out.

3. Chris Paul, New Orleans - He's the NBA's Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao rolled into one. Lightning-fast, technically sound, competitive to a point he can be borderline nasty while packing a punch that belies his size, he's widely regarded as the best at his position. Paul rightfully expressed frustration after watching his team get humiliated by Denver during the playoffs, but should be charged up enough by the tweaks that have been made to build on last season's monster numbers (22.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 11.0 apg, 2.8 spg).

4. Dwyane Wade, Miami - Suffering those unfortunate injuries to his left shoulder and leff knee ruined two seasons, but in 2008-09, the magic returned. From playing super sixth man at the Olympics to averaging a career-high 30.2 points a game for his first scoring title, Wade served notice that he intends to remain one of the NBA's biggest forces. Whether he intends to remain in Miami is still up in the air, but you can expect him to help his bargaining position by maintaing his current form.

5. Dwight Howard, Orlando - The strides he's made on the offensive end haven't come fast enough for some critics, but rest assured, he's made progress. What makes the 23-year-old truly special is how dominant he is despite being an unfinished product, controlling the game on the boards and defensive end the way few in the game's history have.

6. Tim Duncan, San Antonio - The seven games he missed last season were his most since 2004-05, a testament to how durable he's been once he hit his 30s. Expect Gregg Popovich to be more careful with him from here on out, resting him during back-to-backs to keep him fresh for May and June. Last season's numbers were down a bucket and a board from his career averages due to the decreased minutes, but he's still a good bet to rack up another season of 19 and 10, continuing his double-double streak to 13 -- every year he's been in the league.

7. Chris Bosh, Toronto - He'll have to deal with questions about his future in Canada all season, but given that he's consistently around 23 and 10 for the past four seasons, don't expect a dip in performance. If anything, he should rise to the occasion to solidify his stance as one of the top prizes on the 2010 arms race, especially if bulking up -- he's working to start the season at 250 -- agrees with him.

8. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas - For all the grief he catches for often coming up short in key situations, Nowitzki is a lock Hall-of-Famer who has averaged 20 points and eight rebounds as the league's best shooting power forward for 10 straight years. Skipping the European Championships may have been a bummer, but should help lengthen his shelf life in what should be a big season for his Mavericks.

9. Kevin Garnett, Boston - If healthy, and you have to believe he will be given the time he's had to recuperate, Garnett is still just a year removed from garnering MVP consideration as the league's top defender. His numbers have suffered from sharing the wealth in Boston, but his resume sure hasn't. Even at 33, he's still one of the NBA's most dynamic game-changers when he's right.

10. Brandon Roy, Portland - Ron Artest wasn't the only one to notice how good B-Roy has gotten, calling him the toughest player in the league to guard. While that's debatable, there's no denying Roy has turned into a monster, capping his finest season with his first playoff appearance, hanging 26.7 points a game on Ron-Ron and the Rockets. Roy signed a max-dollar extension that will keep him in Portland until at least 2014, and at the rate he's going, Blazers fans can realistically aspire to reach an NBA Finals or two within that time frame.

11. Tony Parker, San Antonio

12. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City

13. Paul Pierce, Boston

14. Deron Williams, Utah

15. Carmelo Anthony, Denver

16. Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers

17. Chauncey Billups, Denver

18. Antawn Jamison, Washington

19. Danny Granger, Indiana

20. Amar'e Stoudemire, Phoenix

21. Joe Johnson, Atlanta

22. Al Jefferson, Minnesota

23. Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia

24. Caron Butler, Washington

25. David West, New Orleans

26. Devin Harris, New Jersey

27. Carlos Boozer, Utah

28. Vince Carter, Orlando

29. Shaquille O'Neal, Cleveland

30. Derrick Rose, Chicago

31. Manu Ginobili, San Antonio

32. Rashard Lewis, Orlando

33. Steve Nash, Phoenix

34. Kevin Martin, Sacramento

35. Rajon Rondo, Boston

36. Gilbert Arenas, Washington

37. Tracy McGrady, Houston

38. Baron Davis, L.A. Clippers

39. LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland

40. Ron Artest, L.A. Lakers

41. Hedo Turkoglu, Toronto

42. Josh Smith, Atlanta

43. Elton Brand, Philadelphia

44. Richard Jefferson, San Antonio

45. O.J. Mayo, Memphis

46. Michael Redd, Milwaukee

47. Stephen Jackson, Golden State

48. Emeka Okafor, New Orleans

49. Jose Calderon, Toronto

50. Jason Kidd, Dallas

51. Monta Ellis, Golden State

52. Josh Howard, Dallas

53. Rudy Gay, Memphis

54. Ray Allen, Boston

55. Lamar Odom, L.A. Lakers

56. Mehmet Okur, Utah

57. Blake Griffin, L.A. Clippers

58. Jeff Green, Oklahoma City

59. David Lee, New York

60. Jason Richardson, Phoenix

61. Tayshaun Prince, Detroit

62. Richard Hamilton, Detroit

63. Jason Terry, Dallas

64. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City

65. Ben Gordon, Detroit

66. Shawn Marion, Dallas

67. Andre Miller, Portland

68. Allen Iverson, unattached

69. Nene, Denver

70. Andrea Bargnani, Toronto

71. Andrew Bynum, L.A. Lakers

72. Mo Williams, Cleveland

73. Brook Lopez, New Jersey

74. Eric Gordon, L.A. Clippers

75. Al Horford, Atlanta

76. Troy Murphy, Indiana

77. Marvin Williams, Atlanta

78. J.R. Smith, Denver

79. John Salmons, Chicago

80. Andrew Bogut, Milwaukee

81. Rodney Stuckey, Detroit

82. Jameer Nelson, Orlando

83. Al Thornton, L.A. Clippers

84. Greg Oden, Portland

85. Boris Diaw, Charlotte

86. Al Harrington, New York

87. Charlie Villanueva, Detroit

88. Zach Randolph, Memphis

89. Marcus Camby, L.A. Clippers

90. Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia

91. Gerald Wallace, Charlotte

92. Trevor Ariza, Houston

93. Jermaine O'Neal, Miami

94. Luis Scola, Houston

95. Chris Kaman, L.A. Clippers

96. Ronnie Brewer, Utah

97. Andris Biedrins, Golden State

98. Paul Millsap, Utah

99. Aaron Brooks, Houston

100. T.J. Ford, Indiana