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Andre Drummond has been a revelation. Not only is he playing like someone who should have been the second pick in the draft (instead of the ninth), but he has executives and coaches thinking he can be the best player from this class. Yes, better than No. 1 pick and national collegiate player of the year Anthony Davis.

But as amazing as Drummond has been, and as bright as the future looks in Detroit, there is still a huge learning curve for him to undergo if he is going to be an All-Star-level performer, which is absolutely in his wheelhouse. (That's what an 18-point, 18-rebound game as a 19-year-old will do for your projected future.)

Being as young as he is gives both the Pistons and him time to develop his game the right way. But if they want to get back into playoff contention sooner, Detroit will need him to improve faster and to higher heights than most.

So how can Detroit do that with Drummond? Here's a four-step manual:


ROOKIE 50 RANKINGS
We're keeping track of every NBA rook. Here are the latest Top 50 rankings.

Rank Player Stock
1 Damian Lillard
2 Andre Drummond
3 Anthony Davis
4 Andrew Nicholson
5 Bradley Beal
6 Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
7 Jared Sullinger
8 Dion Waiters
9 Brian Roberts
10 Pablo Prigioni

[url]http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8925903/nba-grading-key-players-los-angeles-lakers-boston-celtics[/url]

:cheers:

i will rep the absolute f*cking f*ck out of the person who posts this article

thanks

[url]http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/Rookies-130207/ranking-19-year-olds[/url]

When evaluating players, there are dozens of variables to consider. But the one that tends to be forgotten the most by fans -- yet treasured strongly by NBA executives -- is the player's age.

Teams consider age for two main reasons: (1) It helps explain the player's success in college, and (2) it shows how long the player has to make big jumps in production. The top targets are always young players who are big producers. After that, teams value young players who are solid but have the physical/skill trajectory of a much better player -- their youth provides them with more time to develop.

As has been discussed in these reports numerous times, a player's trajectory -- his upside -- is best realized when he's in his best environment for growth. The team may or may not be good, but the opportunity for development must be there. Many times, of course, it is not. So when we project how a player is going to perform over time, that has to be taken into account.

However, we can still rate a player purely on the level of his ceiling, how good the player can ultimately be if given the perfect situation. And that's what we'll be doing over the next several weeks as we rank the rookies by age. Up first, the guys who typically have the highest ceilings, the 19-year-olds.


1. Andre Drummond, Pistons
There are many ways to define talent. But for the sake of this report, I like to define talent as "production minus mechanics." That is, someone who is very productive and efficient without really knowing what he's doing is extremely talented. Like Drummond.

Last April, I wrote that Drummond could be an All-Star in his second or third season, if he developed according to plan, because there are so few men on earth who can move like he can at his size and length. But he's even better than I projected. There is no one else in this age group who has his collection of tools. The fact that he's doing so much without understanding the game suggests he can truly dominate beginning as early as next season and lasting over a decade. When you can own the paint on both ends, you become a superstar, and Drummond has that in his reach.

If he can develop just an average free throw stroke, he can become a multiple-time All-Star -- yes, even without any kind of reliable post move. And that is the beauty of being just 19 years old -- he has years to develop more than just his free throw shooting. As he begins to read and anticipate while also crafting his game, he'll improve even more than he has since high school.

2. Anthony Davis, Hornets
If the draft were held today, it's absolutely possible -- maybe even likely -- that Drummond would go No. 1 overall. But Davis would certainly not fall below No. 2. He's proven to be every bit of the can't-miss prospect we thought he would be, combining elite athleticism and timing with a better set of offensive skills than we saw in the NCAA championship game.

I never saw Davis as a future Tim Duncan, as others have, but if Davis and Drummond were stocks, I'd probably allocate most of my money on Davis. Drummond has a higher ceiling on paper, but Davis is more likely to reach a higher level, thanks to his more polished game and his elite quickness for the position.

He is also going to get stronger, and his game will jump a few levels when that happens, making him an elite defender possibly by next season and helping him become a multiple-time All-Star.

3. Bradley Beal, Wizards
I never understood the Ray Allen comparisons, other than they each have sweet-looking strokes. Beal is more like a less-quick version of Eric Gordon, but a better shooter. That alone makes him good enough for third on this list.

As the NBA has evolved on defense -- flooding ball-side action and making teams make the extra pass to the opposite side -- great perimeter shooting has become more valuable than ever. Take a look at the top six 3-point-shooting teams by percentage: Golden State, New York, Oklahoma City, Atlanta, Miami and San Antonio. All six are playoff teams, including the top two seeds in each conference.

Beal has the game to be a strong starter for a contender, and he is capable of being a career 40-plus-percent shooter from deep. As a gifted ball-mover and a willing defender, he's going to be in consideration for future All-Star berths if he's on contending teams. He can also be his team's leading scorer, depending on the offensive game plan, and his talent as a shooter should help his teammates have productive seasons simply because of the attention he'll draw.

4. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Bobcats
Kidd-Gilchrist shouldn't be viewed as a 19-year-old for the simple reason that his body is far beyond most his age. So he won't change as much physically as the other rookies on this list. But that's not to say he won't get better, because he will.

We can assume he will be at least an average shooter, perhaps even a solid one. And we know MKG projects to be the best player on his team in one category: defense, which is where his talent lies. His overall feel and effort rank high, as well. (Each of the three guys above him on this list can be the best player on his team in at least two categories.)

However, offense carries more weight than defense -- the top five teams in this league right now are also the top five offensive teams, and the past four title teams were all top-four offenses in the postseason because they feature dynamic offensive players. MKG is a step behind Drummond, Davis and Beal on that end.

5. Tony Wroten, Grizzlies
Wroten has the biggest range between his best-case and worst-case scenarios on this list. He is a superbly gifted and willing passer, with special vision and anticipatory skills that help him find buckets for teammates. He's also a big guard who has the potential to be tough to defend off the dribble. His size and quickness enable him to have big defensive potential, too, with the added bonus of being able to guard 2s and give his team the ability to play two point guards in crunch time. Coaches love that option in today's game.

All of this sounds great until we factor in his downside: poor decision-making, very little reading of the game along with lots of wildness, and an inability to shoot perimeter shots and free throws. If I was ranking the players who were most likely to reach their potential, Wroten would finish last on the list. Talentwise, though, he's got the rare tools to be a long-term starter as a defensive ace and a passing wizard.


To Be Determined

Moe Harkless, Magic
I don't know what to make of Harkless as of now. He's long and relatively athletic, but as a nonshooter and a nonscorer I can't tell what he can become yet. He looks to be effective in the paint, thanks to his length, and he had experience playing more as a big forward than a small forward at St. John's.

I see some Thaddeus Young in him, which should make Orlando smile, and I think he can be a better perimeter defender than Young is. If Harkless can learn to make 15-foot jumpers, he could be a solid bench player for a good team, at the least. Adding a reliable 3-point shot would give him a higher ceiling, but few guys learn to shoot it well when they never have before, except for guards.



Marquis Teague, Bulls
We've barely seen Teague on the court this season, which is somewhat surprising considering Derrick Rose has been out. Perhaps Teague's weak frame and lack of defensive IQ are what's keeping him on the bench. But we know his quickness is at an elite level, and his brother, Atlanta's Jeff Teague, took a few years before he arrived.

I think Teague has a bright future in this league. His ball skills and quicks are rare. So seeing him start at point guard one day in the NBA would not be surprising, though it would be surprising in Chicago. I expect him to play great in Vegas this coming summer, giving us a better chance to evaluate his upside. Like the other guys on this list, he's just 19 years old and has time to develop.

thanks a lot man

:cheers:

[url]http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/PerDiem-130219/nba-seven-trades-happen[/url]

:cheers:

Can someone post Chad Ford's full Big Board?

[url]http://espn.go.com/nba/draft[/url]


EDIT: Can someone post this as well?

[url]http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8959109/nba-analyzing-potential-paul-millsap-eric-bledsoe-trade[/url]

Thanks :D

[quote=BlackWhiteGreen][URL="http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/PerDiem-130219/nba-seven-trades-happen"]http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/PerDiem-130219/nba-seven-trades-happen[/URL]

:cheers:[/quote]I don't have all of it but I have one from a Pacers board

[QUOTE]4. Steve Nash to the Indiana Pacers

Indiana Pacers receive: Steve Nash, Metta World Peace, Jordan Hill and Steve Blake.

Los Angeles Lakers receive: Danny Granger, George Hill,Lance Stephenson and Ben Hansbrough. The deal in Trade Machine.

It

[url]http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8998377/2013-nfl-free-agency-five-best-fits-wide-receiver-mike-wallace[/url]

someone please HALP!

[QUOTE=AlonzoGOAT][url]http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8998377/2013-nfl-free-agency-five-best-fits-wide-receiver-mike-wallace[/url]

someone please HALP![/QUOTE]

Mike Haynes being traded from the Patriots to the Raiders in 1983. Charles Haley's trade from San Francisco to Dallas in 1992. Deion Sanders signing with the 49ers in 1994 and then agreeing to terms with the Cowboys in 1995.



What do all of these moves have in common? They were the rare types of personnel acquisitions that, although quite costly, were worth every penny because they turned those clubs from contenders into Super Bowl champions.



Roster opportunities of that caliber don't come around very often, so when they do, it behooves the top teams to do all they can to close the deal.



That should be the mindset of many organizations when it comes to acquiring the services of unrestricted free-agent wide receiver Mike Wallace. This might seem like hyperbole because Wallace didn't even finish in the top 30 in the league in receptions or receiving yards last season, but the facts are that he has an extraordinarily rare skill-set level that can vault a passing offense into the statistical stratosphere.



For proof, consider where Wallace was in early October 2011. At that time, there was a strong metric case to be made that he was every bit as good as, and possibly better than, Calvin Johnson.



As noted in that article, Wallace had a significant metric lead over Johnson in a wide variety of categories that extended not just through the first six games of that season, but also through the entire 2010 season. That means for a 22-game stretch, Wallace statistically bested arguably the best wideout in the NFL.



That hasn't been the case since then, as Johnson has improved to the point that he is breaking all-time records and Wallace has regressed to well below his former metric apex.



So what happened to cause Wallace to falter? It's a combination of factors.



First on the list is the litany of injuries to Ben Roethlisberger. He hurt his foot in Week 4 of 2011, broke his thumb in Week 11 of 2011, injured his foot three weeks later, and damaged his shoulder in Week 10 of 2012. He even got banged up during training camp in August 2012, at which time ESPN AFC North blogger Jamison Hensley noted, "It's gotten to the point it's news when Roethlisberger isn't hurt."



Big Ben's long history of injuries are likely part of the reason Pittsburgh changed offensive coordinators prior to the 2012 season, moving from the vertically inclined passing attack of Bruce Arians to a system under Todd Haley that was focused more on short-to-intermediate throws -- a change that required Roethlisberger to face a pass rush less often but also did not mesh well with Wallace's downfield receiving talents.



There was also the matter of Wallace's contract situation that turned quite contentious and caused him to miss the Steelers' offseason workouts, mandatory minicamp and training camp.



All of this seemed to weigh heavily on Wallace last season in the form of drops (nine, including seven vertical targets) and being somewhat out of sync with his quarterbacks. The latter led to five incompletions where a Steelers passer missed a wide-open Wallace, with three of those throws on vertical routes.

As bad as Wallace's 2012 campaign was in many facets, it still goes a long ways toward showing just how much of an impact he can have on a club.


An interesting insight along these lines can be found by looking at some of Tom Brady's 2012 yards per attempt (YPA) figures by route depth and comparing them to Wallace's 2012 YPA figures when he was on the receiving end of passes thrown by Roethlisberger.

Just about everything that could have gone wrong went wrong for Wallace last season, and yet his YPA numbers were roughly equivalent across the board to Brady's. That means the worst-case scenario for New England would be that signing Wallace would give them the same level of productivity as last year.

The more likely scenario is that the Patriots would find the optimal way to use Wallace and the improved schematic fit would offer a ton of upside to this deal. That could be just the tonic Brady needs to overcome some of his recent on-field woes and finally get New England back over the championship road bump that has been in its way the past few seasons.

Wallace could have a similar impact on the Denver Broncos, something noted by ESPN AFC West blogger Bill Williamson in his list of "dream free-agent pairings."

The Chicago Bears also could go this route, and if they were successful in signing Wallace, the wide receiver battery of Wallace and Brandon Marshall arguably could be the best in the NFL (which is one reason Wallace tops ESPNChicago.com blogger Jeff Dickerson's list of free-agent wide receiver targets.

Potential Super Bowl contenders are not the only teams whose fortunes Wallace could help turn around, which is why the Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers both are rumored to be strongly considering him.

No matter how one views the situation, however, it is clear that Wallace has the power to choose a path that could alter NFL history -- and drastically improve the passing game of whatever team he is on next.

I hope the Panthers can get Wallace.

[url]http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9039785/nba-lebron-james-kevin-durant-ever-win-ring[/url]

Thanks in advance.

Ditto the [I]Will KD ever win a ring[/I] Insider article. :cheers:

[url]http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/PerDiem-130326/nba-oklahoma-city-thunder-league-most-dominant-team[/url]

Thanks in advance.

Can someone post this?

[url]http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft/results/top100/_/year/2013[/url]

Hey can someone link me this?

[url]http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2013/story/_/page/PerDiem-130426/golden-state-warriors-stephen-curry-greatest-shooter-nba-history[/url]

Can someone please post this?

[url]http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog/_/name/nba_draft/id/9261322/2013-nba-draft-cj-mccollum-leads-list-potential-sleeper-prospects[/url]

[QUOTE=Shade8780]Can someone please post this?

[url]http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog/_/name/nba_draft/id/9261322/2013-nba-draft-cj-mccollum-leads-list-potential-sleeper-prospects[/url][/QUOTE]

Here ya go...

[QUOTE]C.J. McCollum might be the best scorer in the 2013 NBA draft.

You know all about Nerlens Noel and Ben McLemore, you've followed Shabazz Muhammad since he was in the ninth grade, and you believe that Trey Burke was the best player in college basketball last season.

Who don't you know? Every year there are a few surprises in the first round, guys who haven't gotten much press but who turn into excellent draft picks.

Last year it was Weber State's Damian Lillard, who went on to become the NBA Rookie of the Year. In 2011, it was Morehead State's Kenneth Faried. In 2010, it was Fresno State's Paul George.

We call them draft sleepers -- talented prospects who haven't gotten the love they probably deserve.

This year, there's an abundance of them. Here are six guys you might not know much about who could end up having better careers than some of the more-hyped prospects in the draft.

C.J. McCollum, G, Lehigh

McCollum might not be a household name, but NBA scouts have been watching him closely ever since his terrific freshman season at Lehigh. As both a junior and a senior he ranked third in the nation in college PER. He had his national coming-out party during the first round of the 2012 NCAA tournament, when he recorded 30 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in a first-round upset of Duke.

He was off to a scintillating start as a senior, averaging 23.9 ppg and shooting a ridiculous 52 percent from 3-point range before a foot injury ended his season after just 12 games.

The good news is that McCollum is back. His foot is 100 percent, and he's been cleared for full workouts. The world will get its first look at him again at the NBA draft combine next week in Chicago.

What they should see is a very skilled scorer who can get his shot off from anywhere. There might not be a better scorer in the draft. McCollum is terrific in transition, can break down players off the dribble, shoot off the bounce and has deep 3-point range on his jumper in catch-and-shoot situations.

Despite his scoring acumen, McCollum is a heady player who also sees the floor well, reads defenses and keeps mistakes to a minimum. Although he's not a pure point guard, his slick handle, penetration ability and knack for finding open teammates all suggest he can easily make the transition to the point in the NBA.

Scouts say he's a high-character player who is driven to succeed. In many ways, he resembles Lillard in his work ethic and his fearlessness with the ball in his hands.

Of course, scouts have some issues with McCollum. Although the potential is there for him to make the transition to the point, he wasn't a high-assist player in college. Given his role on the team and his nature, he looked for his shot first. He also isn't a particularly explosive or quick athlete, which could create issues on both ends of the floor at the next level.

Nevertheless, more and more GMs seem to be warming up to McCollum as an elite prospect in the draft. We currently have him going No. 9 to the Timberwolves in our latest mock draft, but he could go as high as No. 4 to the Suns.

Glen Rice Jr., G/F, Rio Grande Vipers

[+] Enlarge
Rice JrGrant Halverson/Getty ImagesFormer Georgia Tech player Glen Rice Jr. has been rising up draft boards recently.

It's hard to call the son of a former NBA All-Star a sleeper, but that's exactly what Rice became after being dismissed from Georgia Tech after his junior season for multiple team rule violations. Rice had the reputation as a troublemaker, an immature, entitled kid who was wasting his basketball talents.

However, Rice decided to play in the D-League this season, and after an inauspicious start, he caught fire in February and went on to average 18 points and eight rebounds a game through the rest of the season. He took his game to another level in the D-League playoffs, averaging 25 PPG and 9.5 RPG to lead the Vipers to the championship.

Rice Jr. has caught the eyes of scouts thanks to elite athletic abilities, a dangerous jump shot and fantastic rebounding ability as a wing. He's also made strides on the defensive end as well, recording above-average steals and blocks numbers. More importantly, he's had an incident-free season, indicating to NBA scouts that perhaps he's finally matured as a person.

How can a player who is dominating the D-League be ranked so low? Scouts are slow to accept that players can change. He wasn't on anyone's radar after his junior season of college, and they've been slow to wake up to his success. He's also been playing out of position as a power forward in the D-League, and there are questions about what position he will play in the NBA.

Nevertheless, the more the process moves forward, the higher Rice climbs. I think it's safe to say he's firmly in the first round right now. However, with great workouts and a great performance at the draft combine, he could end up in the lottery. There's that much potential there.

Isaiah Canaan, PG, Murray State

Fran Fraschilla broke down the case for Canaan on Tuesday, so I won't go into much more detail here, other than to say that Fran gets a major co-sign from me on Canaan. The Murray State star just didn't have a lot of support this season, but many scouts remember what he did to several of the opposing guards at the Nike LeBron James Skills Academy last summer. After he gets into workouts, he could become the next point guard off the board after Trey Burke, McCollum and Michael Carter-Williams hear their names called.

Ricardo Ledo, G, Providence

Ledo was the 21st-ranked high school prospect in the country last season and was widely regarded as the most gifted scoring guard in the class. Poor academics and inconsistent effort were the only things holding him back from being a star. Ledo failed to academically qualify to play at Providence, and has spent the past season practicing with but not playing for the team.

Had Ledo been able to declare for the draft last year, I think he would have been a mid to late first-round pick. Where will he go this year?

His talent, size and scoring ability are still all there. He also has a high basketball IQ and the ability to be a big point guard. His weaknesses are inconsistent effort and some selfishness with the ball. Scouts who have seen him in practices this season still swear he's one of the top talents in this draft and believe he'll blow up in workouts.

We moved Ledo into the first round of our mock draft on Tuesday. If he plays well at the combine and in workouts, he could move another 10 or 15 spots up the board. There are few upside prospects in this draft, and Ledo has just about every scout I've spoken with intrigued.

Jackie Carmichael, PF, Illinois State

Carmichael has had a bit of a cult following all season among NBA scouts. He's not young (23), nor does he have huge upside. However, he's the rare power forward these days who actually plays with power. At 6-foot-9, 240 pounds with a 7-foot wingspan, he has the requisite size and strength to play in the post. And he works his butt off on both ends of the floor. He's physical and finishes above the rim in the paint. He rarely touches the ball outside of 18 feet.

His explosive athletic ability, toughness on the boards, shot-blocking and quickness are all indicative of an NBA backup power forward. He won't ever be a big-time scorer in the league, but could fill a Udonis Haslem-type role at the next level as a tough defender who protects the rim, grabs rebounds and scores on garbage points. He could be a late first-round pick.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Johnny Jones][URL="http://insider.espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/evaluation/_/id/162855/tim-quarterman"]http://insider.espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/evaluation/_/id/162855/tim-quarterman[/URL]

Can someone post this?
Thanks in advance[/QUOTE]
ESPN Analyst
Updated 02/13/2013
Strengths:
Burst onto the scene as a rising senior and announced himself as a high-major player and Top 100 candidate. He's the owner of an athletic build and is wiry, ala Will Barton. His effectiveness is derived from the fact that he is capable of playing multiple positions. Though he's far from a full time point guard, Quarterman believes he can do it in a pinch and handles the ball well enough to be a secondary handler. As an offensive player, Quarterman is adept going to the rim and owns a floater that is effective. His length, ala Jeremy Lamb, is a real asset. Where he may have the most upside is on the defensive side of the ball. Hawks the ball, plays tight defense and most importantly, wants to be a defender.
Weaknesses:
He's new to the scene so consistency in terms of high level performances is something he needs to build on. His perimeter shot behind the line will be a huge part of his development. If he wants to play more as a point - we don't think that's his long-term position - he needs to tighten the handle and make A decisions.
Bottom Line:
High-major candidate. Has the physical attributes that are elite for his position. Needs time to grow his reputation in conjunction with his game.

Notes
Travel Team: Atlanta Celtics...

[URL="http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog/_/name/nba_draft/id/9230683/2013-nba-draft-dario-saric-high-nba-ceiling"]http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog/_/name/nba_draft/id/9230683/2013-nba-draft-dario-saric-high-nba-ceiling[/URL]


Can someone post this?


Thanks :cheers:

[QUOTE=Gotterdammerung]Ditto the [I]Will KD ever win a ring[/I] Insider article. :cheers:[/QUOTE]


Found the article on some chinese website

[quote=Insider]Will Kevin Durant ever win a ring?
It's still early, but with LeBron James around, could a title elude him?

With LeBron James in front of him, is Kevin Durant destined for a career of "bridesmaid" status?

Frequently in this space, I've touched on the relatively deterministic nature of the NBA when compared with the three other major North American sports leagues. Simply put, the high number of possessions and small number of players on the court cause basketball to be the most predictable sport on our landscape. This is why the better team wins any given basketball game with far greater frequency than it does in baseball, football or hockey.

That's especially good news if you're the best player in the NBA, a fact that's been borne out by six decades of pro basketball history. The lineage of the league's best players, from LeBron James backward is filled with superstars who also led their teams to championships, almost single-handedly exerting their influence on the league and bending it to their will.

By contrast, having the best player in baseball or hockey leads to a championship with surprising infrequency, and even the NFL's marquee quarterbacks have a much lower "batting average" in championships won than the NBA's top stars. (For every Tom Brady and Joe Montana, there's a Joe Flacco or an Eli Manning -- and that's not even mentioning the Trent Dilfers or Brad Johnsons of the world.)

All of which brings us to Kevin Durant.

Durant, almost all of us can agree, is: (A) a generational type of talent, and (B) almost certainly not the best player in basketball. As even the most casual of observers can tell you, James is playing at a level so high that everyone else is relegated to merely battling for second place in the pecking order of NBA stars. In fact, James has reached that rarefied zone of being the league's unquestioned alpha dog, a place previously reserved in the minds of basketball fans for names such as Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and few others (even Magic Johnson and Larry Bird had each other; Bill Russell fended off Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson for the better part of a decade).

This might have happened sometime last season -- or, more likely, after an offseason spent processing the new reality of James and the Heat as reigning champions. Whenever it happened, the overwhelming consensus is that James is the league's No. 1, with Durant left chasing the runner-up slot.

In most sports, such designations are usually cosmetic appellations at best, but in basketball they tend to have real repercussions. James' Heat might very well fail to win the crown again, but NBA history is littered with repeat champions led by the league's best player, and Miami's recent performance has confirmed the preseason notion that the Heat are the team through which all roads to a title run. In baseball, the reset button gets pressed -- the San Francisco Giants are one of no fewer than a baker's dozen of contending teams, any one of which could win it all without us batting an eyelid. However, basketball is more like the boxing landscape of yesteryear: To be the new champ, you have to knock the old one out.

That means Durant could very well join the timeworn list of the NBA's second-best players, all of whom could have won at least one title (often more) were it not for the No. 1 player denying them for years and years on end.

Jordan's career is particularly notable for locking lesser stars out of the championship club. Between 1982-83 and 1990-91, 19 actual or probable (defined as greater than 50 percent Hall of Fame probability, according to Basketball-Reference.com) Hall of Famers made their NBA debuts, excluding Jordan. Among those players, just eight won a ring without help from Jordan, and some of those championships were of dubious contribution (Mitch Richmond averaged 1.5 PPG in the playoffs for the 2003 Lakers; even David Robinson, Clyde Drexler, and Gary Payton got their rings as veterans in support of younger superstars).

Meanwhile, the star power of the Hall of Fame-caliber players left ringless by Jordan is blinding: Karl Malone, John Stockton, Charles Barkley, Dominique Wilkins, Patrick Ewing,Reggie Miller

[url]http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2013/story/_/id/9322694/2013-nba-draft-jay-bilas-ranks-30-best-prospects-draft?refresh=true[/url]

Can someone please post this?

[url]http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/10795132/my-awards-ballot-2013-14-nba?addata=2009_insdr_mod_nba_xxx_xxx[/url]


Kevin Pelton's award ballot