The Dallas Cowboys (5-1) left their stadium after their game against New England (6-0) Patriots knowing exactly how far they are from being an elite team. They found out the hard way that they have a long way to go.

The Cowboys are an elite NFC team and were beaten by 21 points at home by the Patriots. Meanwhile, New England's real test comes three weeks from now at Indianapolis. That game will alert the rest of the league as to exactly what everyone can look forward to come Super Bowl Sunday.

Out West, though, San Diego is beginning get into gear behind the play of LaDanian Tomlinson on offense and an improved secondary that compliments an already talented defense. By season's end the Chargers may well yet well take their place alongside the Colts and Patriots as a legitimate Lombardi Trophy candidate.

Unfortunately for fans and followers of the NFL, we now know that, barring a catastrophic letdown, the AFC representative in the Super Bowl is going to blow out their NFC opponent. You see, the Cowboys and Green Bay, the present class team in the NFC, are going to get better as the season rolls along.

But what is most frightening is that as well as New England played in Cowboy stadium beating Dallas 48-27, they know they can perform even better. Minus a blocking miscue that led to Tom Brady being blindsided, fumbling, and having Jason Hatcher return the fumble 29 yards for a touchdown, the game would never have been close.

New England knew the Cowboys weakness resided in its secondary and took full advantage of this knowledge. Dallas tried valiantly in the beginning to offset this glaring secondary deficiency by throwing myriad front seven looks at New England. However, once Brady gained a full understanding of what Dallas could or could not do without leaving its cornerbacks and safeties utterly vulnerable, the game was essentially over. The offensive line made the necessary adjustments to keep their QB upright and Brady had as much time as he needed to strafe the Cowboys.

Brady was brilliant, throwing 46 passes, completing 31 for 388 yards and five touchdowns. The Patriots ran only 23 times yet controlled the ball for 38:15 to Dallas' 21:45. Sure the Cowboys took a momentary league early in the second half, but the Patriots immediately embarked on a 5:24 drive and regained the lead. The game was never again in doubt.

The league has done New England no favors with their schedule as the Patriots are in the midst of playing three of four weeks on the road. They must now travel to their AFC East nemesis, Miami, the team that, outside of Indianapolis, consistently plays the Patriots the toughest. Then New England comes home to play against on of the best defenses in the league in Washington before traveling to Indianapolis. Should they run this gauntlet and escape unbeaten and relatively injury free, the 1972 Dolphins can put away their champagne because New England will run the table.

It's just too bad for the rest of us that after week six we can see the future this clearly.

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Now for some short notes on the rest of the NFL games.

AD, baby, All Day. Adrian Peterson, aka All Day, had 361 all-purpose yards against the Chicago Bears. Peterson rushed for 224 yards on only 20 carries against the once-vaunted Chicago defense. For the Vikings, they now know who they can depend on in the clutch. For the Bears it showed that without injured safety Mike Brown, Chicago's defense is nothing. Even with Peterson's performance, the Vikings need a 55-yard field goal from Ryan Longwell to eke out a 34-31 win.

Washington (3-3) stole a win from itself at Green Bay. When wide receivers weren't dropping passes they were fumbling the game away. And Joe Gibbs mismanaged the clock and timeouts for what seems like the 20th time since his return to the NFL. As well as the Redskins defense played it could not overcome the ineptitude of its receivers and its head coach.

The Packers (5-1) won the kind of game (17-14) that, "teams of destiny" win. Green Bay did nothing particularly well on offense, but their defense kept them in the game and when Charles Woodson returned Santana Moss' fumble for a touchdown, won them the game.

St. Louis is horrible, just horrible. The Ravens 22-3 beating of the Rams proved nothing. Did I say St. Louis is horrible?

AFC teams need to beware: Cleveland (3-3) has game, at least offensively. The way Derek Anderson is playing (18-25, 245, 3-0) Brady Quinn won't see the line of scrimmage except from the sidelines or in mop-up duty and Romeo Crennel will keep his job. The Browns busted up Miami (0-6), 41-31. Then again, perhaps the Dolphins were looking ahead to next week's game against New England.

Not.

But they will play the game of their lives next week against New England.

David Garrard still hasn't thrown an interception this season and Jack Del Rio is looking more and more like a genius for getting rid of Byron Leftwich. Jacksonville (4-1) appears to have found some offensive punch as Houston (3-3) found out. The Jaguars pummeled the Texans 37-17 and Matt Schaub, without looked no better than David Carr, except Carr had receivers and Schaub's are hurt. Jacksonville plays the same stout defense it has for the past few years. But if the offense continues to hum, they might be a very dangerous team come playoff time.

Cincinnati (1-4) is a team in disarray. Marvin Lewis is, from all accounts, a great guy, but his team is falling apart around him. Now the offense is as inept as the defense which might portend the end of the line for Lewis' tenure with the Bengals. Kansas City beat the Bengals easily, 27-20, and the game wasn't that close. Even Larry Johnson got his groove on - or maybe he's just getting his game legs. Either way Cincinnati should have known but did little to keep LJ from breaking the century mark rushing for the first time this season. And again, the offense was out-of-synch all day. It looks like it's going to be a long season in Cinci.

Oh yeah, and Herm Edwards is a far better head coach then he gets credit for being. Damon Huard? Come on, he's not fooling anyone. Huard is a good backup QB, not a starter, yet the Chiefs are 3-3, which is pretty close to what most people thought their win total for the entire season might be.

The New York Womanginis got running back Thomas Jones in the offseason thinking that he was the perfect replacement for Curtis Martin and would be the key to helping the Jets make another playoff run. Well the Womanginis are 1-5 and going nowhere fast. Jones can't win by himself (130 yards on 24 carries)  and QB Chad Pennington can't find open receivers when he's flat on his back and completing only 11 passes (11-21, 128 yards). The Jets (1-5) played a one-and-a half man offense in Philadelphia's (2-3) Brian Westbrook and Donovan McNabb and still managed to lose 16-9.

Tampa Bay (4-2) was very lucky that Vince Young pulled a quadriceps muscle during the Bucs game against Tennessee (3-2). Jeff Garcia was very lucky that some of his down field heaves improbably found receivers for long gains. The result of the Tampa Bay good fortune was a 13-10 victory that the Bucs did not deserve. The Tennessee defense is good enough to keep them in any game they play this season. Let's hope they don't get too frustrated watching and offense that doesn't seem to be able to score more than 17 points in any given game.

And Jon Gruden continues to live a charmed life.

Arizona (3-3) had Carolina (4-2), let them get away, and ended up losing a frustrating 25-10 game. Steve smith was wonderful, as usual, but the Cardinals had every opportunity to win that game. Yes, Kurt Warner got hurt, but he wasn't playing all that well and Tim Rattay played well enough for 'Zona to win. One couldn't help but wonder if the Cardinals would have won that game if Matt Leinart was healthy.

They're baaaaaaack! Norv Turner listened to LaDanian Tomlinson a little more than two weeks ago when Tomlinson walked into Turner's office and told him San Diego (3-3) would win if he got the ball more. Turner got the ball to Tomlinson and the Chargers have easily won consecutive games. Oakland (2-3) is far better than they were a year ago, but need some time before they can catch up to the Chargers. San Diego defeated the Raiders, 28-14.

Watch out for San Diego, they are dangerous.

What's up with Seattle? They imploded in their 28-17 home loss to New Orleans. The Seahawks (3-3) are not good enough to think that they can take the field, play a mediocre game, and have that be good enough to beat anyone. But that's exactly what it seemed they did against previously winless New Orleans.

The Saints (1-4) have one win now.

Ahhhh yes. Since you enjoyed nos. 1-30 so much, I wanted to make sure 31-50 gets up ASAP. So, with brief statements as to why they are ranked where they're ranked, here are the remainder of the Top 50 ballers in the NBA.

31. Lamar Odom, LA Lakers: If LO has his health and his sanity, he's a top 15 player. If I have one wish for Odom it is that everything goes well on and off the court this season.

32. Kevin Martin, Sacramento: Surprise! Thought I'd forget about K-Mart II? He's the 21st century Reggie Miller. Martin is a better athlete than Miller who made his name on defense. Sure he slipped on "D" last season, but says he's committed to both ends of the court this season ---- and he can shoot, really shoot.

33. Ben Gordon, Chicago: At 6'2? The Commissioner guards taller shooting guards and does an excellent job. Plus, who is The Man when it's time to take a big shot in Chi-town?

34. Kirk Hinrich, Chicago: Captain K is a baaaaad young man. Clutch, tough defensively, and a good decision-maker. Plus, he always seems to get under the opponents' skin.

35. Marcus Camby, Denver: He does everything, but like Mary, there's something about Marcus ---- that keeps him from being ranked higher.

36. Stephen Jackson, Golden State: He's probably nowhere on anyone's list, but he shoots the rock and is a leader (yes, he's a captain of the Warriors this season). And defense? Ask Dirk.

37. Joe Johnson, Atlanta: He's a lot like S-Jax right above him but can he carry a team?

38. Chris Paul, New Orleans: That's right, behind Hinrich. CPIII can do it all, but is he ready to take that next step to that next level? We'll find out this season.

39. Dwight Howard, Orlando: "The Big Christianity" is on the move up. Howard is so young and has so much potential he might be #27 by the All-Star break. Right now, though, he needs some offense. One move, just one - two would be real nice.

40.Tayshaun Prince, Detroit: Tay-Tay is not quite proficient enough on offense to be ranked any higher.

41. Elton Brand, LA Clippers: EB is nice and on a lot of nights cannot be stopped. On other nights he looks lost.

42. David West, New Orleans: The silent assassin is a sleeper pick - as in people sleep on D-Dub. At 18 and 8 in Byron Scott's defense wins games style of play, West must be doing many thing right.

43. Raja Bell, Phoenix: Think about it. Who else is his team's lockdown defender every night - and can actually bother Kobe Bryant, provides all the toughness for his team, has no play run for him but gets 14.7 a game, and never rests on his laurels? Ray-Jay, that's who.

44. Gerald Wallace, Charlotte: One more year like last year and G-Wall vaults into the top 25.

46. Vince Carter, New Jersey: Did you know that VC is a vampire? You didn't know? Every time the light shines on Carter he runs for the shadows. Plus, there's knees and defense, defense and knees - and Carter has neither.

47. Andrea Bargnani, Toronto: Wha-?! Who? The dude who is 6'10?, 6'11? shoots like Dirk but can take threes off the dribble, plus plays defense and is a better athlete, that's who.

48. Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia: The "other" AI is set to do some thangs this season.

49. Al Jefferson, Minnesota: I'm sticking my neck out a bit on Big Al. He was a quiet monster for Boston last season. Playing in the West will either expose him, or make everyone including me understand just how good he is. I hope it's the latter.

50. T.J. Ford, Jose Calderon, Toronto: They aren't one point guard split into two? T.J.-Jose Calderford averages 22.7 ppg, 4.8 boards, and 12.9 assists a game. They, uhh, he is/are the engine(s) that make the Raps flow like Jay-Z way back on Reasonable Doubt. With stats like those shouldn't this-these guy(s) actually be ranked higher?

No. 1 - Virtually: With this year's cover, with heated areas on every inch of the offensive end and unlimited range, and plus because he was reading The Best Damn Sports Blog while conducting an interview that would be published nationally, the EA Sports version of Gilberto Gil, aka Hibachi, aka Agent Zero, aka Gilbert Arenas is the Virtual Numero Uno in my basketball heart.

Well, that's it peeps. That's my Fiddy. Now it's time for you to tell me what you think.

Oh, and the Arenas mention, read this:

Gilberto Gil, aka, Agent Zero, aka Hibachi, aka, Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards point guard was looking at The NBA's Projected Top 50 Players for 2007-08: Numbers 11-20 while talking to an Associated Press reporter:

Stop him for a few questions after a training camp practice, and out slides a mention of how that very morning he was reading one person's preseason ranking of top NBA players and was shocked - shocked! - to find himself down at No. 20.

"Duncan's No. 1, Kobe's No. 2. Then they've got all them bums in front of me," Arenas said this week, a can-you-believe-it? tone in his voice and mischief in his eyes. "I'm 20; I feel I'm in the top five. There's motivation right there."

I got big love for ya Gil! Do your thing this season, be that team leader and you'll be in the top 10 by the All-star break!

The first time I saw Marion Jones was on television but I still embraced her. Embraced her like a favorite sister. She was competing for a national championship. But it wasn't on a track crushing her competition. She was a freshman point guard for the North Carolina Tar Heels women's basketball team. I remember the Louisiana Tech game when she was forced to sit in the first half with foul trouble. I remember the Tar Heels crumpling under the weight and brute force of the Lady Techsters. I remember her coming back into the game and watching as her entire team took a deep breath because Ms. Jones was back and in full effect.

She scored only two points that game, but like the best of the best NBA point guards, she wouldn't allow scoring to define her performance. Jones innately knew how to do the The Little Things that are so key to winning; grabbing every loose ball, breaking the press by herself, getting the rock to her teammates in the right spots that meant baskets. Jones led the comeback and the young Heels vanquished La. Tech and Jones flashed that toothy grin to end all grins and held up the NCAA trophy.

The first time the black community en masse saw Marion Jones we embraced her because she represented us - the entire Diaspora.

We knew Jones was ahead of her time because we are just seeing women act like her today. She was extremely confident but extremely cute about it; pert without being overbearing. Yet she had a sexy allure to her - it was when she didn't smile that it showed. When she readied for a race you could see those eyes in a magazine.... Just Do It.

She was beautiful and graceful on the track. She didn't so much as power down her lane as she left other runners in her wake, she flew. It was like a snapshot had been taken of her first full stride and then a hidden conveyor belt took over and pulled her down the track in that still frame. She seemed like she could run any distance. One stride and the conveyor belt might just pull her 26 miles. It already pulled her down the long jump runway to a 23' leap in high school, eight years before her appearance in the Sydney Olympics.

In 1996 Ms. Jones was expected to drape herself in the American flag - over and over and over again. But she broke a bone in her foot while training and missed Atlanta. While rehabbing that foot she later broke the bone again - training on a trampoline.

Did that fleeting moment that smacked Marion with mortality plant a seed in her head that would grow into a dense, thick weed a few years later?

Around that time she met her future husband --- and future Judas, C.J. Hunter.

Two years later a Miles-inspired Elvin Jones drumbeat of Jones' name began anew; this time for her track and field accomplishments. We all waited and expected to hear something but not this loud, not this strong.

Bam! The best long jump of the year.

Boom-clack! Jones wins the 100 and 200 meter races plus the long jump at the US Championships.

Cymbal shot with bass drum backbeat! Jones becomes the first US woman to be ranked number one in the world in those same three events.

And finally. Roll, trill ----- Ka-Clack!! She begins an unprecedented run through the world's best competition, not losing a track event for 10 months.

She arrived. She was Nike women everywhere. She had that skyscraper-size billboard on a Madison Avenue building type-A star power. The smile, the feminine beauty, the grace. Marion Jones made it cool to be all those things and be married in love.

At the moment of what she told us would be her greatest feat to date, winning four gold medals at the World Track and Field Championships in Spain, that mortality thing happened again. She sprained her back during the long jump competition and pulled out of the event. She openly bit her lip in front of the world's cameras. I remember her tears, not many, just enough to further endear us to her. But this was 11 months before Sydney and a few months before Nike planned to make Marion Jones the female Michael Jordan.

Now, she tells us that this was the time she began the clandestine trips to the labs of the Bay Area Cooperative, to Victor Conte, and to steroids and "the clear," the undetectable to urinalysis designer performance enhancer that had that underground athlete cred like a once-local band about to Rolling Stone blow up.

For male athletes the clear was a continuum of their already roided-up regimen; a shot in the hind parts supplemented by the undetectable cocktail. For women like Jones and Kelli White, another US sprinter who was looking for that boost into the upper echelon of her sport, Conte had to approach them like a drug dealer. He had to juxtapose it against the violence of self-injecting a drug used more by freakishly behemoths like the testosterone-filled world of bodybuilding. Conte had to make the pull of this illicit substance a soft sell. It's not like you have to jam a needle in your butt and bruise it and barely be able to sit for awhile.

'It's just two drops under your tongue, baby.'

All that time she was putting down poses for us, making us love her in any way each of us chose, all that time she was in the process of transcending the world of athletics and transcending the world of the US black community and was becoming property of the nation and the globe ------- Marion Jones was using.

Jones wasn't the little girl prodigy anymore. She couldn't get away with just the toothy grin and her melliferous, lilting voice, and the twinkle in her eyes. She was going on 24 and knowing this was the Olympics in which she needed to fulfill all her promise, and all the promises she made to us. The world had to be closing in on her. For Jones this was put up time. Put up and the world would be her oyster for the remainder of her life. Fall off and she might just become the greatest failure in the history of women's sports.

'It's just two drops under your tongue, baby.'

Like a common self-medicating dope fiend she was using. She had an addict for a husband - by 1999 she had to know - in Hunter. Maybe, like the lovers they were, they used together. Maybe he went off and did his deca, nandrolone cycle; a shot in the hind parts muscle - ahhhhhh... AH! While Jones did her thing. Then they went off and trained.

Maybe not.

But she did win five medals at the Sydney Games, including winning the 100-meter finals by the second-largest margin of victory ever in women's track and field, a whopping .37 seconds over Ekaterini Thanou of Greece. The Nike commercials aired and Jones was a hit. Though she failed to win five gold medals, five medals, in and of themselves, were enough to catapult her into the rarified air of the pantheon of Olympic athletes.

'It's just two drops under your tongue, baby.'

But a month later, when confronted with the clear by investigators into Hunter's steroid use, she - and Hunter - lied.

When Conte was arrested and questioned by investigators after the BALCO raid in 2003, Conte named Jones as one of the athletes who took the clear. Jones was the biggest catch on the list that Conte provided. He didn't name Barry Bonds. Conte claims to this day that he never gave Bonds any illicit drugs. However, each athlete he has named has been found out to have used steroids and/or the clear.

But in May of 2004, Jones in a powerful press conference speech denied ever using a performance-enhancing drug and swore she would sue the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) if they acted to ban her from competing in the 2004 Olympics in Greece. The world that winced at her involvement with Hunter was again proud of her strong stance and her willingness to fight WADA by any means necessary.

I know I was proud. I know I believed in every word that came from Marion Jones' mouth that day. It wasn't like I had a flood of fond memories that dropped a glaze and haze over my eyes. My belief was due to Marion Jones the - at the tine - present-day woman standing up against the male-dominated WADA and the rest of the sporting world and saying emphatically, No! I am not going to stand by idly while you attempt to ruin my life; while you attempt to put me on display because I have the biggest name in track and field.

That's why I believed ------ the lie.

She didn't win any medals in Greece. In fact, she failed badly. She said it was due to the off the track pressures she faced and the time they took that didn't allow her to train well enough to compete at her best.

I believed that lie, too.

That same year Jones, who divorced Hunter, became intimately involved with Tim Montgomery. For the first time, I winced. Montgomery was named in the BALCO investigation and in a few months retired from the sport a disgrace because he, like Jones' previous partner, Hunter, lied. But in the meantime there was an ABC "20/20? special on Marion Jones. It was about her new life, the house that would be her sanctuary was being built, and she proudly showed her interviewer and the nation her new life - and life that included a baby. I remember it well.

She had just settled a $25 million lawsuit with Conte for defaming her and tarnishing her reputation to the point where she could no longer earn wages as an endorser or an athlete. I went from wincing to near tears of respect for the woman, she wanted to raise this child and regain her track and field form, and unheard of feat if she could pull it off.

I cheered wildly when she won the 100 meters at the 2006 US Championships. I didn't mind that she bowed out of the 200-meters because she said she was too tired from the 100. But I became afraid when her "A" test came up positive for EPO.

'It's just some blood cells; it's natural, baby.'

When the "B" test returned a negative result and Jones was cleared, the world was fine once again.

But that was a year ago that now seems so far away it feels like another era. I feel like I was a teenager then because my hopes for Marion Jones rose and fell so many times. I feel like, just from her, I learned so much about the system that builds athletes into stars and drops them off the face of the Earth at the drop of an accusation.

Now, everything I thought I knew is shaken. Yesterday Marion Jones admitted using the clear for two years, from 1999 to 2001. Even if she cooperates with investigators she might go to jail for lying way back when.

She says the reason she lied is because she panicked.

I don't believe Marion Jones anymore.

21. Allen Iverson, Denver: AI's low shooting percentage and his unwillingness to be less than the number one gun dropped him this far. Sure, by the end of the season Iverson can climb the charts to his once rightful position, but the game he plays in Denver is not the one he played in Philly. In the wide-open Nuggets offense AI must be a facilitator, an enabler for Carmelo Anthony, and lastly a scorer. On defense he only has to continue to be one of the smartest passing lane defending guards in the history of the NBA. Overall, it's not that tall a task, but it's a different and potentially one for AI. Let's see how he handles the responsibility for an entire season.

22. Michael Redd, Milwaukee: Redd's injury kept the Bucks from the playoffs last season. The Bucks were 3-17 without Redd in the lineup last season and an above .500 team with him. Since NBA reporters constantly argued that wins and losses meant so much that Dirk Nowitzki was the hands down MVP last season, it could be argued that Redd was far more valuable to the young Bucks than was to Dirk to the Mavericks. So much for the cred of the voters. Redd is a shooter and a quiet but efficient leader. Because he relies on his jumper for the lion's share of his points and is only a fair defender, Redd cannot be ranked higher. Milwaukee will be in the hunt again this year and Redd must add to his game for the Bucks to be a viable playoff team in the increasingly more competitive Eastern conference.

23. Luol Deng, Chicago: Deng is good, very good. He's underrated in every aspect of the game, yet he is the linchpin of the Bulls. He is much like a younger Manu Ginobili, except with a higher upside. He can shoot from anywhere on the court and has nice post moves. He rebounds well. He defends well. And he plays with fire. This season expect to see Luol bust out.

24. Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana: What is it about JO? Maybe it was the money. Maybe it was the Palace Revolution. Maybe he just got old too fast. But whatever it is, something is missing from O'Neal's game. All the negative swirl around the Pacers doesn't help, either. And all that proves is that JO doesn't hold that leadership sway over his teammates that he thinks he does. He's all-around above average, which got him this spot. But when you look at him, you think, damn he should be top 10. And that's exactly why he's number 24.

25. Shawn Marion, Phoenix: Finally a place for the Matrix. Marion does nothing well on his own, but does everything well enough to get his on his own. He doesn't have a dribble-drive move. He doesn't pass well. He defends only sometimes. And he's much more interested in spotting up in the left corner waiting for Stave Nash to kick him the rock for a three than he is hitting the boards, initiating the break and filling the lane as a trailer. But. Matrix is the best garbage man in the game. So, he grabs plenty of rebounds, scores plenty of points, and does what he needs to help to be the Suns number two defender to Raja Bell. This is the conundrum that is Shawn Marion. He will never be good enough to be "the Man" on any team, but he is just good enough to complain about why he isn't. Oh yeah, and he's soft as butter mentally. After years of dealing with his whining, the Suns are growing tired of babysitting his psyche. More of the same can be a team killer, let alone a Marion killer. It will be an interesting 2007-08 season for the Matrix.

26. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas: I read the posts in the comment section when I had Dirk in the top 10. Then I thought and thought and thought. And you know what? Dirk isn't that good. Yea, he added some defense to his game, but he was still a below average defender. He actually co-led the Mavericks - with Josh Howard - to the Lig's best regular season record, but wilted in the playoffs. The Dallas unseemly first round exit to the Golden State Warriors highlighted Nowitzki's glaring deficiencies. Dude better add something from the post to his game or he's going to drop even more next season. And when I think about it, the Warriors provided the blueprint on how to stop Nowitzki and I don't know if he has the physical talent to overcome a smaller, but quick and tough defensive player. A whole lot of forwards will be looking to enhance their reps off Dirk this season. We'll see if he's up for it.

27. Antawn Jamison, Washington: 'Tawn proved exactly what his status is in the NBA during the Wizards first round loss in the 'Offs last season. Jamison's 32 ppg in the first round against Cleveland actually put a scare into the Cavs every game, though the ex-Boulez still got swept. Not many pundits five Jamison props, but watch him this year. Now that he knows he can get off regardless of the opposing defense's tactics, we could well see a 25 and 10 year from the Washington forward.

28. Josh Howard, Dallas: That's right, I feel Josh Howard is that close to Dirk. Howard was the Mavericks' best defender last season. He often played point forward, two guard and acted as a swing man. What more could you ask for from a player? One more year with confidence, that's all. One more year and he can vault right over his more ballyhooed German teammate.

29. Deron Williams, Utah: D-Will is a J Kidd clone with a twice as good shot. The young man is strong everywhere on the court, on both ends of the floor. He passes with the best of 'em and plays defense better than the rest of 'em. If Williams, like Kidd, can learn to feel successful on a given night scoring only eight points, but stay involved in the game and get his 13 assists and nine boards, control the tempo, and lead the Jazz to a win, he will be up in the top 15 next year.

30. Pau Gasol, Memphis: Pow! Without him the Grizzlies were nothing. With him the Grizz weren't too much. The thing about Got Soul is that he has a smooth all-around big man game. He's not bad on defense, though he could stand to put on a little more weight. Lets' put it like this: Pau does everything well enough to get him into the top 30. He needs to stay healthy, though. Like many players in the 21-30 range, this is an important season for Gasol. Staying in the 25-30 range isn't good enough.

Damn, this is tough! I though 1-10 might get me some kudos for insight, but instead I got drilled! Right off the bat there was the Kobe-Duncan debate and it didn't stop all the way through to number 10. I'm sure 11-20 will be just as ugly -- at least for me.

But hey, it's just one person's opinion - mine. I'm trying to avoid stats as much as possible because they can be so misleading. For instance, if you look at 82games.com and their most proficient playoff players, Antonio Daniels is #6 and Darko is #7. Ummmmm, okay, I sure believe that one.

My criteria for the rankings (which I should have stated before I began with my Top 10 - my apologies) are different from what you might commonly think. I look at position and what is normally expected from the quintessential player of that position.

Does the player match what is expected from that position? Does he exceed it? What are his strengths and weaknesses within that position and how do they affect his teammates? How much these players impact their teams on and off the court? How they fit into the system in which they play? How do they impact a game on a night in, night out basis? How they match up with other players of their position and then against players of all positions?

Overall wins and losses do matter - but only to a degree. Sometimes, try as a player might, he can't elevate his team beyond wherever it is he takes it. But because there is a fair amount of parity among the talent within the teams of the NBA, the bottom line does have weight.

It's a tough proposition to go one through 50, but I don't have three televisions, a dish (well, two) and the NBA package for nothing. So, here are my 11-20.... rip away!

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11. Carmelo Anthony, Denver: Melo had the best FIBA America 'Chips of any US player (I know Hollinger had the straw marked "Bron Bron" out and in full effect). This is a pivotal season for the man picked after Darko Milicic in the 2003 NBA Draft. Anthony can score from any point on the floor and is explosive in the open court. We should see Melo abilities flower with a full season running with AI.

12. Chauncey Billups, Detroit: Chauncey is nothing if not consistent. Last season's Pistons meltdown was blamed on a bickering locker room - and, to some extent, was a reflection of Billups' leadership capabilities. But Billups is the top PG defender in the NBA and, when the offense flows, a master puppeteer. He nicks you here, touches you there, wets you in this little spot, wets you again in that little spot, and pretty soon your team is hemorrhaging points. With last season stuck in his mind, look for a stellar season from C-Bill.

13. Tracy McGrady, Houston: T-Mac is so damn gifted. I wonder, has he begun the practice of picking up a basketball and actually working on his game before training camp begins? McGrady sometimes refuses to take over games when the situation begs for him to do so. This instinct to lay back and watch costs him dearly; so does his balky back. Health is such an "if" for Tracy, he cannot be ranked higher.

14. Tony Parker, San Antonio: We all witnessed the breakout of Tony Par-kair last season, especially during the 'Offs. The moment he scores five points and dishes 12 dimes and pulls down eight boards and he's happy with that performance is the day he is elevated to the number one PG spot in the Lig.

15. Carlos Boozer, Utah: Booze is --- nice. He has that slow, Jamaal Wilkes without the awkward spin jumper, he has low post moves that befuddle opponents. and he's rough and tough without afro puffs on the glass and as a staunch and sturdy defender. Look for Carlos to start for the West in the All-Star game this year.

16. Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix: Will he expand his game beyond one low post move (with his leaping ability, Amare's game is built for an up-and-under move)? Will he begin to take advantage of his physical ability to play better on-ball and team defense? He must if he wants to rise to elite status. Stoudemire seems like a determined player, the Jack McCallum painted a not-so-flattering picture of Amare's work ethic in his book, "Seven Seconds or Less..." He's another player who rises into the top 10 if he works on his game just -- that much more.

17. Shaquille O'Neal, Miami: Everybody sing along: Shaq! Hawwwww! He is the master of the universe! O'Neal's been in the Lig now, what 29 years, and the refs still don't know how to call a foul against opposing players when they foul him? when healthy and when motivated, Shaq is still the most dominant player in the NBA today. He's has a tough offseason with the divorce from his wife and all. Then, Heat head everything Pat riley called a midnight practice to open training camp. there were three players who did not match the Riley body fat legal limit --- and Shaq was not one of them, So, it appears we can expect a motivated O'Neal. If the Heat gets a healthy O'Neal, everyone will be forced to sing in unison: Shaq! Hawwwwww! He is the master of the universe!

18. Baron Davis, Golden State: The Black Baron proved in the Golden State Warriors stretch run and in the playoffs that he is a bad man. Is he better then Steve Nash? Yes. But. He's not as consistent. So, no he's not. Can he control a game without scoring? Probably, but he'd rather not. And when he scores he... Just. Gets. Off. On the ball slipping through the nylon. And, with his heavy, strong build, he can bully opposing point guards to uncomfortable spots on the court on the defensive end of the floor. This is a really important follow-up year for Davis. If he plays like he did late last season and in the 'Offs, he'll be knocking on the door for the top PG spot.

19. Chris Bosh, Toronto: C-Bo (not the Northern Cali C-Bo) is diez y ocho for now, but by the end of the year he might just crack the top 12. The schmoove Texan has taken the KG-style of big man play to the 21 century next level. He is a Garnett-Jermaine O'Neal mix who anchors the Raptors defense as well as either of his predecessors. If he improves his shooting percentage from 49.6% to around 53% this season, his scoring average will jump five to seven points. Patience, young man, patience.

20. Gilbert Arenas, Washington: It took long enough, but Gilberto Gil is mos' def a top 20 NBA baller. He said yesterday that his knee is actually stronger than it was before the injury late last season. He can drive. He can shoot. He plays solid enough defense. But, like Tony Parker, Baron Davis, and to a lesser degree Steve Nash, can his team be successful is he does not score? If Arenas establishes himself as a team leader the wizards will challenge to break into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference.