I will use a points system to determine who is the best perimeter player in the NBA.

     Shooting        Passing       Rebounding       Defense        Inside Game        Playmaking

Lebron James:          6  -  7  -  7  -  8  -  10  -  7

Kobe Bryant:              9  -  7  -  7  -  8  -  10  -  7

Dwyane Wade:          7  -  7  -  6  -  7  -  10  -  7

Michael Redd:           10  -  5  -  5  -  5  -  6  -  5

Paul Pierce:                8  -  5  -  5  -  6  -  7  -  5

Ron Artest:                  7  -  4  -  6  -  10  -  6  -  5

Tracy McGrady:          8  -  7  -  6  -  7  -  10  -  6

Steve Nash:                 9  -  10  -  3  -  3  -  3  -  10

Jason Kidd:                 5  -  10  -  6  -  6  -  4  -  10

Chris Paul:                  6  -  10  -  5  -  6  -  7  -  10

Deron Williams:         7  -  10  -  4  -  5  -  7  -  10

Allen Iverson:              7  -  7  -  4  -  5  -  7  -  8

Carmelo Anthony:      8  -  4  -  7  -  6  -  10  -  6

     Shooting       Passing        Rebounding        Defense        Inside Game          Playmaking

Grand Totals:

1) Kobe Bryant - 48 points

2) Lebron James - 45 points

3) Dwyane Wade, Tracy McGrady, Chris Paul - 44 points

4) Deron Williams - 43 points

5) Jason Kidd, Carmelo Anthony - 41 points

6) Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, Ron Artest - 38 points

7) Michael Redd, Paul Pierce - 36 points

Yesterday I did a points system to determine who was the best player in the NBA, but that was unfair since it is harder for the smalls the rebound and harder for the bigs to shoot.  I'm putting in shooting just to give Dirk a chance.  The points go by how they compare to other bigs.

               Inside Game   -   Post Game   -   Rebounding   -   Blocking   -   Shooting

Tim Duncan:              10  -  10  -  9  -  7  -  5

Kevin Garnett:             9  -  10  -  9  -  6  -  6

Chris Bosh:                  10  -  9  -  8  -  7  -  5

Yao Ming:                      10  -  9  -  7  -  6  -  6

Dwight Howard:            10  -  10  -  10  -  7  -  3

Shaquille O'Neal:           8  -  8  -  7  -  5  -  3

Dirk Nowitzki:                6  -  6  -  6  -  4  -  10

Carlos Boozer:              8  -  8  -  7  -  5  -  6

Andrew Bynum:             9  -  9  -  8  -  7  -  4

Greg Oden:                   7  -  7  -  8  -  7  -  4

Jermaine O'Neal:         8  -  8  -  7  -  7  -  5

LaMarcus Aldridge:        9  -  8  -  7  -  5  -  5

Pau Gasol:                        9  -  7  -  7  -  6  -  5

Grand Totals:

1) Tim Duncan - 41 points

2) Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard - 40 points

3) Chris Bosh - 39 points

4) Yao Ming - 38 points

5) Andrew Bynum - 37 points

6) Jermaine O'Neal - 35 points

7) Pau Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Carlos Boozer - 34 points

8) Greg Oden - 33 points

9) Dirk Nowitzki - 32 points

10) Shaquille O'Neal - 31 points

Its a little unfair for Dirk since he plays more like a small forward.

This is the finals of my player rankings in the NBA according to position.  In my first post I had Dwight Howard beating Amare Stoudemire and Yao Ming for best center, Tim Duncan beating Kevin Garnett for best power forward, Carmelo Anthony narrowly beating Lebron James for best small forward, Kobe Bryant easily winning best shooting guard and Chris Paul winning a very close contest for best point guard against Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, Deron Williams, Baron Davis and Jason Kidd.  I will give an analysis for each player in this final round.

I will start with Frontcourt Players.

Dwight Howard: He is a super-physical center who is one of the best dunkers in the league even though he is 6-11.  He is a great shot blocker with an average of 2.2 per game.  He can also rebound better than any one else with his league leading average of 14.40 per game.  On the offensive end he is a force with an average of 21.0 points per game and the most dunks by a player in the NBA this season.  He is only 22 and is already the most dominant big man in the game.

Tim Duncan: He is a veteran with a lot of playoff and finals experience.  Tim Duncan has an extremely high basketball I.Q. and know how to lead a team to the next level.  He has never been a Shaq-like dominant player but he has done everything to get his team a chamionship.  This season he is averaging 19.6 points per game and 11.40 rebounds per game.  One of his signatures moves is his bank shot which is very hard to guard.  His career is nearing the final years but he is still one of the best in the league.  Some people consider him a center and some consider him a power foward, but for this post I'm calling him a power forward.

Carmelo Anthony: As a young player with a lot of potential and skill, Carmelo is averaging 26.1 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game.  He has a nice turn-around jumpshot which it seems not many people can guard.  He is a very good all around player who really excels on the offensive end of the court.  He is not known for his defense but is good at knocking the ball away from people when they are trying to score.  He was the leading scorer for a USA team that had Kobe Bryant and Lebron James on it.  He is 4th in the NBA in scoring and has really improved his rebounding this year over his past years in the NBA.

Now I am going to do the Backcourt Players.

Kobe Bryant: He is the second leading scorer in the NBA with an average of 28.5 per game after leading the NBA the past to seasons.  This year is the year he made major improvement in being a better team player and leader.  He has made Bynum, Farmar, Sasha and even Pau Gasol better this season.  Pau Gasol was already an all-star but he has improved since arriving in L.A.  Kobe is averaging 6.30 rebounds per game and 5.4 assist per game this season which is tied for 4th best in his career.  Considered by many to be the MVP this season after not getting it ever before in his 12 year career.  One of the best 3-point shooters and clutch shooters in the NBA, Kobe has had an MVP-worthy season.

Chris Paul: This is by the far the best season of his short NBA career.  He is leading the league in assists with an average of 11.5 per game.  He also leads the league in steals with 2.7 per game.  One of the frontrunners for the MVP award Chris Paul was named to his first all-star game this year and has lead his team to first in the West.  This season he has established hiimself as one of the premier players in the league.  He is also has an average of 21.2 points per game which is one of the highest in the NBA.  He never disappoints fantasy owners or Hornets fans with his spectacular play on the court.

It is a close battle for the title of best player in the league, but one choice has stood out among all the rest.

1) KOBE BRYANT

WHY: Kobe has been the best player in the league for a couple years now and has has a really good season.  Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony are close behind in my opinion but Kobe Bryant is still the best player in the league with his great play every game.  He doesn't need to score 50 a game to make his team excel but he still leads them in points, assists, and steals.

2) CHRIS PAUL

WHY: He is really good but doesn't have quite as good as a jumpshot as Kobe.  Kobe is also better at defense and has a better inside game.

3) CARMELO ANTHONY

WHY: He has a good jumpshot and inside game.  He is a really good offensive player but not as good as Kobe yet.  Kobe's defense is a lot better and Kobe can pass better.

4) TIM DUNCAN

WHY: He is older now and isn't as good as he used to be.  If these rankings were a couple years ago they would be a lot different.  He is still a really good defensive and offensive player.  He is one of the best team leaders ever.

5) DWIGHT HOWARD

WHY: He is a a super good center but doesn't have the pure 'skills' as the other players because he is a big man.  He doesn't have a jumpshot but has a really good inside game and is the biggest part of the Magic's defense.

Those are my rankings for the best players in the league at each position and how they compare to each other.

NOTE: The stats are accurate as of April 11, 2008.  Some other people in the league are better than some of the people at the bottom of this ranking but they aren't the best at their position.