After just over two months of voting and spirited discussion, we have arrived at a top 50 consensus keeper rankings list. While I won’t argue that league settings and team scenarios don’t ultimately dictate individual keeper decisions, we’ve compiled a pretty solid list in my estimation.
Take a look at the full list and comment now that we’ve got some hindsight. What stands out? Are Devin Harris and Andrew Bynum ranked too high? Are Andrea Bargnani and Gilbert Arenas ranked too low?
Rankings List
1. LeBron James (age 24, CLE – SF)
2. Chris Paul (24, NOR – PG)
3. Dwyane Wade (27, MIA – PG,SG)
4. Kevin Durant (20, OKC – SG,SF)
5. Danny Granger (25, IND – SG,SF)
6. Dwight Howard (23, ORL – C)
7. Kobe Bryant (30, LAL – SG)
8. Deron Williams (24, UTH – PG)
9. Brandon Roy (24, POR – PG,SG)
10. Al Jefferson (24, MIN – PF,C)
11. Amar’e Stoudemire (26, PHO – PF,C)
12. Chris Bosh (25, TOR – PF,C)
13. Dirk Nowitzki (30, DAL – PF)
14. Devin Harris (26, NJN – PG)
15. Pau Gasol (28, LAL – PF,C)
16. Andrew Bynum (21, LAL – C)
17. Derrick Rose (20, CHI – PG)
18. Josh Smith (23, ATL – SF,PF)
19. Yao Ming (28, HOU – C)
20. Andre Iguodala (25, PHI – SG,SF)
21. Brook Lopez (21, NJN – C)
22. Joe Johnson (27, ATL – SG)
23. Carmelo Anthony (24, DEN – SF)
24. LaMarcus Aldridge (23, POR – PF)
25. Rajon Rondo (23, BOS – PG)
26. Jose Calderon (27, TOR – PG)
27. Gerald Wallace (26, CHA – SF,PF)
28. David Lee (26, NYK – PF,C)
29. Kevin Martin (26, SAC – SG)
30. Rudy Gay (22, MEM – SF,PF)
31. Troy Murphy (29, IND – PF)
32. Russell Westbrook (20, OKC – PG)
33. Monta Ellis (23, GSW – PG,SG)
34. Andris Biedrins (23, GSW – C)
35. Andrea Bargnani (23, TOR, PF,C)
36. Caron Butler (29, WAS – SG,SF)
37. O.J. Mayo (21, MEM – SG)
38. David West (28, NOR – PF)
39. Gilbert Arenas (27, WAS – PG)
40. Rashard Lewis (29, ORL – SF,PF)
41. Paul Millsap (24, UTH – PF)
42. Tyrus Thomas (22, CHI – PF)
43. Chauncey Billups (32, DEN – PG)
44. Al Horford (22, ATL – PF,C)
45. Carlos Boozer (27, UTH – PF,C)
46. Nene Hilario (26, DEN – C)
47. Tony Parker (27, SAS – PG)
48. Jameer Nelson (27, ORL – PG)
49. Tim Duncan (33, SAS – PF,C)
50. Elton Brand (30, PHI – PF,C)
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sheesh it’s a coin-flip....
Yes Matt,
Bynum is waaay too high.
I’m guessing will have less argument given the recent playoff performances.
VERY surprised KG didn’t get in their, even though he’s 32. BUT, it’s a very young list… probably more dynasty rankings than keeper ones.
I think Devin’s position is right. There’s a big gap after Dirk, but Devin is the best one after. I wouldn’t give him up for any players ranked below him… but I really rate his combo of pts, assts, ft%, steals.
Bynum’s much too high. He’s probably a couple of rounds too high even. But on the whole, it’s not too bad. Especially since it wasn’t specified how many keepers are to be kept and in what league size.
I’m also am boggled as to why KG cuddnt crack the top 50, but the mass has spoken. Maybe an idication that he can be got for a good price next year. Dito Jamison. There is also valuble information for the savy owner in what these rankings dont show…
well the timing of the polling is as much of a factor as anything. i’m scared of KG as much as anyone right now, but my opinion could change as we get updates. jamison is perpetually underrated, so i’m really not too surprised that he didn’t make the cut
Yeah, Bynum went way too high, I’m still shocked people voted him there only one spot behind Pau, who I think showed just how much better he is than Bynum during these playoffs.
The other ones that stand out to me are Gilbert and Brand who I think are gonna go much higher than those spots, and I still don’t have much faith in Rudy Gay. I like Memphis’s roster so I hope I’m wrong, but after this disaster of a season for him I think I’d take almost anyone else on the list over him.
here’s a very interesting read on gay from jan 09 called “what’s wrong with rudy?”
http://cmimemphis.com/grizblog/node/431
upshot: “It is clear to me — and seems to be clear to Gay — that his talents are not being used well in a team context right now … That said, there is certainly an element of Gay’s recent struggles that is entirely on him.”
check out mike dunleavy on twitter.. he’s hilarious
http://twitter.com/mikedunleavy
LOL! This makes me hate him even more!
What??? This makes me love him. I think it’s fake, but it’s still too funny.
Camp playoff games start at 3pm. To give the kids the true Clipper experience, I’m sending them home at noon. #CampDunleavy
#CampDunleavy update: Told the kids we were going to play “knockout”. Z-Bo got the wrong idea. 17 kids with black eyes. This can’t be good.
Huge turnout for Camp Dunleavy this year. 17 kids! After Mr. Sterling’s 85% cut of fees, I should be bringing home a cool $510.
Having the team watch Road Runner cartoons for inspiration. Wile E. Coyote may keep losing, but he also keeps trying. Good message. #nba
Every update from this guy is great
ninos….its clearly fake. Maybe Bill Simmons or someone like this set it up.
There are some nice lines….
Yea, it’s clearly fake. But it’s not far from what Dunleavy is probably thinking in real life. I hate Dunleavy. I HATE HIM.
http://cache.deadspin.com/sports/dunleavywine.jpg
LOL.. great pic
Yup, I guess Nellie could drive one to drink on occasion.
i’m a nina, and bill simmons endorsed it so at first i thought it was real. i was pretty surprised that dunleavy would be saying those things about his players and sterling, but i figured that the clippers organization must be as big a joke as everyone says.
but the more i read, the more i realized there’s no way it could’ve really been him. unless he was trying to get fired or something. i think twitter shut down that account. oh well, it was fun while it lasted.. even though it wasn’t really dunleavy, i gained respect for him anyways. i feel bad for that guy.
no disrespect intended nina.
But when talking about plural that contains both sexes it defaults to ninos
oh yeah, i remember now.. i forgot about 90% of the spanish i learned in high school by the end of my first year of college.
Tildes, people, use the tildes!
On PC, hold down the ALT key, and type in the number 0241 – you’ll get a nice looking ” ñ ” – for all you “niñas” out there! I’m not sure what the keystroke is on Mac since I haven’t been on one for a while – it’s probably something like the “apple” key, then the same number (0241), but don’t quote me on that one.
But don’t worry Ash…you can be as much of a nina as you want to be!
ñ – coolio
arigato So-Tex sensei,
know how to type kana?
Sorry grasshopper. Too steep for this Texican.
I watch my anime either with english dubs or english subs – haven’t quite got the knack for Japanese yet.
And before everyone gets all wrapped up in a bunch, I know the “grasshopper” reference is from “Kung-Fu” which is Chinese, not Japanese.
I just couldn’t find a way to work in my Mr. Miyagi “wax on, wax off” bit. Oh well.
What are you guys projecting Bargnani to produce?
a lot of it will have to do with the bosh situation. if they replace him with a more post-oriented player, that should mean more jumpers (and a larger role, in general) for bargs. either way, i think he’ll get at least somewhat better overall
I think he will produce something like:
17.5 pts, 6.5 rebs, 1.8 threes, 1.2 blocks…
I am not sure how folks justified not voting for Chauncey in keepers until the mid-40′s but voted him at 16 in standard. I think we all got caught up in his playoff run, sure, but in a non-dynasty keeper format, I seriously doubt Biedrins, Ellis, and others will get picked before him.
Too high
Bynum
Lopez
Bargnani
Milsapp
T. Thomas
too low
Brand
Marion(not on the list)
Gay
Billups
This list really is geared toward dynasty because those taking Bynum and Lopez over Marion, Gay, Billups and Brand will be towards the bottom of their leagues until the older guys retire.
I totally disagree and, in a a keeper league, would probably draft any of the guys that you’ve listed as too high over the guys that you’ve listed as too low. We’ve most likely scene the peak seasons from Billups, Marion, and Brand. I think that we’ll continue to see their stats decline. I’ve posted before that Rudy’s 2nd season will go down as his peak season but he is only 23 and could certainly bounce back. The too low guys are all still on the way up towards their peak stat years. Of course circumstances and opportunity can certainly change for these young players in the next 2 months due to the draft, trades, & free agent signings but, at this point, I think more highly of them for keeper & dynasty leagues.
Bynum is definitely too high. I play in a keeper league and I’d still prefer Tyrus, KG, or Duncan over him. He looked so lost during the playoffs, like he was a rookie all over again.. It was pretty sad.
My list of overrated players:
6) Dwight Howard – If Amare can get back to blocking 2+ a game, I’d much rather have him than Dwight.
14) Devin Harris – SportsCenter is so in love with this guy. I think it has something to do with trying to make Mark Cuban look bad. But anyways, Harris’ overall numbers are almost identical to Tony Parker’s. So why is Harris #14 and Parker #47?
17) Derrick Rose – He was put on the poll right as the Boston/Chicago series started. He had 2 great games and I can’t say I was surprised to see him run away with this spot. But in my opinion he needs to be down closer to Russell Westbrook.
18) Josh Smith – This guy is a bum. He’s just going to frustrate whoever takes him in the 2nd round. Not worth the risk.
22) Joe Johnson – His best years are behind him. He always fades away in the 2nd half, so if you do draft him be sure to sell high when he’s averaging 24 ppg in December.
28) David Lee – Dwight Howard minus the 3 blocks a game. He averaged 11 pts, 9 reb in his 2 seasons prior to D’Antoni. 16 pts, 12 reb with D’Antoni. Not a coincidence. David Lee isn’t 3rd round value, especially if he leaves the Knicks.
33) Monta Ellis – What is the justification for this?? He’s had a serious injury, Nelson is crazy, and GS has so many players in their rotation. He’s had one pretty solid season. But a career 16/3.5/3.5 guy isn’t worth being drafted here.
34) Andris Biedrins – Too inconsistent to be drafted this early. I had him for a few weeks last season and he’d average 18 pts, 14 rebounds for 5 games in a row, then he’d completely disappear over the next 5 games. Very frustrating. Brandon Wright and especially Anthony Randolph are starting to emerge.
41) Paul Millsap – He’s a solid player, but I don’t think he’s capable of playing starters minutes for a full season. And there are too many really good players available that I’d rather have than Millsap right here.
Yes, after his vanishing act in the playoffs, Bynum appears to be too high. In his defense though, the Lakers most likely rushed him back for the playoffs from a pretty serious knee injury. His conditioning was nowhere near where it needed to be and his minutes and production were way down as a result. I urge everyone to look at Bynum’s 5 game stretch from Jan 22 – Jan 30 (his last full game before the injury). The guy was a monster and seemed to finally be putting it all together in his 4th NBA season at the very young age of 21.
Also, despite all the post championship nice talk, I would be surprised to see Odom back next year. He’s not going to take that huge of a pay cut and accept limited minutes in the 6th man role again. The Lakers just committed big $$ to Bynum that kicks in next season. They are not going to pay top $$ for both Ariza and Odom and then have Bynum play 20 minutes a night with his huge contract. I’d rather pay Ariza less to start at SF. Bynum is going to last well past pick 16 but do not be afraid to take him in round 4 or 5. He will end up being a steal.
With regards to Millsap, let’s wait and see how the Boozer situation unfolds. If Boozer opts out and signs somewhere else then the Jazz are obviously going to match any offer for Millsap and make him their starting PF. With Deron running the show, Millsap will have a huge year and his ranking will end up looking too low in retrospect. Now, the Jazz could draft some like Hansborough or Blair if they slip to them and this could put a dent in his minutes but I still think Millsap has a huge year if Boozer leaves.
Lastly, I agree that Rose is too high. However, Rose definitely has more fantasy upside than Westbrook and certainly had better stats at the end of the year and in the playoffs. If you want to move Rose into the 30′s then Westbrook needs to be bumped off this list. I don’t want to start this argument with you again but just because Westbrook’s one of your keeper’s doesn’t mean he’s going to be a fantasy stud.
I’d love to see the lakers give odom and ariza nice fat contracts. Then when they enevitably get complacent we’d have a nice core of Bynum, Odom, Ariza, Walton, and Vujacic all getting overpaid. Hillarious.
Lopez is definitely NOT underrated. Center-eligible players are rare enough, but Lopez was #24 on Basketball Monster’s cumulative end-of-year rankings. He shoots for a high percentage from both the field (53%) and the line (79%) and with a modest 10% increase in points and rebounds, Lopez’s line is in the 14.5-9 range. That’s sneaky good.
I agree with Ashley’s assessment of Parker vs. Harris. I would also add that even with Parker’s experience in the limelight, he is only 9 months older than Harris.
I disagree that Gay is underrated. Let’s compare him to guys ranked slightly above him: Kevin Martin and Gerald Wallace
Gay: 18.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.1 3pg, 1.2 spg, 0.8 bpg, 45 FG%, 77 FT%, 2.6 topg, 23 years old, bad team
Martin: 24.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.3 3pg, 1.2 spg, 0.2 bpg, 42 FG%, 87 FT%, 2.9 topg, 26 years old, bad team
Wallace: 16.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.7 apg, 0.6 3pg, 1.7 spg, 0.9 bpg, 48 FG%, 80 FT%, 2.1 topg, 27 years old, sneaky decent team
If you look at the values of each stat, points, assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks effectively cancel each other out. So, you are looking at Gay’s turnover and FG% advantages against Martin’s 3pt and FT% advantage. Not only are Martin’s much more significant, Gay’s advantages are probably temporary. Historically, Martin has had better FG% and I think with Hawes and Thompson demanding more defensive support, Martin will have slightly higher quality looks. Also, Sacramento’s point guard play can’t get any worse, right?
Wallace’s advantages are so large that comparing him to Gay is actually an affront. Wallace’s frenzy steals pace and Gay’s turnover numbers are much more important than their raw numbers might make you believe.
Sure, Rose and Rondo have inflated rankings due to playoff hype and Bynum due to Hollywood hype, but I wouldn’t raise Gay’s ranking to compensate. Gay’s numbers are comparable (I might argue inferior) than Charlie Villanueva and Josh Howard, guys who weren’t even close to sniffing the top 50 and aren’t much older than Gay.
Gay has too much upside. Like we said a few weeks ago, he’s had an amazing season and he’s had a pretty mediocre season.. Putting him at #30 on the list is acceptable because he could easily be a top 25 player and no one would be surprised. But if he has a 2nd straight mediocre season, that could suggest that he’s not the potential superstar that some people thought. The Grizzlies went through a lot of changes last season.. Give him a chance to adjust.
I can’t say he’s underrated or overrated, he’s basically a “?”. He was on my team a couple years ago when he was great, so I’m in the camp that says don’t give up on Gay.
As for Brook Lopez, I think you meant to say he’s not “overrated” redmurph. But I agree with you. It’s hard for me to understand why someone would say he’s ranked too high at #21 after finishing his rookie season at #24 overall. He’s not flashy, but he gets the job done. Very consistent and a 7 footer who can shoot FTs at almost 80% is a huge bonus. And it’s obviously reasonable to expect his production to increase over the next few years.
Yeah, I meant to say that Lopez was not overrated. Thanks for clarifying.
I have had Gay the last two seasons. While not many players can boast of having the upside of 1 block, steal, and 3 per game, I cannot be confident of Gay’s future. Granted, I am as much fed up with Memphis than I am Rudy. While I have not watched many Grizzlies games, I do know OJ Mayo’s game and I cannot imagine a tougher guy for Gay to play with. They are very similar in temperaments and I just don’t see this working well without strong management. In a redraft or keeper league, I would rather have Rashard Lewis’s attempt for the 1/1/1 than Gay’s.
What do you guys think about Jeff Green as a keeper? I have always liked him and strongly feel that he will be an all star in OKC.
first off, it might be tough for him to ever really break out in OKC considering the level of talent they have around him. i probably think less of him than most – i don’t quite see the high ceiling that many others do. 45% FG and 6.7 reb in 37 mpg is not very good for a PF (his playing out of position is another story) and his AST:TO has been a real disappointment given his rep coming out of college. how the three-point shot develops could ultimately determine his fantasy fate
Bah. Why is Dirk rated so much lower than Kobe? Dirk is putting up better numbers, he’s the same age as Kobe, and for his career he has played fewer minutes than Kobe. The way I see it, Dirk is the better pick for keeper leagues.
Is this thing going to be updated? It should, because people could use a way to gauge the trade value of their players in keeper leagues. Anyway, Derrick Rose is rated MUCH too high (he doesn’t hit threes, and basically he just sucks overall)… Monta Ellis is much too high (vastly overrated player who has never justified his hype in any way)… and Brandon Jennings is clearly a glaring omission from these ratings. Oh and Yao is way too high, he’s much too risky as a keeper pick.
Oh I see, these are consensus ratings. Well, why doesn’t Buser post his own keeper ratings and update them periodically? Would be very helpful IMO.
Where would Brandon Jennings and Tyreke Evans be ranked? 40 – 50?
a lot of ones i dont agre w/ but rose and harris really stand out so high. also dont like deron so high (really would anyone take him before dirk in any format?). Also I know Duncan is old, but I think he goes before 49 the rest of years until an announced retirement. Butler could be a bargain again if he falls any lower.
Hey Matt,
Are you going to do this again for the 2010-2011 season?
doesnt seem like a bad idea does it?
Not at all, do you think we’ve got enough traffic on the site still to do it?
http://busersports.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1862
check out those forums baby! that’s what they are there for