There is a temptation to put Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker on this list after what we all witnessed last night in Chicago. Think about it: Every NBA team – great, good or bad – had scouts and player personnel in attendance at the State Farm Classic, where Wiggins’ second half-heroics for Kansas outshined Parker’s 27-point effort for a Duke team that apparently has hired Andris Biedrins as its free throw shooting coach.
Even the most diehard NBA fans couldn’t help but switch over to the college games, which also featured a rare No. 2 vs. No. 1 matchup as Michigan State held off top-ranked Kentucky. In five years, we’ll have about eight guys from those two games somewhere on this list.
Meanwhile, in the NBA, we were treated subjected to four double-digit blowout games, allowing us all to tuck the remote control into the couch cushions so we could enjoy some college ball. Last time I remember doing that, I was watching Walter Berry and Chris Mullin play Pearl Washington and Jim Boeheim’s Syracuse Orangemen back when Boeheim had a full head of hair (with the combover).
The young NBA season has not gone exactly as predicted. The Tankapalooza teams (with the exception of the Utah Jazz) are sitting near the top of the conference standings. Philly has already beaten Miami. Phoenix is third (!) in the Western Conference.
The most compelling team to watch is the Indiana Pacers, who almost nobody (author raises hand as a dissenter) picked to win the NBA championship. They remain undefeated, they are atop virtually every NBA defensive ranking, and they are doing it despite the continued absence of Danny Granger and the day-to-day status of George Hill. If they can get to 10-0 with a road win Saturday night at Chicago, they may just be 19-0 by the time they enter a road back-to-back on Dec. 7-8 at San Antonio and Oklahoma City.
And in case you were wondering, the record for longest undefeated start to a season is 15-0 by the Washington Capitols in 1947 and the Houston Rockets in 1993.
On to the rankings.
| RANK | PLAYER | RUNDOWN | LAST |
| 1 |  |
PAUL GEORGE, G-F, INDIANA: This is the third year of these rankings, and we’ve never had a guy making a paltry $3.2 million atop the list. But y’all have to agree that he deserves it. His point totals in the 8-0 start have been 24, 32, 21, 31, 21, 23, 24, 23. His shooting is up from .419 last season to .479 this season. If his team wins the East, he can win this award. As Jan Hubbard noted, folks get tired of voting for the same guy as MVP over and over again. | – |
| 2 |  |
KEVIN LOVE, F, MINNESOTA: When the Wolves had the chance to lock him up for five years, former GM David Kahn balked. The thinking was that the lone five-year deal would be saved for Ricky Rubio, but Nikola Pekovic ended up getting it. In the weeks and months ahead, you can expect lots of speculation about Love leaving for Lakers as a free agent. Mark Heisler is already driving that bus. | – |
| 3 |  |
LeBRON JAMES, F, MIAMI: Would this guy have flatulated the kind of brain fart that Dwyane Wade did last weekend against Boston? Methinks not. Would the Miami media ever criticize Dwyane Wade for said brain fart? Hell no. Biggest Homers since Simpsons creator Matt Groening coined a name for the cartoon family patriarch. Will LBJ’s team ever catch the Pacers? That will remain a constant story line until it happens. | – |
| 4 |  |
TONY PARKER, G, SAN ANTONIO: How can he not be above LeBron, Spurs fans ask? Maybe I just hate the French (that is a joke). Maybe I’m still mad at Pop for blowing a championship by having Parker and Tim Duncan on the bench when the title was there to be taken. Maybe I am just stubborn. Or stupid (Both true, to varying degrees). Maybe I am a secret member of the Heat media cheerleader squad. Check back in the next rankings to see if Tony cracks the top three. (Can he keep shooting at a .534 rate?) | – |
| 5 | ![]("http://sheridanhoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/OKC_Durant_Kevin-e1352656994258.jpg "OKC_Durant_Kevin") |
KEVIN DURANT, F, OKLAHOMA CITY: Only guy in the Association averaging 30-plus points and has Russell Westbrook back as his running mate sooner than expected. But that duo cannot continue to average nearly nine turnovers and expect to be a championship contender. Not to belabor the point, but we’ll do it anyway: The James Harden trade will haunt this franchise for a decade, and it didn’t have to happen. As anyone in Seattle will tell you (as will Chris Bernucca in this column), Clay Bennett is a knucklehead. | – |
HONORABLE MENTION: LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland; Chris Paul, LA Clippers; James Harden, Houston; Roy Hibbert, Indiana; Anthony Davis, New Orleans.
OTHER RANKINGS: ROOKIES | MOST IMPROVED
Chris Sheridan is publisher and editor-in-chief of SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter.
Pek was a second round pick for the Wolves which have different contract ramifications. His 5 year deal does not preclude the Wolves from giving the 5 year deal to Ricky.
this tanking talk is tiresome. IF, a big if, but IF teams are really trying to lose, its idiotic. Since when has there ever EVER EVER EVER been anything close to accuracy in drafting? First off, I rank Randle and Jabari ahead of wiggens right now….but that could change. Exum is high too. But a kid like Sulaimon is a stud…….will translate well to the pros. Or jarnell stokes…..i mean Manu was drafted where? Faried where? Plumlee was laughed at as a pick and look at him now that he has been given a chance. Or where was bargnani drafted? You teach a culture of winning…….not losing. And if you end up with the 12th pick, its not like there wont be studs there next year.