Plus, Stoudemire’s never learned how to box out, never accepted physical contact, and has always expected praise without putting in the work. He’s one of the most physically talented, yet unjustly celebrated players in the league.

6) Chris Bosh—Toronto Raptors

Bosh is soft, a below-average defender, a mediocre passer, a so-so rebounder, and all finesse.

What he does well is drive along the left baseline with his left hand to use his long strides and arms to gain space to flick in an assortment of nifty layups and hook shots.

Bosh can also hit jumpers out to 20-feet and will run the court looking to catch defenses before they set. If a defender is too short, or too slow, Bosh can put up prodigious numbers, but he’s really just an average NBA star.

7) Pau Gasol—Los Angeles Lakers

Like Bosh, Gasol is too soft, and too finesse to be a truly elite big man in the NBA. However, Gasol is an exceptional passer, especially out of the high post, and his presence will allow a team’s off-ball movement and halfcourt offense to proliferate if it can take advantage of his passing skills.

Gasol uses his length and an array of effective pump fakes to set up his hook shots and step-throughs. His length allows him to be an effective rebounder when not muscled away from the ball, and a useful defender against offensive players that lack explosion, or teams that lack spacing. Still, Gasol’s overall defense is worse than Bosh’s and drops him on the list.

8) Carlos Boozer—Utah Jazz

Boozer’s elbow jumpers are automatic when given space, his drives from the elbow are unstoppable when he can attack his defender without help arriving, and his assaults on the backboard are primal in their ferocity.

However, Boozer is too short and not athletic enough to be a good defender, and he becomes tentative against long defenders with help shadowing him. He’s a quality player, but he isn’t explosive enough to be elite.

9) Ron Artest—Houston Rockets

The premier wing defender in the NBA, Artest actually defends the post even better than he defends the perimeter. This is because of his inner psychological makeup of never yielding an inch, never giving less than his best efforts, and never conceding anything to anybody.

Artest is also a capable shooter, can drive with either hand, and is a respectable playmaker who generally looks to make the correct pass.

However, the same inner psyche that makes Artest such a tenacious defender, is wound too tight for him to function sanely. He needs the ball in his hands to be useful offensively, and if he doesn’t get the ball, he’ll self-destruct.

He’ll take bad shots when the mood pleases him, will feud with coaches and players who don’t adopt his overly rugged style, and is immune to attempts to coach him. Nobody else in the league is at risk for imploding and destroying locker room harmony more so than Artest is at any given moment.

10) Dirk Nowitzki—Dallas Mavericks

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