Slightly tougher now than a couple of years ago (but only at home), and a much more willing rebounder, Nowitzki is still, essentially, an oversized jump shooter.

Defenders who can get up in Dirk’s grill and move their feet neutralize Dirk’s ability to pull and shoot going left, and only the weakest of post defenders have difficulty pushing Dirk around near the shadow of the basket. Combined with the inability to rouse his troops when all the chips are on the table, and a complete lack of defense, Dirk barely cracks the Top Ten.

11) Shawn Marion—Miami Heat

Marion is a smart, athletic, forward who slashes to the rim like a blade, utilizing superior quickness and hops to excel in transition and in early offense. If undersized, Marion is a gutsy defender who’ll accept the responsibility of defending a team’s best player, and is as good at defending his own man as he is in coming over from the weak side to block a shot.

Because of a below average jumper, and a lack of size, Marion isn’t the type of player who can consistently get off a quality shot at the basket on a regular basket, therefore, he isn’t really a franchise player.

Also, he’s developed a reputation for grumbling in the locker room and for putting himself above his teammates. What else does it say when he desired to be traded from the first place Suns, to the going-nowhere Heat last season?

12) LaMarcus Aldridge—Portland Trail Blazers

A touch soft, Aldridge is a young, rising player with a soft right hook over his left shoulder, a feathery mid range jumper, and the ability to get low and move his feet on defense, allowing him to defend quicker, faster players along the perimeter.

As the number of years in the league and the muscles in his upper body increase, so too will his spot on the list.

13) Rashard Lewis—Orlando Magic

Lewis is a versatile player who adapts his game to the role his team needs him to perform. In Orlando, Lewis is a long-range bomber who spaces the floor so Hedo Turkoglu and Dwight Howard can operate one-on-one, and to make help defenders travel extra long journeys to tag the players they’re sent to double.

Besides being a prolific shooter, Lewis is a strong rebounder for a small forward miscast as a power forward, can post up, is a decent defender, and is a willing, if turnover prone, passer. He’s not worth the exorbitant contract Orlando gave him last summer, but perhaps the spacing he’s opened up for his teammates is.

14) Marcus Camby—Los Angeles Clippers

Camby is a test as to which fans and media members do their homework and watch basketball games, and which simply base their opinions by looking at box scores.

Camby’s athleticism allows him to outrace or outleap landlocked rebounders to loose balls, and he’s clearly a talented shot-blocker, but that’s where his positive attributes end.

Because Camby’s constantly drooling over shot-blocking opportunities, he often focuses all his defensive attention on potential paint penetrations, losing track of his own man under the basket. Also, he overreacts wildly to ball penetration, again, resulting in open looks for his primary defensive responsibility.

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