Derrick Rose, Kevin Love, LeBron James and the Best Players to Start a Team with

With many teams led by young players who will be the faces of their franchises for years to come, the NBA is going through an exciting time right now.

Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, LeBron James of the Miami Heat, and Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves, are just a few players who general managers would love to build an expansion team around.

These players excel at many different skills, helping them influence their teams in more than one way at both ends of the floor.

Let's look at the 10 players who general managers would most want to start a franchise with, starting with No. 10, John Wall.

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10) John Wall

John Wall is a great player for two reasons: He is talented in basketball skill, and is a humble guy who is willing to learn.

Wall is an excellent passer and has blazing fast speed in the open court. He also has great hands defensively.

After a great start to the season, Wall kind of fell off the national radar, largely due to Blake Griffin's rookie excitement.

But Wall is still having a tremendous season, and should give Griffin a battle for the Rookie of the Year award. Wall still leads all rookies in assists per game.

His playmaking and offensive skills, in addition to his great quickness make him an ideal point guard to build a team around.

9) Blake Griffin

an NBA official video

Blake Griffin is an athletic freak. He is playing at a high level mostly due to pure athleticism.

In many ways, Griffin is similar to Dwight Howard when he came in as a rookie big man. Once Griffin improves his offensive game, and becomes a better post-player, he will be a near unstoppable force.

Griffin has improved his outside shot since joining the NBA, and is also improving defensively.

When Griffin fine tunes the fundamental skills of the NBA, he will be an amazing player, and a guy to build a team around in any system.

8) Russell Westbrook

an NBA official video

Russell Westbrook, along with Kevin Durant, is a major reason the Oklahoma City Thunder are a NBA Finals competitor right now and for the next five to seven years.

Westbrook has great speed and floor vision, and is a great rebounder. Westbrook is also a triple-double threat every night.

He has improved his offensive game tremendously this season, having the ability to shoot from the outside and drive to the basket with authority.

Westbrook's all-around game helps his team in so many ways, and makes him an ideal choice to start a franchise with.

7) Rajon Rondo

Rondo during 2010 ECSF vs. Cleveland

Rajon Rondo is the second best point guard in the NBA, and is one of the best all-around players at any position.

Rondo is tied with LeBron James for most triple-doubles this season, and currently leads the NBA in assists.

Rondo is an exquisite passer and a fabulous rebounder. Scoring is not a big part of his game, but when he either wants to, or needs to score, he can.

Many around the league marvel about how smart Rondo is too.

Rajon is one of the best defensive players in the entire league, leading the NBA in steals last season, and is the league-leader this season ahead of Chris Paul.

Rondo is the best "true" point guard in the league, and will surely earn many more All-NBA first team defense selections in his career.

6) Kevin Love

Kevin Love is a double-double machine.

He has earned 59 double-doubles this season, and his streak of 50 straight games with a double-double is just one behind Moses Malone's record.

Love will likely break the record tonight vs. the 76ers.

Kevin Love is not only a fantastic rebounder, he a very capable low-post scorer who has a very good repertoire of post moves.

In addition to his 59 double-doubles this season, Love has eleven 20-20 games of points and rebounds this season.

Love is a young player who is humble, and very talented. He is a great player to build a team around because he will consistently give you points, rebounds, and has a high basketball IQ.

5) Amare Stoudemire

Amare Stoudemire brings tremendous excitement and energy to any team. He is a great offensive player, and can score effectively from inside the paint and with his much improved mid-range shot.

Stoudemire is not known for his defensive abilities, but his defense has improved throughout his career.

He is an improved rebounder, and can block shots well too. 

Stoudemire's ability to run the pick-'n-roll well makes him a great player to pair with a true point guard.

His versatility is also a valuable thing for general managers to consider when choosing a player to build a team around.

Amare can play both center, and power forward positions on defense and offense.

4) LeBron James

LeBron James is an all-around player who is perhaps the most talented guy in the NBA.

At 6'8" and 250 pounds, James is a unique combo of great strength and exhilarating quickness.

He is one of the better passing forwards of our generation, and can play and defend both the guard and forward positions.

James' struggles come up when the game is on the line, and he is not assertive enough in late-game situations.

But his late-game struggles can get better with experience and with better coaching. 

LeBron is the total package, and brings the most value to any team. He is a great scorer, and his All-NBA defense adds to an impressive list of skills that make him a one-of-a-kind player.

3) Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant became the NBA's youngest scoring champion ever last season, just beating out LeBron James.

In 2011, Durant has become more of a team player, looking for his teammates' offense more than last season.

But Durant still leads the league in scoring with 28.4 points per game despite allowing teammate and point guard Russell Westbrook to blossom into a superstar.

In addition to his scoring ability—both from anywhere on the floor and the foul line (Durant is a near 90 percent FT shooter, and is among the leaders in FT attempts per game)—Durant can rebound very well.

His great athleticism and dedication to basketball also makes him a very coachable player.

Durant is the most humble of superstars, and is dedicated to bringing Oklahoma City multiple NBA titles.

Author's Note: You have to watch the video with this slide, and hear Kevin Durant's quote that all people should live by. Earlier in the year, Durant posted this video on his official Facebook page. 

2) Derrick Rose

Derrick Rose is the best point guard in the NBA, and should win the 2011 NBA MVP award. 

Rose took his game to the next level this season, shouldering the scoring burden all season for the Chicago Bulls, while being an effective playmaker too.

Rose can score going to the basket in traffic, and from the outside with his improved jump shot. Rose is also becoming a much better defensive player, as well as a better free-throw shooter.

When the Bulls were hit with injuries to key players early in the season, Rose became the No. 1 option offensively, while maintaining a consistent and effective role as point guard.

One of Rose's best qualities is his play against the NBA's elite.

Rose and the Bulls have beaten Miami three times this season, as Rose played very well in each game versus the Heat's superstar-trio.

Rose is a multi-dimensional point guard, and a leader on the court. He is the perfect point guard to start a franchise around.

1) Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard is the most dominating player at the most important position in the NBA.

Howard is a true center, and his defensive skill changes games—making opponents think twice before entering the paint.

When he first came into the league, Howard was very raw offensively, and relied on his amazing athleticism to carry him at the offensive end.

But over the years he has become a quality low-post scorer, adding different moves to his repertoire each offseason.

If his mid-range shot improves like it has been, he'll be extremely difficult to stop.

Howard is a great rebounder, and always leads the league—or is among the league leaders—in rebounding and blocked shots.

With Howard's great offensive and defensive abilities, in addition to his passion for the game, he is the player general managers should select first when building a team.

Every great team needs a great big man. At a young age with so much more room for improvement in an already stellar skill-set, Dwight Howard is the player to build a consistent winner around.

Agree with My List? Who Missed the Cut?

Several players barely missed my list for a variety of reasons.

Carmelo Anthony, Rudy Gay, and Monta Ellis were close, but each of them are a liability on defense, and do not offer the range of skills needed to impact a team in a multitude of ways.

Players such as Pau Gasol, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Manu Ginobili, Dirk Nowitzki, and others were also not chosen because they are either too old, have a history of injuries, or lack success being the face of a franchise.

Did I miss a player, or did I rank a player too low or high? Let me know in the comment box.