Derrick Rose and the NBA's 10 Nastiest Crossover Artists

Over the past several years, the title of NBA's Best Ankle Breaker has been passed around like joints at a Cypress Hill concert.

The NBA is full of excellent perimeter players, nearly all of whom possess a deadly crossover, in one or more of its varying forms. Deciding who has the most consistent, effective and of course, humiliating set of moves is no easy task.

Dribbling gods Tim Hardaway, Allen Iverson and Jason Williams are long gone, but we are now witnessing the filthiest crop of crossover artists in NBA history.

The current list includes plenty of youth, two All-NBA teamers in their primes and even a couple of old white dudes.

So tape up those ankles, make sure the ice pack is close by and enjoy.

Manu Ginobili

Manu Ginobili is one of the most unique players in NBA history. We will see 10 Michael Jordan replicas (we already have Kobe and Dwyane Wade) before we get another Ginobili.

Ginobili, godfather of the popular "Euro-step," has been one of the league's craftiest players for a solid decade. Defenders assigned the daunting task of covering Ginobili must accept that they will get embarrassed on a regular basis.

This clip is vintage Ginobili: a misdirection behind-the-back dribble, followed by the famed Euro-step, an acrobatic finish and a passionate post-bucket celebration.

The NBA is a better place with Manu Ginobili, and the 34-year-old Argentenian will be sorely missed whenever he decides to retire.

Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo has been shattering Boston Celtics assist records as of late, and it's easy to see why.

The young point guard has incredible vision and creativity with the basketball, which leads to plenty of easy points for his teammates.

The Kentucky product is also pretty damn good at making defenders look bad, exhibit A being the nasty misdirection he ran on Steve Nash.

I know, I know, it's Steve Nash. But still, that's a grown man move right there.

Jamal Crawford

Jamal Crawford has always played the game with a streetball swagger, and his patented Shake 'n Bake move was clearly honed on the playground.

Crawford has some impressive achievements on his résumé, including dropping 50 points with three different teams, winning Sixth Man of the Year in 2010 and being the NBA's all-time leader in four-point plays with 24.

However, his greatest contribution to the game is definitely the Shake 'n Bake. Crawford is still the only NBA player who busts it out with regularity, but the move is now common in pick-up games everywhere.

It's incredibly tricky to complete without traveling, but when done right, it's a thing of beauty.

Just ask Deron Williams.

Steve Nash

Back in his MVP days, Steve Nash would have been at the top of this list, no questions asked.

Father Time has caught up with him a bit, but the 37-year-old Canadian has aged remarkably well thanks to a freakishly strict diet and workout regiment.

He's lost some of his quickness and routinely gets murdered on defense, but Nash is the league's most cerebral player with the ball in his hands.

It's simply unreal to watch him on the offensive end. He sees angles that aren't there and finds space that doesn't exist. It's horribly cliche, but the game seems to go in slow motion for Nash. His brain just operates on a different level.

As for that crossover he pulled on Chris Paul?

Ouch.

Monta Ellis

A lot of people hate on Monta Ellis and for fairly understandable reasons. He's a high-volume shooter, a combo guard and his numbers may be inflated because of the up-tempo, defense-be-damned system they run in Golden State.

But the simple truth is that only a very small handful of players are capable of scoring 25 to 30 points every single night, and Ellis is one of them. What he does is incredibly difficult, especially considering that he's just 6'3".

Ellis' skills are on display in this clip, where he kills J-Rich with the hesitation/misdirection move, then contorts his body to avoid the charge and finish the play.

Say what you want about his trigger-happy tendencies, Monta Ellis is a special, special player.

Brandon Jennings

Like Ellis, Jennings catches a lot of flak for being an inefficient, score-first point guard.

Critics say his style doesn't correlate to success. They say scoring point guards never win championships.

My response: so the f*** what?

It's not like he has to win a championship right away. The dude is 21 years old and has already accomplished some amazing things on an NBA court. He has plenty of time mature as a passer and ultimately, as a winner.

Until then, appreciate what he does right now. He competes hard every game, plays with an undeniable passion and gives the fans a show.

He also made Steph Curry look like a child.

Why can't that be enough?

Dwyane Wade

I'm going to take a somewhat uncommon stance and say that Dwyane Wade is the best basketball player on the planet.

Not the most talented. Not the most gifted. But the best.

Kobe's aging faster than Lakers fans will admit, Dwight Howard still has yet to develop a solid set of post moves and LeBron's fourth quarter vanishing acts this spring were simply baffling.

Wade's combination of athletic ability, competitiveness and mental toughness puts him a notch above all other NBA superstars. 

He also made Kevin Garnett look like a fool, and for that, I thank him.

Chris Paul

Only in New Orleans, home of Bourbon Street and Mardi Gras, could something this filthy be considered socially acceptable.

Sure, someone will probably point out that Anthony Carter is a registered member of the AARP. But that was three nasty crossovers in a two-second span.

I don't care who's guarding you, that's damn impressive.

It was incredibly hard to relegate CP3 to third on this list, especially after re-watching this clip about 30 times. But the next two guys are just ridiculous.

Deron Williams

Toney Douglas is no slouch. He's a tenacious on-ball defender, one of the very best in the game.

And Deron Williams just ruined him.

This is the quintessential D-Will crossover: switch hands multiple times to get the defenders' eyes moving, stutter step right, then pull it back left and bury the jumper.

Williams will do a variation of this move multiple times a game, and it always seems to work.

It takes a special player to embarrass elite defenders, and Williams does it on a nightly basis.

Derrick Rose

The 2011 NBA MVP is also the league's undisputed crossover king.

If that gorgeous behind the back wasn't enough to convince you, allow me to present some more evidence: this, this and this.

Case closed.