NBA Rankings: Ranking the Rankings Themselves (the Lockout Made Me Do It)

It's the beginning of November and the NBA season is supposed to be starting. Instead, there is nothing but talk of the lockout and who gets how much Basketball Related Income (BRI).

For writers all over the world who cover basketball, that leaves very little to be written about that is actually relevant to the basketball world.

So what does that leave us to do with our time? Rankings!

As sports fans, we just can't resist. At the end of the day there is always a winner, and thus our competitive nature forces us to rank and re-rank every aspect of the game.

At a time like this, the number of NBA rankings in the media and blogosphere is at an all-time high.

And so, without further ado, here are the top five best rankings.

5. Greatest Players Never to Win a Championship

Few subjects are more fun to debate than trying to rank those players who never made it to the promised land.

Why?

Because we not only get to reminisce about all of the great players that left the game with a broken heart, but we also challenge ourselves to find other ways to rank them other than the obvious go-to of "how many rings did they get?"

This ranking also tends to let us run wild with theories on why a certain player never made it, and if they perhaps played in another time or on a different team, whether they might have won.

We also get to go over moments like the 2007 Spurs-Suns series in which some claim that the Suns should've been the victors and Steve Nash, one of the game's greats would now have a ring.

Is this really true? Who cares! It's a fun debate that passes the time and lets Suns fans vent!

There are few other rankings that conjure up so many hypothetical situations in which hypothetical champions are crowned. And for that, this ranking certainly earns its spot.

4. Greatest Defenders of All Time

One of the best debates ever has to be about defense.

Why?

Because defense is so hard to quantify. Whether or not you simply go by the stats, there is always still plenty left to be desired. Any NBA fan knows that there is much more to defense than blocks, rebounds and steals.

Guys like Bruce Bowen, who have never been much for statistics, have proven over and over again how much defense is based on subjectivity and actually watching a player play.

Oh, and of course there is plenty of room for hypotheticals. What if Russell played in today's game? What if they had recorded blocks when he was playing?

A lot of this debate comes down to how you define great defense. Is it about on-the-ball pressure? How someone controls the paint? Is it better if they are a great help defender or better guarding one on one?

Needless to say, the criteria for being a great defender is often up to the person you ask. And that always makes for an entertaining ranking.

3. Greatest Team of All Time

This has to be one of the best rankings ever.

Why?

Because so many of us care about the team aspect. Who was the best collection of players to battle on the court together? Who had the best chemistry? What was the reason any team was as successful as it was?

When it comes down to it, many of us long for some kind of machine in which we can see the '96 Bulls play the '87 Lakers. Of course it won't ever happen, but we can still dream can't we?

It's true, basketball more than many other sports is dominated by individuals, but as fans we still have far greater pride in the team than in any singular player.

Whether you're from Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago or somewhere in between, you can't help but bask in the glory of your favorite team.

It's why we watch the game, and it always makes for a great debate.

2. Greatest Player of All Time

When it comes to the Greatest of All Time (GOAT), NBA fans tend to go insane.

Why?

Because we are obsessed with a league driven by stars. Ever since the beginning there have been debates on the best player in the game, from Russell, to Wilt, to Abdul-Jabbar, to Magic, to Jordan.

It's the ultimate question—who is the best? Which individual mastered the game like no other?

And if you aren't convinced this is a great debate, go onto any article that compares the greatest players to one another. Eventually you'll get someone who brings up LeBron, or Kobe, and the entire comments sections inevitably ends up in a war about who is the greatest or who can eventually become the greatest.

Why? Because every fan hopes to be living in the time when the greatest player walked the earth so that they can tell everyone else that they were there to witness it firsthand.

It is the ultimate way to turn our greatest heroes into something almost superhuman, and we just can't get enough.

1. The Greatest Rankings of All Time

How can any ranking top a ranking that consists of all the greatest rankings?

Impossible.

Unless of course you do a ranking of the ranking of the rankings. Did your head just explode?

So, this is the end of the ranking of the rankings, I hope you had as much fun as I did. Feel free to discuss any of the positioning of the rankings in the comment section (Why didn't Greatest Sidekicks make the list? How was Greatest Defenders not No. 3?).

However, I also have no problem turning this comment section into a place where people can vent about the lockout. After all, misery loves company!

Thanks for stopping by.

Sincerely,

Someone who has read a lot of rankings during this lockout and really wants basketball to come back.