Ranking the NBA's Best by Comparing Them to Properties in Monopoly

Often, it is very difficult to rank the top players in basketball because players are either at different stages in their career or they just have different playing styles.

So in comes Monopoly, the greatest and most popular board game. 

Why not rank NBA players by comparing them to properties from the famous board game?

It sounds crazy and confusing, but let's not waste any more time. Here are the best in the NBA as your favorite Monopoly properties.

If this list doesn't make you want to advance to Go and collect $200, then nothing will!

The Utilities: Lamar Odom and Ray Allen

Electric Company: Lamar Odom

Water Works: Ray Allen

Anyone who has played Monopoly knows that Electric Company and Water Works aren't going to give you the slightest chance to win games.

Even if a player has both properties, the chances of maximizing rent are very slim as someone has to roll a 12 and land on either Water Works or Electric Company for the property owner to get the highest possible payout.

The Utilities are like role players in basketball. They're not going to win games on their own, but when supplemented with other stars, they can provide a boost. 

Lamar Odom fits this mold because he was always the X-factor during the two Lakers championship runs. He would help push the Lakers over the top with his rebounding ability and physicality.

Ray Allen, alone in Milwaukee, wasn't able to win any rings, but when he went to Boston and was surrounded by Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, he was able to specialize into a three point shooter to help the Celtics win the title. 

Like the utilities, neither Odom and Allen will lead a team to championships, but they are good to have on your team and can be a force when used wisely. 

The Railroads: Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Kevin Garnett, Tony Parker

Reading Railroad: Tony Parker

Pennsylvania Railroad: Steve Nash

B&O Railroad: Jason Kidd

Short Line: Kevin Garnett

Railroads are one of the oldest modern form of transportation. They were around before cars. It seems like these four NBA legends were around before cars, too.

In Monopoly, railroads won't necessarily win the game, but if all four are owned, they can pretty much guarantee a high finish. 

The railroads are like great NBA veterans. They are very reliable and can help win games. When a team has multiple veterans on their team, they can make a deep playoff push because of the leadership and experience they bring to the locker room and the court.

At the end of the day, they need to be surrounded by more talented players in the locker room if they want to win a title at this point in their careers. They're not going to lead a team to a championship, but their veteran presence can keep composure in the locker room. 

Tony Parker, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd and Kevin Garnett have all experienced great days playing the game they love and have had great moments of success. At this point in their careers, though, they're not going to pave a path to a title. They are great pieces to have on a contending team. 

The Purples: LaMarcus Aldridge and Al Horford

Mediterranean: Al Horford

Baltic: LaMarcus Aldridge

Anyone playing Monopoly who thinks that they can win the game by merely having Mediterranean and Baltic is out of his mind. The rent on these properties is just too little to win the game. Even with hotels, these two properties at best make for a good supplementary monopoly; nothing more. 

Likewise, Al Horford and LaMarcus Aldridge will never bring titles to Atlanta and Portland, respectively, unless they are surrounded by better players. They are good guys to have on the team and might even make a few All-Star teams. But in terms of leading teams to titles, they're just not capable of doing that.

The Light Blues: Kevin Love, John Wall, and Blake Griffin

Oriental: Kevin Love

Vermont: John Wall

Connecticut: Blake Griffin

The light blues are a great monopoly to have in the game. Unless a player gets really lucky though and has multiple people land on their hotels on this property numerous times, then most likely they're not going to win the game. That being said, they can help a person win the game if acquired early and put them in a good position to win.

Kevin Love, John Wall, and Blake Griffin fit this mold because they are currently the three best young players in the game. They give their teams a chance to win. Without them, their team would be in the abyss for good. With their exemplary and dynamic play, they have given their fans hope for the future.

But for now, they are several pieces away of making their team a playoff contender. 

The Pinks: Pau Gasol, Carmelo Anthony, and Amare Stoudemire

St. Charles Place: Pau Gasol

States: Carmelo Anthony

Virginia: Amar'e Stoudemire

These properties are great to build on and the chances of winning the game increase dramatically when this trio is owned. They may not be close to being the best properties in the game, but they're going to give the player a chance to win.

Pau, Carmelo, and Amar'e exemplify these properties perfectly. They are mostly one-dimensional offensive players, especially Carmelo.

Sometimes their defense will be called into question by fans and critics, and they become a liability. Their liabilities may hinder their teams' chances to win, but their positive aspects are enough to give their team at least a chance to win. 

When paired with other stars, they are easily championship contenders. Pau Gasol didn't have much help in Memphis, but when he went to Los Angeles and was paired with Kobe Bryant, he won two rings. 

The Oranges: Zach Randolph, Russell Westbrook and Rajon Rondo

St. James Place: Zach Randolph

Tennessee: Russell Westbrook

New York: Rajon Rondo

Every Monopoly addict secretly knows that the orange properties are the best to build on. They provide the best bang for the player's buck. They're easy to build on at only $100 per house, but the rents are high.

Players who go to jail often end up landing on the oranges when they exit making it a valuable monopoly to have because of the frequency of landing on this trio of properties is high. 

Z-Bo, Westbrook, and Rondo may not be the highest paid in the league, but they provide a tremendous amount of value on the court. They tend to be highly underrated, too.

Randolph plays in small-market Memphis and does not get much pub. Westbrook often times is under his teammate Kevin Durant's shadow.

Finally, Rondo is a hard working, thick-skinned player who will never put highlight scoring performances, but instead makes players around him better because of his great court vision and work ethic. 

These are guys every team would love to build a championship team around. They're dependable, hard working and extremely talented. 

The Reds: Deron Williams, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul

Kentucky: Deron Williams

Indiana: Kevin Durant

Illinois: Chris Paul

Many Monopoly players absolutely love building on the reds. Like the oranges, they are in a prime location. Many players who go to jail eventually landing on the reds.

Plus, there's a Chance card that sends players to Illinois. The rents are pretty high but building on these babies is a bit more difficult. It's a lot easier winning with the reds if a player has the light blues, purples, and/or the railroads.

These three players represent the reds because of the fact that they are the best players on their teams. They're going to get plenty of All-Star appearances throughout their careers and could easily lead their respective team to a title one day.

They're not there quite yet though and their high salaries often handicap their team's ability to spend on other players. Williams, Durant and Paul don't play in the biggest market and in Paul's case, his team has had struggles in the past in selling tickets to games. 

That being said, it definitely won't be a surprise seeing any of these guys winning a title. If they had some veteran leadership like in Durant's case, or just some more help like in Williams' and Paul's case, then the chances of them winning a title would increase dramatically. 

The Yellows: Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade

Atlantic: Paul Pierce

Ventnor: Dirk Nowitzki

Marvin Gardens: Dwyane Wade

We've officially arrived to the big boy properties in Monopoly. Builders on Atlantic, Ventnor, and Marvin Gardens will often be disgruntled by the high price they're paying for their houses and hotels, but soon realize it was worth it after they reap the benefits. That being said, they won't help you win every time. In fact, more often then not they will find themselves heartbroken.

Pierce, Dirk, and Wade have all won titles. They have great talent, leadership, and experience and it definitely won't be a surprise to see these three win more titles in their career.

They're in the upper-echelon in terms of salary and throughout their careers have shown to their team and fans that they were worth their contracts. However, these guys only have one title each. They don't win titles all the time despite their talent. 

The Greens: Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, and LeBron James

Pacific: Derrick Rose

North Carolina: Dwight Howard

Pennsylvania: LeBron James

Anyone who plays Monopoly regularly has probably fallen for the sucker property that are the greens. They are too expensive to build on and it takes so long to have at least three houses on each. It'll take at least $1,800 to have three houses on these properties. By that time it may be too late.

This trio is just hard to build on and hard to win with. It may be wise to start with light blue or pink to save up some cabbage before building on the greens. 

Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, and LeBron James epitomize these three properties perfectly. As talented and as valuable as they are, they have one thing in common: zero rings.

Throughout their careers, they have never really had that much help on their team, with the exception of LeBron James, who finally got some help this year.

The Dark Blues: Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant

Park Place: Tim Duncan

Boardwalk: Kobe Bryant

These are the legendary properties in Monopoly. They not only have the highest rents, they signify strength, power, and domination.

Buying Boardwalk especially is enough to get a player back in the game if they are struggling early. Even the casual Monopoly player knows how powerful Boardwalk and Park Place are. 

Like the properties in the game, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan are easily the most legendary players in the game today. Combined, they have nine rings and they're hungry for more. They make others around them better and they can single-handedly take over games.

Duncan may be past his prime but his four rings are good enough to give him the Park Place spot. Kobe's all around dominance in the game of basketball over the past decade and a half makes him the most valuable player in basketball. 

Like Park Place and Boardwalk, every one would love to have these two on their team in a big playoff game and more likely than not they will not disappoint.