Slickest Player from Every NBA Team

Even though the NBA lockout is ruining my ability to get any kind of happiness from the professional basketball world, I'm not letting that get me down.

College basketball is starting to gear up and with both football seasons starting to wind down, it's certainly not a boring time for sports. I'm missing the NBA, but I'm not hurting for it yet.

One of the things I've used to keep the basketball side of me under control and happy is with the endless number of Youtube highlights that I'll waste an hour with easily. I enjoy going through young players to see who they look like and what kind of player they could become.

The thing I've been taking a look at most recently is the smooth offensive players on each team, and which ones just seem impossible to stop.

So, I've put my mindless staring at a computer screen to use and decided to run down the slickest looking players from each team for your reading pleasure.

Atlanta Hawks: Jeff Teague

The Atlanta Hawks have a nice young point guard who just started coming out of his shell near the end of last season, and if that's any indication of what's to come, then they've solved their point guard problem.

While he still needs some work learning to run an NBA style offense, his ability to run through and around a defense with his speed and footwork is impressive.

Boston Celtics: Rajon Rondo

At this point, I think it might be better for the Celtics offense that Rajon Rondo can't shoot from a long range.

With all the space the defense gives him to get going, he is able to penetrate, and then in one smooth motion decide to attack the rim, dish to a cutter or kick it back out to the perimeter.

Charlotte Bobcats: Kemba Walker

Sure, he has yet to step foot on an NBA court, but that doesn't stop him from being the smoothest, most slippery player on the Bobcats.

Although he has yet to sign a contract, the Bobcats are so dismantled that there's little competition when it comes to the slickest player on their court.

Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose

Watching Derrick Rose never ceases to amaze.

He's got nearly all the decision-making qualities of Rajon Rondo with all the athleticism of Russell Westbrook. He's an unorthodox point guard, sure, but he's a slick young player nonetheless. 

Cleveland Cavaliers: Ramon Sessions

While he's not great at running an offense at this point in his career, Ramon Sessions is still an effective offensive weapon.

By far he is the best Cavalier at slicing and dicing his way through the lane to either get the shot he wants or distract the defense for his teammates. Plus, he can unleash that devastating floater at any moment.

Dallas Mavericks: JJ Barea

For a change of pace third guard, JJ Barea makes a huge impact on the Dallas Mavericks.

It's been ages since I can remember seeing a little guy such as himself with the ability to get into the lane and score so easily, while still pestering the other team on defense with some regularity.

Denver Nuggets: Arron Afflalo

For a guy who was originally thought to be no more of a threat on offense than as an outside shooter, Arron Afflalo has gone quite a long way over the past few years.

He is now able to impose his will on opponents, displaying an array of moves on offense that are able to fool and confuse the other team, plus he is able to do the same thing on defense.

Detroit Pistons: Brandon Knight

Another guy who has yet to lace up a set of sneakers for his team, but Brandon Knight built his reputation at Kentucky on being able to slip and slide around the court.

Knight may not have played a game yet, but I'm convinced that he'll end up translating well, and the Pistons will be happy to have him.

Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry

When it comes to silky smoothness and crafty players, the Golden State Warriors are ripe with talent, but Stephen Curry takes the cake over all of the currently locked out Warriors.

Curry is so thin and in control of his body that he's able to contort himself at will and get to any spot on the floor, no matter who is guarding him, with relative ease.

Houston Rockets: Kevin Martin

The Houston Rockets are an interesting team, and they seem to have every weird niche filled when it comes to basketball. They've got (or at least had) the undersized center with Chuck Hayes, the intense forward with Luis Scola, the all-offense, no-defense star with Kevin Martin and, of course, the guy who looks like he should be a CPA and not a basketball player with Chase Budinger.

Martin fills that all-offense role with his ability to fool defenders while also having the speed and athleticism to outrun or out-muscle them if necessary.

Indiana Pacers: Darren Collison

While he may not end up being the savior that the Pacers thought he was going to be, Darren Collison is still looking like he's going to end up being a serviceable point guard for years to come.

Collison has a smooth style about him that he uses to stay in control at all times and allows him to penetrate quite well for a guy his size.

Los Angeles Clippers: Eric Gordon

One of the most rapidly-improving players in the league, Eric Gordon is a nice and smooth offensive player who is going to end up becoming a huge part of the Clippers success, if it ends up happening.

Gordon is a bit of a stretched out point guard, so he knows how to handle the ball, but he's more of a shooting guard by trade, so he knows how to shoot as well, which makes him an incredible offensive weapon.

Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant

The one constant over the past decade for the Los Angeles Lakers, who have been a team of tumult, has been Kobe Bryant.

Whether they've been good or average (they've never been bad, even if Lakers fans like to complain about the Smush Parker years), Kobe has been slithering all over the court and then striking when the time arises.

Memphis Grizzlies: Rudy Gay

While they have a few other players that could easily contend for this title, as OJ Mayo is quite slippery himself and Mike Conley is rather deceptive, I find Rudy Gay to be the best of both worlds at times.

While he isn't an amazing ball-handler, he is good enough to use the dribble to get through the lane and dip and duck around defenders like it's his job.

Miami Heat: Dwyane Wade

While LeBron James is the most talented player on the Heat, he does it more with an organized chaos of a runaway freight train that is at the same time completely under control. It's impressive and entertaining, but it's not the same slick style that Wade plays with.

Dwyane Wade is able to move much more smoothly than LeBron, and in doing so he doesn't create the same amount of attention, but he still gets the job done.

Milwaukee Bucks: Brandon Jennings

Brandon Jennings has had an up-and-down couple of years, looking like the second coming of Oscar Robertson in MIlwaukee (Milwaukee Oscar couldn't rebound very well) and other times looking like a limping version of Quinn Buckner.

However, when Jennings is on, he is able to scoot his way around the floor like no other player in this league.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Kevin Love

How can basketball playing Private Pyle be a slick player? Watch him rebound.

This may sound ridiculous, but I honestly just spent the last ten minutes watching Kevin Love rebounding highlights on Youtube (good lord this lockout needs to end. I'm like a meth addict huffing gasoline at this point.), and when you watch Kevin Love rebound it's no different than watching Steve Nash scoot around a defender.

Okay, so it's slightly different, but Love has a nose for the ball that tells his body where to go, and he always ends up in the perfect spot for the rebound, never looking like he's out of control while he's doing it either. 

New Jersey Nets: Deron Williams

Deron Williams wins the Williams-Chris Paul debate on one part. He is the smoother offensive point guard.

His shiftiness and ability to sell a fake is a huge reason why he's able to get into the lane so often and devastate opponents with the ball in his hand.

New Orleans Hornets: Chris Paul

Deron Williams may be the silkier player, but he's not that far ahead, and he's not the better player overall (although that's a debate for another day).

Chris Paul is almost as good with the ball in his hands as Williams is, but he is also smoother on defense, usually able to get around screens with relative ease while keeping his man in his sights and never losing him.

New York Knicks: Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony is a much more methodical kind of slick when compared to the rest of the guys on this list.

Anthony is able to break down most players in the league much like Michael Jordan was able to, using his enemies weaknesses as his strengths, rather than using his strengths to overpower them and take to the lane like many players do these days.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Russell Westbrook

There has been a rumble and a grumble here and there from some people around the basketball world that Russell Westbrook is on the verge of overtaking Kevin Durant as the best player on the Thunder, but for now he'll have to settle for silkiest. 

Westbrook's guile with the ball is one of his most rapidly improving traits, which makes him able to more easily justify keeping the ball in his hand as much as he does.

Orlando Magic: Jameer Nelson

With the Magic, it was easy to pick their silkies player, as all of their players are either old and decaying, are Dwight Howard, who is about as silky as wool, and Jameer Nelson.

Nelson isn't a particularly smooth point guard compared to some of the other guys in the league, but he's not a rough one either. He's kind of right in the middle of the pack.

Philadelphia 76ers: Andre Iguodala

Andre Iguodala is about as smooth a guy as you will see in the NBA. He's smooth on the court, sure, with a fluid offensive game and a rugged, yet not overly intense defensive game that gets the job done.

However, he's also smooth in other areas of the game, easily transitioning into becoming a leader over the past few years and even handling the constant trade rumors in stride.

Phoenix Suns: Steve Nash

For years now Steve Nash has built a legacy on being an amazing offensive player, so much so that people are able to overlook his defensive shortcomings and admire what they see in him as a player.

His offense is so smooth that it has held the Suns together through thick and thin, through different styles of coaching and different offensive focal points, the Suns were able to hold strong because of Steve Nash smoothing everything out.

Portland Trail Blazers: Raymond Felton

The Trail Blazers traded for Raymond Felton before the league locked out, and I'm kind of on the fence about this move.

On the one hand it gives them a new young point guard who is very good on offense, but on the other hand it gets rid of Andre Miller, a crafty veteran with at least three years of top-notch play left in the tank.

Sacramento Kings: Tyreke Evans

The young Kings point guard is looking to be the future of their team, and if you look at his offensive game it's not hard to believe that he could be.

Sure, he's a bit of a black hole on offense, but he can do that because he knows what to do with the ball in his hands, and he is able to slip into the paint from the perimeter with relative ease.

San Antonio Spurs: Manu Ginobili

There will be 25 next Kobes, 15 next Shaqs, 10 next Michael Jordans and five next Hakeems before there is another Manu Ginobili.

Ginobili is able to promenade around the court like nobody I've ever seen play this game before, slip and slide around defenders while dribbling the ball in five different directions, but still look like he's in control of himself.

It's rare to see that kind of organized chaos on the court.

Toronto Raptors: DeMar DeRozan

Another young up-and-comer who has a chance to be a superstar one of these days, DeMar DeRozan showed off his slick moves to the world in the last two dunk contests, only to be screwed both times.

DeRozan is still working on becoming a more well-rounded player, but on offense he is looking like a nearly completed project.

Utah Jazz: Ronnie Price

This man doesn't see the playing time that he deserves on the Jazz as of right now, but I'm convinced that if he keeps doing what he's doing then he'll get more time on the court.

Price could benefit from someone teaching him a bit more about shot selection, but when he's on the court and on the top of his game he's able to move around with ease and rise up out of nowhere to throw down a thunderous dunk.

Washington Wizards: John Wall

One of the most disappointing aspects of this lockout is the fact that we are missing out on any kind of continuity from one season to the next when it comes to John Wall.

He turned heads all season long as he was constantly juking and jiving his way around the floor and leaving defenders in his tracks with some of his nifty moves.

If you are one of those twitterers, you can follow me @JDorsey33.