Ranking the Top 50 NBA Players We Can't Wait to Watch for the 2011-12 Season

Ladies and gentlemen, there are just 12 days left until Christmas. Oh, who am I kidding? Really, there are just 12 days left until the tipoff of the NBA season!

While there are plenty of players out there who still need a team to play on, I'm already geared up to see the free agents on their new teams and just who helps and who hurts their team.

I'm ready to see the Miami Heat and their new look, and hopefully I'm ready to see who is going to stop them from winning this year's title.

With a shortened season, we're going to have a very interesting first few weeks of teams just trying to piece together their lineups. This will give some lesser teams a chance to get out to a good start and even have a chance at the playoffs.

However, with so many players making things interesting this year, I'm mostly excited to see individuals rather than teams. Here I have the 50 players we here at B/R are most excited to see once the season tips off.

Also, a little precursor before you get into this meaty piece, let me defend leaving Chris Bosh off this list. Nobody is excited to see him yell after getting a tip-in in the second quarter. That's my least favorite thing about the Miami Heat, and it makes me dislike a guy that I've otherwise been fond of.

50. Brian Scalabrine

Call it a guilty pleasure—actually, no, call it a guilt-free pleasure—but I can't wait to see the White Mamba back in America.

He took his talents to Europe over the lockout and increased the size of his cult following, showing Italy why the people of America love him so much.

49. Kemba Walker

In the past few years, there have been few rookies coming into the league with as much passion and excitement for the game as Kemba Walker. I mean, when's the last time you saw a player cry after getting drafted?

Here's a guy who has realized his dream and will do whatever it takes to stay in the league.

The Bobcats aren't going to be a good team, but Walker and his new teammates should keep things interesting.

48. James Harden

Two years ago, Kevin Durant made the jump from star to superstar. Last season, Russell Westbrook made the jump from borderline star to borderline superstar. This season, I think we'll be seeing James Harden making a considerable jump.

If he continues to come off the bench, we could be talking about a player in consideration for the Sixth Man of the Year Award.

If they have him start, we could be looking at another guy that can average 20 points a night for the Thunder.

47. Jan Vesely

Besides his girlfriend, there are many things that make Jan Vesely an interesting rookie this season.

I don't expect him to compete for the Rookie of the Year Award or anything, but a player with his athleticism and size playing alongside John Wall is going to be exciting.

Beyond that, he's a 6'11" small forward that at any given time could be playing alongside a 6'11 Andray Blatche and a 7'0" JaVale McGee. How's that for interesting?

46. Tyreke Evans

The entire Sacramento Kings team entices me going into this season, let alone Tyreke Evans.

The Kings are a team full of young talent who could surprise everyone and make the playoffs with a little luck, or they could fall on their faces unable to coexist and share the basketball.

Either way, I'm intrigued to see what their best player, Tyreke Evans, does with all of the responsibility.

45. Jason Kidd

The old man keeps getting older, but he doesn't seem to be getting any worse.

Sure, he can't rebound as well as he used to be able to, but he still grabs a triple-double from time to time and just knows how to play basketball.

And I thought Ray Allen was aging well.

44. Chauncey Billups

After Chauncey Billups got waived by the Knicks, it looked like he was going to become a free agent and sign with whatever team he wanted, as he was ranting and raving, warning teams from picking him up.

However, before he became a free agent, the Clippers put a claim in on him.

It's going to be interesting to see if he becomes a disturbance for the Clips, or if he stays happy playing with the young, exciting Blake Griffin.

43. Pau Gasol

After a depressing couple of playoff series against the Hornets and Mavericks, followed by a summer and fall where he was rumored to be a part of a deal for Dwight Howard and then nearly getting traded to Houston, it's going to be interesting to see if he comes back better or depressed.

Whether he falls flat on his face or rebounds to turn into a tough player, it will be interesting to see Gasol play this season.

42. Andre Iguodala

Season after season, Andre Iguodala is involved in some sort of trade rumor. And season after season he marches through it with the utmost professionalism and continues to become a better player.

This season, he could finally get traded, or he could stay on the Sixers. Either way, I'll be interested to see if he continues to play defense that merits at least a look for inclusion on the All-Defensive First Team.

41. Amar'e Stoudemire

On his own, Amar'e Stoudemire doesn't interest me all that much, but as a part of the Knicks and with the ticking time bomb that is his knees, I'm interested in the man this season.

Stoudemire was run into the ground last season, playing the second most minutes of his career (2,870) in 78 games. The Knicks will continue to run the hell out of their starters while playing them more often, and Amar'e is bound to get hurt at some point.

40. Enes Kanter

Whether he's going to be legitimate this season or if he'll ride the pine behind Al Jefferson all season long, I can't wait to see the big Turk in action.

Kanter could be the future of the organization alongside Derrick Favors, so it will be neat to see what the future holds for the Jazz.

39. Rudy Gay

The Memphis Grizzlies are essentially swapping Rudy Gay for Shane Battier from the playoffs to this season's tipoff, and on paper that's a good tradeoff.

The story of the year for the Grizzlies will be how they can survive with Gay back in the lineup. There are concerns that their defense will weaken and that he and Zach Randolph will battle for shots, but I think they'll continue to improve as the season goes along.

38. Jimmer Fredette

Don't pretend like you don't have Jimmer Fever. Don't even try to!

The Fredette Train is rolling into Sacramento and looking to take the level of dorky whiteness on the Kings from Samuel L. Jackson all the way up to Carlton Banks.

I can't wait to see him either start draining 25-footers or fall flat on his face while DeMarcus Cousins laughs from the bench with five fouls.

37. Tracy McGrady

Somehow, I think the Hawks got the second-best deal of the offseason so far (after the Heat with Shane Battier) when they signed Tracy McGrady for the veteran minimum a few days ago.

McGrady only scored eight points a game for the Pistons last season, but he did it on 44 percent shooting, his highest since 2003. Playing with better players should get him more open looks, making him a valuable player to the Hawks this season.

36. Nene

Regardless of where he signs, Nene is going to be a fun player to watch this season.

He could turn the Hornets, Nets or Warriors into playoff teams, or he could take a paycut and turn a good team into a contender.

35. Eddy Curry

The news of the week is that Eddy Curry isn't fat anymore. Let me rephrase that: He's not as fat.

Even more than I want to see what Shane Battier can do for the Heat, I want to see what Eddy Curry can do, because if he is going to be a legitimate center, he could be the player to swing this year's championship.

How's that for a role reversal?

34. Derrick Williams

Whenever there's a player coming into the league that's expected to turn around a franchise wallowing in despair, you have to be excited to see him play. It's the reason everyone was excited to see John Wall and Blake Griffin last year, and it's the reason we're excited to see Derrick Williams and Kyrie Irving this year.

They say he's the most NBA-ready player from the draft, so I'm stoked to see how NBA-ready he really is when the Timberwolves start the season.

33. Kyrie Irving

For the same reason I can't wait to see Derrick Williams, I can't wait to see Kyrie Irving.

In some way it's more fun to see a rookie point guard because he's basically thrown to the wolves from day one if he's supposed to become the team's starter, as Irving is. He'll be running the offense for the Cavaliers hoping against hope that he can turn them into a winner sooner rather than later.

32. LaMarcus Aldridge

After watching LaMarcus Aldridge become a legitimate superstar a season ago, I can't wait to see him and the Blazers this season.

Think about it: Aldridge, a natural power forward, stepped up into the starting center spot for the Blazers and led them to the sixth spot in the West.

31. Andrew Bynum

After finishing last season looking like the most immature player in the NBA, I can't wait to see if Andrew Bynum turns it all around and plays like a man his age, while still keeping that mean streak.

After body-slamming a hobbit-sized (compared to himself) J.J. Barea to the ground and storming off the court topless after getting eliminated last season, everybody was down on Bynum. Now, he's a big part of the future for the Lakers, and the future is starting now.

30. Zach Randolph

The biggest reason the Grizzlies nearly made their way to the Western Conference finals last season was because of their monstrous frontcourt. The combination of Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Tony Allen was a ferocious defensive combination to deal with.

Now they'll have Rudy Gay in that small forward spot instead of Tony Allen, who will be presumably coming off the bench. That will leave it up to Randolph to handle the team offensively down low yet again this season.

29. Marc Gasol

The counterpart to the Grizzlies' Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol is going to be handling the main defensive duties down low for Memphis.

Gasol will be coming off a couple of playoff series where he looked like he could end up being better than his brother, as he showed off some ultra-tough defense.

I can't wait to see if Gasol is going to continue to improve into this season or if he'll be struggling early on.

28. Bismack Biyombo

Who knows how good a player he will end up being, and honestly, who cares at this point? When there is so much mystery surrounding a player, I can't help but be enamored with a fellow.

The fact that there is a guy coming into the league from Africa with as much raw talent as Biyombo just excites me beyond belief.

27. Stephen Curry

Of the players poised to make a jump into the next tier, you have to believe that there are few more likely to do so than Stephen Curry.

Stephen Curry could very well end up playing with new teammates, as the Warriors are rather active in player movement right now, which could help him. Plus, if the Warriors end up trading Monta Ellis away, suddenly Curry is the most important player in the backcourt for the Warriors.

26. Carmelo Anthony

Year in and year out, Carmelo Anthony is one of the most exciting ball-stopping offensive players in the league, and that shouldn't change this season.

The Knicks as a team are going to continue to be intriguing, as they have a mish-mash of playing styles, with ball-stopping Carmelo Anthony; Amar'e Stoudemire, who is a flow-of-the-game kind of guy; and Tyson Chandler, who is a defensive stopper who gets his offense through putbacks and offensive rebounds.

25. DeMar DeRozan

Here, ladies and gents, is my pick for the guy that makes the biggest leap this season.

DeMar DeRozan doubled his average in his sophomore season, going from 8.6 to 17.2 points per game, and can shoot well enough and has a good enough point guard skills (offensively) to bring that average up to 23 or more points a game.

24. Ricky Rubio

The only rookie that tantalizes me more than the mystery that is Bismack Biyombo happens to be the hype machine that is Ricky Rubio.

Honestly, when is the last time that there were so many young players with more hype and attention than the top overall picks? This year we have Rubio and Jimmer, who combined have enough hype and attention to overshadow the top three picks.

Whether he lives up to the hype or not, Rubio looks like he'll be an interesting player to keep an eye on.

23. David West

It looks like David West did the smart thing, taking a shorter contract so he can prove that he's healthy before getting one last big contract in two seasons.

West is coming into a Pacers squad that still has enough cap space to add another good free agent before this season starts, so he could be coming into a surprisingly great situation.

22. Eric Gordon

Everyone and their mothers seem to be on the Eric Gordon train, and I'm not going to ask them to get off that train because I like him just as much as the rest of the world.

His 22 points a game is impressive, and he's a pretty good three-point shooter and scorer overall who plays some pretty good defense. This guy is going to be good for years to come.

21. Monta Ellis

The lightning-quick Monta Ellis may not be long for Golden State, but he's going to continue to be a crazy-good offensive player wherever he ends up.

Ellis could end up on a multitude of team, which makes him one of the more interesting players to keep an eye on over the next few months. If he stays on the Warriors, I'm fine with just continuing to watch him tear up the likes of O.J. Mayo in the second half of a TNT doubleheader.

20. Kevin Love

I haven't thoroughly loved watching a player rebound since Ben Wallace was in his prime in 2004 or even back in the day with Dennis Rodman.

This year, Kevin Love is going to be looking to build on his amazing 14 rebound per game season that he had last year while helping his Timberwolves get better as a team.

19. Tyson Chandler

I can't remember the last time a center who averaged 10 points and nine rebounds created so much of a stir coming into a season, but Tyson Chandler is a player to get excited about this season.

In fact, there isn't a player on the Knicks that gets me more excited for this season.

Honestly, if this Chandler pickup works for the Knicks, they could end up being a dangerous team this postseason. If he doesn't work, it could be a disaster for the Knicks, and the entire town could end up questioning why the Knicks didn't make a play for Dwight Howard.

For the record, I'm putting my money on a success story for the Knicks.

18. Kevin Garnett

One of the many aging players on the Celtics, there isn't a player more integral to the success of Boston going into the season.

Going into last season, Garnett at least had Kendrick Perkins to rely on if he had an off night, but this year he has Brandon Bass and possibly Jermaine O'Neal. That puts a ton of pressure on Garnett's already broken-down body.

17. John Wall

If it wasn't for a guy by the name of Blake Griffin, everybody would be in an uproar over John Wall.

It's not very often that a rookie can come into a season after averaging 16 points and eight assists under the radar, but that's what John Wall is doing.

He is going to be the floor-runner of a potentially exciting Wizards team.

16. Manu Ginobili

Ever since he became a mainstay in San Antonio, there hasn't been a year when I haven't been excited about seeing Manu Ginobili do what he does.

Ginobili is such a unique player in the NBA with the things that he can do. There isn't another player in the league that can match his mixture of intensity, athleticism and body control.

15. Steve Nash

When you can take the monstrosity that is the Phoenix Suns roster and turn them into a playoff contender, you know that you have an exciting player.

Even though Steve Nash isn't as fast as he used to be and even though he plays no defense, his brilliance with the ball is too entertaining to keep him out of the top 15.

14. Tim Duncan

Sometimes an interesting storyline trumps how a player plays the game.

Tim Duncan, although he is an amazing player, is no longer exciting. He rarely has those games where he turns into a defensive machine and nearly notches a triple-double or even threatens the rare quadruple-double. 

However, the fact that everyone has written him off and proclaimed that the Tim Duncan Era is over in San Antonio, I'm expecting him to fight that perception.

13. Paul Pierce

Another aging member of the Celtics, Paul Pierce has the same role as he's always had on the Celtics, but it's no less intriguing as it's ever been.

Pierce is the emotional leader, a strong member of the defense (although occasionally phony and flopping) and good at holding up his end of the offensive game. Aside from Rajon Rondo, there isn't a more exciting player on the Celtics.

12. Deron Williams

The initial "Deron Williams is on the Nets" freakout has passed, but that doesn't make it any less exciting that he's a part of the Nets this season.

Sure, you probably won't see any reactions quite like this again this season, but that doesn't make the way he plays the game any less entertaining.

11. Kevin Durant

I'm not going to say that I'm over Kevin Durant, because I still very much love the way he plays the game, but when a player is improving and reaching his peak, it's immensely more exciting than when it seems like he's become the player that he's going to be for the next 10 years.

Durant is going to come close to scoring 30 points per game again, and it's going to be entertaining, but the guys ahead of him are either more exciting because they are improving, have a storyline surrounding them or the way they play the game.

10. Dwyane Wade

Being a member of the oft-controversial Miami Heat automatically makes a player more interesting, but that doesn't necessarily make them exciting.

However, in the case of two particular Miami Heat, if you don't find them entertaining, then you aren't a basketball fan.

Dwyane Wade plays the game at such a high level of excitement that I can't imagine going into a season without having him playing.

9. Chris Paul

Chris Paul is going to be entertaining no matter what team he plays for.

With the Hornets, there's going to be that interesting little caveat where he obviously doesn't want to be there. On any other team (Clippers, Lakers, Celtics, Raptors, Cavaliers, CSKA Moscow or whatever the hell other teams that may make a play for him), he's going to be Chris Paul with the added excitement of him playing with new teammates.

When you watch Chris Paul, there's the chance that he's mailing in a game or two here and there because of his old knees, but even there you have a guy who just knows how to play basketball, which excites me.

8. Rajon Rondo

The hell surrounding Rajon Rondo in the past few weeks has made him 10 times more interesting coming into this season.

If he decides to mail it in playing for the Celtics, they could decide to give up on Rondo for the season and trade him away to play for the next two seasons, rather than the next 10.

If he plays like he's always played, then he's going to be the exciting Rajon Rondo that he's always been.

7. Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook on his own is exciting. He's amazingly athletic and trying to turn into a good point guard to make his team better, and he's nearly there.

That alone is enough to get me turned on for the season (that sounded weird, didn't it?).

That Russell Westbrook, coupled with the inevitable subtle undertones of tension between Westbrook and Kevin Durant, is going to be over-the-top interesting.

6. Dwight Howard

Every year I come into the season expecting Howard to make the Shaq leap, where he just dismantles the league. Then at the end of the season I'm always disappointed.

I'm a bit less convinced every season that he will make this leap, and this year I'm even less convinced that he's going to become that dominant player that nobody can keep up with. However, there's still that glimmer of hope.

5. Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant is coming off a bit of a down season (for him), averaging just 25 points a game, but he shot just as well as he has for the past decade.

There's a chance that Kobe is on just one leg coming into this season, but knowing the competitor that Kobe is, he could end up having a monster of a season after last year's disappointment in the playoffs.

4. LeBron James

Get over your hatred for LeBron James; it's something you're going to have to do to enjoy the regular season this year.

Go ahead and pick the hatred back up once the playoffs come along; otherwise you won't be able to enjoy the way LeBron plays the game.

I'm a Cavs fan, and I hate what LeBron did to the Cavs and the league as much as anybody, but I can't help but be enthralled when LeBron plays basketball.

The man is entertaining.

3. Dirk Nowitzki

What is there to say about Dirk Nowitzki after last season?

If he and the Mavericks wouldn't have made their run to the title last season, Dirk would be lucky to be among the top 20 players that stoke my excitement, but after dismantling the Heat with that one-legged, off-balance flamingo shot, I can't wait to see the dude play.

He has made the people of Wurzburg proud, and he's going to continue to do so.

2. Derrick Rose

Last year's MVP, Derrick Rose, nearly made the top of my list. He's exciting, but he's not the player that excites me more than any other when the basketball season is about to start back up.

There are obvious reasons that he's at the top of this list. He's the ringleader of a championship contender, he has impeccable body control and he is as athletic as any point guard in the NBA.

1. Blake Griffin

No other player in the NBA made more of a buzz last season than Blake Griffin.

He was a mainstay on the SportsCenter Top 10, he won the dunk contest on reputation alone (that final should have obviously been DeMar DeRozan and JaVale McGee) and he posterized more players than any other rookie I can remember.

When a player can singlehandedly take the Los Angeles Clippers and turn them into a relevant team, he has to be an exciting player.

Get us going early, Blake, and make Christmas Day an exciting one by dunking on David Lee three dozen times.

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