Deron Williams and Devin Harris - Performance Comparison

After putting together the 2010-11 performance comparison between Chauncey Billups and Raymond Felton I thought it would be interesting to compare some of the other point guards who were involved in trades.

Next up are Deron Williams and Devin Harris.  I was shocked by the abruptness of Utah's trade of Williams.  I certainly consider Williams to be one of the best point guards in the NBA.  While he was only sixth in my midseason point guard rankings for 2010-11, he was first in my 2009-10 full season point guard rankings.  However, I do think that the Jazz got a lot of value out of the trade.

I didn't expect the stats of Williams and Harris to be competitive, but I was curious to see how far apart they were.  Here's what the key statistics look like:

. Statistic Deron Williams Devin Harris . MPG 37.9 31.9 . PER 21.98 17.92 . EWA 11.4 6.1 . True S% 58.2 54.3 . 3FG% 33.6 30.2 . Ast/36 9.4 8.6 . Tur/36 3.3 3.3 . ORtg 115 108 . DRtg 112 111 . Opp PER 14.9 18.3 . On Ct/48 0.8 -5.9 . Off Ct/48 7.7 -8

Not surprisingly there is a rather large gap between the performances of Williams and Harris so far this season.  Williams is more than four points better in PER and has contributed five more wins than Harris has in 2010-11.

The only stat lines where Harris can compete with Williams are turnovers per 36 minutes and Defensive Rating.  However, when it comes to defense Williams is much better in Opponent's PER than Harris.

For the Nets the final grade on the trade for Deron Williams will come down to whether they are able to sign him to a contract extension.  I give them a lot of credit for having the courage to make this type of trade.  For the most part the writing is on the wall - a franchise will not win an NBA title in the near future without top flight superstars.  New Jersey decided the opportunity to add one of the best point guards in the game was worth the risk.

Chauncey Billups and Raymond Felton - Performance Comparison

The huge trade between the Knicks, Nuggets and Timberwolves that sent Carmelo Anthony to New York is now official.  While clearly the big headline is Carmelo getting the outcome he always wanted and the question of whether he can help make the Knicks a championship contender, one of the more interesting angles to me is the swap of Chauncey Billups and Raymond Felton.

Let's compare the performance of Billups and Felton so far this season and look at what Billups will bring to the Knicks that Felton did not.

. Statistic Chauncey Billups Raymond Felton . MPG 32.3 38.4 . PER 18.8 17.34 . EWA 6.4 6.5 . True S% 63.4 52.4 . 3FG% 44.1 32.8 . Ast/36 5.9 8.5 . Tur/36 2.8 3.1 . ORtg 120 108 . DRtg 112 111 . Opp PER 17.6 17.6 . On Ct/48 3.6 -0.2 . Off Ct/48 2.3 5

When you look at the statistics above you see that there has not been a large gap between the production levels of Billups and Felton.  Billups has a nice lead in PER at 18.8 to Felton's 17.34, but because of the advantage Felton has in minutes played his Estimated Wins Added of 6.5 beats out Billups by a whisker.

Billups has a huge edge in offensive efficiency with an Offensive Rating of 120 points per 100 possessions compared to Felton's 108.  The on court and off court differential numbers are also to Billups' advantage.

But the biggest thing Billups brings to the Knicks that Felton had trouble delivering is outside shooting.  Billups' True Shooting Percentage is 63.4 and he's knocking down 44.1% of his shots from behind the arc.  Felton has struggled from distance, making only 32.8% of his three-pointers.  He started out good, hitting right around 36% on threes in the first month of the season, but perhaps the high number of minutes he's been playing wore him down.

From a statistical standpoint Billups brings an outside shooting element to the point guard position that wasn't there when Felton was manning the helm  for the Knicks.  But, New York may very well have lost some ability in the playmaking department.  Ultimately I think Billups is a nice upgrade at the point because of his shooting, leadership and experience.  Let's not forget, "Mr. Big Shot" is an NBA Finals MVP.

NBA Western Conference All Stars - The Roster That Should Be

Yesterday I posted the roster I think should be representing the Eastern Conference in Sunday's NBA All Star Game.  Today I'm moving on to the Western Conference.  While there were only two roster spots that I would switch out in the East, I'd make twice as many changes in the West.

Photo source: johanohrling

Based on production and efficiency, here's my Western Conference starting five:
G: Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
G: Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
F: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
F: Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers
C: Tyson Chandler, Dallas Mavericks

My Western Conference starting lineup only includes one of the same players as the starters that the fans voted into the game - Paul.  I'm picking Ginobili over Kobe Bryant at the other guard.  Check out my mid-season shooting guard rankings to see why. 

I've also got Nowitzki and Gasol over Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant at the forward positions.  At center I've got Chandler over Yao Ming, who is injured anyway.  Why Chandler?  Check out my mid-season center rankings where he is the top-rated center in the West.

As for the reserves, here are my seven:
G: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
G: Eric Gordon, Los Angeles Clippers
F: Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves
F: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
C: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
F: David West, New Orleans Hornets
G: Kevin Martin, Houston Rockets

So not only would Anthony not start, he'd be left off my roster completely.  In fact, he's not even the next small forward in line - that would be Rudy Gay. 

Also controversial - I have Gordon and Martin making the team over Russell Westbrook and Deron Williams.  Sure it's hard to believe,but when you compare their production and efficiency Gordon and Martin come out on top.

The final difference is West making the team over Blake Griffin.  I love what Griffin is doing but West beats him out in my mid-season power forward rankings.  However, this one's hard to argue - Griffin is leading West in four of the five advanced statistical categories I include in my rankings.  It's West's huge advantage in Defensive Rating that puts him ahead of Griffin in the cumulative rankings.

NBA Eastern Conference All Stars - The Roster That Should Be

With NBA All Star weekend coming up I want to take a look at the players that I think should be on the Eastern Conference roster.  I'm basing this roster on my mid-season player rankings.  You can find the formula for the ranking system on the 2010-11 Mid-Season NBA Small Forward Rankings post.

Photo source: David Jones

Here are the five players that I think earned a starting spot:
G: Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
G: Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
F: LeBron James, Miami Heat
F: Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
C: Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

My starting lineup only has one different player from the starters the fans chose.  I have Paul Pierce starting at the forward spot over Amare Stoudamire.

Here are the seven additional Eastern Conference players that I think are worthy of being All Stars:
G: Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics
G: Ray Allen, Boston Celtics
F: Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
F: Chris Bosh, Miami Heat
C: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks
F: Carlos Boozer, Chicago Bulls
C: Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls

As you can see, I don't even have Stoudamire on the Eastern Conference All Star roster.  A peek at my 2010-11 Mid-Season NBA Power Forward Rankings shows you why - Stoudamire is the 14th most productive power forward in the NBA through the first half of the season.  Boozer has been the 10th most productive power forward.

The other roster difference is that I have Noah in place of Joe Johnson.  Johnson finished a very respectable seventh in my mid-season shooting guard rankings but Andre Iguodala, who finished fifth on those same rankings, would have been the next guard in line.  When matched up head-to-head in the five statistical analysis categories I like to use, Noah wins three (PER, Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating) to Johnson's two (Estimated Wins Added and Simple Rating).

Overall, Sunday night's Eastern Conference roster is pretty close to the group I think should be playing.  Ultimately, I don't have an issue with Stoudamire making the team based on his full season contribution to the Knicks versus Boozer and Noah, who both missed significant time.  I do think that one of those Bulls frontliners should have made the team over Johnson.

Observations on the Mid-Season NBA Center Rankings

I recently posted my mid-season NBA center rankings - here are my observations on the rankings:

• I mentioned it briefly in my initial post - I'm surprised at how close Dwight Howard and Al Horford are at the top of the rankings.  Horford trails Howard by only two total points.
• Howard is first in four of the five categories.  The only exception is the Offensive Rating category in which he's 22nd. 
• Tyson Chandler leads that Offensive Rating category and is a very impressive third.  He and Tim Duncan, who was second in 2009-10, are the second level of centers.
• Andrew Bynum, Nene and Joakim Noah represent the third level.
• The biggest positive surprises to me are Chandler, Jeff Foster and JaVale McGee.
• The biggest negative surprises to me are Marc Gasol, Al Jefferson and David Lee.
• Making the biggest jumps from the final 2009-10 rankings are DeAndre Jordan (up 36), Kwame Brown (up 32) and Chandler (up 31).
• Jordan's biggest leap is in the Simple Rating where he was a -7.3 last season but is a 1.4 midway through this season.  He's also already doubled his Estimated Wins Added.
• Chandler has played a big role in Dallas's defensive improvement.  His PER has skyrocketed from 12.58 in 2009-10 to 19.06 so far in 2010-11.  He's already added an estimated 5.3 wins compared to his 1.1 Estimated Wins Added last season.
• Falling the most from the 2009-10 rankings are Jermaine O'Neal (down 35), Brendan Haywood (down 33) and Louis Amundson (down 31).
• Due in large part to his third best Defensive Rating, Omer Asik is the highest ranked rookie.
• The two teams getting the least production from the center position are Phoenix and Cleveland.  The Suns have Channing Frye at 42 and Robin Lopez at 43.  The Cavs have Ryan Hollins at 49.

2010-11 Mid-Season NBA Center Rankings

The top of the mid-season NBA center rankings are surprisingly close - at least to me. Dwight Howard finished solidly in first in the 2009-10 NBA center rankings. But Al Horford is very close to Howard at mid-season.

For additional details on my ranking process for the 2010-11 season take a look at my mid-season small forward rankings.  Through February 7 here are my center rankings:

. PLAYER PER Rank EWA Rank Simple Rank O. Rat Rank D. Rat Rank Totals Final . Dwight Howard, ORL 25.68 1 12.8 1 11.1 1 111 22 95 1 26 1 . Al Horford, ATL 22.45 2 9.7 2 8.2 3 122 5 103 16 28 2 . Tyson Chandler, DAL 19.06 7 5.3 7 4.6 10 134 1 101 13 38 3 . Tim Duncan, SA 21.5 3 7.6 3 8.7 2 109 27 99 7 42 4 . Andrew Bynum, LAL 20.61 5 2.9 16 6.5 4 122 5 104 20 50 5 . Nene, DEN 21.45 4 7.3 4 6 6 128 2 107 35 51 6 . Joakim Noah, CHI 19.54 6 3.9 14 0 22 115 12 96 2 56 7 . Emeka Okafor, NO 16.65 18 4.8 10 3.5 13 113 16 100 9 66 8 . Shaquille O'Neal, BOS 17.31 13 2.5 19 5.2 8 111 22 98 5 67 9 . Andrew Bogut, MIL 17.86 10 5.1 8 6.1 5 101 43 98 5 71 10 . Jeff Foster, IND 16.25 20 1.3 26 5.6 7 118 9 100 9 71 11 . Marc Gasol, MEM 16.7 17 4.9 9 5 9 112 19 104 20 74 12 . JaVale McGee, WSH 17.58 12 4.2 13 4.6 10 112 19 105 30 84 13 . Marcin Gortat, PHX 16.72 16 2.7 18 -3.5 37 117 10 103 16 97 14 . Brook Lopez, NJ 18.74 8 6.9 5 4.6 10 106 33 109 46 102 15 . Brad Miller, HOU 17.59 11 2.3 21 0.5 19 120 7 109 46 104 16 . DeAndre Jordan, LAC 14.68 24 2.5 19 1.4 17 114 15 106 32 107 17 . Ronny Turiaf, NY 14.33 25 1.4 23 1.7 15 127 3 108 42 108 18 . Al Jefferson, UTAH 18.32 9 6.7 6 -3.2 35 109 27 107 35 112 19 . Chuck Hayes, HOU 16.14 21 2.9 16 -2.5 30 124 4 108 42 113 20 . Zydrunas Ilgauskas, MIA 13.09 32 1 30 0.5 19 108 29 100 9 119 21 . Roy Hibbert, IND 15.52 22 3 15 0 22 97 47 102 15 121 22 . Kurt Thomas, CHI 11.26 41 0.2 40 0 22 112 19 97 3 125 23 . David Lee, GS 17 14 4.4 12 1.6 16 108 29 111 56 127 24 . Nazr Mohammed, CHA 16.99 15 2.2 22 -3.3 36 102 39 104 20 132 25 . Kwame Brown, CHA 13.98 27 1.3 26 -2.7 33 115 12 107 35 133 26 . Anthony Tolliver, MIN 13.27 30 0.8 33 2.7 14 116 11 111 56 144 27 . Marreese Speights, PHI 14.88 23 1.1 28 -1 26 104 38 105 30 145 28 . Chris Andersen, DEN 14.03 26 0.5 38 -3.6 38 115 12 106 32 146 29 . Jason Thompson, SAC 13.96 28 1.4 23 -0.4 25 106 33 108 42 151 30 . Samuel Dalembert, SAC 12.69 35 0.9 31 0.4 21 96 50 104 20 157 31 . Andris Biedrins, GS 12.9 34 1.1 28 -5.2 44 113 16 107 35 157 32 . Andrea Bargnani, TOR 16.34 19 4.5 11 -2.6 31 102 39 113 60 160 33 . Omer Asik, CHI 10.69 43 0 42 -2.8 34 101 43 97 3 165 34 . Ben Wallace, DET 12.48 36 0.9 31 -5.2 44 102 39 104 20 170 35 . Nenad Krstic, OKC 12.37 37 0.8 33 -2.4 28 110 25 110 53 176 36 . Darko Milicic, MIN 13.14 31 1.4 23 -2.6 31 92 57 107 35 177 37 . Semih Erden, BOS 10.74 42 0 42 -12.5 58 108 29 99 7 178 38 . Trevor Booker, WSH 13 33 0.6 37 -4.6 41 110 25 109 46 182 39 . Zaza Pachulia, ATL 10.46 44 0 42 -5 43 105 36 104 20 185 40 . Joel Anthony, MIA 7.55 56 -1.4 61 -6 47 119 8 103 16 188 41 . Channing Frye, PHX 11.66 38 0.8 33 -4.7 42 106 33 109 46 192 42 . Robin Lopez, PHX 13.34 29 0.8 33 -4.1 39 107 32 112 59 192 43 . Erick Dampier, MIA 7.49 57 -0.5 55 -2.4 28 100 45 101 13 198 44 . Spencer Hawes, PHI 11.58 39 0.5 38 -6.3 48 93 55 104 20 200 45 . Brendan Haywood, DAL 10.14 47 -0.2 48 -9 55 102 39 103 16 205 46 . Solomon Jones, IND 9.59 50 -0.2 48 -7.5 50 98 46 104 20 214 47 . Francisco Elson, UTAH 10.07 48 -0.1 46 -4.1 39 105 36 109 46 215 48 . Ryan Hollins, CLE 11.46 40 0.2 40 -8.3 53 111 22 113 60 215 49 . Jermaine O'Neal, BOS 9.09 53 -0.2 48 -9.5 56 95 51 100 9 217 50 . Melvin Ely, DEN 8.07 54 -0.4 54 -5.2 44 113 16 110 53 221 51 . Johan Petro, NJ 9.61 49 -0.2 48 -8.9 54 95 51 104 20 222 52 . Jason Collins, ATL 5.39 60 -1.1 60 -2 27 97 47 107 35 229 53 . Kyrylo Fesenko, UTAH 5.72 59 -0.8 58 0.9 18 89 61 109 46 242 54 . Dan Gadzuric, GS 10.33 45 0 42 -10.6 57 94 53 109 46 243 55 . Hilton Armstrong, WSH 7.96 55 -0.5 55 -7.5 50 93 55 106 32 247 56 . Nikola Pekovic, MIN 10.15 46 -0.1 46 -8.2 52 97 47 111 56 247 57 . Josh Powell, ATL 9.51 51 -0.3 53 -13.9 60 94 53 108 42 259 58 . Louis Amundson, GS 9.46 52 -0.2 48 -6.5 49 92 57 110 53 259 59 . Hasheem Thabeet, MEM 4.84 61 -1 59 -18.5 61 91 59 104 20 260 60 . Timofey Mozgov, NY 7.42 58 -0.5 55 -13.5 59 91 59 107 35 266 61

In the next couple of days I'll follow up with my observations.  Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Observations on the Mid-Season NBA Power Forward Rankings

I posted my mid-season NBA power forward rankings earlier in the week - here are my observations on those rankings:

Photo source: bridgetds

• Pau Gasol continues to stay on top of the power forward rankings.  He was first in my final power forward rankings for the 2009-10 season as well.  However, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett have closed the gap.  Gasol finished 25 points ahead of Garnett and 26 points ahead of Nowitzki in 09-10.  Through mid-season 10-11 he's only 14 ahead of Nowitzki and 16 ahead of Garnett.
• Gasol is in first despite not leading any single category.  Kevin Love has the best PER and Estimated Wins Added.  Nowitzki has the best Simple Rating.  Garnett has the best Defensive Rating.  Oddly, Matt Bonner leads in Offensive Rating.
• There's a large third level with Love, David West, Chris Bosh, Lamar Odom, Zach Randolph and Carlos Boozer all within seven points of each other.
• Ryan Anderson presents an interesting case.  I don't think anyone really believes he's the fourth best power forward in the NBA.  However, he's in the top 10 in all categories except for Estimated Wins Added.  That raises the key point with Anderson - with an average of less than 20 minutes per game his playing time is well below that of everybody in the top 15.
• The biggest positive surprises to me, beyond Anderson, are David West, Elton Brand, Thaddeus Young and Kris Humphries.
• The biggest negative surprises to me are Josh Smith, Jeff Green and Al Harrington.
• The biggest jumpers from the final 09-10 rankings are Thaddeus Young (up 41), Kris Humphries (up 31) and Elton Brand (up 26).
• Young has boosted his PER from 14.08 to 17.96, his Simple Rating from -1.8 to 3.7, his Offensive Rating from 102 to 113 and his Defensive Rating from 111 to 105.
• Those who've fallen the most are Nick Collison (down 33), Dante Cunningham (down 30) and Shelden Williams (down 30).
• Blake Griffin is the highest rated rookie at 11th.  Greg Monroe and Ed Davis, who are tied for 41st, are the next rookies in the rankings.
• The two teams getting the least production from the power forward position are the Wizards and Nuggets.  Washington has Rashard Lewis at 46, Andray Blatche at 55 and Yi Jianlian at 72.  Denver has Kenyon Martin at 51, Al Harrington at 63 and Shelden Williams at 64.

2010-11 Mid-Season NBA Power Forward Rankings

Through the first half of the 2010-11 NBA season Pau Gasol is the leader in production among power forwards. The top three, with Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett joining Gasol, are the same top three from the 2009-10 season. But, the order has changed and the gaps have changed.

Gasol finished first in the 2009-10 NBA power forward rankings by a wide margin.  Garnett was second and Nowitzki third.

To see the additional details on my ranking process for the 2010-11 season check out my mid-season small forward rankings.  Through January 31 here are the power forward rankings: 

. PLAYER PER Rank EWA Rank Simple Rank O Rat. Rank D Rat. Rank Totals Final . Pau Gasol, LAL 23.43 4 10.4 2 12.1 2 122 7 103 20 35 1 . Dirk Nowitzki, DAL 23.55 2 7.7 7 13.6 1 115 15 104 24 49 2 . Kevin Garnett, BOS 21.66 9 5.8 14 10.9 3 112 24 94 1 51 3 . Ryan Anderson, ORL 21.9 8 2.8 26 10.1 4 124 4 101 9 51 3 . Kevin Love, MIN 24.93 1 11.5 1 8.9 5 124 4 108 51 62 5 . David West, NO 20.98 10 7.7 7 7.6 9 111 28 101 9 63 6 . Chris Bosh, MIA 20.03 14 6.3 11 8.6 6 114 16 102 16 63 6 . Lamar Odom, LAL 20.51 11 7.1 9 6 13 122 7 104 24 64 8 . Zach Randolph, MEM 22.21 6 8.6 5 7.6 9 112 24 104 24 68 9 . Carlos Boozer, CHI 22.17 7 4.9 16 7.2 11 109 33 97 2 69 10 . Blake Griffin, LAC 22.91 5 9.8 4 8 8 112 24 107 45 86 11 . LaMarcus Aldridge, POR 20.34 12 8.1 6 8.4 7 110 29 106 35 89 12 . Elton Brand, PHI 18.6 18 5.5 15 2.2 25 114 16 103 20 94 13 . Amare Stoudemire, NY 23.55 2 10.2 3 5.2 15 109 33 107 45 98 14 . Paul Millsap, UTAH 20.28 13 6.8 10 1.1 28 114 16 106 35 102 15 . Thaddeus Young, PHI 17.96 20 4.2 17 3.7 18 113 21 105 29 105 16 . Josh Smith, ATL 18.82 17 6.1 13 6 13 102 59 100 7 109 17 . Kris Humphries, NJ 17.85 22 3.9 19 1.1 28 114 16 104 24 109 17 . Brandon Bass, ORL 16.91 24 3.1 24 2.5 22 113 21 103 20 111 19 . Tyrus Thomas, CHA 19.73 15 3 25 6.2 12 103 53 100 7 112 20 . Amir Johnson, TOR 18.1 19 4 18 3.9 17 125 2 110 62 118 21 . Serge Ibaka, OKC 17.93 21 3.8 20 -0.5 37 122 7 106 35 120 22 . Marcus Camby, POR 16.27 28 2.7 28 1.9 26 106 43 99 5 130 23 . Luis Scola, HOU 19.31 16 6.3 11 3.6 19 108 39 109 56 141 24 . Matt Bonner, SA 14.05 45 1 46 2.4 23 130 1 106 35 150 25 . Anderson Varejao, CLE 15.23 37 1.8 34 4.4 16 113 21 108 51 159 26 . Ersan Ilyasova, MIL 14.27 44 1.5 38 2.3 24 105 50 101 9 165 27 . DeJuan Blair, SA 16.42 27 2.8 26 -5.9 61 104 51 99 5 170 28 . Chris Wilcox, DET 16.13 29 0.9 49 1.8 27 114 16 108 51 172 29 . Danilo Gallinari, NY 15.56 34 3.3 23 -1.2 42 125 2 112 71 172 29 . Josh McRoberts, IND 14.78 40 1.2 43 -1.8 47 110 29 102 16 175 31 . Tyler Hansbrough, IND 15.96 31 1.1 44 -1.2 42 109 33 105 29 179 32 . Hakim Warrick, PHX 17.02 23 2.3 30 -1 41 116 14 112 71 179 32 . Darrell Arthur, MEM 15.41 36 1.8 34 -2.1 50 109 33 105 29 182 34 . Craig Smith, LAC 15.46 35 0.7 50 0.3 32 117 12 110 62 191 35 . Charlie Villanueva, DET 15.97 30 2.5 29 -0.6 38 108 39 109 56 192 36 . Taj Gibson, CHI 13.48 49 1.4 40 -1.3 44 100 64 97 2 199 37 . Drew Gooden, MIL 15.88 32 1.3 42 -4.3 57 102 59 101 9 199 37 . Jon Brockman, MIL 9.45 70 -0.2 67 0.6 30 117 12 103 20 199 37 . Antawn Jamison, CLE 16.81 25 3.6 22 0.6 30 103 53 111 69 199 37 . Greg Monroe, DET 14.62 41 1.6 37 -3.5 54 112 24 107 45 201 41 . Ed Davis, TOR 15.68 33 1.4 40 -6 62 124 4 110 62 201 41 . Udonis Haslem, MIA 12.88 53 0.2 61 -2.4 51 110 29 101 9 203 43 . Joey Dorsey, TOR 14.58 42 0.6 53 -0.2 34 106 43 106 35 207 44 . Carl Landry, SAC 15.2 38 2.3 30 -1.4 45 109 33 110 62 208 45 . Glen Davis, BOS 13.13 50 1.1 44 -2 49 102 59 101 9 211 46 . Rashard Lewis, WAS 12.85 54 1 46 0 33 106 43 106 35 211 46 . Michael Beasley, MIN 16.73 26 3.7 21 -0.7 40 103 53 112 71 211 46 . Boris Diaw, CHA 13.67 48 1.7 36 -0.2 34 106 43 108 51 212 49 . Tiago Splitter, SA 13.72 47 0.6 53 -7 68 109 33 102 16 217 50 . Kenyon Martin, DEN 12.61 60 0.2 61 3.1 20 106 43 106 35 219 51 . Derrick Favors, NJ 13.78 46 1 46 -1.8 47 110 29 108 51 219 51 . Derrick Brown, CHA 12.42 62 0.4 56 2.7 21 106 43 107 45 227 53 . DeMarcus Cousins, SAC 14.86 39 2 32 -5.6 59 95 69 105 29 228 54 . Andray Blatche, WSH 14.4 43 2 32 -1.4 45 95 69 107 45 234 55 . Antonio McDyess, SA 12.52 61 0.4 56 -4.1 56 103 53 101 9 235 56 . Brian Cook, LAC 13.08 51 0.2 61 -0.4 36 107 42 107 45 235 56 . Reggie Evans, TOR 12.99 52 0.3 58 -4 55 106 43 105 29 237 58 . Nick Collison, OKC 10.77 67 -0.3 69 -0.6 38 118 11 109 56 241 59 . Brian Cardinal, DAL 10.1 69 -0.2 67 -8.7 72 120 10 105 29 247 60 . Larry Sanders, MIL 12.68 59 0.3 58 -4.6 58 94 72 98 4 251 61 . Jeff Green, OKC 12.8 56 1.5 38 -6.2 64 108 39 110 62 259 62 . Al Harrington, DEN 12.82 55 0.7 50 -3.3 53 103 53 109 56 267 63 . Shelden Williams, DEN 12.22 63 0.2 61 -6 62 104 51 106 35 272 64 . Jason Smith, NO 10.51 68 -0.4 70 -2.8 52 96 67 102 16 273 65 . Andres Nocioni, PHI 11.22 65 0.2 61 -6.8 66 102 59 106 35 286 66 . J.J. Hickson, CLE 12.73 57 0.7 50 -5.8 60 90 73 109 56 296 67 . Gary Forbes, DEN 12.73 57 0.5 55 -8.6 71 103 53 110 62 298 68 . Juwan Howard, MIA 7.48 73 -0.8 71 -9.3 74 98 65 104 24 307 69 . Dante Cunningham, POR 9.08 71 -0.8 71 -8.3 69 98 65 106 35 311 70 . Jordan Hill, HOU 11.49 64 0.3 58 -8.3 69 102 59 110 62 312 71 . Yi Jianlian, WSH 11.13 66 -0.1 66 -6.6 65 95 69 109 56 322 72 . Jason Maxiell, DET 8.24 72 -0.9 73 -9.2 73 96 67 111 69 354 73 . Jawad Williams, CLE 4.79 74 -1.2 74 -6.8 66 81 74 114 74 362 74

I'll be following up in the next couple of days with my observations on the rankings.  Feel free to post your thoughts below in the comments section.

Observations on the Mid-Season NBA Shooting Guard Rankings

I recently posted my mid-season NBA shooting guard rankings.  Here are my observations on those rankings:

Photo source: Tiago Hammil

• Manu Ginobili and Dwyane Wade tied for the top spot.  That's no surprise - they were one and two in the 2009-10 Final Shooting Guard Rankings.  Wade is first in the PER and Estimated Wins Added categories while Ginobili leads the Simple Rating category.
• Ray Allen and Kobe Bryant are on the second level.  Allen moved up three spots from the 09-10 rankings while Bryant dropped one.
• Interestingly, Eric Gordon and Kevin Martin are both really hurt by their Defensive Rating.  Gordon tied for 51st and Martin tied for 60th. 
• Jason Richardson and Vince Carter, who were essentially swapped for each other by the Magic and Suns, come in 11th and 12th.
• The biggest positive surprises to me are Andre Iguodala, Landry Fields, J.R. Smith and Ronnie Brewer.
• The biggest negative surprises to me are Jason Terry, Stephen Jackson, O.J. Mayo and John Salmons. 
• The biggest jumpers from the final 09-10 rankings are DeShawn Stevenson (up 52), Nick Young (up 43) and Tracy McGrady (up 28).  Those are three very different cases.
• Stevenson boosted his PER from 3.3 last season to a career best 13.3 this season and his Simple Rating from -10 to 3.3. 
• The biggest droppers from 2009-10 are John Salmons (down 37), Quentin Richardson (down 31) and Randy Foye (down 26).
• Salmons really surprises me.  I expected him to be excellent for the Bucks this season after serving as such a uniter when he came over from Chicago during the middle of last season.  The most noticeable difference - his Simple Rating crashed from 7.9 in 09-10 to -4.2 this season.
• Fields is the highest ranking rookie at number 10.  Evan Turner is next at 59.
• The two teams getting the least production from the shooting guard position are Utah and Cleveland.  The Jazz have Raja Bell at 60.  The Cavaliers have Anthony Parker at 61, Alonzo Gee at 62, Manny Harris at 66 and Joey Graham at 68.

2010-11 Mid-Season NBA Shooting Guard Rankings

There's a tie atop the mid-season rankings of NBA shooting guards. Dwyane Wade and Manu Ginobili have outproduced all of the competition at their position.  That is no change from the 2009-10 NBA Shooting Guard Rankings - they were in the top two spots there as well.

To see additional details on my ranking process check out my 2010-11 Mid-Season Small Forward Rankings.  For your viewing pleasure, or displeasure, here are the mid-season shooting guard rankings:

. PLAYER PER Rank EWA Rank Simple Rank O. Rat Rank D. Rat Rank Totals Final . Dwyane Wade, MIA 25.51 1 11.2 1 11.6 2 113 11 101 3 18 1 . Manu Ginobili, SA 22.58 4 8.3 3 12.6 1 117 5 102 5 18 1 . Ray Allen, BOS 17.81 8 5.6 7 6.9 6 119 3 104 11 35 3 . Kobe Bryant, LAL 24.73 2 10.6 2 8.9 3 112 13 106 18 38 4 . Andre Iguodala, PHI 17.2 9 3.9 10 5.1 8 109 20 104 11 58 5 . Eric Gordon, LAC 21.18 5 8.2 4 8.2 4 117 5 112 51 69 6 . Joe Johnson, ATL 18.33 7 5.1 8 7.9 5 108 26 108 30 76 7 . Kevin Martin, HOU 22.77 3 8.2 4 6.6 7 120 2 113 60 76 7 . Jamal Crawford, ATL 16.77 11 3.6 11 3.8 13 109 20 108 30 85 9 . Landry Fields, NY 14.14 23 2.3 19 4.8 9 116 7 108 30 88 10 . Jason Richardson, ORL 17 10 4.6 9 1.1 24 113 11 109 37 91 11 . Vince Carter, PHX 15.65 16 2.8 15 4 12 107 30 107 23 96 12 . J.R. Smith, DEN 15.83 13 2.6 16 2.8 16 106 32 107 23 100 13 . James Harden, OKC 14.82 21 2.2 20 0 27 115 9 108 30 107 14 . Ronnie Brewer, CHI 13.42 31 1.5 28 1.8 22 108 26 98 1 108 15 . Monta Ellis, GS 19.76 6 8.1 6 2.2 20 108 26 112 51 109 16 . Wesley Matthews, POR 15.77 14 3.6 11 -1 35 112 13 109 37 110 17 . J.J. Redick, ORL 13.52 29 1.5 28 -0.9 34 119 3 106 18 112 18 . Rudy Fernandez, POR 14.48 22 1.8 24 1.6 23 109 20 107 23 112 18 . Nick Young, WSH 15.76 15 3.2 13 4.5 10 111 16 113 60 114 20 . DeShawn Stevenson, DAL 13.28 32 1 35 3.3 14 116 7 108 30 118 21 . Brandon Roy, POR 14.97 17 1.8 24 4.5 10 107 30 109 37 118 21 . Kyle Korver, CHI 12.58 38 1 35 1 25 111 16 102 5 119 23 . Francisco Garcia, SAC 14.01 26 1.4 31 0 27 115 9 108 30 123 24 . Arron Afflalo, DEN 14.02 24 2.6 16 -1.3 36 124 1 112 51 128 25 . Jason Terry, DAL 14.95 19 3.1 14 0 27 101 47 107 23 130 26 . Leandro Barbosa, TOR 16.53 12 2.5 18 2.4 17 108 26 113 60 133 27 . Tracy McGrady, DET 13.89 27 1.6 26 2.3 18 103 40 109 37 148 28 . Tony Allen, MEM 14.96 18 1.2 32 -2 42 96 60 99 2 154 29 . Marquis Daniels, BOS 12.03 41 0.7 38 -1.4 37 104 37 101 3 156 30 . Marcus Thornton, NO 14.02 24 0.8 37 -1.5 38 97 58 102 5 162 31 . Keyon Dooling, MIL 11.43 47 0.3 45 2.3 18 104 37 106 18 165 32 . Kirk Hinrich, WSH 13.47 30 1.6 26 -3.4 47 109 20 111 47 170 33 . Stephen Jackson, CHA 13.56 28 2.2 20 -1.8 40 96 60 107 23 171 34 . Thabo Sefolosha, OKC 10.5 54 0 53 -0.7 32 111 16 106 18 173 35 . Ben Gordon, DET 12.94 35 1.5 28 3 15 102 46 112 51 175 36 . Toney Douglas, NY 13.05 34 1.1 33 -1.9 41 104 37 109 37 182 37 . Marco Belinelli, NO 11.31 48 0.5 42 -2.1 44 105 35 106 18 187 38 . Jodie Meeks, PHI 11.21 49 0.2 51 1 25 111 16 110 46 187 38 . Anthony Morrow, NJ 11.19 50 0.3 45 -0.1 30 112 13 112 51 189 40 . Richard Hamilton, DET 14.95 19 1.9 23 -3.4 47 103 40 113 60 189 40 . Luther Head, SAC 11.91 42 0.3 45 -1.6 39 109 20 112 51 197 42 . O.J. Mayo, MEM 12.24 40 1.1 33 -3.9 51 101 47 108 30 201 43 . Jeff Teague, ATL 12.9 36 0.5 42 -6.7 63 98 54 103 8 203 44 . John Salmons, MIL 11.55 45 0.7 38 -4.2 53 98 54 105 14 204 45 . Courtney Lee, HOU 11.69 44 0.5 42 -0.4 31 103 40 111 47 204 45 . Von Wafer, BOS 10.56 53 0 53 -3.5 49 103 40 104 11 206 47 . Corey Brewer, MIN 11.13 51 0.3 45 2 21 98 54 109 37 208 48 . Quentin Richardson, ORL 9.76 57 -0.2 56 -3.8 50 103 40 103 8 211 49 . Brandon Rush, IND 10.79 52 0.2 51 -3.3 46 103 40 107 23 212 50 . Sam Young, MEM 11.51 46 0.3 45 -5.7 57 99 51 105 14 213 51 . Josh Childress, PHX 12.6 37 0.6 40 -2.5 45 106 32 113 60 214 52 . DeMar DeRozan, TOR 13.23 33 2 22 -8 66 106 32 114 66 219 53 . Bill Walker, NY 10.46 55 0 53 -0.8 33 105 35 112 51 227 54 . Sasha Vujacic, NJ 11.77 43 0.3 45 -4.5 55 99 51 109 37 231 55 . Sonny Weems, TOR 12.27 39 0.6 40 -3.9 51 99 51 114 66 247 56 . Keith Bogans, CHI 6.93 69 -1.4 70 -5.7 57 101 47 103 8 251 57 . Willie Green, NO 8.78 62 -0.7 64 -5.9 59 96 60 105 14 259 58 . Evan Turner, PHI 9.21 59 -0.6 62 -6.2 61 95 65 105 14 261 59 . Raja Bell, UTAH 9.02 60 -0.9 68 -8.1 67 109 20 112 51 266 60 . Anthony Parker, CLE 9.99 56 -0.3 57 -2 42 101 47 114 66 268 61 . Alonzo Gee, CLE 9 61 -0.3 57 -4.3 54 96 60 109 37 269 62 . Gerald Henderson, CHA 8.73 63 -0.5 60 -5.1 56 93 68 107 23 270 63 . Greivis Vasquez, MEM 8.49 64 -0.6 62 -8.1 67 96 60 109 37 290 64 . Xavier Henry, MEM 7.55 66 -0.7 64 -6.1 60 98 54 111 47 291 65 . Manny Harris, CLE 9.46 58 -0.3 57 -13.9 70 92 69 111 47 301 66 . Rasual Butler, LAC 7.39 68 -1 69 -6.6 62 97 58 112 51 308 67 . Wayne Ellington, MIN 7.89 65 -0.7 64 -11 69 95 65 113 60 323 68 . Joey Graham, CLE 7.44 67 -0.5 60 -7.5 65 95 65 114 66 323 68 . Randy Foye, LAC 6.54 70 -0.7 64 -7 64 92 69 114 66 333 70

I'll be posting my observations on the shooting guard rankings in the next couple of days. Let me know your thoughts by posting a comment below.