The NBA has always had a great number of unbelievably gifted players and this year is no exception. Even the rookie class is ultra-talented with Derrick Rose of the Bulls and OJ Mayo of the Grizzlies playing like they’re seasoned veterans.

In the second part of my season year-end review for the 2008-2009 season, these are the Top 8 players in my list, in order, as to who have been on an absolute tear as of the end of ‘08, alongside the Top 6 surprise stars of the mid-season, and 4 players who have been a total disappointment. Again, these are MY opinions, you can beg to differ but it doesn’t have to be violent, he he.

TOP 8:

1. DWIGHT HOWARD (ORL) – Superman has been an absolute monster this season leading the league in rebounds (13.8 a game) and blocks (3.7 a game). His post presence has improved significantly and he looks even better than last year. But alas his kryptonite is still his free throw percentage (56.5%), but even that has improved, or at least his form definitely has. The Magic are 3rd in the East and 4th overall in the league with an impressive 25-7 record!

He has made his teammates better by demanding consistent double and triple teams while dishing the ball out to all his 3-ball savvy teammates who make more than they miss. Rashard Lewis (leader with 93 makes), Hedo Turkoglu (26th with 52 makes), and Jameer Nelson (29th with 48 makes) have all benefitted from all the attention Dwight has been getting. And I will bet that this Magic team will get to the Conference Finals this year unless Dwight gets injured. Kudos to Superman whose average game has him tally 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks a game. That is just unheard of.

2. LEBRON JAMES (CLE) – everyone says King James is going to win MVP this year, and he has not disappointed. He has staggering numbers all across the board, ranking 2nd in scoring behind Wade, having more than 6 boards and 6 dimes on average each game, with 2 steals and a block, and a very much improved percentage this year from the line at 77% while shooting better than 50% from the field! Are you kidding me?! He has also led the Cavs to a spotless 16-0 record at home and doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon. The addition of Mo Williams has also made him better and allows him to rest and be fresh for end games, not to mention the playoffs. Barring any injury to Lebron, they are hands down a shoo-in for the playoffs this year and a huge contender to come out of the East. Lebron for MVP!

3. DWYANE WADE (MIA) – is the Flash back or is the Flash back?! After an inspiring gold medal redemption at the Olympics last year, Wade seems to have ridden that wave and continued his utter dominance of any defense that tries to stop him. He is the league leader in points (30.2 a game), 4th in steals (2.2 a game), and 19th in blocks (1.6 a game) and that’s for a point guard! He is clutch down the stretch and is up there with Lebron as the glue that keeps his team together. His team is also in the playoff hunt holding the 6th spot with a 17-13 record which hopes to improve even further unless he gets injured again.

4. KOBE BRYANT (LAL) – the reigning MVP is at it again this year. Posting “modest” numbers this season due to a better supporting cast, he is still one of the top players in the NBA today. The Black Mamba is playing less minutes but is still ranked 3rd in scoring at 26.9 points a game. He has always been a consistent all-around performer (5.3 rpg and 4.3 apg) and is the heart and soul of a very hungry Laker squad that looks to win the championship this year. His squad is tops in the NBA as of this moment toting a 28-6 record and have been destroying their opponents left and right. His chemistry with Gasol will be the key to their success this year as well as Bynum’s return.

5. CHRIS PAUL (NOR) – arguably the best point guard in the league today, he leads all players in assists (11.6) and steals (2.87) but also averages 20.5 points and 5.3 rebounds for a 6-foot flat point guard! He is the heart and soul of a still under-rated Hornets squad who are 8th overall in the NBA and 4th in the West toting a very respectable 21-11 record. He set an all-time NBA milestone as he went on a 108-game steal streak that ended on Christmas Day against the Magic. Whether or not the Hornets do better this year in the playoffs has yet to be seen, but they are definitely a team no one wants to play and are definitely the darkhorse this year.

6. DANNY GRANGER (IND) 7. DIRK NOWITZKI (DAL) 8. AL JEFFERSON (MIN)

Honorable mentions go to Joe Johnson of the Hawks, Chris Bosh of the Raptors, Vince Carter of the Nets, Tim Duncan of the Spurs, and Brandon Roy of the Blazers.

TOP 6 SURPRISES:

1. DEVIN HARRIS (NJN) -we all knew this kid was going to be special this year, but he is exceeding expectations. Gone are the days when people were baffled as to why the heck the Nets would give up Jason Kidd for a young stud like Devin Harris. If anyone’s laughing now, it’s definitely not Mark Cuban.

Averaging career-highs in almost every category, Devin has played so well that he’s regarded as one of the best point guards in the league today. He ranks 7th in scoring at 23.6 points a game and ranks 1st in FT made at 247 with Bosh coming in 2nd at only 230! He shoots more than 10 free throws a game trailing only Dwight Howard! He is also 13th in steals per game at 1.62 and 12th in assists at 6.2 dimes per contest. He is ultra-aggressive, isn’t afraid to take big shots, and is clutch down the stretch winning at least 2 games at the buzzer this year for the Nets.

2. PAUL MILLSAP (UTA) – the Utah Jazz haven’t lost a step when Boozer went down and it may even have been a blessing in disguise. Once tagged in the same category as Jason Maxiell of the Pistons and Craig Smith of the Wolves, Paul Millsap has been an absolute monster in all his games as a starter. You would think filling in Boozer’s shoes with his consistent double-doubles was hard, but Millsap made it a seamless transition. He is averaging career-bests in every single statistical category and leads the league right now with 19 straight double-doubles! He is at 15.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.3 blocks a game!

3. RAJON RONDO (BOS) – the Celtics were red-hot until the end of December came along and cooled them down. And with the best record in the NBA at the time, Rondo was toe-to-toe with Paul Pierce as the best and most consistent players for the Celtics. You would never have thought that Rondo would be one of the premiere point guards in the league, but now that fact can’t be contested. He has driven opposing teams crazy especially those with slower and older guards and he is averaging career numbers this year. He is at 11.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 7.6 assists, and 2.2 steals a game! You can go ahead and compare his game to the best point guards in the league today and you’ll be surprised to see how he’s right up there with the best of them.

4. BEN GORDON (CHI) – the only player in the Bulls roster who brings it every single night. Gordon has been on fire hitting 79 threes across 33 games hitting 43% of them. Only Bibby averages a higher percentage from three point range at over 180 attempts. Unfortunately these numbers aren’t enough to give the Bulls a winning percentage but the East is pretty weak and the Bulls are currently sitting on the 9th spot with a 14-19 record. If Rose can be consistent and Gooden gets back from injury and gets back to form, they would have a good shot at making the playoffs if Gordon keeps shooting the lights out like this.

5. MARCUS CAMBY (LAC) – one of the few consistent bright spots in a hapless Clippers team, is there a more awesome center that consistently holds stats like these?! This season across the first 28 games, he is averaging 12 points on 52% shooting from the field, 13 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, and almost 3 blocks a game. He has hit more than 20+ rebounds in a game around 5 times this season already and is showing no signs of slowing down. It’s going to be a real good contest for Defensive Player of the Year this season and Cambyman is definitely way up there.

6. JASON TERRY (DAL) – the “Jet” has always been one of the premiere shooters in the league whether he’s starting or coming off the bench and this year is no different. He’s been on a tear since the season began and hasn’t cooled off shooting the lights out from everywhere on the floor and has saved the Mavericks many times over with his clutch shooting. Terry is 16th in scoring at an insane 21.1 points a game which is the highest ever for any sixth man of the year award winner and of course he’s in the Top 10 in 3-pointers made at 68 makes ranked 10th in the league. And he is hands down the front runner in being sixth man of the year by a mile.

Honorable mentions go to Jameer Nelson of the Magic, Andris Biedrins of the Warriors, David Lee of the Knicks, Mike Bibby of the Hawks, Marquis Daniels of the Pacers, and Grand Daddy Shaquille O’Neal of the Suns.

4 BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS:

1. ELTON BRAND (PHI) – if there is one player that is the star of this category, it is definitely Elton Brand. Not only has he effectively destroyed the value of Dalembert and Iguodala, he has also been a big reason why the 76ers are in the rut they are in now. Blame it on chemistry or anything else for that matter, but it’s hard to argue that this is Elton’s worst season EVER. He is averaging career-lows in 7 stat categories (FG%, FT%, assists, steals, blocks, points, and turnovers) in his 9 years of playing in the league! If Baron had his bad karma for leaving the Warriors, maybe this is Brand’s bad karma for leaving the Clippers. Baaad juju.

2. GREG ODEN (POR) – memories of the ghost of Sam Bowie and his ill-fated career is the first thing you remember when you hear Greg Oden’s name. He’s starting as a rookie on his second season and a lot was expected from the rehabilitated top draft pick of yester-year. But he disappoints yet again posting sub-par numbers for such a highly-touted center. He is averaging 8 points and 7 rebounds a game with practically no assists with a block a game for a 7-foot first round pick center. The Blazers should thank their lucky stars that they have Brandon Roy leading the team and haven’t pinned the franchise’s hopes on Oden. Oh, and they should be thankful for Joel Przybilla too who has saved Oden’s butt many times over on the terrible games that he’s played.

3. STEVE NASH (PHO) – age is indeed catching up with the 2-time MVP as he posts his lowest assist numbers (8.4 a game) in 5 years and the highest turnover numbers in his career (3.7 a game). Those may be decent numbers for a point guard but not for a player with Nash’s caliber. Add the fact that the Suns don’t have a backup point guard who spells him makes his numbers this season even more glaring.

4. ALLEN IVERSON (DET) – it still doesn’t look right seeing AI in a Pistons uniform. Traded from Denver to Detroit, AI has struggled tremendously and is averaging career-lows in minutes played, points, assists, and steals. He is averaging a measly 18 points a game, his lowest EVER in his career, and it isn’t even close to his lowest scoring year. The funny thing about it is that these are the exact stats Iverson excels in. He practically plays all game, is always tops in scoring, dishes out a whole lot of dimes, and was one of the chief thiefs in the league. Now he’s been thrown into a role that has him look lost at times on court. When will he be able to adjust to Detroit basketball is a huge question mark, but I’m sure Rip Hamilton ain’t happy either, as his numbers have also dropped since AI’s arrival.