With the Olympics coming to a close and training camp for NBA teams about a month away, NBA news is at a crawl. Nearly all of the big free agents have signed months ago, most of the big trades are out of the way and whatever other drama is pretty much settled. At this point teams are simply fine-tuning their rosters in preperation for the season ahead.

So, as you can imagine, thinking up NBA article ideas isn’t very easy this this time of the year. It is sill a bit early for predictions and such because teams still haven’t finished shuffling their rosters, and of course there are still a number of players that will get injured while trying to get their butts back in shape before training camp starts (Chuck Hayes, I see you) or getting last minute surgery for injuries that have lingered for months (such as Manu Ginobili). For those reasons, I wanted to stray away from making predictions for the upcoming season.

Still, I wanted to give you guys something to look at and discuss before the fun starts about a month from now. What better way to spark discussion while giving people something fun to look at than ranking the NBA’s best players? To simplify things, I will only rank the top 50 players, because people usually skip over the next batch of talent, and those players tend to be a lot harder to rank. With that said, ranking the top 50 players should be sufficient enough and give all you readers plenty to nit-pick.

Keep in mind, my rankings do take into account injury problems and whatnot.

Without further or do, here is the Nitro1118 top 50:

1. Kobe Bryant- In the last 3 years, Bryant has won a league MVP, an Olympic gold medal, 2 scoring titles, been named to 3 All-NBA 1st teams and Defensive 1st teams, has an All-Star Game MVP, an NBA Finals appearance and regular season averages of 31.7PPG/5.8RPG/5.1APG while shooting 45.7%  from the field, 35.1% from 3 and 85.4% from the free throw line. Bryant is quickly becoming one of the most accomplished players of our era, and he is still in his prime. While there can be a great case made for LeBron James as being the best player in the league, I still believe Bryant’s scoring, defense, killer instinct and experience still give him the edge over James.

2. LeBron James- The phenom continues to amaze. After winning the first scoring title of his career last year and rapidly improving what was once a weak jump-shoot, weak defense and inability to hit big shots when it counted in the 4th quarter, he has clearly established himself as the 2nd best player in the NBA. You can look at his jaw-dropping stats (30.0PPG/7.9RPG/7.0APG on 48.3% shooting last season), list of accomplishments (the aformentioned scoring title, Olympic gold medal, Rookie of the Year award, 2 All-NBA 1st teams, and 2 All-Star Game MVP’s), or how he led a fairly lackluster Cleveland Cavaliers team all the way to the NBA Finals in 2007…it all adds up to this 23 year-old monster being the 2nd best player in the NBA and a guy who will be at or near the top for a long, LONG time.

3. Dwyane Wade- While he has been injured quite a bit the last 2 seasons, and his Miami Heat had the worst record in the NBA last year, it doesn’t deter my opinion that Wade is the 3rd best player in the NBA. When Wade is healthy, people forget just how good the guy who won the 2006 Finals MVP is. Luckily he opened people’s eyes by his dazzling performance these Olympics, including his 27 points in the gold medal game against Spain. Barring injury, Wade is one of the most explosive players in the NBA. With that explosiveness, he carves up defenses with his dribble penetrations, which allows him to be an elite scorer while shooting a terrific percentage, drawing in defenses which opens up his teammates for open looks, play passing lanes perfectly, and at just 6′4” he will grab around 5 boards a game as well as block anywhere from 1-1.5 shots a game. Not to mention over the last few years he has been one of the most dominant clutch players in the league.

4. Chris Paul- After finishing a close 2nd to Bryant in the MVP race last season, and leading his New Orleans Hornets to 56 wins and nearly knocking off the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the conference semi-finals, Paul has clearly established himself as a top 5 player in this league, and without a doubt the best point guard in the NBA. Last year Paul was dazzling as he led the NBA in both assists and steals, while throwing is 21.6PPG on 48.8% shooting and 4.0RPG for good measure. Paul also managed to make the All-NBA Defensive 2nd team, and All-NBA 1st team. In the playoffs he stepped up his game even more as he thrashed one of the NBA’s greatest all-time point guards in Jason Kidd, and then tearing up the almighty San Antonio Spurs’ defense. Paul has no glaring, huge holes in his game, and a a ripe age of 23 it is downright scary to imagine just how good he really can be.

5. Kevin Garnett- Every single season for the last 7-8 years Garnett has been near the top of the league. After years and years of failure and dissapointment, Garnett finally got to experience the joy of success with the Boston Celtics last season as the Celtics rolled through the regular season with 66 wins and then went on to win the NBA Finals. Garnett was not without individual praise, however, as he won his first Defensive Player of the Year award and his fourth All-NBA 1st team selection. With an automatic midrange jumpshot, impeccable footwork in the post, lightning quick rotations defensively, amazing court vision and savvy as well as dominant rebounding abiliy, Garnett remains one of the most versatile and well-rounded players in NBA history.

6. Tim Duncan- While it is my personal opinion that Duncan has declined a bit as he has aged the last few seasons, he is still one of the best players in the league. Even with that declined ability, Duncan is still the best pure overall post player in the NBA, a smart yet intimidating force defensively and as always he cleans the boards with the best of them. No player in the NBA is as accomplished as Duncan is, and that kind of experience is why he is one of the most clutch big men in the league and is one of the calmest players in big pressure moments that you will ever see. Duncan also happens to be one of the most consistent players in the NBA, and every year you can pencil him down for around 20/10 as well as the Spurs going deep in the playoffs.

7. Tracy McGrady- 2007-2008 saw much of the same from McGrady. He had his usual 22PPG/6APG/5RPG statline, missed his annual 12-20 games, led the Houston Rockets to 50+ wins despite Yao Ming going down for his annual 25-30 games, and the most common trend was yet another first round loss despite McGrady putting up great stats (27.0PPG/8.2RPG/6.8APG to be exact). Still, when McGrady plays, few players can carry a team like he can, shown with how the Rockets haven’t even skipped a beat with Ming going down the last 2 years and McGrady really stepping up his play in those stretches. While his injuries have hindered his play since his Orlando Magic days, McGrady is still one of the best scorers in the league, up there with LeBron James as the best passing wing player in the NBA, and of course will grab 5-6 boards a game, play decent defense and overall be one of the most versatile players in the NBA.

8. Amare Stoudemire- I know most people will disagree with how highly I rank Nash, citing his poor defense and how he flourishes only because of the system and players around him. However, what people overlook is just how dominant offensively this guy has become. For 2 months of the seasons last year, Stoudemire averaged 29PPG/10RPG/2BPG and shot 57% from the field and 84% from the free-throw line. As he has developed an autmatic midrange jumpshot and some nice moves/footwork around the rim to compliment his unbelievable athleticism, he has become virtually impossible to defend. And unlike some of the other great big men of the league, you can’t hack-a-Amare in the last few minutes of the game because he is a terrific free-throw shooters. While his defense is still lacking, his weakside defense has gotten a lot better and is now swatting over 2 shots per game.

9. Steve Nash- Yet another Phoenix Suns player who people might disagree with me for the same exact reasons they would about Stoudemire; defense and the system/players placed around him. While his defense is a known problem, and the second point can certainly be debated, I feel Nash is still the best pure passing point guard in the NBA. With incredible balhandling ability, court vision and unbelievablely efficient shooting from all areas on the court, he is simply a dream PG offensively. Not to mention his ability to hit very clutch shots is a huge advantage for him. With 2 MVP’s under his belt, as well as being credited as the motor for a Suns teams that has won over 50 wins 4 seasons in a row (including 2 60 win seasons) and a guy who really has maximized the abilities of guys like Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire, Nash still is one of the best in the league.

10. Paul Pierce- Finals MVP and a yearly 20/5/5 type guy, Pierce is one of the most consistently great players in the NBA. He is simply a rock. You know you will get it all from Pierce every single night, and with much improved defense he is now a guy who will make an impact on both sides of the ball. He has one of the most diverse, unique offensive arsenals in the game, and is one of the few great perimeter scorers that actually takes advantage of his strength and bangs in the post. His rebounding and playmaking are also very good and often under-valued. Last but not least, he is very good at taking over games to lead his team to victory, and there are few players you’d rather have take the game-winning shot than Pierce.

11. Dirk Nowitzki
12. Allen Iverson
13. Yao Ming
14. Dwight Howard
15. Elton Brand
16. Deron Williams
17. Carmelo Anthony
18. Baron Davis
19. Chris Bosh
20. Joe Johnson
21. Manu Ginobili
22. Vince Carter
23. Gilbert Arenas
24. Caron Butler
25. Carlos Boozer
26. Al Jefferson
27. Andrew Bynum
28. Ron Artest
29. Andre Iguodala
30. Brandon Roy
31. Jason Richardson
32. David West
33. Pau Gasol
34. Jason Kidd
35. Chauncey Billups
36. Shawn Marion
37. Chris Kaman
38. Lamar Odom
39. Gerald Wallace
40. Josh Smith
41. Richard Jefferson
42. Hedo Turkoglu
43. Kevin Martin
44. Antawn Jamison
45. Rip Hamilton
46. Ray Allen
47. Corey Maggette
48. Rudy Gay
49. Emeka Okafor
50. Rashard Lewis