This effort over JaVale McGee in the 1st quarter though, is his best.

(Thanks to @HPBasketball for the video)

Jan 28, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut (12) against the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre. The Warriors beat the Raptors 114-102. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Today marked the start of a five game road trip for the Golden State Warriors, who are trying to get back on track after a 6 game losing streak that had people questioning them.

It seems the Warriors are figuring things out though, after their win today at Minnesota, 100-99. Notably absent from the game, however, was big man Andrew Bogut. Today also marked yet another stretch of games that the big Australian will miss.

A recovery from ankle surgery has limited Bogut to just 12 games this year, in which he has averaged 7 points and 6.5 rebounds. To ease him back into playing shape, coach Mark Jackson had been resting Bogut on the second night of back-to-backs.

According to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle,

“Bogut didn’t fly with the team from Oakland as it started its final extended road trip of the season Saturday because of a disc protrusion that is causing back spasms”

The team is hopeful that Bogut will return soon, but they have no definitive date. The report states,

“The Warriors say there is no real timetable for Bogut’s return, but they’re holding out hope that he can join the team at some point during their five-game trip.

Back injuries are always tricky, as we have seen with the Laker’s Dwight Howard. Hopefully the Warriors will take the time to make sure Bogut is completely healthy before he returns to action.

Apr. 4, 2011; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers small forward Nicolas Batum (88) dunks the ball on New Jersey Nets guard MarShon Brooks (9) and forward Jordan Williams (20) during the fourth quarter of the game at the Rose Garden. The Blazers won the game 101-88. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-US PRESSWIRE

Over the next fifty days you can find my rankings of the Top 50 players currently in the NBA right here at Saving the Skyhook. This might seem like it’s a whole lot to read, and admittedly it is, but you can space it out, enjoy the content, and get yourself fired up for the upcoming NBA season in the process. Tomorrow when I reveal #50, the fifty day countdown to the NBA season begins. By the time you reach #1 (I wonder who it is), it will be October 30^th and you won’t have any more waiting to do.

I know it is my opinion, but still it wouldn’t be fair to you if you didn’t know what logic went into my decisions for the upcoming Top 50 NBA Players list. Think of it like the Declaration of Independence. That written document legitimized our Founding Fathers beliefs that the 13 colonies should be an independent country of their own, completely separate from Great Britain. I wasn’t there, but when King George III received the Declaration, I imagine this was his reaction: “I don’t like this, but I totally feel where these patriots are coming from. I appreciate them explaining this to me in a written format. I’m thirsty, I want some tea… Someone get me some tea damn it!!!” Something like that. Think of this as my Declaration of Independence, that way you don’t think I am disrespectfully forcing my rankings upon you. Feel free to enjoy some tea while reading my criteria and looking at the players who didn’t quite make the cut for the top 50.

1. Individual Statistics/Accolades
What was the players’ averages in the major statistical categories (NOTE: Any career best or playoff career best notices are for players with at least 5 NBA seasons or 3 playoff appearances)? Have they won any individual awards?

2. Status
What is their role on their team? How significant is that role? How well do they fit their role?

3. Team Success
Regular season/Post season records. Are they having an impact on their team’s win/loss record?

4. Under Pressure
How good are they in the clutch? Do they play better in big games or tend to disappear?

5. Reputation
How good of a teammate is the player? Do players like playing with him or is he despised? Does he do little things that make the team better or is he out for himself? Is he known as a hard worker and leader, or someone who doesn’t always give a crap?

6. How Do They Stand Out?
Do they have memorable any games? Is there something memorable about their game that defines them?

These are the fifteen toughest omissions from the top 50 list (In alphabetical order). You’d probably think that since I do watch so much basketball, making this list would be easy. It’s quite the contrary. The league is incredibly deep right now, so it was really hard to leave some of these guys out. At one point, all of these fifteen players were seriously considered for my top 50, but I ultimately decided to drop them.

Tony Allen
One of the league’s premier defensive players. Two years ago he took on the challenge of guarding Kevin Durant in the West Semi’s, and last season he spent time guarding Chris Paul in the 1st round. No, the Grizzlies didn’t advance past either round. But it says something that he gets the assignment on a 6’10 scoring machine, AND a maestro at the point guard position.

Ryan Anderson
Halfway through the season Ryan Anderson looked like an absolute shoo-in to make the top 50. He was knocking down 3’s like it was his job and grabbing offensive rebounds at a higher rate than even Dwight Howard was. Maybe the 2012 Most Improved Player should make the list regardless, but Anderson stunk so badly in the playoffs that I couldn’t get that disgusting taste out of my mouth when it came time to putting the list together. It became clear that in a roundabout way, Dwight Howard’s effect on teammates is similar to that of Steve Nash (we’ll get there shortly). Anderson benefited greatly from the attention that Dwight Howard drew, and his numbers in the postseason displayed that—16.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 44% FG in the regular season; 9.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 34% FG in the playoffs.

Nicolas Batum
Would it be terrible if I said that I momentarily put Nicolas Batum into the top 50 after he punched Juan Carlos Navarro right in the nards in the quarterfinals of the Olympics? No? I’m clear? Okay good, because I definitely did. Just to be clear, he would have permanently locked up a spot if he punched Rudy Fernandez instead of Navarro. It was without question the most badass a Frenchman has ever looked, even if it was a bit of a cheap shot. That wasn’t the only reason why Batum was considered for the list. He was Portland’s most reliable player not named LaMarcus Aldridge, and he would’ve fit seamlessly (and been able to produce), in this year’s OKC/Miami NBA Finals based on the fact that he is 6’8, incredibly athletic and can knock down an open 3 pointer. A 4 year, $46 million contract may have been a bit excessive, but in this era of the NBA a player like Batum might be a necessity.

Andrew Bogut
Once upon a time the big Aussie Andrew Bogut was one of the best center’s in the league. He had a developing offensive game and was one of the better interior defenders in the league. He even earned 3^rd Team All-NBA honors in the 2009-10 season. Just as quickly as he was making the Bucks relevant and building a resume that would secure his spot atop the list of best Australian born players ever, Bogut also secured his name to the list of the worst sports injury videos you could find on YouTube when he dislocated his right elbow, broke his right hand and sprained his right wrist after slipping off the rim on a dunk attempt. Hey, maybe it’s a good thing I’m only 6’1 and can’t dunk. Since then, Bogut’s offensive repertoire has been mainly limited to lefty hooks, since, well, his right arm was basically shattered. He played in only 12 games last year, and was traded to Golden State. If (apparently a big if) he and Stephen Curry, both recovering from Ankle issues, can remain healthy, the Warriors could potentially sneak into the playoff race in the West.

Mike Conley
A young point guard who along with fellow “tough cut” Tony Allen gives the Grizzlies one of the better defensive backcourts in the league. I like Conley a lot. He’s shown improvement in each of his 5 seasons as an overall player and seemingly plays better in the postseason than in the regular season. I’d want to go to war with Mike Conley.

Anthony Davis
I wanted to put Davis in the top 50. I really wanted to. I still want to. Without an NBA body of work, I didn’t think it was fair to. Let me say this: next year when I’m still crazy enough to spend my whole summer working in this list, I’m confident that Davis will make the cut.

Tyreke Evans
A perfect example of a player with great offensive skill… and not much else. Statistically, Tyreke Evans has gotten worse every season he’s been in the NBA, and that wouldn’t be a problem if he was figuring out how to become a better player. But I honestly don’t think he has. It seems like Evans still hasn’t quite figured out how to have an impact on a game aside from scoring. Maybe it’s the team, or maybe it’s just his style, but I can’t put a player in the top 50 if his calling card is being a scorer and he only scores 16.5 points per game.

Kenneth Faried
How can’t you love The Manimal? First off, his nickname is The Manimal. How damn cool is that? Half man, half animal? Yeah, sign this guy up for the Manimal bandwagon. Second, his play warrants the nickname. This guy busts his ass night in and night out, and everyone got to see that in the playoffs this year when Faried upped his regular season averages– 22 minutes, 10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds per game increased to 27 minutes, 10.4 points, 10.0 rebounds per game—against the biggest front line in the playoffs. Faried was the 3^rd best rookie in the NBA last year. Maybe he’ll never be a franchise guy like Kyrie Irving or a showman like Ricky Rubio, but Faried will keep busting his ass and making his team better.

Paul George
Of all players on the toughest cuts list, George, along with Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday (coming up in two shakes of a lamb’s tail) have the highest ceilings going forward. When Danny Granger is out of Indiana, don’t expect the Pacers to drop off too much. George will be well capable of being the man in place of Granger.

Marcin Gortat
The Polish Hammer posted career bests in points (15.4), rebounds (10.0) and blocks (1.5) last season for Phoenix. This upcoming season Gortat won’t have the luxury of playing with Steve Nash, who’s made more careers over the last decade than American Idol has. It will be interesting to see if A) Gortat can continue to put up double-doubles every night without Nash, and B) If Goran Dragic can give a reasonable Steve Nash impression.

Jrue Holiday
Most likely primed for big things with the arrival of All-Star center Andrew Bynum. I would be very surprised if Holiday didn’t make the leap into the top 50 this season.

Ersan Ilyasova
The 2012 Award for Best Player That Casual Fans Haven’t Even Come Remotely Close To Hearing Of goes to Ilyasova. Ilyasova started out the season slow, but in the 33 games after Valentine’s Day Ilyasova averaged 16.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, and posted 16 double-doubles including two 30-10 games, and a very Dwight Howard-esque 29-25 game against New Jersey. Ilyasova has an off chance of supplanting Luol Deng as the starting small forward on the All-Foreign Team by the end of the 2012-13 season. Maybe then people will start to notice him.

Brandon Jennings
Anyone else think the Bucks might be a playoff team this year? Jennings, Ilyasova, and Ellis (coming up in the next few days) are a nice little nucleus to experiment with for a year as long as Jennings and Ellis don’t maim eachother looking for shots.

Lamar Odom
Now that Kanye West’s future ex-brother-in-law is back playing in LA (this time with the Clippers), maybe he’ll be the Lamar Odom of old again. It was just two years ago that Odom was coming off a season where he was either the 3^rd or 4^th best player on both the NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers and the USA Basketball team at the FIBA World Championships.  

Amar’e Stoudemire
Probably my toughest cut, especially because he worked with Hakeem Olajuwon this offseason and that means a lot to an Olajuwon fan like myself. Maybe it shouldn’t have been so difficult. I think at this point, the name Amar’e Stoudemire is greater than the player. In fact, I think you might have been able to make that argument for Amar’e his whole career. Remember that Amare has always been a poor defender, a subpar rebounder (only averaged 9-plus rebounds 3 times in ten seasons) and had Steve Nash as a point guard for the bulk of his career. Factor in his chronic knee problems (robbing him of his explosiveness, the key to his success in the past), and his apparent inability to play effectively with Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e just isn’t top 50 anymore. Sorry Corey Edwards. I had to do it.

Hornets point guard Darren Collison has filled in brilliantly during Chris Paul's absences this season.

For every player who underachieves each season, there is another who exceeds expectations to compensate. And this year is no exception. In selecting my top five, I tried to avoid rookies (who really don’t have clearly defined projections), though I couldn’t help but include my No. 1. So here’s the list.

No. 5 — Kevin Durant

Everyone knew going in that Kevin Durant was a fearless and unstoppable scorer. But who really thought that we’d be seriously considering him as MVP if LeBron James weren’t playing? Durantula added four-and-a-half points to his per-game scoring rate and may very well win the scoring title. In addition, he’s nearly flawless at the line, has improved his rebounding, and can hit the big shot. And believe it or not, he can still improve. If he can get his field-goal percentage over 50 percent and shoot over 40 percent on threes, he’ll truly be in the elite category. Let’s see if he has the ability to lead his team to victory in the playoffs this year.

No. 4 — Andray Blatche

Andray Blatche’s performance has gone more or less unnoticed because of his playing on a terrible, terrible team. If you look at his per-40-minute averages, they are rather impressive. He’s posting nearly 20 points and nine boards per 40 minutes. As a starter, he’s averaging over 20 points a game. While Brendan Haywood and Antawn Jamison were in town, he didn’t have a chance to shine. Maybe while Washington is rebuilding, he can let the world know he’s ready to stand out at the highest level with the right playing time.

No. 3 — David Lee

David Lee’s improvement this season has come mostly in the scoring department. He could rebound last year, and he has carried that over to this season. But he’s scoring over 20 a game, and his high PER reflects that, all while playing out of position at the 5. Hopefully he can sign with a serious team next year and wreak some serious havoc when the games actually matter.

No. 2 — Andrew Bogut

Andrew Bogut is what situated the Milwaukee Bucks in prime playoff position for 2010. Now that he’s out for the rest of the season, they don’t stand too much hope of advancing beyond the first round. The former first-overall pick began to justify his draft selection, adding 16 points and 10 rebounds a contest to his team’s line. Moreover, his defense was stellar. He contributed 2.5 blocks a game and began to develop a Dwight Howard-esque effect on opponents’ shots whenever they were foolish enough to enter the paint. Bogut will be back next year with a healthy Michael Redd, so he should be able to do the same again for the Deer.

No. 1 — Darren Collison

As I mentioned above, it is tough to include rookies on this list because their abilities aren’t really evident with no experience in the league. In this case, what chance does a point guard playing behind Chris Paul have of succeeding in his first professional campaign? That said, Darren Collison, the 21st-overall pick out of UCLA, has played magnificently this year. Paul has missed a lot of time with injures, and Collison has capitalized. His per-game averages over the course of the season aren’t terribly impressive, but if you limit the scope to the games he’s started, it becomes more glaring. His stat line in games started: 18.4 points, 9 assists, 3.6 boards, 1.4 steals, 47 percent shooting, 41 percent from deep, and 85 percent from the charity stripe. The dude needs to get out of New Orleans, because he doesn’t deserve to be playing behind CP3; he’s way too good.

• The Bobcats assured the franchise’s first playoff berth last night with their win.

• The NBA has conceded that Bennett Salvatore missed the call on C.J. Miles’s attempted block of Kevin Durant’s shot.

• The Bucks are 2-0 since losing Andrew Bogut to season-ending injuries.

• Karl Malone and Scottie Pippen join Dennis Johnson in this year’s Hall of Fame class.

• A big blow for the Bucks, Andrew Bogut dislocated his elbow and broke his hand last night.

John Salmons has the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs this season.

The Milwaukee Bucks are going to be in the playoffs this year. The boys from Wisconsin, who haven’t played into May since the 2005-2006 season, are playing better than anyone could have expected them to at the beginning of the year. Currently in fifth place in the East, the Bucks are slated to draw a first-round matchup with either the Boston Celtics or Atlanta Hawks, who are tied for third place.

What has accounted for the Bucks’ surprising and sudden transition to a postseason-caliber team after being assumed lottery players for three years? Well, certainly very few expected rookie Brandon Jennings to play superhuman basketball at the beginning of the season (and still-above-average basketball, especially for a rookie, now). And certainly very few expected former No. 1 pick Andrew Bogut to be posting 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks a game for a cool PER of 20.6. But they’re not the true reason for the Bucks’ absurd play.

No, John Salmons is responsible for that.

Since acquiring Salmons prior to the team’s February 19 contest against the Pistons, Milwaukee is a stunning 16-4. During this span, Salmons has averaged slightly over 20 points per contest after putting up about 14 a game with Chicago earlier this season. He showed flashes of this scoring ability in Sacramento and Chicago last season, but after an inauspicious start to the current campaign, I expected it was just a fluke. He can really score the ball, has meshed well with Jennings in the back court, and gives Milwaukee a reliable late-game jumpshooter after Michael Redd went down with a season-ending injury.

Speaking of which, credit the Bucks’ front office for not folding the cards after that and selling away the season. They went out and made a deadline deal to keep themselves competitive, and now they figure to be at least competitive in the playoffs. With six scorers averaging in double figures, they have a balanced offense.

The emerging problem? Are they deep enough up front with Bogut, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Ersan Ilyasova, and Kurt Thomas? That will be definitely be problem against every single one of the teams ahead of them in the Eastern Conference standings.