Gilbert Arenas or Richard Jefferson?
That has been a subject of debate ever since the former Arizona stars began a back-and-forth following Jefferson's $3.5 million donation for his alma mater to put toward a new practice facility.
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| Gilbert Areans slyly lets Richard Jefferson know that he's the top Wildcat. (Getty Images) |
Arenas, not someone you seek out considering he packs a blog and knows how to use it, responded by writing that Jefferson is just jealous because he's been surpassed as Arizona's top product.
"For some reason, he thinks he's better than me. He can't fathom that he's only the third-best player from Arizona, and I'm No. 1. He just hates that I'm No. 1.
"Unfortunately, I had to be the one to say that he's like the third favorite. But I think his stock is dropping. He's like fourth now. I don't know what happened to cause it, but he's fourth now. The R-Jeff market is in a recession."
Although I'll stop short of agreeing Jefferson "had to put his name on the gym because no one was going to remember him," after letting the subject marinate in my mind, I've decided Arenas isn't wrong on his rankings. At this very moment, Arenas is the hottest thing out of Arizona, even surpassing new Suns G.M. Steve Kerr, who has quietly been plotting to take over all of basketball since his retirement.
Trying his hand at my job on another site, providing on-air commentary, honing his philosophies and making moves behind the scenes. Don't think you haven't been noticed, Kerr. He might not stop until he's the logical choice to supplant David Stern.
Back to Arenas, though. His playful competitiveness sparks a great conversation piece. Here's who CBSSports.com has leading the representing race at 24 of the country's most popular institutions. Is this incredibly immature? Maybe. Compelling and entertaining? Absolutely. And yes, via Arizona, Jefferson currently ranks fourth. Remember, these only encompass active players, so don't be sending e-mails asking where Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson are:
Alabama
1. Gerald Wallace
2. Mo Williams
3. Antonio McDyess
4. Robert Horry
Veteran Horry has all the rings, but if we're talking about strictly juice, young buck Wallace has the crown. He just re-upped with the Bobcats and should have a breakout season given his steady improvement. Milwaukee's Williams has a new contract, too, but having spurned Miami's advances, probably won't get the face time needed to surpass Wallace.
Arizona
1. Gilbert Arenas
2. Andre Iguodala
3. Jason Terry
4. Richard Jefferson
5. Mike Bibby
Arenas was an All-Star starter last year, with fans voting him in ahead of Jefferson's more high-profile cohorts, New Jersey's Vince Carter and Jason Kidd. His popularity has reached cult status, and he has been able to back up most of his boasting on the floor. With Allen Iverson gone, Philly's Iguodala finally got a chance to shine. Expect him to be a monster next season. Terry gets the nod over Jefferson and Bibby for No. 3 for his overshadowed contributions for a Mavericks team that has won more regular-season games than anyone the past two years.
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| Despite being in the league years, Ray Allen is still holding off the younger Huskies. (Getty Images) |
1. Ray Allen
2. Richard Hamilton
3. Caron Butler
4. Emeka Okafor
5. Ben Gordon
Now that Allen is back on the East Coast, in Boston, no less, expect him to get a lot of love. He gets some here in a close call over Rip, while Butler leads in the newer generation of UConn gems closing the gap, which also features Milwaukee's Charlie Villanueva, Memphis' Rudy Gay and New Jersey's Marcus Williams.
Duke
1. Carlos Boozer
2. Elton Brand
3. Luol Deng
4. Shane Battier
5. Corey Maggette
The choice between two of the league's best power forwards comes down to who is healthy at the moment. Deng might wind up being better than both by the time this season is up. The Bulls, ideally, will become his team. Battier remains one of the top glue guys in the league. It might seem strange not to see new Phoenix acquisition Grant Hill up here, but who would you put him above?
Florida
1. Mike Miller
2. David Lee
3. Udonis Haslem
4. Jason Williams
5. Matt Bonner
This is how things stand as the '04s enter the league. I think Al Horford will make a more immediate impact than Joakim Noah or Corey Brewer, but it will be at least a few years before any of them surpasses the unheralded Miller.
Georgetown
1. Iverson
2. Alonzo Mourning
3. Jeff Green
4. Dikembe Mutombo
5. Michael Sweetney
Seattle's Green will be the first of John Thompson III's boys to make an impact on the league, but dear ol' dad's big guns still lurk atop this list.
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| Chris Bosh is rapidly becoming the best Yellow Jacket alumnus on the hard court. (Getty Images) |
1. Chris Bosh
2. Stephon Marbury
3. Matt Harpring
4. Jarrett Jack
5. Thaddeus Young
Bosh only spent a year in Atlanta, but he'll wind up being the best player ever to come through Tech, surpassing the esteemed Mark Price.
Indiana
1. Jared Jeffries
2. Bracey Wright
3. Alan Henderson
How far have the Hoosiers fallen? Expect Kelvin Sampson to get things turned around, starting with future pro and current freshman Eric Gordon.
Illinois
1. Deron Williams
2. Brian Cook
3. Luther Head
4. James Augustine
5. Dee Brown
The Fighting Illini's recent glory days have only produced one NBA starter, and he figures to carry the flag for the program for quite a while. Williams was awesome at the FIBAs and is quietly becoming one of the league's top young players.
Kansas
1. Paul Pierce
2. Kirk Hinrich
3. Drew Gooden
4. Nick Collison
5. Jacque Vaughn
Pierce has been KU's top dog almost since the moment he came into the league, and will get to bark louder come the postseason now that reinforcements have arrived. Seattle's Collison could make a sharp move up this list with another strong year.
Kentucky
1. Tayshaun Prince
2. Jamaal Magloire
3. Antoine Walker
4. Rajon Rondo
5. Nazr Mohammed
It's impressive how effective Prince has become. He came into the league as a scrawny mold of clay and is now one of the league's most polished small forwards. None of the other guys on this list have truly delivered on their promise, though one can argue they've made the most of what they've got. Boston's Rondo is the exception, and will have his opportunity.
Maryland
1. Chris Wilcox
2. Steve Blake
3. Joe Smith
4. Steve Francis
5. Juan Dixon
This list probably wouldn't have looked like this before last season, but things have changed. Seattle's Wilcox started 81 games and produced, Blake fit like a glove in two different locales and signed back on with the Blazers where he'll likely start. Meanwhile, Smith and Francis have joined title contenders, but will play reduced roles. Given what was expected out of all theses guys coming out of college, only Blake has really delivered.
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| Penny Hardaway is still the second best Tiger playing, come on Memphis. (Getty Images) |
1. Rodney Carney
2. Penny Hardaway
3. Shawne Williams
4. Lorenzen Wright
5. Earl Barron
It's actually somewhat sad that despite all the success the Tigers have had running Conference USA, a Penny no one has seen healthy in years can be put at No. 2 on this list. Paging Derrick Rose.
Michigan
1. Jamal Crawford
2. Juwan Howard
3. Chris Webber
4. Bernard Robinson
5. Maceo Baston
The current state of Wolverines in the NBA is just a notch above this year's college football version.
Michigan State
1. Jason Richardson
2. Zach Randolph
3. Morris Peterson
4. Charlie Bell
5. Shannon Brown
Ironically, the top four on this list are headed for new homes. The call here is that Richardson will fare better as Charlotte's go-to guy than Randolph will as New York's. Peterson should be a hit in New Orleans, while the latest word is that Bell might be venturing overseas to earn more money than the Bucks have offered.
North Carolina
1. Carter
2. Antawn Jamison
3. Rasheed Wallace
4. Raymond Felton
5. Jerry Stackhouse
These are the products of the post-Jordan, Worthy, Daugherty era, and it's indisputable that Carter is king. With these guys winding down, the next generation will hinge on the likes of recent draft picks Marvin Williams, Brandan Wright, Sean May, Rashad McCants, and Felton, who has thus far made the biggest splash.
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| There is no debate at Ohio State right now, but Greg Oden could give Redd a run. (Getty Images) |
1. Michael Redd
2. Greg Oden
3. Mike Conley Jr.
4. Daequan Cook
Indisputable now, but this should get interesting the next few years.
Oklahoma State
1. Tony Allen
2. Desmond Mason
3. Joey Graham
4. John Lucas
5. Stephen Graham
Allen is back after his gruesome leg injury, and will play a larger role in Boston's resurgence than many currently expect. Back in Milwaukee, Mason hopes to recapture his game after a few mediocre seasons.
Stanford
1. Brevin Knight
2. Josh Childress
3. Jason Collins
4. Casey Jacobsen
5. Jarron Collins
The Lopez boys are coming to give the Collins twins a run. Mark Madsen just missed the top five cut. At the top, Knight gets some much deserved love. He has been overlooked for far too long.
Texas
1. Kevin Durant
2. T.J. Ford
3. LaMarcus Aldridge
4. Daniel Gibson
5. Chris Mihm
The Longhorns are assembling a good-looking young crew, and it's not presumptuous to label Durant No. 1 right off the jump. I didn't see any of the other guys lighting it up at U.S. Olympic trials over the summer. The great thing about this group is that all should get progressively better, including Mihm, who should resurrect his career after blowing out his ankle last season.
UCLA
1. Baron Davis
2. Trevor Ariza
3. Matt Barnes
4. Jason Kapono
5. Jordan Farmar
Davis is Westwood's finest export since Reggie Miller. Hopefully, he continues the tradition of delivering great clutch moments. Orlando's Ariza is impressive for his age. The Knicks were fools to give him up.
Utah
1. Andre Miller
2. Andrew Bogut
3. Michael Doleac
This list just seems strange without Keith Van Horn. Teams were sniffing around to see whether he had any interest in a return, but thus far there's no hint of it.
Villanova
1. Tim Thomas
2. Randy Foye
3. Kyle Lowry
4. Malik Allen
Foye and Lowry are going to clash at the point for years to come, but they're still developing. Thomas has been a disappointment given what was expected of him, but he still has a lot of gas left. Don't be surprised if he makes good for the Clippers in filling Brand's void.
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| Tim Duncan heads a great list of Deacon big men that could make a run together. (Getty Images) |
1. Tim Duncan
2. Chris Paul
3. Josh Howard
4. Darius Songaila
Scope the big game at Wake. All the Demon Deacons need is to develop a shooting guard and they can put an alumni starting five that could compete for an NBA title.
Wisconsin
1. Michael Finley
2. Devin Harris
3. Alando Tucker
Whether this baton changes hands this year might ultimately determine the outcome of the Western Conference. Finley stays in remarkable shape and was a sparkplug for San Antonio while earning his first ring. A lot is expected out of Harris as he enters his third season, and if he can come on strong, Dallas might again be the class of the Southwest. Tucker, a rookie, is hoping to make an impact in Phoenix and make this a three-way debate.
FYI: Guys like Dwyane Wade (Marquette), Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse) and Kidd (Cal) own the glory at their alma maters without debate, so that's why their schools were omitted.
