White Guy Power Rankings (Nov. 3)

Is there a more underappreciated athlete in professional sports than the American-born white NBA player? When you think of white guys in the NBA, what comes to your mind first? Steve Nash? Dirk Nowitzki? Pau Gasol? Sorry, all foreign-born, I’m looking for U.S. Americans. Mark Madsen? Sadly, not playing anymore. Jason Kidd? Mike Bibby? Nope.

White Guys are generally fighting an uphill battle their entire basketball life. White NBA players are generally classified as “heady,” “scrappers,” “hard workers,” “shooters.” When I see LeBron James, I don’t mistake him for anything other than a bona fide NBA star and prime physical specimen. When I see Jeff Foster, I see a financial planner.

Are these all stereotypes? Yes! But they’re not going away any time soon. And let’s face it, when you’re going to name the top 50 players in the NBA right now, you’re probably not going to see an American-born White Guy on the list. I think it’s time they get the recognition they (kind of) deserve!

That’s why I’m going to rank the top 10 white guys in the NBA right now in my first edition of the White Guy Power Rankings. Because how else is Brad Miller going to make a top-10 all-anything list?

Four games into the season might be a little too small a sample size to make rankings based on stats alone, so the top players may not necessarily have the best stats thus far.

1. David Lee (Knicks)
19.0 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 62.7% FG
Slam-dunk (pun!) No. 1 pick for the White Guy Power Rankings. This guy has been at the top of the list for at least the last year now. Yes, his stats may be inflated due to playing in Mike D’Antoni’s run-and-gun system, but you can’t argue with his production and numbers. The bar has been set! Larry Bird this ain’t, but right now he’s the best (White Guy) in the NBA.

2. Troy Murphy (Pacers)
13.0 ppg, 11.5 rpg
It seems like Larry Bird is missing the days of white guys playing a significant part on NBA teams. Seems like he’s trying to recreate the Celtics of old. The Pacers blow everyone out of the water when it comes to White Guys, with no less than six players on the team (Murphy, Travis Diener, Tyler Hansbrough, Josh McRoberts, Mike Dunleavy and Jeff Foster), twice as much as any other team in the league (Bulls and Magic). It doesn’t seem to be working, as Murphy is the only player of significance on a mediocre team. Either way, Murphy is a pretty solid NBA player, averaging a double-double.

3. Spencer Hawes (Kings)
13.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1 bpg
Hawes had a slow start to the season, netting only 10 points his first two game. He’s exploded (for a White Guy at least) the last two games, putting up consecutive 20-point, 10-rebound games. He’s a legitimate center, albeit for a crappy Kings team, but he’s only 21 years old.

4. Jason Kapono (Heat)
9.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 50% 3FG
Kapono’s stats may not be off the charts, but this is one guy who definitely fits the “shooter” stereotype. He’s a consistent 45-50% 3-point shooter, an impressive number. Sadly, that’s pretty much all he can do, with career averages of only two rebounds and one assist per game. But 50% 3-point shooting with 85% free throws is good in any league.

5. Kirk Hinrich (Bulls)
10.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.7 apg
Hinrich’s numbers have steadily gone down since the 2006-07 season when he averaged nearly 17 points a game. His minutes have also gone down too, and with the emergence of Derrick Rose as the point guard of the future in Chicago, chances are they aren’t going to increase, at least in a Bulls uniform. But, he’s still a solid, steady point guard and a pretty good threat from beyond the arc and is a always has at least a 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

6. JJ Redick (Magic)
16.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 55% 3FG
As a Duke fan myself, I’ve always waited for JJ Redick to emerge in the NBA. I still to this day can’t tell you how a 6-4 White Guy with no hops, no quicks and no handles can break the ACC scoring record (since broken by fellow White Guy Tyler Hansbrough). It’s tough to wrap your head around that fact. But we all know he can shoot. Stan Van Gundy hasn’t exactly been consistent with Redick’s minutes the past couple years. He’s on the court for 30 minutes one game and six the next. It was tough for him to ever get into a rhythm. After Vince Carter went down with a sprained ankle, Redick took advantage, including a 27-point outburst on Nov. 1. Obviously, Redick has oodles of shooting potential, but hasn’t been able to see the court enough to put together consistent numbers. He could either shoot up the White Guy Power Ranking boards or fall off completely, depending on how Van Gundy uses him.

7. Chase Budinger (Rockets)
9.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 40% 3FG
He’s just a rookie and he’s only played four games, but he’s averaging 9.3 points in just 16 minutes per game for the Rockets. He’s only going to get more and more playing time as the year goes on, and if he can keep up similar output he’ll be near the top of the list soon.

8. Ryan Anderson (Magic)
17.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 55% 3FG
The second-year man suffers from the same Van Gundy curse that Redick does. It seems like he’s not going to get consistent enough playing time to put up big numbers, although early in the season he has done just that. He and Redick provide a solid 1-2 White Guy duo for the Magic.

9. Chris Andersen (Nuggets)
6.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg
Doesn’t fill up the stat sheets, but the energy and relentlessness on the offensive boards he brings to the team is invaluable. Andersen was a big spark to the Nuggets deep playoff run last year, and he continues to be a great role player for the explosive Denver team.

10. Brad Miller (Bulls)
9.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg
You’re bound to scrape the bottom of the barrel when trying to name the NBA’s top 10 White Guys. Brad Miller used to be a top-three White Guy when he was averaging 15 and 10 with the Kings in the early 2000’s. While he’s not getting any younger or better looking, and this grizzly-looking man is still a serviceable big guy in the NBA, averaging nearly 10 points and five boards a game.