I recently read an article in a certain Chicago newspaper that hailed Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant as quite possibly the best player in the NBA today. The writer even went so far as to compare Bryant to the one and only “No. 23.” Many players have drawn this comparison before; you all remember Harold “Baby Jordan” Minor, don’t you? Nonetheless, this column is about the other great players in the game today, and which players Daily sports editor Jeremy Gustafson and myself consider the best. So how exactly does one determine who is the best? Well, there are statistics to start out with — points per game, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals, etc. And then there is the so-called “intangibles” — leadership, intensity, experience. What follows is a breakdown of some of today’s NBA stars and their completeness based on these qualities. We start out West with Sacramento’s Chris Webber. Webber is having a career year and his Kings have the second-best record in the West. There is also talk of Webber being the league’s MVP to date, and the numbers certainly don’t lie: 26.0 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.41 bpg, all in 40 minutes of action per night. Webber just may pull a Karl Malone this season and win the MVP, while making an early playoff exit due to the lack of a supporting team. Staying in the West, one has to mention Jason Kidd of the Phoenix Suns. Jeremy Gustafson calls him the “best all-around player” because there just isn’t much Kidd won’t do on any given night. Kidd leads the league with 5 triple-doubles this season, and is averaging 17.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, and 9.9 apg. Unfortunately for Kidd, this probably won’t be enough in a conference where you can’t compete without a big man (we’ll get to that later), and Shawn Marion, the Suns’ best big man, is going to be MIA for a while. Jumping to the East, one has to immediately think Vince Carter and his 28.8 ppg are by far the best single effort of any individual in the Eastern Conference. However, what Vince lacks is any sort of presence on the boards; he doesn’t even figure in the NBA’s top 50 rebounders. Instead, I want to talk about Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson. Iverson is fourth in the league in scoring at 27.4 ppg, second in steals with 2.29 spg, 23rd in assists with 4.8 apg, and he led the Sixers to their best start in franchise history. Not to mention, he plays 41 minutes a night with a constant array of injuries, all while being one of the NBA’s shortest players at 6 feet. Iverson could easily be the league’s best pound-for-pound player, but we’re talking about the best here. So, getting back to Kobe, his 29.6 ppg leads the NBA. And along with his versatility, his size makes him one of the hardest players to guard, ever. Yet, Kobe’s 4.6 apg and 1.59 spg just don’t convince me that he’s an all-around player. Well, who does that leave? It leaves Kobe’s teammate and team leader Shaquille O’Neal. O’Neal is putting up 25.8 ppg (7th best), and is second in the NBA in rebounds and blocks per game, with 12.8 and 3.16 respectively. O’Neal also leads the NBA in field goal percentage (55.8 percent) and has already posted 24 double-doubles this season. The one thing that makes Shaq stand out in front of all his peers is his attitude and desire to do nothing but collect rings. When he came into the league, he was outspoken, boisterous and all about creating a marketable image to the world. Now, all O’Neal talks about is championships and bringing more of them home to L.A. He is not the trash-talking, rim-rattling, one-dimensional player we all thought he would be. Instead, he is one of the best post players in the history of the sport, and certainly the single most dominating player in the NBA today — not Kobe.Jordan Gizzarelli is a sophomore in journalism and mass communications from Davenport, and is considering declaring himself eligible for April’s NBA draft.