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**Weasel** · 07-07-2006, 03:06 PM

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...simmons/060707

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39. Chris Kaman
Name me three other quality centers under 30. Go ahead. I dare you. Now, name me five other low-post players who can score with their back to the basket, going in either direction, with either hand, whenever they want. And while we're here, name me one other NBA starter who hasn't cut his hair in six years, looks like the ax murderer from an Eli Roth movie and functions at a high level despite severe ADD.

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27. Shaun Livingston
So, I'm watching a Charlotte-Orlando game from 1994 on ESPN Classic a few weekends ago, mainly because it was so jarring to see Skinny Shaq and Skinny Alonzo flying around. But that game made me realize three things. First, Orlando should have dominated the rest of that decade; it's almost inconceivable that bad luck (Nick Anderson missing those ill-fated free throws in the '95 Finals, leading to a Rockets sweep and Anderson going from a potential 10-time All-Star to a certified Section 8) and petty jealousies (the stupid Shaq-Penny feud) ended up sidetracking a potential dynasty.

Second, Penny Hardaway was really, REALLY good. We forget this now, but he made consecutive first-team All-NBA's before he turned 25. Ten years later, he's known to an entire generation of fans under 25 as "the dude from 'Blue Chips.' " Kinda weird how that turned out.

And third, I keep comparing Livingston's ceiling to a poor man's Magic, but that's not totally fair: Magic was one of the all-time greats and had leadership/charisma skills that Livingston just doesn't possess. We're never going to see another Magic, which is unfortunate because that means we'll never see another "The Magic Hour." But the pre-injury Penny Hardaway ... now there's a comparison. Penny was a better scorer; Livingston is a better passer. Other than that, they're eerily similar, right down to the passive-aggressive body language, lanky physiques and jawdrop/nuclear/freakish/world-class athleticism. Say what you want about Penny, but if Livingston evolves into a more unselfish version of him, this would be a good thing. And, yes, I renewed my season tix for a third year solely because of him, even though I was on the fence after the Clips fans did The Wave during consecutive playoff games. Downright humiliating. I'll get over it. Eventually.

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11. Elton Brand
Ahead of KG, you say? Well, would you rather have 27 year-old EB hitting his prime at a reasonable $46 million for the next three years, or 31-year-old KG killing your cap at $66 million for the next three years with about 120,000 miles on his odometer? Yeah, I thought so.