Here are the highlights of the DOTARS Ratings for this week.

The DOTARS (Don’t Over - think This Ain’t Rocket Science) is an efficiency scoring system that calculates actual performance and assigns consistent values for shooting percentage, scoring, turnover, steals, and so on. There really is no accurate, unbiased measure of defensive prowess and there truly is no single objective method to fully calculate a players’ worth.

Player Rankings

Of the 414 players who have currently logged time this regular season, the Top 10 performers this week are (Ranking / Name / Efficiency Score): #1 - Kevin Durant - (29.20); #2 - LeBron James - (27.84); #3 - Kevin Love - (27.70); #4 - Anderson Varejao - (24.16); #5 - Tim Duncan - (23.55); #6 - Kobe Bryant - (22.89); #7 - Rajon Rondo - (21.74); #8 - James Harden - (21.08); #9 - Russell Westbrook - (20.60); #10 - Chris Paul - (20.39).

Here are the scores for the Knicks players:

#13 - Carmelo Anthony - (19.76); #50 - J.R. Smith - (15.49); #63 - Raymond Felton - (14.66); #64 - Tyson Chandler - (14.66); #75 - Jason Kidd - (13.77); #159 - Ronnie Brewer - (8.64); #176 - Rasheed Wallace - (8.10); #253 - Steve Novak - (5.11); #304 - Pablo Prigioni - (3.40); #310 - Kurt Thomas - (3.22); #356 - James White - (1.60); #359 - Marcus Camby - (1.52); #362 - Chris Copeland - (1.43).

Success Indicators As you would expect, the upper tier teams are those that have multiple players in the top 100, and more importantly, multiple players in the top 50; that seems to suggest consistent effort and distribution of tasks among the players. For example: • Boston has 3 in the top 50 and top 100; • The Lakers have three in the top 50 and four in the top 100; • Memphis has four in the top 50 and top 100; • Miami has three in the top 50 and four in the top 100; • OKC has two in the top 50 and two in the top 100; • And the Knicks have two in the top 50 (JR creeps in at #50) and five in the top 100.

Knicks Trending

The large number of Knicks in the top 100 is very strong; but the disparity between the top ranking (Melo at #13) and the next highest (JR at #50)could be a cause for concern as the season goes on. If Amare can return to form that should help in the long run. Similar to Melo, Amare has consistently been a top 25 performer the last several years.

Too Early to Tell...

Early season numbers may be fool's gold. Portland for example has three players in the top 50 and five in the top 100; but their team ranking is 25th and record is 6 and 8. In other cases, the numbers do not lie. Take the Whizzers... please! Their highest ranked player is Nene... who is ranked #94... and he's only played two games!!!

Team Rankings

The Top 10 teams this week are: #1 - Oklahoma City Thunder - (107.05); #2 - Miami Heat - (105.62); #3 - San Antonio Spurs - (104.36); #4 - New York Knicks - (104.03); #5 - Houston Rockets - (101.92); #6 - Milwaukee Bucks - (99.46); #7 - Denver Nuggets - (99.18); #8 - Utah Jazz - (98.50); #9 - Memphis Grizzlies - (97.68); #10 - Los Angeles Lakers - (97.46).

The Rudy Weekly Participation Ribbons

The Rudy Weekly Participation Ribbon goes to those "try hard" "pat on the back" players and teams the try and try and try… they are very trying… to be at the top of the list… if the list of top performers were sorted in the wrong order. Like any good 5 Year or Younger Saturday Morning Soccer League, treats and snacks need to be handed out to the deserving participants.

Rudy Participation Ribbon – Player Category

This week’s bag of orange slices goes to the following five players who strived to perform at a level far surpassing their peers… in the wrong direction: #410 - Josh Selby - (-0.70); #411 - Eddy Curry - (-0.87); #412 - Hamed Haddadi - (-1.00); #413 - Johan Petro - (-1.00); #414 - Darko Milicic - (-2.00).

Rudy Participation Ribbon – Team Category

In a clear demonstration of dedication and teamwork, this week’s case of juice boxes goes to… no, not the Washington Whizzers, but to: #30 - Sacramento Kings - (82.96).