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; so the DOTARS focuses on the hard numbers.

Player Rankings

Of the 425 players who have currently logged time this regular season, the Top 10 performers this week are (Ranking / Name / Efficiency Score). #1 - LeBron James - (28.69), #2 - Kevin Durant - (28.67), #3 - Kobe Bryant - (24.08), #4 - Anderson Varejao - (22.95), #5 - Tim Duncan - (22.92), #6 - Kevin Love - (22.19), #7 - Carmelo Anthony - (21.78), #8 - James Harden - (21.70), #9 - Russell Westbrook - (21.31), #10 - David Lee - (21.13).

Knicks Ratings

#7 - Carmelo Anthony - (21.78), #33 - Tyson Chandler - (17.23), #64 - Raymond Felton - (14.78), #68 - Jason Kidd - (14.39), #105 - J.R. Smith - (11.72), #180 - Steve Novak - (7.90), #190 - Ronnie Brewer - (7.47), #200 - Rasheed Wallace - (7.14), #271 - Pablo Prigioni - (4.82), #292 - Chris Copeland - (4.08), #315 - Kurt Thomas - (3.52), #380 - Marcus Camby - (1.52), #404 - James White - (0.90).

Knicks Trending

Melo’s score continues to rise (from 21.48 to 21.78) though his ranking stays at #7. That number is a bit higher than where Melo traditionally rates in efficiency, the 15-20 range seems to be his sweet spot. Tyson moves even higher in the top 50, was #42 and is now #33. Felton and Kidd round out NY’s top 100; and JR’s drop (now #105) continues.

Team Rankings

The Top 5 teams this week are: #1 - Oklahoma City Thunder - (109.34), #2 - San Antonio Spurs - (109.29), #3 - Los Angeles Clippers - (103.56), #4 - New York Knicks - (103.42), #5 - Miami Heat - (103.25). The Clippers, #6 (102.16) last week, crawl in front of New York, who were #3 (103.52) last week.

The Rudy Weekly Participation Ribbons

The "Rudys" go to those "try hard" "pat on the back" players and teams that 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. For the second week in a row, all five of the Rudy’s go to negative scores. #421 - Vladimir Radmanovic - (-0.05), #422 - Orlando Johnson - (-0.40), #423 - Josh Selby - (-0.80), #424 - Eddy Curry - (-0.88), #425 - Darko Milicic - (-2.00). Darko and Eddy are candidates for year-long honorariums of dehydrated orange slices for their collective antonyms of excellence.

Rudy Participation Ribbon – Team Category

For the second consecutive week, and in spite of Kyrie’s and Varejao’s bestest efforts, #30 - Cleveland Cavaliers - (85.44) win the case of juice boxes to share among their teammates. The Bronze and Silver medalists in this dyslexic Olympiad are. #29 - Washington Wizards - (85.88) #28 - Sacramento Kings - (86.08)