What Number Is Love?

Eric Freeman: Harrison Barnes even wears a dull number. If you wear 40 you have to be shawn kemp to make it cool

Bethlehem Shoals: We should make a list of dull numbers

EF: 7 is really dull

BS: 6 isn't. 10 is.

EF: 11 isn't

BS: 20 is totally dull

EF: Yes, but not 21-24.

BS: 26 is.

EF: Anything above 5 in the ones place is. Except a single digit. Or 36.

BS: 48 isn't dull.

EF: 48 is dull. It's the number they give you when they don't know your name. It's the number for if you get blood on your jersey

BS: No way. 47-49 are all not dull.

EF: I think all primes are awesome.

BS: 1,3, 7, 11.. not sure about 11.

EF: 11 is the number of point guards. How could it be dull?

BS: Is there a number 51?

EF: 51 is awesome. You are aligning yourself with Randy Johnson and middle linebackers.

BS: 52 and 53 aren't. Those are primes.

EF: True. Revised: not all primes are awesome.

BS: But 52 isn't a prime, actually.

EF: That is a number for rebounders, e.g. Buck Williams.

BS: I've changed my mind on 26.

EF: 26 is close enough to the classic 20s that there is clearly something wrong with you. You are almost normal, but not quite.

BS: Right, like why weren't you 23, 24, 25? It's almost better than 0.

EF: Is 00 cool? Or just 0?

BS: 0 is played out.

EF: I really like 00 on guards.

BS: 00 is timelessly dumb. Like a bright plaid coat.

EF: Is 23 cool or is it just there at this point?

BS: It's like changing your last name to DUNK or BASKETBALL, so that's on your jersey. You know what, I've changed my mind on 00. It's almost structural, like a porch. How do you feel about porches?

EF: What about 1? I feel like if you wear it as a big man, you're saying that you wish you were a guard, like with Amar'e. Also, I think Griffin will eventually change his jersey number because of this. Basically i think he should just mimic Amar'e's accessory decisions.

BS: You mean the glasses?

EF: And becoming Jewish.

BS: That's an accessory?

EF: For Amar'e.

BS: 38 is a terrible number.

FreeDarko Player Rankings 2010-11 + BOOK TIME!

Today is a momentous day, so of course I slept three hours more than I meant to. The book is out! Starting today, FreeDarko Presents: The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History is available everywhere, and ready to ship from the web. Also pay a visit to our store, where we've just added the much-requested MJ "long shadow" print, and check out our Q&A on NYTimes.com (and in print last Sunday). Also, PLEASE LEAVE AMAZON REVIEWS. They help our cause tremendously.

But as much as I would love to dwell in the past -- the above photo of a 1969 Connie Hawkins basketball camp in Pittsburgh is boss -- the present is once again here! With the 2010-11 NBA season about to jump off and get all frisky in your lap, for the second time ever, we present our FD Player Power Rankings. These were last conducted in October 2006. My, how the world changes, and doesn't. Don't ask about the method, or who was involved. Just know that, based on a far-reaching survey of FD associates, you have this list to guide you.

1. Kevin Durant
2. Rajon Rondo
3. John Wall
4. Russell Westbrook
5. Amar’e Stoudemire
6. Brandon Jennings
7. Anthony Randolph
8. Carmelo Anthony
9. Kobe Bryant
10. DeMarcus Cousins
11. Josh Smith
12. LeBron James
13. Monta Ellis
14. Gerald Wallace
15. Serge Ibaka
16. Rodrigue Beaubois
17. Tyreke Evans
18. Ron Artest
19. Steve Nash
20. Gilbert Arenas
21. J.R. Smith
22. Nicolas Batum
23. Chris Paul
24. Blake Griffin
25. Lamar Odom
26. Andre Iguodala
27. Stephen Jackson
28. Pau Gasol
29. Dwyane Wade
30. Derrick Rose
31. Andray Blatche
32. Terrence Williams
33. Larry Sanders
34. JaVale McGee
35. Joakim Noah
36. Brandon Roy
37. Francisco Garcia
38. Kevin Garnett
39. Stephen Curry
40. Tyrus Thomas
41. Deron Williams
42. Jrue Holiday
43. Danny Granger
44. Trevor Ariza
45. Ersan Ilyasova
46. Thaddeus Young
47. Amir Johnson
48. Hassan Whiteside
49. J.J. Hickson
50. Paul George

Discuss. We love you!

P.S. Like many of you, I freaked out early over the new LeBron ad. Here's my multi-layered reading of it; ignore the AOL comments. However, since last night, I've wondered about the last line. To me, the genius of the ad is that it suggests that LeBron himself wasn't always sure, or at least acknowledges that after a point, this summer had become a mess that no one man could make sense of. I like my "defiantly rhetorical" description.

The last line, though, seems to chip away at that fine balance. Asking the audience "should I be what you want me to be" sets up a you/me binary, as if the only complexity came when everyone tried to tell LeBron what to do. The admission that LBJ himself found himself sucked into the pit of confusion -- that it wasn't just nasty fans and media telling him what to do -- is a far more subtle, and charitable, version of events. I guess it can still be read that way, if others try and define/own James by telling him what he should do from afar. Still, it totally removes him from the equation, and suddenly it feels like blame is being assigned. The problem becomes us, not the all-encompassing clusterfuck I describe in my post. If you go with that interpretation of the ending -- perhaps added as a hook -- the whole ad is weakened, I think.