Fab Five for the Month of January 2008

In the first month of 2008, many players have played great, but only five will get recognized as the best. Last month, Allen Iverson, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, and Brandon Roy, rounded out the very first Fab Five of the month. Now, here is, the top 5 players, for the month of January 2008!

5. Amare Stoudemire-Center-Phoenix Suns: It took me a long time to decide whether the big man from Canada, or the big man from Phoenix deserved a spot in the January Fab Five. In the end, I decided that Stoudemire's overall month was slightly superior to Bosh's, and that he truly earned a spot in the top 5. For the month, Amare was a huge factor in the Suns 11-5 record during the month of January. S.T.A.T., had averages of 23.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 2.5bpg, and 1.0 spg. He also shot an incredible 61% from the field. Stoudemire's most spectacular January performance, had to of been in the Suns 33 point blowout of the Atlanta Hawks. In that 125-92 rout, Amare had 24 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 blocks, and 2 steals, in 28 minutes! However, those stats weren't the main reason this was his best game. In this game, Amare shot an out of this world 90.9% from the field(10-11 from the field). Amare had a great month, and he earned his spot in Crossover Hoop's Fab Five of the Month.

4. Chris Paul-Guard-New Orleans Hornets: Leading his team to a league best 12-2 record for the month of January, CP3 makes his second appearance Crossover Hoop's, monthly Fab Five rankings. Paul had 12 double doubles in 14 games this month, and in those 12 games, the Hornets were 11-1. Paul had modest numbers this month. He had averages of 19.4 points, 11.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per contest this month. He also shot 47.5% from the field, and 89.1% from the line, very good percentages. Look for Paul to continue his outstanding play, en route to a possible MVP award.

3. Kobe Bryant-Guard-Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe kicked the Lakers off to a 7 game winning streak this month, and it seemed the Lakers would never lose again. However, for the 4th consecutive year, the injury bug hit the Lake Show, and Kobe's been left to do everything himself. The Lakers finished off the month weak, but Kobe finished it off strong, and continued to not let up despite the Lakers losing streaks. He finished off the month with 6 straight double doubles. With averages of 29.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.8 steals, Kobe lead the Lakers to a respectable 9-5 record for the month of January.

2. Yao Ming-Center-Houston Rockets: I never thought one of my least favorite players would make it on this list, but Yao earned it. The Rockets had a 10-4 record this month, however, they were 10-3 with Yao in the lineup, which makes Yao's January performance even better. In 13 games this month, Yao averaged 25.1 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks, on 54.3 percent shooting from the field. Yao's defining performance this month was in the Rockets last game this month against the Warriors. In that game, Yao torched the Warriors for 36 points and 19 rebounds. He also shot 11-19 from the field for a 57.9 field goal percentage. Don't forget, he sank 14 out of 15 free throws in that game too. A truly dominating month for Yao. Let's see if his play continues past All-Star weekend.

1. LeBron James-Forward-Cleveland Cavaliers: In perhaps the most spectacular, individual performance over the course of the month this season, LeBron James lead his Cavs to a 11-2 record for the month of January(The Cavaliers lost 3 games this month, but LeBron missed the most recent loss due to injury). Averaging a league high 32.8 points to go along with 9.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 2.4 steals, LeBron was clearly the best player over the course of January. He also shot 49.2 percent from the field during the month. A very good percentage for someone shoots as much as LBJ does. LeBron also had some amazing clutch performances this month, providing his team with tons of clutch plays in close wins against Atlanta, Toronto, Charlotte, Memphis, San Antonio, Los Angeles(Lakers), and the Portland. As you can see, King James was clearly the best player during the month of January.

Hoped you enjoyed January's Fab Five! Don't forget to check back soon for Trade Idea of the Week, All-Star Predictions and Wishes, a possible All-Star weekend diary, and much more.

The next Fab Five of the month, will be for the month of February. Remember to check that out at the end of the upcoming month.