Rhymin' & Stealin'

20. J.E. Skeets: @jeskeets

Skeets runs the Yahoo Sports NBA blog Ball Don’t Lie, a great source of NBA stories and articles. Some hip-hop stuff on his Twitter too.

19. Stephon Marbury: @StarburyMarbury

I know he doesn’t play in the League anymore, but this is worth it for the unintentional comedy alone. Seems like it is mostly responses to Starbury haters, but he drops some definite pearls of wisdom too.

18. Rick Kamla: @NBATVRick

From NBA TV, Kamla delivers the passion for hoops, both real-life and fantasy. I rank him as the #1 source for fantasy basketball analysis.

17. Dwyane Wade: @dwadeofficial

“Flash” is a perennial MVP candidate and a potential FA after the season. He updates regularly and it should be an interesting read as the the season progresses.

16. Henry Abbott: @TrueHoop

Henry runs ESPN’s TrueHoop Blog and he is on top of everything related to the NBA. He is a Kobe hater and a Blazers homer, so be wary, but his daily NBA links are can’t miss.

15. Blake Griffin: @blakegriffin

The consensus lock for ROY, the #1 pick will have a huge impact on the Clips. Follow Blake for the rookie perspective.

14. Kenny Smith: @TheJetOnTNT

Would love to be able to say Charles Barkley was representing the TNT family on Twitter, but the Jet will have to do. Should be some good comedy on here during TNT broadcasts, and would love to hear him Tweet on Sir Charles wanting to be a GM.

13. Dwight Howard: @DwightHoward

Superman 2.0 has over 1 million followers and has sent almost 7,000 tweets, showing that blocked shots and rebounds aren’t the only categories where he puts up huge numbers.

12. Marc Stein: @STEIN_LINE_HQ

Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash’s favourite reporter, Steiny-Mo offers insider info on the Mavs and all things NBA, as well as a little Manchester City soccer for those interested.

11. Chris Paul: @Oneandonlycp3

The league’s best point guard and a Jordan Brand athlete. Two good reasons to follow him right there. Does some contests and updates regularly.

10. Baron Davis: @Baron_Davis

B-Dizzle was looking good when I saw him in Vancouver for Nash’s charity soccer game, and all indications are that he is going to have a rebound year for the much-improved Clippers. He is also quite the character, so check his feed for random B Davis productions and general tomfoolery.

9. Chad Ford: @chadfordinsider

ESPN NBA Mock Draft master dishes some good insider knowledge.

8. Lamar Odom: @RealLamarOdom

Lamar might not have made this list a month ago, but with his new found popularity amongst the TMZ crowd, his feed should be a good source of gossip. He also has a bird’s eye view into the Lake Show and it will be interesting to see his tweets about old friend and new Laker Ron Artest.

7. Kevin Durant: @KevinDurant35

2009-10 has been anointed as the year of KD, so follow him now so you can see the rise of an NBA superstar through the prism that is Twitter. Too bad he plays for the Zombie Sonics. And if you haven’t watched “Sonicsgate”, please do yourself a favour and watch it for free here.

6. Daryl Morey: @dmorey

Morey, or “Dork Elvis”, is the only NBA GM who has a Twitter account, and he is quite active on it. Worth following for the insider access to a team from an executive POV, and that doesn’t even consider the fact that DM is a stats guru who loves himself some bball metrics. For basketball nerds only.

5. Mark Cuban: @mcuban

Pro sports most out-spoken owner is a Twitter fanatic, posting his thoughts on the Mavs, the NBA, HDNet, UFC and his blog. You never know what he is going to say next, and most of the time it is really thought-provoking stuff. Like him or not, his Twitter feed is one of the best out there.

4. Steve Nash: @the_real_nash

Captain Canada and 2-time MVP Steve Nash has quite a web presence, from his vids with Baron Davis and Vitamin Water, his movie production (ESPN 30 for 30) and his various philanthropic endeavors, he is everywhere. Well, you can get a concentrated dose of all things Nasty Nash from his Twitter feed.

3. Shaquille O’Neal: @THE_REAL_SHAQ

The man who put Twitter on the map. Enough said.

2. Ron Artest: @96TruwarierQB

The craziest man in the NBA also has one of the craziest Twitter feeds (go figure). He is on Twitter a lot, doing everything from sharing hip-hop tracks to announcing milkshake giveaways. I think he is on his 3rd Twitter profile by now, so make sure you keep up-to-date on the account he is currently using. But much like Ocho Cinco in the NFL, this is one athlete who everyone on Twitter should follow.

1. Bill Simmons: @sportsguy33

Say what you want about his Boston bias but the Sports Guy is THE source for all things basketball. He drops knowledge like a broken bookshelf at the Library of Congress and his articles are always good for some laugh-out-loud moments. He’s been all over Twitter lately, so expect lots of couch-side and court-side tweets throughout the season. And go buy his new book.

UPDATE: For more insight into NBA players and Twitter, check out this amazingly detailed article on the most popular players/teams on Twitter. Stats a plenty.