ok so then zach randolph is a top 20 player
lee is just as good as tim duncan
andrew bogut should be in the top 10
Lamarcus aldridge is a top 20 player
LEE
is like 25-30
not 1-20
Aldrige and Bogut don't have Lee's numbers from last season..
And Lee isn't as good as Tim Duncan. Doesn't mean that he shouldn't be in a top20 discussion, if you're basing it off the assumption of him replicating last year, or just basing it off last years' performance. Which I assume Paul and a lot of people are working under.
You are also comparing him to arguably the greatest PF of all-time, known for his otherworldy defense and intangibles. A rare player, with rare skills, who's game transcends box lines in a way that most don't.
And it's not TOO laughable or remote a concept that Randolph would be a top20 discussion type player, anyways. He has elite skills, and if he had the mentality and mindset to replicate seasons like he just had, I don't see why he wouldn't be hovering around ~20.
Zach obviously isn't, but its just as much due to his inconsistency and dumb personality. Even with his flaws, if he duplicated seasons like last years, and one or two others' he has had through his career, he'd be right in the discussion, as well.
I also don't think Lee is top20. But he's pretty close, and he's not too far off from being able to cement himself firmly in that upper range.
Factor in his age and durability, and that gives him a boost in overall "franchise"-like rankings, "who'd you rather have now and for the next 5 years you run a team".