By Brian DeProsperis

Living in Philadelphia, following the Sixers and Larry Brown, I have to profess my love for the average, hardworking, basketball player who doesn't get the same amount of respect (or money) as the prima-donna franchise player.

I grew up watching Charles Barkley, a dominant player but also a cancer to team moral and in constant scrutiny for his on-and-off court behavior, being traded for Jeff Hornacek and role-players Tim Perry, and Andrew Lang. At the time, I thought this was a dumb trade because Sir Charles was a proven All-Star, future Hall of Famer, and an amazing player. I now realize that the trade was made to improve the team off the court, adding a sharp-shooting, soft-spoken leader in Hornacek. The team's record didn't improve, but nobody spit on anyone, and some order was restored.

Allen Iverson's recent run-in with the law got me thinking: When's the last time Arvydas Sabonis got arrested? To my knowledge, never, but I could be wrong.

Every team I've seen win a championship has had one or two great, all-star caliber players, and the rest of the team was filled with role players, savvy veterans, and players with dead careers trying to grab a free ring.

Take the current Los Angeles Lakers: Shaq and Kobe (stars), Mitch Richmond (free ride), Brian Shaw (savvy vet), and a slew of role players necessary to the teams cohesiveness - like Ron Harper, Robert Horry, Rick Fox, Derek Fisher, Mark Madsen (if purely for the amusement of Shaq), and new additions Tracy Murray and A.J Guyton.

What about one the greatest dynasty's of my time (1985-2002), the 90's Chicago Bulls. Aside from the obvious all-star, B.J Armstrong (hah), there were two guys named Michael and Scottie. During the first three runs at the title they had the help of guys like Jim Paxson, the three Bills (Cartwright, Wennington, Perdue), Horace Grant, and the previously mentioned point guard. In the next two championships they once again came at you with Jordan and Pippen, but they had a new set of secondary players. They replaced the sharp-shooting Paxson with equally sharp-shooting Steve Kerr. Up front they had Luc Longley, Brian Williams (now Bison Dele), Toni Kukoc, and the infamous Dennis Rodman. As good as Mike and Scott were, they needed the solid supporting casts that they had.

With that said, I give you the top ten role players in the league, in no particular order. I discounted rookies, and players who should not be considered role players.

1. Malik Rose (San Antonio Spurs) A future star who may only qualify for this list for one or two more years, Malik is one of the best up-and-coming players in the NBA. An undersized power forward playing behind one of the greatest power forward/center tandems of all time, he still manages to average 9.4 points and 6 boards a night. When David Robinson retires, or even as soon as this season, look for him to move into the starting lineup with Tim Duncan moving up to center, to make another memorable duo.

2. Robert Horry (Los Angeles Lakers) A 10-year veteran with 5 championship rings, everyone loves Robert Horry, except maybe Sacramento. He's played with two of the top ten centers ever in Hakeem and Shaq. He plays a major role off the bench for the Lakers, and seems to bring the magic touch when his team needs it most.

3. Aaron McKie (Philadelphia 76ers) He plays with the one of the most volatile players in the league, and still manages to keep his cool. Although he looks like the butler from Fresh Prince of Bel Air, he sure can ball. He's played a prominent role off the bench for the Sixers ever since they traded Jerry Stack for he and some guy named Theo. After his award winning 2000/2001 season, he battled through injuries to average 12.2 points, 3.7 assists, and 4 rebounds a game in 2001/2002

4. Scot Pollard (Sacramento Kings) May be best known for the hair (a favorite, by the way), but he's a tenacious defender, strong rebounder, and hard fouler. He plays behind the ugliest actor in the world, so he gets a lot of playing time between Vlade Divac's flops. Only in his 5th year out of Kansas, he's already had lots of experience guarding Shaq, fouling out, and looking creepy.

5. Brent Barry (Seattle Supersonics) Being my favorite white slam-dunk contest winner ever (or is it only?), I love Brent Barry. He improved greatly over the 2001/2002 season and is looking to play a bigger role on the up-and-coming Sonics team. Playing next to Gary Payton, he'll have to look forward to splitting time with Desmond Mason unless Rashard Lewis decides to leave.

6. Jon Barry (Detroit Pistons) A top player off the bench for the Pistons, Jon Barry averaged a career high 9 points a game this past season. A sharp-shooting veteran guard on a team with unbelievable potential, look for Jon and Detroit to really make an impression on the Eastern Conference (like it's hard) this next season.

7. Popeye Jones (Washington Wizards) At 32 years of age, Popeye is one of the most coveted free agents of the summer because of his great rebounding skill, veteran leadership, and oddly shaped head. Leaving his best years behind him in Dallas, he had a very solid year teaching the young big men on the Wizards squad, and grabbing boards. He nabbed 7.3 rebounds per game this year, which really complimented his 7-point average well. Whoever signs him this off-season will be a very lucky team. Blind, but lucky.

8. Derek Fisher (Los Angeles Lakers) Another sharp-shooting guard with lightning speed and good ball handling ability. Ever since he's acquired the starting spot from Ron Harper, he's been averaging over 11 points a game. With the two great weapons he has in LA, he has the ability to be an impact player on one of the league's greatest dynasty's ever.

9. Eric Snow (Philadelphia 76ers) In his 7th year out of Michigan State, Eric Snow started his career riding pine behind Gary Payton. Now he's racking up assists thanks to one of the best players in the league. He averaged a career high in points while limping through another injury plagued season. A great defensive player, Snow isn't a great shooter, but contributes in many other ways.

10. Kurt Thomas (New York Knicks) Averaging almost 10 points on his career, this seven-year power forward from Texas Christian, has been to Miami and Dallas, and now is playing a big role in New York. One of many undersized players on the roster (for his position, at least), he started every game this season. A shining bit of hope on a team in a downward spiral, Kurt is a player that every team wants. Come free agent time, New York better open the wallet for this guy.

RUNNERS UP: Dell Curry, Bobby Jackson, Bryon Russell, Kenny Thomas, and Rick Fox

A fan editorial, not necessarily representative of the views of InsideHoops.com