Celtics forward Glen Davis (left) and Heat forward LeBron James (GETTY IMAGES)

Basketball players have been referred to as the greatest athletes in the world. In the NBA, you see superbly conditioned athletes soar to the basket and throw down rim-rattling dunks or muscle past two or three defenders. Sometimes we marvel so much at these super beings that we, as fans, wonder how pro basketball players would do in another realm, such as pro football.

Because of the ongoing NBA lockout – and it seems like there won’t be any NBA games in the fall – I thought it would interesting to put together a football team comprised of current NBA players. Who knows? If the lockout persists, some of these guys may consider this crazy idea and apply for a job in the NFL. This concept has been written in the past, but not in the context where each NBA player is assigned a football position. So, without further ado, here is my 25-man, NBA-inspired gridiron gang:

QUARTERBACK

Rajon Rondo (6-1, 171)

– If Allen Iverson was still in the Association this would be an easy choice. Iverson was an all-state quarterback in high school and was considered a Michael Vick-type talent in the state of Virginia. But since A.I. is currently out of the NBA the next best option is Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo. Here’s a little fact about Rondo: he was interested in football first before his mother steered him towards basketball because she felt the sport would be less punishing on her son’s skinny frame. When mom says “no” you have to comply. To play quarterback you must be a fearless leader and a high pain threshold. Rondo showed his fortitude when he dislocated his elbow during a playoff game against the Miami Heat last season and came back to finish the game, basically playing with one arm. Here’s another fact about Rondo: he can throw the football. We have visual evidence.

RUNNING BACKS

Derrick Rose (6-1, 190)

– Legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno said he knew Curt Warner could play running back for him after watching him in a pickup basketball game. Paterno says if you can run, plant, cut, and change direction quickly on the basketball court then you can play running back on the football field. In terms of changing gears without skipping a beat, very few players in the world can match the Chicago Bulls’ superstar guard.

Deron Williams (6-2, 209)

– Williams attended The Colony High School in Texas, and we all know football is king in the state of Texas. D-Will was also a highly touted wrestler as a youngster, so he is no stranger to using leverage and doesn’t shy away from contact. At 209 pounds, Williams could be a very capable tailback in the NFL.

TIGHT END

LeBron James (6-8, 255)

– The tight end position is where basketball players seem to have the most success on the football field. Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham and Tony Gonzalez were power forwards in college before they were drafted as tight ends in the NFL. LeBron was an all-state wide receiver at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio, but he would be better served as a tight end because he would be an absolute nightmare to cover for any linebacker or safety. On running plays, LeBron can use his 255-pound frame to block on the edges. As long as the games are not close in the fourth quarter, LeBron make an excellent every-down tight end. Look away Cavaliers fans. This next video is going to be tough to stomach.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Matt Barnes (6-7, 226)

– The Los Angeles Lakers forward was a former all-state wide receiver at Del Campo High School (Calif.) so he can definitely play the position. Barnes is a tough player who doesn’t mind getting dirty. He should be a perfect candidate to go over the middle and catch passes in tight zones. Barnes may not be Hines Ward in terms of blocking, but he’ll irritate the heck out of the opposing defensive backs.

Gerald Wallace (6-7, 220)

–Anyone with a nickname like “Crash” could definitely play football. Wallace is known for his high energy and reckless style, which are two football attributes. He has the speed to catch the deep ball – and we know he can jump – and he’s tough enough to make plays over the middle. Wallace, who spent just one year at the University of Alabama, could have been a Julio Jones-type player for Nick Saban.

KICK RETURNER

Darren Collison (6-0, 160)

– The Indiana Pacers’ guard is an absolute blur on the court, able to change gears without losing any speed. Collison can thank his parents for his sprinter’s speed as both were former elite track runners from Guyana.  If it were not for his undying devotion to the game of basketball, Collison easily could have been running track instead of running point.

KICKER

Kobe Bryant (6-6, 205)

– We all know Kobe played soccer when he was in Italy. He follows the sport religiously and has, on more than one occasion, displayed his soccer skills on the pitch. NFL kickers are all soccer-style kickers. Given enough practice and proper technique, Kobe should be able to pick up the nuances of kicking field goals. Kobe is a perfectionist, so if this challenge was presented in front of him he will attack it like a Black Mamba. Because so many football games are won or lost with last-second field goals, who better to put in clutch situations than Kobe Bryant.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Kevin Love (6-10, 260)

Al Horford (6-10, 245)

DeJuan Blair (6-7, 270)

Luis Scola (6-9, 245)

Kris Humphries (6-9, 240)

– Blocking in football is similar to setting screens in basketball, except when you use both hands on a screen you’ll get called for a foul. All five of the players mentioned above can all set good picks. But more importantly, each player plays with a bit of a nasty streak, which comes in handy when you need to get a first down on fourth-and-1. San Antonio Spurs forward DeJuan Blair played for Jamie Dixon at Pitt. Blair earned a reputation of having a football player’s mentality while competing in the rugged Big East Conference. Blair runs very well despite his big frame and you don’t have to worry about him tearing his Anterior Cruciate Ligament because he doesn’t have one. Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love, who led the NBA in rebounding in 2010-11, has good size and extremely good hands, which will help him grab an oncoming speed rusher. Kris Humphries’ father, William, played football at the University of Minnesota so you know Kris has been exposed to his share of football games as a youngster. As an added bonus, Kris is married to Kim Kardashian so he certainly knows how to protect a backside. Atlanta Hawks center/forward Al Horford and Houston Rockets forward Luis Scola have little football background but both are bulldogs and won’t back down from anyone.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Glen Davis (6-8, 295)

– Can’t think of a better anchor on defensive line than Celtics power forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who has always bragged that he could play in the NFL. Who’s gonna argue with a 295-pound man? Not me. But Davis’ claim is not a stretch. He was a terrific two-way football player at University Laboratory High School in Baton Rouge, starring at defensive end, defensive tackle and tailback. Yes, tailback! He scored 15 touchdowns his junior year in high school so he could be a tremendous goal-line back. But Big Baby hung up his cleats for good when he received a basketball scholarship from LSU. Watch Davis’ football highlight tape (he’s No. 66).

Kendrick Perkins (6-10, 275)

– Perkins is Davis’ former Celtics teammate and currently wears the Oklahoma City Thunder colors. Big Perk has a scowl only a mother could love, and that’s probably why he is among the league leaders in technical fouls. Any NFL coach would love to have almost 600 pounds of mass in Big Baby and Perk in the middle of a defensive line. It would be like moving two giant boulders.

Dwight Howard (6-11, 265)

– The Orlando Magic all-star center has the size, strength and agility that would make any defensive line coach drool. Howard’s freakish athleticism is suited at defensive end. He can rush the passer and, using his 40-inch vertical leap, bat down any ball that comes his way. He would be absolutely intimidating if he could only wipe that big smile off his face.

Zach Randolph (6-9, 260)

– Zach Randolph played for Michigan State taskmaster Tom Izzo. If you know Coach Izzo, he runs basketball practice like football practice. Z-Bo is a double-double machine for the Memphis Grizzlies. On the football field, he could command double teams.

LINEBACKERS

Ron Artest (6-7, 250)

– In building a defense, you start with a nasty, punch-you-in-the-mouth middle linebacker. With that in mind, can you name anyone crazier in the NBA than Ron Artest? I think not. He may have recently changed his name to Metta World Peace, but there is absolutely nothing peaceful about the man who calls his record label TruWarier.

Chuck Hayes (6-6, 238)

– Chuck Hayes may no longer fit the profile of a great athlete because he has become such a brute force inside for the Rockets, but when he was at Modesto Christian High School (Calif.) Hayes was recruited by UCLA, Oregon State, Notre Dame and Michigan to play college football. “I was LeBron before LeBron,” boasted Hayes, who played quarterback, wide receiver and safety in high school. However, college recruiters wanted the Rockets forward/center to play tight end, and Hayes said he didn’t like to get hit or never had the desire to block so he chose to play basketball for the University of Kentucky instead.

Tyler Hansbrough (6-9, 250)

– Nobody questions Tyler Hansbrough’s grit. During a heated game against rival Duke, the former North Carolina All-American busted his nose and had blood dripping down his face. But that wasn’t enough to knock him out of the game as the man known as Psycho T kept on playing and didn’t miss a beat. Dick Butkus would have been proud.

CORNERBACKS

Nate Robinson (5-8, 200)

– Nate the Great is the only player on this entire list who actually play college football. Robinson played point guard in basketball and cornerback in football for the University of Washington. Robinson is a physically gifted athlete who can run all day and is built like granite. He is such a well-conditioned athlete that he could probably be a good two-way player.

Robinson’s reputation as a football stud didn’t get lost with Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who invited him to Seahawks camp this year. Robinson didn’t show up, but he may have to revisit that offer if the 2011-12 NBA season is wiped out.

Tony Allen (6-4, 213)

– Grizzlies guard Tony Allen is one of the best on-the-ball defenders in the NBA and could transition into a solid man-to-man cover corner. In 2005, Allen was charged with aggravated battery stemming from an altercation outside a restaurant in Chicago. Police charges? Battery? Altercation? Sounds like Allen has a little bit of Pacman Jones in him.

SAFETIES

Russell Westbrook (6-3, 190)

– Westbrook is considered one of the fastest players in basketball, and he could certainly give Philadelphia Eagles speedster DeSean Jackson a run for his money in the 40-yard dash. The ultra-quick Oklahoma City guard can cover a lot of ground, making him an ideal candidate to play free safety.

Dwyane Wade (6-4, 220)

– Before he became a full-time hoopster, Wade played wide receiver and defensive back for high school football powerhouse Richards High in Oak Lawn, Ill. Wade has the size to make plays at the line of scrimmage, and he can certainly outjump and outrun a lot of NFL receivers and tight ends. Wade grew up watching the Chicago Bears as a youth so you know he’s familiar with the Monsters of the Midway.

PUNTER

Steve Nash (6-3, 178)

– When Nash attended St. Michaels University School near Victoria, British Columbia, he starred in soccer and didn’t gravitate to basketball until he was 13. He showcased his soccer skills during the 2007 NBA All-Star game in Las Vegas when he aided then Phoenix Suns teammate Amar’e Stoudemire in the dunk contest. Nash can be a field-goal kicker or punter, but since we already have Kobe at kicker, Nash will have to channel his inner Ray Guy.

There you have it. A 25-man football team comprised of current NBA players. Since Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen owns the Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Seahawks, he is the right man to sign the checks for this fantasy football team. We should also ask Mr. Allen to end the lockout so we don’t have to write about silly topics such as “NBA players who could play in the NFL.”

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

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The Spurs' big three of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are off to a fast start in the 2010-11 season. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Who says who can’t teach an old dog new tricks. The San Antonio Spurs own the best record in the NBA at this time, and they are doing it with . . . drum roll, please . . . offense.

The Showtime Spurs? Yes, those same old Spurs – known as a defensive-minded team for the past decade, a philosophy that drove them to four NBA titles – has decided to throw a curveball to the entire league. Instead of the slow, prodding, methodical walk-it-up-the-court and wait-for-Duncan-to-post-up approach, the Spurs have made more of a concerted effort to push the ball up the court and get easy scores off fastbreaks.

But the Spurs’ new uptempo style doesn’t resemble the Suns’ frenetic, seven-seconds-or-less offense. It’s more of a controlled chaos and players are more judicious with their shot selection. Though head coach Gregg Popovich has given the green light to his players to hoist early shots, it doesn’t mean they’re allowed to take stupid shots.

“[The Spurs] are insulting team,” said TNT analyst Kenny Smith. “They’re basically are saying most teams are dumb because they say that ‘We’re going to take good shots on every possession and we don’t think that you’re disciplined enough to do that to beat us. We don’t think that you are smart enough to make good plays for 48 minutes.’ ”

Smith added, “[The Spurs] bank on the fact that, they don’t have as much talent as everyone, but you will take dumb shots or quick shots and play out of character. To me, that’s insulting if I were an NBA player.”

Though Tim Duncan remains a key cog in the Spurs’ machinery, the offense now highlights the open-court skills of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Richard Jefferson. When you watch the Spurs these days, as soon as Duncan or one of the big men grab a rebound, they are looking for the outlet pass and most of the time the ball winds up in the hands of Parker or Ginobili.

Ginobili has benefited the most from the early offense because it highlights his incredible one-on-one skills. Ginobili leads the Spurs in scoring at nearly 20 points a game and he has stayed relatively healthy through the first quarter of the season.

Parker, now in his ninth year, has always been one of the best open-court players in the league, a one-man fastbreak who can go end-to-end like Usain Bolt. The Spurs used to rely on Parker’s fastbreak skills about 50% of the time. Now, they look to use Parker almost 90% of the time.

What has made the Spurs more dynamic offensively this season is the emergence of Jefferson as a trusted scorer in the starting unit. Jefferson struggled mightily a year ago, and felt lost in the offense.

During the offseason, Jefferson spent more time with head coach Gregg Popovich and learned how to play off of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili instead of getting in their way. Jefferson realized that to be effective in the Spurs’ system he needed to improve on his jump shot, especially on the corner where previous Spurs Bruce Bowen and Sean Elliott made their living.

Occupying the role of Malik Rose is second-year man DeJuan Blair. Blair is a second-round draft pick who has become the team’s starting center. Most teams passed on the former Pitt Panther because of his size (6 feet 6 inches tall) and bad knees, but the Spurs saw something in Blair much like they saw something in Rose, who was also 6-6.

Though undersized, Blair is an active body in the paint and he uses his girth to his advantage. Against the Lakers on Dec. 28, Blair had 17 points and 15 rebounds and thoroughly outworked the taller Lakers’ big men.

“The San Antonio Spurs do a better job of drafting players than anybody. They find those hidden gems,” says former NBA player Charles Barkley.

Another hidden gem the Spurs found was George Hill. Because he came out of IUPUI, Hill got lost in the shuffle during the draft process in 2008. The Spurs took him with the 26th pick in the first round, and Hill has turned out to be a steal. Popovich loves him, and thinks he can turn into a lock-down defender. Think of Bruce Bowen without all the slapping and flopping, and much more gifted athletically.

The Spurs and their new-look offense have taken the league by surprise early, and by the time the league catches on the Spurs may have home-court advantage throughout postseason.

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The San Antonio Spurs appeared old and overmatched against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2009 playoffs. It was the first time a Tim Duncan-led team was ousted in the first round since 2000.  That was the year Duncan was sidelined with an injury.

The 4-1 series loss to the Mavs could point to the fact that the Spurs were without guard Manu Ginobili, who has been hampered with ankle injuries the past two seasons. But the way the Mavs ran past the Spurs, it was obvious San Antonio needed a facelift.

So head coach Gregg Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford went into the offseason with one thing in mind: Rebuild the roster.

It’s the same general philosophy Popovich had in mind when the Spurs were destroyed by the bigger, younger and faster Los Angeles Lakers in the 2001 conference finals. The Spurs brass rebuilt the roster the next two offseasons, picking up defensive ace Bruce  Bowen and drafting 19-year-old Tony Parker in the first round and hitting the jackpot with Ginobili in the second round. That trio basically replaced aging veterans Terry Porter, Steve Smith and Danny Ferry.

Bowen, Parker and Ginobili would become the core group that served as Duncan’s supporting cast that helped the Spurs win championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

The first order of business this offseason was to get younger and more athletic in the frontcourt so the Spurs targeted versatile forward Richard Jefferson. The 6-foot-7 forward was acquired from the Bucks in exchange for Bowen and Kurt Thomas as part of a three-team deal that involved the Spurs, Bucks and Pistons.

Popovich knows Jefferson well from his stint with the 2004 Olympic team as an assistant for Larry Brown. Jefferson fits the player the Spurs want in their system, and he also brings plenty of experience having played on two New Jersey Nets teams that reached the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.

Richard Jefferson, who played one season in Milwaukee, gives the Spurs another scorer. (GETTY IMAGES)

“It’s huge. Puts some new blood in the team,” Parker said of Jefferson. “Obviously everyone is excited, the city and the organization. It was a big move. I think we needed it and Pop and R.C. made it happen. Guys like me, Manu and Timmy came to training excited because we’ve been playing with the same team for a long time so that’s nice.”

Jefferson can create his own shot (a career PPG of 17.7), something the Spurs desperately needs. His one-on-one game will help alleviate the pressure off Parker and his presence is an insurance policy in case Ginobili gets hurt again.

“I was the first step in getting quality players they really believe in,” Jefferson told NBA TV. “I think this is a situation where I kind of have to be the glue guy. They have their leading scorer, they have their post presence, they have their outside shooter. So for me, I come in and kind of give them whatever they need. But I’ve always played my best when I have other quality players around me, and I’m looking to continue that.”

Since 2003 when David Robinson retired, the Spurs have been searching for a dependable center to pair up with Duncan. Slow-footed slugs with zero offensive skills such as Rasho Nesterovic, Nazr Mohammed, Francisco Elson, Thomas and Fabricio Oberto have all tried and failed to fill The Admiral’s big shoes. This season, they might have found THAT GUY in Antonio McDyess.

McDyess is not only a stalwart on defense but he’s also a capable scorer. After a devastating knee injury forced McDyess to alter his game, he has developed a nice face-up game and is very comfortable floating to the elbows near the free throw line. This will allow more room for Duncan in the low block and if the double team comes, he can kick it out to McDyess.

Two young guys will be counted on to bolster an aging bench: second-year guard George Hill and rookie forward DeJuan Blair.

Hill will back up Parker at the point and can also slide over to shooting guard, giving the Spurs a two-PG look in the backcourt. Popovich thinks Hill can be a Bowen-type stopper on defense.

Blair was considered the steal of the 2009 draft as the Spurs got him the second round. At 6-7, 260-pounds, Blair is Malik Rose with better skills on offense. Expect to see Blair in the rotation as Popovich will continue to monitor Duncan’s minutes.

According to an NBA.com poll that surveyed NBA general managers, 71.2% said the Spurs made the best overall moves during the offseason. The Orlando Magic came in a distant second with 17.3% of the votes.

With the Lakers, Celtics and Cavaliers grabbing all the headines during the offseason, the Spurs have quietly – but efficiently – retooled and reloaded their roster to make another run at a championship.

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