i figured out my nba all-decade team for the upcoming ’10s by mostly using advanced stats tools.

first off, advanced stats show us that an nba player’s peak year is at age 27, while not going into serious decline (on average) until age 33.

that said, i tried to make most of my all-decade picks using players around age 24 right now as a good base for a majority of my selections.

of course, i made exceptions for the 31-year-old kobe bryant and 29-year-old pau gasol, simply because they are still in peak form and may win a championship (or two … or three) in the coming decade with the lakers.

i also made an exception for 19-year-old ricky rubio, who has no nba stats yet … i just think he’s a sure thing with a world of upside when he likely enters the nba in the 2011-12 season. plus, he has good international performances as a teen against chris paul, deron williams and jason kidd to make me feel confident about the pick.

the rest of the selections, however, are done with adjusted plus-minuses, player efficiency ratings and the like in mind–not only for 2010, but also 2019.

here goes, the ’10s dream team, in my humble opinion …

pg chris paul, hornets … on pace to go down as the greatest point guard in nba history … age: 24 … 1yAPM: +14 … 2yAPM: +14 … 0910 PER: 27.0 … 0809 PER: 30.0

pg russell westbrook, thunder … edges out deron williams for second point guard spot … age: 21 … 1yAPM: +7 … 2yAPM: +7 … 0910 PER: 16.5 … 0809 PER: 15.2

pg ricky rubio, timberwolves … edges out john wall in the non-nba players category … age: 19.

sg kobe bryant, lakers … michael jordan won championships and put up mvp numbers thru age 35 … age: 31 … 1yAPM: +16 … 2yAPM: +11 … 0910 PER: 25.9 … 0809 PER: 24.4

sg dwyane wade, heat … may be able to match bryant in accomplishments … age: 27 … 1yAPM: +24 … 2yAPM: +22 … 0910 PER: 25.4 … 0809 PER: 30.4

sf kevin durant, thunder … improved defensive numbers show he’ll have all-around game in no time … age: 21 … 1yAPM: +10 … 2yAPM: -2 … 0910 PER: 23.5 … 0809 PER: 20.8

sf carmelo anthony, nuggets … steady progression shows growth as an all-around player … age: 25 … 1yAPM: -1 … 2yAPM: +5 … 0910 PER: 25.0 … 0809 PER: 19.0

sf danny granger, pacers … annual pick for most improved just improved his way onto this list … age: 26 … 1yAPM: +10 … 2yAPM: +7 … 0910 PER: 19.7 … 0809 PER: 21.8

pf lebron james, cavaliers … has long grown into a power forward’s body and could grow into the greatest player ever … age: 25 … 1yAPM: +22 … 2yAPM: +17 … 0910 PER: 30.5 … 0809 PER: 31.7

pf chris bosh, raptors … proven maximum player … age: 25 … 1yAPM: +14 … 2yAPM: +8 … 0910 PER: 26.8 … 0809 PER: 22.1

c dwight howard, magic … perhaps a top 10 all-time center … age: 24 … 1yAPM: +10 … 2yAPM: +4 … 0910 PER: 22.9 … 0809 PER: 25.4

c pau gasol, lakers … could go down with an unparalleled global & nba resume … age: 29 … 1yAPM: -1 … 2yAPM: +3 … 0910 PER: 22.6 … 0809 PER: 22.2