Sports Illustrated recently polled 137 NBA players to determine which player they would select first if they were picking a team from scratch. Not surprisingly, Lebron James was first, Dwight Howard was second and Keyon Dooling was not third.

Boston Celtics fans might like to know that Rajon Rondo — that occasional pariah who has been mentioned in more rumors than the captain of the cheerleading team — is No. 12 as voted by his peers, higher than Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving and just about everyone else in the NBA.

The full list follows:

1. Lebron James

2. Dwight Howard

3. Kevin Durant

4. Kobe Bryant

5. Derrick Rose

6. Chris Paul

7. Dwyane Wade

8. Steve Nash

9. Blake Griffin

10. Deron Williams

11. Pau Gasol

12. Rajon Rondo

13. Eric Gordon

14. Ricky Rubio

15. Andrew Bynum

You might look at this list and say, “Okay, cool, Rondo was voted to some list that really doesn’t matter.”

But with the Celtics entering the summer of 2012 (and possibly beyond) looking to woo high-profile free agents to Boston, Rondo’s standing among his peers matters.

Which leads us to this summer’s recruiting pitch, assuming that Rondo doesn’t get traded:

“Come to Boston, y’all. It has great chowder, an awesome history of organized crime, players’ coach Doc Rivers, a famed organization with more titles than any other, and miserable weather. It’s not quite so racist anymore and it’s the home of Mark Wahlberg, who was particularly badass in Four Brothers and Shooter, though he was particularly god-awful in Invincible. Plus, it’s the home of Rajon Rondo, the No. 12 best player to build around in the entire NBA.

“You’re coming, right Dwight? RIGHT????”

Bonus link: Don’t let Rondo become another team’s DJ (Chad Finn, Boston Globe)