You should know the rules by now.
Power Forwards
- Tim Duncan - The Big Fundamental is the best PF to ever play the game in this blogger's humble opinon -- so who am I to put him anywhere other than the top spot?
- Kevin Garnett - He's got two seasons to get a title in Beantown, so expect him to find a superhuman way to elevate his game to an even higher level...as unbelievable as that is to contemplate.
- Dirk Nowitzki - Dirk Diggler is coming off an MVP season (deserved or not), but will need to display some leadership to climb these rankings and ascend to the top spot.
- Carlos Boozer - Took a major step up last year in leading the Jazz to the Western Conference Finals and I don't see any reason that he'll decline this season. If anything, he might find a way to score more than the 20.9 ppg he averaged in 2006/07.
- Pau Gasol - Consistency is his M.O., but his numbers will probably see an increase under Marc Iavaroni's uptempo system, as they did under Barone last year.
- Shawn Marion - He might be unhappy in Phoenix, but with Amare Stoudemire coming off another knee surgery (minor or not), he'll continue to put up solid numbers in points and rebounds and great stats in steals and blocks. If you could run plays for him consistently, he'd be challenging for the Top 3.
- Chris Bosh - I had to drop him because of his injured foot, although he is quickly elevating his game to the point of being worthy of Top 3 consideration. As a side note, the guys at #4 - #8 are all equal IMO as the 2nd tier of PF's in the league -- but I do have to assign them numbers.
- Jermaine O'Neal - He didn't get traded to Los Angeles....yet. He'll keep putting up All-Star level numbers in Indiana as they figure out how to surround him with the talent needed to challenge for the Eastern Conference crown.
- Gerald Wallace - With Sean May out for the year, look for the athletic freak to log most of the minutes at PF where he is a mismatch for everyone not named Shawn Marion.
- Zach Randolph - His scoring might suffer slightly in the Big Apple, but he'll be able to pull down all the rebounds he wants alongside Eddy Curry. Now about that defense....
- Lamar Odom - It seems that he's really trying to make things work alongside Kobe, so maybe he'll finally be allowed to improvise rather than deferring to the Mamba so often.
- Antawn Jamison - I believe he'll take a backseat to Arenas and Butler, which means that his scoring will drop as his rebounds increase -- especially in light of the news that Etan Thomas will have heart surgery.
- Al Jefferson - He could struggle as "The Man" in Minnesota, but I think he'll shine instead, as he continues to develop into one of the most dangerous low-post threats in the game.
- Chris Wilcox - I'm anxious to see what he'll do without two All-Stars taking the majority of shots in Seattle. My hunch is he'll average 15 and 10 this year.
- LaMarcus Aldridge - With Oden out, Aldridge will likely be paired with Joel "White Mutombo" Przyzbilla most of the year. That means the low-post scoring load will fall upon his shoulders.
- David West - He's not flashy or spectacular, but somehow he continues to pile up solid numbers in sneaky fashion. As long as Tyson Chandler remains an offensive afterthought, West will get to pop mid-range jumpers to his heart's content.
- Charlie Villanueva - He was inconsistent through an injury-plagued year last season, but was showing bursts of incredible levels of improvement when he did get to stay in games.
- Nene - I think he'll see his minutes get reduced by the return of Kenyon Martin, but he's still the better overall player of the two, so he should still receive the lion's share.
- Udonis Haslem - He might get traded...he might not. Either way, he's capable of scoring a lot more than has been required of him while playing alongside D-Wade, Shaq and 'Toine in South Beach to this point.
- Al Harrington - He's one of many who will be asked to shoulder an additional scoring burden after the trade that sent Jason Richardson to the opposit coast. Is he up to the challenge?
- David Lee - If he doesnt' get to see the floor for at least 25 mpg, David Stern should step in and force the Knicks to trade him to someone with a clue how valuable he truly is.
- Boris Diaw - He's a headache to gameplan for as he is an impossible matchup for nearly everyone not named Sheed or KG.
- Antonio McDyess - Word outta Detroit is that he'll start at PF with Sheed moving over to play Center this year. Should be interesting, to say the least.
- Luis Scola - I wouldn't be surprised if he warrants being ranked 10 spots higher by the end of the season.
- Tim Thomas - With Elton Brand out, he'll have to elevate his game. Will he shy away from the added responsibility?
Others who might be Top 25 worthy: Hakim Warrick, Al Horford, Al Thornton, Tyrus Thomas, Jason Maxiell
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1 comment:
I don't buy Lamar Odom at 11. He's the most overrated player on your list. His poor defense in the paint is a big reason the Lakers can't get past the first round.
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