Always fun to tear these things apart, and I love it when Duncan leads the way.
Position rankings: Best power forward still a slam Dunc decision
Sep. 17, 2008
By Matt Steinmetz
Tim Duncan is 32, has played 11 NBA seasons and has participated in more than 150 playoff games. He is clearly on the downside of his career.
Still, when you get right down to it, is there any other player you'd rather have playing power forward?
Kevin Garnett and Amare Stoudemire have to be in that discussion. But something doesn't feel right if a "best of" or "top 10" list doesn't have Duncan's name at the top. Yes, Garnett is coming off a le. Stoudemire is the best young "4" in the NBA. Even so, it's Duncan atop the leaderboard.
One more thing: If you put Duncan on the 2007-08 Celtics instead of Garnett, Boston still wins the le.
Here, then, are the top 20 power forwards:
1. Tim Duncan, San Antonio: Duncan continues to be the most vital player to the Spurs, even with the emergence of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. It is still Duncan getting double-teamed in the low post, setting the table for that twosome. And did we mention his four NBA championships?
2. Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix: The only thing left for Stoudemire is to begin making teammates better. Stoudemire is the most dominant big man in the game, more impactful than a fading Shaquille O'Neal and a burgeoning Dwight Howard.
3. Kevin Garnett, Boston: One of Garnett's greatest assets as a player -- his willingness to defer to teammates -- unfortunately keeps him No. 3 on this list. As great a player as Garnett is, he doesn't get enough credit for being a "glue guy." Don't downplay that he's in the figurative Teammate Hall of Fame.
4. Chris Bosh, Toronto: Before the Beijing Olympics, Bosh probably would have been about eighth or ninth on this list. Not anymore. His willingness to play inside and do the dirty work for Team USA portends well for the Raptors. If Bosh uses that style as his foundation and complements it with his skilled perimeter and low-post game, he's going to be a real headache. He also appears to have the look of a leader.
5. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas: Nowitzki may never again reclaim his good name after the 2006-07 playoff debacle against the Warriors, but he's still one of the league's elite players. Now that Nowitzki has settled into his NBA career, it seems apparent: He's going to need to be a team's second-best player in order to win a le. No shame there, just the way it is.
6. Carlos Boozer, Utah: Boozer is a numbers machine, in large part because he is such a big part of the Jazz offense. He has proved that game in and game out, he's going to win the power forward matchup most of the time. But this might be as high as Boozer gets because he's never going to be a great defender or shot-blocker, and his passing is so-so at best.
7. Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers: When Gasol came into the league, he was soft. Period. After years of getting beaten on in both the NBA and international play, Gasol began to fight back and grew into a tougher, feistier player. His performance in the NBA Finals made it obvious that he still needs to make more progress, but he's working on it.
8. Elton Brand, Philadelphia: We wanted to put Brand higher on this list, we really did. But we couldn't. Brand's career is slipping away as he enters his 10th season. Sure, he has nice numbers, but his teams have had virtually no success. Of course, that's not his fault, but you can't reward him for it, either. Twelve playoff games ... all in one season. If that doesn't change in 2008-09 with Philly, something is really wrong.
9. David West, New Orleans: One of the league's best-kept secrets. West is strong enough that you must defend him with another power forward. But he's as reliable as they come from 16 to 18 feet out, making him a very difficult cover.
10. LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland: All he needs is time. Aldridge is going to be a matchup nightmare for opponents because he is 6-foot-11 and can score effectively with a face-up jumper and a low-post game. He'll be even more effective -- at both ends of the floor -- playing alongside Greg Oden.
11. Josh Smith, Atlanta: Smith is as athletic as they come and has a flair for the spectacular. In between the highlights, however, there are some issues: turnovers, free throw shooting and defense. He also can disappear for stretches here and there. But there is a heck of a lot to work with here.
12. Al Jefferson, Minnesota: He's listed as a power forward in the Timberwolves' media guide, so that's good enough for us. Unfortunately, that's going to push him down this list because he needs to add another dimension to scoring and rebounding.
13. Antawn Jamison, Washington: Jamison has been a total professional over the course of his career, not to mention a consistent scorer and rebounder. The unorthodoxy of his game is perhaps Jamison's most consistent weapon.
14. Rashard Lewis, Orlando: He's not a natural power forward, but he plays one a lot of the time for the Magic. Lewis is another guy whose résumé looks a little thin as his career flies by (he's entering his 11th season). Lewis has missed the playoffs more years (six) than his teams have made them (four), and he never has made it past Round 2.
15. Michael Beasley, Miami: It's always tough to know exactly how a player will "translate" once he enters the league. But by all indications, Beasley appears to have size and skill, can shoot it a little bit and puts it on the floor. If Beasley is, indeed, well-rounded, then he's already ahead of the rest of guys on this list.
16. Zach Randolph, New York: Rarely has so little been done with so much. Randolph proved early in his career that he could put up points and rebounds on a nightly basis, but that's the extent of what he did. The results are very nice-looking numbers, but upon further inspection they prove hollow.
17. Paul Millsap, Utah: He could start on about 20 other teams in the NBA, but he's just another point-rebound machine in Utah. It's going to be difficult for the Jazz to keep both Boozer and Millsap long term.
18. Drew Gooden, Chicago: He's not a perfect player, but he has provided 12 and eight over the course of his career. Gooden can hold his own much of the time on the defensive end. But he tends to be a little sloppy and careless, and the fact of the matter is that Chicago is his fourth team since he came into the league in 2002.
19. Nene, Denver: Nene returned from testicular cancer last season and got stronger as the season wore on. This season all systems are go, and now there are freed-up minutes because of the Marcus Camby/Eduardo Najera departures.
20. Ben Wallace, Cleveland: He was exposed once he left the Pistons a few years back. Wallace is no longer the intimidator he has been in the past, nor the defender, either. And he'll be an offensive liability 'til the end of time.
funny thing is garnett stunk in the finals. he stunk in the entire playoffs.... if you put duncan on the celtics they are a lock for a repeat but with garnett who in' knows? probably a second round knockout or an ecf knockout. i doubt the celtics have what it takes to get back to the big stage.
It's a pretty good list.
Amaré should not be number two, he's a liability on defense even moreso than Dirk and worst of all, he's a stats padder...he comes back into games that have already been decided to make sure he gets his numbers. Just watch the Phoenix games and you'll see he'll come back into a game even if the team is up 20 with 3 minutes to go.
1. Duncan
2. KG
3. Dirk
4. Chris Bosh
5. Amaré
The rest of the list looks about right.
1. Tim Duncan
2. Kevin Garnett
3. Amare Stoudemire
4. Dirk Nowitzki
5. David West
everyone else doesnt matter
Winning one championship is going to overhype Kevin Garnett in NBA history. It's a real shame.
Brand > Pau > Boozer
West is better than Boozer any day.
What if Pau plays center and Bynum PF, then where would Bynum be on this list? Duncan is 1 a and Bynum 1 b?
Amare Stoudemire? Mr. No Defense - gimme a break he is not even in the true top 5.
1) Duncan
2) Garnett
3) Bosh - with J O'Neal next to him the Raptors are going to be greatly improved.
4) Boozer
5) Brand
(on the bubble, the over-ranked head case that is Dirk)
7) Stoudemire
I'd take Stoudemire over Boozer.
Stoudemire prooved in the playoffs hes willing to play defense.
Porter will bring that out and Stoudemire defensively will make huge gains this year.
No, it would not be that close. Bynum would be #1 and Duncan #2.
I doubt it, he played like Garbage in the finals. His one good game came when it was a blowout and the Lakers had mentally caved in.
LOL, What
Im suprised KG is behind Amare.
yeah, LOL that they put Amare above KG. That made the whole list lose credibility, IMO.
1. TD
2. Dirk
3. KG
4. Amare
5. Brand
6. Bosh
7. Boozer
8. West
9. Jefferson
10. Gasol
West could move up if he can actually stay healthy and Dirk could slide if he doesn't return to late 2006, early 2007 form.
Boozer is horrible. He makes us into the epitome of a pretender contender. I'd rather have all of the guys above him, plus EB, West, Jefferson, Josh Smith, Beasly, Aldridge and Millsap (though we already have him).
That's bull . KG haters didn't think the Celtics had a chance this year anyway. KG was the reason the Celtics were even in the position to be le contenders. Paul Pierce finished the job, but he isn't even there without KG.
1. Duncan
2. KG
3. Dirk
4. Amare
5. David West
Chris Bosh is very, very good, but I've watched David West dismantle Tim Duncan on offense with a bad back. West is highly underrated and he's a jerk on the basketball court. I like players who play with an edge, a chip on the shoulder at ude.
I would put Bosh ahead of KG; he doesn't chicken out in the 4th quarter
West>Boozer, Gasol, Dirk or Brand.
What real crediblity does CBS have when it comes to the NBA? Anyway, there is no way that Amare' is better than Garnett. K.G. is a complete player, although not an elite scorer, that can effect a game's outcome in more ways than any other PF not named Tim Duncan. My list goes like this.........
1. Tim Duncan
2. Kevin Garnett
3. Amare' Stoudemire
4. Dirk Nowtizki
5. Chris Bosh
6. Carlos Boozer
7. Elton Brand
8. David West
9. Rasheed Wallace
10. LaMarcus Aldridge
Honorable Mention: Al Jefferson, Antawn Jamison, Pau Gasol and Zach Randolph
1. Duncan
2. Bosh
3. Garnett
4. Dirk
5. LaMarcus
LaMarcus will move up into the top 5 Power Forwards but it's not his time yet. He has the skills but needs to get more aggression, too soft right now.
to the poster that said West dismantled Duncan? when? the only game where Duncan guarded him for a long period of time was West's worst game of the series..
as for the list, it's decent..most media outlets NBA lists are usually bad anyways though..
to the KG haters..why? he's my #2 favorite next to Duncan, and I think Duncan fans should appreciate Garnett more because of it..KG has the same mentality as Tim, something we need more of in today's NBA..GREAT teammates, the 2 best defensive players in the NBA..defer to teammates when the team is better off(Parker and Pierce in the finals with huge mismatches)..neither guy ever s on their teammates..
there's no way Stoudemire is ahead of KG..the guy is way too 1-D..he's a below average rebounder(for his position and athleticism)..he doesn't make his teammates better..he's a terrible defender..he's purely a scorer..
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