TMAC ranked 3rd best SF

The Best Small Forwards
6th September, 2006 - 5:18 pm

By Aaron Bronsteter

Small forward is perhaps the most difficult position to play due to the workload that the spot carries. The attributes that set the great small forwards from the good ones are scoring from inside and out, defending perimeter and post, guarding big and small guys, rebounding on both ends, blocking shots, stealing the ball – basically any attribute possessed from point guard to center must be visible in the game of a great small forward.

10) Peja Stojakovic

After three straight years of being an NBA All-Star from 2002-2004, Stojakovic hit a rough patch in his NBA career and suffered perhaps his worst year since his rookie season in 1998-99.

Despite enjoying his long tenure with the Kings, Stojakovic was in need of a change of scenery as the team became stagnant. He ended up going to Indiana in a trade for exiled Pacers' small forward Ron Artest.

In Indiana, Stojakovic had a resurgance, averaging 21.4
points-per-game, a career-high 6.9 rebounds-per-game and career low 1.4 turnovers-per-game in his 40 games with the Pacers.

Although he excelled with the Pacers, Stojakovic sought greener pastures when the New Orleans Hornets offered him a near-maximum contract to jump ship in this past offseason and time will tell whether or not Stojakovic is a hall-of-fame caliber player or simply one of the best shooters in the league.

9) Tayshaun Prince

Tayshaun Prince's offensive output did not improve as hoped under the tutelage of new Pistons coach Flip Saunders, but his defense stayed the course and Prince earned his second straight All-Defensive 2nd
Team honors.

Prince also stepped up in the playoffs, averaging more points, assists and rebounds than he did during the regular season by a considerable margin. He also shot a gorgeous 46% from outside the arc.

With Ben Wallace departed, Prince will have to continue to step up his game on both ends of the floor to keep the Pistons in title contention. Many will doubt Motown's finest, but if there's ever been a team to band together and overcome the odds, it is certainly this decade's incarnation of the Pistons.

8) Antawn Jamison

With Gilbert Arenas as the face of the Washington Wizards , Jamison quietly had a career year. He played most of his minutes at the small forward position and still managed to snag a career high (by far) 9.3 rebounds-per-game, on top of a stellar 20.5 points-per-game while remaining the team's second option on offense.

It is acknowledged that Jamison has never been the most efficient defender, but there's no doubting his importance to a team. This was evidenced by Jamison's importance to the 2003-2004 Dallas Mavericks , as he earned sixth man of the year honors and selflessly gave up his role as a scoring option to help the team compete for a title.

People often forget that the Washington Wizards ' hopes of contending in the East do not only fall squarely on the shoulders of Gilbert Arenas, but Antawn Jamison is also responsible for the team's success.

7) Richard Jefferson

Richard Jefferson's scoring output dropped off this season, but with Vince Carter joining the team, it's no surprise. However, Jefferson is far more efficient with another scorer at his side. His turnovers-per-game went from 4.0 in 2004-05 to 2.2 this past season and his field goal percentage went from 42% to 49%, back to around the rate that it was when Kenyon Martin was at his side.

Since entering the league, Jefferson has been a reliable source of scoring, rebounding, passing and perimeter defense for the Nets and continues to make them a threat for Eastern Conference supremecy.

As Jason Kidd gets older, the chances of the Nets making some noise in the postseason gets slimmer and now is the time for Jefferson, Kidd, Carter and the Nets to show the league what they're made of. Thankfully for them, Jefferson was able to fully recover from an injury plagued 2004-2005 and return to form this past year.

6) Ron Artest

Yes, we know he's a headcase and yes, we know that he can be a cancer, but we love Ron Ron. Artest is perhaps the league's most ferocious defender and he uses his 6'7" 260 pound frame to bully his opponents both in the post and on defense.

Once Artest feels at home in Sacramento, the Western Conference will feel his wrath and with Eric Musselman at the helm and a group of up-and-comers like Francisco Garcia and Kevin Martin at his disposal, the Kings should re-establish themselves as a title contender in a few
years.

The biggest question mark about Artest is an obvious one – can he behave himself and become a true team leader? The answer remains to be seen. But we plan on giving Artest another chance to prove his worth to an NBA team and few remember that he is still only 26 years of age and a few seasons away from entering his prime.

With Ben Wallace aging, expect Artest to net himself another defensive player of the year award or two as the years go by.

5) Andrei Kirilenko

When a player is a top-3 shot blocker in the league at the small forward position, you know that you have someone special on your hands. Kirilenko blocks everything from outside shots to dunks, but that's not all – he also averaged 8.0 rebounds-per-game, 4.3 assists-per-game and 1.5 steals-per-game to go along with a respectable 15.3 points-per-game.

The biggest issue with Kirilenko is his injury history and his wirey frame is certainly a factor. If Kirilenko could ever play more than 70 games per season, he would likely be a defensive player of the year shoe-in.

Sadly, Kirilenko is on a team that gets very little media coverage and as a result, is often excluded from the all-star team. The array of skills that Kirilenko offers to the Jazz and his submission to the team concept will allow him to maintain his status as perhaps the most underrated player in the NBA.

4) Carmelo Anthony

Anyone who may have suggested that Carmelo Anthony was overrated should be hushed by now, as Anthony averaged a stellar 26.5 points-per-game during the regular season and was a top-10 scorer as a result. He also made the All-NBA 3rd Team at age 22 and still managed to get snubbed for the all-star team.

Anthony helped carry his team atop their division and was an instrumental team leader on this year's incarnation of Team USA. While Team USA ended up winning the bronze, Anthony proved that he would be the team's leader for many years to come with his dedication and hard work.

The biggest goal for Anthony, aside from winning an NBA championship, will be to continue to establish himself as being at the same level as draft classmates LeBron James and Dwyane Wade – certainly not an enviable task.

3) Tracy McGrady

On skill and skill alone, Tracy McGrady warrants this spot. McGrady was once again hobbled by injuries stemming from a bad back and has thus far been unable to take the Houston Rockets to the heights that they have hoped to reach.

The biggest problem with the McGrady and Ming combination is that they are two players with exceptional differences and only a truly exceptional coach can figure out a way to have the two players compliment one another. Regardless of such, McGrady has done a good job statistically in his past two years in Houston. He’s been on the all-star team since 2000-2001 and even managed to score 36 points in this year’s game versus the league’s finest.

Despite playing nine seasons in the NBA, McGrady is still only 27 years of age and hopefully, health permitting, has his best years ahead of him.

If McGrady remains healthy and Ming remains as dominant as he was at times last season, the sky is the limit for the Rockets’ duo.

2) Paul Pierce

At age 28, Paul Pierce had a career year in Boston. Aside from his rookie year, Pierce has been an iron man in the NBA and has overcome the odds as he predicted when he was selected with the tenth pick in the 1998 NBA Draft.

Last year, Pierce decided that he would not allow the lack of a supporting cast affect him and took the team on his back. Pierce may not have the support now, but as players like Al Jefferson, Gerald Green and Sebastian Telfair mature, the team will only get better.

In order for Pierce to excel, Danny Ainge will have to yield some results in the near future or risk lowering his superstar player’s morale.

In the meantime, Pierce continues to be a top-10 scorer and a true franchise player. He’s had five straight all-star game appearances and has lead the Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals.

1) LeBron James

Hype is a dangerous thing. Players rarely live up to the hype and expectations are immediate. Some still argue that Yao Ming, who is the league’s second best center or possibly the best center in the NBA, is still overrated. LeBron James had a great formula for living up to the hype and that was never allowing anyone to ever doubt him. James has been good since the moment he set foot on an NBA court. He came out of high school, was not expected to yield immediate dividends, but did anyways, because he’s that damn good.

The numbers speak for themselves: 31.4 points-per-game, 7.0 rebounds-per-game, 6.6 assists-per-game on 48% shooting. Two robbed MVP awards and one robbed All-NBA First Team appearance and a heck of a close NBA playoff series against the Eastern Conference contenders. Two-time all-star, consensus rookie of the year and one revived franchise later, LeBron may not only be the best small forward in the league, but perhaps its best player.

Just missed the cut: Bruce Bowen (Spurs), Rashard Lewis (Sonics), Boris Diaw (Suns)

Names for the future: Boris Diaw (Suns), Marvin Williams (Hawks), Adam Morrison (Bobcats)

http://www.realgm.com/src_feature/673/20060906/the_best_small_forwards/