8/25/09
by: Scott
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The starting small forwards of the Eastern Conference are next up for position rankings (go here for PG rankings and here for SG rankings) as we try to determine how the Raptors' starters measure up. The numbers next to each player are last season's points, assists and rebounds per 36 minutes, their True Shooting percentage (TS%) and their Player Efficiency Ratings (PER).
1. LeBron James, Cleveland — 27.2 PTS, 6.9 AST, 7.2 REB, .591 TS%, 31.7 PER
LeBron should really stand alone in his own position ranking since he's built like a power forward but acts like a point guard in the Cavs' offence. He was historically good last season and he's still only 24 years old so the sky's the limit for him — especially since he has NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE!
2. Danny Granger, Indiana — 25.7 PTS, 2.7 AST, 5.1 REB, .584 TS%, 21.8 PER
He was last season's "Most Improved Player Award" winner — and unlike most recent winners, he actually deserved it. The winners from 2001 to 2007 all graduated from bench roles to starting positions, which naturally helped to improve their per-game numbers. The last two winners have actually improved their games while they were starters in both their winning and previous seasons. If you've forgotten who the 2008 winner was, I'll remind you further down this post. But back to Granger — he proved in 2008-09 that he is a legitimate NBA star and first offensive option, while still averaging over a block and a steal per game. If he stays healthy, there will be many more All-Star Games in his future.
3. Caron Butler, Washington — 19.4 PTS, 4.0 AST, 5.8 REB, .552 TS%, 18.8 PER
The owner of my favourite NBA nickname: "Tuff Juice". Caron dropped his Mountain Dew and grape soda habits this off-season so he should be in the best shape of his career.
4. Paul Pierce, Boston — 19.7 PTS, 3.5 AST, 5.4 REB, .582 TS%, 17.7 PER
Pierce would be third on this list if he wasn't turning 32 in October. Then again, his game has never been overly reliant on quickness so I don't expect a significant drop-off, either. If Rajon Rondo can continue carrying as much of the offensive load as he did in the 2009 playoffs, Pierce can conserve his energy for when he remains one of the most dangerous players in the league — in the fourth quarter.
5. Gerald Wallace, Charlotte — 15.9 PTS, 2.5 AST, 7.5 REB, .585 TS%, 18.6 PER
Due to an extensive injury history and the fact that he's entering his ninth NBA season, "Crash" is an old 27-year-old. He doesn't wreak as much havoc defensively as he used to, but he's still an all-around asset who can capably play both forward positions.
6. Marvin Williams, Atlanta — 14.5 PTS, 1.4 AST, 6.6 REB, .569 TS%, 16.0 PER
At this point, I think the main thing holding Marvin back from a breakout season is his continued passivity on offence. You can make the case that he should be at least the second — if not the first — option on offence but Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Mike Bibby are standing in his way. He's shown gradual improvement in each of his past three seasons, so maybe his new contract will give him the confidence he needs to blow up.
7. Hedo Turkoglu, Toronto — 16.5 PTS, 4.8 AST, 5.2 REB, .541 TS%, 14.8 PER
Some of you would probably like to see him ranked a couple of spots higher on this list — you're crazy if you think he belongs ahead of Tuff Juice or The Truth — whereas my first draft of this post placed him 10th. By now, you're probably aware that I'm not Hedo's biggest fan. If he's so valuable, why did the Spurs win their last two titles in the first and third years after he left San Antonio? Aside from his obvious playmaking ability, nothing really stands out about him skills-wise. Also, he dropped off fairly significantly last season after winning the Most Improved Player Award in 2007-08. If he can split the difference between his performances in his last two seasons, he's probably ranked appropriately right here.
8. Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia — 16.0 PTS, 1.2 AST, 5.3 REB, .549 TS%, 15.3 PER
He's already a significant contributor for the Sixers even though he just turned 21 in June. If Brand is healthy and if Louis Williams runs the point as expected, he'll probably remain a third option at best in Philly's offence
9. Luol Deng, Chicago — 14.9 PTS, 2.0 AST, 6.4 REB, .511 TS%, 14.7 PER
He's still recovering from a stress fracture in his shin so it remains to be seen when he'll be back at full strength for the Bulls. But with the loss of Ben Gordon, I see no reason why we shouldn't assume that he'll return to his levels of productivity and effectiveness from two seasons ago.
10.Tayshaun Prince, Detroit — 13.7 PTS, 3.0 AST, 5.6 REB, .516 TS%, 15.0 PER
It might just be me, but it seems like Tayshaun isn't the defensive stopper he used to be when the two Wallaces were patrolling the Pistons' paint. The good news is that he has a consecutive games played streak of 494 (second only to Andre Miller) so steady is as steady should continue to be for Prince.
11. Danilo Gallinari, New York — 14.9 PTS, 1.3 AST, 4.8 REB, .621 TS%, 13.4 PER
Check that best-in-class True Shooting Percentage — Gallinari is unquestionably the X-factor in this group. Knicks fans are unreasonably high on his potential, but he's tall (six-foot-10), young (he just turned 21), smooth and he can shoot the lights out. So, can you honestly blame them?
12. Luc Mbah a Moute — 10.1 PTS, 1.5 AST, 8.3 REB, .516 TS%, 12.3 PER
Luc is really an undersized four, but I expect he'll start at small forward now that Hakim Warrick has joined what I expect to be a dismal Bucks team.
13. Mickael Pietrus, Orlando — 13.8 PTS, 1.8 AST, 4.8 REB, .538 TS%, 11.6 PER
Is the drop-off from Turkoglu to Pietrus more or less than the improvement from Courtney Lee to Vince Carter. I appear to be in the minority who thinks the Magic are actually better off now. As long as Pietrus continue to make a decent amount of the open threes he'll continue to get, his defence and versatility will suit the Magic well.
14. Bobby Simmons, New Jersey — 11.6 PTS, 1.9 AST, 5.8 REB, .596 TS%, 12.0 PER
Ugh. Really? I suppose Terrence Williams will win this job at some point but in the meantime... blech.
15. James Jones, Miami — 9.7 PTS, 1.1 AST, 3.5 REB, .520 TS%, 8.4 PER
OK, I honestly have no clue who is going to start here for the Heat. Can "Supercool Beas" play the three? If he can shake his "emo thug" ways, he would presumably be a significant upgrade at this position.
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