NBA Top 10: Small Forwards

by James Auchincloss… In the NBA, small forwards are generally the most versatile players. Some are pure scorers, like Danny Granger and Richard Jefferson. Others, such as Ron Artest, Tayshaun Prince, and Andrei Kirilenko gain notoriety through their defense. And obviously a number of them are complete superstars, most notably last year’s Finals MVP and a certain King in Cleveland.

Here are the top 10 in the game today, based on their ability to dominate in a number of different ways.

10. Hedo Turkoglu (ORL)

There are a number of players deserving of consideration who won’t be listed here. Gerald Wallace is a great dunker and defender in Charlotte, but does not have the complete game yet. Kirilenko is good at almost everything on the court, but has struggled to get solid playing time in Utah. Rudy Gay probably has the best argument, as he has turned into a potential All-Star in Memphis, but he has yet to have his game match his potential.

This leaves Turkoglu to take this spot, and he is very deserving of it. Hedo has taken on a huge role for the Magic over the past two years, scoring 19.5 PPG last season and handling the ball during a number of key moments. He is a very good shooter and is deceptively athletic at 6′10″, able to dribble past his man and also crash the boards.

Turkoglu is a very good player who is finally getting national credit for his play.

9. Shawn Marion (MIA)

Marion has struggled to find his role in Miami, but still is one of the better all-around players in the league. His scoring has dipped for the Heat, but he has a career average of 18.2 PPG, and is remarkable in his ability to guard almost any position.

Marion played his best ball as part of the high-flying, up tempo Phoenix Suns in recent years, where his penchant for steals, blocks, key rebounds, and alley oops shone through. His jump shot is extremely awkward, but he is able to hit a good number of outside shots and is a career 82 percent free throw shooter.

The Heat’s decision to draft Michael Beasley might mean Marion is on his way out, but with his ability to stuff the stat sheet he would be a good acquisition by any team.

8. Richard Jefferson (MIL)

Very few people realize that Jefferson was ninth in the NBA in scoring last year at 22.6 PPG, leading the Nets ahead of Vince Carter. It is easy to question Jefferson’s defense and shooting, both areas in which he is inconsistent, but it is hard to deny his ability to put up points.

At 6′7″ Jefferson is a great dunker and finisher, and his jumper is solid enough that he is shooting 40 percent from three-point range this season. If the Bucks hold onto him and Michael Redd, they should be a high scoring team for the next couple of seasons.

7. Tayshaun Prince (DET)

Prince might be one of the most important players to his team, but his lack of statistical production makes it harder to place him any higher on this list. Prince gained fame for his defensive and offensive play in helping the Pistons win the 2004 NBA Championship, and has continued to be a valuable cog in Detroit’s system ever since.

With a long wingspan, Prince is known for his clutch blocks and rebounds, but he is a fairly productive scorer as well, averaging a career high 14.8 PPG this season. Prince is not the kind of player that can carry a team, but he has been a great second or third option for Detroit and helps make them a Championship contender every season.

6. Danny Granger (IND)

2008-2009 is quickly becoming Granger’s breakout season, as he is scoring 24.4 PPG while making nearly three three-pointers per game. He settles for the jump shot too often, but luckily for the Pacers it is clearly his greatest asset, and should only improve.

Granger is not yet the defensive player or rebounder that many of the other players on this list are, but he is quickly becoming the go-to guy in Indiana and one of the elite scorers in the NBA. As long as he stays healthy, Granger should become a more complete player and lead the Pacers to the playoffs, potentially as early as this season.

5. Ron Artest (HOU)

Hate him or love him, it’s hard to deny everything that Artest can bring to the basketball court. Possibly the best on ball defender in the league, he has one of the most complete skill-sets of any small forward.

If you look past some of his character issues and at his game, you’ll find a player who can shoot extremely well, will shut down the opponent’s best player, and brings it almost every night.

The Rockets made a great move in acquiring him, and as long as he stays out of trouble he has a good chance of leading them far into the playoffs, finally bringing some toughness to Houston.

4. Caron Butler (WAS)

It’s hard to notice how good Butler has been on a 3-13 Wizards team, but he is clearly one of the better players in the East and deserving of an All-Star spot. Butler has averages this year of 21.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 4.2 APG, and is capable of going for a triple-double any night despite playing on such a depleted and struggling team.

Caron is a terrific blend of size and speed, and is one of the best in the NBA at taking his man off the dribble but also able to post him up on the block.

Perhaps it is because he plays for Washington, perhaps it is his personality in comparison to teammate Gilbert Arenas, but Butler has become one of the most underrated players in the league today.

3. Carmelo Anthony (DEN)

It is easy to compare Anthony to the other members of his draft class, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and say that he has been somewhat of a disappointment. This would be an unfair assessment, however, as “Melo” has exceeded expectations as a scorer and play-maker.

It was obvious that Anthony, who led Syracuse to the 2003 NCAA Championship, would be a good NBA player, but he has lifted his game to another level, going for as high as 28.9 PPG three seasons ago.

Carmelo is a deadly mid-range shooter and finisher, and is one of best pure scorers in the game. With Chauncey Billups on board, Anthony should assume even more of a scoring role, and should lead Denver to another strong season this year.

2. Paul Pierce (BOS)

Playing with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen will make anyone better, but Pierce has stepped his game up to a whole other level since last season. He has always been one of the game’s elite scorers, averaging 23 points per game for his career, but it was in the Finals last year that Pierce really defined his legacy as a superstar.

Pierce was outstanding in winning the Finals MVP, coming up with huge baskets and plays whenever the Celtics needed them. Garnett and Allen may have gotten Boston over the hump, but Pierce is still the straw that stirs their drink, and should only improve on his legacy in the years to come.

1. LeBron James (CLE)

Consider me a witness. LeBron is probably the most physically dominant player since Wilt Chamberlain—too quick to be stopped by any forward and strong enough to muscle his way past any guard. The numbers speak for themselves, as he is averaging 27.4 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 6.3 APG this season, but his game and presence extend way beyond the numbers.

LeBron’s one weakness is his sometimes inconsistent jumper, but as he continues to mature and improve he is becoming virtually unstoppable. A lot of the talk is about his impending free agency in 2010, but LeBron continues to lead Cleveland towards a possible title run, as the team has gotten off 15-3 start.

LeBron has already won a number of playoff games and series almost single-handedly, and this year’s club is deeper and stronger than any he has been on before, which should allow him to keep his legs fresh and prepare for another long season.

King James is the face of the NBA, and will likely remain in that office for th

What A Surprise…

by Navin Vaswani… You know the memo about that whole “global financial crisis” thing? The New York Yankees didn’t get it. Their fax machine is broken, and they haven’t checked their email in forever.

Takin’ a T/O With BT: Have The Toronto Maple Leafs Grown Krabby With Kabby?

by Bryan Thiel… For years the Toronto Maple Leafs have had a stable core of players; a group that the fans knew and loved. No matter what happened they could always depend on Bryan McCabe, Mats Sundin, Darcy Tucker, or Tomas Kaberle.

As time went by and the lockout came to pass however, each player began to rally a group of detractors around them; usually following a shiny new contract that invited underachievement.

Darcy Tucker, the widely renowned heart and soul of the team, found some goal scoring panache following the lockout with 28 and 24-goal seasons. Tucker signed a contract extension in early 2007 with the Leafs, and just one season of struggle later, he was bought-out after the 2007/08 season, eventually landing with the Colorado Avalanche.

Bryan McCabe had Toronto fans convinced he was more than a glorified powerplay quarterback. After a trade with Chicago, McCabe quickly displayed an offensive proficiency that made other defenders green with envy and a booming slap shot from the point. Although he wasn’t the greatest defensive defenseman, he wasn’t terrible either.

As the years wore on though, so did the market on McCabe’s shoulders. Coming to a head in 2007/08, where the man who had held Toronto hostage with his contract negotiations, in June of 2006 tripped over his own net and then scored on it, effectively making him another sacrificial lamb to the bloodthirsty, and fleeing to Florida (after an unceremonious dispute over the issue with then-GM Cliff Fletcher).

Sundin meanwhile had become the desire of all Leafs’ fans affections. He was the Captain, he was the leader, he was everything.

Following a third-straight non-playoff season, the Leafs’ commitment was dedicated to rebuilding. If Sundin wanted a part in that he could stay, but he balked—not just at the Leafs’ offer, but at everyone other teams (including a lucrative deal from the Vancouver Canucks).

Now the only piece of that Maple Leafs’ Lore pie left is Tomas Kaberle.

But with the changes that have continued to come to the Maple Leafs this season, it seems that Kabby, now the longest-tenured Maple Leaf by default, may soon find himself with a pink slip as well.

Kaberle had voiced his opinion early on in the year as to whether or not he would (or wanted) to remain in Toronto after the franchise had undergone wholesale changes.

As the months have elapsed, that nibbling idea at the back of Kabby’s mind has developed a little further and his consideration for leaving Toronto for a Cup contender is a little bit stronger.

Over the past few games though, the Leafs’ Head Coach Ron Wilson has almost been forcing Kaberle’s hand. Kaberle’s ice-time has gone back and forth, culminating in a benching for the first period in Phoenix and limited ice-time in Los Angeles and San Jose as well (on top of that, Kaberle also had a -5 rating last week).

Over the past two games, Kaberle’s ice-time has gone back up to the 25+ minutes he’s been used to, but his responsibilities have still suffered.

The other night Kaberle spent only 46 seconds on the ice shorthanded. To put that in perspective, rookie Jamie Sifers spent 1:55 seconds killing penalties last night.

Combine last night’s total with the six seconds Kaberle spent on the ice shorthanded against Washington, the three seconds against the Coyotes, and the 10 seconds against the Philadelphia Flyers (he spent no time on the penalty kill against the Sharks or Kings) and you get 1:05—a full 55 seconds less than his total from his first game of the season against Detroit.

With the fluctuations in his ice-time, Kaberle’s offensive game has also suffered. While Kaberle has never been known to shoot the puck (which is frustrating given how accurate he can be), he’s taken only 37 shots so far this season, and until his four last night, had none in his past three games.

Those 37 however, have Kaberle pegged for his lowest shot total (108) since his shortened 2003/04 season in which he took 88 shots in 72 games. He’s also on pace for his lowest goals, assists, and point totals since that same season as well.

The other interesting development in the Kaberle case, is that he’s seemingly become the second-coming of Darcy Tucker. The knock against Tucker during his remaining years in Toronto was that he could only score on the powerplay. This season, 12 of Kaberle’s 17 points have come on the powerplay.

While that’s not the highest that percentage has ever been (76 per cent of his points in 2005/06 came on the powerplay when he was setting up Bryan McCabe), it certainly doesn’t help his case as a versatile puck-mover while teams are at even strength—at least in Ron Wilson’s eyes.

Sidenote: Interestingly enough, Kaberle’s career stats? 418 points, 209 of them on the power play—in other words, exactly half of his career points have come with the extra man.

It’d be nice to say that Tomas Kaberle has the opportunity over the next few weeks to show Brian Burke that he belongs once the NHL roster freeze (and Burke’s extra 10-day period) is up, but that’s unrealistic.

The fact is, whether this season is a product of Kaberle’s unfamiliarity with the system or the new additions to the roster, Kaberle is having a down season by his standard (which are ridiculously high as he’s been in the top-ten in defensive scoring four of the past five seasons), and he’s the most tradeable player on the Leafs roster.

After this season the 30-year old Kaberle has two years remaining on a contract that pays him $4.25 million, which is pretty decent compared to what some of the other high-scoring defenders are getting.

Kaberle has proven in the past that he can be the perfect compliment to a big shot from the point on a powerplay unit, and the only problem with his shot is that it’s mind-numbingly under-used by the Czech.

With his track record, it shouldn’t be tough to find Kabby a home. The Anaheim Ducks have a hole on their roster with Francois Beauchemin gone and they only have one defenseman under contract (Chris Pronger) for next season, while the Columbus Blue Jackets (a long shot, but an intriguing option) could definitely use the powerplay help (last in the NHL with a 9.9 percent success rate).

Sidenote: Wouldn’t it be interesting if Kaberle, who was supposed to be dealt to Edmonton for Pronger, ended up on the same blueline as him in Anaheim? This scenario makes the most sense to me as Brian Burke knows exactly who he’d want in return from Anaheim, and Kaberle could solidify the Ducks’ defense for another cup run.

And if the Ducks get Kaberle (or if they don’t) and win the Cup does this mean that Burke built that cup team too?

There are also a handful of other teams who could be playoff bound with a little bit of a boost to the powerplay and their defense who could have some pieces that interest the Leafs.

Wherever he goes though (which thanks to John Ferguson Jr.’s patented no-trade-clause Kabby gets to choose), Kaberle’s time in Toronto is coming to an end sooner rather than later.

Whether it’s North, East, South, or West, just know this Kabby—no team’s fans will ever cheer “shoot” louder than the ones here in Toronto did for you.

Hopefully we’ve got a few weeks left.

Wake Up with Alena Seredova

Hello T.O., are you making your plans for the 28th of December? It’s our Euchre, Crib and Backgammon Tournament, and you know what, Alena just might be there too. We sent her an invitation and she hasn’t said no. Don’t forget to pick up a copy of T.O. Sports Magazine, and do let us know if the Sens Sucks Screen is being put to good use. Tell your Sports friends about it, and make sure you keep coming back, we’re updating the site multiple times a day. Keep them emails coming.and make sure to make a comment or two, you will get a signed copy of “The Adventures of Captain Fanatic” if your one of the top ten comment makers… so go ahead say something!!k

Avery gets the boot from Dallas