He also tends to disappear in games, making him maddeningly inconsistent. Those are reasons why a player as versatile as Gooden has been mentioned in trade rumors his entire career.
20) Brandon Bass—Dallas Mavericks
Bass has prime-time athleticism, and a big-time baseline jumper which he can stretch out to 20 feet. He runs the floor with abandon, can defend small forwards, power forwards, and centers effectively, and is an explosive rebounder. All he needs to prosper in the league is continued playing time and experience.
21) Ben Wallace—Cleveland Cavaliers
Like a rusted wagon, Wallace is old, breaking down, and should be permanently left in the shed. He’s no longer the agile defensive force who’d beat his opponents before a play began by outworking them on the block, denying post position and subsequent entry passes.
Instead, the current Wallace incarnation isn’t quick enough or strong enough to ball deny, and he’s much slower and weaker than at any point in his career. He’s still slightly above average defensively, and he’ll still rebound, but his diminishing skills combined with his utter lack of any offensive talent whatsoever, leave him as a ghost of what he used to be.
22) Luis Scola—Houston Rockets
A tough rebounder and a hard worker, Scola survives on guts more than athleticism. He isn’t particularly quick, but he’ll split defensive seams on twisting drives from the mid-post or the elbow.
His jumper is accurate, he’ll box out, and he sets solid screens. He’s a poor defender, falling for too many head fakes and lacking the foot speed to adequately defend the quicker power forwards in the league.
His lack of ups leave him helpless when trying to finish over bigger or stronger players near the hoop, and he misses a lot of layups, traits that keep him in the mid-twenties of the list.
23) Marvin Williams—Atlanta Hawks
Williams can hit mid-range jumpers when given time to wind up, and is athletic enough to snake along the baseline past slow defenders on his way to the hoop.
However, Williams is too lean to be a forceful post player, rebounder, or defender, and isn’t athletic enough where he’ll be a major nuisance to match up with. He’s versatile, but profoundly unspectacular.
24) Paul Milsap—Utah Jazz
Milsap punches his time card, puts on his hard hat, and rampages through any opponent not tough enough to handle his sheer physical strength and endless hunger for loose balls. His screens are pulverizing, his rebounding technique is rock solid (as are his muscles), and he’s an earnest defender, though his lack of height holds him back.
His offensive game is non-existent, but his hard work alone often wins games for the Jazz.
25) Eduardo Najera—New Jersey Nets



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