How The Sixers Starters Stack Up Against The Rest Of The Eastern Conference
My goal is to rank the Sixers starters at their respective positions against the rest of the Eastern Conference.
A couple rulings before we get started. A player must have appeared in 10 games this season. Since Gilbert Arenas seems to either be in a coma or just paralyzed, he will not be included. A couple of the lineups I had to make my best assessment since they are often in flux.
*Revisions will probably be coming.
The way I based the rankings was asking myself a couple questions.
Who would I want most on my team for the rest of the season? Not who has had the best career, or is on a quick hot streak, but who I would feel most comfortable with leading into the playoffs.
Would I trade the guy ahead or below for the other just for the remainder of the season?
That's basically it. Here we go.
Point Guard
1. Devin Harris
2. Andre Miller
3. Jose Calderon
4. Mike Bibby
5. Jameer Nelson
6. Rajon Rondo
7. Mo Williams
8. Derrick Rose
9. Rodney Stuckey
10. Raymond Felton
11. TJ Ford
12. Mario Chalmers
13. Chris Duhon
14. Luke Ridnour
15. Mike James
Sixers comment: I honestly believe if you were to stick Andre Miller on the Cavs, Magic, Celtics or whomever he would make them a better team then their current point guard. Speaking just in terms for the remainder of the season, I think a lot of the teams would agree.
Shooting Guard
1. Dwyane Wade
2. Joe Johnson
3. Vince Carter
4. Allen Iverson
5. Caron Butler
6. Andre Iguodala
7. Ray Allen
8. Michael Redd
9. Ben Gordon
10. Delonte West
11. Marquis Daniels
12. Raja Bell
13. Quentin Richardson
14. Jason Kapono
15. Courntney Lee
Sixers comment: Another one I might catch some flak for. At this point though, I think Andre Iguodala can affect the game in a lot more ways beyond his statistics. It was definitely the toughest position to assess.
*Additional note. Had I substituted the current SG in place for Iggy, Willie Green would be snuggled in between Courtney Lee and Jason Kapono.
Small Forward
1. LeBron James
2. Paul Pierce
3. Danny Granger
4. Hedo Turkoglu
5. Rip Hamilton
6. Richard Jefferson
7. Shawn Marion
8. Gerald Wallace
9. Thaddeus Young
10. Marvin Williams
11. Wilson Chandler
12. Luol Deng
13. Bobby Simmons
14. Jamario Moon
15. Dominic McGuire
Sixers comment: I'm not completely sure of my rankings on this one. I feel confident about where I slotted Young though. At just 20 years old he has extremely raw talent, that is being somewhat processed. I believe he can enter the upper echelon at his position, maybe eventually sliding in just below Danny Granger.
Power Forward
1. Chris Bosh
2. Kevin Garnett
3. Tayshaun Prince
4. Rashard Lewis
5. Elton Brand
6. Josh Smith
7. Antawn Jamison
8. Al Harrington
9. Troy Murphy
10. Udonis Haslem
11. Ben Wallace
12. Drew Gooden
13. Boris Diaw
14. Luc Mbah a Moute
15. Ryan Andersen
Sixers comment: Despite his relatively poor start, and injury I still think Brand will turn his season around. His stats are not horrible, just slightly below his career averages. He is still a force in the paint, but he just needs to regain his touch and stay injury free.
Center
1. Dwight Howard
2. Rasheed Wallace
3. David Lee
4. Emeka Okafor
5. Al Horford
6. Kendrick Perkins
7. Jermaine O'Neal
8. Andrew Bogut
9. Brook Lopez
10. Anderon Varejao
11. Samuel Dalembert
12. Andray Blatche
13. Joel Anthony
14. Roy Hibbert
15. Aaron Gray
Sixers comment: Dalembert is one of the most up and down players in the league. He can be a defensive force for stretches and then absolutely kill you with dumb mistakes for elongated stretches.





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