NBA: Top Five Power Forwards
This is article number four in the series. This is a comparison of the top Power Forwards in the game today, how good they are right now. As always, debate is welcome, because debate is half the fun.
Note: For the sake of these comparisons, both Amare Stoudemire and Tim Duncan are considered centers, as this is where they have played/will play the most this past season and upcoming seasons.
For Parts one through three see my profile or search:
"NBA: Top Five Point Guards"
"NBA: Top Five Shooting Guards"
"NBA: Top Five Small Forwards"
Honorable Mention
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Zach Randolph: While Randolph certainly had a good year statistically, he really isn't in the discussion. Any season when you average at least 20 and 10 gets you on the honorable mention at the very least though, so he makes it here.
Josh Smith: Smith is hard to leave off because he is a very talented young ballplayer. He is one of the most athletic power forwards in the game.
5. Carlos Boozer
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Nobody can deny that Boozer is a quality player on offense, when he is healthy. But mentioning Boozer in the same sentence as "quality defender" would probably make the listener pull a muscle from laughing so hard. Which is fitting because Boozer is injury-prone. Still, his offensive production and rebounding is enough to land him fifth on this list.
4. David Lee
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David Lee is a talented young power forward with stats inflated by the systems he has played in. He played for the wide open New York Knicks last year, and moves now to the wide open Golden State Warriors. He beats out Boozer, but really isn't in the same league as the three ahead of him.
3. Dirk Nowitzki
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One of the best international players ever to play in the NBA, Dirk can certainly hold his own. He can score with the best of them, and he is one of the top players in the game, but still only manages to make it to number three on this list
2. Chris Bosh
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Bosh is a great power forward, but he only makes it to number two on this list. This is not because of any shortcomings on his part, but instead a testament to the number one. Bosh can score and rebound, though his scoring numbers will drop this year playing as the third option on the Heat.
1. Pau Gasol
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Gasol is the best power forward in the game today. His numbers may not equal some of the others, but thats because he is the number two option behind Kobe Bryant. Gasol can do it all, score, defend and rebound. There is some perception among fans that he is soft, but thats just not the case. He relies on skill instead of brute strength, but that does not mean he is soft. These are my picks, What do you think?
