NBA Power Rankings: The 10 Best Inside-Outside Duos In The Eastern Conference
As an NBA head coach, you definitely want your roster to include a player who can score inside the paint.
You also want that inside guy to be complemented by a player who can score from the outside.
NBA history is filled with dynamic inside-outside duos, especially ones that have played in the Eastern Conference.
Examples include, but are not limited to Milwaukee's Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson, Philadelphia's Moses Malone and Julius Erving, and Orlando's Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway.
This slideshow will focus on the top 10 best inside-outside tandems currently playing in the stacked Eastern Conference.
Let's get started.
10. John Wall and Andray Blatche (Washington Wizards)
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Wall, the top pick in last June's draft, just might live up to all the hype that has surrounded him since he was a high-schooler.
He is one of the quickest players in the game and is sure to be included in many highlight reels for years to come, as he eventually replaces Gilbert Arenas as the Wizards' top go-to guy.
Blatche averaged 20.8 points per game last season in his 36 games as a starter, and could put together a huge season in 2010-11.
The sky is the limit for Washington's Wall and Blatche duo.
9. Amar'e Stoudamire and Danilo Gallinari (New York Knicks)
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Stoudemire, the Knicks' $100 million man, will likely emerge as the team's top inside presence since Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing was in his prime.
Stoudemire averaged 23.1 points per game—10th in the league—last season in Phoenix and could possibly increase those numbers this year in New York.
After struggling mightily in his rookie year, Gallinari was a candidate for the Most Improved Player Award last season, averaging 15.1 ppg.
Gallo also finished second in the league in three-pointers made with 186.
The Stoudemire-Gallinari duo will look to lead the Knicks to their first postseason appearance since 2004.
8. Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams (Cleveland Cavaliers)
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With LeBron James down in Miami, Jamison and Williams will have to put the Cavs on their shoulders if they want the team to secure a playoff spot this season.
Jamison can score from the outside as well as the inside and is good for nearly 20 points a night.
Williams can fill it up from downtown. The 2009 All-Star guard sank a combined 342 three-pointers over the last two seasons.
Jamison and Williams won't make Cleveland fans forget about King James any time soon, but they just might prevent the Cavs from falling from respectability.
7. Brook Lopez and Devin Harris (New Jersey Nets)
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Lopez proved to the league last season that he should have been picked higher than 10th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft.
The 7'0" center from Stanford University averaged 18.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game and if it wasn't for the Nets' horrible record, he likely would have been named an All-Star.
Harris is one of the Eastern Conference's better scoring point guards. He averaged nearly 17 points per game last season and will look to become an All-Star for the second time in three years.
Lopez and Harris will attempt to lead the Nets to a massive turnaround in 2010-11
6. Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut (Milwaukee Bucks)
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Jennings and Bogut led Milwaukee to the playoffs last season for the first time in four years, making fans say "Fear the Deer."
Jennings shocked the league by dropping 55 points in just his seventh regular-season game and overachieved a great deal as a rookie.
Bogut put together a great season as well, averaging 15.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Maybe one day he will finally show everyone that he was worthy of being the top pick in the 2005 draft.
This season, the Jennings-Bogut duo will try to steer the Bucks past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2001.
5. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith (Atlanta Hawks)
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Sure, Johnson shouldn't have been given a six-year, $119 million contract, but he's undoubtedly a gifted scorer.
The perennial All-Star guard has averaged at least 21 points per game for the Hawks the past four seasons and is the team's franchise player.
Smith is an explosive, high-flying forward who can excite fans with his powerful dunks and above-the-rim lay-ins.
Without Johnson and Smith in the mix, the Hawks would likely be a lousy lottery team instead of an Eastern Conference threat.
4. Dwight Howard and Vince Carter (Orlando Magic)
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Howard is hands-down the best center in the league.
The two-time Defensive Player of the Year isn't limited to just blocking shots and rebounding, he can score as well. He's often criticized for not having a go-to move, but he can put up 20 a night.
Howard's teammate Carter isn't quite the potent scorer that he once was, however he can still put the ball in the hoop when he wants: he lit up the New Orleans Hornets for 48 points in a game last season.
This talented duo could possibly get Orlando back to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years.
3. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics)
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Pierce and Garnett are two members of the Celtics' famous "Big Four" which also includes fellow All-Stars Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo.
Pierce is a talented scorer who can hit the mid range jumper and drill the three-pointer as well.
Garnett, one of the game's greatest players of all time, possesses an unstoppable jump shot and at times, can be a force inside.
Pierce, Garnett and the Celtics, had a good chance to win it all last year. Maybe 2011 will be their year.
2. Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer (Chicago Bulls)
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Rose is undoubtedly one of the league's top point guards. The 2009 Rookie of the Year led the Bulls in scoring last season with 20.8 points per game and now has an outside shot which he developed during the offseason.
In a few years or so, Rose just might dethrone Chris Paul as the best point guard in basketball.
Bulls free agent pickup, Boozer formed an exciting duo with Deron Williams in Utah for several years, and when he's healthy (expected to miss eight weeks due to injury), he will do the same with Rose in Chicago.
Boozer will likely become Chicago's best inside presence since Elton Brand.
Rose and Boozer's Bulls might give Miami, Orlando, and Boston a run for their money in the loaded Eastern Conference.
1. LeBron James/Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh (Miami Heat)
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Ever since James' arrival in Miami, there has been a debate on who is the Heat's alpha dog. Some say LeBron. Some say D-Wade.
James is arguably one of the top two players in the league, while Wade falls somewhere in the top five.
Both of these larger than life superstars can score at will. James led the league in scoring in 2008 and Wade was the 2009 scoring champ.
With both players drawing so much attention on the floor, the third piece of the "Miami Thrice" trio, Chris Bosh, might get a lot of open looks at the basket.
Bosh can hurt teams with his spectacular inside game and his mid range jumper isn't something to shy away from either.
Miami has a superb chance at taking home the Larry O'Brien trophy next June with these three All-Stars leading the way.
