Saturday, July 24, 2010

NBA Small Forwards 2010 Rankings Analysis

Photo Source: Craig Hatfield
Yesterday I posted the cumulative rankings of NBA small forwards based on their play in the 2009-2010 season using the combination of five different statistical evaluations.  Below are my thoughts on the rankings.
  • Unlike the point guard and shooting guard rankings there is quite a bit of space between the top 10.  It is not as easy to group them into levels because of that spacing.
  • One thing is for sure - LeBron James and Kevin Durant dominated the categories.  LeBron ranked first in three categories, second in one and third in the other.  Durant was second in three categories, fourth in one and eighth in the other.
  • I am shocked to see Andrei Kirilenko finish third.  He was very well rounded ranking as high as third and no lower than seventh in the five categories.
  • Other positive surprises are: Nicolas Batum, Matt Barnes, Dorell Wright and Jared Dudley.
  • I was disappointed by the rankings of: Carmelo Anthony, Caron Butler and Hedo Turkoglu.
  • Nicolas Batum finished first in Offensive Ranking, but that may be do in part to the fact that he only played in 37 games.
  • Gerald Wallace finished first in Defensive Ranking.
  • Based on these rankings the signing of Matt Barnes by the Lakers for two years and $3.6 million looks like an absolute steal.  In fact, he finished 14 spots ahead of Ron Artest.
  • While it's hard to disagree that the Warriors appear to be a train wreck with no direction, their signing of Dorell Wright was an excellent decision.
  • I know Memphis was stuck between a rock and hard place in regards to Rudy Gay, but it's hard not to argue that the five years and $82 million they committed to the 13th ranked small forward in the league is too much.
What player rankings surprise you the most?

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