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?

NBA Small Forwards 2010 - Cumulative Rankings

As I expected LeBron James and Kevin Durant dominated the cumulative rankings of NBA small forwards in 2010.  There were some surprises after that to be sure.  I'll be posting my full analysis of the rankings within the next couple of days.

(If you missed previous posts you should start with the NBA point guards cumulative rankings, which also includes the explanation of my evaluation process.)

Here are the small forward rankings (500+ minutes played) with their cumulative totals included for differentiation:

1. LeBron James, MIA 8
2. Kevin Durant, OKC 18
3. Andrei Kirilenko, UTH 27
4. Gerald Wallace, CHA 32
5. Paul Pierce, BOS 45
6. Nicolas Batum, POR 52
7. Danny Granger, IND 58
8. Carmelo Anthony, DEN 63
9. Matt Barnes, ORL 69
10. Dorell Wright, MIA 76
11. Luol Deng, CHI 77
12. Shawn Marion, DAL 84
13. Rudy Gay, MEM 90
14. Corey Maggette, GSW 92
15. Jared Dudley, PHO 109
16. Tayshaun Prince, DET 111
17. Richard Jefferson, SAS 113
18. Jamario Moon, CLE 113
19. Grant Hill, PHO 114
20. Carlos Delfino, MIL 117
21. Chase Budinger, HOU 117
22. Marvin Williams, ATL 119
23. Ron Artest, LAL 120
24. Reggie Williams, GSW 129
25. Trevor Ariza, HOU 133
26. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, MIL 135
27. Mike Dunleavy, IND 137
28. Caron Butler, DAL 139
29. Shane Battier, HOU 149
30. Omri Casspi, SAC 152
31. Martell Webster, POR 152
32. Hedo Turkoglu, TOR 153
33. Travis Outlaw, LAC 158
34. Wilson Chandler, NYK 165
35. Rodney Carney, PHI 168
36. Mickael Pietrus, ORL 169
37. Maurice Evans, ATL 169
38. Devean George, GSW 171
39. Josh Howard, WAS 185
40. Austin Daye, DET 190
41. Peja Stojakovic, NOR 192
42. Julian Wright, NOR 195
43. Stephen Graham, CHA 195
44. James Jones, MIA 195
45. Damien Wilkins, MIN 199
46. Ryan Gomes, MIN 214
47. James Johnson, CHI 216
48. Terrence Williams, NJN 223
49. Al Thornton, WAS 223
50. C.J. Miles, UTH 224
51. Ime Udoka, SAC 225
52. Donte Greene, SAC 225
53. James Posey, NOR 231
54. Chris Douglas-Roberts, NJN 248
55. Jarvis Hayes, NJN 254
56. Jason Kapono, PHI 273
57. Vladimir Radmanovic, GSW 276
58. Antoine Wright, TOR 278
59. Trenton Hassell, NJN 292
60. Sasha Pavlovic, MIN 294

Please share your thoughts on the rankings in the comments section below.