"19. Shawn Marion, Dallas Mavericks (last year: 23rd, but as a power forward) Marion's...

"19. Shawn Marion, Dallas Mavericks (last year: 23rd, but as a power forward)
Marion's contributions fell off significantly for the second straight season, so maybe this ranking is a little optimistic. He turned 32 last May, his rebounding numbers are starting to look rather ordinary and the once-passable 3-point shooter failed to hit one in every five long-range bombs he tossed up last season. Marion might be able to sustain or possibly improve a bit in 2010-11, but the bigger money is on him getting much, much worse."

"12. Caron Butler, Dallas Mavericks (last year: sixth)
Butler's game is often so overrated, that I don't want to overcompensate and drop him too far in this list, but it was a little tempting. Caron averaged 15.6 points last season, but he has to take a few shots (13.6 a game) on his way to that total, his defense is rather middling at this point and he's not much for contributing in other areas. He's OK, mind you, and it's good to see him starting on a Mavericks team that could use his services, but he's not the final piece of a championship puzzle, as some in the media touted him last season.
Also, his game is more forward-y than guard-like, so he goes here."

Can't really disagree with their stuff on Marion, but I have to disagree on where they placed Caron. I think he easily could have moved up a couple of spots with guys like Kirilenko and Gallanari ahead of him.

BDL's Rankings of Small Forwards

over 1 year ago mayur.patel 9 comments 0 recs |

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The important thing is that he is a SF. On the other hand, he is on the wrong side of 30 now and rather dependent upon athleticism so far. We’ll see if he stays long enough to find out.

"Mais put… Il est fou ce gars!"

by DOH on Aug 25, 2010 3:05 PM CDT reply actions

kirilenko is much better than butler

by Alan Smithee on Aug 26, 2010 1:50 PM CDT reply actions

Possibly

but he’s horribly overrated imo

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by mayur.patel on Aug 27, 2010 7:55 PM CDT up reply actions

i'd say if anything he's underrated

He hasn’t made an All-Star team in over six seasons(meanwhile, in that span, Rip Hamilton has made three appearances), and he rarely gets credit for being a key piece in Sloan’s post millennium success, even though he is the one guy who has been with the team the entire decade; a decade in which Utah had just one season below .500. Dwyer is probably much more likely to praise him than your average fan, and he only has him ranked as the 9th best player at his position. Look at those behind him and it’s pretty clear the small forward spot isn’t an incredibly deep position, either.

I love Kirilenko’s game. He rebounds and passes, is a great defender, he shoots a high percentage and draws fouls. He basically does everything well except shoot from outside, and a guy who can change a game without scoring 20+ points is a pretty rare thing.

by Alan Smithee on Aug 28, 2010 11:35 AM CDT up reply actions

x

I love Kirilenko’s game.

I agree with this, but with the talent he has, the guy’s numbers should be better. Don’t get me wrong, career numbers hanging around 12 points and 5 rebounds are better than what a good amount of players have, but for the talent and skill set the guy has (which you mention above), he should be better. He had some great seasons from 03-06, but has somehow regressed which is weird considering he’s still in his prime. Imo, he’s one of those guys that gets by partly due to reputation. I guess it just might be one of those cases where injuries take a large toll over time on a player.

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by mayur.patel on Aug 28, 2010 4:44 PM CDT up reply actions