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2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Rankings: Power Forwards 1-20 | PFs 21-40
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Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks
Nowitzki is the best all-around big man in fantasy basketball. He contributes in every category on the board and shoots the rock at a high percentage. Having more talent around him this year in Dallas should take some of the load of his shoulders yet still keep his production high. He should without a doubt be a mid-to-late first round pick.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 25.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 0.80 bpg, 70 3PTM
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Chris Bosh, Raptors
With the signings of Hedo Turkoglu and Jarrett Jack, and drafting Demar DeRozan, the Raptors have surrounded Bosh with a lot of talent. His point production may suffer a little bit, but Bosh has been the definition of consistent and should put up similar numbers as he has the last four seasons.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 22.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.00 bpg, 10 3PTM
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Amare Stoudemire, Suns
It always helps when you can see the basket. After suffering through a serious eye injury, Stoudemire returns to the desert apparently healthy. Still, the Suns were so concerned about his injury that they didn’t strongly pursue signing him to a contract extension. If he truly is 100%, I think he is going to have a huge season. Phoenix is back to its up-and-down style of offense which suits Stoudemire’s ability to attack the basket. If you are an early risk-taker, draft him high and hope he stays healthy.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 23.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.30 bpg, 5 3PTM
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Pau Gasol, Lakers
Productive? Yes. Sexy? Certainly not. Gasol is a very valuable post player who shoots the ball at a high percentage. The arrival of Ron Artest and having Andrew Bynum healthy will probably hurt his numbers a little bit. Be comfortable using a second round pick on Gasol if you are looking for a big man with little risk.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 17.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.10 bpg, 2 3PTM
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Tim Duncan, Spurs
Is this the year Duncan finally breaks down? His numbers were still extremely solid last season, but he showed signs of slowing down a step. He has never been a great free-throw shooter but gets a good amount of assists for post player. Another reason to be concerned is the free agent acquisition of Antonio McDyess and stealing of DeJuan Blair in the second round of the draft. Both players give the Spurs an adequate option to give Duncan some extra rest. Dealing for Richard Jefferson and having Manu Ginobli healthy will also affect Duncan’s numbers in a negative manner.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 18.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.50 bpg, 0 3PTM
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David West, Hornets
The King of the 17-footer, West’s greatest assets are his scoring and free throw shooting. Acquiring Emeka Okafor gives the Hornets another talented post player, only with better scoring ability than Tyson Chandler, so I wouldn’t be surprised if West doesn’t reach his career-high points average from a year ago. The fact that he is a true forward and not a F/C option is also something to consider in your draft strategy.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 20.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 0.90 bpg, 10 3PTM
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Kevin Garnett, Celtics
I’ll admit it; I low-balled KG’s predictions for this season. But coming off an injury and playing as much as he has the past decade-plus, I can’t feel good about using one of my top picks on him. Yes, his shooting percentages are solid and he puts up good numbers in all categories, but the arrival of Rasheed Wallace and continued development of Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis will take away some of the Big Ticket’s minutes. Plus, the Celtics are likely going to be very cautious of over-working him during the season as to make sure he is healthy for the post-season.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 16.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.00 bpg, 5 3PTM
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Elton Brand, 76ers
You were probably banging your head against a wall if you drafted Brand last year. For the second straight season, injuries forced him to spend more time wearing a suit on the bench rather than his uniform. When he was in the line-up, he posted career lows in points, assists, FG%, and FT%. I definitely wouldn’t draft him too high, but if he begins to slip in your draft, might pay-off as a risk.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 18.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.50 bpg, 0 3PTM
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Troy Murphy, Pacers
For whatever reason, Murphy always seems to be under-valued on draft day. Nobody saw last season coming as he blew away his career-highs in rebounds, three-pointers, and FG% while improving his percentage from the charity stripe. Expecting a repeat performance is probably unrealistic, but it’s hard to ignore his ability to shoot the triple and grab boards.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 13.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.00 bpg, 135 3PTM
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Josh Smith, Hawks
Smith’s ability to block shots (though his average decreased by more than a block a game last season) and get steals is his best fantasy asset. His scoring, rebounding, and assists all dropped last season, and while his field goal percentage continues to improve, his free throw struggles once again were made clear. I think his stats will improve from a year ago but not by much.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 16.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 2.00 bpg, 1.75 spg, 40 3PTM
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Carlos Boozer, Jazz
First off, will Boozer even finish this season in Utah? He was nearly traded this summer, is the final year of his contract, and not likely to be re-signed by the Jazz since they dished out a lot of money to re-sign Paul Milsap. Plus, he is coming off an injury-plagued 2008-2009. I can’t imagine his role with team being what it once was, thus resulting in a drop-off in production. Regardless, he is too talented not to post solid numbers. Be cautious though, he is not a shot blocker and is a sub par free throw shooter.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 17.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 0.80 spg, 0 3PTM
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Antawn Jamison, Bullets
Jamison will suffer from the “Gilbert Arenas is back and we traded for offensive weapons Randy Foye and Mike Miller” effect going around the Wizards roster. He should see a drop in every statistical category from the past two years when Arenas was banged up but will post solid numbers.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 18.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.00 spg, 90 3PTM
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Al Harrington, Knicks
Harrington is on a bad Knicks team and has an expiring contract which should jack up his numbers similar to what they were last year. He puts up a lot of points and three-pointers despite his less than ideal rebounding for a power forward. Harrington doesn’t have a great field goal percentage either so only take him if you are need of points and threes.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 20.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.25 spg, 150 3PTM
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LaMarcus Aldridge, Blazers
After making a huge leap from his rookie season to second year, Aldridge didn’t improve his numbers in 2008-2009. I think a healthy Greg Oden inside and a veteran point guard in Andre Miller will open up more opportunities for Aldridge. He also gets a decent amount of steals and blocks which is a bonus.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 19.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.20 bpg, 10 3PTM
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Blake Griffin, Clippers
Griffin is the most NBA-ready of all rookies and will get every chance to post solid numbers in his first year with the Clippers. He was a double-double machine in college and showed the ability to get steals and blocked shots. Griffin has struggled from the free throw line, but shot an incredibly high percentage from the field. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone in your league takes an early risk on him.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 16.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.20 bpg, 1.00 spg, 0 3PTM
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Jeff Green, Thunder
Green emerged into a solid fantasy player last season seeing a major jump across the board and becoming more of a threat from deep. As the Thunder become better, so will Green. My only hesitant in ranking Green higher is that Kevin Durant is expected to become a scoring machine this season and OKC also added James Harden who gives them another offensive weapon.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 16.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.10 spg, 80 3PTM
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Tyrus Thomas, Bulls
Thomas became a fixture in the Bulls starting line-up last season which helped his numbers. He is not a true scorer, but puts up very solid numbers in steals and blocked shots. Consistency has also been an issue for Thomas, but he seemed to show more steady play as last season progressed.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 12.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.00 bpg, 1.30 spg, 0 3PTM
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Charlie Villanueva, Pistons
The Pistons pursued Charlie V. the very first day of free agency so expect him to have a bigger role in Detroit than he did in Milwaukee. I’m not sold on his effectiveness as a fantasy player though. He will get his share of points, three-pointers, and is a good free throw shooter, but has less than ideal numbers in the other categories especially FG%. His inability to show up on a game-in, game-out basis also concerns me.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 16.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 0.70 bpg, 95 3PTM
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Boris Diaw, Bobcats
The former Sun made the most of being traded to the Bobcats last season and becoming a starter. He nearly doubled his scoring averaged and suddenly became a three-point threat, though his turnovers did jump quite a bit. He rebounds well and also gets a high number of assists for a power forward. Diaw has missed all of the pre-season with an ankle injury and has dealt with conditioning issues during his career, so keep that in mind before you draft him.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 14.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.0 apg, .70 spg, 65 3PTM
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Zach Randolph, Grizzlies
The newest Grizzly is on the list of players that I am avoiding on draft day like they have the swine flu. It’s not that he isn’t a solid producer when he is on the floor because his numbers are always solid. It is the injury history and ticking time bomb part of Randolph that scares me away.
Projected 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Stats: 17.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.70 spg, 20 3PTM
2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Rankings: Power Forwards 1-20 | PFs 21-40
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Written by Paul Banks of NBC Chicago and the Washington Times, and David Kay of the The Sports Bank.
Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
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