Greatest Of The Three Point Era: Power Forward

[Mavs4Life]

Don't you know the memo already? If a player has championship, then he is automatically better than anyone who doesn't!

So:

Darko >Barkley
Darko > Bron'? That's never a good argument. Having a ring is big, but it's your performance that makes you a great plater (i.e. Barkley, Malone, Stockton)

[_Steve_]

Don't you know the memo already? If a player has championship, then he is automatically better than anyone who doesn't!

So:

Darko >Barkley
Darko > Bron'? That's never a good argument. Having a ring is big, but it's your performance that makes you a great plater (i.e. Barkley, Malone, Stockton)

Ever heard of something called irony?

[x-uNdErRaTeD-z]

YEAH!

That's why Robert Horry tops basketball noobs like Tim Duncan or Charles Barkley in my unofficial list. What noobs. Can u beat 6?

Horry has seven.

Way to kill the moment kobe.

And no LeBron will never be better than Darko without winning a ring. How could you disrespect Darko like that by comparing him to that bum?

[Andrew]

You forgot to add the part (since you're a Bulls fan) when even if they would have got past the Jazz, there was still Jordan and Pippen to go through. Nobody ever did go through Jordan and Pippen in the Finals. Still would've been a great matchup.

It definitely would've been a great Finals matchup in its own right. I believe the Bulls still would've prevailed but then again who knows. In any case, it was a small window of opportunity for them at that point in their careers.

[Mavs4Life]

Don't you know the memo already? If a player has championship, then he is automatically better than anyone who doesn't!

So:

Darko >Barkley
Darko > Bron'? That's never a good argument. Having a ring is big, but it's your performance that makes you a great plater (i.e. Barkley, Malone, Stockton)

Ever heard of something called irony?

[x-uNdErRaTeD-z]

You don't get it do you?
To me, it's more like sarcasm than irony.

[Mavs4Life]

You don't get it do you?
To me, it's more like sarcasm than irony.

See, if he said sarcasm I would've gotten it. There are actually people out there that believe the ring thing.

[koberulz]

You don't get it do you?
To me, it's more like sarcasm than irony.

Sarcasm is a type of irony.

[_Steve_]

You don't get it do you?
To me, it's more like sarcasm than irony.

Sarcasm is a type of irony.

... and the winner is: koberulz.

[shadowgrin]

No one wins. We get nothing, we're all losers for witnessing such an argument. Good day sirs.

phpBB [video]

[_Steve_]

No one wins. We get nothing, we're all losers for witnessing such an argument. Good day sirs.

phpBB [video]

No league, no trades, no trade rumors... Those arguments are the only things left...

[Axel The Great]

Slacked off way too much, but at least I beat benji. I'm sure his list will make mine look like spam, though.

1. Tim Duncan
Prime: 1999-2000 to 2006-07
I know it's eight seasons I picked out here, but Duncan had a couple of 60-game seasons in that time period. He's the ideal power forward to build a team around; someone who has an excellent post game, grabs double-digit rebounds every game, has decent range on his jumper, and can block shots left and right. He may not always have the highest blocks per game, but he can definitely give you a good amount of clean blocks without fouling the opponent. Four championships on top of that and he's a lock for number one.

2. Karl Malone
Prime: 1988-89 to 1996-97
Okay, nine seasons this time, but this is as hard as it gets in terms of picking out "prime" years. The best model of consistency on this list, only missing three games in this eight-year span. Made the Utah Jazz (along with Stockton, whom I also ranked #2 in his respective position) a contending team throughout the 90's, and is definitely one of the best players to never win a championship. Nonetheless, he was always a consistent 25 points, 10 rebounds player.

3. Kevin Garnett
Prime: 2001-02 to 2007-08
Unlike Barkley and Malone, Garnett can give you more effort on defense, well-known for his emphatic rejections and then rubbing it in your face. Unlike Malone, Garnett left his long-time team to form a Big 3 on another team in order to win a championship. Unlike Barkley, Garnett's Big 3 was able to get it done and win a championship, which is why I'd rank him up higher than Sir Charles.

4. Charles Barkley
Prime: 1985-86 to 1992-93
Eight seasons once again, but like Duncan, had a couple of 60-game seasons in between. Not only was he able to average 25 points and 11 boards through this period, but he averaged 4-5 assists consistently as well, shooting over 55% from the field in most seasons. Despite being really undersized for a power forward, he averaged double-digit rebounds in all but one of his years in the NBA. That's pretty impressive.

5. Dirk Nowitzki
Prime: 2002-03 to 2008-09
You could also add in this year to his prime, but whatever. The best shooter on this list because of his difficult to guard fadeaway. Many people suggest Dirk is soft, but looking at his numbers, it may be a bit of an overstatement. He averages around 8-9 rebounds consistently and has averaged over a block a game a few times in his career. Pretty sure to most he's not a choker anymore after his performances in the 2011 Playoffs, and now that he's won a championship, it's safe to rank him in the top five.

6. Dennis Rodman
Prime: 1990-91 to 1997-98
How is it possible for a guy only 6'8" to average over 15 rebounds in multiple seasons? Must be the heart and hustle Rodman had, but he rebounded better than most seven-footers. Despite only averaging double-digits in points just once in his career, Rodman is in most everyone's top 10 lists. Goes to show you that scoring isn't everything in basketball, and that grabbing rebounds does indeed win games.

7. Kevin McHale
Prime: 1983-84 to 1990-91
McHale's per game numbers may not be as flashy or incredible as those above him on this list, but he's got the championship advantage over Garnett, Barkley, and Malone. Playing alongside Bird definitely helps, but McHale's footwork in the post is rivaled by only Olajuwon in my opinion. Shooting above 55% from the field for most of his career definitely solidifies him as a top 10 PF.

8. Chris Webber
Prime: 1996-97 to 2006-07
It's too hard to pick out his prime due to the fact that his Games Played category is all over the place (he did manage to play most of the lockout-shortened 98-99 season, though). You can't argue the fact that he did deserve to win a championship (should've in '02). Great scorer, great rebounder, great passer, and a better defender than I've given him credit for, could've had a career of Duncan's caliber if not for injuries.

9. Pau Gasol
Prime: 2003-04 to 2010-11
Like Webber, Gasol is a talented and versatile offensive player. Capable of 20 points, 10 rebounds, he's also a great passing big man. What else? He's got two championships that, if not for him, the Lakers and specifically, Kobe, would not have.

10. Larry Nance
Prime: 1985-86 to 1991-92
It was a toss up between Amar'e, Elton Brand, or Nance, but I went with Nance. Neither of those has a championship, but Nance's career wasn't derailed by injuries as much as Brand or Stoudemire have. Never saw Nance play, but looking at his numbers, he's worthy of this last spot. He was an efficient shooter, decent rebounder, great scorer, and a great shot blocker.

Honorable Mentions:
Amar'e Stoudemire: Great athletic player with an excellent jumper. If not for injuries, would've likely cracked this list.
Elton Brand: Capable of 20 points, 10 rebounds, and I was on the verge of putting him at 10, but looking at Larry Nance's numbers made me change my mind.
Shawn Kemp: Good scorer and solid rebounder before the lockout season, unfortunately had a big downfall after that.
Charles Oakley: Enforcer who did the dirty work on defense, cleaned up the boards, and also gave you a fair share of points.

[shadowgrin]

All of you (except Andrew) fail for not mentioning Vin Baker and his short HOF career.

[NovU]

That was my thought with Bosh.

[deihatein]

That was my thought with Bosh.

[NovU]

Provide me with 7 years span where Baker was better than Bosh.

UCANT. Baker's best season was merely Bosh's average.

[Lamrock]

I hated Vin Baker so much when he played here.

[Andrew]

I certainly overlooked Bosh, Zach Randolph as well. They'd both at least be in my honourable mentions, Bosh possibly in at the tenth spot.

[The X]

Agreed, completely forgot Bosh. He's below Gasol but above Amar'e, so he's probably around 9th or 10th on my list.

[Andrew]

It's weird how it's kind of easy to overlook active players when they should be fresher in mind, I did the same with Gasol in the first version of my top ten. I guess the long established all-time greats are the first to come to mind and then the odd candidate who's still playing just slips through the cracks while filling out the rest of the list.

[NovU]

I think no matter how good Bosh is or his stats are, they tend to be overshadowed by some of his flaws, sort of like Dirk with soft D and choker tag.

Bosh's stats were there all career long even with the Heat, but it's also true that he has some flaws in his game and failed to do some of the things he needed to as a Heat's best big. In the end, I think it's the stats that should matter the most regardless of faults you could point out.

[Andrew]

It's also kind of easy to overlook Bosh at the moment with Wade and LeBron on the team. Shaq even took a little potshot at him recently by referring to Miami's "Big Two".

[NovU]

Shaq's been mean to Bosh. Lolz. Given how Shaq and Sir Charles teamed up together, certainly a tough time to be a Heat(particularly Bosh) fan.

It's also funny how the Heat and Barkley came to dislike each other so much. Wade and Barkley had commercials together so often.

[Andrew]

It was a bit unnecessary of Shaq and not particularly accurate either, Bosh arguably had a better series and was more dependable in the fourth quarters than LeBron was, even hitting that gamewinner in Game 3. Personally I hope Shaq keeps that stuff to a minimum, that's not to say he should sugar coat everything of course but it shouldn't be a platform for him to grind axes with former opponents he holds a grudge towards. I reckon that'd get old fast.

[NovU]

I guess he'll either be super entertaining or be super annoying as a commentator depending on your taste.