Forwards and Centers

It's that time again. We've got one week until the opening of the 2006-2006 NBA Season and I haven't written an article in over two months. It seems I left off with rankings for both guard positions, so we'll take it off from there. I'll cover three positions in one article, there just won't be as much analysis.

We'll start with Small Forward's:

1- LeBron James. Any arguments? Didn't think so. Next...

2- Shawn Marion. He played more on the interior last year due to Stoudemire missing nearly the entire year. With D'Antoni's offense, position doesn't really matter as long as you can run.

3- Josh Smith. Here is a guy that could be considered the American version of Kirilenko, only without the injury history. He'll score, block, dish and board. Triple threats are fantasy studs.

4- Gerald Wallace. How can you do everything imaginable, rank in the Top 10 in both steals and blocks, yet still be under-rated? I don't know either. After last year, I thought Wallace was 2nd round material. He's been consistently going between the 4th-6th. Snap him up.

5- Andrei Kirilenko. One of the best all-around fantasy players out there. Near the top in blocks, steals and near ten boards per game. The only concern is that little injury bug that seems to hit him each year.

6- Ron Artest. Do you take his solid numbers and try to ride out the storm that Ronny can create and single-handedly kill your team? Or do you pass him over completely, instead opting for that safe pick? If you're a gambler, Ronny can help take you to the top if he keeps his head on straight.

7- Boris Diaw. How's that for a breakout? Something tells me he should be higher on this list, there just isn't anyone I can honestly move down in order for him to move up. That just goes to show how deep this position is.

8- Rashard Lewis. If you're lacking in three's in your roto-league, don't feel shy about taking Lewis. Sure, he won't give you much else in terms of boards or assists. But he will dump in a ton of points and a lot of trey's, while keeping his FG% at a respectable level.

9- Carmelo Anthony. Can you tell that I'm not a fan? Putting him 9th, it should be fairly obvious. He just does nothing for me. He can light up the scoreboard and....well, thats about it. He rebounds at a weak rate, has lower-than-normal assist totals, will hurt your FG% and....well, I just dont like him. End of story.

10- Lamar Odom. Playing with Kobe, he'll never score an absurd amount of points. With that said, he is a solid, all-around fantasy machine. He's managed to stay healthy and not toke up the last few years, making him a valuable comodity.

The next few: Richard Jefferson, Peja Stojakovic, Andre Iguodala, Wally Szczerbiak, Caron Butler, Adam Morrison

Next, onto Power Forwards:

1- Kevin Garnett. He's still tops in this category and a solid number two overall, right behind LeBron. Dirk made a run last year to overtake him, he just doesn't have the kind of overall game to do it.

2- Dirk Nowitzki. Points. Rebounds. Three's. Solid FG and FT%. He's one of the best cornerstones you could get for a fantasy team.

3- Elton Brand. Someone had a career year. It's funny, that always seems to happen playing with Sam Cassell. Vin Baker in Milwaukee. Kevin Garnett in Minnesota. Now Brand for the Clippers. He was an absolute monster last year. Look for it to stay that way.

4- Dwight Howard. He took another big step last year, coming within a few boards of leading the league in rebounds at only 20 years old. Had KG not gone completely nuts over the last two months of the year, Howard would've had it. Look for his offense to take a big step forward this year.

5- Chris Bosh. Another young, solid fantasy cornerstone. Prediction: 23 points, 10 boards, 2.5 blocks, 52% FG. He's a good option if you take a chucker like Iverson, Baron Davis or Vince Carter.

6- Charlie Villanueva. Only a soph, I know. There are two reasons for him: 1) Playing next to Bosh last year, he still managed to produce better-than-expected rookie numbers, including a 42 point outburst. Now, he's onto Milwaukee where he'll be the leading man until Bogut comes back from injury.

7- Emeka Okafor. Hopefully he's got last year behind him, seeing as how it was a complete waste. Still, you can't ignore his rookie numbers. He won't be a big scorer, but his boards, blocks, FG% and the fact that he'll most likely be center eligible in most leagues makes him very attractive. At a decent price, to boot.

8- Antawn Jamison. He's not my favorite, but you could do much worse. He's really only a 2-cat player: Points and three's. He doesn't rebound as well as he should and sometimes his FG% can kill you. He's a solid mid-round pick.

9- Carlos Boozer. He came back strong last year after his injuries. Putting him on the same frontline as Kirilenko and Okur is a solid foundation. He could be on the verge of becoming a consistent 20/10 player. Not bad for a mid-round pick.

10- Amare Stoudemire. I really want to put him higher on the list. I truly do. I'd just like to see how he comes back from the micro-fracture surgery. If it limits his athleticism in any way, we could see a decline in his numbers. It's the only part of his game that he can't afford to lose.

The next few: David West, Pau Gasol, Channing Frye, Chris Webber, Chris Wilcox, Zach Randolph, Troy Murphy

Lastly, Centers:

1- Tim Duncan. He had his worst year as a pro last year. I can't imagine he's starting his decline areadly and am expecting him to bounce back to normal Timmie numbers.

2- Yao Ming. On the flip side, Yao had his best year as a pro. Missed a few games, but nothing overly terrible. He's a 20/10 and 2-3 block player.

3- Ben Wallace. Aging and still no offense. Luckily, he keeps himself in kick-ass shape. He'll be just what Chicago needs inside, sucking up boards and swatting shots.

4- Marcus Camby. One of the biggest fantasy studs last year until yet another injury forced him out of the lineup. Take him if you must, but be sure to get a good backup.

5- Jermaine O'neal. He should be higher on this list. Until he keeps himself healthy for a full year, he's still considered a risk.

6- Chris Kaman. He's another that had a career year. It doesn't hurt having someone like Elton Brand to play next to. Kaman's a very capable fantasy starter.

7- Brad Miller. One of the best passing big men in the game. He'll put up some points, grab a bunch of boards and throw a few cheap shots per game.

8- Mehmet Okur. A big man that can step out and drop the try. Gotta love it. He rebounds well, too. Should be a solid fantasy starter.

9- Zydrunas Ilgauskas. He took somewhat of a step back last year. Nevertheless, he's still effective. His minutes might take a hit with the emergence of Anderson Varejao.

10- Nenad Kristic. He's been playing well for two straight years. Look for him to make a big step forward this year and help Jersey make some noise in the East.

The next few: Andrew Bogut, Samuel Dalembert, Shaquille Oneal, Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry, Darko Milicic