Taking a Look Back on Last Season: SDH Presents the Top 30 Performing Small Forwards of the 2012 NBA Season

Out of the five positions played in basketball, the small forward spot had to be the weakest and most underwhelming group of players in the NBA.  With an exception of an exceptional few, most of the players did not really impress me much--in fact, I really have to scrape the bottom to get the thirty names to complete this post. So here they are in they less than admirable entirety.  I will not expect those names to wow you as they did not exactly wow me either.  Stay tuned in the upcoming days as I will showcase the thirty best shooting guards and point guards ending my series showcasing the NBA's top performers.

30	Wilson Chandler Denver Nuggets	His hiatus playing in China might have hurt his game as Wilson Chandler struggled returning to the NBA playing only eight games and shooting a career low .392 from the field. Hopefully he will be back in tip top shape considering that how much Denver invested in him—37$ million over five years.
29	Linus Kleiza Toronto Raptors	Linus Kleiza came back from a season ending injury to post solid numbers off the bench for Toronto (9.7ppg, 4.1rpg, 21.7minpg) often playing both forward positions as he had the size strength and physicality to play the four, but also had the speed, quickness, ball handling skills and range to play the three as well
28	Hedo Turkoglu Orlando Magic	Only two years and 20$ million left for the Magic to say adieu to this dead weight and waste of salary cap space.  Since Hedo has signed that monster extension, he has already been traded twice in one season and what’s worse is that he is the best that Orlando currently has at that position.
27	Trevor Ariza New Orleans Hornets	Trevor Ariza is one of those players that is best suited to come off the bench and play spot minutes rather than play starter’s minutes.  Perhaps the Hornets can find a viable small forward in this summer’s draft since they does have two lottery pick—one of them being the first overall.
26	Marvin Williams Atlanta Hawks	Marvin Williams has finally found his niche in the Atlanta Hawks coming off the bench as a sixth man. He finished the season strong averaging about 12 points and five rebounds and shooting a season’s best .481 from the field.  Too bad he could not maintain that momentum in the post season as both he and his team got shut out of the first round of the playoffs courtesy of the Boston Celtics.
25	Grant Hill Phoenix Suns	Grant Hill lost a lot of respect from me choosing to stay in Phoenix for one last big pay day instead of moving on to a contender to try and get the one thing that could have made his career complete—an NBA Championship ring. He did not play that great either showing signs of his age and deterioration of his abilities to go with that.
24	Jared Dudley Phoenix Suns	Like I mentioned with Trevor Ariza, Jared Dudley is more suited for coming off the bench rather than playing starter’s minutes; unfortunately because of Phoenix’s severe lack of talent and depth, coach Alvin Gentry was forced to log him more minutes than he would otherwise get on any other NBA team.
23	Matt Barnes Los Angeles Lakers	Matt Barnes had a solid season for LA averaging close to eight points, six rebounds, two assists and nearly a block and steal per game coming off the bench.  Too bad for the Lakers he was their sole consistent offensive producer in the second unit as Loa Angeles sported one of the worst benches in the league.
22	Metta World Peace Los Angeles Lakers	While changing his name, the artist formerly known as Ron Artest also lost his confidence and his nerve as he stunk up royally for the Lakers this season.  He managed to redeem himself in the last month of the season, however as he scored a season high 14.1 points per game and shot a season high .481 showing the world that the Ron Artest we loved was still existing.
21	Steve Novak New York Knicks	While all the cameras were focused on Jeremy Lin as the feel good story in sports, Steve Novak also had a quietly impressive season scoring a career high 8.8 points per game while shooting an unconscious .472 from beyond the arc  in under 19 minutes per game while coming off the bench.
20	Chandler Parsons Houston Rockets	A second round pick in last year’s NBA draft, Chandler Parsons was one of the most surprising rookies in the league as he started 57 of the 63 games that he played along with averaging close to ten points, five rebounds and a little over a steal per game.  His emergence came at the expense of his teammate who is slotted right above him.
19	Chase Buddinger Houston Rockets	Two seasons ago, Chase Buddinger was like Chandler Parsons—a low second round pick that surprised many in the league whom many thought would take the next step into stardom. Unfortunately two years later, he has yet to show the promise that many Rockets fans anticipated as he has remained at the same spot as he was his rookie year causing the coach to lose faith in him bumping him of the starting lineup in favor of Chandler parsons.
18	Corey Brewer Denver Nuggets	After being considered a lottery bust for much of his career, Corey Brewer has finally found his game in Denver as he came off the bench averaging close to nine points, three boards and two assists per game in about 22 minutes per game.  What’s even more impressive is that he did that on a team that was already deep with small forwards in Danilo Galinari and Wilson Chandler.
17	Tayshaun Prince Detroit Pistons	Tayshaun Prince was an ancient relic from a bygone era who was more suited to leave as a free agent as his presence caused a lot of dissention and disharmony and would have been suited moving on somewhere else; however, Joe Dumars was fool enough to sign him on a long term extension further hampering the rebuilding schedule of the team that he brought down under in the first place.
16	Mike Dunleavy Milwaukee Bucks	After a career marred by injuries and unfulfilled expectations, Mike Dunleavy looked as if he was washed up in the NBA for sure; however that did not happen as finally redeemed himself on the Milwaukee Bucks. In Milwaukee, Dunleavy had one of the best seasons in his career as he played in all but eleven games injury free coming off the bench and averaging 12 points, four rebounds, and two assists per game while shooting a rather respectable .399 from the three point line.
15	Andre Igoudala Philadelphia 76ers	Everyone applauded Igoudala because of his defensive play and unselfish play on the offensive end as he was selected to the Eastern Conference All Star team for the first time in his career; however, he does not deserve such praise as he is an underachieving overrated and overhyped role player.  For three straight seasons Igoudala’s scoring has dropped as he has shown to be less interested in being the team’s leader, despite being the most talented of his teammates.  He has the ability to do so much more, but chooses not to thus making him a complete fraud to those who really watch the game.
14	Gerald Wallace Brooklyn Nets	Over his ten year career, Gerald Wallace has built himself a reputation of being one of the physically toughest and best rebounding small forwards in the league; however, a lot of that physical play must have been catching up on his as he came into the season a shadow of his former self.  He proved to be such a disappointment in Portland that the Blazers traded him away for an expiring contract and a first round pick to the now struggling Brooklyn Nets.
13	Shawn Marion Dallas Mavericks	At the age of 34, Shawn Marion will never return to those days when he electrified fans across the league as “the Matrix;” however he still was able to hold his own in Dallas leading the Mavs in rebounds and blocked shots per game. Unfortunately he may not be able to do that much longer as father time catches up with him and Dallas slowly deteriorates and sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
12	Caron Butler Los Angeles Clippers	Caron Butler was supposed to be that X-Factor that alongside Chris Paul and Blake Griffin that would give the Clippers that extra edge to separate them from the rest.  Unfortunately, he proved to be anything but that as he has neither been that much of a major factor on the offensive or defensive end.  He has posted his second lowest scoring average in his career (12.7ppg) along with his worst shooting percentage (.407) and steals per game average (just 0.8).
11	Loul Deng Chicago Bulls	Talk about an underachieving, underwhelming, overhyped, and overrated waste of size, skills and talent—Loul Deng takes the cake.  Here’s a guy who led the league in minutes during the regular season with 39.4 minutes per game, yet he had one of the lowest PERs (Player Efficiency Rating) on the team. His scoring dropped significantly from  last season from 17.4ppg to 15.2ppg while his field goal percentage dropped to a woeful .412 and when it came time to step up for his team, he was never there.
10	Danny Granger Indiana Pacers	Danny Granger may think he’s a franchise player, but he certainly does not play like it.  Despite leading the Pacers in scoring and in shot attempts, Granger shot under .400 for most of the regular season—all wasted shots that could have gone to either Roy Hibbert or David West for higher percentage makes.  As long as he continues playing that way, he will hold Indiana back unless his game changes or he leaves.
9	Danilo Gallinari Denver Nuggets	Galinari is probably one of the most intriguing young players in the league as he is 6’10”, has the handle of a guard and excellent range, and yet is not afraid to take it hard to the basket. His rebounding remains rather suspect for a player with his natural gifts and athleticism at just a shade fewer than five per game; however, there is no questioning his skills and abilities which are like impeccable.  It will be really interesting to see how he develops in the future.
8	James Johnson Toronto Raptors	Some may scoff at putting him so high, but James Johnson over achieved and excelled giving 100% effort every game on the defensive end of the floor for the Raptors.  He was Toronto’s defensive stalwart leading the team in blocked shot and steals and season went on his confidence in offensive game also improved.  In Johnson, the Raptors have a special player and Bryan Colangelo would be a fool to let him go as he is a restricted free agent this offseason.
7	Nicolas Batum Portland Trailblazers	Batum emerged as such a solid option as solid option at the three spot that the Blazers were comfortable enough to part ways with Gerald Wallace sending him to the now Brooklyn Nets.  As Portland looks forward to long hard rebuild, Batum will certainly be a key piece in returning the Blazers back to playoff contention.  Hopefully his 13.9 points, 4 rebounds, 1.02 blocked shots per game and .391 from beyond the arc are signs of things to come as Rip City regroups and recovers.
6	Kawhi Leonard San Antonio Spurs	No one expects rookies to even crack the roster of the San Antonio Spurs, let alone start for them; however, Kawhi Leonard has seemed to have done the impossible showing a maturity and confidence in his game that has meshed with the solid veteran core that the Spurs already have in Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, and Tony Parker.  This rookie was the Spurs’ steals leader and shot rather consistently at .493.  Given more minutes and shot, this kid is going to be very good for a very long time.
5	Rudy Gay Memphis Grizzlies	After missing the post season last year due to injury, Rudy had come back strong in the regular season as he lead the team in scoring along with averaging six boards, two assists and almost two steals per game.  It is just a shame that he was incapable of leading his team to a playoff series win as him and his Memphis Grizzlies a heartbreaking seven game series against the Los Angeles Clippers.
4	Carmelo Anthony New York Knicks	Carmelo Anthony may have led the Knicks in scoring, but it seemed as if his game seemed to not mesh with the rest of the team.  It as if they were both going in two different directions; however hopefully with Mike Woodson returning to the bench as head coach along with the returns of a healrhy Jeremy Lin and Amare Stoudemire, that everything will come together and he and his team will build up from that solid 36-30 finish and possibly return to the post season and win a playoff series.
3	Paul Pierce Boston Celtics	At the start of the season, Paul Pierce seemed worn out, out of shape and over the hill as both him and his struggled through much of the season; however, as the season went on, it seemed as he woke up from a long slumber and him and the Celtics never looked back.  Now he and the Celtics are unexpectedly playing in the Eastern Conference Finals for the chance to reach the NBA Finals for the third time in five years.
2	Lebron James Miami Heat	What else can you say? He is the king—he is the reigning NBA MVP and he has currently led his Miami Heat to a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.  Hopefully he will have his chance at redemption after all the years of shriveling up under pressure and choking when it counts; however, unfortunately despite his accolades and achievements, he is not the top dog yet.
1	Kevin Durant Oklahoma City Thunder	The man has ice water in his veins as can be seen on how he simply stepped on the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers.  What makes Durant a far better player than Lebron is not only his ability to perform and connect in the clutch, but also the fact that he also is a more complete player in that he also blocks shots along with grabbing steals and dishing the rock to the open man.