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

In terms of talent and performance, the power forward position is probably the deepest position in the NBA as there are so many capable player that deserved to be counted on this list.  This one took me rather long as I always had to rewrite and rework it because I forgot a name and left someone out.  In turn, I had to take out some deserving names to put in the one I had forgot to work in and then I had to reorder them all over again.  I had to write four rough drafts to make the final copy, but then something would go wring and then I would have rewrite it again.  That was how deep the talent pool was--it was so hard for me to keep track of the names because there were so many to choose from and I would put one on a draft copy, then when I reworked I forgot to put his name on the other copy and this process went over and over again.

So here is the final copy in which I will call a labor of love. I hope that you have the same enjoyment reading it as I had making it.  Remember to stay tuned  in the upcoming day for my write ups on the best small forwards, shooting guards and point guards coming soon.

30	Serge Ibaka Oklahoma City Thunder	Ibaka was not much of a factor on the offensive end due to the domination of the ball by the Thunder’s two stars, but man, can he block some shots.  He lead the league in blocked shots per game after all—too bad that is all of his game that is really worth mentioning.
29	Jason Smith New Orleans Hornets	After three years struggling with injuries and failed expectations, Jason Smith finally seemed to have turned a corner this season as he averaged career highs in points (9.9 per game), rebounds (4.9 per game) and minutes played (23.7 per game).  The Hornets look to use Smith as a building block for their future—let’s hope for their sake that Smith’s production was not a one season thing.
28	JJ Hickson Portland Trailblazers	Hickson struggled greatly while playing most of his season with the Sacramento Kings until he was traded to Portland in a deadline deal.  It was there where JJ finally found his game as he averaged close to 14 points and seven rebounds a game in the last couple of months of the season.
27	Tyler Hansbrough Indiana Pacers	He’s struggled offensively with his shooting having to come off the bench to back up starter David West, but he flourished on the defensive end  making opposing offensive players think twice before driving in the lane or attacking the basket.  He physically intimidating play is almost reminiscent of a young Bill Laimbeer except he is not nearly as nasty.
26	Kevin Seraphin Washington Wizards	Kevin Seraphin was practically invisible for much of the season until a trade that sent Javale McGee to the Denver Nuggets open a new opportunity for him.  He took advantage of that by exploding offensive averaging 15.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and one blocked shot per game in the last month of the regular season makig his team and the league take notice.
25	Tristan Thompson Cleveland Cavaliers	For the fourth overall pick in the NBA draft, Tristan Thompson never really made a strong impact in his rookie year, but that was mainly because of injuries and being played limited minutes; however, he showed some glimpses of being a potential star with his amazing athleticism, his willingness to get down and dirty in the paint and his ability to get to the basket.
24	Glen Davis Orlando Magic	Big Baby struggled for much of the season and got plenty of flack for his rather poor and uninspired play; however, that all change when Dwight Howard got hurt and got lost for the season and he had to take over at the starting center spot.  Davis played spectacular while filling in the void that Howard left averaging 16 and 9 in points and rebounds per game at season’s end and led the Magic in the playoffs averaging 19.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocked shots per game.
23	Al Harrington Denver Nuggets	This poor guy does not get nearly enough credit he deserves as he gets little or no attention of this Denver team, yet is one of the team’s leaders in scoring (14.2ppg), and rebounds (6.1) coming off the bench.  He was one of the Nuggets’ most important pieces as he maintained consistent presence on both ends of the floor without garnering any praise or attention in return.
22	DeMarcus Cousins Sacramento Kings	If it were not for his rather poor shooting for a post player with a field goal percentage of less than .440 and his extreme immaturity which caused his coach to get fired, DeMarcus Cousins would easily be in the top five.  It’s just a sad shame that his much chronicled poor attitude and work ethic along with his severe lack of respect for the game takes away from his talent, skills and contributions to the team.
21	Amare Stoudemire New York Knicks	Amare was supposed to be the cornerstone of the franchise when the Knicks signed him to almost 100$ million over five years, but he fell short of expectations as a result of injuries and not really being able to coexist offensively with his fellow All Star teammate, Carmelo Anthony.  His image hit a new low during the playoffs when he foolish punched the glass door of a fire hydrant causing him to mess up his hand and miss the final games of the series against Miami.
20	Luis Scola Houston Rockets	Scola posted another solid season for the Rockets averaging 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, but to little or no avail as his team did not qualify yet again for the playoffs for the third straight year.  At 32 years old, Scola is at his peak and has only a few years left and the Rockets may want to deal him before his skills and value starts diminishing.
19	David West Indiana Pacers	David West did not produce as well as many had hoped when he came over as a free agent, but that was mostly to Danny Granger and his inefficient use of the ball resulting in West not getting as many scoring opportunities as he could and should have.  He still contributed in terms of physically toughness in the paint helping Indiana to have the second best record in its division along with advancing past the first round of the playoffs and almost upsetting the Miami Heat in the second.
18	Elton Brand Philadelphia 76ers	He was an old washed up has been that Philly was stuck with for the next few years, but despite his age and declining abilities managed to help the Sixers to their best season in years, win their first playoff series in almost a decade and take the Boston Celtics thorugh all seven games before being finally eliminated in the second round. Like his team, Brand was overlooked and ignored, but they both managed to prove their critics wrong and silence any doubters.
17	Carlos Boozer Chicago Bulls	Carlos Boozer’s numbers dropped across the board from last season and did not show the desire or the ability to step up when his teammate Derrick Rose was lost for the post season.  As a result, his team wasted an amazing regular season finish where they sported the best record in the league to be embarrassingly eliminated by the lowly eighth seed Philly 76ers.
16	Ersan Ilyasova Milwaukee Bucks	After having what many would call a subpar season last year, Ersan Ilyasova bounced back averaging career highs in scoring (13.0ppg) and field goal percentage (.495) while leading the team in rebounding with 8.8 per game and shooting unconsciously from beyond the arc at .456.  He was one of the primary reasons why the Bucks remained in the playoff race until the very end before a losing streak knocked them right out of contention.
15	Drew Gooden Milwaukee Bucks	The other Buck that bounced from a rather poor showing last season was Drew Gooden as he posted one of his best seasons as a pro scoring 13.7ppg and grabbing 6.5 boards per games while starting much of the regular season at the center position.  It was his inspired play along with Ilyasova’s emergence at power forward that gave Milwaukee a fighting chance of reaching the post season.
14	Ryan Anderson Orlando Magic	Ryan Anderson’s emergence meant so much for Orlando as it gave the Magic that much needed second offensive option to support Dwight Howard.  His being awarded Most Improved Played has been criticized however as many thought there were more deserving players and his boost in production was due more to his increase in playing time than him improving as a player; however, at 24 years old, he has a lot of time and a very high ceiling too.
13	LaMarcus Aldridge Portland Trailblazers	After years of being cast aside, LaMarcus Aldridge finally got the NBA All Star selection that he so coveted—too bad it came at a time when his team was on the brink of falling apart and has to look forward to another long and arduous rebuilding period.  With Portland heading into rebuild mode, look out for trade rumors concerning Aldridge because it is certain that at this point in his career, he does not want to be part of a rebuild.
12	Chris Bosh Miami Heat	With his second season under his belt in South Beach, Bosh has shown what many of us knew already—that he would never be a franchise player to build a team around, but would make a great asset on a team vying for a championship.  His numbers as always were solid as ever; unfortunately, however he does deserve a little talking to for not leading his team in rebounding being its star player and all.
11	Paul Milsap Utah Jazz	Paul Milsap has been flying under the radar for much of his career; however, that may change as he and fellow radar dodger Al Jefferson joined forces to take a team that many expected to be lottery bound to the playoffs.  Both him and Jefferson virtually carried the team on their backs to reach the post season and have given Jazz fans a new sense of hope for a brighter future sooner than later.
10	Andrea Bargnarni Toronto Raptors	This season, Andrea Bagnarni made Raptors fans glad that Bryan Coleangelo pick him first overall in the 2006 NBA draft as he grew into the leader and the franchise player that many never thought he could ever be.  He missed much of the season due to inury, but when he did play the Raptors were 13-17 and 12-5 when he scored more than 20 points.
9	Dirk Nowitzki Dallas Mavericks	Dirk still remains one of the top tier elite players in the league, but time seems to be running out for both him and his team as Dallas struggled to reach the postseason only to be embarrassed in the first round by the Oklahoma City Thunder—the team they beat in last year’s playoffs.  If this season was a sign of things to come then Dallas is in a lot of trouble.
8	Kenneth Faried Denver Nuggets	Many had knocked on Kenneth Faried on draft night saying that his offense was not there yet and he would not make a major impact in his rookie year—how they were ever wrong.  Kenneth Faried proved to be a monster on both ends of the court, especially on the boards and if he would have played much earlier in the season, he would have been considered for rookie of the year as well for like Kyrie Irving, the one who won ROY, he was a complete game changer for his team.
7	David Lee Golden State Warriors	David Lee proved that he was worth the 50$ that the Golden State Warriors signed him to last season by being the first front court player since Chris Webber in 1994 to lead them team in points and rebounds per game. It’s just a shame that Lee did not experience the same success Webber did as his Warriors went 23-43 to end the season.
6	Kris Humphries Brooklyn Nets	After an offseason filled with drama, Humphries returned to the NBA carrying on the same momentum that he brought in last season as he lead the Nets in rebounding and blocked shot for the season.  Humphries was also one of 10 NBA players that averaged more than 10 points and 10 rebounds for the season giving basketball fans something to look forward to when the nets move to their new home in Brooklyn, New York
5	Josh Smith Atlanta Hawks	Can somebody tell me why this guy has yet to be selected for an All Star game when he is hands down one of the best forwards in the league?  Josh Smith not only led the Hawks in scoring, along with Joe Johnson, but he was 0.4 boards shy of averaging a double-double in points and rebounds, was amongst the lead leaders in blocked shots per game and was second on the team in steal per game (1.41).  What else does he have to do be finally recognized and appreciated?
4	Pau Gasol Los Angeles Lakers	Every time the Lakers lost a game, Pau Gasol was always on the hot seat and unfairly so because he still was and has always been one of the best big men in the game despite having to take a back seat behind Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum.  Yet, when the Lakers have lost two straight Western Conference Semi Final Series’ winning one of eight games, he gets the bulk of the grief as fans in La-La Land forget how fortunate they are to have such a talented player of his caliber who most likely be a hall of famer to play alongside another future Hall of Famer.
3	Blake Griffin Los Angeles Clippers	Blake Griffin picked up where he left off from his rookie of the Year season and continued to dazzle and amazing fan and pound and humiliate his opponents with his amazing feats of strength and acrobatics.  With the help of Chris Paul, Griffin lead the Clippers to their first playoff appearance in six years and only their second playoff series win in team history.
2	Kevin Love Minnesota Timberwolves	As much as I hate how the media over-hypes this guy because I know that it all has to do with his race, I cannot deny the fact that Kevin Love is statistically the best power forward in the league.  He is the top five in points and rebounds per game and is also one of the best three point shooters in the league along with being one of the best post scorers too.  The only reason that he is not number one is because his team is crap.
1	Kevin Garnett Boston Celtics	Usually when big men get older, they tend to move farther away from the paint to maintain their longevity—that is not the case with Kevin Garnett who has done the complete opposite.  Instead of moving away from the paint the older he get, he gotten closer and has played more physical in the paint. He was called upon by his coach to play center, a position that he has never played, due to the rash of injuries and lack of depth and has performed rather admirably helping the Celtics bounce back from a slow start in the regular season to win the Atlantic Division Title and lead Boston to the Eastern Conference finals.