Nice article by the guys at
theScore.ca on players who might be playing out of position in an attempt to get the most out of them:
- 1 Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Sacramento Kings
Last season's primary position: Power forward
This season's primary projected position: Some center; Power forward
The skinny: Last season's small-ball success by Phoenix will see plenty of copy-cats this year, and the Kings may be the first of them. Abdur-Rahim has seen duty in the post during the pre-season and will reportedly play there when Brad Miller is on the bench to give the Kings a quicker look. Abdur-Rahim doesn't bring the defensive presence in the paint a team usually looks for, but his offense is top-notch and he has the size and skill to make the transition successfully.
2 Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Lakers
Last season's primary position: Power forward
This season's primary projected position: Point-forward
The skinny: Early in his career Odom dabbled with the idea of bringing the ball up, but eventually he abandoned it to focus on his low-post game. To wit, in recent years he's looked like an emerging Kevin Garnett-type. But now head coach Phil Jackson wants him to play the point again, this time in the triangle offense a la Scottie Pippen from the Jordan days. Pippen is actually in Laker camp as a coach, helping with the transition. Expect fewer boards but more assists from Odom this season, who shifts down to small forward and lets Kwame Brown step into his old power forward role.
3 Antoine Walker, Miami Heat
Last season's primary position: Power forward
This season's primary projected position: Some center; Small forward
The skinny: Like Sacramento, the Heat have realized it was no fluke that Phoenix won last season with a smaller, more skilled line-up. To that end coach Stan Van Gundy has been playing Walker at center on occasion in training camp, giving the Heat a quicker look when Shaquille O'Neal takes a breather. The move isn't actually new for Walker, who saw some time in the pivot with Dallas a couple of years ago. Of course, he'll also play some power forward and small forward for Miami.
4 Tyson Chandler, Chicago Bulls
Last season's primary position: Power forward
This season's primary projected position: Center
The skinny: It took trading Eddy Curry, but Chandler is finally playing in his natural position. Last season he was the Bulls' best frontcourt player but was forced to come off the bench because Curry's scoring was too much for head coach Scott Skiles to resist. This season expect Chandler to start at center for Chicago, with newcomer Mike Sweetney stepping in beside him at power forward. If Chandler can stay healthy he has a very good chance to lead the NBA in rebounding and blocked shots this season.
5 Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
Last season's primary position: Power forward
This season's primary projected position: Center
The skinny: Howard will certainly see time at his usual power forward spot this year, but it's becoming obvious to the Magic that they have a big advantage with him manning the middle. There are several NBA power forwards who can score as well as Howard on the block but very few centers who can. He's big and athletic enough to handle the transition, although much will depend on whether Orlando can get anything defensively from their other power forwards. If they can, Howard may produce an Amare Stoudemire-caliber season.
6 Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks
Last season's primary position: Shooting guard
This season's primary projected position: Point guard
The skinny: For years the Hawks have been trying to build a line-up stocked with oversized, hyper-versatile young athletes. Now they have Johnson as the centerpiece of that movement, a 6-foot-8 playmaker who will run the show for the improving team. Johnson proved last season in Phoenix he can handle the point, filling in for Steve Nash on occasion. Joining him in the starting backcourt will be 6-8 Josh Childress, giving Atlanta the NBA's tallest playmaking duo.
7 Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks
Last season's primary position: Small forward
This season's primary projected position: Power forward
The skinny: There were times in his rookie campaign that Smith was asked to be a swingman, but his style and skills are much more suited to a power game. Despite being listed by some as guard, the high-flying Smith posted a whopping 144 blocked shots last season--more than most of the NBA's centers. At 6-9 he has the frame to play power forward and his leaping ability effectively makes him an athletic 7-footer. He just needs to stay healthy to become a young Shawn Kemp (minus the attitude problems).
8 Kirk Hinrich, Chicago Bulls
Last season's primary position: Shooting guard
This season's primary projected position: Point guard
The skinny: Last season Hinrich started mostly at shooting guard for the Bulls and let Chris Duhon bring the ball up. That looks like a thing of the past this year, as Ben Gordon has been in the starting line-up during much of pre-season and Duhon has come off the bench. Gordon's lack of playmaking skills mean Hinrich moves back to his more natural point guard duties, so expect him to be even more of a distributor, as in his rookie campaign.
9 Aaron McKie, Los Angeles Lakers
Last season's primary position: Bench warmer/small forward
This season's primary projected position: Starting point guard
The skinny: This is not to say that McKie will be the primary passer in coach Phil Jackson's triangle offense; That job will in fact go to Lamar Odom. Rather, McKie will often bring the ball up and get it to Odom, wait for three-pointer chances, and then cover the other team's point guard on the way back down the floor. It's the same role Ron Harper had in the Chicago Bulls dynasty under Jackson, and while it's not conventional or a likely to produce huge stats, it's certainly a better role for McKie than he had last season at the end of Philly's bench.
10 Nick Collison, Seattle SuperSonics
Last season's primary position: Power forward This season's projected primary position: Center
The skinny: A cast of thousands is auditioning to fill the center void left by Jerome James, including Mikki Moore, rookie Johan Petro, and Vitaly Potapenko. Yet when the dust settles expect Collison to have the best chance of taking over as Seattle's new middle-man. He played mostly power forward in his first full season last year, but Collison has the size to handle the pivot and a far more advanced skill-set than the team's other options. He also showed glimpses of excellence down the stretch last season and in the playoffs, so don't be surprised if he's manning center a few games into the upcoming schedule.
