Outside of the point guard slot, no position in the NBA has been re-defined and gained as much importance as the modern power forward position has over the past few years.

Gone are the old back-to-the-basket big men who dominated the paint with brute force and were allowed to get away with bloody murder on both ends of the floor.

In their place is a new hybrid; a long, rangy, ultra athletic face-up player who can stuff the stat-sheet, switch on the pick-and-roll, out-quick his man getting up and down the floor or on the offensive glass and create his own shot off the dribble.

Goodbye Carlos Boozer. Hello, Josh Smith.

Nowhere was this more evident than in this year’s NBA Finals, which featured two modern-day power forwards in Rashard Lewis and Lamar Odom.

We’ll see quite a few players in that mold in this year’s first round.

There are few certainties surrounding this year’s NBA Draft, and two of them revolve around Griffin. One is that he’s clearly going to be the top pick, and the other is that he’s going to be an excellent NBA player.

Part of that has to do with his physical attributes — his size, NBA-ready frame and outstanding athleticism. But there is more to this equation. Griffin is a workaholic, both on and off the floor. He plays the game with a reckless abandon which only amplifies his terrific quickness and leaping ability. And he’s also an extremely high-character individual off the court — which makes him all the more likely a candidate as a franchise player.

With that in mind, it’s no wonder the Clippers have been so emphatic in declaring their intentions to pick Griffin no matter what trade offers come their way.

In a Draft that is almost completely devoid of quality big men, Jordan Hill has risen to the top of this class almost by default. With measurements similar to that of Amar’e Stoudemire, and just about all the athleticism you could ask for to boot, Hill has the basic physical attributes to develop into a stud power forward.

Hill runs the floor exceptionally well, is quick off his feet and can rise up and finish around the basket. He plays with a chip on his shoulder, which means he’s not shy about putting that athleticism to good use. His ability to crash the offensive glass, keep up with his guards in transition and switch on the pick-and-roll makes him a unique asset in this Draft, one that is likely to get picked somewhere in the 5-10 area.

Historically speaking, it’s impossible to find a college player who dominated the offensive glass the way Blair did this season, at least in the last 10 years. His 8.1 offensive rebounds per 40 minutes pace-adjusted is the most of any player since Paul Millsap’s 7.0, despite the fact that Blair was just a sophomore (Millsap was a junior) playing in the toughest conference in college basketball, the Big East, while Millsap put up those numbers in the flimsy WAC.

Although measuring at just 6-foot-5 ¼ without shoes, Blair’s 7-foot-2 wingspan allows him to play far bigger than his height. Beyond that, he possesses a rare combination of anticipation skills, toughness and intensity, going after every rebound.

Considering the nastiness Blair shows on-court, it’s amazing to see how friendly and outgoing he is off it. That’s probably why so many teams seemed to have fallen in love with him.

The son of a world champion kicckboxer, and a black belt in Karate himself, James Johnson’s story doesn’t read like that of your typical NBA Draft prospect. He grew up in Wyoming, where his mother and seven siblings are all black belts, and he is a cousin of NFL linebacker great Junior Seau.

Not just Johnson’s background is unique. His game is as well. A bit on the pudgy side, and not particularly quick or explosive on first glance, Johnson is as coordinated and flexible a power forward as you’ll find, which makes him an extremely dynamic threat off the dribble, in transition, getting in the passing lanes or crashing the offensive glass. He legitimately could have been slated in our small forward article, but may be even more dangerous a mismatch threat at the 4-spot.

Johnson’s occasional lack of focus and intensity, along with some question marks about his true position and all-around intangibles seem to have caused his stock to drop somewhat. Still, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more interesting player — and he has some serious game to go along with that.

No player embodies the spirit of the new-age NBA power forward more than Clark. Starting with his measurements — 6-foot-10 in shoes, 230 pounds, a 7-foot-2 ½ wingspan and a near 9-foot-2 standing reach — Clark already has ample size. He’s also an outstanding athlete, showing a quick first step and excellent leaping ability.

Clark was mostly a point guard in high school until he hit a late growth spurt that saw him shoot up around 10 inches. He still retains many of those same skills, particularly his excellent passing ability and his ability to create his own shot from the perimeter. Beyond his offensive versatility, though, much of his appeal lies in the fact that he can defend multiple positions, rebound out of his area and fill up the stat-sheet with steals and blocks.

The Odom comparisons don’t end there. Similar to Odom coming out of college, many teams seemed to be concerned with Clark’s intangibles, particularly his basketball IQ and passion for the game. He is very turnover prone and doesn’t always seem to know his limitations. He also has a tendency to coast at times and has been criticized for having a less-than-stellar work ethic.

In terms of pure upside, though, Clark has as much as any power forward in this class outside of Griffin. Will he achieve it? That’s the million dollar question NBA general managers will be asking themselves on draft night.

Best Pedigree: Tyler Hansbrough — An NCAA champion and former Wooden award winner, Hansbrough’s solid measurements, combine results and workouts have boosted his stock throughout the pre-Draft process.

Most Efficient: Jeff Pendergraph — Ranked No. 1 in this Draft class in true shooting percentage, Pendergraph’s game may not be flashy, but it sure was effective at the collegiate level.

Best Measurements: Taj Gibson — Measuring in at a solid 6-foot-10 in shoes with a freakish 7-foot-4 wingspan surely didn’t hurt Gibson’s draft stock, which may be part of the reason he’s supposedly strongly in the mix for certain teams at the end of the first round.

Best Hustle: DeMarre Carroll — Carroll’s boundless energy and outstanding toughness have many teams projecting him as a potential excellent role player.

Best Upside: Derrick Brown — After measuring out impressively and showing big-time athleticism throughout the pre-Draft process, Brown decided to forfeit his final year of eligibility at Xavier. His physical attributes and improving perimeter jumper have certain teams at the end of the first round intrigued.

Biggest Sleeper: Alade Aminu — Either a late bloomer or an underachiever in college, depending on your perspective, Aminu is a former track star with great size, length and athleticism who is nowhere close to reaching his full potential at age 21.

Biggest Mystery: Jon Brockman — After an outstanding showing at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, Brockman has gone into a cave, refusing to conduct any private workouts and even declining his physical at the NBA combine in Chicago.

Biggest “Tease”: Leo Lyons — Lyons is one of the best scorers and passers in this power forward class on a per-40-minute basis. He’s also a big-time athlete who can shoot with range and get to the free-throw line at will. So why did he only play 23 minutes per game at Missouri? Lyons is one of the draft’s great mysteries and could very well end up being a much better professional than he was a collegian.

(nba.com)

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