In the
previous post in this series, we looked at the TOP FIVE FIBA Asia Centers.
These are the beanpoles who are expected to anchor the interior offenses of
their respective teams and serve as the last line of defense in case the
perimeter defense cracks.
In this
issue, we’ll look at maybe the most peculiar position in basketball – the power
forward position. I’ve always felt that his position was a little too overstated.
I mean, just look at its name – POWER FORWARD. The first time I heard that term
was way back in fourth grade when one of my classmates announced that he was
officially the class basketball team’s POWER FORWARD. What the hell did that
mean – that he could never step back over the timeline on defense? And what
kind of power did he actually have? Could he leap from one free throw line to
the other in a single bound?
In reality,
however, playing PF might seem absolutely confusing, if not utterly schizophrenic.
A PF, in the traditional sense, is smaller than the center, but a little bigger
than any of the wingmen. He is not really supposed to man the middle, but he
should be inside. Typically, he is not the first option in the low block, but
he would do well NOT to shoot from way out, too. In short, many times, a PF is
neither here nor there. It’s a position built for people who like impersonating
headless chickens whose main goal in life is to just jump and get
repossessions. Dennis Rodman, Reggie Evans, Malik Rose – ring any bells?
Of course,
there have been a plethora of basketball greats who were PFs, like Karl Malone,
Charles Barkley, Kevin McHale, Kevin Garnett, and Othella Harrington (What? He
isn’t on your list? You’re kidding, right?). Still, it’s perhaps one of the
toughest positions to fill simply because a PF, again, is expected to possess
the skills of both a center and a small forward without being “too much” of
either position. This is, I guess, why guys like Keith Van Horn and Tim Thomas never
really could find their “identity,” because PFs, by nature, have nebulous
roles.
It is no
surprise, then, that these muddled responsibilities and varying skill sets are
present in Asian PFs. It is with this context that, here in Part 2 of our
series, we look at the TOP FIVE FIBA Asia Power Forwards, and then make some
recommendations for which locals could be viable match-ups against these
marquee Asian cagers. Please take note that some of these 4s actually play
either the small forward or center spot at times for their respective teams.
Again, this should not really come as a surprise.
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| Oh Se-Keun, a Rookie-of-the-Year/Finals MVP in the KBL last season, is one of the top PFs in Asia. (image from Basketball-TPE.org) |