Forward Thinking: The Talented Forwards of the 2008 NBA Draft

With much of the attention in traditional news coverage being aimed toward Michael Beasley of Kansas State University as the potential first selection of the 2008 NBA Draft, many names have been placed in the backseat, especially considering the high amount of top guards also in the draft pool. While Beasley is worthy of such attention, there are many other names who will seen walking to the stage, putting on a team cap and shaking Commissioner David Stern's hand.

One such name is the University of California-Los Angeles forward Kevin Love. A high school and college center, Love will be a top power forward for the Draft, but is looking to really capitalize on what he's done since the NCAA season has come to a close. Standing 6'9" in shoes at around 260 lbs., Love has remade the makeup of his body, and is now more nimble and compact. Though not particulary athletic, his all-around basketball skills are second to none. Love has the ability to shoot the NBA three-point shot, pass the entire length of the basketball court and has a plethora of moves that he has developed especially for the post. Teams looking for an explosive athlete may disappointed, but with Love's knowledge and skill and ability to play both frontcourt positions will make him a special niche selection and a lottery pick for sure.

Darrell Arthur, once an undecided McDonald's All-American in 2006, has now become a lottery pick candidate for the Draft. Having won the 2008 NCAA championship with Kansas, Arthur is an interesting player to project. While he has clear gifts as a basketball player, he is an enigma in that he does not yet have an NBA body, weight-wise, and at 6'9" and 240 lbs. is a pretty slim player, so playing power forward in the league may be a challenge, making it difficult for teams to see if he would be an ideal selection. Arthur does bring athleticism, but aside from developing his body further, he must develop more post moves. The good thing for him, though, is that he can shoot from the outside well, making his ability to be a high-post power forward a good thing for NBA teams to project upon him. Right now, he looks to be a mid-1st round pick.

Continuing with outside shooting forwards is Donte Greene, a freshman forward from Syracuse. Greene is known for his high-volume shooting and ability to stroke the three-point shot with ease, which unfortunately for him has been the bane of his reputation. His strengths lie in his 6'10" frame with obvious room to grow and his ability to spread the floor, but because of his lust for shooting from the outside, Greene's ability to really play effectively close to the basket has been highly criticized. The best thing about Greene, though, is his potential and occasional displays for further development of other gifts, such as future growth as a ball-handler and penetrator in the Scottie Pippen/Hidayet Turkoglu mold, or as a perimeter-oriented power forward like Rasheed Wallace or Kevin Garnett-lite. Greene is definitely a first round pick, but it will be up to the various teams to decide how early he goes, depending on how much time they are willing to wait for a 19-year-old, three-point-shooting small forward.

One other forward who looks to really stir up the Draft pot is the LSU combo forward Anthony Randolph. A fellow frosh like Greene, Randolph was looked at as a top-five selection for much of the college season, with his Chris Bosh-like style on the court and Garnett-esque athletic stance on the hardwood. While definitely looking to be a good player in the future, Randolph's workouts with various NBA organizations have revealed him to be very ordinary and an average performer against players with more prototypical bodies and skills. Randolph, would be benefit HIGHLY from another year in school, but should be OK once he is drafted (as he has potential to still be a lottery pick) and can start working with coaches and pro players--he is probably going to have a role like Amir Johnson of the Detroit Pistons and Andray Blatche of the Washington Wizards, who both have had to wait as they are continually to develop as contributing players; even Jermaine O'Neal is a valid comparsion in his early years as a Portland Trail Blazers. The main objectives for the forward's game will be adding muscle and really improving all of his skills, as he has the ability to play the small forward and power forward positions, not unlike Garnett, Johnson and Blatche.