Top NBA Sixth Men in 2009-2010 Season

Every year, NBA teams search for the sixth man or role players who can come off the bench and provide something that their team is lacking. While this may sound easy, in a age when the rises in salaries, the NBA sixth man position has become as valuable as those starting the games.

Ben Gordon (Detroit Pistons)

During the off season, the Detroit Pistons brought aboard free agent Ben Gordon with the hopes of revitalizing their offense and put them back on the winning track.

During the 2008-2009 NBA season, Gordon averaged 20.7 points per game with 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. When it came to his three point shot, Gordon knocked down 41 percent of them.

While his defense is sometimes questionable, he is going to provide instant offense to this team, whether he manages to start a few games or come off the bench.

Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers)

While Kobe Bryant showed he was able to win his first NBA championship without Shaq, it is doubtful it would have been as easy had Lamar Odom not been there.

The 6'10" forward quietly goes about his daily business with the Lakers, providing them offense or defensive sparks when needed. During the run for the NBA championship, Odom averaged 11.4 points per game while picking up 8.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

Odom will be in contention for the Sixth man of the year this season because he will be able to get starter minutes while coming off the bench.

Nate Robinson (New York Knicks)

While the 2008-2009 season was not much to write home about for the New York Knicks, there were still some bright spots for the storied franchise. One in particular is their explosive guard Nate Robinson.

Last year with the Knicks, Robinson put up 17.2 point per game while collecting 3.9 rebounds and dishing out 4.1 assists. There is some concern Robinson can lose some time to rookie Toney Douglas but that will not been obvious until the season continues on.

Robinson would be the perfect dark horse candidate to come away with the NBA's Sixth Man award when the season comes to a close.

Jason Terry (Dallas Mavericks)

Last year, Terry earned the NBA's sixth man award by a landslide vote and entered the season with the intention of capturing it once more. He was the perfect solution for the Mavericks when their offense was struggling. He entered the game with the ability to put up points without having to wait a significant amount of time to warm up.

During his 2008-2009 performance, Terry was able to average 19.6 points per game to go along with 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He really stepped up his game, making 88 percent of his free throws and 36 percent of his three point shots.

While it may be hard for Terry to repeat as the NBA's best sixth man, he will give the other potential winners a run for their money.

Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs)

A previous winner of the NBA' sixth man award, Ginobili has already shown what it takes to be one of the best in the game when it relates to coming off the bench.

During last year, Ginobili averaged 15.5 points per game, to go along with 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Ginobili saw a dip in this three point production where he was completing only 33 percent of the time, a 7 percent decrease from the previous year.

The only thing holding him back from bringing home the hardware again will be ability to land on the injured list. If he stays healthy, then this will be an easy case to shut.