By Zack Cimini
Notjustagame23@gmail.com

We will forget about Darko Milicic being the piece of NBA draft history that separated the true number one and two picks of the 2003 NBA Draft. Linking Lebron and Carmelo is just a natural part of NBA history. Melo got a championship in college and had been successful on pure talent his first five years in the league. After the Olympic run though Melo saw that extra level of play he needed to build towards. Dedicating himself in several areas on and off the court became his mission. We no longer hear stories of Melo’s controversial involvement off the field. Instead he is putting in extra work conditioning and adding moves to his repertoire.

At an MVP level he might be able to swing around the automatic distinction of rankings between him and Lebron.

Small Forward Fantasy Rankings

1. Lebron James- Magic Johnson esque. Near triple double threat every night.
2. Carmelo Anthony- Pay attention more to what he is doing off the court. Donated 3 million to help build Syracuse’s new athletic facility named after Carmelo.
3. Joe Johnson- Seemed to be coasting a couple of years but it’s just his easy smooth demeanor to the game. It truly comes easy to him.
4. Kevin Durant- Showing what Tracy McGrady could have been like from the gate in Toronto. Durant is right behind Melo and Lebron as the front runners to lead the face of the NBA for the next decade.
5. Andre Iguodala- Underrated and one of the best roamers for thefts in the league, averaging two a game.
6. Brandon Roy- Has to be the vocal leader for a team in dire need of floor leadership.
7. Gerald Wallace- Why did he ride the pine in Sacramento for three years before being dealt?
8. Josh Smith- Gives so much extra with his two blocks a game.
9. Danny Granger- Injured but still makes our top ten
10. Rudy Gay- Memphis is quietly building a talented team.
11. Antwan Jamison- Incredible how his level of play has sustained at such a high level for all these years.
12. Luol Deng- Needs to stay away from the injury bug and out of the dog house the entire year.
13. Trevor Ariza- Went from role player in the 08-09 season, to playoff catalyst in 09 to mega contract and stud for the Rockets. What a difference a year makes.
14. Jason Thompson- Started the year slow but over the last three weeks is showing great progress. At 6’11 he is just touching the surface of what he can do.
15. Jeff Green- Were thinking the Thunder won’t let either Green or Durant leave the foundation they’ve started.
16. Vince Carter
17. Paul Pierce
18. Jason Richardson
19. Danilo Gallinari
20. Hedo Turkoglu
21. Caron Butler
22. Michael Beasley
23. Stephen Jackson
24. Rashard Lewis
25. Corey Maggette
26. J.R. Smith
27. Chris Douglas-Roberts
28. Carl Landry
29. Charlie Villanueva
30. Shane Battier
31. Shawn Marion
32. John Salmons
33. Josh Howard
34. Ersan Ilyasova
35. Thaddeus Young
36. Richard Jefferson
37. Al Thornton
38. Grant Hill
39. Wilson Chandler
40. Andres Nocioni
41. Mike Dunleavy
42. Dahntay Jones
43. Anthony Morrow
44. Boris Diaw
45. Andrei Kirelenko
46. Peja Stojakovic
47. Larry Hughes
48. Lamar Odom
49. Paul Millsap
50. Ron Artest
51. Marvin Williams
52. Jared Dudley
53. Quentin Richardson
54. Mike Miller
55. Hakim Warrick
56. Terrence Williams
57. Nick Young
58. Martell Webster
59. Chuck Hayes
60. Corey Brewer
61. Chase Budinger
62. Anthony Parker
63. Thabo Sefolosha
64. DeJaun Blair
65. Louis Amundson