The changing forward

You probably cannot tell it from Orlando's reaction -- what with the Finals going on last week and the lack of workouts at RDV Sportsplex -- but the NBA Draft is this week. I, too, am admittedly behind on my Draft preparations as it usually preoccupies my NBA mind from the end of the beginning of May until the end of June.

A playoff run certainly does a good job distracting all Magic fans. Orlando's lack of a pick also does a pretty good job at it too. So excuse the lack of Draft coverage. And frankly, this Draft is not very deep. There are not going to be a whole lot of superstars and maybe not even a whole lot of average players.

Orlando did a good job getting out, in other words. Especially with Hedo Turkoglu and Marcin Gortat heading into free agency, there is really no need to take on any unnecessary spending.

A point does deserve being examined entering this Draft.

There is no doubt Blake Griffin of Oklahoma is the top pick. No one disputes the Clippers will be taking Griffin. He is a versatile and explosive 6-foot-10 forward who has freakish athleticism and can finish around the rim in a variety of ways. I do not think he has the post game to be a great power forward, but he does not have the jumper of a small forward.

Ah, the tweener. Griffin to me is a more disciplined Josh Smith. Others can certainly disagree with this assessment. But one thing is more than clear.

The definition of a power forward has completely changed.

It started with Phoenix's experiment with Shawn Marion at the four. Marion, a six-foot-eight athletic freak who could mix it up with bigger power forwards, rebound and shoot the 3-pointer. He fit Mike D'Antoni's system perfectly and found a niche for himself -- granted one that his ego thought was too small for him.

NBA is a league of imitation and it was not long until others were employing the small power forward.

Most critics believed, because the Suns' experiment failed, that no team could win without a traditional power forward. So it was a curious move when Orlando signed Rashard Lewis.

At 6-foot-10, Lewis had the size of a power forward, but not the build. He preferred to be on the perimeter and shoot 3-pointers rather than work on the block or hit the short jumper that would give the center enough space.

I have been arguing for the last few summers that the Magic have needed to add that rugged power forward to ultimately man the four spot in the future. That thought went right out the window after Lewis torched traditional four-men Glen Davis and Anderson Varejao. The ones he had problems with? Thaddeus Young, an athletic power forward for the 76ers, and Lamar Odom.

No coincidence. The power forward is getting smaller.

Griffin certainly fits into this pantheon. But where will be the question he will have to answer. The consensus for him to be the top pick, however, is a sign the power forward might be changing for good (or at least the moment).


-REMEMBER CONVERSATION WITH IAN ABOUT BLAKE GRIFFING PLAYING THE 3 WITH SACRAMENTO