April 28, 2011, Portland, OR, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) shoots a layup between Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy (7) and Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) in the first half of game six of the first round of the 2011 NBA playoffs at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-US PRESSWIRE

This is the 4th segment where I personally rank the top 5 player at each position. I’ll be covering power forwards today and finish up with centers tomorrow! So how about we get started!

1) Dirk Nowitzki

-Dirk is one of those guys who’s got one of those unstoppable moves, Kareem had the sky hook, Duncan got the bank shot, and Dirk got that awkward yet effective and unstoppable fall away jumper. Dirk didn’t have his typically season last year but in his defense, his team went through a major makeover, there was the lockout, he also played for his home country Germany during the off-season. Dirk also averaged 23.6 PPG on 46% shooting from the field and 43% from 3 after the all-star break. Dirk is still without a doubt the best power forward in the league, and he’s proven he can lead his team to a title. On top of it all Dirk is also one of the most clutch players in the NBA and after knocking off the Heat only a season ago it’s tough not to give him the top spot.

2) Kevin Love

- Kevin Love reminds me of a lot of Tim Duncan in terms of his fundamentals. Love isn’t what you might call a high flyer but this dude gets it done! He’s one of the best rebounders the league’s got and he’s also got a great touch from the outside. Love’s ability to scorer inside and out makes him a deadly threat on the offensive end, however in order for Love to get to the next level he’s got to become a better defender. Love is a year or two of good defensive play from becoming the best power forward in the NBA.

3) LaMarcus Aldridge

- It was tough to rank Aldridge ahead of Blake Griffin but I do feel that Aldridge is the better player at this point. Aldridge has the second best post-up fade-away shot behind Dirk Nowitzki. Aldridge also has a smooth all-around offensive arsenal, from catching lobs to post moves to mid-range jumpers. Aldridge shot over 40% on his long 2-point attempts over the past 2 years which is a higher percentage than Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony’s long 2-point attemps. Aldridge is also a solid overall defender although an extra block or two here and there wouldn’t hurt. Aldridge doesn’t get a lot of attention for his play because Portland struggled last season but he is a great player. Keep in mind that Aldridge was in the pool of players that were potentially going to be on team USA but due to an injury Aldridge was taken out.

4) Blake Griffin

- Some people call him Blake Griffin but I call him the human highlight reel, yes I’m aware that nickname belonged to Dominique Wilkins but I wasn’t even born back then so I’m givin it to Blake! Blake has become a Youtube hit with all his dunks, it’s hard to believe he came off a season ending knee injury back in 2009-2010 right? Although Blake’s dunks are spectacular he has a lot of work to do as an NBA big man. Blake needs to add more post moves, he needs to improve that inconsistent jumper of his and he also needs to block more shots; someone with his jumping ability has to average more than 0.7 blocks a game. Blake is only 23 years old and has a long time to improve, but if he puts in solid effort to improve his game the next two or three off-seasons he might just beat out K-Love for the “Future” best power forward in the NBA.

5) Tim Duncan

- Duncan isn’t what he was 6 or 7 years ago but he’s still one of the best and is probably the best power forward of all time after it’s all said and done. Don’t let his drop in production deceive you, because Duncan has only averaged about 28 minutes per game over the past two seasons whereas during his prime he was a 36 minutes a game guy. It’s been much debate on whether Duncan is a power forward or center but for the most part he’s been playing power forward, even after David Robinson retired the Spurs often played Duncan at the power forward. Tim Duncan and the Spurs still manage to win games and make noise come playoff time. Duncan in this stage of his career isn’t as mobile, he’s not the defender he used to be but he’s still an effective rebounder, post player, shot block and above all else, a leader.

Dirk Nowitzki has been benched by Rick Carlisle, probably with extensive use of rational arguments, due to pains in his right knee and conditioning issues. Sounds a bit Grant Hillian to Suns fans, doesn’t it?

But, Dirk or no Dirk, the Mavs are an unpredictable — if less dangerous team. Lamar Odom, slumping or not is still always a danger to make some plays on offence, and playing first fiddle in the starting lineup along with Shawn Marion might just force him to do that. Then there are guys like Delonte West, who can just destroy a team out of a mixture of spite, swag, and a need for impress, and finally, there’s the Mavs reserve core that includes guys like Ian Mahinmi, and Jason Terry, who will be sure to provide a sudden spark whenever he joins his teammates on the floor.

Does this mean that he Suns don’t have a shot at the Mavs? No. Without Nowitzki, the primary defensive concern disappears. No impossible fallaways are going to break anyone’s heart today, and Nowitzki’s central role to the Mavs ball movement is almost always understated. The Mavs will be weaker, even if they are as deep as teams come.

The question is, can the Suns capitalize? They can do it if they do one thing:

ALL GORTAT EVERYTHING

This should actually be titled “All Steve Nash and Marcin Gortat Pick and Roll Everything” but you get my point. The Mavs are a terrific defensive team, but their two weakest spots seem to be post ups and pick and rolls. Granted, 7th in the league (according to MySynergySports.Com in pick and rolls isn’t bad, but it isn’t good enough for Marcin and Steve. Remember, Gortat got a 20-10 on the Mavs in his last game wearing his annoying splint. Now, he might just as well go out for thirty (or so my deluded Polish mind thinks). And with all that in mind, Dallas ranks 18th in defending post ups. It might be Dirk’s mediocre post defence speaking there, but it also might be Haywood’s and Mahinmi’s tendency to pick up personal fouls at ridiculous rates speaking (they both average 4+ fouls per 36 minutes, and both usually play around 20 per game. That 8 minute gap leaves weaker post defenders to come in, too.). Whatever the case, you got to give Marcin, who scored 24 points in Boston the other night a chance to dominate early on.

Another issue that the Suns bumped into last time out was rebounding. Fortunately, the Suns are much stronger on the rebounding side of things now that Markieff Morris is in the starting lineup. Channing Frye is not a bad at rebounding — he’s bad at box outs. Another factor is Marcin Gortat’s quest to grab every single rebound around him, coupled with a great motivation from Alvin Gentry. What is the motivation? “If you get 20 rips in a game, you can shoot some threes.” Fine coaching if you ask me.

And finally, one last thing. Please don’t tease Lamar Odom. In the first game, he went off on a good roll for the first time in the season just because Channing Frye absolutely disrespected his skills. Hopefully, that mistake can be avoided. Nothing is more motivating for a player like Odom than seeing a sub-par player dare you to shoot a three. It’s like a spitting in a man’s face. You don’t do it, unless you want to get hurt.