4 Undersized Big-Men Who Will Be Playoff X-Factors
Leon Powe (photo. The Plain Dealer)
Every postseason there are players who make names for themselves with big shots and timely contributions. Daniel Gibson, Ben Gordon and J.R. Smith are guards that have made splashes, and in Gordon’s case, secured a big contract because of his playoff performances.
Sure these guards have been big, but despite the fact that undersized big-men usually get no love on Draft Day and fall to the second round, they are the ones who have proven to be the most valuable to teams making deep playoff runs. I left Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry off this list because I’m not convinced the Rockets will make the playoffs, and Paul Millsap didn’t make the cut because the Jazz are going to lose in the first round. Here are four undersized big men who will help their teams make deep playoff runs this year:
1. Leon Powe (Cavaliers) – 6-8, 240 pounds, 49th overall pick in 2006 NBA Draft
The guy has been injured all season and will be competing for playing time with Anderson Varejao and J.J. Hickson when he returns, but he will the Cavs X-factor this Spring. Celtics fans will never forget his 21-point performance in Game 2 of the 2008 Finals, which included 13 free throw attempts, as Powe beasted the entire Lakers frontcourt. Powe destroyed his knee last season, but he is clearly determined and can be huge for the Cavaliers when Varejao and Hickson show that they cannot be depended on in key situations.
2. Glen “The Gooch” Davis (Celtics) – 6-9, 289 pounds, 35th overall pick in 2007 NBA Draft
The Gooch has quickly become a Celtics fan favorite and more justifiably so than Brian Scalabrine. The Celtics were depleted last playoffs, with Powe and Kevin Garnett out with injuries. The Celtics were lucky to make it past the Bulls in their epic first-round series win, and in hanging on for dear life in the Conference semis, Davis hit two key shots, including the mid-range buzzer beater that propelled him into a helpless fan. Davis is still a work in progress, but has proved that he can come up big for the Celtics. With it becoming more apparent every day that this is the last season the Big Three will be competing for another ring, Davis could be a big reason why they win or lose this year.
3. DeJuan Blair (Spurs) – 6-7, 277 pounds, 37th overall pick in 2009 NBA Draft
ACL’s, who needs them? Blair became the second Spurs rookie to drop 20-20 in agame. The other? Tim Duncan. If you haven’t seen this yet, watch this breakdown of Blair’s 28-21 explosion against the Thunder. The Spurs rookie has manhandled every player the opposition has thrown his way, and has proved many GM’s wrong so far. The Spurs are coasting through the regular season as usual, waiting until the playoffs to start playing. Blair gives Gregg Popovich great options as he can either use McDyess to spread the floor and force teams to play him from 18 feet, or he could use Blair as a pure bruiser who has an array of post moves. Watch for Blair to contribute greatly to any success the Spurs may have in the playoffs this year.
4. Brandon Bass (Magic) – 6-8, 250 pounds, 33rd overall pick in 2005 NBA Draft
Bass has been riding the pine all season, and his agent has recently said that he will push the Magic to trade Bass “if things keep going the way they are through the rest of the year.” It seems like GM Otis Thorpe has a vendetta against Mark Cuban, stealing both Bass and Gortat away from the Mavs only to keep them benched. I think Stan Van Gundy will realize soon enough that Bass and his monster arms could pair well with Dwight Howard to provide a double-edged post presence instead of running Rashard Lewis at the 4 every game.
What do you think? What other undersized big-men will be playoff X-factors? Who on this list will be the biggest X-factor?
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February 5th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
KenAdams says:
Paul Milsap and Carlos Boozer, both are undersize PF on the same team…. And they do well at what they do.
February 5th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
KenAdams says:
And the Jazz are not going out in the first round this year!
February 5th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
the cynic says:
worst article ever.
February 5th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
boomshakalaka says:
did you guys put BIG BABY in there just so you could push this nickname that you all decided to feed him? please stop that.
February 5th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
Austin Burton says:
Undersized PF’s are some of my favorite players. Always the guy who was drafted too low, the guy who was underestimated and ends up making teams regret it. If the Kings were any good, Jon Brockman would be perfect for this list.
February 5th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
Austin Burton says:
Should Al Horford have gone on here? He’s undersized for a center. Shawn Marion has to play big-man style (rebounding, guarding some PF’s) in Dallas although he’s a three.
February 5th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
the cynic says:
Josh Smith is more undersized then anyone just listed, and half these guys don’t even play
February 5th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
mdog says:
Great article…great players that don’t get the recognition they deserve. I’m a Celtics fan and Glen Davis is definitely a big asset to the team.
February 5th, 2010 at 7:00 pm
K Dizzle says:
WTF?
Why even write this?
First, u diss the Jazz but prop the Spurs? Tell me who looks better now. If the Spurs have to play LA, Denver, Dallas, an athletic OKC, even a healthy Portland, they COULD get got in the first round. Jazz startin to find their stride…
Then Powe and Bass? One’s hurt and AV and Hickson won’t be that easy to displace.
As for Bass, he don’t even play and could be traded any day now.
I agree with The Cynic…
February 5th, 2010 at 7:15 pm
Mike Mihalow says:
I liked the article, but I did think the Big Baby reference was rather bleak. I can agree with all of them except Big Baby, who’s playing poorly this season.
February 5th, 2010 at 7:44 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Still cant believe that little F’er shot 11 FT’s in the 2nd quarter of that infamous game 2..
@ AB
Yeah i’d put Horford on the list..
February 5th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
control says:
How in the fuck can you say that someone who weighs damn near(probably over to be honest) 300 fucking pounds is “undersized”. I think Gooch’s main problem is that he’s “supersized”.
BTW, Glenn Davis ain’t going to be an x-nothing. The guy doesn’t really have any skills at all other than polishing off a buffet. The guy is absolute garbage.
February 5th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
AznPeoplesChamp says:
my Jazz are on a roll right now, and I see AK-47 as being a big X-Factor in the playoffs
February 5th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
In-N-Out Lucas says:
THANK YOU for mentioning Powe. Notice the Celtics are struggling without his energy off the bench. Cavs could win just because of this guy could win some games for them. He’s THAT good.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:17 pm
Ernesto says:
Paul Millsap and the Jazz are above this total nonsense.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:28 pm
TIP says:
lol @ Big baby being undersized…
February 6th, 2010 at 3:24 am
CTP says:
Hahaha. The Jazz are losing in the first round? Are you high?
I wish you would place a wager on that.
February 6th, 2010 at 3:26 am
CTP says:
The jazz are losing in the first round huh? As soon as I read that, I couldn’t take this article seriously.
Jazz are going deep again. You’ll see.
February 6th, 2010 at 3:27 am
CTP says:
Double post was accidental. Sorry.
February 6th, 2010 at 10:55 am
Reddi Red says:
*yawns*
Powe? Bass? come on! let’s talk about some ppl on the floor nightly.
I know Big Ben is a 5, but, he went undrafted, he’s only 6′9″, but the shortest player to reach 2000 blocks, 4-time DPOY, and has a ring.
Not THAT’S an undersized player gettin it done!
Regarding 4’s, I agree with DeJuan Blair. Kid is a BEAST.
I also agree with Paul Milsap……..once Boozer is gone, he will be a nightly double-double machine.
Oh…….Hey Boozer! Come on to Detroit man…..we need ya!
February 6th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
money says:
man, i remember watching powe back when he was at cal (GO BEARS) and that guy can absolutely be a beast, I’m rooting for him to make a great comeback.
February 6th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Matt says:
Okay, first thing that is wrong with this article is the complete and total bias you showed. If you are not being bias, then you are being ignorant. Are you telling me that if the playoffs started today, everybody in the league would want to face Utah? behind the cavs they are the second hottest team, and I’m from Denver. I hate that team, and I still wouldn’t want to play them, and I’m worried about tonights matchup. Paul Millsap EXPLODED for 32 and 14 in his first start once Boozer went out, and averages 16 and 11 when he starts.
The only one of your candidates worth mentioning is Leon Powe, and that is because he is playing along side LBJ.
Get your head out of the sand and look at the state of the league before you write such a biased article.
February 6th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
Adam Flomenbaum says:
@ Matt – what kind of bias are we talking about here? Millsap’s definitely one of the best undersized big men, in fact he’s better than each of the guys i’ve named. Although they may not lose in the first round, the Jazz made the Conference Finals once since 1998, and that was in 2007 when they lost to the Spurs. The reason I didn’t write about Millsap is that the guys I did list are all playing for teams that have made the Finals in the last 3 years and can potentially make it this year. You truly think that Jazz are in contention to represent the West this year?
February 7th, 2010 at 9:59 pm
MikeC says:
@ Adam… I’ll say this, the Jazz have a much better chance of getting to the Finals than the Magic or Spurs do. The Magic live or die with a player who has ZERO offensive ability besides putbacks and easy-look dunks and they sorely miss Turkoglu who was THE x-factor in the playoffs. And the Spurs…? Seriously? They’re not bad at all, but Tim Duncan just isn’t dominant anymore, and neither Parker nor Ginobili are at their former levels. Blair is a nice role player, but I wouldn’t get too excited about his potential to give them that lift. Just about any other playoff team in the West will have a good shot at knocking them out. This list seems to be more based on info from the past several years than actual developments in the ‘09-’10 season.
February 8th, 2010 at 11:56 am
Matt says:
@Adam
the bias that I am talking out is your outright dismissal of one of the top teams in the west at the moment. They are on a 8 game win streak, and yes, they did beat my hometown team without our two all stars on saturday night, but they were up by as many as 17 at one point. They were doing what they had to do. Then you honestly expect me to believe that the Spurs are a championship contender? Duncan is on the decline, and all this talk about the Rodeo Trip bonding experience is talked about every year and it hasn’t resulted in anything since 2007. Yes, that is a recent championship, but since then, they have not even been in the discussion.
The Lakers might be the favorite from the Western Conference, but after they lost to the Nuggets and the Jazz playing like they are recently, it is much less certain than it was a month ago.
February 8th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
BiG ShoT BoB says:
Yeah even though I love Powe his gonna be riding the pine come playoff time the way JJ Hickson has been playing. AS far as Bass he already has Raw Lew and Ryan Andersen in front of him. Not to mention experts have already said Bass doesn’t fit well with Dwight.
February 9th, 2010 at 8:47 am
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February 9th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
Borgs says:
Care to re-think your piece, Flomenbaum? Boston is reportedly sending Davis packing and SVG still prefers two centres before Brandon Bass. Glen Davis an “asset”, mdog? Technically right; there can’t be a trade without one.