The third installment of ESPN's All-Time #NBArank examines the top 10 small forwards. Our NBA Insiders weigh in on the rankings and how different they might look when the final curtain is comes down on the careers of Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony.
1. Which top-10 small forward is ranked too low?
Bradford Doolittle, ESPN Insider: Our voters did a great job with this position. I would bump Elgin Baylor ahead of Julius Erving and Durant to No. 3. Baylor is underrated, probably because his Lakers so often came up short against the Celtics. If we had the statistics and the video to showcase Baylor at his peak, he'd be part of the best-ever conversation.
Amin Elhassan, ESPN Insider: Rick Barry. As with many ABA players, Barry's legacy is inexplicably discounted. He averaged more than 24 points per 36 minutes in eight of his first nine seasons, was incredibly efficient for his time and led the Warriors to the 1975 NBA championship, despite a lack of established talent on the roster.
Kevin Pelton, ESPN Insider: None. I think either the players in the top 10 don't belong or they're precisely where I would have them.
David Thorpe, ESPN Insider: Nothing screams at me but I expected Scottie Pippen to be higher. My one issue with these rankings is that basketball is played five-on-five and the team part counts huge. Pippen, on his own, had major flaws, but on those teams his dynamic defense and transition game helped spell "dynasty." Twice.
Brian Windhorst, ESPN.com: Reaching a little outside the top 10, it feels to me like Paul Pierce, one of the greatest Celtics of all time, with remarkable longevity and an NBA Finals MVP to his credit, should be in the top 10. But to be honest, I'm having a hard time admitting who I would displace ahead of him.
2. Which top-10 small forward is ranked too high?
Elhassan: I feel Durant is prematurely lofted into the upper echelon of this list, like Curry on the point guard list. Durant has got more to his resume than Curry, but I think a lot of people forget the greatness of Elgin Baylor (the original "athletic wing," the man who arguably invented the Eurostep), Barry (see above) and the all-round game of Pippen.
Doolittle: I'd flip Dominique Wilkins with No. 11 Paul Pierce. Pierce was a better all-around player and while he has won just one title, that's still one more than Wilkins. And though I suggested moving Baylor ahead of Durant and Erving, I fully expect Durant to pass them both in a few years.
Pelton: James Worthy. There's no question that "Big Game James" was a top-10 small forward in the postseason. But the regular season counts too, and Worthy's performance over the 82-game schedule was unspectacular. I wouldn't have him in my top 10.
Thorpe: Dr. J couldn't shoot with range, dribble left (just watch "The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh") or defend smaller guys as well as teammate Bobby Jones. I like Pippen, Durant and Worthy much better than him.
Windhorst: I know Durant has a bunch of scoring titles and an MVP on his ledger, but he might be ranked a little too high. I have no doubt he has the potential to be there. I don't feel strongly about this, but in terms of career accomplishment this might be projecting a tad at this point.
3. Where will Kevin Durant be ranked at the end of his career?
Doolittle: With good health, I think he'll end up at No. 3. I don't see him catching LeBron James or Larry Bird, both of whom could beat you with the pass as effectively as they could by scoring. Both were better rebounders and defenders as well.
Elhassan: Again, like Curry, I think there's a strong chance Durant ends up ranking right around where he is now by the end of his career. There's just too much transcendence at the top of the list for him to overcome.
Pelton: Either third or fourth. Unless Durant wins a series of titles and MVPs, it's hard to see him threatening Larry Legend, but I could see him passing Dr. J for third on his current path.
Thorpe: He'll likely settle in at No. 3, with an outside chance of catching Bird. Very outside. I still wonder, though: If Patrick Beverley hadn't knocked knees with Westbrook, how many titles would Durant have?
Windhorst: He has the potential to be in the top three but he's going to need some jewelry. If he challenges Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record, then Bird might be in play, but it's going to be hard without multiple titles.
4. Where will Carmelo Anthony be ranked at the end of his career?
Doolittle: If we flip Wilkins and Pierce, how do you really pick between Melo, Dominique, Alex English and Adrian Dantley, all classic scoring forwards? Anthony would have been right at home in the 1980s, so it's fitting he's near English and Dantley just below our top 10. I don't see him moving up at this point of his career.
Elhassan: Probably no higher than where he is now. We've begun seeing the slow decline of Anthony's abilities, and while he has been in a more team-oriented mood in the last few weeks, I fear it's too little, too late to change his perception as a player. If only he had played like this during his prime.
Pelton: I'm not sure he should move up much based on the downside of his career. I could see him surpassing Dominique Wilkins in a comparison of score-first small forwards and possibly Worthy too, but don't see him getting any higher than ninth.
Thorpe: He should be very happy where he is, a little outside the top 10, and that's about where he will end up. Never much more than an elite scorer, and never a leader of men the way he could have been.
Windhorst: I don't foresee at title at this point, though who really knows. Without one, it's hard to see him in the top 10. He might be remembered like Bernard King, a world-class scorer and hugely popular New York player but not an all-time great.
5. Which other active players should currently or eventually be in the top 10?
Doolittle: Given his trajectory of improvement and his status as the Spurs' best player, it's easy to envision Kawhi Leonard hitting the top 20. It helps that he plays in an era when we have the metrics to properly appreciate his performances.
Elhassan: Currently? Nobody. Eventually? I can see Kawhi Leonard or Paul George putting together a resume that places them in that rarified air. While Leonard has the advantage of playing for a better team (already having a ring and an NBA Finals MVP on his side), George will more than likely have the better career numbers, as well as memorable moments that convince people that he "did it on his own."
Pelton: Paul Pierce would be in my top 10. His postseason track record is nearly as impressive as Worthy's, and he was a far more accomplished player during the regular season. Kawhi Leonard also seems to be on track to crack the top 10 if he maintains this season's improvement throughout his prime years.
Thorpe: It's fair to target Kawhi Leonard, who should only grow in stature as the Spurs move from the big three to a new edition built around Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge. Elite shooters who are world-class perimeter defenders, have a great motor and know how to play are extremely rare men indeed.
Windhorst: I already mentioned Pierce. The sky is the limit for Kawhi Leonard. He already has one NBA Finals MVP and he has Pop coaching him. If they stick together, who knows? Leonard has the kind of talent and temperament to have an all-time great career.