In our last edition of "Position Battles" (full name: "Position Battles: Race to Witch Mountain"), Wilson Chandler was the overwhelming favorite to slide down to the shooting guard spot. However, Chandler's a more typical small forward, you know. He and several others will compete for a three-spot that's become contested with additions and returns from injury. In particular, the presence of Eddy Curry, Darko Milicic, and Jordan Hill in the rotation allows David Lee to shift to his natural power forward spot. Lee's hold on that position should be firm, so a number of "tweeners" in the lineup will be grappling for minutes at the three. Let's check out the candidates, after the jump...
Wilson Chandler- While he wouldn't create the matchup problems that he does at shooting guard, Chandler's pretty much a prototypical small forward. He's got the size and athletic ability to hang with anyone, and might feel less pressure to create offense if there's a scoring guard below him. Odds are Wil's going to start. It's just a matter of where.
Danilo Gallinari- Another multi-positional candidate who's probably best suited to play the three. Gallo's height and silly range makes him more of a match-up problem than Chandler, but can he guard opposing small forwards? It depends a lot on his commitment and the durability of his back.
Al Harrington- Harrington's the foremost casualty of the center influx I mentioned previously. With the new guys allowing David Lee to shift to the four, Harrington's going to have to beat out these youngsters to stay in the starting lineup. Al's probably more of a "complete package" than the first two, and he was the Knicks' high scorer last year. Should Al's team-leading stats preserve his starting spot, or is he more serviceable as a versatile backup?
Jared Jeffries- Jared's ostensibly the best defender of the four, and was fairly impressive in his ability to make small plays and keep things simple last season. That said, on the rare occasions that Jared does shoot, baby polar bears drown. Are we willing to give Jared more time to murder?
I'm interested to see if Chandler manages to take this vote, as well. Do people really see Wil as a shooting guard, or does everybody just love Chandler enough to vote for him blindly? Make your small forward pick and explain yourself in the comments.