Ok, ok, thus far we’ve learned about the rankings and projections for the Top 25 Point Guards, Top 25 Shooting Guards and the Top 25 Power Forwards for 2012/13 fantasy hoops. Today we’re going small, small forwards that is! Despite small forward being generally regarded as a weak fantasy position, here you’ll find the home of the top 2 fantasy players. Ironic yet not very interesting! I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but I want to point out that my position rankings generally don’t have players ranked at multiple positions. For example, the small forwards don’t rank a player like Joe Johnson who may be eligible at SG and SF because I like to rank each player at the primary position they’ll be playing this up coming season. The reason being is so I can get more players ranked with projections instead of retreading the same players over and over on each position ranking. Genius, right? Yeah, I know. Doh! That said, you’ll find two players ranked on this list who are also ranked on the SG list: Andre Iguodala and Tyreke Evans. The Top 200 Overall rankings coming out later this week will have apples to apples rankings of every player so you’ll be set with that anyway. We cool, Joe? Ok, then Snoopy, let’s move on to the rankings and projections!

Oops, one more thing, before we get to the top 20 small forwards, I’ve got a big announcement! hecmanhoops has partnered up with the awesomeness that is known as fantasypros dot com. If you have never checked out fantasypros for expert NFL, MLB and NBA fantasy advice, oh boy, you sure are missing out! Seriously. Anyways, head on over there after you’ve read today’s post for hours and hours of good clean Brady Bunch type fun. It’s super groovy, or something like that.

Alright, let’s get to the top 25 small forwards for 2012/13! Wheeeee.

Updated: October 31

1. Lebron James – The number one guy. He’s so boring.
Projections: 27.5 ppg/7.8 rpg/6.4 apg/.520/.772/1.8 spg/75 3s/65 blk/3.3 tov

2. Kevin Durant – 28 ppg. hecman drools. 86% FT at almost 8 attempts per game. hecman drools some more. 2 threes per game. hecman drools some more. Damn my shirt is all wet now. Fn Durant.
Projections: 28 ppg/7.8 rpg/3.2 apg/.495/.870/1.2 spg/150 3s/90 blk/3.3 tov

3. Carmelo Anthony – Is it me or is Carmelo starting to be kind of under appreciated as a fantasy stud? Damn you, New York press! Swoop in there, man. Just make sure he’s not your best player.
Projections: 24 ppg/6.5 rpg/3 apg/.450/.825/1.1 spg/100 3s/45 blk/2.6 tov

4. Rudy Gay – Remember what I said about not making Carmelo your best player? Sure you do. It goes double for Rudy. Great player but not best player material. Love him though, what’s not to love? Now give me an Hallelujah? Hallelujah. Rudy thanks you.
Projections: 19 ppg/6.3 rpg/2.8 apg/.460/.790/1.5 spg/80 3s/80 blk/2.5 tov

5. Danny Granger – Quick, who is the most traded “superstar” in fantasy hoops? Trick question! Your astute detective skills probably guessed it’s Danny Boy and he’s not even Irish! Anyway, the reason? His FG sorely lacks so at some point owners look to move him along to improve there. If you own him and in January you decide to move him for this reason, you’re going to say, “Damn, hecman was right”. You’re welcome in advance.
Projections: 20.5 ppg/5.3 rpg/2.2 apg/.425/.850/1.1 spg/150 3s/65 blk/2.3 tov   **OUT INDEFINITELY WITH KNEE BONE PROBLEMS, DRAFT AT YOUR OWN RISK OR GRAB GERALD GREEN AS A HANDCUFF**

6. Andre Iguodala – As aforementioned, Iggy is on both the small forward ranking and the shooting guard ranking. If you want to read what my write up on him and see his projections then go check out the Top 25 Shooting Guards for 2012/13. You’ll make me like .0000001 cents if you do. Thanks for your support!

7. Paul Pierce – You really can’t go wrong with Paul. He’s going to give you solid point totals, boards, assists, a steal a game, a bunch of 3s and he’ll even block the ball here and there and there, but not over there.
Projections: 18.5 ppg/5.2 rpg/4 apg/.460/.850/1.1 spg/115 3s/40 blk/2.5 tov

8. Luol Deng –   Last year, for the second year in a row, Luol averaged 39.1 mpg. That’s a lot of minutes to accumulate stats. It’s like a guy in baseball who gets 700 plate appearances, at some point just the sheer volume of at bats is going to lend to him having decent counting stats. Anyway, I don’t really see him coming off the floor and if his wrist is healed there’s no real reason why he shouldn’t improve on last year’s putrid .412 FG and below average (for him) 15.3 points per game average. Now can I get an Amen? Amen. Thank you.
Projections: 17 ppg/6.3 rpg/2.8/.455/.765/1 spg/110 3s/45 blk/1.9 tov

9. Gerald Wallace – I toyed with the idea of putting Crash number 7 and Deng number 8 but this is fantasy and if Crash were on Chicago and Deng on Brooklyn I would have but they aren’t so I didn’t. What concerns me slightly is the sheer talent on Brooklyn with Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez all looking to score the ball. That said, Gerald should mostly keeping doing what he do.
Projections: 13 ppg/6.7 rpg/2.7 apg/.465/.780/1.5 spg/80 3s/75 blk/2 tov >>>> a bit tough to predict the ppg, not gonna lie

10. Nicolas Batum – When I think of Nic I get a warm fuzzy feeling inside. Not many guys are capable of averaging a steal, block and three per. Let’s see, Durant and Gay. Oh, and Batum! Not bad, man, not bad at all! Go go go.
Projections: 15.5 ppg/5.2 rpg/2 apg/.455/.835/1 spg/150 3s/80 bloke/1.7 tov

11. Danilo Gallinari – The Rooster (gallo in Italian!) may slide slightly down draft boards due to his poor season last year but don’t forget before injury disaster struck Gallo was having a breakout season averaging 17.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.2 spg and 1.4 threes per before the All Star Break. Pounce like a cat on the Rooster! Ugh >>>> lame.
Projections: 16.5 ppg/5 rpg/2.5 apg/.430/.87o/1 spg/130 3s/40 blk/1.7 tov

12. Tyreke Evans – Like Andre Iguodala, Tyreke can also be found in the shooting guard rankings. To read what I wrote about him and see his projections check out the Top 25 Shooting Guards for 2012/13. You won’t regret it!

13. Gordon Hayward – Gordon broke out second half last season averaging around 14 ppg, 4 rpg, 3 apg, over a three per and solid, solid percents. Oh, he also tossed in half a block per and almost a steal a game. If you can’t land anyone in the top 10 or 12 here, don’t fret, Hayward is your Huckleberry, so says Doc Holliday.
Projections: 14.5 ppg/4.3 rpg/3,2 apg/.475/.845/.9 spg/90 3s/50 blk/2 tov ->>> I’m a fan, what can I say?

14. Michael Beasley – Yeah, I know, go ahead, curse me out for putting B-Easy this high. Go for it, man, curse me. I can’t hear you anyway, unless you cursed me in the comments. Then my feelings might get hurt. Michael is one year removed from averaging 19.2 ppg with starter’s minutes. He’ll be starting in Phoenix and should see 30ish minutes of burn. 2+2=4. You feel me, homes?
Projections: 17 ppg/5.8 rpg/2.1 apg/.450/.760/.7 spg/70 3s/50 blk/2.7 tov

15. Hedo Turkoglu – His real first name is Hidayet which kind of sounds like idiot. I’m sure his mother back home in Turkey has no clue so it’s all good. Anyway, Dwight Howard. Gone. Ryan Anderson. Gone!  Shots. Available! I don’t see any real reason why he won’t get 30ish minutes of burn in Orlando so I’d expect useful, yet unspectacular, numbers out of him. I admit Mickey Mouse isn’t impressed but you could do worse, especially for assists. Oh, and if you’re really hating feel free to bump him down a notch or three if you have a crush on Andrei Kirilenko’s haircut or the upside that Michael Kidd-Gilchrist brings. I won’t begrudge you. I don’t even know you!
Projections: 11.5 ppg/4.5 rpg/4.2 apt/.425/.725/.8 spg/125 3s/35 blk/2.1 tov

16. Andrei Kirilenko – In reverse order from last year, here are his games played the last 7 years in the NBA in reveres order from 2010-11: 64, 64, 58, 67, 72, 70, 69. Not sure if you’ve heard but AK47 is a bit injury prone. I do like him a bunch while he’s on the court though and last year he did stay healthy so if you’re feeling lucky, punk, feel free to bump him up a notch or three in these rankings. I wouldn’t hate on you if you did.
Projections: 11.5 ppg/5.1 rpg/3 apg/.465/.765/1.2 spg/40 3s/90 blk/2 tov

17. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – Knock, knock. Who’s there? Opportunity. Opportunity who? Opportunity for minutes, that’s what! His college numbers at Kentucky don’t jump out at you as a stud but the minutes should be there in Charlotte. You can probably expect some growing pains early in the season, said Kirk Cameron.
Projections: 14 ppg/5.5 rpg/2.5 apg/.455/.755/1 spg/30 3s/60 blk/2.5 tov

18. Kawhi Leonard - What happens when the coach falls in love with you? You usually get stalked, that’s what. Just kidding. No I’m not. As a starter last year Kawhi averaged 26.1 mpg/8.6 ppg/5.4 rpg/1.3 apg/.480/.770/1.3 spg/.8 3pm/.4 bpg/.8 tov. I expect improvement pretty much across the board this season. Keep your eye on him mid to late, y’all.
Projections: 11 ppg/6 rpg/2 apg/.475/.780/1.5 spg/80 3s/40 blk/1.3 tov

19. Thaddeus Young - Thaddeus is a versatile man. He can play a little bit everywhere so he should see minutes as usual. He’s not going to knock your socks off or anything like that but slow and steady at the end of the draft could win you the race. Or it may not. Psyche!
Projections: 13 ppg/5.2 rpg/1.3 apg/.500/.755/1 spg/0 3s/40 blk/1.5 tov

20. Trevor Ariza – Everyone knows that Trevor is well known for his three point shooting ability. There’s only one problem though. Last year he hardly hit any of them! Here’s the thing, if you draft a guy who hasn’t had a FG% over .412 since the 2009 season, at least make sure you get some threes out of him. Am I right or am I right? Rhetorical! If you’re real desperate for steals, a smattering of boards, a few assists late in your draft or auction then Trevor is your man. Just move him along quick quick if he gets off to a hot start. Your percents will thank you.
Projections: 10.7 ppg/5.2 rpg/2.8 apg/.400/.700/1.6 spg/70 3s/40 blk/2 tov

21. DeMar DeRozan - Like many players DeMar is position eligible elsewhere (SG) but he’s found his way onto the small forward rankings because he’s expected to start there this season. Outside of points you’re looking at pretty much an empty line night in and night out. I’ve never been a huge fan and I’m not sure we’ll see any improvement with Toronto’s depth at SG and SF. Unless you’re desperate for points, it would behoove you to tread carefully here. You’ve been behooved!
Projections: 16 ppg/3.1 rpg/2 apg/.455/.810/.8 spg/30 3s/30 blk/2 tov

22. Harrison Barnes - My Magic 8 Ball, who moonlights as a crystal ball in Manhattan on weekends, sees a bit of a slow start for Harrison but, much like Klay Thompson last year, a fantasy bonanza could be in the offing after a month or three. Grab him late but temper expectations for November and December. You feel me, son? Feel free to grab one of the stiffs below him if you’re feeling conservative. Wuss.
Projections: 13 ppg/4.5 rpg/2 apg/.425/.740/1.1 spg/90 3s/25 blk/2.5 tov >>> Taking into account his college stats

23. Alonzo Gee – As a starter last year Alonzo averaged 11.5 ppg/6.4 rag/2.2 apg/1.3 spg/.7 3pm/.4 bpg/.778 FT. Pretty solid, useful numbers! That’s the good part. The bad part was his putrid FG which came in at .399 as a starter and .412 overall. Keep an eye on his position battle with C.J. Miles and if he wins it then hold your nose and dive in late. Not starting. His ranking can be found in Top 200 Overall.
Projections: 11 pp./6 rpg/2 apg/.420/.785/1.3 spg/55 3s/25 blk/1.8 tov

23. Mike Dunleavy – Young Tobias Harris is the only thing standing in the way of Dunleavy and solid minutes at the small forward position for Milwaukee. That said, I like his chances to be a decent late round grab given his situation. To get you all pumped up I checked out what he did as a starter last year. Here you go: 30 mpg/10.3 ppg/4.3 rpg/4 apg/.320 FG (anomaly!)/.769 FT/1 spg/1.7 3pm. But hecman, he only started 3 games last year. Fine, but now you’re just nitpicking!
Projections: 12.5 ppg/3.5 rpg/2.5 apg/.460/.810/.5 spg/120 3s/10 blk/1.2 tov

24. Shawn Marion – If you look up the definition of “serviceable” in the dictionary, you’d see Shawn’s name next to it. He’ll get you low, low double digit points, 7ish boards and a steal per. He no longer shoots the three ball but he’s pretty durable. Hey, I’m trying to stay positive here, man.
Projections: 10.5 ppg/7.2 rpg/2.1 apg/.450/.795/1.1 spg/30 3s/40 blk/1.7 tov

25. Tayshaun Prince - I already wrote up the Prince blurb before I put him outside the top 25 and liked it so here you go … Tayshaun Prince is still Detroit’s small forward? Yes, he is. Why? I don’t know. Don’t they realize they haven’t won anything with this guy playing 32+ minutes a game for the last 9 years?!!? I don’t know. Do you know anything? Not really. Sigh.
Projections: 13 ppg/4.3 rpg/2.5 apg/.450/.765/.5 spg/45 3s/40 blk/1.3 tov

26. Caron Butler – I already wrote up a blurb on Butler before I knew he’d be outside the top 25 so here you go. Bonus! In 29 games up to the All Star Break, Caron averaged 32.9 mpg/14.3 ppg/4 rpg/1.5 apg/.431/.781/1.1 spg/1.9 3pm. In 34 games after the All Star Break, Caron averaged 26.9 mpg/9.9 ppg/3.4 rpg/1 apg/.384/.882/.6 spg/1.1 3pm. In other words, Caron kicked the fantasy bucket! RIP. Feel free to drop him down the list for a three point specialist like Steve Novak, Carlos Delfino or (blush) Dorrell Wright or someone else of that ilk. I woudn’t hate on you if you did. Ranking can be found in Top 200 Overall.

Others to look for in my Top 200 Overall coming later this week, in no particular order, are Evan Turner, Wilson Chandler, James Johnson, Chandler Parsons, Tobias Harris, Brandon Rush, Kyle Korver, Metta World Peace, Dorrell Wright, Carlos Delfino, Steve Novak, Marvin Williams and Derrick Williams.

Next up: Top 25 Centers