Talent pool deepest at power forward.(forecasting NBA draft)(Brief Article)

Eddie Griffin probably will be the No. 1 pick. Kwame Brown might be the most talented player in the large crop of high school seniors available. Tyson Chandler, another high schooler, is 7-1 and can run the floor like a wingman. Troy Murphy is a sweet shooter, and Pan Gasol is the best European player available.

What these five players have in common, other than talent and a first-round projection in the June 27 draft, is that they are likely to play power forward, meaning the position is the strongest in this year's talent pool.

It might not be at the level of the great NFL quarterback class of 1983, but in a draft where the top five players taken could have an aggregate of one year of college experience, NBA teams must appreciate talent where they can find it.

Mainstream mock drafts have 22 players as consensus first-round picks. Of those, seven are power forwards--the aforementioned five, plus Michael Bradley and Zach Randolph--six are shooting guards, five are centers, and there are two point guards and two small forwards.

Yet it's not the raw numbers that make power forward the most impressive position. It's the raw talent. Griffin, Brown and Chandler are new-age players. They all are at least 6-9, run the floor, block shots and play inside and out. All three eventually could end up at small forward because of their versatility, but their games are better suited to playing closer to the basket for now. It might take Gasol another year to make it over from Barcelona, but he too fits the new-age mold.

Randolph is ...