A power outage at the four

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It just so happens that this year, the top-nine teams in the league (according to record) also have, arguably, the top-nine power forwards in the league. What a coincidence. The big guys matter, folks.

That's why teams go nuts over power players in the draft. In 2002, six power forwards were drafted in the lottery. In 2001, the first three picks were power forwards, and nine overall were taken in the first round. Last year was a major aberration. Only four players in the lottery were power forwards, and only six power forwards, overall, were drafted in the first round.

That, however, was because of a lack of talent, not a lack of need. The good news is that this is a decent draft at the power forward position. As many as eight power players have a shot at getting drafted in the first round. However, only three are locks for the lottery. Given the obsession with size in the league, read into that what you will.

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Chad Ford | email

Senior Writer, NBA Insider

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• Senior NBA Writer for ESPN.com
• ESPN Insider NBA Draft Analyst since 2002
• Writes ESPN's NBA Draft Top 100 and Lottery Mock Draft