Malik Allen

The Nuggets needed more bulk up front so they brought in Allen who will compete with Balkman for minutes behind starting PF Kenyon Martin. The winner will see 12-17 minutes a night, and with both being expected to rebound and play defense, neither will have any real fantasy value even if Martin goes down for an extended period.

Allen was brought in late in the offseason as a veteran presence off the bench. He has never been any kind of a fantasy contributor, and will serve primarily as a veteran leader and big body off the bench. Look elsewhere for frontcourt help.

Allen will reprise his role as a backup power forward that has an effective jump shot from 10 feet outside the key. With all the frontcourt depth in Chicago, his minutes will be limited.

Allen was signed by the Bulls this offseason to provide additional depth on the frontline. He has an effective jump shot from 10 feet outside the key, so may be used to run pick-and-rolls with Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon. Allen will have the occasional night where he lights up the scoreboard, but for the most part, will be a bench player who sees minimal minutes.

Allen is somewhat of a misplaced player in the NBA, as he is a nice sized power forward who plays like a shooting guard. He is not a banger or a bruiser, and his favorite spot to be in 10 feet outside the key looking for a jump shot. Allen will have his occasional big games, as he does have a good shot and can score in this league. That said, he does not have the game Coach Van Gundy needs out of the power forward position, and could very easily find himself sliding down the bench into the lost world. Only if Shaq gets hurt and the team changes it's philosophy would we expect Allen to be a consistent contributor.

In almost 30 minutes a game last year as the Heat starting power forward, Allen averaged just under 10 pts a game. As a power forward, however, he was too reliant on his outside shot and not enough of a ‘banger.’ He returns to his proper role as a back-up and has the potential to provide some offensive spark when called upon. His value is extremely limited however, and if some of the newcomers step up, Allen may find himself buried deep on the bench before the season is over.