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Different Positions and their duties to the team

(Sorry, but the floor-washer's, the drink-supplier or the owner's positions are not present!)

The Point Guard:

        The point guard position, I consider as the most complicated position of all.  Why?  First, because basketball is a team sport, passing and positioning is extremely important.  The main task of a point guard is to carry the ball upcourt, and to seek for passing opportunities or try to score themselves.   So, if you want to be called a qualified point guard, you must have the ability to score, have to  be able to make eye contact with teammates, know how to be a leader of a team, get ready for complaints, and all the other stuff. 

        A great example for a successful point guard would be Payton of Seattle Supersonics.  He is a good shooter, a great passer, can cope well with teammates...

        In conclusion, a point guard have to be able to shoot, pass, and as well as a good relationship with the teammates.

The Shooting Guard:

        I consider being in the shooting guard position is easier than being a point guard.  Most he does is shooting, shooting, and again, shooting.  As well, a great shooter (a big scorer) can be known very fast.

        The examples of successful shooting guards are too many, recently still playing, Michael Jordan, Miller of Pacers and Steve Smith of the Hawks..

The Small Forward:

        Being a small forward is the second toughest job in a basketball game behind point guard.  Almost every dirty jobs are theirs.   They might have to dribble the ball because point guard can't do it all the time, and no other player in the team (other positions) know how to dribble well.   (Shooting guards are too busy scoring, Centers and Power forwards are too big and too tall to dribble.)  They are usually bigger than the guards, and quicker than the bigger players (Centers and Power forwards), rebounding is also a small forward's job then;  because of the same reason, they will have to be able to shoot as well.

        An example of a good small forward is Scottie Pippen of Houston Rockets and Tony Kukoc of The Chicago Bulls, and Grant Hill of the Detroit Pistons.  They all can dribble very well, their shooting are well-known, they can pass, and their rebounds are not bad either.

The Power Forward:

        Power forward is another hard job. Due to their size and quickness and power, rebound is their first duty.   Only have rebound is usually not enough (unless you are in a team which have Jordan ,Pippen, Kukoc and Harper), a power forward will have to be able to score too.  There will be a lot of body-contacts, that's the toughest part of a power forward.

        Karl Malone would be the best choice of MVP in this category.

The Center:

        Center's first job is scoring.  Because of their great height advantage they have over the other players, they can usually be big scorers.  ("The quicker, the more flexible, the taller a center is, the easier to get points."  -- Boyang Qin)  Secondly, rebounding.  Also a dirty job for them, lots of body-contacts, but they can usually overpower other players.

        Shaquille O'Neal is my favorite center, he can score (his scoring average and shooting percentage are always among the league leaders), and he can rebound (his rebounding average is also always among top five).  One of his weaknesses is his free throw, but he is improving.  I believe, in the near future, the Lakers will dominate the NBA again, they are young and energetic, under Big Shaq and the gifted kid -- Kobe Bryant, they can make history.