03-14-2022, 09:38 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-14-2022, 09:39 PM by KillerLeft.)
(03-14-2022, 06:00 PM)ItsGoTime Wrote: Without watching every team play all their games this year, I'm looking at GP and MP for the backups. Top 10 (possible playoff teams) from each conference starting and backup C's.
Utah - Gobert and Whiteside
Denver - Jokic and Cousins
Minnesota - KAT and Reid
Phoenix - Ayton (much stronger than you're giving him credit for) and McGee
GS - Looney, Wiseman and Green (I add Green cause he's the reason teams are looking for the smaller ball big...AND he can bully DP out of the lane).
LAC - Zubac and one of Morris or Covington
LAL - Davis and Howard
Memphis - Adams and JJJ
New Orleans - Valanciunas and Hayes
Philadelphia - Embiid and I can't tell
Boston - Horford and Williams
Toronto - Siakam and Achiuwa
Brooklyn - Drummond and I can't tell
Milwaukee - Brooks and Portis
Chicago - Vucevic and some very small ball option
Cleveland - Allen and Love
Miami - Adebayo and Dedmon
Charlotte - Plumlee and Harrell
Atlanta - Capela and Okongwu
There are very few starting C's on that list that don't have their way with Powell. There are also only a couple starting C's on that list that I take Powell over (Looney and Plumlee...if Drummond comes on a small salary that allows us to sit him when he isn't effective, I prefer him over Powell to start), and the ones I'd do it with, the teams are looking strongly to improve that position. If Powell played bigger than he is like Green or Adebayo does (extreme names I know), I wouldn't be having this conversation, but he doesn't. Some of the backup names have their way with Powell even, but I take Powell's contribution over theirs as a backup.
Well, speaking as someone who has been making an effort to catch as many of those teams' games as possible down the stretch (still not as many as I did during the great hehe season), I think you might be a surprise at just how much of an afterthought a few of those guys are, starting right now or not.
You mention JJJ as a "change of pace" center, for example, but in many circles he's starting to be talked about as a possible defensive player of the year. He's absolutely, 100% viewed as the main defensive 5 on that team, regardless of how they start games during the regular season.
We could get mired down in all of that, but I think I'm right and so do you, so it's probably best not to interact with each other any more on this subject and just leave it at "I have a much higher opinion of Powell and Kleber than you do."