Hmm, that is a good question. In no particular order, here are the top 20 players who play center....IMO Howard P Gasol Horford Bogut Noah Hibbert B Lopez Shaq M Gasol Jefferson Bargnani Amare Nene Duncan Lee Okafor Cousins Kaman Camby McGee Looking at that list, there are maybe 3-4 guys that Aldridge would have a tough time with. The bigger issue for me woul dbe all the power forwards that would run all over Portland with Dante Cunningham covering them.
Well the thought would be to not have Cunningham, obviously, but to acquire a PF, if we were trading Camby and/or Joel.
So then the issue becomes more simple. Brandon Bass could also be acquired and become the starting PF. At the same time, I bet you could get Carl Landry from Sacramento. Overall I think we could agree that we need more depth in the front court regardless if Aldridge is the center or not. Joel and Camby are nice trade chips right now, and getting younger with better health and potential in the front court might be a good idea.
With the way the NBA is today, the 4 and 5 are pretty interchangable. Aldridge, Amare, Gasol, Horford, Duncan, Jefferson, etc. Maybe the thought should be to try and upgrade to a tall black man that is strong and agile, and call it good?
If we are thinking of moving Aldridge to center: Here is my PF Christmas list: Glenn Davis -Why would Boston do this? Camby. Tyrus Thomas -Charlotte? Save money from expiring contract, plus they just fired their coach. Anderson Varejao -Cleveland sucks and they could save money and get an extra draft pick Kevin Love -Why? Their GM is a nut job Brandon Bass- Why? They are not happy with current product Elton Brand -You might actually be able to send them Roy if you took back Iggy and Brand and added in an expiring contract. Carl Landry-They are terrible Justin Thompson-Same reason
I would consider it, but I'd want to pair somebody with him with legit size or length (doesn't have to be a bulky guy). If Anthony Randolph is really that deep in D'Antoni's dog-house I'd seriously consider swapping Rudy for him -- if that was on the table -- because i think he's got enough raw ability to defend and block shots that he could also play a little bit of forward-center with LMA. The biggest issue is that there might to be some issues "upstairs" with AR in terms of habits and his mental approach to the game.
If a guy like Wallace (good defender and rebounder (8.1rpg) starts at PF, I'd be even more glad to let LA take C.
agree, could have a heckuva defensive lineup at times with Nic/Crash/LMA and Wes at at SG, I think Augistine is avg at best at D, nice fast break team as well
wow didnt even think of it that way. PG, Matthews, Batum, Wallace, LMA.. what a fast team! Wonder what we could do about the PG situation.
Agustin is at least "serviceable." But long term I'd prefer to see the team do something, because running two 5'10-5'11 point guards (Patty being the other) is a huge defensive liability. Either Armon develops into a rotation player or they probably have to go back to the draft and try to get lucky, which hasn't exactly worked for them since Terry Porter was here.
Wallace is a worse rebounder than LMA this year. Remember to adjust his rebounding numbers for pace and minutes played... (or, look at his TRB%). This year - Wallace's TRB% of 12.6 is below LMA's 13.3 Comparison - Camby is an amazing 23.1, a Gimpy Joel is 17.1
Ya, but he's been playing primarily at SF this year, with Boris playing PF and Mohammed @ C, and has fewer opportunities to get rebounds (much like LA until recently). All I know is that Crash has a good nose for the ball and the athleticism to rebound among bigs.
Seems to me that Crash would be nice on this team, but the price for Crash + OK PG prospect (DJ) + Albatross contract should not be Miller + Camby. One of them + Filler makes a lot more sense.
Would he have to be black? I kind of like Scola and the Gasol brothers but they don't fit your criteria. On the other hand, Thabeet does!
With the Shaq/Yao era over, there aren't many true centers left. LMA at center could work if we continue to be an uptempo team.
Thought exercise: we don't get the #1 or #2 pick in the draft in 2007. We probably end up keeping Z-Bo at PF, and starting LMA at C. The point is, he might have been our starting C already in another universe. Which is a way of saying yeah I think he could be our starting center. As long as he doesn't have to play 45 minutes a night, he'll be just fine.
2 weeks ago, there were many who felt as though LA didn't even want to be a true PF. A Center? Not for a whole season.
I think if the Blazers as an organization continue with this uptempo pace, I could see LA as center and another body, like a Thompson from Sacramento or someone with an inside presence picking up the PF position
