Right now, the consensus top 5 teams in the league are Miami, Indy, SA, OKC and Portland. Only one of those 5 have an "all-star" caliber center. On the other 4, their best big man is a PF. Five years ago, the general wisdom was that you needed a dominant post player to contend for a title. "Durant will win scoring titles - Oden will win championships." Do folks still agree with that notion? Personally, I love the faster tempo and superior ball movement that tends to come with "small ball".
The Spurs have certainly proven that a dominant big man can win multiple championships. So did the Lakers with Shaq, and the Rockets with Hakeem. The exception to the rule is when you have one of the best players in a generation, like Jordan or LeBron. Even the Lakers with Gasol prove that you need a really good big man. The Lakers were shit until they got Gasol, plus they had Bynum (when he was healthy). The Mavs had Dirk. I still think you need a dominant big.
traditional 7 foot pivots, with great skill are almost an extinct species at this point, but if you find one I definitely think it's worth building around a guy like that.
It seems to me that there are 2 highly successful approaches: Hickory and South Bend (yes, this is a Hoosiers movie reference). South Bend: super athletic/kills with Super Talent--> Heat, OKC Hickory: emphasizes TEAM play/kills with intelligent game plan --> PDX, Indy, Spurs. One of the most successful Hickory-style strategies in the NBA is just what the blazers are doing: Post player that demands a double team + rugged rebounder + 3 shooters. Both strategies require strong, rugged defense.
No one said that. He said ONE will win scoring titles. oNE will win championships. Didn't say which one.
He also didn't say that both ones couldn't be the same one. Hey, as long as we're taking a little spin down memory lane, here are some classic posts from a simpler time: Drafting Durant Oden v. Durant, Take 2 A few familiar names in that old crew...
I think this kind of talk is empty, you win if you score more points that your opponent, and there are multiple ways to do that. But pro-teams seem to like to copy cat whoever won the last title. I think having a player that is given "super star" treatment is very important though, because in crunch time, they get aggressive knowing they'll get almost every whistle. Portland doesn't have a player like that, so it'll be a handicap for us. LA is the closest thing we have to a superstar. He's had a great couple of games, but we've seen this before from him, where he goes inside and starts looking like a top player, but then he reverts back to his "lamarsha" style of play.
That's always been my main concern ... Maybe it's the glue talking, but this time I'm almost willing to believe something went off inside his head. In the past he always played well when he was pissed-off or if he felt slighted (all-star snubs, media slights, etc.) but this season he just seems more natural and comfortable in the alpha-dog role ... I'm reluctant to go much deeper than that, mostly because I despise pop psychology and people who pretend to know somebody's state of mind from afar, but I guess I'd just call it a hunch.
Totally agree with this. LA finally seems comfortable. Like he knows he's the man. Sure, Lillard is here and he's getting a lot of attention. But, I think LA has always felt somewhat slighted, and to be honest, it's kinda rightfully so. He was "supposed" to be #3, behind Roy and Oden. Well, LA is now last man standing. Things have settled down around the team, the franchise, and I think he realizes it's his chance to grab the bull by its' horns. He may very well have been capable of being what he's now becoming all along, but given what was around him, it may have slowed or hindered his progression to what we're now seeing and what he's becoming.
Since Bill Laimbeer 20 years ago, we have read of this revolutionary idea that a championship is possible without a Mikan, Russell, Chamberlain, Jabbar, or Walton. (No one mentions non-superstars Reed, Sikma, Parrish, or Malone.) In other words, the idea isn't new. I don't want to bring up a sticky subject, but you'll get better hunches with Elmer's.
