Obviously. But that is… once again… not the heart of the matter. Ask a team (with or without) an elite big if they’d rather have an elite 2 way wing. OR more importantly, ask a team if they were starting from scratch who they would want. An elite two way wing or an elite center? Don’t even have to give them a choice of “this player or that player” just which one they’d rather have in a nameless/faceless scenario getting started from scratch. I would guess a vast majority would prefer an elite 2 way wing.
You’re referring to the NBA when it was a much, much different game. Look at the pace of play and average score. Using examples from 40 years ago mean nothing now. Additionally, since the Warriors have won, these teams have won … and they have a common thread … and it’s not an elite center: Toronto Raptors. Milwaukee Bucks. Los Angeles Lakers. You could even throw in the LeBron / Kyrie Cavs for good measure. It will be nearly a decade since an “elite” center (if that’s what you classify Duncan as… has won a championship. While multiple elite wings have won one since then.
I don’t know but the first step of acquiring an elite wing is drafting wing players, not centers. Many people didn’t think Kawhi or Giannis were elite wings until they blossomed into them.
Because they already have elite players at multiple positions and can focus on drafting best talent available. And remember they also decided they needed an elite wing defender and went and got Wiggins because they knew it was a need. There’s actually an article about it right now on ESPN. Additionally, player acquisition is much easier for Golden State than it is for Portland. On top of that, Wiseman isn’t a plodding traditional center. He was seen as a modern day center similar to that of someone like Jaren Jackson or Evan Mobley.
Again, there aren't elite many elite centers these days and the few that are around have crappy teammates. You are not convincing me that if Shaq, Hakeem or Robinson were in their primes today and surrounded by decent teammates they wouldn't be contending. Yes the 3 has changed things, but so has the dearth of big man talent. If 6'8 230 lb Kevon Looney had to check Shaq, the Warriors would be making some roster moves. STOMP
Ask any Wolves fan, Wiggins wasn't thought of as an elite defender or anything close to that when he was traded for by the W's, nor was there anything easy about acquiring him. When they moved MeAngelo for him I had back and forths with several posters here who called him a lethargic sieve on D. Russell was acquired by sign and trading KD. From the outset he didn't fit their style of play at all as he's totally ball dominant iso type. Getting him was a huge gamble that they could move his massive contract down the line for a piece that fit better. Being well over the cap, they had no ability to sign FAs outside of MLEs so they took this uncharted circuitous route. They got Wiggins to buy in and dedicate himself to that end of the floor. That they got the Wolves #1 that turned into Jonathan Kuminga is looking like one of the biggest trade swindles in recent history. STOMP
7 foot centers these days are growing up shooting 3’s instead of working on their footwork. Shooting the long ball is all the rage these days with kids. Even the ones that should be dominating down low.
I think you're confusing what you believe with what NBA teams are actually doing. If you are talking a generic hypothetical player, I bet they'd take the bigger player every time if their skills are equal overall. This year's top picks will all be around 6'10" or taller. Next year's #1 pick will be 7'2".
Durant basically said this. When describing what a good NBA player has, he brought up size for the position
No, and once again, there is another article from the athletic - just yesterday - talking about how this is a wing and guard driven league. I am not talking about a generic hypothetical player. I’m talking about a specific hypothetical player. A traditional, big center ala Jokic, Gobert, Embiid vs a 2 way wing ala Giannis, LeBron, Durant, Kawhi. And yes, none of them are traditional centers. I don’t know why you’re bringing up height. Height has very little to do with position. Kevin Durant is 7’ and played small forward most of his career. Meanwhile PJ Tucker is 6’5 and plays PF. You’re also proving my point. What NBA teams are doing is avoiding players like Duren and Mark Williams in favor of perimeter oriented players. So I think you’re the one confusing what you believe with NBA teams are actually doing -> avoiding the big, traditional center in favor of multi dimensional guards and wings, which is exactly what Paolo, Chet and Davis are… along with next years projected #1 pick. None of these players are centers in the Dwight Howard mold (like Duren could be). If it would be easier for you, you could break it down to Guards, Frontcourt players and Centers in order to avoid the confusion of “wings” including SF/PF as traditional PFs are much more wings than they are post players nowadays. Someone actually made an interesting comparison the other day. In todays nba, Oden probably wouldn’t get selected #1 over Durant. That’s essentially what I’m referring to in the statement (in bold) above.
Duren is only 18. He is likely to improve immensely. Don't know that we have time to wait though. He is 4th realistic for me so I like some others more at #7.
Super frustrating playing ball these days when the biggest guy on the floor refuses to play in the paint, and instead keeps launching threes with better 3 point shooters standing there waiting for the pass.
For me it's more frustrating to watch a chucker like D'Angelo Russell taking more three-point shots than Karl-Anthony towns who shoots 41% on three pointers, the best for the team. My pet peeve is inefficient chucker guards throwing up more shots while the big man who is much more efficient gets fewer shots. Watching Minnesota just makes me mad. I'm not the only one because Russell is probably on his way out.
Wiseman might have been a better prospect then Duren coming out as he was bigger, but thats really about it. Based on a very small sample size James might be a better shooter. They were down Klay of course and Draymond was in and out during the short stint his rookie year constituted. The W's season expectations were low and Kerr pretty much gave him free reign. His BBIQ was widely criticized here in the Bay Area by fans and media but what do you expect from a guy who played a total of 3 games in college? Going into this season, Kerr spoke about limiting his role going forward to setting picks, rebounding & protecting the rim... sound familiar? No more shooting at the top of the key. I'm not sure what great other skills you're siting as he doesn't have some pet move to score with, isn't a great passer and doesn't seem to have much natural feel for the game. Hopefully his knee gets right and he enjoys a long career as I hate to see young guys go down early to injury. STOMP
https://theknickswall.com/knicks-2022-draft-profiles-jalen-duren-more-than-rim-running-big-man/ NY writer, but they specifically mention Portland as a good fit.
I think that if we draft Duren and Detroit is either not pursuing or unsuccessful in their pursuit of Ayton that we could see a sign and trade of Nurk and the Bucks 2025 FRP for Jeremi Grant.
