Your guess for who will be our starting center next year

I need to see more. In the MIA series, they were without Whiteside and Bosh. Their biggest starter was Luol Deng who has been a SF most of his career. Their best "post presence" was Josh McRoberts. McBob is a crafty passer and floor spacer, but rim protector comes in dead last in his strengths column.

Biyombo has been in the NBA for five seasons now. He was a starter his first two seasons in CHA and put up very Vonlehesque numbers. This is really the first time in five full seasons Biyombo has shown flashes of being anything better than slightly below average.

Still, you could say the EXACT came things about Chief until last years playoffs with DAL.

So, the questions become, has Biyombo finally turned a corner, or is this a temporary blip? Is he really big enough to be a starting center in the Western Conference, or is he destined to be a career backup (which he is in TOR when Valanciunas) and if he is, how much are you willing to pay him to be your backup center, because he can't really play PF in today's NBA?

BNM

 

Playing devils advocate....

He does have the same standing reach as Dwight, and a longer wing span.
One inch shorter than Whiteside's....but he seems to be a better leaper at this point than both.....

 

He is a good weak side help defender, but he's not a good man-to-man defender against bigger centers. At least not yet. He has the physical tools, but doesn't seem to have a feel for post defense. He goes for a lot of fakes and is often out of position.

BNM

 

I agree, I am just saying he is big enough. As they say ...."you don't play defense with the top of your head".
He has a taller standing reach than Bogut, Adams, Towns.......

 

why not Whiteside AND Horford?

 

Because the CBA isn't written by toddlers.

 

It's going to be Dwight Howard and this forum is going to implode.

 

I think it's possible. Gotta persuade them that if they both come that Blazers will be contender. That Horford will be at his natural position of PF. My only question is if Horford can play defense as a PF in the new smaller, quicker NBA?

 

It's possible, would require renouncing Harkless and Leonard and trading Davis, although if they would each take about 1.5 million less each year maybe could do it by trading Vonleh instead of renouncing Harkless.

 

I think he can, but I think it negates one of the main reasons you try to sign him - his pick and roll defense. In today's NBA, most teams (at least most good teams) run a high pick and roll with the center being the one setting most of the high picks. It is the stretch 4's job to create space. If you have Horford guarding stretch 4s, he's no longer involved in the bulk of the pick and rolls you're trying to stop.

Whiteside is a better rim protector, at least in terms of weakside help defense, but an inferior pick and roll defender. If you let Horford guard the other teams 5, to take advantage of his stellar pick and roll defense, you have Whiteside chasing stretch 4s and that completely negates his biggest strength.

Horford and Whiteside would work well together on offense, but pairing then together on defense would be a waste of one, or the other's, biggest strength.

BNM

 

That's a good point and I guess it would be really difficult for the two to switch off depending whether there was a postup or pick and roll. Although if Horford got posted up on a play that started as a pick and roll; couldn't Whiteside come over and help; isn't that his strength, help defense? I'm not knowledgeable enough to know how it would work, but isn't there some way to make it work?

 

Horford is actually an excellent low post defender, but even if he wasn't, it wouldn't make sense to send Whiteside to help as that would leave the other team's stretch 4 unguarded at the 3-point line.

Usually, when you double in the low post, it's a guard or SF, whoever is closest, who comes down to try to strip the ball from behind.

Again, Horford and Whiteside together on defense would not fully utilize their individual strengths. One, or the other, will be playing out of position.

BNM

 

Horford is beyond perfect for us.

Sigh.

 

Yep, he would be the perfect fit for us on both ends. My birthday s July 1, I don't normally ask for much, but...

BNM

 

OK, how about Horford and Mahimni? Same problem?

 

The Raptors are going to be in a predicament this summer.

Some team will give Biz the max - do they match or let him walk?

Who starts -- Valanciunas or Bismack? Neither can play PF. Their skillsets (offensively) don't mesh at all. It'd be like the Clippers trying to get away with DeAndre and Cole Aldrich playing together.

 

Yeah, in that scenario, Horford would start and Mahimni would back him up.

I don't get the idea of moving Horford to PF. He's been a center his entire 9-year NBA career, and a damn good one (4-time all star). Why move him to a different position at this point in his career, especially with the way the NBA game has evolved over the last five or six years? He's the PERFECT center for today's NBA. Why give that up and expect him to play out of position?

If we are lucky enough to get him (please, oh please, oh please) take full advantage of his unique skill set and continue to play him at the position where he is most effective. He's not LaMarcus Aldridge. He has never complained about being forced to play center. He plays it and plays it well. Again if we are lucky enough to get him, pair him with a stretch 4 and we are good to go. Those are a lot easier to find, and cheaper, than a great 2-way center.

BNM

 

Yep, which is why I think Olshey goes for one of Biyombo are Aldrich (assuming we have no shot at Horford or Whiteside), exactly the same way he went hard after Enes Kanter last summer.

He forced OKC to make Steven Adam's backup a max contract player. He currently makes as much as Russel Westbrook. They matched, but will be in serious luxury tax trouble if they hope to re-sign Durant and Westbrook. Given their history of going cheap, I think Olshey may have prevented a possible dynasty in OKC at the same time our guys will be in their prime. It was a great chess move - thinking several moves ahead.

If we strike out on Horford and Whiteside, look for him to force LAC's or TOR's hand.

BNM

 

Sure we can afford it, but should we?

 

Neither team has matching options on those two centers and already have their starting centers locked up. You aren't really forcing their hand by offering Aldrich or Biyombo a huge contract. More likely you eat that contract and the contracts have a decent chance of being albatrosses.

An idea that I have heard and agree with would be to overpay guys on 1 or 2 year deals. So for example, instead of offering Biyombo a 4 year 60 million contract, offer him 2 years and 40 million. The idea is that you are overpaying him for the next two years but it doesn't matter as much because the cap is increasing, and their contracts come off the books the year that the cap is supposed to come back down so that they don't become burdens. For the player, it offers them some sort of assurance going forward while also allowing them to bet on themselves to an extent. And let's be honest, young players tend to be more risk seeking, especially if they're going somewhere where they are going to be gifted a starting position.

The bad thing about these types of contracts is that the team won't have bird rights when the contract expires. Although that may or may not be as important depending on what happens during the CBA negotiations in the next year.