A simple question looking for a simple answer...
by AllThatJazzBasketball on Aug 24, 2010 4:17 PM MDT
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As of August 24th, 2010 our center rotation for the upcoming season is Al Jefferson (who is a PF) and Mehmet Okur (a converted PF coming off of what used to be a career ending injury). These two guys (even at 100% strength) -- neither of them a 7 footer -- aren't going to help improve the Jazz interior defense. We have little money left, and I don't expect the Jazz to make another trade this summer. Filling out this need (at the very least, another warm body) will most likely be achieved through free agency. According to NBA.com's 2010 Free Agent Tracker at the start of free agency there were 31 centers on the table. (17 more if you click on Forward-Center) The people remaining after nearly 2 months of free agency are: Earl Barron, Josh Boone, Primoz Brezec, Jarron Collins, Francisco Elson, Kyrylo Fesenko, Chris Hunter, Steven Hunter, Ian Mahinmi, Sean Marks, D.J. Mbenga, Randolph Morris, Rasho Nesterovic, Fabricio Oberto, Patrick O'Bryant, Oleksiy Pecherov (who just injured his shooting hand), Brian Skinner, Joe Smith, and Etan Thomas.
Very few of those guys are 7 foot, and even fewer are good players. Any list where Jarron Collins starts to look half-bad (as opposed to his regular full-awful) is a bad list.
Where do the Jazz turn? Feel free to elaborate in the comments section. This data is important for me, so I can finish my epic 5000+ word tome on the center spot and the Jazz this upcoming season.
Thanks!
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I heard something to that effect,
but i’m going with what’s straight up on the nba.com website
Follow me on Twitter: AllThatAmar
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by AllThatJazzBasketball on Aug 24, 2010 4:51 PM MDT up reply actions
Give me a big named ART!
Artsiom Parakhouski! A good rebounder in the NCAA is almost always a good rebounder in the NBA. Had some great games against some big time centers in the NCAA. He’s 6-11 and built like a rock! You could bring him into training camp, and sign him for the minimum. He will at least be as good as Fes, and he will be cheaper!
by dignan@sportscavelive on Aug 24, 2010 4:54 PM MDT reply actions
I voted Fes
because we need one more in the rotation, but getting another 7 footer just to have a 7 footer would be pointless. There are plenty of 7 foot tall guys who don’t play offense or defense, and many of them are on that list. The important thing is to have a 7 footer with some actual basketball skills.
That being said, I think Al’s defense is WAY under rated. A number of NBA scouts have been quoted as saying that he plays average-to-slightly above average defense for his position. Plus he averages more blocks in a game than Boozer would get in a week and I would argue that blocks, at the C and PF positions, translates to hustle more than steals. Considering the fact that he’s only 25 and most young players don’t show real defensive effort until their mid/late 20’s, I’d say there isn’t much to worry about.
Lets see
The only standard I could think of would be to look at past NBA Champion Centers. I mean, that is the whole point of our existence…..to win it all.
2010 – Lakers – Andrew Bynum 7ft 285lbs 15pts 8reb 1.4blk
2009 – Lakers – Andrew Bynum 7ft 285lbs 14pts 8reb 1.8blk
2008 – Celtics – Kendrick Perkins 6’10 280lbs 7pts 6reb 1.5blk
2007 – Spurs – Combo of Oberto 6’10 245lbs – 4pts 4reb .3blk and Elson 7ft 235lbs – 5pts 5reb .8blk
2006 – Heat – Shaquille O’Neal – 7’1 300lbs – 20pts 9reb 1.8blk
2005 – Spurs – Rasho Nesterovic – 7ft 255lbs – 6pts 6reb 1.7blk
So 5 of the last 6 Champions had a 7ft Center.
I would have loved to sign Rasho Nesterovic but he has signed with Olympiacos in Greece.
DJ Mbenga would be a big body 7ft 255lbs to throw in the middle. He has plenty of experience and can block shots.
Patrick O’Bryant is a young 7ft 250lbs guy with long arms who could block plenty of shots.
But I have to think Fesenko is our best option. He knows our system, we have invested time and money in him, and he is a very big dude. He got some very valuable experience in the playoffs.
"One of the teams asked me a running back question," McCluster said. "They said when you have the ball, do you focus on the guy who's in front of you or the next guy.
"I told them 99% of the time, I'm going to make that first guy miss. Then, I'm onto the next."
Fes and Mahinmi
(if Ian really is available. I’ve also heard he’s on the Mavs)
They are both cheap and don’t need long contracts. Fes knows the system and Mahinmi has tons of potential as an athletic 7fter.
If not that, I’d go Fes and Boom Tho from training camp. I really wanna see what Boom can do in the NBA.
For the Love of the Game
Stockton to Malone- The perfect combination!!
"I think he just said, 'Oh my Gosh,' or whatever they say in Provo."- ESPN talking about QB. Max Hall after BYU defeated third ranked Oklahoma (2009).
MonSTARZ forever!
Boom was trying out for some team in a korean league last i heard
(from his twitter acct)
Follow me on Twitter: AllThatAmar
Check out: slcdunk.com
E-Mail me at: allthatjazzbasketball@hotmail.com
Really, I'm totally not lonely or anything . . .
by AllThatJazzBasketball on Aug 24, 2010 6:47 PM MDT up reply actions
Oberto
I think he’d be the best pick up out of those guys. he has championship experience.
I dont care for fesenko, we need more than just a body in the middle.
Big Al is better than any of the alternatives
The last thing the Jazz need to do is get a 7 footer just because he is a 7 footer. Size is very important in the NBA, but do you know what trumps size, talent. Bill Russell wasn’t a 7 footer and he is best center in history. Though the Dream was listed at 7’0" but he was said to only be about 6’10". Ben Wallace did play center for the ‘04 Pistons last time I checked. Moses Malone was pretty good too. Even this last year if the Celtics’ 6’10" center can go in game 7 there is no way the Lakers win the title. I would love to have a second coming of Mark Eaton in the middle for the Jazz, but so would almost every other team in the league. The truth is that the NBA currently doesn’t have a lot of good quality 7 foot centers. Look around the league and the best true 7 foot centers in the league are Yao, when healthy, Bynum, Bogut, Kaman, and maybe Marc Gasol. Maybe you could also count Pau Gasol and Tim Duncan as Centers, though their own teams don’t. Basically there aren’t many dominant 7 foot centers in the league. The problem for the Jazz is that the Lakers happen to have two of them (and our 6’11" center has been out the last two years when we met in the playoffs.) There are some ok 7 footers out there like Haywood and Chandler, but big Al and Memo are better than those guys. Oh yeah, the best center in the NBA right now is 6’11". Of the playoff teams last year only the Lakers, Dallas, Thunder, Cavs, and Jazz started 7 foot centers in the playoffs. The Jazz didn’t do it by choice. The Cavs and Thunder were both better without their 7 foot centers on the court. That leaves Dallas who were a 2 seed that got knocked out by a team with a 6’10" center with bad knees and the Lakers. The Lakers are very good and their 7 footers up front cause a lot of problems for opposing teams. The dirty little secret with the champion Lakers is that they play down the stretch of ball games with Odom and Gasol, leaving their biggest 7 footer on the bench to get mins for a 6’10" forward. So I guess even the biggest team in the league goes with talent over size. So Big Al might not be 7 feet tall but he is still have good size and more importantly he does have a lot of talent.
Agreed
I agree that Big Al is better than anyone else immediately available. He has the potential to be solid both offensively and defensively with hard work and good coaching. My biggest concern at the C position for the Jazz is depth. I earnestly believe that the Jazz should move forward as though Memo will not be available for the season. He very well could be back for at least part of the season, but coming off such a serious injury, his availability, strength and conditioning are in serious doubt. If the team moves forward planning to play without him, its looses nothing if he isn’t back up to speed this season but gains tons if he does come back.
As such, depth is a big issue at the C position. Without Memo, the Jazz only have Al under contract. IMO, bring back Fes (he knows the system and the Jazz know him) but don’t stop there. More needs to happen, via trade, D-league, whatever. Louis Amundson would be nice, but it looks like he will sign elsewhere, nor am I sure he wants to come back to Utah.
All these scenarios are really biding time until Memo is back at full strength…or until the Jazz make a bigger trade. Another possibility is that the Jazz patiently wait to see who is available at the trade deadline. If things are rough in New Orleans, might Ameka Okafor be available? He’s not a freaky shot blocker, nor is he that 7 footer everybody wants, but he is solid defensively, and whether he plays beside Al or ’Sap or AK or Memo (depending of course on who is traded away) he could be that interior presence that allows weak-side help D to wreak havoc on the opposition (something the Jazz are generally good at). Additionally, he would add another good rebounder to the front line.
I may be crazy, but another possibility would be Thabeet in Memphis. Without the pressure of being the 2nd overall pick or needing to score, he could provide something for opposing teams to think twice about before entering the lane. He still needs tons of work (an understatement), but the defensive potential is definitely there.
The Wizards will be looking to trade Erick Dampier
He is older but would definately be a defensive upgrade.
"One of the teams asked me a running back question," McCluster said. "They said when you have the ball, do you focus on the guy who's in front of you or the next guy.
"I told them 99% of the time, I'm going to make that first guy miss. Then, I'm onto the next."
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