Should tweeners only play their bigger position?

[Blazer4ever]

How are the Warriors more effective, with Draymond as a SF or a PF?
I say PF and I think it's true for most tweeners. They are more effective playing smaller in their bigger position

 

[H.C.]

Until Pierce became old and unable to guard the 3 spot. He was better as a 3 than a 4.
Aldridge is better as a 4, than a 5.
Durant is better as a 3, than a 4.
Westbrick plays the 1, not the 2 due to inconsistent outside shooting.
KG was a more dominate 4 than a 5 until knee injuries sap'd his ability, to guard the 4 spot.
Kobe was a better 2, than a 3 until he got too old to guard the 2. One could argue Iverson was a better 1, than a 2.
Greek Freak is better initiating their offense, than he is off the ball. People were spazzing about his 1 skills last year.
Monroe is a better 4, than a 5.
Magic Johnson?????????


I really could keep going.
It depends on the player. It's not based off height, weight. It's based off being able to defend your position, or skill set of the player.

 

[riverman]

tweeners should stick to the missionary position

 

[Blazer4ever]

Until Pierce became old and unable to guard the 3 spot. He was better as a 3 than a 4.
Aldridge is better as a 4, than a 5.
Durant is better as a 3, than a 4.
Westbrick plays the 1, not the 2 due to inconsistent outside shooting.
KG was a more dominate 4 than a 5 until knee injuries sap'd his ability, to guard the 4 spot.
Kobe was a better 2, than a 3 until he got too old to guard the 2. One could argue Iverson was a better 1, than a 2.
Greek Freak is better initiating their offense, than he is off the ball. People were spazzing about his 1 skills last year.
Monroe is a better 4, than a 5.
Magic Johnson?????????


I really could keep going.
It depends on the player. It's not based off height, weight. It's based off being able to defend your position, or skill set of the player.

Maybe you're right. These are surely good examples although if you take out players who are better as PF than Centers you're left with much fewer examples.
Durant I don't think is a tweener, if he plays PF he's out of position. Westbrook needs the ball in his hands, he's not a SG.
But I guess you're right, there are other examples

 

[Pinwheel1]

I think it depends on the rest of the team and who else in on the floor with you. What does your team need most? Rebounding, outside shooting, additional ball handlers? IMO Lebron at SF is more effective if he has a PF who is better suited at spreading the floor. But Lebron would be better at a PF if his team has a dynamic outside shooting SF .

Personally I want as many skill players (who can dribble, pass, and shoot) on the floor as possible. And by "as possible" I mean as many as we can get away with and still play defensive.

Aminu I prefer at PF because his ball skills are good for a PF, but poor for a SF, and he is long enough to guard "most" PF's these days. Although Favors in game one will not be a good match up.

Crabbe I also think should play bigger as he is a below average ball handler at SG but average at SF.

ET on the other hand can move "down" from SF to SG, since his ball handling skills allow him to. But he should not move down to PG.

 

[BigGameDamian]

Back in the 70s and 80s the NBA didn't have tweeners and small ball. That's when defense was actually DEFENSE!

 

[Orion Bailey]

Back in the 70s and 80s the NBA didn't have tweeners and small ball. That's when defense was actually DEFENSE!

It's not that they played defense, it's that they sucked at dribbling on the go. It was all about passing. D looks great when your guy cant dribble around you with the ball and has to pass, and you know it.

 

[Boob-No-More]

It's not that they played defense, it's that they sucked at dribbling on the go. It was all about passing. D looks great when your guy cant dribble around you with the ball and has to pass, and you know it.

Arghhh....

You're both wrong. There were plenty of "tweeners" back then. Those great Lakers teams of the early 1970s ran a pair of tweeners in their backcourt with Gail Goodrich and Jerry West. It worked because the could both score and pass. The bigger West ran the point on offense and guarded the SG on the other end. Fucking Larry Bird was a classic tweener and spent the first 5 seasons of his career at PF until they got McHale and Bird moved down to SF. There are hundreds of examples of guys who were "tweeners" during the 1970s and 80s, many of them in the HOF. There always has been and always will be "tweeners". Not everyone fits the same mold.

And for christ's sake, he said the 70s and 80s, not just 1970. One grainy black and white clip from 1970 does not prove there were no good ball handlers during all of the 1970s and 1980s. Ever heard of a guy names Pete Maravich? What about Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, John Stockton, Isiah Thomas, JoJo White, Earl the Pearl Monroe, Tiny Archibald, etc. If you don't think guys in the 1970s and 1980s could driblle around and through defenders, you need to go back and watch a LOT more old footage.

BNM

 

[Chris Craig]

It depends on the player. I like that we have a lot of tweeners, it allows us to play a fast running game, while still being able to get back to defensive end. We do give up a bit at the defensive end, but what we lack in size, we make up for in scrappiness

 

[Orion Bailey]

Arghhh....

You're both wrong. There were plenty of "tweeners" back then. Those great Lakers teams of the early 1970s ran a pair of tweeners in their backcourt with Gail Goodrich and Jerry West. It worked because the could both score and pass. The bigger West ran the point on offense and guarded the SG on the other end. Fucking Larry Bird was a classic tweener and spent the first 5 seasons of his career at PF until they got McHale and Bird moved down to SF. There are hundreds of examples of guys who were "tweeners" during the 1970s and 80s, many of them in the HOF. There always has been and always will be "tweeners". Not everyone fits the same mold.

And for christ's sake, he said the 70s and 80s, not just 1970. One grainy black and white clip from 1970 does not prove there were no good ball handlers during all of the 1970s and 1980s. Ever heard of a guy names Pete Maravich? What about Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, John Stockton, Isiah Thomas, JoJo White, Earl the Pearl Monroe, Tiny Archibald, etc. If you don't think guys in the 1970s and 1980s could dribble around and through defenders, you need to go back and watch a LOT more old footage.

BNM

Ill adm,it, I did dismiss the 80's. but that's where guys like Jordan and Thomas made dribbling around defenders a norm over passing.

Sure there were the Marovich's, but they were very far and few between. How many crossovers have you seen in footage between 1970-1980? Today if you don't have a legit crossover, your probably not making it in the NBA as a guard. Dribbling is MUCH more prevalent in today's game than it was from the 70's and earlier.
Personally, I like a bit of both. Good dribbling on the go with good passing makes for exciting games. Back then it was all about how to pass the ball to the guy under the hoop. Again, pre 80's, Jordan era ball.

Also, I'm not disputing the tweener point, just that Defense was much different then than it is now.

 

[H.C.]

Jason Kidd(before he could shoot)
Jason Terry
Vince Carter(once he could shoot)
Parsons
Batum
Harkless
Paul George
Jimmy Butler
Klay Thompson
Jeremy Lamb
Kyle Korver
LBJ
Shawn Marion
Ibaka

If they can play, tweener or not. Then play them.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Also, I'm not disputing the tweener point, just that Defense was much different then than it is now.

Yes, but I think that has more to do with the rules than the talent. Back then, there were no zone defenses (against the rules) and hand checking was allowed. Of course guys blow by defenders with ease these days. Defenders aren't allowed to touch them. It makes the ball handlers look great, but that's because the defenders are basically playing with their hands tied behind their backs (compared to what it used to be like).

Not claiming one way is better than the other, just different.

BNM

 

[H.C.]

One of the ultimate Tweeners that I ever watched in person or on tv was.~
Uncle Cliffy.
Played 7 seasons at SF, 9-10 seasons at PF, and 3-4 seasons at C.
Where was he best at? Who knows. But he was on the court that much is certain.

 

[Strenuus]

Back in the 70s and 80s the NBA didn't have tweeners and small ball. That's when defense was actually DEFENSE!

And I bet the GM's fell in love with those players. BAD GMs, BAD!

 

[GriLtCheeZ]

It depends on the teams available personnel.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Arghhh....

Fucking Larry Bird was a classic tweener and spent the first 5 seasons of his career at PF until they got McHale and Bird moved down to SF.

BNM

Not to nit pick because you were on a roll.......but Boston got McHale (and Parrish) before Bird's 2nd season in the NBA.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Not to nit pick because you were on a roll.......but Boston got McHale (and Parrish) before Bird's 2nd season in the NBA.

Yep, what I should have said it was before BOS moved McHale into the starting line up. He was initially their 6th man, with Bird starting at PF next to Cornbread Maxwell at SF.

It's interesting that Bird won MVP awards and NBA championships while playing both PF and SF. How's that for a tweener!

BNM