The Center Position: Whaddya wanna do?

[theprunetang]

I never thought I would say this, but I am leaning towards keeping Leonard. He should only play minutes at center though. Yes, he is passive sometimes on offense. Yes, he makes some dumb plays. I think he can still improve on that. I liked what I saw this year as a defender at the center position, and even with his short comings, he is a much more capable offensive player than anyone else that we have. And it would give us one more guy who can space the floor. Also, his passing is pretty underrated. He started the year terribly, so that left a pretty bad taste in our mouths, but he got better throughout the season. Bigs take a bit longer to develop. I wouldn't be shocked to see him come back and eventually be our starting center. Feel free to hate on this, as I can understand all of the reasons not to bring him back. But, after witnessing what olshey did this last off season, I have full trust in his choices. If he goes or stays, it will most likely be the correct decision.

 

[Scalma]

Whiteside is a better, cheaper, and younger version of Howard. I'd go after him first of the two.

My first option is still DeRozan.

 

[theprunetang]

Whiteside is a better, cheaper, and younger version of Howard. I'd go after him first of the two.

My first option is still DeRozan.

I can respect that. But, I am on the "hell no" sideof the fence (yes, that is a side now) on Derozan. Let Hendo start and take 20 shots a game and you have pretty similar player.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Whiteside is a better, cheaper, and younger version of Howard. I'd go after him first of the two.

My first option is still DeRozan.

I'm not sure I want any version of Howard, to be honest. And DeRozan is a tin star manufactured by the league. If he goes to Portland, and loses his FT shooting, he's basically worthless for the price we'd pay.

 

[Scalma]

I can respect that. But, I am on the "hell no" sideof the fence (yes, that is a side now) on Derozan. Let Hendo start and take 20 shots a game and you have pretty similar player.

Except derozan gets to the line literally twice as much as Henderson ever did when he was a starter in Charlotte. And derozans numbers would be more efficient playing under Stotts and alongside dame and cj. He would give Portland an "easy" 20 points every night.

 

[Scalma]

And DeRozan is a tin star manufactured by the league. If he goes to Portland, and loses his FT shooting, he's basically worthless for the price we'd pay.

Derozan always got to the line even when Toronto was irrelevant.

 

[Denny Crane]

I'd play Leonard at C. I think he can shoot the 3 ball and defend & rebound at the other end.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Derozan always got to the line even when Toronto was irrelevant.

Everyone's FT rate drops when they come to Portland. You can't acquire a guy who lives on the line and expect him to do well. I'd rather acquire a guy known for hitting shots.

 

[Scalma]

I'd play Leonard at C. I think he can shoot the 3 ball and defend & rebound at the other end.

I don't think he can do 2 of those 3 things. He still doesn't know how to box out a defender. Plumlee is a better rebounder than him. His defense isn't that good either. Think his success there against certain guys is a fluke. You also forgot to mention rim protection, of which he offers zero

 

[Hobbesarable]

I don't think he can do 2 of those 3 things. He still doesn't know how to box out a defender. Plumlee is a better rebounder than him. His defense isn't that good either. Think his success there against certain guys is a fluke. You also forgot to mention rim protection, of which he offers zero

I have not seen his defensive awareness improve since he was drafted. He looked lost during a lot of their defensive rotations.

On the offensive side, he's not much better. Opposing teams can put their worst wing defender on him and pressure by merely moving towards him. The Clippers did it with a broken down Paul Pierce during the regular season.

 

[PDXFonz]

I'd look to get Al Jefferson on a favorable contract (He's at the point in his career where he might be looking to pull a David West), and play him backup minutes or starting at times for matchup purposes. Solid post work, just what we need...but not all the time, so I think a backup role would work great for both parties.

Would make our team very dynamic without really taking too much away from our current situation.

Keep Plumlee as our starter, he works great in our system with his athleticism, passing, and high BBIQ.

Look to make a change at the 3 and slide aminu to the 4. Or keep aminu at the 3 and get a solid 4.

 

[PCmor7]

I seem to remember hearing his name before but don't know anything about him. However, watching this video would be enough to make him the starter on this current roster.

Vesely was a pretty highly-rated international prospect a few years ago when it looked like he was going to be a small forward, but he didn't pan out with the Wizards. I didn't remember him being this big, though.

 

[PCmor7]

for me the lesson from this GS series is that we can't have our C's be so offensively inept unless they are a very serious defensive force. Mason would make a very good off the bench C

It's all in the matchups and the combinations. Early last offseason, there was talk about the Blazers resigning Aldridge and bringing in Greg Monroe after they signed Aminu and traded for Henderson. While not a Monroe fan, I thought this made sense, because the Blazers had acquired a couple of guys who could matchup defensively with the Warriors' and Thunder's top two scorers and, in addition to having Dame, the Blazers would have a huge advantage in scoring at the 4-5 with LA and Monroe over GS or OKC.

Even if Aldridge had just resigned, with the way CJ had emerged, the Blazers would have created all kinds of issues for the Warriors, because the Blazers backcourt could come close to matching GS point for point, but LA was capable of outscoring the Warrior frontcourt almost by himself -- granted, that was before Green took up his shooting a notch, but you have to wonder how much he could devote to offense if he was trying to guard Aldridge most of the game.

 

[MickZagger]

I like Plumlee and all, but we need some kind of post presence offensively. Being able to kick it down to a guy who at least is capable of creating down low, would open up so much more for our guards. The fact we got this far with virtually no low post presence is remarkable. Horford would be nice if attainable. Heck, I'd even take Al Jeff.

 

[PCmor7]

Or keep aminu at the 3 and get a solid 4.

If you can't get a true center, this might be the best route. I think Vonleh might eventually fill that role, but it would take a quantum leap for him to be even average next year. Power forward has been such a revolving door this season ... you don't need a guy to carry the team, you just need someone who has to be respected. I like Harkless, but he's a bit too inconsistent yet, and the Blazers are so undersized at three of the other four spots that I would feel better if we had someone who didn't always need defensive help in the post.

 

[BBert]

I never thought I would say this, but I am leaning towards keeping Leonard. He should only play minutes at center though. Yes, he is passive sometimes on offense. Yes, he makes some dumb plays. I think he can still improve on that. I liked what I saw this year as a defender at the center position, and even with his short comings, he is a much more capable offensive player than anyone else that we have. And it would give us one more guy who can space the floor. Also, his passing is pretty underrated. He started the year terribly, so that left a pretty bad taste in our mouths, but he got better throughout the season. Bigs take a bit longer to develop. I wouldn't be shocked to see him come back and eventually be our starting center. Feel free to hate on this, as I can understand all of the reasons not to bring him back. But, after witnessing what olshey did this last off season, I have full trust in his choices. If he goes or stays, it will most likely be the correct decision.

I agree completely.

 

[PCmor7]

I like Plumlee and all, but we need some kind of post presence offensively. Being able to kick it down to a guy who at least is capable of creating down low, would open up so much more for our guards. The fact we got this far with virtually no low post presence is remarkable. Horford would be nice if attainable. Heck, I'd even take Al Jeff.

I don't think Jefferson would be a good fit because he is one of the biggest black holes in the league. Dame, CJ, Aminu, Henderson ... all are scorers before they are passers, sometime much more scorers than passers. As such, it's hard to see them as primary facilitators, IMO. That's why Batum was the main guy on entry feeds the last couple of years; Dame and Wes looked shot first. You need someone who can pass, and that's what makes removing Plumlee from the starting lineup is you probably have to change another position, too, to replace his ability to involve guys in the offense and keep the ball moving.

So you might be better off acquiring a 4 who can be an interior scoring threat, a strong body when fighting for position inside and a solid rebounder ... like I mentioned above, just a guy who can be consistent. That would definitely make the Blazers better. If you take out Plumlee, you might have to completely readdress the small forward spot.

This is why Vesely intrigues me. He can dribble and pass and he can shoot. I question whether he's even as good a rebounder or defender as Plumlee, though. I suspect he's not, and the Blazers need at least a willing, physical guy at the 5, and Plumlee, even if he doesn't have the bulk to battle the elite centers, at least will sacrifice his body and try.

 

[oldmangrouch]

We don't need to replace Plumlee - we just need someone to compliment him. I would be perfectly happy if we had a Joel Pryz type guy to be a rim-protector/enforcer to split time with him.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

We don't need to replace Plumlee - we just need someone to compliment him. I would be perfectly happy if we had a Joel Pryz type guy to be a rim-protector/enforcer to split time with him.

Yeah but... I'd like more than three people on the court to be a threat from 6 feet out...

 

[BigGameDamian]

AL fucking Horford!!

 

[oldmangrouch]

Yeah but... I'd like more than three people on the court to be a threat from 6 feet out...

We have 3?

Seriously - I can live with Plums as our designated non-scorer because of his passing. Having Harkless and Aminu on the floor together makes my stomach ache.

 

[Sarni]

I think there is a center to be had from Philly this offseason.
Okafor. He might be a project defensively. But if teams are going to hard double Lillard, Okafor is a player who you could rely on to take advantage of that.

Davis/Crabbe + a 1st rd pick would prolly get it done.
Make it happen Neil.

He's a very talented post threat but a bit suspect defensively, not a good rebounder either. His price will be higher than that too, I'd expect Philly to ask for McCollum which is a no go to me.

Maybe Blazers should actually try to get Embiid. He should finally be fit to play next season and is still young enough to make an impact in the league. His price should not be too high all things considered.

 

[H.C.]

He's a very talented post threat but a bit suspect defensively, not a good rebounder either. His price will be higher than that too, I'd expect Philly to ask for McCollum which is a no go to me.

Maybe Blazers should actually try to get Embiid. He should finally be fit to play next season and is still young enough to make an impact in the league. His price should not be too high all things considered.

Welcome to the forum!

I mentioned Okafor because I have a couple friends who are lifttime sixer fans. According to them, the sixers are super high on Embiid. They believe he's a superstar in the making and the sixers would rather keep Embiid/Noel. Than Okafor.
Also he's 20, he should improve defensively. With that Roster I think it shows how good Noel is defensively rather how bad Okafor is.

 

[Sarni]

Welcome to the forum!

I mentioned Okafor because I have a couple friends who are lifttime sixer fans. According to them, the sixers are super high on Embiid. They believe he's a superstar in the making and the sixers would rather keep Embiid/Noel. Than Okafor.
Also he's 20, he should improve defensively. With that Roster I think it shows how good Noel is defensively rather how bad Okafor is.

Hello, nice to be here, been looking at forum for a while before I decided to register. Due to 9-hour time difference (I'm posting from Poland which is like two letters away from Portland but a gazillion miles afar) I will probably be posting in what seems like the middle of the night for the rest on here. BTW as opposed to my picture I'm a Blazers fan, not a Bucks fan (the buck is reference to my family name from FB account).

I agree that at 20 he still has time on his side. His offensive play is pretty much there, not much polish needed to be added to be 'there'. On the defensive side he's not THAT bad. Personally I'd rather have him than Noel as I believe Okafor will find it easier to improve the D than Noel will find it to add offensive play to his repertoire. At least one of Philly's bigs will be available this window I believe and Blazers should have a go at whoever is made available. Okafor might be likely to be available for a trade but I fear that the price might get high here, especially if Boston come into picture (although I'd expect Boston to go hard for Horford and Whiteside and if they don't come, go all in for Cousins with Howard also in the picture). As I said, offensively Okafor would be a great choice and would have exactly the role you mentioned, a go to man when Lillard and CJ are not hitting it from the perimeter. Ideally you'd want to get a defensively solid 4 if you got Okafor. Imagine if Blazers got Millsap to go with Okafor... It's a pipedream.

 

[Strenuus]

Hello, nice to be here, been looking at forum for a while before I decided to register. Due to 9-hour time difference (I'm posting from Poland which is like two letters away from Portland but a gazillion miles afar) I will probably be posting in what seems like the middle of the night for the rest on here. BTW as opposed to my picture I'm a Blazers fan, not a Bucks fan (the buck is reference to my family name from FB account).

I agree that at 20 he still has time on his side. His offensive play is pretty much there, not much polish needed to be added to be 'there'. On the defensive side he's not THAT bad. Personally I'd rather have him than Noel as I believe Okafor will find it easier to improve the D than Noel will find it to add offensive play to his repertoire. At least one of Philly's bigs will be available this window I believe and Blazers should have a go at whoever is made available. Okafor might be likely to be available for a trade but I fear that the price might get high here, especially if Boston come into picture (although I'd expect Boston to go hard for Horford and Whiteside and if they don't come, go all in for Cousins with Howard also in the picture). As I said, offensively Okafor would be a great choice and would have exactly the role you mentioned, a go to man when Lillard and CJ are not hitting it from the perimeter. Ideally you'd want to get a defensively solid 4 if you got Okafor. Imagine if Blazers got Millsap to go with Okafor... It's a pipedream.

Welcome! Enjoying your insight!

 

[H.C.]

Hello, nice to be here, been looking at forum for a while before I decided to register. Due to 9-hour time difference (I'm posting from Poland which is like two letters away from Portland but a gazillion miles afar) I will probably be posting in what seems like the middle of the night for the rest on here. BTW as opposed to my picture I'm a Blazers fan, not a Bucks fan (the buck is reference to my family name from FB account).

I agree that at 20 he still has time on his side. His offensive play is pretty much there, not much polish needed to be added to be 'there'. On the defensive side he's not THAT bad. Personally I'd rather have him than Noel as I believe Okafor will find it easier to improve the D than Noel will find it to add offensive play to his repertoire. At least one of Philly's bigs will be available this window I believe and Blazers should have a go at whoever is made available. Okafor might be likely to be available for a trade but I fear that the price might get high here, especially if Boston come into picture (although I'd expect Boston to go hard for Horford and Whiteside and if they don't come, go all in for Cousins with Howard also in the picture). As I said, offensively Okafor would be a great choice and would have exactly the role you mentioned, a go to man when Lillard and CJ are not hitting it from the perimeter. Ideally you'd want to get a defensively solid 4 if you got Okafor. Imagine if Blazers got Millsap to go with Okafor... It's a pipedream.

Personally I'm not sure if I'd go after Millsap along with Okafor.
I like what I've seen from Plumlee when put in a play-making position at the FT line. He just needs to develop the ability to hit a 15-18ft jumper.
I think that a lineup of Okafor/Plumlee and Okafor/Nards would fit pretty well. I believe both Plumlee and Nards would complement the low post skills of Okafor.
Defensively might come into question if teams decide to attack Nards/Okafor. But Aminu could slide up to the 4 if it's needed and one of the three bigs I mentioned could sit.

 

[oldmangrouch]

Welcome to the forum!

I mentioned Okafor because I have a couple friends who are lifttime sixer fans. According to them, the sixers are super high on Embiid. They believe he's a superstar in the making and the sixers would rather keep Embiid/Noel. Than Okafor.
Also he's 20, he should improve defensively. With that Roster I think it shows how good Noel is defensively rather how bad Okafor is.

That's kind of odd. 6 months ago the team was calling Embiid out for half-assing his rehab. There were stories that he could have played this season if he had taken rehab seriously.

 

[Sarni]

Personally I'm not sure if I'd go after Millsap along with Okafor.
I like what I've seen from Plumlee when put in a play-making position at the FT line. He just needs to develop the ability to hit a 15-18ft jumper.
I think that a lineup of Okafor/Plumlee and Okafor/Nards would fit pretty well. I believe both Plumlee and Nards would complement the low post skills of Okafor.
Defensively might come into question if teams decide to attack Nards/Okafor. But Aminu could slide up to the 4 if it's needed and one of the three bigs I mentioned could sit.

Trouble is that when you have both Okafor and Plumlee in the line up you have zero threat from the perimeter from either of them so it might be tough to stretch the field even though there are two great shooters at guard positions. Neither of Okafor and Plumlee even has it in them to develop a 3-point shooter, both are not very efficient from the mid-range (though Okafor has developed his jumper this season) and Plumlee's offense is generally limited. If we were to keep Plumlee at 5 then the power forward should be someone with the ability to stretch and score from most areas of the court. If we're using Plumlee at PF then I admit, if he develops a 15-18ft jumper he'd be a terrific option - but that's a huge massive IF considering that his shooting has been his weakness.

Leonard stretches the floor well but he doesn't offer much aside from shooting and even at that he's only truly efficient when he gets some space. If the price is right I'd be leaning towards keeping him and giving him another year to develop but it's hard to trust him as a main option at 4 and even more so at C. He's different than Vonleh and all centers though, basically the only true stretch 4 at Portland now and I think moving for someone like Williams and Leuer would be a bit of a sideways move anyway, so unless he gets a great offer from another team, I reckon keeping him should be an option.

Millsap is the perfect choice for me. If Blazers got him then I'm not sure there's even a need to change much at the center position as you'd have scoring from the other 4 players plus Millsap would add defence and ability to play near the basket. I'm finding it hard to believe that Portland will be able to lure him away from Atlanta now though. Horford is the Hawks player that is a possibility due to his contract status and I think he'd like to play as PF but he'll a) get a lot of other teams after him, b) a good offer from Atlanta. Besides if he goes beyond $20m then it's getting to expensive for a 30-year old player. Failing to get any of them I'd start looking at players like Okafor who might be available, providing they are priced well. Ability wise Cousins would be a match but I have doubts about his character (even though I don't mind cocky players) plus his price would likely require Blazers to trade both Plumlee and McCollum and probably throw some more. Too much. There;s really no need to rebuild the whole team, just add key elements.

 

[BBert]

Sounds like Okafor and Leonard might be a good combo.

 

[H.C.]

That's kind of odd. 6 months ago the team was calling Embiid out for half-assing his rehab. There were stories that he could have played this season if he had taken rehab seriously.

Yeah the reports were he wasn't taking rehab seriously or telling doctors how he really felt.
Then Colangelo came out and said "No one's rushing him back there's no reason to. The goal and objective at the start of next season is to do everything we can do to get him in the best position to be successful. Because if he can hold up and he's OK, he's a game changer. It's going to take him a while to get re-acclimated because he hasn't played. But this guy is worthy of a lot of time and effort. I'm upbeat about the possibilities. I really am," said Colangelo.

http://www.hngn.com/articles/170043...-embiid-has-no-chance-to-play-this-season.htm

This isn't even bringing up Saric or Simmons(if they can draft him).
With Colangelo bringing up "destination" talk, someone is getting traded sooner rather than later. Especially with the Rumors that surfaced in March.
They don't think Embiid/Okafor can play together. If Embiid is healthy rumors are they want to move Okafor.(no it's not just cbs that reported this)
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on...still-look-to-trade-jahlil-okafor-this-summer

Trouble is that when you have both Okafor and Plumlee in the line up you have zero threat from the perimeter from either of them so it might be tough to stretch the field even though there are two great shooters at guard positions. Neither of Okafor and Plumlee even has it in them to develop a 3-point shooter, both are not very efficient from the mid-range (though Okafor has developed his jumper this season) and Plumlee's offense is generally limited. If we were to keep Plumlee at 5 then the power forward should be someone with the ability to stretch and score from most areas of the court. If we're using Plumlee at PF then I admit, if he develops a 15-18ft jumper he'd be a terrific option - but that's a huge massive IF considering that his shooting has been his weakness.

Leonard stretches the floor well but he doesn't offer much aside from shooting and even at that he's only truly efficient when he gets some space. If the price is right I'd be leaning towards keeping him and giving him another year to develop but it's hard to trust him as a main option at 4 and even more so at C. He's different than Vonleh and all centers though, basically the only true stretch 4 at Portland now and I think moving for someone like Williams and Leuer would be a bit of a sideways move anyway, so unless he gets a great offer from another team, I reckon keeping him should be an option.

I don't really see a reason why Okafor or Plumlee shouldn't be able to develop a 15-18ft jumper. Especially Okafor.
Okafor as a 20yr old rookie shot 68% from the line. Plumlee has been in the low to mid 60's from the line two out of his three years in the NBA.
I only bring up Nards being able to play well with Okafor because of Nard's ability to shoot the ball. Spread the defense out.
I think Plumlee should be able to play the 4, and Okafor the 5. Nards + Okafor might get destroyed in the P&R though.
Personally I'd prefer Noel from the Sixers out of their bigs. But I don't think they'll trade him.. Okafor is more likely.