Big Man Renaissance?

[slightly biased bias fan]

All you hear from old pundits and players is how the big man no longer exists and the back to basket game is dead but silently a crop of big men of the NBA have snuck up on us.

DeMarcus Cousins: Ferocious space eating play on the block
Anthony Davis: Mostly a forward has traditional back to the basket game with fast first step
Andre Drummond: Traditional bashing back to the basket and rebounder
Joel Embiid: Mature back to the basket and face up game
Jusuf Nurkic: Good strength down low as a banger but has touch and vision from post
Karl-Anthony Towns:Back to the basket drop step, face up & J, going to the work attack the rim
Myles Turner: Uses the low block to maximise his speed advantage
Jonas Valančiūnas: Very traditional low post battering ram style with craftiness
Nikola Vučević: Very traditional but effective back the basket game
Hassan Whiteside: Old school pick and roll game

[LarBrd33]

Pretty much every champion ever has had an elite-level big man on it's team.   The "small ball = future" thing has always felt overblown to me.  It's always going to be a big man's game.  We had a lack of elite-level centers, but this new crop is very promising.   Boston needs to get one.

[Smartacus]

This is the best thing that could happen to the NBA right now. The small ball fascination has always bored me to tears. I remember showing my roommate at the time videos of Anthony Davis and Andre Drummond in high school and thinking that the center position just might not be dead after all.

Pretty much every champion ever has had an elite-level big man on it's team.   The "small ball = future" thing has always felt overblown to me.  It's always going to be a big man's game.  We had a lack of elite-level centers, but this new crop is very promising.   Boston needs to get one.

LarBrd any targets you'd like to go for? Vucevic? Recently signed Gorgui Dieng? Jokic? Never would have thought this last year but maybe Jokic might become available since Nurkic seems to have supplanted him.

Most teams that have legit big men won't want to part with them. The real answer to who would be idea as our starting center is Ante Zizic.

[LarBrd33]

This is the best thing that could happen to the NBA right now. The small ball fascination has always bored me to tears. I remember showing my roommate at the time videos of Anthony Davis and Andre Drummond in high school and thinking that the center position just might not be dead after all.

Pretty much every champion ever has had an elite-level big man on it's team.   The "small ball = future" thing has always felt overblown to me.  It's always going to be a big man's game.  We had a lack of elite-level centers, but this new crop is very promising.   Boston needs to get one.

LarBrd any targets you'd like to go for? Vucevic? Recently signed Gorgui Dieng? Jokic? Never would have thought this last year but maybe Jokic might become available since Nurkic seems to have supplanted him.

Most teams that have legit big men won't want to part with them. The real answer to who would be idea as our starting center is Ante Zizic.

Ultimate pipe-dream target is Anthony Davis, but I really can't see him becoming available.  Cousins seems like a more reasonable pipe dream.  I know it will be ridiculed here, but if we're talking about readily available young buy-low bigs who still might develop into stars... Jahlil Okafor is towards the top of my wish list.  His game has obvious flaws, but he's still just a kid.  I'd rather go after Okafor than Vucevic.

[celticsclay]

Who do we like of the nuggets center. I never end up watching them play

[Smartacus]

This is the best thing that could happen to the NBA right now. The small ball fascination has always bored me to tears. I remember showing my roommate at the time videos of Anthony Davis and Andre Drummond in high school and thinking that the center position just might not be dead after all.

Pretty much every champion ever has had an elite-level big man on it's team.   The "small ball = future" thing has always felt overblown to me.  It's always going to be a big man's game.  We had a lack of elite-level centers, but this new crop is very promising.   Boston needs to get one.

LarBrd any targets you'd like to go for? Vucevic? Recently signed Gorgui Dieng? Jokic? Never would have thought this last year but maybe Jokic might become available since Nurkic seems to have supplanted him.

Most teams that have legit big men won't want to part with them. The real answer to who would be idea as our starting center is Ante Zizic.

Ultimate pipe-dream target is Anthony Davis, but I really can't see him becoming available.  Cousins seems like a more reasonable pipe dream.  I know it will be ridiculed here, but if we're talking about readily available young buy-low bigs who still might develop into stars... Jahlil Okafor is towards the top of my wish list.  His game has obvious flaws, but he's still just a kid.  I'd rather go after Okafor than Vucevic.

I agree that Okafor would be the better option for us but he's also an underrated play for for the 6'ers. Whether he plays as Embiid's backup or front court partner he provides team with a steady stream of low post buckets letting Embiid play more face up. They've been testing it out in practice, don't think they'll trade Jahleel.

I starting to think an interesting path for us would be to trade for Vucevic and let Olynyk walk in free agency. Vuc is already everything we want Kelly to develop into and he's cost controlled with that pre summer of 16 contract. Vuc/Horford would stretch defense's raw. Jonas Valanciunas is having a strong season it'd be good to have a Center that could match shots with him.

Let Kelly sign in Toronto next season, were happy with the upgrade to Vuc, Orlando takes the assets and opens up time for Biyombo, Kelly and Toronto rake in the Canadian promotional campains.

[Csfan1984]

Derrick Favors is the guy.

[mgent]

It's funny, because Porzingis will probably end up being better than all those guys, and he's the furthest thing possible from an old school, back-to-the-basket big guy.

[celticsclay]

It's funny, because Porzingis will probably end up being better than all those guys, and he's the furthest thing possible from an old school, back-to-the-basket big guy.

New York is really not letting porzingas flourish alongside so many ball dominant players

[Future Celtics Owner]

This is the best thing that could happen to the NBA right now. The small ball fascination has always bored me to tears. I remember showing my roommate at the time videos of Anthony Davis and Andre Drummond in high school and thinking that the center position just might not be dead after all.

Pretty much every champion ever has had an elite-level big man on it's team.   The "small ball = future" thing has always felt overblown to me.  It's always going to be a big man's game.  We had a lack of elite-level centers, but this new crop is very promising.   Boston needs to get one.

LarBrd any targets you'd like to go for? Vucevic? Recently signed Gorgui Dieng? Jokic? Never would have thought this last year but maybe Jokic might become available since Nurkic seems to have supplanted him.

Most teams that have legit big men won't want to part with them. The real answer to who would be idea as our starting center is Ante Zizic.

Ultimate pipe-dream target is Anthony Davis, but I really can't see him becoming available.  Cousins seems like a more reasonable pipe dream.  I know it will be ridiculed here, but if we're talking about readily available young buy-low bigs who still might develop into stars... Jahlil Okafor is towards the top of my wish list.  His game has obvious flaws, but he's still just a kid.  I'd rather go after Okafor than Vucevic.

I agree that Okafor would be the better option for us but he's also an underrated play for for the 6'ers. Whether he plays as Embiid's backup or front court partner he provides team with a steady stream of low post buckets letting Embiid play more face up. They've been testing it out in practice, don't think they'll trade Jahleel.

I starting to think an interesting path for us would be to trade for Vucevic and let Olynyk walk in free agency. Vuc is already everything we want Kelly to develop into and he's cost controlled with that pre summer of 16 contract. Vuc/Horford would stretch defense's raw. Jonas Valanciunas is having a strong season it'd be good to have a Center that could match shots with him.

Let Kelly sign in Toronto next season, were happy with the upgrade to Vuc, Orlando takes the assets and opens up time for Biyombo, Kelly and Toronto rake in the Canadian promotional campains.

okafor is the guy id go after. He has more potential on offense and defense than most people realize and he posses elite length and solid body.