Center is like the least important position in the league right now. Particularly on offense. If we're going to upgrade it it should be done as cheaply as possible. Not at the cost of any of our top 5, unless someone like KAT is available, which he's not.
If center is the least important position, why is the best player for each of the top teams in the league a dominant big man ??
The top teams in the league are the Bucks, Lakers, us, Heat, Clippers. Their best players are Giannis, LeBron, pick em, Butler, Kawhi. None of those are centers and most are pure wings. You have to go down to the (so far) underachieving Nuggets and Sixers to find a team whose best player is a center and they're right in there with Dallas, Toronto and Houston whose best guys are a PG a PF and another PG.
So 2 out of the 10 top teams have a C as their best player, and none of the top 5. Your argument doesn't hold up.
All the teams you mentioned, except the Celtics, are top 5 in rebounding differential in the NBA this season.
Only the Celts, among the top teams in the league, have a negative rebounding differential.
That means the Celts are getting outrebounded by their opponents almost every game.
We don't need the Cs to have one of the top big men in the NBA.
What the Celts need is just basic rebounding.
Giving the opponents a lot of 2nd chance points will kill the Celts in the playoffs.
Celts can get away with giving the Cavs 18 offensive rebounds, but if they're facing elite teams, it will not end well for the Celts.
Next two games will be interesting. The Pacers are very long - they’ve figured out how to play Sabonis with Turner, and their shortest starter is Brogdon, who’s 6’5” and pretty stout. The following night, after flying back to Boston, they’ll get the even-longer Sixers.
It’d be GREAT to have a better rebounding big. But both of those teams would, in turn, love to have any one of our top 3 wings. every team has holes. We’ll see how big the rebounding hole is for us.
I agree, every team has holes.
But the hole the Celtics have is something fundamental.
Pat Riley said, no rebounds, no rings.
The GSW dynasty for example, they won when they were playing small ball.
But if you look at the stats, they were a decent rebounding team.
Right now the Celts have a negative differential in rebounding.
That means Celts get outrebounded almost every game.
The difference between the GSW dynasty and the current Celts is GSW used big and tall Centers.
GSW had Bogut then Pachulia during their championship run.
Both those Centers are not very productive, but opposing Centers couldn't jump over them or dunk over them like what big opposing Centers are doing to Theis.
No doubt Theis is playing well this season.
It's not his fault that he's only 6-8.
Sure, rebounding is fundamental. So is scoring and, especially in the playoffs, playmaking. The switchiest defense in the league is also a big, big plus. We have those other things in spades. As good as if not better than anybody.
A prediction: Indiana is going to outrebound the Celtics, substantially. But their wings won't be able to defend our wings and net, we are going to win.
Philly is the only East team whose length worries me, because they're also great on defense. But their shooting is weak and the team doesn't seem to fit well. I really want to see us play them a few times to see what it looks like. The Lakers, and especially AD, also worry me. But again I'd like to see them match up.
I'd really, really like better rebounding. I don't concede it's clearly fatal.
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