Two really strong front courts between Portland and Utah, how do you guys see those matchups going?
SF) Starters - Pierce Vs Delfino - Pierce it's not even close
Reserves - Thabo/Butler Vs Williams - Depends on how Williams comes along
PF) Starters - KG Vs Amare - Edge Amare but after this years playoffs it's close
Reserves - Maxiell/Jefferson Vs Williams - Again how good will Williams be as a rookie
C) Starters - Jefferson Vs Bogut - I see this as more of a tie. They will both score on each other
Reserves - Haywood Vs Lopez/Tolliver - I give Haywood the edge because he will play
consistently with a better PF option unless it's Maxiell (5 mpg)
This is a fun one to debate. I like the experience my team has. I am going to go into the playoffs here. I think the playoffs will be too big for Williams at times. Neither Bogut or Big Al has ever played in a playoff game. Amare is overall the best front line player but he is going up against the one guy who will neutralize him the most in KG (best defensive PF). Big Al has the best offensive post game of any of these guys. Offensively he complements KG more than Bogut does Amare.
I've got 2 problems/questions with things said here, but I'll hold off on the playoff one in case you two happen to meet there:
1. I agree with you that Bogut and Al Jefferson will probably roughly match eachother in scoring/rebounding output. I think that Bogut will have a bigger impact on the game because his help defense will help make all of his surrounding cast better defenders, while I don't feel that Big Al is capable of having that kind of impact. What are your thoughts on this and if you agree, in what ways can Big Al make up that difference to even the matchup?
I will say this. Bogut's defense, assuming he is healthy, makes him better then Jefferson. I don't dispute that but the disparity between the players overall is not as great as people are making out to be in my opinion. They are both in the same tier of player, i.e the third best player on a championship team. That's how I feel.
Big Al can match Bogut by being aggressive in the post. We want to give Al touches on the block and that's mostly it. Kg will be the pick and pop big. I also think Big Al is one of the best at finishing around the basket. KG is a great passer. He got Perk a lot of easy buckets, that Perk finished on or sadly took an extra dribble and didn't convert on.
Defensively Big Al needs work but he has never had a traffic cop like Garnett or someone to feed off energy wise like Garnett. Everyone who plays defense with Garnett produces more then they have at almost any other time in their career unless they're is a huge age disparity. Look how well Shaq played with KG. The defense didn't miss a beat going from Perk to Shaq.
Offensively Big Al will be the best big man KG has ever played with. Big Al can play off KG well thanks to KG's unselfishness and passing ability. I think Bogut will be less likely to leave Big Al to help on defense because when he does Big Al is going straight to the basket either free or with a lesser defender on him where he will most likely get a bucket.
You see Big Al's presence on this team offensively negates some of what Bogut does as a help defender because he finishes so well near the basket. When Pierce gets by Williams/Delfino Amare either leaves KG for an open jumper (not likely bc Amare doesn't help defend) or Bogut leaves Big Al. Pierce an underrated passer feeds Big Al for the bucket. Baron, Jamal, and even Crawford are all capable of hitting shots if Pierce needs to pass to them and also playing the role of Pierce in this scenario.
Topic: 2011 CB Draft Northwest Division Press Conference (Read 70967 times)