Doc Rivers: "KG will play Center this year"

[cman88]

while we might not have many true centers, theres alot more Bigs on the celts this year if we get West(crossed fingers)

where we could rotate the 5...Bass/KG/Wilcox/West

I would be fine with it

[Celtics4ever]

Cowens liked playing Center on D because he felt it was like being in a control tower as you were the last line of D I think I read once.  Centers usually play off their man a bit because usually they don't shoot well outside the paint and that way they can play help D.

I am still convinced that Doc doesn't view bigs by position but rather as bigs.

“We’ll move Kevin,” Rivers said. “He will play the 5 this year. I honestly don’t think that it’ll be a problem. When he was younger it would have been a problem.”

But why now? During his career, Garnett, a 23,000-plus point scorer, has been successful against forwards, using his size to get off his solid jumper.

“He’s older, bigger, stronger and can play both positions and can spread the floor from that position,” Rivers said. “He can play the whole game at center and it wouldn’t bother me at all.”

When Boston acquired Garnett from the Timberwolves during the summer of 2007, it had young and promising center Kendrick Perkins anchoring the middle. But last year just before the trading deadline, Perkins was dealt to Oklahoma City in a deal that brought the Celtics a young talented forward in Jeff Green.

At the time, Boston president Danny Ainge felt that O’Neal and Shaquille O’Neal would be enough. Shaq missed most of the final months of the regular season and nearly all of the playoffs before retiring during the offseason. Jermaine O’Neal was also in and out of the lineup as the season was winding down.

Now, they hope Garnett can fill the void.

But it’s a void Rivers has seen since his playing days.

“I was fortunate enough to play in the big era,” said Rivers, who played 14 years in the league from 1983-96.

“Right now there’s not many of them,” he said of the dearth of big men. “Dwight (Howard) and (Andrew) Bynum are two that come to mind. I might be missing one or two.”

He also said this

o the Celtics most certainly would need a legitimate big man, no?

"We do, we don't," an indifferent Rivers said. "If we don't have one, I'm not that upset by it. I'll always take one, so if you can find one for me, please help out. I just think if we have enough 4s that can play both [big-man spots] and if we have enough fouls, we can get away with it."

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Steve Mitchell/US Presswire
If Jermaine O'Neal leaves Boston, KG will have to step into the 5 spot.
Less than 24 hours after acknowledging that he told Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge to simply stockpile talent over position-specific bodies, Rivers essentially suggested the Celtics are confident they can counteract a center-free lineup with skill, athleticism and insane depth at the power forward spot.

Rivers explained that position flexibility, particularly up front, is increasing in a league without many dominant big men.

"I think it used to just be at the wings; now [position flexibility is] migrating over to the 4s and 5s, partly because there's no 5s that can play," Rivers said. "There's [only] two or three of them that are dominant anymore. I'm lucky -- or unlucky, you could look at it either way -- to have played in the center era. I don't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Right now, there's just not a lot. Dwight [Howard], [Andrew] Bynum. After that, I'm just saying as far as a team featuring and going to their guy, there's not a lot of others."

The way Rivers sees it, the Celtics aren't putting themselves at a disadvantage by not having a legitimate big man. Heck, last season, when healthy, the team thought it had an advantage when 39-year-old Shaquille O'Neal was on the floor. Given the collection of bigs the Celtics are putting together, you could make the case that their frontcourt will give them a potential advantage against the likes of Miami and, to a lesser degree, Chicago.

So who needs a center?

This isn't exactly new for Boston. Shaq and his backups were so injury-plagued last season that the team often employed undersized big man Glen Davis in the hybrid role up front alongside the likes of Kevin Garnett.

Rivers said Saturday that Garnett likely will see time as the de facto center this season.

"Kevin will play some 5 this year," Rivers said. "Which, honestly, I don't think is a problem at all. I thought when he was younger, that would have been a problem. But now I think it's a pretty good place for him."

Why now?

"He's older, bigger, stronger," Rivers said. "He can play both positions. He can spread the floor for us at that position. Play him and [Brandon] Bass together, both of them can shoot the ball. Either one of them can guard the 5 or the 4. It makes us pretty versatile."

Bottom line is Doc thinks Centers are over rated and that PF can get you by these days.   The good Centers are very good but the rest of them are mediocre.  There are more than one way to skin a cat I suppose.

[cman88]

NYC might be tough with chandler and Orlando(or whomever gets howard)

but, I think we could definitely get by with KG at center. we did last year having Glen davis at center.

our 2 biggest threats in the east have Joakim Noah and Anthony/eddy curry at center...I think our PF's could handle them

[Celtics4ever]

*cough*

Howard right now is a nice threat in the post and still in the east though that might change.

[BballTim]

*cough*

Howard right now is a nice threat in the post and still in the east though that might change.

  He said our two biggest threats in the East, don't think Howard's team qualifies.

[Celtics4ever]

I stand corrected, BballTim.