Any thoughts on
C: Ben Wallace
PF: Tim duncan
SF: Ron Artest
With two picks tomorrow to close out the starting 5
C - Duncan
PF - Big Ben
SF - Artest
I was still toying around with where to play those guys. Admittedly I didnt really start following basketball until 2002. When duncan was young and MVP was he more effective as a center?
He was always a center. He just played some minutes at PF.
The year you choose, 2002-03, Duncan split his minutes about 50-50 between the five and four. Even more so in the playoffs.
Furthermore, you could argue (many do) that even when on the court with David Robinson, Duncan played the center role more than Robinson did. Duncan was more of an interior presence for San Antonio and everything worked around him.
As for Ben Wallace, I believe he'll fare better as PF in this CB Historical League than as a center. The talent (skilled size) at center is much greater here than when Big Ben was at his peak. He'll be more effective individually, and Duncan-Wallace as a defensive combo, with Big Ben as the PF spot (superior quickness over Duncan). Of course, they can still be interchangeable when desirable.
For me though, I just can't consider Big Ben a center on a team with Tim Duncan on it. Duncan is the guy that everything works around. Big Ben is the guy that plays a supporting role. Duncan does everything you want/expect from a center in all three phases while Big Ben does on defense/rebounding but not offensively.
I don't know, it's just how I look at teams. A guy like Duncan should be listed as a center and a player like Wallace, if alongside a Duncan, should be a PF.