I'm thinking Wilcox should start at center

[wdleehi]

Darkoooooooooo would be nice at center.

Garnett/Bass/Sully
Darko/Wilcox/Melo

If they add someone like Darko, Wilcox's chance of starting increases. 

[Who]

Darkoooooooooo would be nice at center.

Garnett/Bass/Sully
Darko/Wilcox/Melo

He would actually be a horrible center. Poor rebounder, hands of stone, no offensive moves, streaky jump shot. Just say no.

 Darko + KG would be quite similar to J.O'Neal + KG.

[slamtheking]

Darkoooooooooo would be nice at center.

Garnett/Bass/Sully
Darko/Wilcox/Melo

He would actually be a horrible center. Poor rebounder, hands of stone, no offensive moves, streaky jump shot. Just say no.

 Darko + KG would be quite similar to J.O'Neal + KG.

oh I don't think so at all. 

With JO, people were complaining that he couldn't stay healthy and play.

With Darko, people will be complaining why he can't be injured so he won't play.   

[arambone]

still no love for sullinger at center? Besides shot blocking, he's an above average center in every phase of the game:

rebounding
280 lbs of man defense
very alert team defense
mid-range jumper to unclog paint
passing
ball handling to take most 5s off the dribble
drawing fouls to put opposing bigs on the bench
free throw shooting excellence
knowledge of limitations

no love for sully, even in a backup center role?

?

[Fafnir]

still no love for sullinger at center? Besides shot blocking, he's an above average center in every phase of the game:

rebounding
280 lbs of man defense
very alert team defense
mid-range jumper to unclog paint
passing
ball handling to take most 5s off the dribble
drawing fouls to put opposing bigs on the bench
free throw shooting excellence
knowledge of limitations

no love for sully, even in a backup center role?

?

I don't think he'll be above average at C as rebounder, probably below average.

I also don't think he'll be particularly strong for a C, he'd probably be okay though definitely not above average.

Finally I think his team defense as a C would be very limited. His length would be limited and his overall help defense is likely to be slow from what I saw of him.

[arambone]

so sully might only be an average overall nba center? Sounds like he's worthy of discussion for minutes along with moses wilcox and shaquille steimsma.

[AB_Celtic]

so sully might only be an average overall nba center? Sounds like he's worthy of discussion for minutes along with moses wilcox and shaquille steimsma.

Yeah, DA has come out and said that the plan is for Sully to play some minutes at the 5. A small lineup, but not necessarily an ineffective one.

[WsAllDay]

im all for wilcox starting at center...




when KG's not playing*shrugs*

[Fafnir]

so sully might only be an average overall nba center? Sounds like he's worthy of discussion for minutes along with moses wilcox and shaquille steimsma.

I never said that he'd be above average. I was just popping the balloon on your first three points which I didn't view as likely to be accurate.

I'm very worried about his defense as a C, likely to be like Bass (aka awful).

[action781]

Some reason I like Bass off the bench.... he seems to play better and bring instant offense.  Bass seems a bit out of kilter and slow to get going starting as a starter.  SOme guys start fast and others need to get a feel for the game before stepping in.

Steamer seems to be OK as starter or bench.  Wilcox was GREAT coming off the bench to add energy to the second unit. Not sure how he would be starting.

Bass brings offense, but not "instant offense".  He brings offense because he never turns down open jumpshots and hits them at a very good %. He gets those looks because someone else is creating it for him though.  He wouldn't be nearly as effective off the bench without other potent offensive options on the floor with him.

[BudweiserCeltic]

so sully might only be an average overall nba center? Sounds like he's worthy of discussion for minutes along with moses wilcox and shaquille steimsma.

I never said that he'd be above average. I was just popping the balloon on your first three points which I didn't view as likely to be accurate.

I'm very worried about his defense as a C, likely to be like Bass (aka awful).

When Wilcox was hitting his stride last year, he was one of our best defense big men. I'd say the best after KG in many regards. He was picking up the pick-and-roll well, he was rotating well, and was contesting with good energy.

Plus, he had great chemistry with both Pierce and Rondo for easy buckets around the rim.

[702Celtics]

Is that a crazy thought? Decent defender, can finish at the rim, seemed to crash the offensive boards, and is all around steady.  We can then bring Bass of the bench, where he is better suited to go against back up bigs instead of starters.  Of course, this also moves KG back to PF, where he seems to want to be anyway.

I think Wilcox is too small to defend centers. Although, him and KG starting at the 4/5 spot is a great possibility. Wilcox offers a different dynamic than Bass, which is length and the ability to run in transition.

[Fafnir]

so sully might only be an average overall nba center? Sounds like he's worthy of discussion for minutes along with moses wilcox and shaquille steimsma.

I never said that he'd be above average. I was just popping the balloon on your first three points which I didn't view as likely to be accurate.

I'm very worried about his defense as a C, likely to be like Bass (aka awful).

When Wilcox was hitting his stride last year, he was one of our best defense big men. I'd say the best after KG in many regards. He was picking up the pick-and-roll well, he was rotating well, and was contesting with good energy.

Plus, he had great chemistry with both Pierce and Rondo for easy buckets around the rim.

I don't recall his anchoring our defense being that impressive, his high point didn't have me tearing my hair out though.

Could he actually sustain that for many games by being the "starting" center of a team as armabone indicated? I have my doubts as we've never seen him do that over his career.

[Celtics4ever]

I hope we don't sign Darko.  The dude is next to the dictionary as underachiever.   I would rather start Wilcox than Bass because he runs the floor better.  Momentum is a nice thing.  Bass could be changeup instant offense.  I do think that KG is our center and Wilcox would be the PF.   KG might not like it but he is a better C than 4 these days.

[BudweiserCeltic]

so sully might only be an average overall nba center? Sounds like he's worthy of discussion for minutes along with moses wilcox and shaquille steimsma.

I never said that he'd be above average. I was just popping the balloon on your first three points which I didn't view as likely to be accurate.

I'm very worried about his defense as a C, likely to be like Bass (aka awful).

When Wilcox was hitting his stride last year, he was one of our best defense big men. I'd say the best after KG in many regards. He was picking up the pick-and-roll well, he was rotating well, and was contesting with good energy.

Plus, he had great chemistry with both Pierce and Rondo for easy buckets around the rim.

I don't recall his anchoring our defense being that impressive, his high point didn't have me tearing my hair out though.

Could he actually sustain that for many games by being the "starting" center of a team as armabone indicated? I have my doubts as we've never seen him do that over his career.

I recall my assessment during that time-span being confirmed by Doc saying something along the lines of "honestly, what turned the game around for us was Wilcox's defense". And that went on for a quite a few games in a row, then things went weary health wise.

And it's not really about him being a great defender, or anything like that. He just played the role he was given well, got in to position, and was active with good energy. Often enough that's really all you need. Don't know if I'd go as far as saying "anchoring" our defense, but his defense for us when he got comfortable should be seen as a positive and certainly something to build on; something to give me some comfort going forward in the hopes of it being replicated in some manner.

Here's one of those anecdotes I just picked up on:
http://greenstreet.weei.com/sports/boston/basketball/celtics/2012/01/28/chris-wilcox-is-gaining-momentum/