Where should Al Horford play: 4 or 5?

[NHCelticsFan]

CBS does not use typical NBA positions.   Swings, Bigs and guards isn't that what he uses?

Ball Handlers, Wings, Swings, Big Men I believe are the four.  Horford in Steven's system may be considered a swing, as he could play the traditional 4 or small ball 5.  That may be a bit of stretch though as swings are usually guys like 3's who play small ball 4.

Either way Al is a big on this team.

[chambers]

5 on defense and 4/5 on offense depending on line up.

[CFAN38]

I voted 4 trade for a 5, however the key is AL will and can play both. Ideally the Cs land a defensive rebounding big to start along side AL and take the more physical match up then the first substitution is KO where both AL and KO are 4/5s. The addition of a defensive/rebounding 5 will alow CB to stagger the new big and AL and always leave one on the court. 

[vgulab]

Al is clearly a 5, and he has been his entire career. So it's not surprising that he's struggling now trying to play the 4.

He's got to realize that he's hurting our defense significantly with his lack of quickness and foot speed when going out to cover stretch 4's, as evidenced by the last half dozen games or so, especially the Cleveland game where Love abused him.

I prefer JJ to KO in the starting lineup, but I support any move that moves Horford back to his true/natural position at center.

EDIT: Of course, I'm willing to let Horford play the 4 under the condition that we get a significant upgrade at center (like Boogie) or we get a more mobile center like Noel who can cover the quicker 4's out on the perimeter.

you took the words right out of my mouth

Horford at center is fanstastic defender plus he would get more rebounds and his offense will stay the same. If we have mobile center who can guard more positions then Horford can play whereever he wants to but with this roster Horford playing the 4 i think it is hurting us a little bit because we don't have true 5 except for Zeller who is good enough for just 15min... so teams are rebounding better against us and why wouldn't they when we have Amir at center. Until another center come to Boston , Horford should get inside and get 10 rbs every night

[TheSundanceKid]

We should do exactly what we are doing, which is have the starting bigs as AJ and AH and have them choose assignments based on matchup. KO is great off of the bench, as a starter I could se him faltering

[Surferdad]

Nobody is asking what Al Horford wants.  Why did he sign here?  What will keep him satisfied?  He added a 3-point shot, what is the best way to take advantage of that skill?

[CFAN38]

Nobody is asking what Al Horford wants.  Why did he sign here?  What will keep him satisfied?  He added a 3-point shot, what is the best way to take advantage of that skill?

My guess is Hoford wants the Cs to keep him on the court with a center to take the punishment much like Amir currently is.

[trickybilly]

5 on defense and 4/5 on offense depending on line up.

This is the correct answer.

[apc]

Here is Horford's sister opinion on this subject:
(It was twitted when the rumors regarding Milsap started to float.)
Anna Horford ‏@AnnaHorford  Jan 1
Paul is an excellent player, but the C's need a true center. We need Al at the 4

[PhoSita]

Basically, we need a 5 who can cover perimeter 4s.

[mmmmm]

Like others have pointed out, the nomenclature is a bit off.

Horford is primarily playing high-paint defense for Stevens.  He has primary responsibility for calling out the p&r defense and for switching (or not) and for showing / doubling on the perimeter.   Stevens gives him this responsibility because he is the best of all our bigs at those things.

I'm not impressed by Coach Nick's 'analysis' here.  He keys off the Net Rating difference between the two front-court pairings, but ignores why the sample sizes are so dramatically different.    It is a naive mistake to think that if you simply swapped Olynyk for Amir that the starters would suddenly be posting a +22 Net Rating.

I do think that, as Olynyk's game continues to improve as he gets further from his shoulder surgery, that we may get to a point where it makes sense to start him over Amir, but I don't think we are all that close to that point yet.

[Bobshot]

Noel is a kid who is getting stronger every year, and needs to play more minutes. Right now, it's hard to say where he is with the low minutes he's getting.

The question about where Al should play is a confusing issue. Perhaps a Noel would be a better fit than a Bogut, since there is more flexibility--Noel could also switch to the 4.

Stevens is a coach who is precise about matchups. His preference undoubtedly is for versatile bigs who can play the 4 or 5. I would guess he prefers Noel over Bogut, but Bogut could well be had for cheaper. So there are other factors. The same can be said for Millsap.

As for the status quo, there is a rebounding deficiency that is hurting their upward mobility.
They've got to figure out how to get more rebounding on the offensive and defensive end from their bigs. 

[Ilikesports17]

Noel is a kid who is getting stronger every year, and needs to play more minutes. Right now, it's hard to say where he is with the low minutes he's getting.

The question about where Al should play is a confusing issue. Perhaps a Noel would be a better fit than a Bogut, since there is more flexibility--Noel could also switch to the 4.

Stevens is a coach who is precise about matchups. His preference undoubtedly is for versatile bigs who can play the 4 or 5. I would guess he prefers Noel over Bogut, but Bogut could well be had for cheaper. So there are other factors. The same can be said for Millsap.

As for the status quo, there is a rebounding deficiency that is hurting their upward mobility.
They've got to figure out how to get more rebounding on the offensive and defensive end from their bigs.

Noel is incredibly weak for a big man. Our own Al Horford backed him down with ease. Brook Lopez bullied him on Sunday.

Noel has more defensive versatility than Bogut but Bogut is miles more intelligent on offense and probably more intelligent on defense as well.

[Bobshot]

I voted 4 trade for a 5, however the key is AL will and can play both. Ideally the Cs land a defensive rebounding big to start along side AL and take the more physical match up then the first substitution is KO where both AL and KO are 4/5s. The addition of a defensive/rebounding 5 will alow CB to stagger the new big and AL and always leave one on the court.

The votes aren't registering for some reason, so I simplified it to just Horford at the 4 or 5.
Safe to say there's a diversity of opinion. A good question for the media to ask Danny or Stevens.

I think either way, 4 or 5, they would improve their rebounding and internal defense with Noel, Bogut or Millsap. The trouble with Bogut is Stevens may not want that type of one position player in his system.

[Donoghus]

He should play both.  Horford is too versatile of a player to be pinned to one role.

Bingo.