If you’re the captain of one of the all star teams, how many (and which) centers do you pick before you get to Mr. Capela? Don’t consider injuries for purposes of this exercise.
Competition: Jokic, Whiteside, Kanter, Embiid, Cousins, Towns, Gasol, Gobert. THIS season I think he's top three. But I expect a safe pick (Gasol, Towns, Gobert.) Clint is #1 in PER, but #5 in "Value Added" and "Wins Added", per Hollinger. http://insider.espn.com/nba/hollinger/statistics/_/position/c/sort/VORPe
I think it also really depends on the contest, cause considering only the player skills, i don't think Capela is a top 10 center as today, he just doesn't have the skills of guys like Cousins, Towns, Gasol, Embiid, Jokic, Horford, Nurkic, Turner...and guys like Gobert, Drummond, Adams are arguably a better (even if by just a bit) version of him, and that's imo, cause for other people Howard, Whiteside and DeAndre are also better. But if i consider the contest, and i have a James Harden or a Chris Paul i think i can take Capela over guys like Nurkic, Jokic, Gasol, Turner...if i have a team like Golden State or Boston i'd take a Gasol, Jokic, Horford over Capela.
I for sure take these 6 over Capela this season Cousins, Embiid, Jokic, Towns, Marc, Gobert Debateables Whiteside, Jordan, Turner, Adams, Horford, Nurkic, Howard, Vucevic, Drummond For the most depends on what your team needs, Towns/Drummond/Vuc can be bad defensively, Howard/Cousins can be a headcase, Marc/Horford aren't that great of rebounders, many aren't that mobile, Jordan/Howard/Drummond/Whiteside can have horrific FT shooting, Capela has a lot of good going for him, but the center position is very talented as there are 15 very high quality centers in the league IMO. Clint is in a large 6-16 bracket currently for me.
No question I take Whiteside, Myles, and Steven Adams over Clint. Wouldn't touch Dwight or Vucevic. SIL
Jokic, Embiid and Cousins (and Anthony Davis if you consider him a center which I do) that's it. You have to consider fit. He is a perfect fit for our offense.
No to Jokic, awful defensively. Offensively, sure he's pretty nice but a lot of that would be useless given how much Harden and even CP3 dominate the ball. I'd take him to trade him(just sheer value wise over clint). SIL
For our team? 0 or 1. I think Joel Embiid is the best Center in the game. For the All Star game? 10? 20? Clint isn’t making an All Star squad, no matter his numbers, or our record. I’d venture to say DJ, Steven Adams, Andre Drummond, Hassan Whiteside, Myles Turner would be on Par as far as production on our squad. I think Embiid would exceed his production playing the same style, and could expand our offense. I think Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic, Kristaps Porzingis, DeMarcus Cousins, KA Towns and Marc Gasol would change the way we play, and thus, would be incomparable.
KAT, Embiid, and Cousins are the only players clearly better IMO. Gasol isn't having a particularly good season and his perimeter defense was already suspect. Gobert and Whiteside are players I might pick ahead of him. Drummond has improved his FTs, but can't grasp why his defense isn't better.
for sure: Jokic, Embiid, Cousins, KAT, Gobert, M. Gasol probably: Turner and Adams maybe: Nurkic definitely not: Whiteside, Drummond, DJ I consider KP, AD, and Horford as PFs but I'd take em all over Clint if we're counting them as centers.
Gobert might? Dude's incredibly dominant defensively. He'll have to learn how to play p&r, and go straight up better on offense but defensively alone he'd make us elite. SIL
KP is listed at 4... but if considered a 5, he's ahead of everyone not named Joel. Yeah, he's a prime candidate.... 70%+ FT, too. How good are his hands? --- Capela catches everything and goes up BEFORE coming down.
Porzingas, towns, embiid, Whiteside, Dwight Howard, Gasol, Rudy gorbert, Brook Lopez, Jokic, Cousins, Steven Adams, Drummond
Goberts hands are fine.... he'll catch the ball. He has to learn to go straight up, and not gather though. He'd figure that out, but outside of that he'd be another all-star caliber player on our team and contribute his strength without taking away from our other two. SIL
If I'm picking for an All-Star team like the OP stipulates, and I'm using center designation according to ESPN's depth charts, I'd pick all of these guys ahead of Clint without hesitation... Love Jokic Drummond Jordan M. Gasol Whiteside Towns Cousins Embiid Nurkic Then there are guys like Howard, Horford, Vucevic, etc. who I at least have to consider.
If that is the list.. I'll take Porzingis, Towns, Embiid, Gasol, Jokic, Cousins over Capela.......... Brook Lopez on that list?! lol.
Nothing against Clint but this question is so depressing when it comes to the quality of centers in the NBA today.
