It's interesting perspective. PG is certainly much deeper in terms of stars. But in terms of cheap-ish solid starters, is it really easier and cheaper to get a Jeff Teague or Lowry compared to a Wes Matthews or Afflalo? Maybe, it's an interesting point and discussion. I think in the end, the best way to build is a perimeter star + an inside star.
If we are taking every position at their optimal level, center with no questions asked . .. George Mikan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Walt Bellamy, Nate Thurmond, Willis Reed, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Lanier, Bill Walton, Dave Cowens, Artis Gilmore, Moses Malone, Robert Parrish, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Dikembe Mutombo, Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Ben Wallace, Yao Ming, and Dwight Howard. Collectively compared to any other position, highest PER among any position and highest winning percentage. Compared to any other position in sports, a basketball center could be the most dominant of any postion, when at their best. Quarterbacks don't typically play defense (especially in high school and pro level) and cannot exhibit near the same level of effectiveness on offense as they would on defense. Pitchers aren't expected to produce great hitting, while most goalies simply stop incoming goals. An above average to great center is expected to be a good scorer, good post-defender (sometimes wing, help defender, as well), great rebounder (on offense and defense), a floor general, and sometimes a decent passer.
i would never build around a point guard.. people who selected PG must like flashy teams that never win shiit..
Lebron wouldn't even be sniffing those two rings of his without D.Wade. D.Wade always make the big plays and step up in the Finals. Shooting guard is the most important position in the game.
yes magic won titles, he wa salso 6'9" and played with other hall of famers.. isiah won titles too, like 25 years ago.. other than that when the last time a team built around their PG won a title??? pistons??that team had 5 all-stars.. the 07 spurs?? manu and duncan are hall of famers.. superstar pgs fill seats, they dont win championships..
The biggest guy possible. That's usually the Center, so that's my vote. They call them the Center for a reason. They're the center of both the offense and defense, so if you have a dominant Center, you have a dominant offense and defense. The same can't be said of the other positions. That is, they don't play as large a role on both sides of the court -- or at least they weren't originally designed to. However, with the lack of big man play in today's NBA, we're seeing a shift in that regard.
PG for me. Defensively your Center makes your D better. But your Offense comes from your PG. If you build around your PG you can get a D first C and turn him into a decent scorer because your PG will make him better.
Agree with you completely and emphasize the change in the NBA. Centers today are more Ally Oop and shot blockers than Post up or hit a mid range shot.
2-way center for me and not even close. The added defensive value is way too much to pass up. Think about this for a second. We can all agree that Lebron is simply a much better "player" than Howard. He has many more moves, can defend almost all positions, better post up, better shooter, better everything. Yet put a healthy Howard on the Heat with Bosh, semi-healthy Wade, and shooters. Would that still be the championship favorite? I'd say at least maybe. That's the power of interior defense that a top center can bring, regardless of era.
The bigger they are, the better unless it's MJ, Kobe, Bird, Magic, Isaiah Thomas (not the new one) but only if they're proven healthy.
That's because Lebron is a better player than Dwight. If you replace Lebron with prime Shaq I think the Heat still win the title.
Centers are too dependent on the rest of the team to be effective. They need someone to feed them in the post, and they need targets to pass to when half the defense piles on top of them. And the way they call the game now, where you can't breathe on a guard but you can claw gashes in the center's back (and a center who can shoot free throws well is a rarity, even among the good ones), the center on offense is climbing uphill. Sure, having a great player in the low post bends defense out of shape, which is great, and having him on defense is great protection (gotta keep the big guy out of foul trouble too though!), but I think it's a hard slog. A wing can start an offense with the ball in his hands, he's mobile enough that he's hard to double-team, he can shoot inside and out, can even post up just like a center (and often against a defender who doesn't have to defend that sort of play as much), can get foul calls and hit free throws, and has more positional flexibility (sliding up to go small or down to go big, or switching defensive assignments as necessary).
You are comparing a relatively average to slightly above average center to an pretty much elite wing. A few of the best centers can do same things and more that a wing could do.
Let's not forget the scarcity of quality centers. There's a lot more above-average wing players than there are big men. I'd much rather have a dominant Center and an average small forward than a dominant small forward and a below average center.
