It’s time to change the way we think about NBA basketball. The game has changed, but most people’s thought processes haven’t.
People are still hung up on traditional positions, which only exist to a slight extent but in most cases are no longer important in that form. It’s not about traditional positions, it’s about fitness, skill-sets and roles.
For example, don’t ask yourself whether you need a shooting guard or small forward, ask yourself whether you need a wing defender, a slasher to draw fouls and get to the line, a rebounder, and so on.
Also ask yourself whether his offensive and defensive skill-sets will fit well with your other players. The game is no longer about the positions on your program.
Most fans believe they need a big, traditional centre to compete in the NBA. Perhaps they missed this year’s playoffs.
As Bill Simmons frequently states, the 2012 Oklahoma City versus Miami finals series was a sign of where the league is heading; towards even more speed and athleticism and away from slow, traditional big men.
Disagree? Name a traditional big man who influenced the outcome of the finals. Additionally, in the conference finals, Roy Hibbert was rendered essentially useless.
Miami were simply too fast and athletic, resulting in Indiana barely being able to have their franchise player Hibbert on the floor at the end of crucial playoff games.
People’s reasoning as to why their team must sign a traditional centre tends to be something like this: “We don’t have a true centre! Who’s going to guard Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum?”
Well, they have just named the only two good true centres in the league. Even if you do come up against them in the playoffs, rather than just asking how you’re going to guard Howard or Bynum, ask yourself how they are going to guard a modern day, non traditional big man who is fast, can step out of the paint, shoot as well as put it on the floor.
I hear and read this far too often: “Who’s going to start the game?” Who cares? Fans need to stop obsessing over who starts.
James Harden and Manu Ginobili don’t start. They are, however, genuine stars who play for their respective powerhouse countries and are on the court in crunch time.
Please limit your concerns to who finishes the game.
Nick Jungfer
Roar Guru
(This is in response to Scotty Barby's post further above. For some reason this post remains determined to potion itself here.) Totally agree, although I would still say that it is a change in the basketball landscape. As you say the current available talent now consists of completely different types of players to years past. This obviously changes how the game is played and forces coaches make adjustments. I think it’s a talent issue AND a change in the basketball landscape. I don’t see them as mutually exclusive, in fact I see them as related. The prior resulted in the former. Different talent available, hence the landscape changed. Anyway, very good points, what a drought of great big men (and goldmine of PGs) we are in.
Nick Jungfer
Roar Guru
Great points. The effect of changing point guards on big men is an interesting one.
Nick Jungfer
Roar Guru
I was referring the the declining in relevance of the more slow/lumbering 'centres'. I should just make it clear in general that by no means am I saying big men are declining in relevance. As I wrote the league is heading more and more towards a game of speed and athleticism, so athletic bigs like Tyson Chandler and Serge Ibaka are of tremendous importance in protecting the rim from all the other athletic freaks.
Nick Jungfer
Roar Guru
No I am not saying those players aren't big men. Nor did I say big men are no longer as relevant. I am saying that league is heading away from traditional centres. The only 'centre' (although we're also moving away from traditional potions as well anyway) you mentioned is Perkins and look how effective he was in these super athletic finals.
Nick Jungfer
Roar Guru
In that case I'm disturbed to hear that you only change your underpants as often as the NBA landscape changes.
thesportsguy
Guest
of course he is, but hes far past his prime and the offense no longer runs through him like it did previous years. scottys point was the changing landscape is because apart from bynum, there is no decent offensive minded centre.
mushi
Guest
The basketball landscape has changed dramatically. The change in how games are refereed has led to point guards changing from distributors. This means fewer offensive touches for big men and players who’s primary skill sets do not fit delivering the ball in the post. It is inconceivable that you can say a change in the way point guards play has no effect on the big men. It also means that a premium is placed on two things for bigs that weren’t as important in 1995, stopping a penetrator and being able to drag your man away from the basket. Then there is the centre/power forward versus a “big” (evidenced by you calling Duncan a PF below even though he’s stood where a traditional C would). We still have plenty of scoring bigs Gasol, bynum, Howard, Love, Dirk, Jefferson, Randolph, Aldridge, Stoudamire, Horford, Bosh, Lee etc. On Howards apparent complete dearth of offensive game - interestingly there was an article written last night basically saying anyone who thinks Howard only scores on put backs and alley oops doesn’t watch the game properly, particularly ones who think Bynum is more offensively astute.
mushi
Guest
Then why talk about career marks in your comment?
Scotty Barby
Roar Guru
That would help to explain Morey stacking the Houston roster with 47 power forwards.
Phil Coorey
Roar Pro
Bill Simmons is not that good an analyst , don't read too much into his crap Aljay. He changes views like we change underpants
mushi
Roar Guru
One of the topics from the Sloane sports conference was on this. That essentially the five “positions” are there for easy reference and have a limited correlation to role in the game.
Eric George
Roar Rookie
This is pretty pertinent to the whole big man conversation. It is interesting to consider the absence of any super elite bigmen in the NBA. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnMIvEH9srw
Scotty Barby
Roar Guru
If 2002 Tim Duncan were in the league today he'd be the leagues best player and this topic wouldn't exist, as the entire offense would go through him. He is borderline retired though and plays 25 minutes a game, thus making him irrelvent to this conversation.
Scotty Barby
Roar Guru
Of course he is, but what does that have to do with right now? Duncan is the greatest PF of all time, but he hasn't been in his prime since about 2008. He is 36 years old... Is Tracy McGrady the best scorer in the league today, given he averaged 32 PPG in 2002?
Lucan
Tim Duncan isn't a Hall of Fame contender?????
Scotty Barby
Roar Guru
This is a talent issue, not a change in the basketball landscape. The 90's was the golden era of NBA centers blessed with the likes of Shaq, Hakeem, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Zo, Dikembe Mutumbo, Brad Daugherty, Rik Smits, Vlade Divac, Rony Seikaly (17-12 peak) and Sabonis who would all be top 3 centers in the league today, and all earning max contracts. When you compare it to today's poop buffet of Howard, Bynum, Bogut, Tyson Chandler, Hibbert, Gortat, Horford, Cousins, Monroe and Marc Gasol, it becomes pretty obvious. Only Howard and Bynum are potential Hall of Famers at this stage. There isn't a single center (possibly Bynum) in today's NBA who is offensively skilled enough to run an offense through, whereas 1995 had half a dozen Hall of Famers and 20+ PPG scorers. In today's NBA there has been one center (Howard) who has eclipised the 20PPG mark in their career, and his offensive arsenal sucks with the majority of points coming from put backs and open dunks, not creativity in the post... Roy Hibbert laid an egg against Miami because he operates in slow motion, plays passive and is incredibly limited offensively. It's not that coaches have chosen to move away from a big man dependent offense, they've been forced to do so due to a severe lack of talent.
Aljay
Guest
A big man who has influenced the outcome of a finals series? Ummm... Tyson Chandler? Go back and read what Simmons was writing a year ago, it was all about the importance of protecting the rim in playoff games. As much as a fan I am of his he has done a complete 180 on his predictions of what will win the league in future based on the style of team that has just won it. Its like he has forgotten what he has just written. There are many styles and each has the ability to overcome the other.
k77sujith
Guest
Awesome Nick. The game and it's dynamics have changed and your views on what the future holds is commendable indeed.
Eric George
Roar Rookie
An intriguing column, but it may be a slight overraction to one post-season. While I do agree that the lines are definitely blurred between guards and forwards, there are two ideas I take issue with. You claim that no big man had an influence on the finals, which is true, but just over 12 months ago Tyson Chandler was arguably the second most important player to the Dallas Mavericks. Indiana didn't make it to the conference Finals, just as an aside, but Boston did, and Kevin Garnett was hugely influential despite being far from an athletic big man. As far as starting goes, the reality is this still definitely matters to some people who play the sport. Whilst there are some players who are certainly happy to sit on the bench despite being of a starter's quality (Ginobli and Harden spring to mind) the reality is that being a starter provides a clear separation between yourself and around 60% of the league, and provides leverage in contract negotiations.
JVGO
Guest
Are you saying Bosh and KG and Duncan and Perkins or Noah aren't big men or something? Maybe you should blame the refs for making Le Bron and Wade a protected species, letting them charge and allowing them to travel every second play. Hard to guard guys when they are athletic and have 3 or 4 steps as well. Look forward to the Olympics where these guys will have to play by the actual rules of basketball....at least it happens every four years. Loved it last Olympics when Le Bron continually got called for travelling and Spain took them into the final minutes of a real basketball game.