BasketballFan7 wrote:pelifan wrote:BasketballFan7 wrote:What does Tim Duncan not provide at center?
The bigger issue, IMO, is having two average defenders out there in Curry and Dirk/Bird. IMO the majority of all time teams are already going to have an insane offensive ceiling, so it only makes sense to have strong defenders across the board.
There are only so many shots to go around. Spamming together a bunch of supreme scorers isn't the best strategy here IMO if it means sacrificing at the defensive end, because I already want the ball in the hands of Jordan/James as much as possible.
Bird/Curry give you the two best offball player to ever play in the NBA. The ball can stay in Jordan or Lebron's hands. Duncan is not the issue really, Davis is. there are much better options.
Duncan off the bench is another must pick in my opinion, can play either bigman spot and doesn't need the ball, good teammate. I'll bring excess defense off the bench. I want my starting group to 1 be a matchup nightmare that makes my opponent adjust 2 to get my best players going.
It isn't a matter of fit. The fit is excellent. It's that I don't see the offensive rating of such teams being substantial to the point where it is superior to a team with two way players. In one of the situations there are diminishing returns and in the other there are not.
Volume wise, Curry and Bird/Dirk are going to be the team's 3rd or 4th options following Jordan and LeBron. Hakeem/Duncan will also need touches. Spacing value or not, I'm not extracting maximum value from Curry/Bird/Dirk.
If I have Kevin Garnett at the 4, I am getting the absolute best out of Kevin Garnett as far as his ability to contribute to a team. His primary value comes defensively and I am getting all of it. At the same time, his weaknesses are nearly irrelevant when he is a team's third or fourth option. He is going to hit jumpers, make crisp passes, roam the court like a mad man, destroy the pick and roll... Etcetera. I don't see how Bird or Dirk, when being used as a team's third or fourth options, are going to have an offensive impact that will supersede what Garnett brings on the defensive side. As a first or second option, sure, but I'm not getting full value out of Bird or Dirk in this situation.
It's essentially what the Cavaliers deal with having Kevin Love. Obviously on a much grander scale, but you get the point. They would have been better both of the past two seasons with Paul Milsap in Love's place.
Give me Garnett or Duncan as my PF in this scenario. That is just my two cents.
I disagree, I don't see high level basketball as options. The way I see it is going with Bird over Garnett gives me a more 2013 Spurs like offense, where I've always got the defense scrambling. These are high IQ basketball players who are the best of the best. whipping the ball around, attacking, and getting other all time defenses scrambling is important. Bird brings more than shooting with the ability to make the right play and make it quickly when the ball is passed to him better than any player ever. In this context I actually feel ok with doubling off of Garnett and having him take a midrange shot even if he hits it 50%+ of the time. Curry's movement alone scrambles a defense he doesn't even have to shoot to impact the game. Also defense is done in the team context. I don't feel the need to have a high level defender at every position. Primarily because offense at this level is going to beat good defense.
No matter what defense you throw at that you're done, it's not going to stop it.
