Find the missing Link

[Big_Mac79]

For those of you more in tune basketball minds out there I would like to know who if any of the available FA big men would fit with current core and improve the team. I would also like to know who you believe to be an absolute horrible fit

the starting lineup is
Westbrook
Thabo
Durant
Green or Ibaka
???????

If one would play better with Green than Ibaka please let me know why

Here is a list I found of available big men
CHRIS BOSH, PF
DIRK NOWITZKI, PF
YAO MING, C
AMAR'E STOUDEMIRE, PF
CARLOS BOOZER, PF
DAVID LEE, PF
LUIS SCOLA, PF
TYRUS THOMAS, PF
BRENDAN HAYWOOD, C
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, C
UDONIS HASLEM, PF
AL HARRINGTON, PF
ZYDRUNAS ILGAUSKAS, C
JERMAINE O'NEAL, C
IAN MAHINMI, PF
AMIR JOHNSON, PF
CHANNING FRYE, C
MATT BONNER, PF
HAKIM WARRICK, PF
BRAD MILLER, C

[slick_watts]

CHRIS BOSH, PF - Great fit with Ibaka / Unrealistic
DIRK NOWITZKI, PF - OK fit with Ibaka / Unrealistic
YAO MING, C - Poor fit / Unrealistic
AMAR'E STOUDEMIRE, PF - OK fit with Ibaka / Unrealstic
CARLOS BOOZER, PF - Good fit with Ibaka / Unrealistic
DAVID LEE, PF - Good fit with Ibaka
LUIS SCOLA, PF - Poor fit
TYRUS THOMAS, PF - Poor fit
BRENDAN HAYWOOD, C - Great fit with Green or Ibaka
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, C - Poor fit
UDONIS HASLEM, PF - Poor fit
AL HARRINGTON, PF - Poor fit
ZYDRUNAS ILGAUSKAS, C - Poor fit
JERMAINE O'NEAL, C - OK fit with Ibaka if he plays like he did this year
IAN MAHINMI, PF - Unknown
AMIR JOHNSON, PF - OK fit with Ibaka
CHANNING FRYE, C - Good fit with Ibaka (very interesting)
MATT BONNER, PF - Poor fit
HAKIM WARRICK, PF - Poor fit
BRAD MILLER, C - Poor fit

Essentially, I think if you're starting Green you need size and rebounding to overcome Green's weaknesses. I think of all these guys Haywood is the only one I'd start with Green and feel comfortable with.

With Ibaka, I think you still need someone who's good on the boards, but more importantly, someone who's a threat offensively. Stoudemire is a poor rebounder and eh defender so I don't like him with Ibaka. Lee, Bosh, and Boozer can all rebound well so I think they'd pair well enough with Serge. Still not ideal, since Serge is a PF not a center. Again, the real center (Haywood) would be a good fit with Serge also.

Channing Frye would be a very interesting front court partner with Ibaka. That's actually very compelling...

[dream_catcher_9]

Who would guard centers with a Ibaka/Frye front court?

[slick_watts]

Who would guard centers with a Ibaka/Frye front court?

Ibaka would. It'd be fun. I don't think Frye is that terrible defensively, either, he's made some nice plays.

[Clangus]

Slick you are letting your David Lee love get in the way of your reasoning...that or mine has failed me somehow

How on earth does Lee = Great fit, but Scola = bad fit?
Please perhaps my analysis is off, but the only reason that Scola may not be an option is because Prying him away from his current employer would be costly.?

[wiff]

Who would guard centers with a Ibaka/Frye front court?

Ibaka would. It'd be fun. I don't think Frye is that terrible defensively, either, he's made some nice plays.

Wait you don't want a Green and Ibaka front court because Ibaka would have to play the 5 and Green is undersized at PF.

But you would be open to a Frye and Ibaka front court? Slick you slay me.

I made a thread earlier this season about who was the softest big and at that point which was feb Frye had more 3's than rebounds.

HELL NO do I want Frye anywhere close to OKC.

[slick_watts]

Slick you are letting your David Lee love get in the way of your reasoning...that or mine has failed me somehow?

I probably should change that to OK fit. I guess Scola would do as well or better than O'neal or Johnson next to Serge. I don't think he'd do as well as some of the other guys, though. I overlook Scola a lot.

Wait you don't want a Green and Ibaka front court because Ibaka would have to play the 5 and Green is undersized at PF.

But you would be open to a Frye and Ibaka front court? Slick you slay me

It's really a matter of philosophy. Frye is a 40% 3pt shooter, a much better offensive weapon than Jeff Green. I think it'd be fun to see how it'd work with a legit 3pt big man paired with Ibaka. What you might lose elsewhere, it'd completely open up the rest of the court offensively. I think it'd be interesting.

Frye is much more of a PF/C than Green.

[Balkman32]

Bosh would be the guy who will fit like a glove!

[Balkman32]

Lee and Haywood could both really help the front court.
Mahinmi and A. Johnson are interesting players. So young, that they would really fit in here. I think Sam Presti wants to keep the players he brings in young, so they can grow with the team.

I do not think Yao, Dirk, Boozer or Amare will be on this team next seaosn.

We need two Big men!

[wiff]

Can we please stop with the Bosh hypotheticals? No way under any circumstances is he coming to OKC.

And just so you know Slick, Frye had 417 rebounds and took 392 3pt attempts in 81 games.

Mean while Green had 312 3pt attempts with 490 rebounds in 82 games.

Don't even try to justify bringing in Frye. Frye is in no way and answer to anything.

I know Green isn't a PF but for god sakes neither is Frye.

[slick_watts]

And just so you know Slick, Frye had 417 rebounds and took 392 3pt attempts in 81 games.

Mean while Green had 312 3pt attempts with 490 rebounds in 82 games.

Don't even try to justify bringing in Frye. Frye is in no way and answer to anything.

Are you serious..?

Channing Frye shot 44% from 3pt range this year. He made more than 10% more than his three pointers than Jeff Green on almost 25% more attempts. And you're using this as a criticism of his game?! He can shoot as much as he wants from three point range at that percentage. Christ, 2/5 of our starting lineup doesn't shoot that well from the field.

As far as rebounding goes, Jeff Green has more rebounds than Channing Frye because he played nearly 33% more minutes. Frye is not a great rebounder, but he's sure better than Green (7.0RP36 to 5.8RP36).

[cram]

Chris Bosh.

[wiff]

Are you serious..?

Channing Frye shot 44% from 3pt range this year. He made more than 10% more than his three pointers than Jeff Green on almost 25% more attempts. And you're using this as a criticism of his game?! He can shoot as much as he wants from three point range at that percentage. Christ, 2/5 of our starting lineup doesn't shoot that well from the field.

As far as rebounding goes, Jeff Green has more rebounds than Channing Frye because he played nearly 33% more minutes. Frye is not a great rebounder, but he's sure better than Green (7.0RP36 to 5.8RP36).

I am using that as a criticism of Frye's game. I don't want a toliet tissue soft PF. If he was a SG great, but I want my big men to play like bigmen.

Pau Gasol took 5 3pt attempts yet he pulled down 724rebs.
Chris Bosh took 22 3pt attempts and he pulled down 759 rebs.
Al Jefferson took 4 3pt attempts and he pulled down 703rebs.
Tim Duncan took 11 3pt attempts and pulled down 788 rebs.
KG took 5 3pt attempts and pulled down 506 rebs.
Boozer took ZERO attempts and pulled down 874 rebs.

I don't want my bigmen to wear a skirt. I want them to pound the glass. The fact that Green took 312 3pt attempts is a glaring problem and it obviously points to the fact the dude is not a PF and is more comfortable playing the SF position. This is the perfect example of why Green needs to come off the bench.

You know why Gasol, Bosh, Al Jeff, Duncan, KG and Boozer don't take many three's?













Because they can get it done in the post.

Give me the high percent two point shot over the 3 ball any day. It's a lot easier for guys to go cold from outside than it is for guys to go cold from a couple feet out.

[Clangus]

But Wiff, if Green hit 40+% of his outside shots, we'd have won more games, got a higher seed and likely still be playing. Not saying I condone a move to get Frye, but we would be a better team with him IMO

[wiff]

But Wiff, if Green hit 40+% of his outside shots, we'd have won more games, got a higher seed and likely still be playing. Not saying I condone a move to get Frye, but we would be a better team with him IMO

I see your point but I could also argue if Green decided to go bang in the post and worked to get his shot off closer to the hoop his FG% would have been higher. The Thunder would have won more games and would still be playing.


But instead Green shot way to many three balls, his numbers went down across the board in the playoffs, except he averaged 0.1 more assist. And he shot 85% percent from the line. He shot 74% during the regular season. Of course he only shot a total of 20 free throws over 6 games. So he shot less than 4 free throw a game. Way to take it hard to the rack.

The rest of his numbers went in the toilet. But he did shoot a whooping 27 3pt shots at 27.6%. .
That's why I want my PF to play in the post. It's harder to go cold four feet from the basket.

Seriously the guy shot more 3pters than free throws in the playoffs and he is the starting PF. Anyone see a problem with that?

Give me Ibaka and I'll deal with the learning curve.

[Clangus]

Oh I think we're unanimous on Ibaka NEEDING to start next season!

[slick_watts]

With all due respect, wiff, you are making zero sense at all.

First, being a good three point shooter, and shooting three pointers, does not preclude one from being a good rebounder, a good defeder, or both. Troy Murphy is just one example of an excellent three point shooter who happens to be a good rebounder. Mehmet Okur, Lamar Odom, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kevin Love are other examples of big men who shoot a varying number of three pointers and are good rebounders for their position. How about Larry Bird? Or Rasheed Wallace, one of the better post defenders of the era? Or, to hit a bit closer to home, Sam Perkins? Even thinking about it logically, what possible effect could shooting threes have on the defensive boards, where our rebounding weakness lies.. Channing Frye, by the way, is a better career defensive rebounder than everyone on our roster besides Serge and Nick, and not far off those two.

As far as getting it done in the post, I find it hilarious that you are including Kevin Garnett in your list there since 70% of his FGA are jump shots. Half of Boozer's FGA are jump shots. Over half of Bosh's FGA are jump shots. The notion that post offense is the only efficient offense is a dated myth. Channing Frye hits 44% of his three point attempts, which is the equivalent of shooting 63.6% from the field on two point shots since a three is worth 1.5 times more points than a two. Tell me, how many of those players you listed hit 63.6% of their two pointers? I'll answer for you: ZERO. The high percentage three point shot is infinitely more efficient than most player's high percentage two point shot unless you're prime Shaq.

Efficient offense is efficient offense. It would be great to have a banger in the post but it is not required to win games. Of the five playoff teams remaning in contention, only one has an elite back to the basket post player (the Lakers). Kevin Garnett and Amar'e Stoudemire are face up power forwards who shoot many jump shots, and Shaq's carcass / Dwight Howard are not elite offensive players at this point.

Channing Frye is not a spectacular defender. He has a neutral effect on the Suns defense when he is in the game. But he is definitely a PF / C. The fact that he shoots and makes a lot of threes actually makes him viable for us. We need high percentage scoring in a bad way from our front court. Frye, though he cannot create his own shot like others can, is far more efficient than most of those players you listed. There are reasons Frye would not work out, mostly centering on the fact that we'd still need more size, but this delusion that his three point shooting is a weakness of his game and wouldn't make our offense 1000x better (because he's not a 'banger')...

[slick_watts]

If Jeff Green shot 44% from three point range it would completely alter the way this team played offense, it would have changed everything about how the Lakers defended Kevin Durant and (later on) Russell Westbrook, and we probably at least take the series to seven games or even win it.

[dream_catcher_9]

If Jeff Green shot 44% from three point range it would completely alter the way this team played offense, it would have changed everything about how the Lakers defended Kevin Durant and (later on) Russell Westbrook, and we probably at least take the series to seven games or even win it.

That's why I still have faith in Mr Green. He will keep working, not get down on himself because people bash him non stop and will prove the doubters wrong.

When he is holding up the Larry O'Brein Trophy someday you will look back and think to yourself, god damn I am glad we didn't trade this guy.

[sonictecture]

Channing Frye had an incredible year shooting the 3-ball, there is no denying that. The question is, are you going to sign him with the assumption that he will continue to make 43% of his shots from that range?

Seeing as Frye's prowess from 3 point range came out of nowhere and is the one part of his game that made him relevant, what do you have if his percentage dips down to 33% or lower? How much are you paying for that?

Frye is a niche or specialty player. Despite his great season he still was replaced as a starter in Phoenix this season due to weaknesses in his game. Signing Frye should only be done with the idea that he would continue to come off the bench.

I'm on the start Ibaka band wagon, but not at power forward but center. I think Green can play better and will alongside Ibaka and I like what Collison brings to the team as a back up.