Marcus Camby vs Rudy Gobert

[falcolombardi]

Towns and gobert will be fascinating to watch in assesing both players

[andyhop]

Towns and gobert will be fascinating to watch in assesing both players

As a Wolves fan I can't wait to see how it plays out.

I don't see how it can be just OK it is either going to be amazing or a disaster

[Ryoga Hibiki]

Marcus Camby was at his best with New York. In '99, Camby played really well on both ends against Mourning's Heat and Mutombo's Hawks, albeit in 20 MPG. Once Ewing went down against Indiana, Camby's MPG went to 31 and he averaged 14/11/3 with 2 steals in shutting down Indiana's #1 offense to 6 points below their REG SEA offensive rating. Camby had to check Duncan/Robinson and acquitted himself well considering that duo controlled prime Shaq that same postseason.

Check out his 2001 season when he anchored an elite defense (-4.8 defense, third in the league, on par with the Duncan/Robinson Spurs) alongside Kurt Thomas and Latrell Sprewell. He scored efficiently, hit the offensive glass, and didn't turn the ball over. Honestly, looking at DPOY voting, it's as much of a travesty that Camby got 0 votes in 2001 as it is that he stole Duncan or Garnett's DPOY in 2007. Not saying Camby should have won in 2001, but to not be considered...c'mon.

It's funny that as Camby regressed as a defender and overall player, his accolades rose. He received his first ever DPOY votes in 2005, which incentivized him to chase more blocks while offering less and less real resistance in the paint. It resulted in an actual DPOY in 2007 that I don't believe he deserved. The Lakers literally did anything they wanted in the paint with Camby there in 2008.

Camby in my view had also regressed as an offensive player with Denver. Offensive rebounding declined, scoring efficiency decreased (despite crossing over to an era with higher pace and efficiency), and turnovers increased. He showed a better handle and some very good passing skills, but it came with poor decision-making.

Then there's Gobert. He's a great defensive player, but IMHO, he's the most overrated current player on this board. He's not a communicator/quarterback like KG/Draymond. He's not the lithe show-then-protect-the-rim guy like Olajuwon or Robinson. He doesn't have Duncan's IQ.

I'm under no illusions about Utah's roster over the past five years. Mitchell is basically a no-defense chucker, Snyder is a below-average coach, and the rest of the roster outside of Favors, Rubio, and Conley, and O'Neale is...forgettable. Gobert's got elite length and uses it to help and deter shots in the paint. This is a good thing. As I said, he's a great defensive player. When he's compared to all-time greats but his many warts (relative to those greats) get ignored, it becomes a real problem.

Gobert's teams - READ, teams - have been exposed on the defensive end in the playoffs. Again, I don't put all this on Gobert, but I put a decent amount of it on him. This isn't a situation like, say, KG had back when Minny got torched by Dallas. KG was on the team, but he wasn't the crux or even a major part of his team's problem.

Some say he'd be better in the 70's-90's era where his relative lack of mobility couldn't be leveraged with a spread floor. I disagree. The ways his archetype would be attacked in older eras - offensive rebounding, excellent post play, and rule abuse w/ illegal defense - holds up in effectiveness and quite frankly is more multi-dimensional than what teams do today.

The guy competes. He won a Silver Medal in 2020, and while that doesn't matter to some, it matters to me in gauging if a guy is capable of being a team player, accomplishing a goal, and is really about competition. I can't help but always respect that. But I don't think he's as great as his fans and observers on this board think he is on the court.

Semi-related, but that Minny trade will not end well for the T'Wolves. Minnestota vs. Memphis was probably the coolest, most fun playoff series this year, and a lot of that had to do with how talented yet low-iq and immature Minny was. I love KAT - he's a great kid - but he has a hard enough time playing defense at Center. How does he play defense at Power Forward? And offensively, he'll have less post touches and a congested paint. I don't get the trade and think it was a wreckless move. Gobert isn't one to galvanize the team on or off the court either. We'll see.

Anyway, Camby vs. Gobert? Give me Gobert for superior health/durability. Camby had major durability issues for basically his entire career, but especially in his first seven seasons when imo he was at his best. I will say this...I think what Camby did in the 1999 playoffs and the 2001 season (per possession for 2001) is more impressive than anything Gobert has done in the NBA.

Camby in NY was playing for very defensive teams that were offensively challenged and, if you mention 1999, he wasn’t even the best defender of his team (Kurt Thomas was), nevertheless the best player. Moreover, in an era in which a rim protector could have much more impact than today.
Gobert has been recently playing for very offensive oriented teams playing a gimmick defense that was based on him covering up for some truly horrible perimeter defense. In an era in which defensive weaknesses are much easier to exploit, while being the best player of the team.

I think we're comparing guys in vastly different tiers.