Al Jefferson is slowly becoming one of the top 5 PF.

[Mahoney_jr]

I still want him to create more contact/free throws to increase his efficiency. He has many holes in his games, but his traits are excellent.

[sam_I_am]

Theo Ratliff type player will not get it done. Tyson Chandler is almost the exact type of player Al would need to watch his back except that Tyson doesn't have an outside game. Al needs an athletic shot blocking PF but he also needs one with a little Dirk in his game because having a big man who hangs around the rim won't make life easier for Al in the paint.

What is the difference between Theo Ratliff and Tyson Chandler? I am not talking about a 35 year old Ratliff I want the 25 year old one. They don't need and offensive game at all they simply need to have the length and ability to defend long centers and quick PF's and knock down a 15 ft jumper. Camby in his prime, PJ Brown, Dale Davis, these guys aren't even that difficult to aquire, the dominant low post big man on the other hand can be just little bit more rare.

Theo Ratliff is a great shot blocker but has always been a mediocre at best defender. He has had no offensive game whatsoever. Chandler runs the floor extremely well and next to a great playmaker like Paul is a devastating finisher and I think he is on the way to becoming a top notch defender as well as a shotblocker like Ratliff. That is why it takes #2 pick to get him in the draft. New Orleans doesn't "need" a #2 draft pick caliber big man next to him. They can get by with a David West (who is very good btw) next to him.

With Al Jefferson, you cannot get by with David West because your front court gets destroyed defensively. With Al Jefferson you need a lock down defender who makes wing players fear driving into the pain but on the other end he has to be an outside threat. Finding a player who can control the paint on the defensive end and draw defenders away from Al who basically just sits his ass in the paint and calls for the ball is a near impossible task.

When you have KG you can live with Perkins. When you have Al Jefferson you still need a KG (at least defensively). That is the catch 22 with Al Jefferson.

You bring up some interesting names though. A young Camby would a perfect compliment to Al. He too was a #2 pick and guys like him don't come along that often. Greg Oden next to Al would force Al away from the hoop and force him to guard PF's and he would get destroyed by the Dirk, West and even Bargnani would light him up so much so that he would be a liability. LaMarcus Aldridge on the other hand might be a good fit.

BFB mentions Love, Jefferson, Miller as a front court but I think that front line gives up 15 for every 10 it scores no matter how bad the team it is playing. I think the Knicks torch that lineup.

[Rocky5000]

The other option is for Jefferson to just improve defensively. McHale has been teaching him some offensive moves, maybe it's time to help him out on the other end. I don't think Jefferson has any physical limitations that keep him from being an average defender.

[I love heinsohn]

Sam: David West is an above average scoring, shooting and passing power forward. Yes, Chris Paul makes him look better than he is (and gets him on the all star team), but don't act like you can put "any" PF/C next to Chandler. Chandler is a defender and needs a plus scorer next to him. Stick Kendrick Perkins or someone like that next to him and your offense will really struggle. Same thing goes for Al, but in reverse.

[BeanTownBrawler]

I think Kevin Love will prove to be a perfectly good fit next to Al if Big Al can himself improve his defense (which I think he can). Then they won't be the best defensive team, but they will be ok and be great on offense.

If they can get really great perimeter D, then they should be fine because there aren't that many teams with dominant interior play to begin with.

[sam_I_am]

Sam: David West is an above average scoring, shooting and passing power forward. Yes, Chris Paul makes him look better than he is (and gets him on the all star team), but don't act like you can put "any" PF/C next to Chandler. Chandler is a defender and needs a plus scorer next to him. Stick Kendrick Perkins or someone like that next to him and your offense will really struggle. Same thing goes for Al, but in reverse.

You missed my point entirely. In my post I stated that David West is very good. As an undersized PF he has major advantages offensively against most PF's out West but defensively he is no great shakes. Chandler's strong defensive ability helps West greatly. Chandlers ability to run the floor and finish with authority also blends in perfectly.

I never said you could put "any C/F" next to Chandler and actually feel that Jefferson/Chandler wouldn't work on the offensive end. Jefferson's is unique in that he is undersized for a center but has a center's game offensively. This means that he gets pushed around defensively, cannot physically overpower everybody in the post - which in playoffs means his scoring will drop significantly, and can get muscled around by true centers. He is also very slow footed for a PF which means that it is very hard to play him next to a true center (like Perkins) because any team with a quick PF can destroy your team. Chandler who can guard the quick PF's and also control the paint as a help defender would probably allow Al to guard Centers but offensively what would they do?

As far as Perk or Al I agree with you. Both would struggle next to West. Al Jefferson and West together would get toasted alive on defense. Offensivly, West and Al would be a handful for anybody but I think if you replaced Chandler with Al Jefferson that team would score a lot of points but in the end would resemble the Denver Nuggets of the past 5 years and would ultimately be worse. Perkins is a great fit next to KG defensively and he is making strides offensively but he is still a liability offensively on just about any other team. With West instead of KG next to him, Perkins' slow foot speed would make him far less effective defensively and he would foul out in 5 minutes.