sixers..the best frontcourt in the nba?!

[Nofx8881]

Bosh is definitely good, but considering O'Neal will only play 55 games (if you're lucky), I fail to see how him and Bosh are better than Dalembert/Brand who will probably play between 78-82 games. Not to mention that in those 55 games O'Neal plays he's going to be playing injured and probably only averaging about 12/7.

Now if we were talking about O'Neal 3, 4, 5 years ago, we could have a nice discussion. But not anymore.

I love reading posts like this. O'Neal will play 55 games if we're lucky, yet Brand who played 8 games last year will play 78-82? O'Neal has claimed numerous times that he did not play last year because he wanted to rest his knee and knew he couldn't help his team with him on the floor. He now says that he is healthy and confident that he will play a lot of games this year.

And I love posts like this. Brand had a freak accident and came back and was pretty much himself again. O'Neal has been injured every season since 2004 and has actually never played a full 82 games in his career (though he did play 81 in 2000-2001). Not including his time in Portland, out of a possible 656 regular season games, O'Neal has only played in 514 and has started 498 of those. O'Neal has played in 78% of 656 possible games. He's started nearly 97% of games that he's played in (once again, not counting his time in Portland).

Brand, on the other hand: Out of a possible 738 regular season games (and this includes last season when he missed nearly the entire year with his injury), Brand has played in 614 of those. That is 83%. Remember, that includes last season. Now take out last season and that number jumps up to 92%. Brand has started (including last season), 82.5% of possible games. Take out last season and the number is 92%.

So, as you can see, Brand has played a greater percentage of games than O'Neal and that is me not including O'Neals first 3 or 4 seasons where he played about 4 minutes a game. If I put those in, O'Neals numbers drop even further.

Honestly, Webber said the same damn thing when he came to Philadelphia and look how he played. What do you want O'Neal to say, "Well, you know, my knee is completely messed up and I really don't know if I'll ever be the same. Thanks for trading for me!!!"? I really don't dislike O'Neal, I just would never want him on the 76ers so it's not like I'm wishing him ill or anything, I just think he's way too injured. I'd say hopefully he proves me wrong, but really, I don't like the Raptors and I hate being wrong. So I won't say that. But maybe he'll play 56 games for you guys this year and I'll be wrong (but still right!).


PS

Just for fun, including his time in Portland, here are O'Neal's numbers (and this includes the lockout shortened season of 98-99):

Out of a possible 952 games, O'Neal has played in 725. That is 75%. He has started 71% of those games.


It is quite possible I did the math wrong, but I don't think I did.

[LongLiveHinkie]

Best in the ligg babe. Love it too.

[Bringbackoakley]

Ignore the Homer post above. If you count the 3 then Philly's Iggy/Brand/Daly is better than Kapono/Bosh/JO.

Being a Raps fan, I would disagree, that is just my biased opinion. lol.
Saying that, noone can say forsure who is better or who will be better.

It will depend on how the players trust eachother and how well they mesh during the course of the preseason and regular season.

I am excited to see how the atlantic division will pan out this year, hope everyone from both teams will be healthy.

[Jajwanda]

Think about it this way. Bynum ate Jermaine O'Neal alive twice if I'm not mistaken. He'll keep doing it to him in a Gasol-Bynum, Bosh- O'Neal matchup.

Gasol does well against finesse PFs also (check out K.G.'s miserable FG%, Boozer's FG% even though he's not finesse, and Duncan's FG% against him).

[IggyTheBEaST]

top 5

[freshie2]

They need to play together a bit, but it's safe to say they went from bottom 10 to top 10 overnight...most likely top 5, and not entirely crazy that they could have a top 3 SF/PF/C combo depending on Thad's development.

[lmhballer]

Stats of top NBA front courts:
Hornets:
West-21,9,2
Chander-8,11,1.5
Peja-16.4
TOT-45,24,3.5

Lakers:
Bynum-14,10,2
Gasol-17,10,2
Odom-13,10,2
TOT-34.30,6

Sixers:
Dalembert-10,10,2.5
Brand-20,10,2
Thad-(est) 15,6
TOT-45,26,4.5

Raptors:
Bosh-24,9
O'neal-19,9,2.5
Kapono-15,2
TOT-58,21,2.5

Conclusion:
The lakers seem to have the strongest front court because they are solid at all three positions. However, several of these teams have injuries and is hard to tell how a player will perform following that injury. In other cases, such as O'neal to the Raptors, it is hard to tell how a player will adjust playing to another player of similar talents. In second I would say the raptors and then the Sixers at third.

[CPops57]

lmhballer, if you want to do an analysis like that, using something like PER that includes other factors like FG% would yield a more accurate result. (There are other metrics you could use, PER just immediately came to mind)

[docwasoverated]

upon further review...defense..we are long and quick enough to defend the rim and the sf.so i think we have the best defensive frontcourt.the bench..i have high hopes that smith will continue to improve and spreights hopefully will get the minutes to progress into a future asset.also with iggy only getting half his time at the 3(due to the rising thad)..thats one heck of a defense!

[Zerostatic]

I think it's weird that people count the SF spot as a front court spot anymore. Nowadays you just have wing players and the taller/stronger ones play at the 3 and smaller/quicker ones play at the 2 but they're ususally interchangeable. Basically, what I'm saying is that small forwards are more like Shooting guards then power-forwards so in my opinion should be grouped in the backcourt. Most SF's can play at the 2, but hardly any could realistically play at the 4. I mean I could see guys like Pierce, Artest, Melo, Richard Jefferson, Caron Butler, Mike Miller, and Wally Szerbiak all playing at the 2 long before I see them being power forwards.

[docwasoverated]

I think it's weird that people count the SF spot as a front court spot anymore. Nowadays you just have wing players and the taller/stronger ones play at the 3 and smaller/quicker ones play at the 2 but they're ususally interchangeable. Basically, what I'm saying is that small forwards are more like Shooting guards then power-forwards so in my opinion should be grouped in the backcourt. Most SF's can play at the 2, but hardly any could realistically play at the 4. I mean I could see guys like Pierce, Artest, Melo, Richard Jefferson, Caron Butler, Mike Miller, and Wally Szerbiak all playing at the 2 long before I see them being power forwards.

if i follow you ..than thad would be the tall shooting guard and iggy would be the short shooting guard..thats cool dude

[MoGrAdY]

I think if your go PF/C or SF/PF/C the Magic would be pretty highly rated. Turk / Shard / Dwight is a helluva frontcout an a matchup nightmare for alot of teams. Then you got LAL an TOR depending on JO's health. Eitherway you guys are up there now.

[Barry Lird]

Well, I know you guys hate the Celtics, but shouldn't Garnett, Pierce, and Perkins at least be in the conversation (I realize that Perk is only so, so, but Garnett and Pierce are a pretty beastly tandem). Powe and Posey were very effective in reserve (but who knows if Posey is returning).

I definitely like your move for Brand, and Iggy's a beast, so you guys are in the conversation too. Also think the Toronto front court of Bosh and Oneal are potentially very good (although ONeal has been a dog most of his career, in my view, but when healthy, and he feels like putting out, he's very good).

Bynum, Odom, and Gasol should be very good too.

Oh, and Portland should be pretty scary, and soon. I know they have Oden and Aldridge (pretty daam good start. Can't think of who their SF is.

The East has caught up to the West, top to bottom, I think. You guys will be much improved, as should Toronto. Even the sorry Knicks should be improved after removing that tool Isiah.

[Death Knight]

Think about it this way. Bynum ate Jermaine O'Neal alive twice if I'm not mistaken. He'll keep doing it to him in a Gasol-Bynum, Bosh- O'Neal matchup.

Gasol does well against finesse PFs also (check out K.G.'s miserable FG%, Boozer's FG% even though he's not finesse, and Duncan's FG% against him).

Bargnani owns Gasol...It's true.

[barkley34]

Well, I know you guys hate the Celtics, but shouldn't Garnett, Pierce, and Perkins at least be in the conversation (I realize that Perk is only so, so, but Garnett and Pierce are a pretty beastly tandem). Powe and Posey were very effective in reserve (but who knows if Posey is returning).

Your front court is right at the top IMO. Perkins is underrated, his post defense was really good last year.