Draft a Big Man?

[Marcus50]

Since the moment Durant was drafted pundits have said that the team needs a low post scoring center, but I think that has proven to be false.

If the goal is to truly upgrade from Perkins then you need a guy who can hold position or move opposing players out of the paint. Len, Adams are the closest to ready, with Jaiteh as a interesting project.

How has it been proven that OKC doesn't need a post presence? Until OKC wins a championship it is a very valid argument. Every post Jordan team that has won a championship so far has had a post presence. The closest two arguments against that are the Pistons and last years Heat. The Pistons are pretty much a complete anomaly when it comes to how championship teams are built but they still had Billups and Sheed who could post effectively when needed. When you hold teams to 85 points a game, you really don't need too much offense to win. The second team the Heat are arguably more effective with Lebron posting up. A large part of why OKC lost last year was because of how effectively Lebron posted up against them. I remember Lebron abusing Harden quite often while posting up. The post presence doesn't have to come from the center position but from somewhere. Durant if he keeps improving and gets stronger should be able to develop a Dirk-like post game.

I think Adams is the obvious choice if available. He has been getting good reports since the combine and has the best size of any center prospect in the draft. He has solid rebounding numbers in college and according to the reports has worked on his shot quite a bit.

Adams freshman stats were better than Lens, Plumlees, Olynyks and Diengs. He was behind Noel and Zeller.

[spearsy23]

Is F Mitchell?

F is actually withey, who stacks up very well against the other centers production wise. I'm not a big fan of drafting him, but if we DO take 2 centers he could end up a good backup who can hustle and hit free throws (a bigger version of psycho T?).

[sonictecture]

Since the moment Durant was drafted pundits have said that the team needs a low post scoring center, but I think that has proven to be false.

If the goal is to truly upgrade from Perkins then you need a guy who can hold position or move opposing players out of the paint. Len, Adams are the closest to ready, with Jaiteh as a interesting project.

How has it been proven that OKC doesn't need a post presence? Until OKC wins a championship it is a very valid argument. Every post Jordan team that has won a championship so far has had a post presence. The closest two arguments against that are the Pistons and last years Heat. The Pistons are pretty much a complete anomaly when it comes to how championship teams are built but they still had Billups and Sheed who could post effectively when needed. When you hold teams to 85 points a game, you really don't need too much offense to win. The second team the Heat are arguably more effective with Lebron posting up. A large part of why OKC lost last year was because of how effectively Lebron posted up against them. I remember Lebron abusing Harden quite often while posting up. The post presence doesn't have to come from the center position but from somewhere. Durant if he keeps improving and gets stronger should be able to develop a Dirk-like post game.

I think Adams is the obvious choice if available. He has been getting good reports since the combine and has the best size of any center prospect in the draft. He has solid rebounding numbers in college and according to the reports has worked on his shot quite a bit.

My statement was that OKC doesn't need a low post center to be successful, not that they don't need low post offense. We've seen Brooks use Westbrook and Durant in the post on occasion. I agree that scoring should come from all over the floor, but a post up center like Al Jefferson slows the offense down, clogs driving lanes for Westbrook and Durant and limits ball movement in most cases. If a low post option takes away from Durant and Westbrook with mediocre efficiency there is not point.

[comingbacktousa]

My statement was that OKC doesn't need a low post center to be successful, not that they don't need low post offense. We've seen Brooks use Westbrook and Durant in the post on occasion. I agree that scoring should come from all over the floor, but a post up center like Al Jefferson slows the offense down, clogs driving lanes for Westbrook and Durant and limits ball movement in most cases. If a low post option takes away from Durant and Westbrook with mediocre efficiency there is not point.

Pretty much any center clogs the lane, not named Marc Gasol. Having a threat other teams have to respect, instead of getting to double of Perkins every time, opens up things more of them if anything. How does replacing Perkins with Jefferson slow down the offense and clog the lane more than Perkins. He is a good midrange shooter, high assist rate for his position, and low turnover player. Running an entire offense through a post center slows the offense down usually like the grizzlies, but OKC's offense won't be run through them extensively.

Westbrook has pretty bad efficiency himself. Pretty much any upgrade at center is likely to score more efficiently than Westbrook and Perkins, so taking their volume is a good thing. If it comes at the expense of Durant's efficiency and volume then it is counter productive. I'd expect Westbrook's volume to be more effected than Durant's.

[spearsy23]

We don't need a low post threat, just a catch and finish guy. A good pick and roll player (on both ends) would be ideal.

[IanChang]

I don't see anyone who can provide post threat next season in this draft class.

[Balkman32]

Len?

[sonictecture]

I don't see anyone who can provide post threat next season in this draft class.

Look beyond just next year.