nate33 wrote:I'm really coming around on this Whiteside idea. I heard a podcast recently when Nate Duncan interviewed NBA expert David Locke. Locke made the interesting point that perhaps the biggest X-factor in NBA offenses today is to have a true pick-and-roll lob threat - guys like DeAndre Jordan, Andre Drummond, or Tyson Chandler from a few years ago. Those guys put a ton of pressure on the defense because it gives the guard a vertical target on the pick-and-roll. A really good center can stop a Wall/Gortat pick and roll just by positioning himself ideally between the two as they roll to take away that pass. Weak side help isn't necessary. But with a lob threat, even great positioning isn't enough. There is simply no way to prevent that pass while also stopping the guard, not unless you have weak side help.
The Clippers are playing great even without Griffin because of the Paul/Jordan combo. It just can't be stopped without bending the defense to the breaking point.
A Wall/Whiteside combination could be as potent (although Wall's mediocre midrange game is a problem).
This is what I been saying for the longest about gortat. without an incredible forward we need an incredible big...gortat is great but he's still mediocre in sense of being a game changer
