pandrade83 wrote:trex_8063 wrote:pandrade83 wrote:
I could get behind Dave D in a run-off depending on who he's up against. Bellamy is a no-go for me - I don't think anyone has even been mentioned that I'd vote for him against.
Out of curiosity, how do you feel about Karl-Anthony Towns? Where do you rank him among today's centers?
I'm not a fan of KAT. A big who is weak defensively is problematic for me. And what's perhaps the most frustrating is that he has all the tools to be a strong defender . . . he's just not one. Same for Wiggins. It feels cultural and I thought Thibs & Taj would make it better. I hope they get bounced in round 1.
If all I care about is winning this year - long term doesn't matter to me - if healthy -
Embiid, Cousins, Gobert, Giannis, KP, Jokic - all guys I'd rather have. Draymond/Horford level is where I have to start to think more and then it depends on what does my team look like.
Fair enough. You are indeed consistent in your valuation of things. As you may have suspected, I was prepared to play a little "gotcha!" there

.
KAT is probably the closest modern-day comparison to Walt Bellamy: scores moderate-high volume on elite-level efficiency, decent rebounding numbers, somewhat limited as a distributor, questionable/poor defensively, and putting up
big numbers on mediocre or bad teams early in their respective careers.
If you'd said you consider KAT a top 3-4 (or perhaps even top 5) center in the league presently, then being so utterly against the inclusion of Walt Bellamy in the top 100 (given his strong longevity/durability profile) would be fairly inconsistent.
fwiw, I was watching a bit of the following game from the '71 season yesterday......
.....mostly scrutinizing Bellamy on the defensive end, and watching for any other noteworthy tendencies.
Want to point out some plays, but first a preface: If you watch, bear in mind this is Bellamy's at age 31 and on the down-slope of his career, in his 10th season having missed just 5 games in the 9+ seasons to this point (which he more than made up for playing 6 extra games in '69---the season of 88 rs games), while averaging about 38 mpg in his career. jsia: 31, and a lotta miles on those legs, and we're looking at a post-prime version (though he would go on to have a somewhat rejuvenated [statistically] season in '72).
Few things I noted just based on this game.....
1) He seems like a good outlet passer. Not sure if this was the case his whole career, or something he picked up on a later, but it's partially on display in the very first Hawk possession: PHX wins the tip and has a semi-transition opportunity. Bellamy snares the rebound and
immediately sees Maravich cherry-pickin', throws a nice outlet catching Pete in stride at half-court.
He has another superb outlet on the defensive rebound at 11:47.
2) Rebounding -- He boxes out.....pretty consistently. I like that in a big. I don't like the ones who chase the rebounding angles/bounces, potentially just poaching a rebound from a teammate while leaving their man without a body on him. From what I see, Bellamy is fairly consistently looking for his man and putting a body on him.
3) Defensively -- While I'm not happy with the quality of his post defense on display in this game, his help defense is often pretty good. Some examples:
2:54 - Bellamy sees the play developing, rotates at the ideal moment and blocks the shot on the help D, keeping it in play and igniting the fast break===>in which he hustles down the court on the break (showing pretty good foot-speed for a 31-yr-old high-mileage big man who's supposedly "eaten his way to mediocrity")
beating most of the field downcourt and being the recipient of the fast-break pass (gets fouled, goes to line, though misses both iirc).
4:59 - So-so help on Dick Van Arsdale (Pete's man--->Pete does not look good defensively, fwiw; his man is frequently breaking free, scored on the previous play, in fact); could have been better, but does force him into a difficult behind-the-backboard reverse along the baseline, and appears ready to have swatted a more "conventional" shot attempt on the strong-side.
5:20 - OK, he didn't box out well on the first shot----although to be fair, is it necessarily a good idea to box a guy out 9 feet from the rim (someone else can easily slip inside your boxout when you're that far from the rim)----and Connie Hawkins gets the offensive rebound for PHX. But then Bellamy swats the lay-up attempt away (again keeping it in play: PHX recovers), challenges and severely effects the follow-up shot, and secures the defensive rebound. And then again note he's
immediately looking up-court (with the ball above his head, ready to whip an outlet pass if available; they actually do get sort of a semi-transition opportunity, ultimately).
6:48 - Does a good job cutting off the drive by Dick Van Arsdale. Cuts off a second drive by Arsdale a few second later; though he seems a little slow to recover and contest his man (who receives the pass from DVA), it's really more a bash on Bill Bridges: who has Neal Walk in his field of vision as the play develops but makes not move at all to rotate; he's just sort of standing there defending no one.
8:50 - shades the drive decently on the help.
9:50 - a bit slow/inattentive on the transition D.
Anyway, I'll stop there. But his team defense is not awful based on this sample (
especially for the time period); and this is the biggest criticism of him as a player.
"The fact that a proposition is absurd has never hindered those who wish to believe it." -Edward Rutherfurd
"Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire