LoquaciousLarry wrote:aussie_pride wrote:LoquaciousLarry wrote:Can't stand the calls he gets but if you don't think Embiids a great center you have no credibility
Explain to me why he is a good centre? Look at the players who he is up against? None of them can defend. To be fair to the guy that is not his fault; Embiid can only play who he is up against. All I'm saying is that is centres learn to defend the way that Horford, Gasol and Gobert can then Embiid would not be half the player people make him out to be. God help Embiid if he came up against a technically proficient defender like Robert Parish!
He's huge, agile, has good touch, excellent patience, intelligent passer, can run the offense through him. Averages 30 points per game, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.5 blocks while shooting 50% from the field and 40% from 3. Parish is a HOFer so I don't think saying HOFers could compete with him makes him a lesser player.
Also you referenced Shaqs defense, Shaq won 4 titles and averaged close to 40 in the Finals against the Pacers when he dominated Rik Smits. If thats not great, please show me a Center who is.
Loooool! Intelligent passer!! You have got to be kidding me! Embiid is not a good passer; he is competent but there is no way that you could have him facilitate in the same way Jokic does. Good passing centres in my book would be the likes of Bill Walton, Arvydas Sabonis, the Gasols, Draymond Green (if you classify him as a centre). All of those guys are far superior passers to Embiid.
I'm not going to argue with the number he is putting up because that is not the point I'm making. What I am saying is that he is the beneficiary of a league where the majority of centres cannot defend. If you put Embiid in an era such as the 60s, 70s, 80s and even the 90s where he would be up against more skilled centres, the guy wouldn't be putting up half those numbers.
Shaq was dominant, predominantly because of his size. He even admits that he did not care about being skilled; he was just dominant. He was big, powerful guy who ran of the top of a lot of people. He was not a great defensive player; like I said his size made it hard for other centres to score inside but in terms of moving his feet and reading opponents moves, the guy was not good. Furthermore, that style of play worked really well in the era that he was in. If you put him up against Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell or a lot of the guys from that era when the rules made the game harder for big men then he would be in serious trouble.