Anyone Read the Athlon Sports Preview???

[thesheedera]

Featured article that focused on where the NBA is heading with non-traditional rosters full of multi-skilled players who can play several positions, run the floor, and spread out the offense. It was primarily about teams like the Suns and Dallas, and honestly if you took the names away from the quotes, you'd have thought it was Billy Knight being interviewed. Lots of comments similar to the "he's not a certain position, he's a BASKETBALL player" line of thought.

It also discussed how the center of the past is just that, the center of the past. Oden might change that line of thinking in a few years, but for the time being, it makes some sense.

Of course when your team can win 50 games/year, it adds a lot of credibility to what you're saying. When Billy says it, we think he's crazy and just in love with 6'9" players. When D'Antoni says it you shake your head and say "yeah, that's the future".

So if I read that article, and I looked at the HAwks roster, I'd have to think to myself...this is it! This team is build for the new NBA.

But we still ahve the same coach, and unless he makes huge strides and turns this team into a winner, he has got to go. There has to be a coach out there that can work with what Billy's built.

[vdunkndunk]

I've noticed a lot of this lately. A lot of teams are trying to build young, athletic, versatile teams. It is seen as the wave of the future if your the Mavs or the Suns, and it's crazy stupidity if your the Hawks. But now that our guys are getting a bit older we should get a better idea about what we've got here. Hopefully BK is more on the mad-genius side of things than the obsessed-with-6'9-guys side.

[Diesel]

Cycles...

The game goes in Cycles...

The Dominant Centers are on their way BACK to the game. We will have to have one to be competitive in the future.

All the sudden, we're going to look around and Phoenix won't be the most talked about team, but it will be LAC and Seattle.

[Diesel]

I think it's a losing proposition if you don't get a dominant big or dominant PG.

We should have taken Paul over Marvin. Players with Marvin's skillset are a dime a dozen. Easily found. IN fact, Chillz might be better than Marvin.

[Swatguy]

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I've noticed a lot of this lately. A lot of teams are trying to build young, athletic, versatile teams. It is seen as the wave of the future if your the Mavs or the Suns, and it's crazy stupidity if your the Hawks. But now that our guys are getting a bit older we should get a better idea about what we've got here. Hopefully BK is more on the mad-genius side of things than the obsessed-with-6'9-guys side.

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In the 80's the 6'9" player was evident. I recall just this theory contributed from the Showtime Lakers. They were 6'9" all around Kareem with a dash of Byron. A tea, of Magics or a team full of Woolridges, Blackmons or Micheal Rays (Richardson). Some of you may not be old enough to remember.

[Swatguy]

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I think it's a losing proposition if you don't get a dominant big or dominant PG.

We should have taken Paul over Marvin. Players with Marvin's skillset are a dime a dozen. Easily found. IN fact, Chillz might be better than Marvin.

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How many of your dominant "PG" types have won a championship the last 10 years? Marvin was and is the pick, get over it.

[skyhawk]

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The Dominant Centers are on their way BACK to the game. We will have to have one to be competitive in the future.

All the sudden, we're going to look around and Phoenix won't be the most talked about team, but it will be LAC and Seattle.

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Dominant centers are on the way BACK - did I miss something? Where are they? Kaman? Sene? Swift? Bynum? Harrison? Diop? These are all projects who, even if they live up to their potential, will never be dominant. The world awaits Oden's arrival but he's not a sure thing either and even if he becomes dominant there aren't others like him on the horizon.

The hyprid C/PFs are still the most effective big men playing today and that's not likely to change in the near future as the game relies on skill more than power.

I do agree that the game goes cycles (as does everything) but we're still years away from the "traditional" big man.

[gheorghe]

i'm preparing myself to kick some azz again. I'm getting bored in Romania, and me with my man Constantine Popa are training to regain basketball shape. I'm available if any team wants to take a closer look. I'm gonna rule the NBA, now at 35 tears old i'm kinda more mature and relaxed, wiser. Bring that kid Oden, i'm gonna teach him a lesson or two, the Romanian mountain is baaaaaaaaaaack, from the land of Dracula with love

[thesheedera]

Found the magazine. The quote that really stood out to me was this one:

"Eventually, the stereotype of a team comprised of a playmaker, shooting guards, rebounder and post man will be replaced by teams that have five basketball players on the floor." D'Antoni.

Of course his team hasn't ever won a championship, and the more traditional teams have.

Diesel, I think this trend will continue until they make rule changes to stop it. The current NBA makes the game harder for big men to dominate the way they have in the past. I think its a matter of coincidence that there seem to be very few 7-0 centers with a lot of skill out there, which just makes it worse. If you love the traditional post game, you might be SOL for a while until someone comes along that changes the game again (Oden?), or until the NBA decides the gam is getting too "European".

I think a good post man is always important, and we need to always be on the lookout for a better one, but I think the definition of what makes a good post man is really being altered.

[xhawk]

Swat, you make a really good point. Looking at the last few championship point guards: Jason Williams, Parker, Billups, Derek Ficher, etc. None of these guys were at Paul's level out of college. In fact, they do not possess any season MVP trophies nor many allstar appearances. This becomes more evident when you look at guys like Jason Kidd, Steve Nash and Steve Francis. There are many allstar appearances and MVPs (and MVP considerations) in there, but no championships.

[thesheedera]

Billups was the 3rd pick in the draft an has had MVP candidate seasons, but you're right about the others.

[Swatguy]

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Billups was the 3rd pick in the draft an has had MVP candidate seasons, but you're right about the others.

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Billups is still not a "Chris Paul type" point guard. He is more JJ than Kidd.

[AHF]

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Billups was the 3rd pick in the draft an has had MVP candidate seasons, but you're right about the others.

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Billups is still not a "Chris Paul type" point guard. He is more JJ than Kidd.

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Nobody was making a "Chris Paul type" PG comparison, I think. I read the post to be about guys who became stars and guys who didn't.

Billups was nearly as highly rated as Paul coming out of college (drafted higher than Paul but in a weaker draft) and eventually became a star (more like Steve Nash who is also listed who took years before being a real impact player).

[Diesel]

In the History of the game, only 2 Sf led teams have ever won a championship.

Making a mistake is easy... Not recognizing your mistakes are foolish.

[Diesel]

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The current NBA makes the game harder for big men to dominate the way they have in the past.

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You say this is the year that a Shaq led Heat team rolls past Detroit and Dallas and wins the NBA Finals.

The trend is cyclic.

Oden is the next step...

Coming also are Noah, Hawes, Thabeet, Tasch, Baby Shaq, and Hibbert and others.

Now, notice that when there were dominant Centers there were only every 4-5...

For example...

Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson, Mutombo, and Shaq...

In the league already developing are:

Yao, Swift, Sene, Kaman, Petro, etc..

Sure you're going to have some bombs who are not worth talking about...

But all you need is 4 or 5 who can average over 15 ppg who can either dominant the boards or the paint to have the cycle returned.

What James, Wade, and Mello did for SG/Sf...

Oden, Hawes, Yao, Kaman, and Swift can do for Centers.

It's scary to see Yao pulling off 8 30 point games in a season...