Horford Is Best At Center!

[sillent]

No offense to anybody wanting to put Al at the 4 but I've watched Al play at both positions and honestly he dominates more at the 5 than 4. He's been eating Roy Hibbert alive for years, plays good against Noah and holds his own against the rest of the centers of the league with one main exception being his cryptonite and that was "Dwight Howard"  who is the same freakin height give or take an inch as Horford.

 

On the other hand Bosh repeatedly abused Horford even in his Raptor days at the Poward Forward position, Josh Smith was better on David West than Horford and the same may be said for Paul. Amare Stat use to abuse Horford. Carlos Boozer even had his good showings against Horford. Lamarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love. Kevin Garnett, Dirk, Tim Duncan,Zach Randolph, Serge Ibaka and more have given Horford fits at times. Why would we want to put him in this position? Blake Griffin would abuse him but he actually does pretty decent on Deandre Jordan.

 

He has been able to make the Allstar team twice because he played the center position. He would not even have come close or been mentioned during those times playing power forward their were too many out there better than him.

 

All of this he needs to be a power forword crap is ludacris when you pay attention to how he actually matches up. Our Gm's have noticed this which is why none have been in a hurry to make Al Horford our "Power Forward" but most of us are so caught up on tradition we're blind to the fact that Al takes full advantage at the center position opposed to the power forward position. He's quicker than most of the opposing centers which allows him to dribble full court to make a play. He has a nice outside stroke which brings them away from their rim protecting area and out of their comfort zone. Most of the power forwards in the league don't have a problem sticking with him. Why would we want to put Horford at a disadvantage because it looks good on paper??? It sounds good until you actually pay attention to the facts that switching his position would diminish his status and productivity.

 

Horford is a top five center in this league behind Dwight, (Maybe Mark Gasol/Noah) but you put him at power forward he'd be lucky to make top 20. Josh's attitude and bbiq at times isn't the only reason he's never made the allstar team. It's easy not to make it when it's so much competition. Congrats to Paul Millsap for not being Josh but and making it but even his status continues to be underated after carrying a team because it's too much competition!!!

 

Sometimes it's good to just shut up and play ball because if it wasn't for him playing the center position we might've still been struggling to find an official allstar pass Joe...

[Colin]

No offense to anybody wanting to put Al at the 4 but I've watched Al play at both positions and honestly he dominates more at the 5 than 4. He's been eating Roy Hibbert alive for years, plays good against Noah and holds his own against the rest of the centers of the league with one main exception being his cryptonite and that was "Dwight Howard"  who is the same freakin height give or take an inch as Horford.

 

On the other hand Bosh repeatedly abused Horford even in his Raptor days at the Poward Forward position, Josh Smith was better on David West than Horford and the same may be said for Paul. Amare Stat use to abuse Horford. Carlos Boozer even had his good showings against Horford. Lamarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love. Kevin Garnett, Dirk, Tim Duncan,Zach Randolph, Serge Ibaka and more have given Horford fits at times. Why would we want to put him in this position? Blake Griffin would abuse him but he actually does pretty decent on Deandre Jordan.

 

He has been able to make the Allstar team twice because he played the center position. He would not even have come close or been mentioned during those times playing power forward their were too many out there better than him.

 

All of this he needs to be a power forword crap is ludacris when you pay attention to how he actually matches up. Our Gm's have noticed this which is why none have been in a hurry to make Al Horford our "Power Forward" but most of us are so caught up on tradition we're blind to the fact that Al takes full advantage at the center position opposed to the power forward position. He's quicker than most of the opposing centers which allows him to dribble full court to make a play. He has a nice outside stroke which brings them away from their rim protecting area and out of their comfort zone. Most of the power forwards in the league don't have a problem sticking with him. Why would we want to put Horford at a disadvantage because it looks good on paper??? It sounds good until you actually pay attention to the facts that switching his position would diminish his status and productivity.

 

Horford is a top five center in this league behind Dwight, (Maybe Mark Gasol/Noah) but you put him at power forward he'd be lucky to make top 20. Josh's attitude and bbiq at times isn't the only reason he's never made the allstar team. It's easy not to make it when it's so much competition. Congrats to Paul Millsap for not being Josh but and making it but even his status continues to be underated after carrying a team because it's too much competition!!!

 

Sometimes it's good to just shut up and play ball because if it wasn't for him playing the center position we might've still been struggling to find an official allstar pass Joe...

 

 

I mean, I love Horf, but I think his top-5 center position has been forfeited due to injuries the last few years.

 

Dwight

Noah

Drummond

Jefferson

Cousins

 

are the top 5, and then you have the Horford tier, right in the middle of Gasol and Lopez (because his injuries are more troublesome). That being said, Horford has show he can use his athleticism much more effectively against centers than PFs, but the main issue is that he HAS NOT BEEN PAIRED WITH A REAL CENTER BEFORE. Sure, him and Zaza looked great on the cour together at times, but we all know Zaza always had to take it easy and not showboat and make Horford look bad. I still want to see Horford paired with a true center to see the havoc they wreak on opposing frontcourts... 

[sturt]

I wrote about this topic earlier today in a different thread, and to be clear, I can agree with a lot of this and don't necessarily want to take Horford out of the 5 slot so much as I want to be able to slide him in either direction depending on what match-ups seem to work best for us... thus, I'd like to see us acquire a legit 20-minute-per-game center for just that reason. There are PFs he can dominate, and, yes, there are Cs he can dominate. Let's take advantage of that.

[Guest]

I wrote about this topic earlier today in a different thread, and to be clear, I can agree with a lot of this and don't necessarily want to take Horford out of the 5 slot so much as I want to be able to slide him in either direction depending on what match-ups seem to work best for us... thus, I'd like to see us acquire a legit 20-minute-per-game center for just that reason. There are PFs he can dominate, and, yes, there are Cs he can dominate. Let's take advantage of that.

Is there a 20-minute-per-game center is still available?  

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

The only way Horford works at 5 is if we have a dominant post presences at 4.  Kevin Love would have been perfect, but oh well.  Millsap sort of works... Only if he was an inch taller and 15 lbs heavier.  Zach Randolph w/ Horford would be deadly too.  David Lee is another option. 

[Guest]

The only way Horford works at 5 is if we have a dominant post presences at 4.  Kevin Love would have been perfect, but oh well.  Millsap sort of works... Only if he was an inch taller and 15 lbs heavier.  Zach Randolph w/ Horford would be deadly too.  David Lee is another option. 

Kevin Love is a dominant post player?   Thought he was more of a jump shooter or am I wrong?

Now Zach Randolph that is a post player.

 

Edit: I went looking at KLoves game...http://grantland.com/the-triangle/breaking-down-kevin-loves-post-game/

Edited July 29, 2014 by JayBirdHawk

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

Kevin Love is a dominant post player?   Thought he was more of a jump shooter or am I wrong?

Now Zach Randolph that is a post player.

 

Edit: I went looking at KLoves game...http://grantland.com/the-triangle/breaking-down-kevin-loves-post-game/

 

Earlier in K-Love's career, he thrived in the paint and still does.  He didn't develop that 3pt shot until later.  A big man doesn't rack up dub-dub's w/o thriving around the glass.  But yes, he has drifted further away from the post as his career progressed.

[sturt]

Is there a 20-minute-per-game center is still available?  

 

Not in FA... I don't think so. Have to come via trade.

[kerrypack]

blatche is available, but i think we are good at 4,5.

[kerrypack]

Earlier in K-Love's career, he thrived in the paint and still does.  He didn't develop that 3pt shot until later.  A big man doesn't rack up dub-dub's w/o thriving around the glass.  But yes, he has drifted further away from the post as his career progressed.

From that article: But Love shoots just 41.2 percent in the post and scores 0.881 points per possession, which places him in the 62nd percentile of NBA players. Sure, that may be better than over half the league, but as a power forward, Love should do better.

[cowa]

Not in FA... I don't think so. Have to come via trade.

What's the story with Okafor? If healthy (and I know that's a big if), he would be a perfect compliment to Horford/Millsap. And we could probably get him and still have cap space left over for future deals. I'm just not sure why he's not even mentioned (even a health status update) in any national articles (well, Kris Willis did mention him in a chat, if that counts!). I'd rather have a defensive stalwart like Okafor than Blatche.

[tonegully]

SMH. Stop it. Love isn't a dominate post player. He is a jump shooter. 

[JTB]

SMH. Stop it. Love isn't a dominate post player. He is a jump shooter.

Honestly he's both...love can man up in the post when he wants to! What do you mean stop it?

I can agree that he shoots more than he post up but I've seen love dominate in the post and destroy his opponents with his shooting in multiple games...that ain't nothing new!

[JTB]

No offense to anybody wanting to put Al at the 4 but I've watched Al play at both positions and honestly he dominates more at the 5 than 4. He's been eating Roy Hibbert alive for years, plays good against Noah and holds his own against the rest of the centers of the league with one main exception being his cryptonite and that was "Dwight Howard" who is the same freakin height give or take an inch as Horford.

On the other hand Bosh repeatedly abused Horford even in his Raptor days at the Poward Forward position, Josh Smith was better on David West than Horford and the same may be said for Paul. Amare Stat use to abuse Horford. Carlos Boozer even had his good showings against Horford. Lamarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love. Kevin Garnett, Dirk, Tim Duncan,Zach Randolph, Serge Ibaka and more have given Horford fits at times. Why would we want to put him in this position? Blake Griffin would abuse him but he actually does pretty decent on Deandre Jordan.

He has been able to make the Allstar team twice because he played the center position. He would not even have come close or been mentioned during those times playing power forward their were too many out there better than him.

All of this he needs to be a power forword crap is ludacris when you pay attention to how he actually matches up. Our Gm's have noticed this which is why none have been in a hurry to make Al Horford our "Power Forward" but most of us are so caught up on tradition we're blind to the fact that Al takes full advantage at the center position opposed to the power forward position. He's quicker than most of the opposing centers which allows him to dribble full court to make a play. He has a nice outside stroke which brings them away from their rim protecting area and out of their comfort zone. Most of the power forwards in the league don't have a problem sticking with him. Why would we want to put Horford at a disadvantage because it looks good on paper??? It sounds good until you actually pay attention to the facts that switching his position would diminish his status and productivity.

Horford is a top five center in this league behind Dwight, (Maybe Mark Gasol/Noah) but you put him at power forward he'd be lucky to make top 20. Josh's attitude and bbiq at times isn't the only reason he's never made the allstar team. It's easy not to make it when it's so much competition. Congrats to Paul Millsap for not being Josh but and making it but even his status continues to be underated after carrying a team because it's too much competition!!!

Sometimes it's good to just shut up and play ball because if it wasn't for him playing the center position we might've still been struggling to find an official allstar pass Joe...

Hmmmmm....

Not gon lie, you make some great points here.

[buckeye242424]

There is no debate... We've been discussing this for, what, 7 years??? He is our center.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

No offense to anybody wanting to put Al at the 4 but I've watched Al play at both positions and honestly he dominates more at the 5 than 4. He's been eating Roy Hibbert alive for years, plays good against Noah and holds his own against the rest of the centers of the league with one main exception being his cryptonite and that was "Dwight Howard"  who is the same freakin height give or take an inch as Horford.

 

On the other hand Bosh repeatedly abused Horford even in his Raptor days at the Poward Forward position, Josh Smith was better on David West than Horford and the same may be said for Paul. Amare Stat use to abuse Horford. Carlos Boozer even had his good showings against Horford. Lamarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love. Kevin Garnett, Dirk, Tim Duncan,Zach Randolph, Serge Ibaka and more have given Horford fits at times. Why would we want to put him in this position? Blake Griffin would abuse him but he actually does pretty decent on Deandre Jordan.

 

He has been able to make the Allstar team twice because he played the center position. He would not even have come close or been mentioned during those times playing power forward their were too many out there better than him.

 

All of this he needs to be a power forword crap is ludacris when you pay attention to how he actually matches up. Our Gm's have noticed this which is why none have been in a hurry to make Al Horford our "Power Forward" but most of us are so caught up on tradition we're blind to the fact that Al takes full advantage at the center position opposed to the power forward position. He's quicker than most of the opposing centers which allows him to dribble full court to make a play. He has a nice outside stroke which brings them away from their rim protecting area and out of their comfort zone. Most of the power forwards in the league don't have a problem sticking with him. Why would we want to put Horford at a disadvantage because it looks good on paper??? It sounds good until you actually pay attention to the facts that switching his position would diminish his status and productivity.

 

Horford is a top five center in this league behind Dwight, (Maybe Mark Gasol/Noah) but you put him at power forward he'd be lucky to make top 20. Josh's attitude and bbiq at times isn't the only reason he's never made the allstar team. It's easy not to make it when it's so much competition. Congrats to Paul Millsap for not being Josh but and making it but even his status continues to be underated after carrying a team because it's too much competition!!!

 

Sometimes it's good to just shut up and play ball because if it wasn't for him playing the center position we might've still been struggling to find an official allstar pass Joe...

The question should be ... why are people against moving Horford to PF, and bringing in a legit starting quality center?

We've done nothing but be a mediocre playoff team with Horford in the middle. So why not play him for an entire season at PF, with a true center alongside him, and see what happens.

Asking Horford to play Center is like asking a young Joe. Johnson to be mini playmaking version of Lebron James, instead of simply asking him to be an elite scoring SG.

Sure, he played the mini Lebron role well enough to make multiple All-Star teams. But how good could a young Joe Johnson been, if he had a good PG by his side that could make plays for HIM, instead of always he having to make plays for others?

We'll never know because JJ didn't play with a very good PG while in ATL.

The same goes for Horford at PF, playing alongside a very good center.

[sillent]

Where is this miraculous center that would force us to move Horror to Power Forward. He would have to be great at defense like Josh to make up for Horfords average d which wouldn't make Greg Monroe a good fit but Andre Drummond Would be perfect (but not available). AL Jefferson doesn't play d neither does DeMarcus Cousins. Who is this center that would be good enough to take away Millsap's starting position and move Al Horford to power forward??

[sillent]

I always thought Josh was a better power forward than AL & he proved that the 1st time Horford went out for the season and he actually played most of his game in the post. The same case can be made for Millsap. Out of these top centers only Dwight & maybe eventually Drummond have Al beat if Al can return to normal form.

Edited July 29, 2014 by sillent

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Where is this miraculous center that would force us to move Horror to Power Forward. He would have to be great at defense like Josh to make up for Horfords average d which wouldn't make Greg Monroe a good fit but Andre Drummond Would be perfect (but not available). AL Jefferson doesn't play d neither does DeMarcus Cousins. Who is this center that would be good enough to take away Millsap's starting position and move Al Horford to power forward??

Time to stop those lies about Jefferson. You're talking about a guy who made 3rd team All-NBA and a guy who was the anchor in the middle for the 4th best defense in the league last year. He's also one of the best defensive rebounders in the league.

Can't lean on that "who could we get to play center" crutch. This entire fan base knows who. Just like this entire fan base will know who we could've gotten to play on the wing for us.

Hint ... he's playing with the center that should be here.

It is not our fault that the GM refused to place one of the best centers in the game beside Horford. He opted to put a very good PF in Millsap, alongside a guy who can be a very good PF in Horford.

When this team is still an average defensive team, despite adding Thabo the Great and the Baze God, while getting killed on the boards, you'll see what the issues are once again.

[MaceCase]

Carlos Boozer anchored the 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 2nd ranked defenses in the league with his 99 (7th in league), 95 (2nd in the league), 100 (19th in the league) and 98 (9th in league) defensive rating all better than anything Jefferson has managed while being one of the best defensive rebounders league-wide and a low post threat that could create his own shot.  I don't know how with over 4 years of evidence to the contrary that this woefully incorrect reputation and outright lie that he is not a good defender gets perpetuated so much so that his own coach would bench him during 4th quarters and it absolutely sickens me that he was an amnesty victim so that he can be replaced with some bench energy guy, some rookie Euro shooter and a rookie tweener and it further sickens me that with so many teams with cap space and the need for a defensive anchor and low post scorer that all it took was 3 million for the Lakers to win the auction.

 

 

Or maybe, and just maybe, we should not put so much reliance on the numbers, so much so that we perhaps make the rather misinformed argument that Boozer, despite his reputation as a poor defender, was indeed responsible for the Bulls defensive turnaround (after all, they were no better than 11th overall without him with the exact same core, right?) and instead recognize that systems are very effective in emphasizing and de-emphasizing the strengths and weaknesses of players without having to exist solely due to the talents and abilities of certain individuals.

 

But hey, I sure do love reading North wax poetic about how Jefferson was the missing link thanks to circular reasoning that an outlier year could have been so easily predicted and further loosely attributing team success solely on a single player's back in addition to dismissing a reputation earned and perpetuated over a 9 year career as nothing more than "lies".