Hoops

NBA Big Man where are they?

Evolution guys, evolution!

Faster pace, more athleticism, better skill sets, stronger bodies, advanced training methods, defensively teams can choke the key and take away space, blocking and hand checking seems to be okay these days, increasing emphasis on outside and mid range shooting, guards inability to dish the ball (rather taking it to the rack on most occasions)...

No wonder the big man finds it tough, so are they actually better these days, to be able to cope with the changes evolving in the game?

Duncan is a legend (one of the best ever)...

Interesting point made about injuries. Maybe there is a correlation between the increasing pace of the game placing more stress on the big bodies and subsequently causing more severe injuries.

How often do we see those big, athletic types going down with knee injuries moreso now than in the past.

Just a hypothetical.

Yeah, for sure, something I see so much at all junior levels is the value of being tall enough to see the pass and not get blocked passing to a team mate...

Big guys often make some of the best passers going around!

Blocking shots is also a no brainer I guess!

Bear, what about being a good passer?

Lets not overlook that there are some good young centres who are progressing nicely. Monroe, Hibbert, McGee & Cousins will all push Bynum as the 2nd best centre behind Howard in the coming years. None of these guys are the next Olajuwon/Ewing/Robinson, but there is some depth of higher end talent at the position.

Rule changes may be part of it, then there is the injuries and of course I agree that the role of the centre is not what it used to be either.

But what is the definition of the centre these days?

Back to the basket - strong - presence - dominate - be a target - set screens

Big men are developing more versatility I believe, not to be seen as only capable of playing the one position, so maybe there is no real issue here, maybe it is just a subtle evolution we are seeing...!

I'd bet that the next big guy who comes along and starts dominating the paint will suddenly have people talking about how the centre has returned to the NBA and once again we will circle our wagons...

This may be of help as we hear great NBA players discuss this topic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28dyxS6y7i0

AD, I would say it would depend on the era. Despite the Athleticism of the modern day forward/center in Bynum/Howard, if you put any of them in that 80's/90's playstyle; most of them would cry because it's too physical.

I'm fairly sure Howard and Bynum would get torn to shreds if they went up against the 91/92 Knicks Front Court. McDaniels, Ewing and Oakley would beat the crap out of him.

If you went the other way and put the likes of Robinson, Ewing, Olajuwan etc. in the modern game; they would still win out because Centers used to be more rounded. Nowadays they are just roleplayers.

The game has been hijacked by garden gnomes. Starting right down at grass roots level, you don't often find big coaches coaching kids how to play big, and feeding the post is almost a lost art. Kids are rewarded way too much for hacking up low percentage three point attempts (in my opinion 3's should be taken out of the game till U16}. Big kids are told to post up only to watch the ball constantly fly over their heads, and posting up means that you have effectively boxed yourself out for the rebound. Either that or screen at the elbow to let the PG have a free path to the basket and take yourself out of rebound position again.

There was a great article just in the last week (can't remember which site though sorry) talking about this. The guy runs through the rule changes that basically explains why you won't get dominant centres anymore. It really comes down to what the defence is allowed to do. Back in the 90's and before they could not run zones and they could not collapse on the centres as soon as he got the ball. With the rule changes they can these days, and with the no hand check rule it quickened the demise of the dominant big man while also speeding up the ascent of the scoring PG.

Kareem still leads all scorers but, yeah, I've got a soft spot for Hakeem too.

http://www.nba.com/statistics/default_all_time_leaders/AllTimeLeadersPTSQuery.html?topic=4&stat=1

Hakeem my favourite player. got the 94/95 nba finals on tape. i think it was Houston v Knicks, i think i got tapes of orlando being in the finals around then too.

Gasol & Bogut also good, just not freaks!

Shaq & Ming were dominant cause they are huger than the average massive centre.

The center position is not just made up by the player. Most centers score from the post. To get the ball here they need a good pass from a PG. A past first point guard is hard to come across these days. I can only think of three: Rondo, Paul and Nash and possibly Parker. From these 4 guards 3 of them have been around the league for a while. So many point guards are manly scores these days and arnt giving the others a chance to score. Eg inbound the ball to PG, PG dribbles up, PG creates to score for himself.

I think that the offensive focus has shifted to the PG's (and probably forwards)

Look at PG's back in the 90s..they were scoring well.

But not like we are seeing in this era:

Westbrook (24ppg)
Rose (25 ppg)
Paul (20 ppg)
Parker (20 ppg)

Centers these days are primarily required to block/challenge shots and rebound.

The game has changed as such.
But I would put it down this..Perhaps PG's and secondary ball-handlers are more reluctant these days to pass the ball down low.

NBA has become a fast paced game where transition baskets are common.
Slower centers may struggle to keep up, whereas PGs and Forwards flourish because they can get up and down the court quick.

Mobile PF's are more of an offensive focus today.

Blame the Injury prone centers on the pathetic medical staff that most teams have.