What are the Cavs going to do at C?

[AMC]

Marion guarded the SF and SG of the perimeter teams, he didn't defend PF or C's for Mavs. This analogy doesn't work. The Mavs stuck Dirk on guys like Haslem and Perkins who they didn't care about and against the Lakers they played a lot of zone and when they didn't Dirk did a decent job on Gasol (this may have had more to do with Gasol's head but whatever Marion didn't guard him).

I was thinking more on offense that they were playing Dirk at SF. My post was a bit confusing since I said defensive frontline, I meant that defense were those players strong points rather than offense.

 

[WhoWeAre]

Honestly, I don't think I care too much about the idea that we should have taken a Center because of positional importance. All of us talked endlessly about using a BPA philosophy in regards to the draft.

I'm only upset with not selecting Jonas if he ends up being a better player than Tristan. If Thompson ends up being a superior player, he was the right pick, no questions asked. I also don't subscribe to the idea that it will be harder to find a Center to pair with him. Thompson's very fluid with the ball and moves very well and is more dynamic than the centers you mention whose skill-set he "shares". He just has to work extremely hard on developing a jump-shot. Many players are successfully able to do it, and if the Cavs believe in his work ethic he should be able to develop that type of game as well. There's no real pattern in the league where you need to acquire a certain type of Center a certain type of way. NBA contenders and champions all get their centers from different types of transactions and they get all types of different centers. The key is having quality players in the middle. PF's, C's, back-ups all of which can play team defense, rebound, and control the paint on both ends of the floor.

I still would have taken Jonas because in my opinion we was the BPA, but Chris Grant decided to maybe make the most important decision he will have to make as a General Manager by using the 4th pick to take Tristan Thompson. If he did that because he felt that Thompson will be a better player than Valanciunas, then I can't fault him for it until he's proven wrong.

This is the exact problem with everyone who is freaking out right now.

Do you really think that the 4th pick in a weak draft is the most important decision he will have to make as a general manager?

Did you guys really think that we were going to turn around this team with two drafts?

Do you guys know how many top drafts the Bulls have had to turn around that team?

Some of you guys aren't going to last through a REAL rebuild. It's not going to happen in two drafts, and it probably won't happen in 5 years. It takes a long time to rebuild properly. Some of you guys need some real perspective.

 

[The Voice]

This is the exact problem with everyone who is freaking out right now.

Do you really think that the 4th pick in a weak draft is the most important decision he will have to make as a general manager?

Did you guys really think that we were going to turn around this team with two drafts?

Do you guys know how many top drafts the Bulls have had to turn around that team?

Some of you guys aren't going to last through a REAL rebuild. It's not going to happen in two drafts, and it probably won't happen in 5 years. It takes a long time to rebuild properly. Some of you guys need some real perspective.

Not to mention look at OKC (Seattle then). They drafted in 2007 Kevin Durant number 2 and Jeff Green at 5. They could have drafted Noah. They basically needed that type of player to get over the hump. I guess OKC is horrible at drafting!

Fire their GM!

 

[Joe Henderson]

The Cavs are obviously in asset collection mode -- and figure to be drafting early in the next couple of drafts. Next year's draft looks especially strong, which is why everyone seems to be in agreement that having multiple first-round picks then would be a huge boon. The Cavs also have a number of trade assets, even if we don't know what's going to happen with the TPE. Jamison, Davis, Varejao, Gibson, Sessions... We know Grant is going to flip them, mainly for draft picks and young talent.

What i'm trying to say here is that we aren't yet at the point of having to worry about any particular position. The Cavs are at the very beginning of a rebuilding process. The 2011 draft was the first step, the Hickson trade the second. Maybe you can call the Erden trade step zero. This road will be long and not much about the future look of the Cavs has been determined yet. We think they will have a stud point guard and a tough rebounder at PF -- we hope they will have a star scoring machine at one of the wing positions after the 2012 draft.

From there, I think they will have plenty of assets to figure out the rest, to build out the team. Find the right 7 footer at center, find a wing defender if Eyenga doesn't pan out, find some shooting off the bench, a sixth man scorer, etc... This is pretty optimistic, I know. A lot can go wrong in a rebuilding process, we might find out that Irving can't play at this level and Thompson is the second coming of Ryan Stack. I don't think that's the case, but even if everything works out perfectly, the Cavs are still a couple of years away of worrying about having the perfect roster and filling in holes.

Rebuilding goes in phases. This is now phase one -- asset collection. As much as we all want to speed it up and see the Cavs be contenders again, i have the feeling that unfortunately we have to ride it out and treat each move (or non-move) with a bit of perspective.

 

[MYoung23]

Byron Scott's Nets got to the 2002 finals with Todd MacCulloch and Jason Collins at center. The next year, Mutombo (at 36) shared the spot with Collins. Now, of course, they didn't win it all, but Scott has led teams where Center was not a strength.

With the game changing every year, I wonder whether a conventional (or high-production) center will be or can be a priority for the Cavs.

All that said, I wanted them to choose Jonas for this reason. But since they didn't, they are going to have to find another path.

And his teams were pistol whipped in the Finals and had no chance of winning. I think winning the championship is the goal.

 

[MYoung23]

Yes, Andy is a good player to have (player we have under Contract (only) through 13/14), but do you want him to be your starting C as a guy who makes his money with his energy and well-timed placement in games?.

I'd assume we are building for depth, for a Champion. Erden is only contracted for this year, which could very well be locked out (and knowing what I do about him (somewhat limited) he seems very similar as a 6th man energy/minutes guy as AV). I'd love to see TT able to play even at C at the NBA level, can he idk? I would think that his selection had more to do with filling the hole for PF which Hickson was going to create.

I don't think you create depth/a serious contender with a Center position by Committee. Look at this year.

So the Cavaliers are getting Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Bosh, LeBron James or Dwyane Wade?

 

[MYoung23]

Look folks.

Anderson Varejao is not the answer at C. He's going to be 29 whenever basketball starts again. When he did play C full time last year he had bad ribs, a bad hip, a bad back and a fractured jaw and that was before the ligament tear in the foot. Wine-n-Gold said he's one of the next dominos.

If you have Dirk Nowitzki yeah, you can get away with Tyson Chandler. If you have Chris Bosh along with Wade and James you can get away with the corpses the Heat had at C. A big reason why they lost was those corpses but I digress. Joakim Noah looked real ordinary when Boozer didnt live up to what he was supposed to be in the playoffs. The Cavaliers have hitched their wagon to Tristan Thompson. A guy the Cavaliers will admit is probably never going to be Amare Stoudemire.

Centers are important. They are still coveted around the league and I'd rather have a good one than not have a good one. The Cavaliers have had 2 good centers in 25 years. Two.

Just look at the centers post Daugherty and pre-healthy Z.

Michael Cage
Greg Dreiling
Mark Bryant
Andrew DeClercq
Chris Mihm
DeSagana Diop
Michael Doleac
John Amaechi
Vitaly Potapenko
Mark West
Yogi Stewart

Those days are back and I'd rather not go through them again.

 

[KeyzerSozee]

So the Cavaliers are getting Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Bosh, LeBron James or Dwyane Wade?

Don't know what you mean. I meant by having a hurt Varejao, depending a lot on some minutes from a player like Hollins, and hoping that TT can play some. I don't think that is the future plan. I like to think as a fan there is one for being a contender, that would include at the 5.

Of the teams the players on your list are on. Yes you had no real 5 on the Mavs, Heat and even the other two CF teams the Bulls and OKC. But You gave 4 of the names why. Add in Ibaka (playing really well) and the rest of their talented crew, and Boozer etc. with the league MVP. Yeah, maybe on those teams Joel Anthony can anchor your C, but it doesn't look like that is what we are building. So, honestly I don't get your point.

 

[sunnysideof216]

I'd like the Cavs to go after a few guys for center, not guys that will be past their prime by the time we are ready to compete though, but guys that are projects with upside not realized yet. If there's one way to bring out potential in bigs it's pairing them with elite pure PG prospects... guys like Roy Hibbert, Greg Oden, Tiago Splitter, or even try making an offer for DeAndre Jordan...not likely we get any of those guys but man taking a gamble on Oden could be a game changer if it actually panned out, cause having a young fast defensive mobile big to play alongside him would take some pressure off of him, and he wouldn't be thrown into a situation where he would be relied on heavily for production immediately during the season and have pressure on him to put them over the hump in the playoffs, he'd be able to take his time, and even miss all of next season for all I care if it means him getting healthy. If we were able to get him and sit him out, and than draft someone like Barnes that could be another 2 young prospects coming in again for 2012-13....

 

[KeyzerSozee]

Have to think about it, one note, Oden in this big depleted league, got an 8.8 million qualifying offer from the Blazers so he is a RFA. I don't like it if that is the price. Especially when we can be waiting two years until this alleged big-man re-surgence when you can get one in the Draft. (some snark there).

 

[Tornicade]

Cavs dont need to do anything at Center. There no NBA to do anything with one.

Actually what they need to do is have a healthy erden and get hollins some playing time to build them up as assets. in the meantime Varejao is a quality starting center in the NBA and wil lbe for another 4 years.

 

[Triumph36]

I'd like the Cavs to go after a few guys for center, not guys that will be past their prime by the time we are ready to compete though, but guys that are projects with upside not realized yet. If there's one way to bring out potential in bigs it's pairing them with elite pure PG prospects... guys like Roy Hibbert, Greg Oden, Tiago Splitter, or even try making an offer for DeAndre Jordan...not likely we get any of those guys but man taking a gamble on Oden could be a game changer if it actually panned out, cause having a young fast defensive mobile big to play alongside him would take some pressure off of him, and he wouldn't be thrown into a situation where he would be relied on heavily for production immediately during the season and have pressure on him to put them over the hump in the playoffs, he'd be able to take his time, and even miss all of next season for all I care if it means him getting healthy. If we were able to get him and sit him out, and than draft someone like Barnes that could be another 2 young prospects coming in again for 2012-13....

So how exactly would the offense work when neither the starting PF nor the starting C can hit a shot outside of well.... the rim?

The only way the Cavs could even get Oden would be to trade AV. Portland doesn't need anything else.

 

[wuck]

And his teams were pistol whipped in the Finals and had no chance of winning. I think winning the championship is the goal.

C'mon, MYoung, you know I didn't say that coming in 2nd was the goal. All I said was that Scott has led strong teams where center (esp. offensive production) was not a strength. If he can get to the finals with below average centers, then perhaps he can get further with mediocre or good centers. It's hard to get a great one. Perhaps landing a good one will be enough.

 

[MDLT]

The consensus on this board seems to be the Cavs should have drafted a center, regardless of whether they thought he would pan out? Oh, and Jonathan Givony, who writes a blog liked him too. Seems like good logic.

 

[CHIMOCHIS]

Following OKC model. In a couple years trade TT for an average center.

Need to pick up Robin in the next draft though :gap: