FireballPhil
2nd String
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2011
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Is there really one? Games are not won or lost by one position on the court, but rather the style of play can directly be impacted by that one spot. People keep saying the game is moving out to the three point line, and indeed it has. Indeed this year, only one center is averaging over 20 points a game and that is Iowa's Luke Garza. There are only 9 centers in the NCAA averaging over 15points per game. There are only 10 forwards averaging over 20 a game. There are only 58 forwards averaging over 15. There are 27 guards averaging over 20 points a game and over 200 guards averaging more than 15 points per game. Today's game goes as the guards go.
As more and more long shots are taken, rebounds are longer and longer, negating the need for a "big" center to musle for the rebounds. It would almost be more advantageous to have a smaller center that is more agile to go after those long ones, which is what we have. However they do not have the repetitiveness to gain that knack of being able to figure out about where they need to be yet because they haven't been in enough games to get that understanding yet.
Where the "big" comes in handy is solely on offense. It is nice to be able to pound the ball down and dish to a center with the hands and the bulk to take it to the hoop. Doing so frees up the shooters to move more, gives them more space to shoot, making higher accuracy of shots.
We all want a "faster" game, but does a "big" accomplish that? Who is going to have the quicker time- the 250-270 pounder or the 210-225 pounder? Most times it it the smaller guy who speeds up the game.
And what about blocks? A smaller agile center should be able to stay in front of the quicker guards and block more than the bulkier centers. Bulkier centers are harder to get around, and layups harder against them but I would think the blocks would go to the smaller guy.
My point is we complain about the size of the centers, as they are really just more of forwards than the traditional center position. But this Villanova style of basketball is becoming more and more popular, and one everyone seems to say they want more of, but you can't have that is you have slower bulkier guys. Sure there is the oddity out there that defies the mold, but he is the exception rather than the rule. Centers have always taken more time to develop, and in today's guard oriented game it takes them longer than ever before. Our guys have potential, they just need the in game experience. Let's see how quick learners they actually are. If they have a high BB IQ, which most people say they do, we should see continued improvement yet feel frustrated in the short term.
As more and more long shots are taken, rebounds are longer and longer, negating the need for a "big" center to musle for the rebounds. It would almost be more advantageous to have a smaller center that is more agile to go after those long ones, which is what we have. However they do not have the repetitiveness to gain that knack of being able to figure out about where they need to be yet because they haven't been in enough games to get that understanding yet.
Where the "big" comes in handy is solely on offense. It is nice to be able to pound the ball down and dish to a center with the hands and the bulk to take it to the hoop. Doing so frees up the shooters to move more, gives them more space to shoot, making higher accuracy of shots.
We all want a "faster" game, but does a "big" accomplish that? Who is going to have the quicker time- the 250-270 pounder or the 210-225 pounder? Most times it it the smaller guy who speeds up the game.
And what about blocks? A smaller agile center should be able to stay in front of the quicker guards and block more than the bulkier centers. Bulkier centers are harder to get around, and layups harder against them but I would think the blocks would go to the smaller guy.
My point is we complain about the size of the centers, as they are really just more of forwards than the traditional center position. But this Villanova style of basketball is becoming more and more popular, and one everyone seems to say they want more of, but you can't have that is you have slower bulkier guys. Sure there is the oddity out there that defies the mold, but he is the exception rather than the rule. Centers have always taken more time to develop, and in today's guard oriented game it takes them longer than ever before. Our guys have potential, they just need the in game experience. Let's see how quick learners they actually are. If they have a high BB IQ, which most people say they do, we should see continued improvement yet feel frustrated in the short term.