NBA Centers comparison

Stats per 36min/G over the past two years.

first the "control" group or Centers considered top line

Player--------Age------G------FG%-----3pt%----FT%----Reb----As----St----Blk----TO----PF----Pts------Cap#
T. Duncan----37-----143-----49.6-----14.3-----77.4----11.9---3.4---0.8----2.8---2.6---2.1---20.0-----$10.0M
J. Noah-------29-----146-----47.8-----0.0------74.4-----11.2---4.7---0.5----1.8---0.4---2.9---12.3-----$12.2M
D. Howard----28-----147-----58.5-----22.6-----51.9----12.8----1.7--1.0----2.2---3.2---3.7----18.3----$21.4M

Players that have been talked about as trade options:

Player-------age------G-----FG%------3pt%-----FT%----Reb----As----St----Blk----TO----PF----Pts------Cap#
L. Sanders---25------94-----49.7-----0.0-------58.1----11.8----1.4---1.0---3.3----1.6---4.4---12.4-----$11M
O. Asik-------27------130----53.8-----0.0------57.6-----14.0----1.0---0.6---1.3----2.4---3.3---11.7-----$8.3M


Free agent Centers who have been starters in the past:

Player------age------G------FG%----3pt%-----FT%-----Reb----As----St----Blk----TO----PF----Pts------cap#(Est)
G. Monroe---23-----163----49.1-----0.0------67.3----10.3----3.0---1.3---0.7----2.6----2.6---17.1----$12-14M(RFA)

P. Gasol-----33-----109----47.3-----28.6-----71.9----10.2----4.1----0.5---1.6---2.5----2.2---17.3----$8-12M
C. Kaman----31----105----50.8-----0.0-------77.6----10.5----2.0---0.6----1.7---3.1---4.1----19.0----$6-10M
M. Gortat----30----142----53.2------25.0-----66.9----10.2----1.7---0.7----1.7---1.8---2.5----13.8----$6-12M
J. Hill--------26-----101----53.6------0.0------53.8----12.9----1.2---0.7----1.5---1.9---4.2----16.3----$4-8M
S. Hawes----25-----162----46.0----38.6------78.0----9.5-----3.2----0.5----1.6---2.3---3.6----14.9----$6-12M

kdp,

Some excellent work here.  As someone who has started a thread or two myself I can attest to the amount of work it takes to spread out all the categories and manually insert all those dashes between everything and then tweaking by adding/deleting dashes to make sure the columns line up.  It makes it significantly easier to read and, therefore, to think about.  This was a very time-consuming effort by you, and I appreciate it.  There are also a lot of players covered, so that's a lot of cutting-and-pasting of statistics involved too, and that's the easier part.

Starting at the top, the 3 top shelf centers are not for beg, borrow or sale but they do act as the gold standard.  

I have not watched much Bucks basketball, but Larry Sanders strikes me as over-rated and way over-paid.  Between those two, Asik is the more attractive choice.  A catch with Asik is that he will be in his final contract year and I wouldn't be surprised if he asks for a big pay raise, one that will put him in the Greg Monroe neighborhood.

I love Monroe.  He's not really a rim protector but he's not a bad defender and his offense is very team oriented.  Our need, however, our overwhelming dire need, is for rim protection.  If I had to choose between Asik and Monroe I think I would go for Asik because he more specifically addresses our singular most important need.  A team with Asik and Monroe?   Wow.  I'd hate to have to think about what we'd have to give up to get that, though.

Gasol has said he wants to play for a winner more than he wants money.  That leaves us out.  It also makes any salary comparison moot since he's willing to take the paycut to play for whom he wants.  So, whatever he gets, may not be his fair market value.

I've long though Kaman was underrated.  He'll be cheap, he's effective but if he struggled in D'Antoni's center-less offense I have to wonder how he'd do in Stevens' uptempo offense.  Defensively, he's mediocre, maybe even "at best".  Given our needs for rim protection, I'd probably pass.  An Asik-Kaman team?  That'd be interesting.  Asik's defensive yin to Kaman's offensive yang?  

If there's one center who interests me as much as Asik, it would be Marcin Gortat.  He has a high IQ (I don't know Asik's IQ), he is extremely fundamentally sound.  In fact, if we were to reorganize this graph and sort it based upon fundamentally soundness Dwight Howard would drop down near the bottom and be replaced by Gasol, Monroe and Gortat.  Gortat defends the rim well.  I don't know if he's better than Asik, blocks are important and are counted but intimidated shots are important too and are not counted (although I'll bet that is available from Synergy Sports and/or some of those other new metrics firms).  Gortat is showing he can peacefully co-exist with another starting center, Nene, while the whole reason why Asik has been shopped is because he thought he was going to be the starter and then they got D12.  So, the nod there, on team attitude and willingness to be a good locker room presence, goes to Gortat.  Gortat also has very soft hands, while Asik does not.  Gortat is an excellent high post passer.  Of all the centers on the list the best passers are Monroe, Gortat and Noah, with honorable mention to Duncan.  I realize that Hawes' numbers are better than Gortat's but I think that's a function of the systems they play in.  I just like Gortat, I guess.

If J. Hill is the Lakers' Jordan Hill, he's not a center.  If he plays center it's because of injuries or because D'Antoni doesn't know what to do with a real center and prefers 4s like Hill (and Amar'e in Phoenix) playing that position so he can outrun the defense.

Spencer Hawes is a stretch 4 whose defense sucks.  I think that pretty much sums up my opinion of him.


Once we know what our lottery pick will actually be, May 20th, then the games will really begin.


bob


.

kdp, thanks for the work putting this together. As far as formatting goes, putting it in a table is a better presentation, but I don't know how it compares for the amount of time and work it takes. Here's an example of how it could look.

Player	Age	G	FG%	3pt%	FT%	Reb	As	St	Blk	TO	PF	Pts	Cap#
T. Duncan	37	143	49.6	14.3	77.4	11.9	3.4	0.8	2.8	2.6	2.1	20.0	$10.0M
J. Noah	29	146	47.8	0.0	74.4	11.2	4.7	0.5	1.8	0.4	2.9	12.3	$12.2M
D. Howard	28	147	58.5	22.6	51.9	12.8	1.7	1.0	2.2	3.2	3.7	18.3	$21.4M

Bob,

I agree with your breakdown of the various center options. Between Gortat and Asik, Asik is three years younger, but I like Gortat's overall athleticism and offensive game better, but either one would fit the bill.

Asik and Gortat are my targets too, probably in that order because of Asik's advantage in age and defense. I believe the addition of a defensive center will positively affect the games of more Celtics than the addition of an offensive center will. They'll be getting a lot of offensive ball movement out of the power forward group, which needs to be able to feed off a defensive foundation.

Gortat will be a free agent this summer, while the Celts would have to try once again to pry Asik loose from the Rockets. But trading for a player doesn't create the cap problems that free agency can cause.

So there are pros and cons of considering each of the two. But I believe these two should be the prime targets (other than the draft, which I regard as a real long shot as a source of an intimidator at center).

Sam

Sam,

If we signed Gortat as a free agent, we could just let the 10M TPE (from the Pierce trade) expire. That scenario would result in less team salary after the deal.

Then we wouldn't have to listen to complaints about Asik's 15M salary all year.

gyso

Gyso,

At least Asik's cap hit wouldn't be $15 million. I like many things about Gortat, but I have doubts that he would be the enforcer that guys like Sully and Kelly could feed off rather than having to struggle to provide enforcer roles themselves.

Sam