Is height at the 5 spot overrated?

[LastWarrior]

I've long been a big fan of having a center that's at least 6'10" but sitting here tonight watching the Bulls game, I think of the success of Ben Wallace.  Big Ben is listed at 6'7" but is very atheltic, a hard worker, and strong as an ox.  He's been the league defensive player of the year four times(?) at the 5 spot and guards guys much bigger than his size... Shaq Daddy.  Perhaps this is the type of player Coach Crean is trying to recruit to MU... maybe Hazel or Saunders will be able to fill a similar position.  So i'm starting to re-think my position of needing a tall center to be succesful but perhaps we just need a 6'8" guy with heart, strength, determination, and a ton of athletic ability.  thoughts??

[OfficeLinebacker]

I said last seaon that if this had a guy similar to Physcil(sp) Abraham or John Harris they would be a final four contender.

[LastWarrior]

Physcil(sp) Abraham

Faisal "Ladies Man" Abraham     He was a very cool guy and man did those MU girls love him! 

[OfficeLinebacker]

He was built like a brick sh!thouse and was a true sheriff inside.

[NYWarrior]

Somehow Nova got just enough out of Sheridan, Cunningham and a hobbled Fraser these last few yrs......I like the potential makeup of future MU rosters -- prototypical back to the basket bigs are REALLY hard to find, so why not build aroud athletes who can bring something different to the interior?

[OfficeLinebacker]

Dont get me wrong.  I think with the correct style of play MU can go places with the guys currently on the roster.  Who knows a sheriff may develop.  Barro has oodles of potential.  We have no idea what Burke can do.  Lott is an unknown after his health issues last year.  Kinsella if he stays healthy.... is a weapon that most teams dont have.  But lets face it.  The Abraham, Harris type players that just do all the dirty work inside and not much else are beloved by most teams and their fans.

[Big Papi]

Abraham was an enforcer down low.  He battled defensively for position, was a great rebounder and challenged shots in the paint.  I don't think we have a player on the roster that can do all three this year.

[Murffieus]

Expertise is the most important ingredient at any postion----having said that, a good big man will out produce a good smaller man at the #5 position more often than not!

[OfficeLinebacker]

I would agree.  I think thats stating the obvious.  The only problem is there is not an abundance of talent that is over 6'10" around in the country any more.  At least not the kind that want to battle down low.  They all want to shoot the three and handle the ball on the break.

[NYWarrior]

exactly.....so get a stable of athletes who can run, defend, play hard and excel facing the basket.  Play in waves. 

[Murffieus]

But there is a solution to getting bigs to postup yet face the hoop----and that's the wide post-------big receives the ball about 6 feet outside the lane with his back (or at least his side to the hoop) then pivots on his outside foot to face the hoop. They do this a lot in the NBA----more and more in Div1 (last year Florida, LSU, and George Mason used the wide post in the final 4----with GM (the overachievers of the tournament) using it as a mainstay to its offense).

If I were coaching today----I would use that a great deal-----something that all bigs would want to play----would be great for recruiting bigs!

[Nukem2]

per his bio on NBA.com   Wallace is all of that.  I think 6'7" is just too short for the vast majority of guys at the "5".

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Ding, ding, ding.

Pin this!  The first mention of the wide post by Murf on MUScoop!

But there is a solution to getting bigs to postup yet face the hoop----and that's the wide post-------big receives the ball about 6 feet outside the lane with his back (or at least his side to the hoop) then pivots on his outside foot to face the hoop. They do this a lot in the NBA----more and more in Div1 (last year Florida, LSU, and George Mason used the wide post in the final 4----with GM (the overachievers of the tournament) using it as a mainstay to its offense)./quote]

 

[LastWarrior]

per his bio on NBA.com   Wallace is all of that.  I think 6'7" is just too short for the vast majority of guys at the "5".

I know what the bio says 6'9" but that's as accurate as me being 6'2".  If you ever heard any interview with him, he'll say he's 6'7" and in the Bulls introductions they announce him as 6'7". 

Using the wikipedia we find...

Wallace plays the center position and is lauded as a prime defensive presence [1]. As of September 2006, he has been voted as the NBA Defensive Player of the Year four times. He is somewhat undersized for a center, his 6-9, 240 lb. frame statistically resembling more of a forward; he himself even states his real height as 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)[2].

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Wallace

[WashDCWarrior]

Barkley was actually 6-4 1/2, but he could play inside OK.  I like what TC is doing getting quick athletic 6-7, 6-8 guys over sluggish 6-10, 7-0 guys.  But don't for a minute thing that If Crean had a chance to land a Hibbert or a Gray that he wouldn't do it.