Emeka Okafor, Power Forward or Center

[ziggy]

With the current makeup of our roster, what are your opinions on where he should get the bulk of his minutes this season?

In my opinion with Felton, Richardson and Crash at the 1 thru 3, we're built for a fast up-tempo game. Maybe not Phoenix style, but at least a Golden State or Toronto Raptors-ish tempo. With that being said, I would think that you'd want Emeka at the 5 and either May (when/if healthy) or Hermann at 4.

If we don't make any other significant additions or subtractions, who do you see as your starting 4/5?

[dav7z]

Ziggy i agree thats the best line up for up tempo by far. Im just worried about the speed change when Premoz comes in for OK50. Do you think it might screw our timeing up big time.

[Mustachio]

at the 5... his abilities at the center position (quickness, great footwork, not clumsy, good hands, nice back to basket offense, and blocking shots as well as just being a force down low) are all abilities that most centers in the league dont have. another words.. he matches up well.

at the PF spot, he isnt as fast or as quick as anyone and fouls much more i think.

someone provided a breakdown (i think it was Tamb) in another thread...that showed what he did in each of the games at each position. it showed that he played better at the 5... not by a ton or anything but better.

[ALong13]

We have so much depth at PF, and hardly any at Center, that's why OK50 has to go to Center, we can bring Hermann up to start at PF, it keep the temp up and Okafor scores just as good at center, I believe the only difference is he dropped one rebound, Hermann can pick that one up...So IMO, it's got to be OK50 at the 5....

[dvdbumpus]

at the 5... his abilities at the center position (quickness, great footwork, not clumsy, good hands, nice back to basket offense, and blocking shots as well as just being a force down low) are all abilities that most centers in the league dont have. another words.. he matches up well.

at the PF spot, he isnt as fast or as quick as anyone and fouls much more i think.

someone provided a breakdown (i think it was Tamb) in another thread...that showed what he did in each of the games at each position. it showed that he played better at the 5... not by a ton or anything but better.


http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3819/splits?year=career&type=Fielding

14.9 pts compared to 14.3, 10.3 boards compared to 11.1, 53.6fg% compared to 45.6%, 2.5 blocks compared to 2 blocks, less turnovers, more assists, .1 more fouls. All with a couple less minutes.

I honestly think he's fine at both positions.

[Alex]

He needs to play at the 5.

[x2pacalypse]

yea i believe the 5 as well...he's athletic...and when u think about it....how many centers in the league are more dominant than him in the paint? shaq...camby? maybe ben wallace?

[Grandmama]

Center Depth chart for the Cats should read 
1) Okafor
2&3)Jemareo/Hollins (however that plays out),
4) Julius Peppers
5) Jordon
6) me
7) the dump I took on the floor
8) Bob Johnson or Nelly
9) Old Ass Rick Flair
10) Any of the Ladycats Dancers
11) goofy ass Pat McRory....
1345) somwhere chained to a wall and locked in the closet in the bowels of Bocats Arena, Primoz Brezec

[DaFlameking]

okafor is more familiar to the power forward position than center. but it could help us more defensively in center.

Primoz vs Shaq is a nono
Primoz vs Dampier / Diop (a lil easier but still lose there)

the thing is, teams with good centers usually have big and good power forwards as well. primoz and okafor on the court at the same time is very lopsided at the moment.

[ammofan]

I agree with Alex! Emeka MUST play at Center!

[Alex]

Center Depth chart for the Cats should read
1) Okafor
2&3)Jemareo/Hollins (however that plays out),
4) Julius Peppers
5) Jordon
6) me
7) the dump I took on the floor
8) Bob Johnson or Nelly
9) Old Ass Rick Flair
10) Any of the Ladycats Dancers
11) goofy ass Pat McRory....
1345) somwhere chained to a wall and locked in the closet in the bowels of Bocats Arena, Primoz Brezec


whoa whoa whoa you put your poop ahead of the lady cats?

[timang]

Center Depth chart for the Cats should read
1) Okafor
2&3)Jemareo/Hollins (however that plays out),
4) Julius Peppers
5) Jordon
6) me
7) the dump I took on the floor
8) Bob Johnson or Nelly
9) Old Ass Rick Flair
10) Any of the Ladycats Dancers
11) goofy ass Pat McRory....
1345) somwhere chained to a wall and locked in the closet in the bowels of Bocats Arena, Primoz Brezec


whoa whoa whoa you put your poop ahead of the lady cats?


no way! you're gonna get sued by the men of bobcatsplanet.com for grounds of inexcusable blasphemy over natasha! :ranting: :chairshot: :biggrin: LOOK!
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k64/timanger/lc_top40_21.jpg

never gonna be worse even to bill gate's poop!
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k64/timanger/060621_natasha.jpg

[timang]

anyways, i think he's more on the C as of now, even though we drafted him as a PF, and w/c i think is his natural position, but considering our roster now, he's gonna be our starting C w/c i wouldn't mind at all.

[123together]

i think since we are going up tempo, okafor should definitely be at center. let walter herrmann patrol the baseline like a bandit like antawn jamison does. then have wallace playing down low on the block some times and have richardson on the other wing. ballin

[dvdbumpus]

i think since we are going up tempo, okafor should definitely be at center. let walter herrmann patrol the baseline like a bandit like antawn jamison does. then have wallace playing down low on the block some times and have richardson on the other wing. ballin



I'm drooling just thinking about it.

[Jonathanmartin7]

I really think he'll do fine either place. I'd rather see him try the 5 position to start. then go from there.

[Aymi]

The way things look right now, he'd have to play center. Not such a bad thing!!

[jpf_v2.0]

I can't really say that I've noticed a big improvement (or decline) in him playing at either spot. With the roster as it stands now I'd much prefer him at the 5 with Hermann starting at the 4.

[Mustachio]

we keep dancing around the starting lineup... but what in the hell is wrong with

Felton, Richardson, Crash, the rotation, Okafor.

Rotation = May, Hermann, Dudley, Davidson, Hollins, Brezec...

if were gonna run why think about bringin in another big lumbering dude and putting okafor at the 4.....but rather go with that very versatile lineup and when we wanna slow it down... we insert Brezec and pray to God he gets his mojo back.

if that happens we will be very much ok i think. a good lineup for the half court if we must. and a a great running lineup... i think thats as good as were gonna do this season and i think its pretty freakin good.

[dvdbumpus]

we keep dancing around the starting lineup... but what in the hell is wrong with

Felton, Richardson, Crash, the rotation, Okafor.

Rotation = May, Hermann, Dudley, Davidson, Hollins, Brezec...

if were gonna run why think about bringin in another big lumbering dude and putting okafor at the 4.....but rather go with that very versatile lineup and when we wanna slow it down... we insert Brezec and pray to God he gets his mojo back.

if that happens we will be very much ok i think. a good lineup for the half court if we must. and a a great running lineup... i think thats as good as were gonna do this season and i think its pretty freakin good.


Agreed. That's final. It's owned. Nuff said, no questions asked, sha-bam!

[ALong13]

we keep dancing around the starting lineup... but what in the hell is wrong with

Felton, Richardson, Crash, the rotation, Okafor.

Rotation = May, Hermann, Dudley, Davidson, Hollins, Brezec...

if were gonna run why think about bringin in another big lumbering dude and putting okafor at the 4.....but rather go with that very versatile lineup and when we wanna slow it down... we insert Brezec and pray to God he gets his mojo back.

if that happens we will be very much ok i think. a good lineup for the half court if we must. and a a great running lineup... i think thats as good as were gonna do this season and i think its pretty freakin good.


That's the right line-up, I'd just have Hermann in front of May...maybe even Dudley too...

[Mustachio]

ALong... while i agree both guys COULD be better in the future... fact is, if May is healthy.. the boy is pretty dang good. Not many PFs in the league can come in and drop 20-30 off the bench like he did a couple times last year.

if hes healthy, i gotta think hes the starter.

[123together]

ALong... while i agree both guys COULD be better in the future... fact is, if May is healthy.. the boy is pretty dang good. Not many PFs in the league can come in and drop 20-30 off the bench like he did a couple times last year.

if hes healthy, i gotta think hes the starter.


i think may shouldn't start not cuz he doesn't have the talent, only because he was so effective off the bench last year. let walter start and stretch the defense to start the game then bring in may and let him go to work inside. it doesn't really matter who's starting, but who is finishing games, and may can do that when healthy.

[Geraldmutumbo]

ALong... while i agree both guys COULD be better in the future... fact is, if May is healthy.. the boy is pretty dang good. Not many PFs in the league can come in and drop 20-30 off the bench like he did a couple times last year.

if hes healthy, i gotta think hes the starter.


i think may shouldn't start not cuz he doesn't have the talent, only because he was so effective off the bench last year. let walter start and stretch the defense to start the game then bring in may and let him go to work inside. it doesn't really matter who's starting, but who is finishing games, and may can do that when healthy.


Herrmann starts at the four spreading the floor for Okafor at the five, and Gerald to post up their men in the paint. May comes in off the bench at the four Jamerio at the five. Ammo and Dudley split 6th man duties at the 3 depending on the match up.

[Keetch]

Well in retrospect, the most infuriating thing for me with Bernie's Bobcats was continually seeing the starting lineup of Brezac, Okafor, Crash, Felton and Knight. I just hated it. I screamed at Bernie from Section 116 to please stop it.

Of course Okafor is an NBA 5, no question about that. Offensively, he can play the 4 effectively as well, but I think his defensive skills are partially compromised in that position, depending on who is at the 5.

Okafor is considered a "small" NBA Center, but looking over the other teams depth charts, his size is about average-to-big. There are actually fewer starting Centers in the league that are bigger than him than you would think.

And I do not think we are deep at PF at all, at least for a true PF we really only have Sean May, which may mean we have no one. Otherwise, we have Hermann and Dudley who are SF/PF tweeners that can fill in well enough, but don't give us the Power (read enforcer) we could sometimes use to help/protect Okafor.

Put me in the camp that if May can play unhindered; he should start. He's clearly the best of the rest. But most likely he won't play, and then; hell the rest of the rotation is pretty good and exciting. We need an athletic dude 6-10 or over though; pretty badly. A real player, not a fill-in.

I would have bought out Brezac and Harrington at the first opportunity last spring, I really would have.