Member when I said I rather have Marc Gasol instead of Howard?

[StartOrien]

I've been pounding the Marc pavement ever since I drafted him, Z-Bo, Rudy Gay, Paul George and Tony Parker on the same team in a Celticsblog draft and lost in the second round.

Listen Listen Listen, Im gonna let you finish, But Nick and I had the greatest team OF ALL TIME.

*sarcastic clap* great job building a good Lebron James team. How VERY challenging that must've been *sarcastic clap*

Cleveland never figured it out.

This is WAY far off topic - but I think they were closer than a lot of us gave them credit for (myself included). The pieces really fit pretty well for a James team, they just needed a 2 guard with some firepower.

[KGs Knee]

Yeah, I agree with the OP.  Much rather have Gasol.

You can actually count on him, and run your offense through him in the 4th quarter.  Gasol actually makes his free throws, has post legit post moves, and is a far superior passer.

Howard relies solely on his athletic ability.  That won't last forever.  Howard is not going to age well.

[StartOrien]

Marc's probably the best bigman passer in the game but Howard's actually a pretty underrated passer himself. Passes out of the double VERY well.

[KCattheStripe]

I would. Gasol is more versatile, different but equal defender and a significantly better locker room presence.

[Cman]

A while ago while many were trying to court Dwight Howard into coming to the Celtics, I instead wanted Marc Gasol to come to the Celtics
And I still stick by it. It was evident in this playoffs

Gasol is a better scorer, post player, better at post defense, interior passing, and most importantly performs better in the 4th quarter

Who else thinks Gasol is the best center in the NBA?

No, I don't remember
In terms of which to "take", assuming both want the same money (max contract), I'd probably take Howard (also assuming his back pans out).

[moiso]

Yeah, I agree with the OP.  Much rather have Gasol.

You can actually count on him, and run your offense through him in the 4th quarter.  Gasol actually makes his free throws, has post legit post moves, and is a far superior passer.

Howard relies solely on his athletic ability.  That won't last forever.  Howard is not going to age well.

In addition to great athletic ability, Howard has size and strength that will last forever.

[KGs Knee]

Yeah, I agree with the OP.  Much rather have Gasol.

You can actually count on him, and run your offense through him in the 4th quarter.  Gasol actually makes his free throws, has post legit post moves, and is a far superior passer.

Howard relies solely on his athletic ability.  That won't last forever.  Howard is not going to age well.

In addition to great athletic ability, Howard has size and strength that will last forever.

Huh?  Gasol is 2" taller and listed at the same weight as Howard.  Stronger, I'm not sure about, but I doubt there is much of a difference.

Howard is just simply more athletic.  That will not last forever.

[moiso]

Yeah, I agree with the OP.  Much rather have Gasol.

You can actually count on him, and run your offense through him in the 4th quarter.  Gasol actually makes his free throws, has post legit post moves, and is a far superior passer.

Howard relies solely on his athletic ability.  That won't last forever.  Howard is not going to age well.

In addition to great athletic ability, Howard has size and strength that will last forever.

Huh?  Gasol is 2" taller and listed at the same weight as Howard.  Stronger, I'm not sure about, but I doubt there is much of a difference.

Howard is just simply more athletic.  That will not last forever.

Yes, Gasol is taller.  I mean Howard will generally have a size/strength advantage over much of the league.

[OsirusCeltics]

But really, since when is athleticism a barometer for talent?

I'm still wondering in what aspect of the game is Howard better than Gasol at besides running and jumping

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

He's also taken a team farther in the playoffs.

To be fair, the season Howard and the Magic went to the Finals was the year the Cs were without KG in the postseason, and it still took the Magic 7 games to beat Boston. No way Orlando gets by the Cs if KG is there. So I don't see Howard's leading the Magic to the Finals as fully legit.

[Moranis]

But really, since when is athleticism a barometer for talent?

I'm still wondering in what aspect of the game is Howard better than Gasol at besides running and jumping

Howard is a significantly better rebounder.  Howard has much better offensive post skills (he isn't all dunks) and because of that hits a much higher percentage from the field and has a much higher point per shot (even with his awful foul shooting).  Howard is a much better shot blocker.  Howard, when healthy, is also a much better defender.

Howard is better than Gasol and frankly I don't think it is really close.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

A healthy Howard displays dominance, but that dominance is bit misleading. His game is based almost entirely on sheer strength and athleticism—he has a poor post game, is not a great passer, and can't hit from outside of 8 feet to save his life. Gasol, while clearly a less-impressive physical specimen, can do all of these things while still getting a decent amount of points, rebounds, and blocks.

Of course, this is largely splitting hairs; I'd take the talents of either player (though not Dwight's mindset) in a heartbeat.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Howard has much better offensive post skills (he isn't all dunks)

I must be looking away from the TV every time Howard puts his offensive post skills to work. 

Seriously, though, I'm not sure what you're seeing when you watch Howard play. The only actual post move I've ever seen him make is the running hook shot—no spin move, no fadeaway, no dream shake, no up-and-under. I'd estimate his offense to be at least 90% alley-oops, putbacks, or simply getting good (deep) position on his man and overpowering him—not that any of those things are bad, but they're a far cry from having actual post skills.

[Fafnir]

He's also taken a team farther in the playoffs.

To be fair, the season Howard and the Magic went to the Finals was the year the Cs were without KG in the postseason, and it still took the Magic 7 games to beat Boston. No way Orlando gets by the Cs if KG is there. So I don't see Howard's leading the Magic to the Finals as fully legit.

Every season a team has major injuries that effects their status, Magic had a legit finals run and beat an extremely good Cleveland team after the C's as well.

[Chelm]

He's also taken a team farther in the playoffs.

To be fair, the season Howard and the Magic went to the Finals was the year the Cs were without KG in the postseason, and it still took the Magic 7 games to beat Boston. No way Orlando gets by the Cs if KG is there. So I don't see Howard's leading the Magic to the Finals as fully legit.

Wasn't Jameer Nelson out as well?