What If Valanciunas Becomes Available?

[max215]

We have zero need for him, and we shouldn't help Toronto by taking him on.

[chambers]

God no.
Dude is a bust. He shouldn't be starting the NBA.
I'd take him as a back up big man project but he's too soft to ever be an All Star caliber player.

He's like Vucevic. Not really good at one particular thing. Okay at everything else with a few glaring holes (Valancuinas being verynone dimensional offensively, Vucevic is poor defender) and wouldn't be in the NBA if he were even 2 or 3 inches shorter.

He's just a bit of a bum (as far as starting NBA centers go).

[Eja117]

Some of you guys ranking on Val or Vucevic must think Tyler Zeller is the worst center in the history of the league or something.

It might be nice if this team could get more rebounds than the other more than once or twice a year

[CelticsElite]

We don't need a center so he's probably not on our radar

[Who]

The Knicks could make a run at Valanciunas. Team up Valanciunas and Porzingis together. The twin towers from Lithuania. Knicks have been insistent on putting a prototypical center next to Porzingis. Valanciunas is still fairly young. They could build the team around them.

Maybe trade their 2018 pick for Valanciunas. Come back next season with Porzingis, Valanciunas and the 2017 lotto pick as their new core. Maybe keep Melo, maybe not. 

[Moranis]

Assuming Boston doesn't land one of the premier free agents, then JV would be a decent enough fall back option.  I wouldn't mind him and Anthony as a Plan B, for lesser players like Rozier and lesser picks like Boston's 2018 and 2019. 

[The Oracle]

Some of you guys ranking on Val or Vucevic must think Tyler Zeller is the worst center in the history of the league or something.

It might be nice if this team could get more rebounds than the other more than once or twice a year

Zeller, Vucevic and Val would all be decent big men a decade ago or in the 80's or 90's.  The game is different now and that is what the hangup for a lot of people is.  Certain things have changed especially in the last 2-3 years that have made them all a net negative to have on the floor.

1.  Guards are having a terrible time getting over picks because everyone has learned some of Harden's tricks.  Trying to go over a pick only to have I.T. or Harden or whoever pull up for 3 right next to the pick setter forcing you to run into them or they catch your arm in there is ending in very bad results.  This is forcing big men to come out higher and accept switches and/or hedge really high because it is a far better to do so than not.  Slow bigs are getting destroyed because guards are having trouble getting over screens successfully.  Going under just leaves the ball handler open.

2. The screening action is all taking place above the 3 point line with shooters that are good enough to destroy you if not defended aggressively.  Hanging back in the paint with your big men and just giving up jumpers isn't an option anymore because of the extensive use of the 3 point line and a resulting much higher efficiency.  You CANNOT leave I.T. or anyone else alone to defend a ball handler and a screener, opposing teams will free up shooter after shooter and destroy you.

Because of those 2 things and probably a few others it is now impossible to both defend well with your big men and also rebound with them, pick your poison especially against the very good teams.  If you have 2 bigs on the floor 1 is usually guarding a spot up shooter and the other is in the pick n roll at the 3 point line and quite often defending the shooter either out there or on penetration.  It takes them out of the rebounding picture a LOT.  You will not see the C's investing in anything resembling a slow big man who cannot defend out to the 3 point line and also not get roasted by penetration. 

Rebounding must be a team effort now more than ever!!! 

[Eja117]

Some of you guys ranking on Val or Vucevic must think Tyler Zeller is the worst center in the history of the league or something.

It might be nice if this team could get more rebounds than the other more than once or twice a year

Zeller, Vucevic and Val would all be decent big men a decade ago or in the 80's or 90's.  The game is different now and that is what the hangup for a lot of people is.  Certain things have changed especially in the last 2-3 years that have made them all a net negative to have on the floor.

1.  Guards are having a terrible time getting over picks because everyone has learned some of Harden's tricks.  Trying to go over a pick only to have I.T. or Harden or whoever pull up for 3 right next to the pick setter forcing you to run into them or they catch your arm in there is ending in very bad results.  This is forcing big men to come out higher and accept switches and/or hedge really high because it is a far better to do so than not.  Slow bigs are getting destroyed because guards are having trouble getting over screens successfully.  Going under just leaves the ball handler open.

2. The screening action is all taking place above the 3 point line with shooters that are good enough to destroy you if not defended aggressively.  Hanging back in the paint with your big men and just giving up jumpers isn't an option anymore because of the extensive use of the 3 point line and a resulting much higher efficiency.  You CANNOT leave I.T. or anyone else alone to defend a ball handler and a screener, opposing teams will free up shooter after shooter and destroy you.

Because of those 2 things and probably a few others it is now impossible to both defend well with your big men and also rebound with them, pick your poison especially against the very good teams.  If you have 2 bigs on the floor 1 is usually guarding a spot up shooter and the other is in the pick n roll at the 3 point line and quite often defending the shooter either out there or on penetration.  It takes them out of the rebounding picture a LOT.  You will not see the C's investing in anything resembling a slow big man who cannot defend out to the 3 point line and also not get roasted by penetration. 

Rebounding must be a team effort now more than ever!!!

So how come the Raptors own us?