Celtics Frontcourt: Where do they Rank?

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December 4, 2008

Celtics Frontcourt: Where do they Rank?

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By Celticsfanatic

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Do these guys spell number one? Celtics17 says so - firebrandal

A couple of articles ago, I discussed the backcourt of the Celtics. I ranked the Celtics the fourth backcourt in the NBA, and if I wrote it now after last nights performance, they would probably be in the top two. Now, I am ranking the frontcourt of the Celtics. The center, power forward, and small forward. This time, I will be scoring the teams by the talent of the player, and the chemistry of the three. The highest they can individually score is 10 points. As a team you can score 30 points. First lets discuss the wonderful front court the Celtics have.

Paul Pierce: Pierce, has come up clutch three times this year, one time getting 22 points in the fourth, one time getting 17 points in the third, and one time hitting the game-winning shot. Pierce, is now averaging 18.6 points a game and 6.5 rebounds. He may be ahead of Kevin Garnett in the MVP race, as many people believe, and has been excellent of the defensive end so far.

Kevin Garnett: Garnett has been quiet for a while on the offensive end lately. Well, at least for him. Last night he broke he out to get 26 points and 14 rebounds. He is averaging 16.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this year, and is still the team's glue that keeps them together. Hopefully Garnett will keep his steady pace that will keep pushing the Celtics forward.

Kendrick Perkins: Perkins, who is averaging 7.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, has come up for the Celtics in five straight games, and is coming alive. Originally an average center, Perkins is becoming the first round pick he was meant to be. The last five games he is averaging 10.4 points and 9.6 rebounds. PERK IS A BEAST!!!

Top Five Frontcourts
in the NBA

1. Boston Celtics - The Celtics, have two all-stars in Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and an emerging center in Kendrick Perkins. Pierce and Garnett, who both may be considered in the top five forwards in the league, are both in the MVP race right now. Perkins, who has been spectacular for the Celtics in the last five games, is helping is team by controlling the other centers, like Dwight Howard, Jermaine O'Neal, Andris Biedrins, and Samuel Dalembert.

Score: Paul Pierce - 10 points
Score: Kevin Garnett - 10 points
Score: Kendrick Perkins - seven points
Total Score: 27 points

1. Orlando Magic - The Magic, who have Dwight "Superman" Howard, have a magnificent frontcourt with Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, and Rashard Lewis. They have excellent size, with Turkoglu being 6-10. He can pass, shoot, and rebound. Lewis is averaging 19.1 points and 2.6 threes per game. Howard is averaging 21.5 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game. Thats what I'm talking about.

Score: Hedo Turkoglu - eight and a half points
Score: Rashard Lewis - eight and a half points
Score: Dwight Howard - ten points
Total Score: 27 points

2. Los Angeles Lakers - The Lakers, who have sharp-shooting Vladimir Radmanovic, Pau Gasol, the finesse master, and the recovered Andrew Bynum have a 15-2 record. Radmanovic, who gives you three pointers and hard work, is one of the few Lakers that I respect. Unlike Sasha Vujacic, who loses his cool every time they lose, Radmanovic works hard no matter what the score is. Gasol, who came to LA last year in a trade, can rebound, score, and play hard. He is compassionate and cares about winning. Bynum, who got injured last year and couldn't play in the Finals, is a strong, solid center, who is emerging into something big.

Score: Vladimir Radmanovic - seven points
Score: Pau Gasol - nine points
Score: Andrew Bynum - eight and a half points
Total Score: 24.5 points

4. Cleveland Cavaliers - When you have arguably the best player in the league, you're in the top five. LeBron, who is having an excellent season, is averaging 27.4 points, and has scored 30+ six times this season. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is still holding strong for the Cavaliers, averaging 15.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this year. Ben Wallace, who isn't is as good as he used to be, is averaging 2.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game this year, and might be dragging the Cavs frontcourt down.

Score: LeBron James - 10 points
Score Ben Wallace - five points
Score: Zydrunas Ilgauskas - eight and a half points
Total Score: 23.5 points

4. Phoenix Suns - The Suns have an excellent frontcourt starting with Amare Stoudemire. Stoudemire, who is averaging 22.1 points and 7.8 rebounds this season. Shaq, who is averaging 14.9 points and 8.5 rebounds, is having an excellent comeback season for the Suns, and hopefully he can hold up without injuries. Grant Hill, who is averaging 8.6 points and 4.4 rebounds, is a solid small forward and has some games where he can break out in ways they need him to.

Score: Grant Hill - six points
Score: Amare Stoudemire - 10 points
Score: Shaquille O'Neal - seven and a half points
Total points: 23.5 points

Honorable Mentions: Houston Rockets (Ron Artest, Luis Scola, Yao Ming), New Orleans Hornets (Peja Stojakovic, David West, Tyson Chandler), Denver Nuggets (Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, Nene Hilario).

It was tough to do, but I fit my top five frontcourts in there. The Rockets, Hornets, and Nuggets were all hard to leave out, but when it came down to it all, the scoring made it clear.

Tags: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, frontcourts, Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Garnett, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Orlando Magic, Paul Pierce, Phoenix Suns

Discussion

3 Comments on "Celtics Frontcourt: Where do they Rank?"

Posted by Celticsfanatic, December 4, 2008 10:52 PM

Perkin's continued improvement does indeed make the
Celtics the best. Good choice.

Posted by Amar Panchmatia, December 5, 2008 12:32 AM

This is a pretty fair analysis, save one point: Is Ben Wallace really a five? Really? Even when Kendrick Perkins is a seven? I'm not going to get into an analysis over who's better between the two, but I will argue that Perkins is NOT two whole points better than Wallace. Given that Wallace does a lot more than what turns up on the stat sheet and actually anchors the stellar Cavs defense, I have to give him at least a six to make this system more consistent. I mean, he's the worst guy on this list amongst all the guys you listed! He's not THAT bad. Maybe the Wallace of last year is a five, but the Wallace of this year holds down the fort for one of the best defensive units in basketball.

Radmanovic is a seven, for crying out loud!

Give B-Dub a six, and this frontcourt is on par with the Lakers. The only thing I like about the Lakers' frontcourt over the Cavs' frontcourt is the Lakers' youth. Gasol's 28 and Bynum's 21 compared to Z at 33 and BW at 34. Ouch.

Posted by Celticsfanatic, December 5, 2008 2:51 PM

-Amar
I can see your point with Wallace. He is indeed made the Cavs defense what it is, and I could have been generous and given him a six. Also, even though you are a defensive beast, you can't have a seven with 2.8 points a game. The thing is with Radmanovic is that he gives them a good stat-line every night with his hard work on the court.

I also graded them on chemistry, which gave the Lakers the ups because they are as hungry as anyone. Plus, don't forget, Radmanovic's score is the same as Perkins, who isn't that great either.

The reason I gave Perk a higher score is because last five games, he has been excellent. He executed and had very good rebounding numbers.

MVN: Most Valuable Network

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Celtics Frontcourt: Where do they Rank?

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