re: This board is dead...let's argue about something

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I'd say CP3 is above average defensively.

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Is he, or is that our homer glasses? I've often seen outsiders classify him as a short gambler who's only defensive skill is getting steals. Still, that should have been a slightly above average unit at best. When that 2010 team was on, it was contention worthy and primarily because of the defense.

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Is he, or is that our homer glasses? I've often seen outsiders classify him as a short gambler who's only defensive skill is getting steals. Still, that should have been a slightly above average unit at best. When that 2010 team was on, it was contention worthy and primarily because of the defense.

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How can you say this, Mr. Mayor?

LINK

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I've never wanted Davis to "bulk up". Get stronger yes, but one of his key skills is being slippery because he's so mobile. I don't care what he weighs

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Definitely. I think the "bulk up" will be a natural filling out to the 240-245 range.

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Monty built a very good defense around CP3, Beli, Ariza, West and Okafor

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They were very good pre All-Star break, 7th in the league. Post break they were 17th. Injuries, fatigue, teams figuring them out? Who knows, but it is there.

Okafor was never as bad as people liked to say- Kaman was much more fun but Okafor was the better player. Between him, Ariza, and Paul, that's a solid group of defenders.

Paul is as a good a defender as you will find for a guy 6 feet and under. He gambles some, but not as much as DWade. And it's a lot more forgivable for such a short player.

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I'm pretty excited to see what Monty does now that he's got a decent amount of talent

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I am hopeful too, but IIRC his teams have always given up a lot of corner 3s. Fundamentally, that needs to change.

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I think Davis will play a lot at center.

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Maybe

But I think it's an issue of should he play center not if he can play center

He's a PF, and you waste all of his many unique skills and abilities (passing, pick and roll, moving around without the ball, outside shooting) planting him at a center position in the low block

Not to mention that he isn't quite there physically and would just get destroyed by the Pekovics and Al Jeffersons of the league

On my phone so it's hard to reply to everything, but corndeaux is right about the corner 3's. At least it seemed that way to me. But we've acquired quickness and length. That should help a lot this season.

And I damn sure don't want AD to bulk up to the point it affects quickness and mobility. I think he's getting stronger and that's what counts.

I also think people forget that Okafor held his own defensively against some stout competition. His main problem overall was/is that he's undersized.

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Mason

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Not on the team. Basically was replaced by Morrow. I'm pretty surprised he hasn't gotten picked up yet, he was solid last year.

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But we've acquired quickness and length. That should help a lot this season.

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Agreed. Having more veterans should help and Davis seems to be turning into a more vocal leader so he should start directing traffic on defense.

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And I damn sure don't want AD to bulk up to the point it affects quickness and mobility. I think he's getting stronger and that's what counts.

I also think people forget that Okafor held his own defensively against some stout competition. His main problem overall was/is that he's undersized

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I think these are related ideas. Paradigms are changing in the NBA. Big centers with powerful post up games just aren't the norm any more. (Zach Lowe had a one off sentence in one of his recent columns, but apparently post ups are only mediocre in terms of offensive efficiency. Interesting stuff to me and hope someone follows up on that).

Okafor got grief for not being a traditional offensive center able to put up 18 and 10. Was he overpaid? Yes. Is he undersized? Absolutely. But he was and still is a good player.

With Davis, I keep reading that he needs to develop a dribble drive game or a post up game to max out. Of course he needs to continue to develop his game, adding new wrinkles, but he doesn't have to be an offensive hub on the block or anywhere to be a superstar. His talents are unique on both offense and defense. We need to embrace that and not worry about what he should look like.

The league is changing stylistically. Teams are embracing odd players with legitimate skills more than they ever have in the past. The Pelicans are really at ground zero in this movement with this roster. I can't wait for the games to start to see how this will work out.