EXTENSION: Gobert signs 5yr/$205M w/ UTA | DAL "significant interest" if available

[dirkfansince1998]

Getting back to a serious argument, can you point to me a defensive, dunking center leading to a championship in the last decade (or longer)?

I am just thinking about some very good all-star defensive, dunking, rebounding centers of the last decade:

- DAJ
- Whiteside
- Adams
- Capella
- Chandler

These are all centers without much of an offensive game outside of dunking. I do not include guys like either Gasol brother or even Dwight Howard who had more offensive game in their prime. How many of these guys could carry a team?

Interestingly enough all of these guys the Mavs have had interest in over the years. Chandler was the lynchpin to the Mavs getting over the hump but the Mavs didn't build a team around him. The Knicks got Chandler the next year who was DPOY but he and Carmelo + old Kidd got only to the second round.

I would say Capella has had the most success out of this bunch in terms of team success. The Rockets came very close to beating the stacked Warriors. I don't think any of these guys were ever the first or 2nd building block. At best maybe the 3rd core piece? And honestly I don't believe any of these players in their prime are much different than Gobert in his current prime.

Are you really going to believe that Gobert is able to be your first or second best player and win a championship? Honestly I think the Jazz have a shot at contention but mostly bc they have a very solid roster including extremely underrated Bojan Bogdan who was injured last year. Bojan, Mitchell, Ingles, Gobert, Favors, Conley, Clarkson. They are solid. Their ceiling to me is tied more to their playmakers Bojan and Mitchell than Gobert.

DAJ was a good defender for a few years in LA. Never close to Goberts level.

Whiteside is one of the worst team defenders in the league. Refuses to guard the perimeter but I guess he has fancy block and rebound numbers.

Adams is a solid defender and in my opinion the best team rebounder in the NBA. Incredible boxouts on defense and a real force on the offensive board. Also the best screener and maybe the strongest player in the entire league. Still not enough to compensate for Goberts superior impact on defense.

Chandler was great in Dallas. In my opinion the 2nd best player on a championship team. Later in his career with declining quickness his defense wasn´t what it used to be but during his 2nd stint with the Mavs he was an even better pick and roll player.

I was never as high on Capela. Solid rim protector with above average quickness but he lacks the intangibles (leadership, calling out plays,...) to be a great defensive anchor.


Overall there are probably less than 5-6 guys that can win a championship as the 1st option. LBJ, Kawhi, Durant, Curry. Hopefully Luka. I wouldn´t include guys like Harden, Giannis or Lillard.
Among bigman on a max contract the only one with more team success has been Jokic. AD wasn´t doing anything in NO. Embiid and the 76ers had similar results in the playoffs. Towns is a great scorer but year after year his teams are among the worst in the league on defense.
And it´s not like Gobert had world beating supporting casts. Hayward and Mitchell as his co stars and solid role players like Favors, Ingles, Rubio, Bogdanovic.

If you want to make the case that someone like Gobert cannot win a ring on his own because he lacks scoring skills that´s certainly true.  But other players cannot win a ring because they have their own (most of the time even bigger) limitations. If Jokic could defend in space the Nuggets would be my favorit to win it all. If Lillard could stay in front of opposing guards the Blazers would be a lot better. If Giannis could shoot the Bucks wouldn´t struggle to score in the playoffs.

There is no way to deny that Gobert is one of the highest impact players in the regular season. Ranking him in the top 10 seems reasonable and most advanced metrics support the claim. The playoffs are a different story but Gobert is not the only star player that struggles when teams are taking away his strengths and exposing his weaknesses.