PRESEASON GAME 1: DAL @ OKC | 98-96 win

[KillerLeft]

The only argument for Wood as the lone big is an offensive argument. 

I see what you're saying here, but I can't agree, sorry. 

Clearly, you don't share this hangup, but I believe a crucial part of any dominant defense is foot speed. 

Remember, before the half court defense starts, you must first get back in transition faster than the opposition attacks. Now that they've removed the "take foul" option (something the Mavs took advantage of more than their fair share, I believe, even with their smaller lineups), this will be tougher than ever. 

Once you get to half-court defense, we need to realize it's not about strength anymore. It's about SPRINTING back and forth from the 3-point line to the paint, around multiple screens, the entire width of the court along the baseline, etc. Changing directions (reactively, no less - much more taxing) all the while. 

If you can't hang with your opponents or even best them from a speed/agility standpoint, you have zero chance defensively, imho. For that reason, I want my center to be faster, more agile and have a higher motor than my opponents'. Ditto for the biggest forward. Ditto for the wings, etc, etc. This is important to note, because I believe the days of "he's not a good defensive center, so let's hide him on a non-shooter on that end" are OVER. Teams' spacing is too good nowadays - everyone can shoot. Thinking that way just results in MORE slow players on the court who can be exploited. It's a literal invitation to the other team: "if you move the ball, you're either going to get an uncontested layup or a wide open corner 3. Enjoy!"

It's not that I don't value other things when thinking about defenders, it's just that I believe it has to START with that thinking. 

Name literally one wing or forward in an NBA playoff rotation who can't run Wood into the dirt, just like they can with Porzingis. Maybe you can, but I have trouble. 

The simplest way to summarize my thoughts (which I get are not fact, but I feel pretty strongly that I'm correct about this) might be this: If Wood can't learn to play center (with or without another big) then in my opinion, he is not a viable option as a heavy rotation player for a winning NBA team.