small centers

["Jeremy Warren" <jeremy.warren@alphatech.com>]

Jeremy wrote:
>
>		<snip> 
>
>         Battie's stock is dropping because he was measured at 6' 9.5" at
> the Chicago camp.  Thus he will never be a center. 
>		<snip>
>
> Jeremy

Obviously, Jeremy, you've never heard of a couple of 
"less-than-six-foot-nine-and-a-half-inchers" named Bill Russell and Dave 
Cowens (not to mention Wes Unseld at 6'7").

Don't anybody try to tell me that "the players today are bigger and 
stronger", so guys like Russell and Cowens couldn't play today.  

Baloney.  

Russ had to go against Wilt (7'2") and the Red Head had to go against 
guys like Walt Bellamy and Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

This is NOT an endorsement for the Celts to draft Battie.  I'm just 
cautioning everyone against judging a "center" by his height.

Joe.


What a bunch of politically correct nonsense.  Of course we should jugde a
center by his height (among other things).  There are certain minimum size
requirements to be considered a legit NBA center these days.  The fact is that
today the average size at each position is bigger than it was 30 years ago. 
Yes Russell was small for a center, but he was Bill Russell arguably one of
the top five players of all time.  Tony Battie is 6'9.5" and 230lbs.  Even if
he gains some weight he is too small to go up against the likes of Mutumbo,
Shaq, Smits, Muresan, Bradley, Ostertag, Longley, etc...

Battie could develop into a great power forward, but he won't be a center. 
According to Pitino, Van Horn is almost an inch taller than Battie.  And since
Van Horn is much more skilled, I would rather have him.  They both need to put
on muscle anyway, so that's a non-factor between the two of them.

Jeremy