If Anthony Davis a 7footer? And Can/Will He Play Center In NBA?

I was just asking a question that I feel is legit because it’s much harder to find a franchise center then it is a solid PF so I do think he is eventually going to end up playing C the same way Tyson Chandler came into the league as a hybdrid forward but once they realized he add athleticism but no perimeter skills, and added weight to his frame they realized he’s much better at Center.

Players similar to Davis coming into the league weight wise but played Center effectively are Chandler, Camby, Dalembert, Pau Gasol, just to name a few off the top of my head. Javell McGee.  Even Alrdidge, Garnett, and Bosh were just as skinny if not more (Bosh n KG) coming into the league and they filled out enough to play C but don’t because they’re so offensively skilled and athletic they’re better at PF.

My point is that Davis is already 225, he’s gained a ton of weight over the past summer and leading in next year no doubt he will gain atleast 10 more pounds to play in the league.  Putting him at at about 235.  Unlike Randolph and some other plays he’s shown no problem being able to gain weight.  Plus he’s only 18 by the time he’s 22 he should be a legit 6’11 – 245 which is fine to NBA Center.  

The game has changed and you do not need that big immobile lumberjack in the middle clogging the lane anymore.  Davis’ arms will clog the lane.  

Plus is a team that like the Cavs or Hornets get the first pick he might have to play Center if they Hornets go big and draft Davis then Moultrie/Zeller/Henson later in the lotto.

Futhermore it’s much harder to find a franchise C then PF like I said so if he can hold up in the middle teams will throw him in the middle.  

And Nerlan Noels is slated to be a top 3 pick next year and he’s look at as a pure C yet he’s much skinnier then Davis and has reportedly had trouble keeping weight on.  

So how could Noels be drafted as a C and not Davis?

I dunno why I’m getting negged for asking a legitimate question but whatever.

I acknowledge is best position is possibly PF.  Trust me I do i’m a huge Davis fan.  But Al Horfod’s best position is PF also as are a few other people who play Center in the league but they play Center because they can do it very well and PF’s are easier to get.  I know Horford is much stronger, but still he only weighs like 245 and gives up like 5 inches of length to Davis who will weigh 245 in a few years also.

And you would put Davis on the opponents 2nd best offensive post player?  Are you crazy?  I mean no disrespect but Davis is not Tyrus Thomas or even Ben Wallace who both were famous at one point for their weakside shot blocking ability.  Most good shot blockers are weakside shot blockers but Anthony Davis is not at all.  He’s in the Mutombo mold where he blocks his players shots str8 on.  He does get weakside blocks too but he’s also the best on ball shot blocker I’ve saw in a long time.  Not only that he a great on ball defender period and guards everybodies best big in the NCAA so he’s already proven to be a great post defender and he’s also proven that given up weight doesn’t negate his defense.  Did you see him play against Ezeli who is built just like a starting C in the league and must weight close to 270 now while still being athletic?  Ezeli would muscle him into the paint, seal Davis off, go to shoot what he thought would be an easy shot 2 feet from the rim, and get met by Davis’ arms which always find the ball.

Defensive wise he reminds me of Mutombo in that regard who use to get seal in the paint a lot too and outmuscled all the time only his timing and length was so great it made up for it and still altered the shot.

Thanks SURVE

I also agree that Davis can play SF in the league.  I threw that out there too only to run into people telling me that he has no offensive game and can’t shoot because these people have only saw him play at Kentucky.

But the league has changed so much.  Coaches love a Center who can bring the opposing big men out and play in the high post.  Plus if a team has a PF who is more effective playing in the post and likes to bang then having a C who can play in the high post and make them entry passes is invaluable.  Not only that big men who can bring other big men out the paint are assets because that oppens up lanes for their slashers.  Thats why Cousins plays so much in the high post so Reke can slash.

Also many people questioned Noah’s ability to play Center because he had the skill set of a PF and was too skinny and now he’s one of the most effective Centers in the league because of that skill set.  Plus Davis does have an amazing versatile skill set but he’s still a gifted rebounder, an amazing rim protector, and does all the little things to help a team win and that’s exactly what coaches like in a Center.  

And I also watched Camby play in college and he did gain weight while at UMASS but he was not very filled out as a freshman he was only like 220 if that.  And Davis is built a little more muscular then Camby.

 Yeah I don’t think he’s 7 foot either I just put that in the title to draw peoples attention honestly.  But @scbe you don’t think he’s a legit 6’11 because even tho it’s only an inch he looks taller then 6’10 and like you said he’s 6’10 and some change.  Last time he was measured he was measured at 6’10 with a 7’4 wingspan, but I’m hearing now that he has atleast a 7’5 wingspan and has grown even more.  Because like i said everytime i see him matched up against a guy whose listed at 6’11 Davis is clearly taller then.  But most players have their height inflated in college listings so i don’t really believe he’s standing next to a 6’11 player Davis I do know Moultrie is atleast 6’11 and Davis is the same exact height and Terrence Jones is a legit 6’9 and Davis has a good 2 inches in him too.

Anyways this is kinda a matter of preferance and situation.  I prefer athletic and versatile centers over bulky ones.  I also prefer my tallest and best shot blocker to play center.  And I truly believe is Davis stayed 3 years at Kentucky with the weight he’ll add as he matures and 3 years experience dominating the Center position in college nobody would question if he could play C in the league.  I really like the Noah comparison.  I love centers who can outrun other bigs like Noah and can also pass.  Davis can do those things.

My theory is this is why the league is devoid of great centers.  Lamarcus Aldridge is 7 foot in sneakers despite his listing.  He in my eyes should be playing center because he has a great back to the basket game, massive length, and is just the tallest guy in the team.  I think Bosh should play center on the Heat so they can start Haslem at PF and stop starting these scrubs at C.  Duncan is another guy who I never understand why he didn’t play Center because he’s 7 foot, one of the best back to the basket scorers in history, great rebounder and shot blocker, yet he refused to play C.  Amare is only 6’10 so I can’t play knock him too much for hating to play C but when he did play C for the Suns at one point it looked like his best position he was dominat. Derrick Favors got perfect size to play Center yet people insists he’s a PF.  

And I’m gonna be honest this question really came to my mind because I’m playing 2k12 and fully updated the draft class with everybody from this mock and they got all of their real attribute, not inflated ones, I fixed it to their real playing styles, actualy shots and ball handling skills, and projected their ratings to what I believe they will actually be in the game next year.  I got the first pick and a franchise wit the Cavs who I’m building around Kyrie and Tristan.  But I’m at a dead standstill as to whether i wanna draft Davis and throw him at Center, or just go wit Drummond.  I’m also so confused as to whether I wanna draft Jeremy Lamb, Brad Beal, or MKG with my 2nd lotto pick but thats a different story.  Sorry guys I take my 2K serious.  Plus I was I’ve been wondering this in general for awhile.  

 The Augustin pick wasn’t that bad because Larry Brown likes to hand pick his point guards, yet they never traded Felton they like him just walk.  And a lot of teams passed on Lopez for no apparent reason.

I thought MJ did a good job last year getting Kemba and Biyombo.  The Pistons were gonna take Biyombo so they couldn’t take Knight and hope Biyombo lasted and Biyombo has a ton of potential.  He’s starting to really play well.

Althought Knight and Markieff Morris would look great right now for Charlotte and they certainly wouldn’t have as much of a scoring problem. 

 Haha Drew Gooden I use to love him coming out of Kansas he reminded me so much of Jamison. Gooden use to run the court so fast and was such a fluid athlete. Not a super explosive leapers but he was good enough to be a rebounding machine in college and a little bit in the NBA.  He just looks fat now, you would never know the Grizzlies drafted him to play SF.

But I guess i didn’t pose the question right.  I realize Davis is a pure Forward, but with his height, length, and defensive capabilites, nobody thinks he can be a starting C if he needed to be based on the roster he lands on?  Just like Horford was forced into being a C.  Even Al Jefferson was forced into becoming a C a few years ago nobody thought he was big enough to play C then Love came, and now nobody remenbers them days.  I know they are different body types but length is everything.

I do believe Davis will be able to get uo to around 240 without losing any athleticism.  And like you said adding leg strength is so important to not only holding poition in the post but also to increase your vertical.  

Kevin Durant was a terrible athlete coming out of Texas.  He registered like a 32 inch vert and tripped over his feet at the combine drills.  But now he looks explosive.  Deandrea Jordan wasn’t as good an athlete as he is now coming out of Texas A&M either.  Neither was Blake Griffin he became even more athletic doing whatever he did for rehab after his rookie injurie.

@MJAYB77 my brother you know my pain lol

 Lol thanks MJ….I can’t play a game if I don’t think it’s realistic.  And even in my draft class Davis is rated way higher then Drummond but his strength is only like a 50 something while Drummonds is in the 80’s and I like the idea of having Tristan and Drummond as 2 athletic and strong bruisers down low.  But I love Davis and especially his shot blocking ability, even in the predraft workouts he was just punting everything.

MKG too was beasting it tho like in real life he don’t have a great shot but can still score, I didn’t even want him till I worked him out and he was all over the place getting put backs, tipping balls, and playing great defense.

I 4get who I traded to get the 2nd lottery pick but it was Houston’s who suffered an injury to players and wound up just stinking the rest of the season.  I made some trades, all realistic cuz I hate cheaters even in video games, and my starting 5 is Irving, D. Cook, Iggy, Tristan, and Andy.  Obviously I wanna need to upgrade Cook and Andy, and I like Iggy for his defense and he’s a vet I can’t have too many youngsters.

But I love shooters on the wings so when Kyrie penetrates he can kick it out.  I also like defenders cuz defense really wins games, even in 2K, if you play a team with a good offense and you don’t have any defenders on the court you get your butt handed to you.  

But I’d hate to draft Drummond’s rating is considerably below Davis’ but the Mock still has the top 3 picks as Davis, Barnes, and Drummond so if I want Drummond I gotta draft him 1st tho it may not be the best value the potential and athleticism is there, as is his funky Shawn Marion like shot…am I the only one who notices Drummond shoots like Marion a little?  

So for my wings I was aiming at Lamb or Beal because they’re both shooters who can defend, tho like in real life when I was working out Beal all his 3’s looked like they were money but..nope..he’s so inconistent.  Lamb is probably a better shooter at this point.  Rivers is better then all 3 at shooting but I don’t want him cuz he isn’t a great defender.  

I wanted to draft MKG and sign Mayo or Gordon, but they’re restricted and always get matched unless  iwanna pay them like 14 mil a year which is just insane.  So i’m back to deciding between MKG’s potential and super do it all defense, or having that shooter in Lamb or Beal that will give Kyrie like 3 extra apg.  

I read on ESPN Chad Ford said people questioned the Cavs drafting Tristan over JV but if they got the first pick and were able to draft Davis they would look like genius’.  So ever since then I was wondering how?  Do they project Davis to be able to play Center on ESPN cuz Tristan certainly can’t play SF, or C really.  

 Well Iggy only has one year left on his contract so I could groom MKG under Iggy for a year then have him starting.  But I really like surrounding Kyrie with shooters because it’s easier to get assists that way and it opens up the floor for him.  I often ran Meeks at SG, Cook at SF, and Casspi at PF so drive and kick for a few minutes.  But the great thing about Kyrie is he’s great in uptempo and half court, so i’ll often slow the ball down when I play uptempo teams to slow them down.

And I literally edited every single player in the game and the draft classes are about as accurate as you’re gonna find, I even went as far as watching film to make sure all their move sets and shot’s were accurate, which they weren’t.  

I def wanna go to the playoffs this year so this is it for me planning on getting high profile rookies.  

And as far as Thompson I loved the Thompson pick because I felt he was overlooked his whole freshman year and really came on for Texas at the end.  Rick Barnes said Thompson may have been the hardest worker he ever coached right there with Durant.  He said not only would Thompson be the 1st in and last to leave type practice guy, but he often stayed after games and worked on his game.  He has better offensive then people realize, and he’s a banger that’s going to become a great defensive PF.  I love him in the game cuz he plays great D on the other teams best forwards and blocks shots and finishes.

That’s why I kinda wanted to pair him with Drummond to have a strong and athletic frontcourt, even tho Drummond plays finesse, if he went to Cleveland Thompson would teach him to throw his body around.

And did you see the rookie game.  Thompson and Kyrie combined for 53 points on 22-24 shooting, that’s awesome.

 A PS3 and yes I can upload it tonight.  What should I name it so you can find it easily.

 The main reason I asked the question is because PF’s are abundant, and game changing Centers are not.  Noels is projected to be the next great shot blocking center despite being even skinnier then Davis.  I also don’t belive playing guys at Centers takes away from the rest of their skill set.  On the contrary it gives them an even bigger mismatch advantage.  Davis has the ability to change the game, his skill set and athleticism is unprecedented.  I don’t think many people realize how fast this guy really is too.  Davis boxes out for rebounds and then in a flash is on the perimeter blocking somebodies 3 point shot.  

Noah is such a big part of Chicago’s success because of his athleticism at the C position and overall skill set.

My first thought was actually to draft Davis as a SF but I like shooters on the wing.  But with some more refinement he could be a SF too.  

I just don’t like the idea of taking skill players who have the size to play C and making them PF’s.  Bosh and Aldridge should both be playing Center in my book, the same with Tim Duncan who should of been the Spurs starting Center as soon as The Admiral retired.  Even today Duncan with his old @$$ watched a 6’7 Blair play Center while he maraudes as a PF still.  I don’t get it.  In the 80’s and 90’s all of these guys would be Centers not PF’s.

But Davis is so unique I think he will excell at whatever position the team needs him to play.  And considering there are so many good PF’s in the league, and coming out every year, yet there are few Centers, I just feel like he will eventually play Center.  at one point.  

And weight won’t be an issued he’s already gained like 25 pounds since he arrived on campus, and once he get’s a lil older and his metabolism slows down he’ll be able to easily get up to 245.  Look at Dalembert, many people don’t realize he’s 250lb’s but has always been one of the most athletic centers in the league’s whose super fast, and has pogo sticks for legs.  But when we drafted him he only weighed around 220 but he didn’t lose any athleticism as he gained weight.