[HazelParticipant]

 Hi all, first post.

This thought has just been rolling around in my head, so I thought I’d post and see what you think. 

If you had the chance of picking between Ibaka or Griffin for your PF.  Aren’t there a LOT of solid reasons to pick Ibaka?  First, on OKC it isn’t even debatable in my mind.  You have the best scorer in the game and maybe the best scoring PG as well.  You have in Ibaka the best helping defensive PF in the league with a great man-on post defender next to him.  Griffin’s only superior skill that I see is scoring, wich I believe is VERY overrated and in many cases not terribly necessary beyond what Ibaka can already do (hit the open J and finish at the rim on dump-offs.)

Even if you look at the Clips.  Even with the Clips, defense would have a marked improvement and I believe that Ibaka would put more w’s in the standings.  

Last thought, doesn’t OKC give a bit of a feel of the Jordon Chicago teams?

[Anton123Participant]

 If OKC got Griffin instead of Ibaka they would be hands down the best team in the league

They would have Westbrook-Durant-Griffin providing as much offense as needed, they’d have Sefolosha and Perkins making up for some defense the trio lacks and they’d have Jackson-Harden-Cook-Collison-Mouhammed and Aldrich as a solid bench.

Honestly, I love Ibaka, I think he is a very good player, he is already an almost elite defender (certainly an elite help-defender, but also very good 1on1), he’s a very good rebounder, great hustle guy and has an improving offensive game

That being said, Griffin is an all-star starter, he’s just as good at hustling, an even better rebounder and a terrific offensive talent. Griffin is already pretty much a star, Ibaka is a very good role player.

You say that scoring is overrated, but scoring is what OKC often lacks, their starting lineup has basically two scorers and if one isn’t doing well, you can double team the second and the team will be pretty much out of options

[PurpleMonkeyDishwasherParticipant]

Ibaka is better than a role player.  He’s a pilar type player for the Thunder…  you don’t accidently get triple doubles especially when one af the categories is blocked shot.  He’s very under-rated at this point… but if you are starting a team from scratch Blake Griffin would be my own personal choice.

[Anton123Participant]

BTW if someone really wants some easy points – just post a GIF with someone looking disapproving and you’ll be all set

[Anton123Participant]

 So what do you call a guy who isn’t a star but isn’t a role player? Best I could come up with was very good role player, it sounds better than bad star

[PurpleMonkeyDishwasherParticipant]

A pilar.  If a pilar is missing… everything can/may crumble. An example would be Pau Gasol for the Lakers or Joakim Noah for the Bulls. Obviously not the first option on offense yet but completely necessary to their teams.

[Anton123Participant]

 Fair enough, "pillar" I like the word

[bobbybParticipant]

good  point Hazel , people in this site underestimate defense and chemistry. If the Thunder didnt have on of their big scorers, then i could see wanting Griffin. Also Westbrooks is a scoring point guard which wouldnt be the best for a guy like Griffin

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

Ibaka is an amazing shot blocker from the weak side and a solid man to man defender, but Griffin is 50 times better than him. 

This is a no brainer. 

[JoeWolf1]

 Yeah, if you have the ability to get Blake Griffin, you get him and make it work.  You don’t choose Ibaka because he blocks shots, and defends the weakside.

OKC doesn’t have a guy that creates offense on the block.  Starting Perkins and Ibaka you have a pretty offensively inept front court.  What happens when you add an inside/outside game with Durant and a PF who averages more than 3 assists per game?

Deadly.

 

[Wavy BagelsParticipant]

Call me absolutely crazy, but if I were OKC, I would be happy with picking Ibaka. Other than his amazing athleticism and potential post game, What else can Blake Griffin that Durant and Westbrook are not already offering? Do not take this as me belittling Griffin’s value as a player. he is an excellent inside-outside passer and his physique speaks for itself, but Ibaka compliments OKC. And mind you, he is STILL Young (22yo). He has great potential to be a 10-10-3 player and his perimeter jumpshot is steadily improving game-by-game. Sorry, Guys. I’m sticking with Iblockya.

[aamir543Participant]

 ^I appriciate the loyalty, but Griffin is hands down the better player. It’s closer than you’d think, but Griffin has elite athleticism which allows him to put up monster numbers, and Iblacka has insane refexes adn can also fly.

I understand where you’re coming from, but you have to pick Griffin. But Ibaka is very nice player that could indeed turn into a 15, 10 and 4 player with lockdown D.

Hey Anton, how’s everything in Russia? Vladimir treating you well?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BiggysmallsParticipant]

There is legitimately no argument here. Griffin is a top 5 PF in the NBA…he is one of the elite young players and a definite star. Ibaka is a nice piece, I take nothing away from him. But lets not overrate somebody because they are underrated.

The Clippers are not in the mix for a top 4 seed in the West right now without Griffin. Ibaka is important, but if you take him off the Thunder, they are still a really dangerous team…they would surely have a different defensive identity and mindset, but you can build a defense without shotblockers. You can’t build an offense without scorers.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

Defense wins rings, both guys are good rebounders, and Ibaka is a little longer.  Both guys are great dunkers with Blake being one of the best ever.  Neither is Kevin McHale on the low blocks so Blake’s getting more touches might distort the scoring comparison. 

Whoever gets a low post game first wins.

You almost have to compare frontcourt duo’s.  Blake is great but DeAndre Jordan is better than Kendrick Perkins.  Blake does his thing while DeAndre Jordan plays an Ibaka type role for the Clippers. 

If you put Perkins on the Clippers at center they don’t do as well.  If you put DeAndre Jordan on the Thunder then they would basically be unstoppable with Ibaka getting more touches inside (Perkins kinda clogs things up). 

Blake Griffin will never be your defensive stopper.  Ibaka could be that guy.  I don’t think Blake Griffin is ever gonna be THE guy who can win a title without another great player (that is, he needs Chris Paul with him). 

If Ibaka gets better on offense with a low post game and a solid mid-range shot then this becomes a very tight race with Ibaka being better right now at shot blocking, defending, and intangibles with Blake being a guy who can get you 20 a night and some highlight reel dunks with both being very good rebounders.  These two guys aren’t really similar so it is a little bit hard to compare.  I do know that if DeAndre Jordan goes to the Thunder they will be unbeatable and if Perkins goes to the Clippers they wouldn’t be nearly as good.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

 If Jordan goes to the Thunder they’d be unbeatable??? Just who do you think he is exactly? He’d give them what Ibaka does without the jump shot…

There’s a reason Ibaka doesn’t get touches on the block… It’s because that’s not his game. Because if it was, believe me… The Thunder would go to him. They have nobody down there to get them easy baskets. Griffin’s post game is 50 times better than Ibaka’s. Just his overall offensive ability is far above Ibaka’s and Griffin still has plenty of work to do.

This is a no brainer…

[Author]

Posts