Biedrins, Top 50 in the NBA?

by Ziller on Aug 25, 2008 11:17 AM PDT

I like Andris Biedrins. A lot. I root against him four times a season -- five, if I'm feeling saucy during the preseason -- but I dang well appreciate his game. At FanHouse, I'm fleshing out my list of the top 50 players in the NBA. Beans kicked things off.

Biedrins doesn't miss baskets. His two seasons as a major rotation player -- at ages 20 and 21 -- he has hovered near the top of the league in True Shooting percentage and field goal percentage. Usually, Biedrins' shots are quick chippies near the hoop -- putbacks, flushes off guard penetration, vapid post moves resulting in bank lay-ins or swift slams. He has no jumper to speak of, and little in the way of silky maneuvers.

But this is perfect for the role he plays. The Warriors as a whole have not been shy about hitting the trigger quickly ... and that won't change this season, with Corey Maggette joining Stephen Jackson and Monta Ellis. Biedrins will never likely be required to do more than clean up on offense -- this is a boon because he cleans up so well and because he understands his limitations. Some gawky big men with terrible post moves insist they can work out the kinks in gameplay. Biedrins assumes no such thing, at least under the fickle finger of Don Nelson.

There's more on Biedrins, and there will be a few more Dubs on the list. Just know that while much of the national media guffaws at Biedrins' contract, people who watch him understand his potential.

This FanPost is a submission from a member of the mighty Golden State of Mind community. While we're all here to throw up that W, these words do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSoM Crew. Still, chances are the preceding post is Unstoppable Baby!

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Possibly, but

I think a better question is: Is Biedrins a top 10 center in the leauge.
I would have to say he is in the mix, in the above average solid player group yet below the impact player borderline allstar group, which is obviosly below the Allstar and Superstar groups.

Ellis to the rim.

by warriorsscore110 on Aug 25, 2008 12:03 PM PDT 0 recs

Hummm....

Top tier

Duncan
Garnett
Howard
Ming
Amare
Bosh
Gasol

2nd tier:
Brand
Bynum
Jefferson
Biendrins
Horford
Chandler
Camby
West
Okafor
Smith (Josh)
Kaman

Looks like he’s in the 8-15 mix to me. But big men are more important, so you should see more bigs in the top 50 than guards/forwards. I’m leaving Bynum in the second tier until he duplicates/comes back from his injury (Brand needs to come back healthy too). Jefferson… he should probably be above, but maybe that’s the Bostonian in me.

I hate Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, and Russel Peters because they make fun of white people like me. They also make fun of other kinds of people, which hurts me deep down because my ancestry is so mixed that I don't know what my official "race" is... so I get offended for all races!

by Dubs fan in Boston on Aug 25, 2008 12:18 PM PDT up 0 recs

Also

It may appear that there’s some ordering going on, but it’s not there. More in the “what order did they pop in my head” than anything else.

by Dubs fan in Boston on Aug 25, 2008 12:20 PM PDT up 0 recs

I would pretty much agree, but...

I would take West and Jefferson off your list. Big men are guys that can play 4 or 5, and those 2 guys strike me more as 3 to 4’s. Looking at your list, again, I pretty much agree, I would put Bynum(maybe, this is kinda based on potential at this point), Brand and Okafor(check out his stats) above Biens. Chandler, Kaman, and Camby(probaly giving the nod to AB over MC here because one is on the upswing of their career while the other is on the downside) about parallel with him. I think Horford and Oden will both be better than AB in the future. Not a knock against our guy, he is a solid NBA center, which is hard to find.

Ellis to the rim.

by warriorsscore110 on Aug 25, 2008 12:29 PM PDT up 0 recs

jefferson

can’t play the 3, nor can he play the 5, but he’s defenitely a post player. i would remove him from the list because it was a list of centers, and he doesn’t fit the bill. he’ll need to play center this year, because mchale made the foolish decision of thinking that the only position on the team that was adequate required another guy who would push jefferson out of position and make an already terrible defensive team, even worse.

a quick rundown of guys on that list who aren’t centers and should be pulled from consideration: kg, amare, bosh, brand, west and josh smith.

by cap'n hack on Aug 25, 2008 2:10 PM PDT up 0 recs

lol

obviously you don’t watch enough basketball… Bynum, Camby and Chandler are all better than biedrins… I believe camby was even an all star

by Agent Zero on Aug 25, 2008 3:41 PM PDT up 0 recs

I agree

didn’t see much of Bynum pre-injury so I’m not getting the hype

Camby has a jump shot and is a better passer. Though his rebounding and block numbers were inflated due to his team, so were Biedrins’. Camby plays more so I would expect bigger numbers. Overall though, he has a more diverse skillset, though not as good of a finisher, I believe.

Chandler is probably a little better than Biedrins- he has a legit 4 so he’s not the only inside man on the floor.

by antihero on Aug 25, 2008 5:31 PM PDT up 0 recs

Note that I knocked Bynum and Brand for their injury concerns

Okafor has a history of back problems. Not good. Plus, he gets 25% more PT than Beans, which raises his numbers. Beans is more productive than Okafor. Okafor just takes more shots and gets more minutes. Okafor shoots FTs WORSE than Beans.

I think it’s silly to break it down to individual Player X is better than Player Y, which is why I broke it down to tiers.

Finally, I’m tired of the “Player X isn’t a Center, he’s a Power Forward”. Really? I can’t tell the difference, both spend all their time on the block either on offense or defense. Can you really tell the difference between a Shooting Guard and a Small Forward? I prefer the Point/Athlete/Big nomenclature. It’s much easier and makes far more sense. Tim Duncan doesn’t want to be considered a Center, partly because Yao Ming gets all the All Star votes, and partly because there’s a stigma currently related to being a Center. I don’t know why, and I’m not going to try to explain it.

by Dubs fan in Boston on Aug 26, 2008 7:14 AM PDT up 0 recs

BTW, Beans views himself as more of a PF

He’s gone on record, somewhere but I can’t find it, as thinking he is more of a PF than a Center. I guess he’s off the list too…

by Dubs fan in Boston on Aug 26, 2008 7:24 AM PDT up 0 recs

Since when is Smith (Josh) a center?

I always thought he was a combo 3/4

by Baked Biedrins on Aug 25, 2008 3:33 PM PDT up 0 recs

wow

8-15 in big men that is saying a lot….

i believe it was suggested with just centers that he may be top 10. you listed all big men.

by Agent Zero on Aug 25, 2008 3:39 PM PDT up 0 recs

how could you

ignore my TOP 10 centers fanpost? LOL

build a team & destroy the roof

by Lat We N Trash on Aug 26, 2008 3:24 AM PDT up 0 recs

missed that one man,

but i put a comment on that one also : )

Ellis to the rim.

by warriorsscore110 on Aug 27, 2008 8:30 PM PDT up 0 recs

LMAO

Borderliner all star, all star, superstar…superstar all star, allstar-superstar-borerline, supermax allstar to the max….hahahaha. How many sub categories are there? Its like women’s clothing sizes….I just dont get it. what the hell! i mean they have like 10 different sizes….juniors, junior mids, senior saggy, plumper, plumper juniors or some crap like that.. Men!!!! give us s,m, l, x, 2x, ect or go by waist and inseam and we are good! I already know some girl is gonna blast me for this because womens’ hips arent all the same….but still…what the hell!

by Butt Secks on Aug 25, 2008 3:18 PM PDT up 0 recs

that seems to be about the right place for him

his game is limited, but very good in the areas it needs to be. he knows what he needs to do for the team, and does a fantastic job at it, i’m very happy we’ll have him here for a while.

ps. a FEW more? i love the dubs, but man, it seems like four or five in the top 50 would be too many.

by cap'n hack on Aug 25, 2008 2:14 PM PDT 0 recs

Ok: two more.

by Ziller on Aug 26, 2008 2:37 PM PDT up 0 recs

is it monta and jack? it’s monta and jack, isn’t it?

heart of a champion, will of the warrior.

by cap'n hack on Aug 26, 2008 3:08 PM PDT up 0 recs

It's Monta and Corey

by atthehive on Aug 27, 2008 3:34 PM PDT up 0 recs

Beans give me gas and hershey squirts.....

But….I love beidrins. Young athletic big man, that with more work and time, will become a premiere and coveted center. Runs the floor and can rebound which is what we need soooooooo much. He needs to work on his post moves and a mini jumpshot to become a serious threat. I’ve seen flashes of his hook which is good but still needs work. I could see him pulling shaq-esque back to the basket moves but he needs more meat on his bones and quicker feet. I dont think he needs Kevin Garnett turn-around-fadeaway jumpers. Just be an inside presence that will demand a double team from time to time so we can kick it out to our shooters. At a rank of 50 i think it seriously underrates him.

by Butt Secks on Aug 25, 2008 3:12 PM PDT 0 recs

Andris Biedrins is a good center, and he had to develop his skills by his self, he had no Kareem or Ewing.
Just get him a big man to teach him like Nate Thurmond, and he can improve. He’s still 22.

Marcus Williams, just watch. This SIG won't be deleted till Warriors make the playoffs.

by AKA JustPlainOldDubsFan on Aug 25, 2008 6:54 PM PDT 0 recs

I like Andris

Right now, he has zero offensive moves, but he has (from what I’ve seen) very good hands and good athleticism and hops to go along with great length.

To me, he needs a good PG who can penetrate and throw the lob pass to him for the easy dunk, ala Paul to Chandler (or, Baron to Andris). I hope Monta can do this because it would work like gangbusters and be pretty sweet to watch.

DUNK CITY DUDE.

With how bad of a FT shooter he is I wouldn’t hold my breath for him to develop even a super-short jumper, but he’s coordinated and athletic enough to be as good as Tyson Chandler. If he has a good PG to get him the ball in a position to dunk, he can be really effective.

I think Andris will be a good true center for a long time.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Aug 26, 2008 3:39 AM PDT 0 recs