Amare, Dwight or Oden?

[sucram]

Pretty straight forward thread. I always find myself along with my two brothers discussing which of these big's we'd base a team on. Wondering if you guys were building your franchise, who'd you take?

[Indy]

It is an unfair question because we know exactly what type of NBA players Amare and Dwight are and Greg hasn't even played a game yet.

[Gundy]

I believe Greg Oden has the potential to be the best of the three. But potential is just that...potential. I would take Dwight Howard simply because he is only getting better while Amare seems to have declined a tad since his injury.

[---]

Greg Oden for me.

[Bsktblking25]

i think oden will probably be sort of like a Dwight Howard. I would build around Amare stoudemire because he is an explosive scorer.

[Axel]

Right now, I would draft Dwight Howard.

[Laxation]

I would go for Dwight. I would like to see a Nash-less Amare though... (not to mention I havnt seen Oden play)

[dada]

Dwight Howard for my money. Beast.

Oden and Amare are the guys that take your lunch money from you. Dwight Howard is the guy you hand it to.

[BigKaboom2]

Howard, but Indy's point is valid.

[Dro]

I might be biased, but...I don't understand why everybody is so ready to call Dwight the best. Dwight is a looong ways away from being an elite player on offense, and we saw how much he struggled in the playoffs. But yeah, he's a better rebounder than Amare or Oden will ever be.

Amare will be the best offensive player out of these three throughout their respective careers. He's going to extend his range out to 3-point territory in the near future. Watch out when he develops low-post moves...

[el badman]

Yup, Amare all the way for me, he's learned to do a lot more things, especially offensively, and I'm not sure Howard will ever reach that level for example. Dwight has stronger upper body strength and is a better rebounder/blocker, but Amare has also been progressing in these categories.

[Sauru]

if dwight develops some offensive moves i say him hands down but right now its close. i personally would still take dwight in boston before i took amare. like indy said the question is not really fair so all i can say is, who would i take right this minute on the celtics, discounting contract, years left, and so forth.

so i guess the best way to answer is, i would take oden, then dwight, then amare. people will most likly disagree with me but if i had the chance to right now sign any of the 3 to a 6 year deal with the celts i pick oden. i think he will have both offense and defense while i dont know is howard will develop good enough on offense.

[maes]

For me, Dwight, and easily.

I think Oden can be as good or possibly better but it's a gamble at this point. Not just from a skill/talent point, but also from a health point. Not every big entering the league is guaranteed to stay healthy.

Amare is a great finisher, but IMO he's not even in the picture w/ the other two. Amare is mostly assisted by the league's best PG and his # benefits from a very high pace. His defense is less than great, they use Kurt or Marion to guard bigs (part of Phoenix's issue).

Dwight is both a physical monster & durable, he's missed 1 game in 3 seasons...take a quick mental stock of how many other big men can match that. He's learning post moves, which will mean he won't be reliant on a PG to feed him. He's already only 56% assisted, very low for a big. And of course he's already a monster on defense.

I'd take Howard over Oden and sleep easy.

[Sauru]

well atleast we agree howard over amare. i also agree with you on the risk of oden, the guy might be a complete bust. no one has even hinted at it yet but then again there have been alot of other players who everyone said would dominate and they turned out to be worthless. however being said i still take the risk.

[Dro]

Amare is a great finisher, but IMO he's not even in the picture w/ the other two. Amare is mostly assisted by the league's best PG and his # benefits from a very high pace. His defense is less than great, they use Kurt or Marion to guard bigs (part of Phoenix's issue).

Ah, I love the "They're only great because of Nash" argument! Works well when you apply it to Shawn Marion as well. No, Amare averaged 20 points per game in a season where his point guards were Howard Eisley and Charlie Ward. That was his sophomore season. Dwight averaged 18 in his third season. And Amare's gonna be back better than ever next season. Averaged 25 and 12 in the playoffs, had 38 and 12 in his last game of the playoffs.

About his defense...yeah, it's average at best. But it's not like he has trouble with ALL big men. Tim Duncan owns him, but who doesn't Tim Duncan own?

[Dro]

Double post

[Fitzy]

id choose amare over the other guys. not to speak too soon about oden, but i love his style of play, and if it came down to them 3 to build a team around it would be him

[scrub]

It is too soon to speak about Oden but I think Oden will be the best out of the three. He is the best defender and has more offensive potential than Howard. Howard lives on putbacks and second chance points. He doesn't have many moves in the post. Amare isn't a great defender, overrated IMO, but he is definitely the best on offense. However he does benefit from Steve Nash. I'm not sure he is capable of creating his own offense like Tim Duncan is.

[hammertime23]

I'd go with Dwight simply because he has already established himself as a beast of a basketball player. He's always at the top of the list as far as rebounding and blocking shots. Plus he still has over 15 years left in his career. With an upside like that there is no doubt in my mind he will be the best of the 3.

[shadowgrin]

Dwight Howard for my money. Beast.

Oden and Amare are the guys that take your lunch money from you. Dwight Howard is the guy you hand it to.

I agree with dada.

[Indy]

Dwight is the best rebounder in the group, but that's where it ends. Greg is by far the best defensively. It isn't even close. Amare is by far the best offensively, it isn't even close.

I would have a hard time taking Dwight over Amare or Greg.

[Mayerhendrix]

It'll definitely take a few years before a clear difference can be seen. Amare's injury effects and Oden's impact in the NBA are still questionable.

[1CenT]

Oden looks like he'll definitely be a very good offensive player in the future (22-25ppg)... He has both hands, already have post moves/hook shots that rivals Dwight Howard's...

But you never know..

Lets say Oden stays healthy most of his career.. maybe minor injuries.. or a major injury that cuts half a season...

Dwight looks like he'll be healthy..

Amare... i don't know.. He should be alright..

Lets assume they all stay heavy and develop...

Amare can potentially be a 26-30 point scorer on a crappy, medium paced team...
He is getting better defensively and rebounding..

I see him as a 28/12/2 blocks guy

Dwight.. a few years down the road.. probably a 21/15/3 blocks guy...

Oden.. 25/14/4blks...

Amare looks like the most versatile offensive player.. being able to drive hard and finish acrobatically.. Good range and post moves...

However.. If i want a big guy. .i want him down low dominating in the post.. and ONLY in the post... I think Amare will mix it up in a game.. with outside jumpers, hard drives, and strong post moves.. but sometimes a knock on a player is they shoot low percentage shots (like lebron's long jumpers).. sure Amare might be the most unstoppable guy offensively.. but being a big guy.. you want him to dominant defensively.. and work the low post offensively.... So no way i'll pick Amare to be my center piece big guy..

Howard can prob avg ~22-24ppg given the fact that he doesn't break out completely and own offensively.. however given that he has almost 10 really good years in him.. small improvements offensively for the next 8 seasons will make him a pretty damn good offensive player.. he isn't a shot blocker like oden/okafor/JO/camby... but he is an awsome 1 on 1 man defender and a very good help defender... not as good as Oden..

Oden offensively... i don't see him any worst than Howard.. which means he most likely will be very good.. He has a really good left hand and hook shot already.. Defensively, he is much better than Howard on help def in my opinion.. So he has a better potential than Dwight.. but his health is a concern.. he looks a little old... Dwight looks so fit and healthy.. and energized... and Dwight's work ethic/personality/attitude seems amazing..
Also the fact that Oden is the most uncertain of the 3.... Injuries, and desire to win... and also... he hasn't played in the nba yet lol...


I think Dwight is the safest pick.. but if they r all coming out the draft.. (meaning none of them have stepped on an nba court before) i'll take Oden for sure.. But going with safety.. I'll take Howard.. he doesn't seem like a risk of any way... However his ceiling offensively/defensively isn't like Oden's...

[Sac-1]

I think I'd go with Dwight, like most of the people here. I picked him because Amare hasn't performed at his best since the injury and I'm not sure if he'll ever become as good as he was. As for Oden, I just don't know how well he'll play against the best players in the world. So Howard is the safest pick because he is starting to show what he is capable of.

[Axel]

Dwight is the best rebounder in the group, but that's where it ends. Greg is by far the best defensively. It isn't even close. Amare is by far the best offensively, it isn't even close.

I would have a hard time taking Dwight over Amare or Greg.

I love how you can make such a brash statement notwithstanding the fact that Oden has never played a single minute against an NBA caliber center.

Just say it.

Greg played for Ohio State.