What is Krakalac and fellow Thermonuclear A efforts. I am Dan Valley coming at
you with a very brief intro and another footnote on our positional rankings. We
are up to our top ten centers from Grant and myself. We did,
however, discuss this before the Joel Embiid injury news came down where it wasn't
sure whether he was going to play for the rest of the season. I'm
honestly not sure how this would have impacted the rankings because we were juggling what
we've seen, what we already know with what's to come for the rest of
this year. He's very clearly in a certain spot when it comes to centers
anyway, and so you can quibble over that, but we get into some
honorable mentions. Wanted to know what that very quickly. That's enough for me
though. Let's get to our top ten centers from Grant and myself right now.
What is krack A lacin Fellow Thermo Nuclear A efforts. I am Dana
Valley, coming at you as always with my certified fantabulous Thermo Nuclear af co
host mister Grant Hughes. We have reached the end of our top ten positional
MBA rankings, We're on to the centers. Another bloodbath is en Rout,
but Grant first and foremost, How the heck are you doing? What a
journey. It's been just really seeing where our philosophies on life and basketball line
and divert. It's just we've really learned, you know, We've learned a
lot about positions. We learned a lot about each other, you know,
and maybe ourselves. Maybe that's really what this has been about. I think
I'm getting loopy because we've been recording for a couple hours here, but I'm
really excited to do the centers because we don't really have to mess too much
with the positional stuff, and it's just kind of going to be what do
you value? And I hope we have some differences because that's always the most
fun part. I think there's going to be there. So there ended up
being between thirteen and fourteen names here, Like I have a very long list
of names that I thought about, but they ended up being between twelve and
thirteen or fourteen depending on how you factor an availability previously, and it was
just like gutting and so there's like to me at the top there was a
delineation maybe in the top four or top definitely the top three, and then
it's like, well, fuck, like it got really hard for me after
that. I don't know about where it got hard for you. I'll be
shocked if we don't have the same top three, probably in the same order.
I would have thought we'd have the same top four. But when we
talked a little bit beforehand, I think you tipped your hand that your four
number four center is not the same as mine. So maybe we should just
get into it. Do you want to so, since I'm assuming we have
the same we have the same top two, right, do you want to
give us your top Yes, Yokich one, EMBIID two. So I actually
had EMBIID one. I'm just kidding. No, I would well you had
me because I could if you had EMBIID one. I mean, the injury
kind of makes it a little easier to get out of it. Let's say
they're has no injury issue, would you have I would have still had Yokic
one if EMBIID were if his knee were fully healthy right now. And maybe
that's controversial, but I just Yokic is a no notes guy for me.
He's got the ring. He's that we don't have any questions anymore. Embiid
still has the is he gonna hold up? And again this year the answer
looks like no. Uh. And I just I've seen Yokic do it,
haven't seen Mbiid do it in the playoffs, So it just made it easier
for me. The injury was not a factor. And the thing that I
mean, this is unfair to this is what I this is what I hate
about it because now we get into well, how do I discredit Embiid so
that I can make my case for Yokic. I don't really want to think
like that. But Nicole Jokic does not as a score, but define so
much more about the way the Nuggets play offense that it matters to me where
it's yes, Embiid is shouldering and incredible workload, but like the Nuggets offense
and this is a team that is a reigning champion, is nearly twenty points
better permane hundred possessions with Jokic on the court, and just overall, like
they are over twenty two points better per one hundred possessions with Jokic on the
court. This is a team that is a title contender because of Nicole Jokic,
just like the Sixers are title contender because of Embiid when he's healthy.
But it's just like a different level for the Nuggets. And you could say,
what is the argument now, like you do you think, okay,
the Nuggets just have better what third, fourth, and fifth options because you're
Tyre's max and Jamal Murray. I think some people are just gonna take Tyrese
Maxi out right right now, which is perfectly fine. It's the supporting cast
might be better, but it's not like certain like the Sixers have the more
proven supporting cast when you're just looking at like, well, Christian Brown's a
wildcard, Peyton Watson's a wild card. Nicole Jokic's ability to define his team's
championship window in a way that Embiid does not because of the availability and injury
concerns, and then just some of the performances we've seen from him the playoffs
that was you know, you don't want a journey too far back, but
it remember the discourse against yok where it was like, well, yes,
made it to the finals. Can he be the best players championship team?
The moment you gave him a team that was healthy and full strength. They
just they didn't just win the championship steam rolled everybody in front of them.
Yeah no, And it's not just a this year thing. I think if
the point of the if, part of the way that we're making decisions is
who do you want for the rest of the year in the playoffs? You
almost like Embiid would have to be so much better statistically than Jokic to outweigh
the fact that he has, like literally every season he's had a chance at
going deep in the playoffs, like an injury or underperformance has been a factor,
whereas like Jokic has basically never had a major injury and he's basically I
mean, and he just wanted to put different styles, which is like,
but like Jokic does always look like he just came out of a street fight
too. So yeah, I mean, yeah, if we just measured this
on number one, the number one center is the one that has the most
like looks like he was mauled by a tiger, scratches on his arm.
He would just he would still run away with this. So Jokic, Embiid,
Anthony Davis has to be three, right, I'm glad that we agreed
on that. I thought maybe because of the season that Gobert was happ but
yeah, he's number He's number three for me as well. So you both
have a d at at number three? Do you wanna you want to?
I think some people might might push back against it. I'm not saying they
do not have a case. I'm not saying that this should be consensus.
But it was easy for me, is what I was saying. Yeah,
I didn't. I think I think the drop off starts here, and Davis
isn't a tier by himself. I think after Yokichen embid in before ten players,
like, yeah, I have That's how I like to do my rankings.
It's tiered. But there's nine of them in the ten players thing.
I mean, I think he's probably you got it. The durability thing is
an issue, like, but he not this year I guess now as now
it is with the hip and the Achilles stuff. But like to this point,
like he's played much more than Embiid, He's played more than well,
I don't want to spoil, but two fewer games than Jokic as we're recording
this, and Jokic is like the model of durability. So I think just
his Anthony Davis's defensive apex is like defensive player of the Year level, and
I think offensively, you know, the three point shot just just may probably
is never going to happen. At this point, it's been long enough to
where we can just stop saying like, oh, but what if he doesn't
need it because he's a center now and he's getting you twenty five and twelve
and blocking shots, and it's just like, I don't know, what else
do we need to there? And so this kind of loops into a larger
Lakers discussion when people were annoyed that they got two All Stars or like Howard
A d and Lebron is good and the Lakers are still so bad. The
drop off from their second best player their third best player has to be the
largest in the league, or at least like among teams that have immediate aspirations,
and probably even just in the league in general. I don't I don't
know I need that qualifier. That's such a bad I hate that argument so
much. I mean, all, you know, all Star arguments are always
like kind of weird, but like, well, the reason the Lakers are
so they can have to All Stars. You play five guys at a time,
like the other three just aren't good enough. That's what you normally have
to play, like eight to twelve guys the entire game. So like that's
gonna scu result a lot, right, No, so I think Davis is
just easy. Three. So four as I think where we're gonna differ.
I have been a while at four. Okay, so I had I had
Rudy Gobert at four. Gobert shows up for me at oh, I have
him at six right now, but I don't. I'll just leave over.
Okay, So let me make my case for Goberts. So I'll put Gobert
on the screen at four and then vamp about him for a minute. I'm
not gonna I'm not asking you this. This is a retort question. Have
you seen the way that he is moving on defense this year, Waite?
It's it's way better and it might be the best ever that he has ever
moved on defense. And so it's not just a matter of well, yeah,
now he has guys who can actually move or playing in front of him.
No, it's not just that I have not seen he's flying around like
No, he's not you know, getting out there and lock it. And
he's not Anthony Davis getting out to the three point line. I want to
make that clear. But he's just flying around everywhere he is. I think
he has to be the defensive player of the year right now. I've gotten
between him and Anthony Davis. I think is number two for me at the
moment. Like, looking at it, this is just I didn't consider it
before doing this. This is just very much off the cuff. So I'm
just I understand that there are offensive limitations from him. But you know what,
they Minnesota Timbers will dump him the ball in the post. They will
do more handoff stuff with him. He's cleaning up missus. Still like,
this is someone who is wearing enough hats on offense. I think even if
you view him as a restrictive offensive player and he is unmake that clear where
I look at it and I go when you're this defensively dominant, where it's
like he's kind of the og Ananobi of Biggs type deal, where it's og
Ananobi is versatile and dominant. I think Rudy Gobert has reached that level of
versatility and dominance to where, yeah, bam, what he does on defense
for sure, Like we got to start having a conversation about why the heat
always suck when band plays without Jimmy. Yeah, yeah, I think that's
fair. I think so the Gobert thing, for me, maybe I should
just give So I had Auto Bio four, Porzingis five, and go Beart
six, and so I think the justification for me of having porzingis Porzingis is
the tough one that I was like, oh am, I really gonna do
this. It the goat. So maybe some of this is outdated and some
of it I know when when this when this narrative was out there, which
is that you know, Gobert failed against that Clippers team in the playoffs.
They based him out. No I'm gonna I'm gonna cut it down. You
know, they they exposed him. You can't win in the playoffs with this
type of center, I think in a I think broadly speaking, I still
do have questions about about Gobert in a deep playoff run. I just I
still do. I think it was unfair to blame what happened against the Clippers
on him because it was point of attack defense. It sucked for Utah and
he just had too many messes to clean up as much as also, like
the numbers will back this up. By the end of that series, the
Jazz didn't figure out the Clippers, Like the defense wasn't what killed them.
Yeah, well, I mean if Terrence Man doesn't have that one incredible game,
like who knows what we're saying about, who knows what we're saying about
Google go Beart might be on the Jazz still, like that team might never
have gone like they that they might have advanced deeper, and like we just
don't have this utah realizing this core doesn't work thing. But so I have
I have no playoff questions about BAM, so like because unless Jimmy Butler's not
out there, but like if Anthony Edwards isn't out there, I don't think
Gobert is carrying the Wolves anywhere either. Uh. I think BAM has demonstrated
like playoff impact to the ultimate round of competition, and so that just matters
to me, the switchability, the defense, the facilitation. He's getting you
twenty a game this year. I just you know, he's not a one
not a number one option, but neither is I thought that's where you're going,
but neither's anybody else here other than other than kitchen embid and you'll getch
I don't even know what option I would consider him like, he's whatever he
wants to be. Porzingis is the tough one that I would just justify by
saying, you get the stretch. He's better in space defensively than I think
a lot of people give him credit for. He's an awesome rim protector,
and he can kill mismatches now in the post and so I feel like maybe
they'll be proved wrong. He feels a little not much more playoff proof than
Gobert, and maybe not to the level of autobio. But again, I'm
just over indexing towards guys that I think will be on the floor in the
most important minutes and making an impact in the games that really matter for this
exercise, so I can more easily imagine that with Porzingis than Gobert. Now
you can raise the durability concern with Porzingis as like a counter to that.
I don't I don't love having Porzingis ahead of Gobert, but I am going
to stick with it just because I think he gives you the two way you
know boost in a postseason context and could be like a huge plus on either
end of the floor, like could be like a game breaker that spaces out
other centers and gives the Celtics a bunch of good options against switches too.
So I'll tackle this a little reverse. I've Chris Stops at ten just because
and if this was last year, I might have him higher. He's playing
more of a complimentary role now and so that's made him better, which I'm
not faulting him for, but I do appreciate the degree of difficulty that some
of these guys shoulder defensively and even offensively. But his ability to punish mismatches
is a big one. And the way that he just breaks defense is because
of his stretch is also a big one. He's one of the best rim
protectors in the game. So I also have though Domos at five, and
then we get to Bam at six. I know that the numbers with Domos,
Sibonis on and the Iron Fox off this year are bad, and they've
kind of flipped flat from last season where a lot of the year was they
were worried about the Fox without the bonus minutes. Yeah, that is someone
who can initiate your entire offense and It's become very clear to me that I
don't know if Bam is that guy. I think Bam is improved as a
scorer overall, but like the more I watch him as a playmaker and someone
who doesn't have the benefit of someone better than him on the court, it's
just I struggle to see it. The vision there more and more. Now
what makes it really tough is you mentioned the playoff argument, and then there's
just this level of defensive dominance from him. But he's also as a center,
and this is not everything I value versatility. He's just never been like
a great rim protector. Yeah, he doesn't have the size. He really
is undersize. So it's and I don't want to you know, I'm not
critic well, you know I'm you know, I'm ranking domas higher because he's
taller than Bam. It's not necessarily what I'm saying. But like jo masabone
is at least going to clean up opponent misses to ensure your offense starts.
He's a better facilitator of the offense and can facilitate it in more ways.
And his offensive range to me, is not as repressive functionally repressive as Bams
can be. Where it's like we can Bemoan that, why isn't the bonus
more of a shooter. It's like, well, because he does more stuff
off live dribbles, like the decision making there than Bam. I'm just gonna
trust it at this point. I mean now statistically, because we didn't want
to date this, I'm not gonna dig into the certain numbers, but like,
yeah, Bam can be really good in certain instances, and he is,
especially for his position, is a great playmaker. To me, Sabonis
on offense is on another level. And the gap between I guess what's tough
is the gap between sabonus and Bam on offense he would have to make the
case is larger than the gap between Sabonis and Bam on defense. I don't
know if that's the case I'm prepared to make. I'm valuing I'm outright saying,
and this might be an inconsistent line of thought that I'm just valuing the
higher ceiling Domas gives you offensively and by the way, like he has also
proven that you can kind of see the spotlight to darn Fox and still just
be an offensive powerhouse yourself. Yeah, I don't know I'll try to keep.
So I'll just say Sabonis is not in my top ten and that's gonna
seem insane because of the counting stats and because of just like the efficiency and
look, I'll even this, Look, he's of the guys we're going to
talk about going forward here for this position. He's got the highest box plus
minus you know, leads him in rebound like freaking this will be dated,
but eight assists a game is just like ridiculous, and he matters a ton
in that offense. I would just say, and this has been my argument
with him for a long time, is that he does, I think,
limit your ceiling as a playoff team in ways that a lot of these other
guys do not. And Bam has proved that he doesn't have that effect.
So Sabonus to me is someone that like, look, it'd be one thing.
So you know, go ahead, I get the Bam argument because I
even said, like, maybe I'm being a little bit too inconsistent. Yeah,
to not have him in the top ten, yeah, I know.
I'm so anxious to see the rest of your list now. Is just I'm
trying to figure out what hurt more. Draymond Green, like kicking him in
the face or or in the groin, or this maybe the way to frame
it for me. And now you're thinking, now you're making me think I
should have him like down here. So Kevin O'Connor seems like he hates do
mas a bonus is a building block, not as a person. You're like
Rant hugely dislikes Kevin o'hatees Jo Masons usually despises don't well. So here's what
I'd say, Like, I think, my it's it's probably a weird case
of confirmation bias, because I think I went into the playoffs last year acknowledging,
as I still do, that Sabonis is an awesome regular season player and
a floor raizer and like does things on offense that most bigs just cannot do,
and did it successfully and was a major piece of what at the time
was the most efficient offense we've ever seen. All true, But I thought
going into the playoffs on both ends, he would you would limit the kings
in significant ways, like not a room protector, can't guard in space,
doesn't space the floor in a way that scares defenses, and if he runs
up against the guy that is strong in his size, he can't bully him,
and so like not a lot of offensive value because you don't guard him
on the handoffs and give and get game, you know, pick and roll.
He's easy to guard in that setup and defensively just is a target.
And then that's exactly what happened, right, Like he wasn't the reason the
Kings didn't beat the Warriors, but like it was a huge factor. Like
it's a little over, Oh, Kavon Looney's better than Sabonus, kavan Luonne's
not better than Sabonas, but like like it's not even close. But like
that's the nicest thing you've said about. When the exact things you suspect based
on his game materialize in reality, then for me, it's just a prove
it. Like if Sabonis has a huge role in a playoff run for the
Kings this year, I'll change, I'll change what I think I will.
I will say I'm sorry and say I was proved wrong, and maybe that
happens, but until it happens, like what I was concerned about with him
happened, and so I'm not gonna move off that. If we're ranking now
some of the guys I have ahead of him. Your people are gonna say
that's insane, but I just like, if I'm caring about the playoffs,
I can't put the guy above some other people when his team got bounced in
the first round because he failed in the way that I thought he might fail.
So that that's all. That's the short version. Man. It's just
he was part of what they did well defensively against Golden State though, and
so it's kind of like, and was it more about how they defended him
on defense or about oh, like Key and Murray couldn't hit a wide open
three. It's like all these wide open threes from the Kings started missing.
I just feel like, I I think your premise is valid. I just
feel like we're ascribing too much of the blame to what happened in the playoffs
to Domas Sabonis to the point where veers away from actually how good he is.
And like there's also, yes, the playoffs matter, but like,
as someone who's gonna navigate you through an eighty two game season with durability and
be able to drive the offense even if you don't vieume as a number one,
that's fine as a number two. Bam, bam, can't do that,
So you're you know what, that's the best, that's the best.
Counter is that I'm just totally devaluing the regular season when it comes to Sabonis.
I think I think that's absolutely fair and that that's fair to say,
and it's unfair for me to do. So here's what I'm gonna do.
I'm not gonna I'm gonna make a decision where you go. Frankly, the
part of the rankings I hate is that I think these are all fantastic players,
and I just spent like discrediting, Like I don't like what rankings do
to me. As like if you had to rank the feelings that doing rankings
cause you, would consternation be ahead of anxiety or below it. Yeah,
it's like self loathing number one. Self loathing might be number one. Uh
Okay, So I'm gonna get Sabonis in here at some point. I'm just
not gonna do it yet. Uh So my number seven and we're starting the
round of guys that you're like, you put this guy ahead of bonus.
Uh My number seven is Alprin Shangoon, with some people would say is basically
like Sabonis but not as good. I think Shanoon is. I mean,
he scores a little more, it's not as good a rebounder. I think
he's a little better defensively, which is like, definitely he's been better defensively
this season for sure. Not a high bar to clear, but but that's
just the case. Uh. There you go, shitting on some bonus again.
Yeah, sorry, I gotta resist the urge. God, am I
really gonna do that? Now? I have Shane as well, if that
makes you feel better. But if you have Bonus at five, uh well,
So the thing with Shangoon is that he is still We've seen the way
that they tether his minutes to Fred van Fleet and vice versa. For sure,
that's someone who's even right now. He just feels and maybe that's more
about the personnel around him, but he's a little bit less equipped. He
can initiate the offense, it feels like in more ways than the Bonus when
you're kind of looking at the full floor and not by like a huge margin.
But like SA Bonus is actually more equipped. SA Bonus can do more
with less around him offensively, is how I would frame it all right now,
I'm just completely I knew this was gonna happen. I'm gonna make you
take shang Can you take shanguon off of my seven? There, I've just
talked myself out of it. I'm gonna go Sabonis seven. I just it
feels like I am too stuck in my playoff fixate with him. I was,
you know, I was gonna feel bad for a second, but you
did. You sold me on shake Gilds Alexander. So there's that. So
you're gonna move What do you want to do with I want? I would
like to go, please Sabonis seven, Shangoon eight? Okay? So I
so Shangun You're gonna bump down to eight? Yeah? All right? And
then I can't move them up. Well, I'm just I'm narrating for the
people who are listening while I'm also trying to delay time so I can put
it up on the screen. Well, I'll talk about it. I think
as looking at the two next to each other, I think they're similar enough
that Sabonis just has to be Statistically, it's like the true shooting, the
advanced metrics, the catch alls, and it's not like shan Gun's. Like
floor spacing is so much better that it's a meaningful difference maker. So I
feel better about Domos there at seven Shangoon eight. Oh can I give you
my eight? Yeah? This is where I mean like this, As I
said, after number four, it got kind of tough for me, but
like after number six it got really really tough for me, and this was
one of them. I have chet at eight. I just think what he
does defensively is on par right now with a Victor Weben Yama, a jar
Now and all the names that you would consider in this spot, and then
where he's gonna get the edge even over Evan Mobley or a Jaron Jackson junior.
Knowing your role on offense, and I know he has the benefit of
these creators around him who get on the ball. He does have some jiggle
and joggle to his handle when you look at him attacking close outs are in
space, stretching the floor and then being so efficient at it largely is just
it's monstrous. And I think when you get to the center position and you're
not a featured weapon or a featured offense like Rudy Gobert would be a good
example. He's someone who can he's so dominant defensively, this doesn't matter.
But like He's someone who can be a little bit annoying on offense because you're
not this featured option. But like, do you need people to dump it
off to you in the post, or like do you insist on getting these
handles like Chet just functionally scaling to the situation Oklahoma City needs him to play
is monstrous and what has him over I don't have Wemby in my top ten.
I'll be just spoiler right there. The things he does defensively are right
there. He's still very much a theory and experiment. On the offensive end,
he's gotten better, he's gotten more efficient. If we're doing this list
at the end of the year, I'm Wemby might be two for me.
I don't know. But like Chet having not the I understand Wemby has a
more complex role. I understand that even Christops has a more complex role.
When you look at what Boston asked him to punish with mis mismatchge. He
is so dominant in his role that I think that needs to count for something.
And so when we're getting into this tier where you're a player who probably
isn't going to define your team's entire offensive attack, I value that, like
the way that his offense just translates to so many different lineups and situations.
Yeah, I think so I had him. I had Chet as seven before
I uh came to Jesus and saw I needed to include Sabonis and then bump
Seingoon up for some reason too. Uh So Chet has to be nine for
me because he's definitely in this in this group. I think, you know,
there's everything good that I said about Porzingis. I think you might very
soon be able to say about Chet. And like I think as an off
the dribble threat, like he's already better than Porzingis has ever been at that,
So I think going downhill for sure. Yeah, I mean he's like
posts and turnarounds and I've said it before, like he really does move like
a guard like and he has guard instincts I think too, like he wants
to up fake and go like a lot. I wish Chet would shoot more
threes just without hesitation, but like he's not. I think he's more wired
to be like I'm gonna put it on the floor and make a play whether
I get to the bucket or I make up. Like he's just I think
Chet's gonna be awesome And I have Winby. I mean, the numbers are
gonna be closing this, but he's a better just like ball mover than pazingis
when it comes to facilitation, like you'd probably trust Chris tops to yeah,
facilitate out of the elbows or something more right now, but like as a
passer overall, is I would say he's better. Yeah, Chet's wiring is
is uh as a six is a six to five guy, Like I think
his offensive wiring is just that's what he thinks he is. And I think
his skill set is like good enough that that might be he might play like
that guy with the shot blocking on top of it. So I don't know
if you're here, I said Wemby at ten, and I I almost it's
almost because like I just want to be on the right side of history,
because there's so many more established guys that you could make a case for going
in this spot. I do hate that bumping some bonus in costs me.
Jared Jackson Junior, who I had at ten, even though he's having not
a great year. I just think, like your defensive player of the year,
you can stretch the floor in theory and have done it a couple times
in practice. It's tough to not have Jackson on here, but but he
doesn't make it. Yeah, so him and Wemby were my toughest cuts.
I'm surprised a little bit, but it's it does fit with the theme of
the clothes to this podcast that you didn't have Jared Allen, who's my number
nine. Yeah, he is been. This is not just like a whole
year he's shooting like sixty plus percent on hook shots, but during him helping
them navigate kind of the the kind of him helping them navigate the Evan Mobley
absence and Darius Garland absence. Of course, there is more. What he
does defensively is big, like as a rim protector, as someone who's a
little bit more mobile than I think people give him credit for. Generally,
the things that I don't think are common acknowledgements from him. People might know
it because I know that, you know, people who listen to this podcast
and just fans in general are watching basketball. His offensive usage is just so
more complex and expansive than meets the eye. Like he can make these one
and two dribble decisions. He can now He's like added face ups to his
game with complicated footwork he will keep the ball moving. And what he also
doesn't get enough credit for this is in the minutes with Evan Mobley, his
spatial awareness is fantastic of knowing where to be whether Evan Mobley has the ball
or doesn't have the ball. So you are not yees. Some things can
come up a little bit with Cleveland's offense, like he's not really part.
He's a part of the problem in so far is he doesn't shoot threes.
It's just but like other than that, he understands where to be in the
clumpiest lineups or where other guys are. If he was smaller dudes hanging in
the dunker spot because you brought Jared Allen hanging up, brought Jared Allen up
higher. I just appreciate how smart and adaptive he is as someone who,
in theory should be this kind of restrictive archetype. I think people just are
still in the the mode of oh, he's just like this rim running like
rim detector. He's he's more than that. That's fair. This was there
were the cuts were brutal on this one. So so you said cuts type
before, so just because you mentioned them already, were Wemby and Jaron Jackson
Junior. I just don't. The Wemby one is the one. Jared Jackson
Junior is just the Efficiency's all over the place offensively, So it wasn't too
hard to leave him off, given who's in front of him. The Wemby
one just like guts me. But I'm looking at these players right now and
I'm like, well, honestly, who do you want for the rest of
the season less than Wemby? And it's just I don't. I don't know.
And then I'm like, well, my discounting the progress Wenby is made
on offense, my discounting how just transcendent he already is on defense. I
look, the icon we're using for the teams might look right here. I'm
just yelling at myself that avatar. Man, That's how I feel right now.
I mean, like Wemby and Chet both could be three and four.
You know, the next year when we do this, I think, I
think so much upside there. So yeah, I agree. So Allan was
a brute was a tough cut for me. Jared Jackson, I said,
just to run through a couple more miles. Turner didn't really seriously consider it,
but like he's a you know, good starting center Brook Lopez, Nick
Claxon, Evan Evan Mobile, that's a Player of the Year last season and
still good this year. Not just Brook Lopez. I considered him, but
it wasn't like he was never seriously in my top ten, which is what
feels feels a little wrong. Huh. That's the thing. Like you get
past the top I'd say, really the top three, and it's almost like
you could reorganize four through like fifteen in a lot of different ways. It
would mean all these guys we mentioned, and probably a couple we've forgotten.
Yeah, I mean, like I'm pretty I feel like my top six.
I mean you could order go I guess go Baar, Domas and Bam differently,
but like seven through I don't know, like twelve or thirteen. Even
we both didn't mention him. I mentioned him in the Power Forward, but
like Evan Mobley, where this might have been made a lot harder if Evan
Mobley never gets injured, right well, and Cat, I mean I don't
think I think well, like you could easily make the case for Cat over
like Wemby for example, or even like Sabonis if you're really just fixated on
like I need this premium shooting or you know, there's ways to do it.
I do think. I think no matter what, Shangoon probably stays in
the top ten for both of us. But then after that it gets it
gets pretty iffy. Even imagine if I had Nick Claxton on my long list,
but imagine if he doesn't deal with injuries to start the season. Based
off how he's playing nowt Whne Carter Junior might have factored in. Yeah,
that's another one I'm trying to. I want to make sure we're not forgetting
anybody else just because like Hartenstein hasn't played nearly enough, but like all the
advanced metrics are like top twenty in EPM, which is crazy, No Lively
Zubots is a couple of I mean, if Mitchell Robinson says really healthy,
I mean that's probably he's not getting in the top ten. Well he makes
a long list for like Jonas found Chunas not even being like a consideration here
is crazy. A lot of great, a lot of town. I mean,
in centers are tough because yeah, in the context of you're not taking
a lot of these guys over, I mean, after jokicchen embiid if we
were doing the rankings of players, like, regardless of position, who's the
first Anthony Davis. I guess in the first center to appear, But where
is he appearing? It might be pretty low, like relative to one another.
This is a really wrenching exercise. Yeah, so I'll go through my
my top ten. Here you'll catch at one, embiad At two, Anthony
Davis three, were in lockstep. There I go bam At four, Porzingis
five, Rudy Gobert six, Dolmas Sabonas seven, Alprin, shangun At eight,
Chet Holmgren nine, Victor Webbin Yama rounding out the top ten. I'll
just say, even if Kings fans are mad at where Domos is ranked on
your list or even my list, I deserve some appreciation for getting him on
your list. And Jane, you did you did it. You did it.
The conversation did it. That's that's the best part about this is you
talked me out of a I was. I was too stuck in my uh
you know, I didn't really want to do this, like prepare for this
exercise. But now that we've done the podcast, the discussions about how we
classify guys and why were a lot of fun you kind of like pointing out
the shake Gildas Alexander stuff with me, are talk about Booker as a point
guard or shooting guard and then this, So it was a lot of fun
to record this. My top ten were Yokichen embiid one and two, Anthony
Davis at three, Rudygobertt four, Domas a Bonus at five, bam Adebayo
at six, Alprin Shangoun at seven, chet Holme Grind at eight, Jared
Allen at nine, Christaps Porzingis at ten, and my two toughest cuts just
three at eight Jaron Jackson Junior and Well Victor yam wow good, yeah,
yeah, tough cuts for me. Jared Allen Jared Jackson Jr. Speaking of
Jared Allen, you ready to take it out of here? I am?
You know what? I would like to start this outro with an apology to
Jared Allen, and I will sandwich a second one at the end of it.
You were close, man, You're you're worth way more than your contract
I was. We were dead wrong about that. One thousand apologies, so
we'll have a thousand and two apologies by the end of this. Thanks everybody,
for listening, for watching. Let us know what you think of our
rankings. Congratulate Dan for alleviating some of my regular season blindness as it pertains
the demonised Bonus. Follow us on our socials at Hardwood Knox rate with five
stars, thumbs up, lots of positive comments, give good reviews. Wherever
you get your podcasts, check out our stuff on YouTube, Share that with
your friends, Let your enemies know as well. Links for the for our
discord and how to get our merch or on YouTube and podcast descriptions. Shout
out Franklin Lakina. Additional and final apology not forever, but for this episode
to Jared Awaren