A dominating center is long gone in todays sceme. It's a peremeter era.

[Fawker]

No more great bigs.

[3ball]

Indeed, like the OP title says - it's a perimeter player's era.. Here's the NBA officially stating how the rule changes accomplished their objective of incresasing dribble-penetration - this is from the source, so it's not subjective opinion, just like Warren Buffet's vision for Berkshire Hathaway isn't subjective opinion:

http://www.nba.com/2009/news/feature...son/index.html


NBA.COM: Since the hand-checking rule was interpreted differently beginning in the 2004-05 season, the game has opened up. [COLOR="Red"]Players are penetrating and the floor is spread.[/COLOR] As a result, scoring has risen every season. Was this anticipated back in 2004?

STU JACKSON: Our objective was to allow for more offensive freedom by not allowing defenders to hand-, forearm- or body-check ball handlers. [COLOR="Red"]By doing so, we encouraged more dribble penetration. As players penetrated more[/COLOR], it produced higher quality shots for the ball handler as well as shots for teammates on passes back out to perimeter. When NBA players get higher quality shots -- having more time to shoot -- they tend to make more of them.


NBA.COM: Shooting percentages have risen since 2004-05 regardless of location -- at-the-rim shots, short- and deep-mid range and 3-pointers. Does this surprise you, especially the higher percentages from 3-point range?

STU JACKSON: It doesn't. [COLOR="Red"]With the rule and interpretation changes, it has become more difficult for defenders to defend penetration[/COLOR], cover the entire floor on defensive rotations and recover to shooters. With more dribble penetration, ball handlers are getting more opportunities at the rim.


NBA.COM: From an Xs and Os perspective, how have coaches adjusted to a more wide-open game? What have they done differently?

STU JACKSON: [COLOR="Red"]Coaches have utilized more space on the floor so to create more room for dribble penetration[/COLOR], two-man pick-and-roll basketball and dribble exchanges on the perimeter.


NBA.COM: When you watch the game today, does it closely resemble an international game or are there still distinct differences in the style of play?

STU JACKSON: Our game does more closely resemble an international game in terms of the style of play than it used to. However, there are distinct differences in the international game vs. the NBA game. [COLOR="Red"]The international game utilizes a pure zone defense (as opposed to the defensive three-second rule), which allows frontcourt players to stand in the middle of the lane and discourage cutting, passing and dribble penetration.[/COLOR]
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[Imtheman]

Dcousins

[3ball]

Al Jeffereson would be a 2nd tier bigmen in 1996 - no better than the 12th-best:

Hakeem
Shaq
Robinson
Ewing
Alonzo
Sabonis (25 PER - unbelievable all-round talent)
Karl Malone
Barkley
Webber
Kemp

And he'd probably be behind Rik Smits, Vin Baker, Dino Radja, and certainly Derrick Coleman.

The post efficiencies of today's bigs lets us know how the superior bigs of previous eras would do today - Al Jefferson and others would be considered a 2nd tier bigs in previous eras, yet they are league-leaders in post efficiency today, and they're all at the universally-recognized standard for elite efficiency of 1.00 PPP.

This elite post efficiency from 2nd tier bigs flat-out proves today's defensive environment hasn't diminished post efficiencies... The only reason coaches don't use post-ups as much as before is because floor-spacing and the hand-check ban increased efficiencies on ball movement and dribble penetration, allowing these methods to SURPASS post-ups.. But Al Jefferson scoring 1.00 PPP on the post proves that post efficiencies THEMSELVES haven't diminished at all.

Also, if we are keeping it real, simple logic tells us that today's spacing and defensive 3 seconds rule force defenders to help from further distances on post players.. So even without the Al Jefferson proof, it makes sense that post PPP is higher today than it used to be.. After all, everything else is.
.

[LoneyROY7]

Karl-Anthony Towns.

[Im Still Ballin]

Thanks Stu

[qrich]

Antonio Davis
Przemek Karnowski

[Imtheman]

Thanks Stu

[navy]

Thanks Stu

[theaussieguy]

and thank god for that, watching big men fumble a ball around until they get it into the hoop simply because they are tall enough to do so, without possessing any real talent or ability other than being taller than everyone else, is very boring.

"OH MY GOD, PRIME WILT WAS SO DOMINANT....HE COULD LIKE PICK UP THE BALL AND SLAM DUNK IT WITHOUT EVEN LEAVING THE GROUND, OMG SUCH TALENT, TOTALLY SLAMMING ON 6'5 WHITE GUYS WHO SIMPLY COULDNT REACH THE BALL, WE WILL NEVER WITNESS SOMETHING SO GREAT AGAIN"

[Sarcastic]

Jah Okafor gonna change all that.

[navy]

How many pages of post do you have readily available to be copied and pasted?

[Im Still Ballin]

How many pages of post do you have readily available to be copied and pasted?

3ball has taken it to the next level

He most likely has his whole agenda cataloged in a word document or something

[3ball]

Still Ballin got jokes i see..
.

[JtotheIzzo]

No more great bigs.

Davis
Embiid
Towns
Okafor
Maker
etc...

There are a lot of bigs coming up for the next era that are near or at the top of their class.

Right now the pace and space, dribble pen, corner three is the offense du jour, but someone will scheme something to counter that and it will involve a big.

I can see a four corner with shot changing center in the middle type zone defense (Like an extended 2-3) becoming a popular way to protect the rim, pick and roll, and the three point line, and once defenses catch up and slow down offenses, then getting people into the high and low posts will become an effective way to beat the new defenses.

Offense always evolves before defense, and once the defensive masterminds scheme ways to stop the current offensive styles, offenses will counter with a new approach likely involving bigs.