Orlando to consider using giant frontcourt of doom

Mar 23, 2010, 3:40 PM EDT

In recent years, what it means to be an NBA power forward has changed somewhat. You almost never see two true 7-footers in the same lineup, and it’s also rare to see a frontcourt pairing that doesn’t feature at least one player with some shooting range. No team is a better example of this than the Magic, who won the East last season by pairing Dwight Howard with long-range gunner Rashard Lewis in their starting frontcourt.

However, if Andrew Bynum and Shaquille O’Neal are healthy come playoff time, the Lakers and Cavaliers will have a lot of size to throw at the Magic, not to mention the tandem of Perkins and Garnett on the Celtics. To counter this, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy may consider using center Marcin Gortat as a backup power forward to create a giant frontcourt of doom, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. (Link via Orlando Pinstriped Post):

“Van Gundy took a pre-playoff look at backup center Marcin Gortat at power forward a little earlier in the stretch-run than expected.

Gortat joined Howard early in the second period, replacing Brandon Bass, and played for seven minutes. He had a nice steal, a turnover and a foul.

Van Gundy said he would look at Bass, Gortat and Ryan Anderson in certain situations with the season dwindling down.”

Since the hand-check rules were implemented, perimeter-oriented bigs and small-ball lineups have become more and more prevalent in the NBA. But when the league’s top teams face off in this year’s playoffs, we could easily see an old-fashioned battle of giants facing off in the frontcourt.

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5 Comments (Feed for Comments)

Mills Lane - Mar 24, 2010 at 8:44 AM

LET’S GET IT ON!!

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bobdevo - Mar 24, 2010 at 10:37 AM

The Cavs are stocked up and ready for Orlando: Six – count’em 6! Bigs: Shaq, Z, Varejao, Jamison, Hickson and Powe (who is looking a lot like his championship persona lately).
36 fouls a night to lay on Dwight. Cavs mantra should be “No Dunks for Dwight!”. Make him beat you at the foul line.

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John - Mar 24, 2010 at 11:34 AM

Does anybody remember earlier in the season when the Cavs put Z and Shaq on the floor together and forced Orlando to match up playing Gortat and Howard and the Cavs dominated them? If by “frontcourt of doom” you are referring to Orlando’s doom, then yes, that is correct.

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Arock - Mar 24, 2010 at 11:45 AM

Yea John just like the calfs dominated Orlando in the ECF last year what will it be 41 years without a championship in that dreaded city and when james departs to a new team next year then what oh thats right you have the browns to hope for.

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John - Mar 24, 2010 at 5:16 PM

Well, I’m not exactly sure who the “calfs” are or where they play, I do know that just because something happens in the season before it is not a predictor of the next year. However, I also know that when one team can dominate convincingly (on the other teams court) with an unconventional line-up that forces the other team to abandon their strength (an outside shooting PF who spreads the offense) then it is safe to assume that when the second team (the Magic) decide to go with that line-up, it is not in their favor.

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