Semih Already More Than Semi-Adequate

I would suggest that Semih Erden is already better than any backup center during the first three years of the New Big Three era. Let’s call Glen Davis an under-heighted power forward. Leaving Big Baby and Garnett as forwards (as well as Scal and Powe), the con(pre)tenders at backup center for the past three years were: 07-08 PJ Brown, Scot Pollard 08-09 Mikki Moore, Patrick O’Bryant 09-10 Rasheed Wallace, Shelden Williams Now I’ll concede that in, or near, their prime, Rasheed and PJ were far better than the Turkish Terror is today; but neither were anywhere near their heyday during their stay in Boston. With surprising mobility, a willingness to mix-it-up, and a sweet hook with either hand near the basket, Semih is already factor. Too often he is out of position and/or late to react but he is improving rapidly and responds to any incursions into the paint with the same nasty resentment found at a kicked fire ant mound (y’all Yankees just be glad you don’t have the experience to...