From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Basketball position
Forward?center
is a
basketball
position
for players who play or have played both
forward
and
center
on a consistent basis. Typically, this means
power forward
and
center
, since these are usually the two biggest player positions on any basketball team, and therefore more often overlap each other.
Forward?center came into the basketball jargon as the game evolved and became more specialized in the 1960s. The five positions on court were originally known only as
guards
,
forwards
, and the
center
, but it is now generally accepted that the five primary positions are
point guard
,
shooting guard
,
small forward
,
power forward
, and
center
.
Typically, a forward?center is a talented forward who also came to play minutes at center on teams that need help at that position. The player could also be a somewhat floor-bound center, under 7' 0'' (213 cm) tall at the
NBA
level, whose skills suit him to a power forward position, especially if that team has a better center. At 6' 11" (211 cm),
Marcus Camby
typically played center. However, during his first tenure with the
New York Knicks
, he mostly played power forward as the Knicks had one of the best pure centers in the
NBA
with 7′ 0″ (213 cm)
Patrick Ewing
. Ewing himself also played forward-center early in his career to complement the then-incumbent Knicks center, 7′ 1″ (216 cm)
Bill Cartwright
. Fellow Knicks legend
Willis Reed
was moved to the forward?center position when the team acquired fellow center
Walt Bellamy
in 1965; Reed moved back to center in 1968 after the Knicks traded Bellamy to the
Detroit Pistons
for
Dave DeBusschere
.
Ralph Sampson
, at 7′ 4″ (224 cm), was another notable forward?center who played center his rookie year in 1983. In 1984, he moved to power forward when 7′ 0″ (213 cm)
Hakeem Olajuwon
was drafted that year. Most forward-centers range from 6′ 9″ (2.06 m) to 7′ 0″ (2.13 m) in height.
Other notable forward-centers include:
Kevin Garnett
,
Tim Duncan
,
Pau Gasol
,
Chris Bosh
,
LaMarcus Aldridge
,
Anthony Davis
,
Al Horford
,
Bam Adebayo
, and
Giannis Antetokounmpo
.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
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Guards
| 1 (Floor
General)
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2 (Wing)
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Forwards
| |
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Center
| |
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