Golden State Warriors vs. New York Knicks: Who Has the Edge?
By Mike Dill
Mar 11, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut (12) drives in ahead of New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeated the New York Knicks 92-63. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Center
Warriors: Andrew Bogut, Jermaine O’Neal, Festus Ezeli
Knicks: Tyson Chandler, Jeremy Tyler
Andrew Bogut and Tyson Chandler are two solid, defensive centers. Both players were high draft picks expected to be franchise centers. Although neither has lived up to that billing, both have turned into good players. Chandler won a championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011 and won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2012. Andrew Bogut doesn’t have the same career accomplishments, but he has but up better statistical seasons than Chandler has.
Comparing Bogut to any player is difficult because of his injury history. He is great whenever he is healthy, but he is rarely 100 percent healthy. His injury history makes it hard to judge just how good he is. Would he be posting better stats if he was fully healthy? It looks like his career could be on the decline, but that could simply be because he was playing through an injury all of last year.
Chandler has been more consistent and healthy over the course of his career, but Bogut has been better during his healthier years. Still, consistency needs to be valued. Chandler is a great defender, shoots a high percentage from the floor, and is a good rebounder. Bogut is all of those things, too, but he just cannot seem to stay on the floor.