USA - Shot-blocking Latvian Biedrins gives Warriors force in paint

OAKLAND (NBA) - Andris Biedrins is making the Golden State Warriors look very smart for selecting him 11th overall in the draft two years ago when he was a skinny teenager.

The 2.11m Latvian center was 18 and a virtual unknown but when Troy Murphy went down with an injury earlier this season, Biedrins hit the starting line-up and has excelled ever since  fine performances that have belied his youth and inexperience.

Biedrins is averaging 8.9 points and 9.3 rebounds in 28 minutes per contest.

He is shooting 68.8% from the field and has established career highs in points (14) and rebounds (16), but it’s his ability to block shots that is truly raising eyebrows.

Biedrins is averaging 2.6 blocks, which is third best in the league.

In a game against Denver this week, he swatted seven shots - a career high.

"We have a rising star at the 5 and a rising star at the 1," Warriors coach Don Nelson told the Oakland Tribune, referring to Biedrins and guard Monta Ellis.

"Those are the two hardest positions to fill, so the future's bright around here."

Due in large part to Biedrins, the Warriors are in the unaccustomed position of owning a winning record.

They are third in the Pacific Division with seven wins and five defeats.

Elson, Oberto add potent punch for Spurs

When the San Antonio Spurs were eliminated from the NBA play-offs last May and failed to repeat as NBA champions, there were a couple of things of which you could be certain.

One, the nucleus of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili wasn't going anywhere.

Two, there were certainly going to be changes that could potentially involve anyone else on the roster.

As the close season played out, the center position was where the most dramatic changes took place.

Before the NBA draft, Rasho Nesterovic was traded to Toronto for forwards Matt Bonner and Eric Williams.

At about the same time, the Spurs decided they would not re-sign Nazr Mohammed, who shared the middle with Nesterovic.

Mohammed eventually signed with Detroit, and the Spurs instead signed Francisco Elson and Jackie Butler, two relatively low-cost free agent centers Elson had spent three productive seasons as a back-up center in Denver after four steady seasons in the ACB in Spain.

Butler, just 21 years old and still a project, was signed for the future. Elson, at 30, was a year younger than Fabricio Oberto, the only center the Spurs kept from last season.

This season, Oberto, who played well for Argentina at the FIBA World Championship this summer, and Elson, who hails from The Netherlands, have quietly become a solid tandem playing alongside Duncan on San Antonio's front line.

While Duncan has recovered from a painful foot injury and has re-established himself as one of the NBA's best players, Oberto and Elson have offered rock-solid play and contributed to the Spurs' 9-2 start.

Oberto starts and is averaging 6.5 points and 5.4 rebounds in 20 minutes. Elson comes off the bench and is averaging 5.2 points and 5.6 rebounds in 18.3 productive minutes.

During the 10 minutes or so when neither is on the court, Duncan shifts to the middle and Michael Finley or Robert Horry plays forward. But when they are in the game, Oberto and Elson have shot an eye-popping 64% from the field.

Oberto made headlines around the league when he made all 11 of his shots and scored 22 points with 10 rebounds in a win over Phoenix on November 8.

Most games, however, he is content to play his role, hit a few shots, grab a few rebounds and give way to Elson.

When Elson is playing well, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will go with the hot hand. He did in a win over Houston on November 14, when Elson logged a season-high 27 minutes, contributing 12 points and seven rebounds.

The bottom line is that the Spurs decided they could get just what they needed out of a center tandem of Oberto and Elson rather than pay Nesterovic and Mohammed millions more for the same production.

As is the case with most contending teams, however, the centers will only be fully evaluated on their performance in the post-season.

By PA Sport