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BRAVEONAWARPATH

By BRAVEONAWARPATH
in The Tailgate

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Going Commando

Going Commando

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Posted
Chuck was like 6'5" and dominated at PF. Would you rather play KG or Hakeem in the paint? Also the defensive three in the key means people can't just standand wait for the block like in the past. That said, yes, more athleticism in some bigs today no question. But in a list of the greatest big men ever, there'd be barely anyone from today's NBA (2000-2010). Shaq/Duncan/KG.

Good point. But this is the PF spot, not the pivot. To be unbelievably fast at 6'11 like KG is, I don't know how Barkley copes with that. I think he would have a hard time scoring against even the merely good stretch forwards like Aldridge and Bosh and he wouldn't have a prayer of defending them giving up almost a half foot to them.

Dirk and Dwight would certainly make the list too. And there has been a lot of quality throughout the league, not transcendent, but excellent--Odom, Gasol, Noah, Yao, etc. Way more seven footers in the league than their used to be, especially ones that can move.

And Duncan is the greatest PF in NBA history.

At his height, with his shooting ability, Barkley would be a Danny Granger like SF in today's NBA IMO.

---------- Post added January-8th-2012 at 12:46 AM ----------

Yeah bigs are so much better now then when Charles Barkley played. Right...

Ok, forget that Barkley's time was twenty some odd years ago. Who else has become a franchise caliber superstar in that time span who had below average physical attributes across the board?

Also why are you assuming Williams can't defend at SF and that Love won't improve his defense? Oversized SF are common today and his length and strength. Defense isn't about raw speed it's about effort and preparation more than anything else. You have to know the tendencies of your assignment and make them uncomfortable. Bowen strike you as a great athlete?

Can you realistically go from dreadful to good? That's what Love would have to do.

The common denominator for great perimeter defenders is lateral quickness and for defenders as a whole is length. I wouldn't feel comfortable matching DW up on a SF like Rudy Gay, much less one like LeBron, Carmelo, or Durant. Maybe he's got the speed for it but I don't see it. He moves like a big.

Bowen was a very good athlete. Lean and extremely quick but very strong + the superb instincts and temperament. When was the last Defensive Player of the Year that wasn't an excellent athlete? Bowen had great lateral speed in his mid 30s.

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Going Commando

Going Commando

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Posted (edited)

Good post from before Imperium but I've got a few quibbles:

1.) Tyson Chandler is an elite athlete who's fluidity and ridiculous length is almost unmatched. That's why he was drafted so high and given so many chances. And it took him a looooong time to get it figured out. Javale's BBall IQ is actually really good, better than Chandler's as a 24 year old. Maturity is much more the issue with him than his understanding of the game. Actually his BBall IQ is probably the highest on the team of the under 30 guys.

2.) This could be a contract year thing for Javale, but I don't think it is. I think he's just going through the natural flowering stage of an NBA big. It's not like he's going on some scoring binge like Blatche did. He's always played very much within himself offensively and had great shooting %s and that's still the case this season. He's just seeing the game much better and it's slowed down for him finally. He's playing great fundamental big man basketball and outstanding defense. I don't see how you forget how to play defense once you've figured out how to do so at a high level.

I think Javale's willingness to try and develop a post game is an extremely encouraging sign. He's valuable as an above the rim finisher and quality defensive center. If he got a versatile low post game then he'd be golden and could become a legit 17 and 10 center playing All NBA level defense.

3.) You're underselling how special DeMarcus Cousins is. The guy had a ready made NBA post game and is an absolute bear around the rim. He's the closest thing to Shaq to have come into the NBA since Shaq did. Javale had no offensive skill whatsoever as a rookie. Cousins is leaps and bounds better and more useful than McGee was as a rookie. He can drop 30 and 15 on an opponent like it's nothing and nobody in the NBA is built to stop him. Javale would have to set a single game alley-oops and putbacks record to score like that.

The reason Cousins's shooting %s blow is because he's been horribly misused by an incompetent Sacramento coaching staff and received dreadful PG play. They've had him do his best Blatche impression, take long jumpers, and try and dribble the ball to get to his spots on his own. That's... idiotic. Cousins working on the block with elite PG play (like Wall provided when they were teammates) absolutely hulks out.

Cousins has the potential to be the second best Center in the league after Dwight with a large distance to the next guy and Wall has the ability to unlock that potential from him. He can be a 20-10 center for us.

Cousins is also different from Blatche because he's actually good.

Maybe coachability is a legit concern with Cousins. But for whatever reason, every time Cousins and Wall have been paired together they've been utterly dominant.

4.) You're higher on Singleton than I am. I think he's too much of an offensive liability at the 3 to be a starter on a contending team. When Singleton isn't restricting his offense to just catching and shooting, his TS %s are horrifically bad--among the worst in last year's crappy class. Shawn Marion was an 18 to 19 PPG All Star in his prime. Singleton will never be that good.

He can be a decent spot shooter one day and a lock down defender--the definition of a really good perimeter stopper 6th or 7th man in the rotation type. The SF position is where the good teams tend to generate so much of their offense. We can't start Singleton at SF and Javale at C unless we've got an elite offensive SG & PF.

Our problem is the opposite of not having enough balls to go around. We've got no great scorers whatsoever. NY is the closest thing to it and he's only a slightly above average 2. We need big time offensive weapons and SF is a good spot to look for them at. Singleton wouldn't stop me from drafting a Harrison Barnes, Quincy Miller, Perry Jones, etc.

5.) I'd hesitate to project Drummond along Dwight's trajectory. Dwight is just such a physical force and dominant defender. He's like the lovechild of Mutombo and David Robinson. I think Drummond has more of softer Amare-type in him only without the killer scoring instincts... umm

Drummond's length and speed/fluidity is freakish. Almost unprecedented really. But damn if he isn't such a project. Can he dominate like Dwight did at an early age before he has skills, mostly just from sheer physical dominance? I honestly don't know. How long would it take for him to get to a top level? Bigs take forever to develop as a rule. What's the situation with Wall in the meantime?

If you draft Drummond, you almost have to make him the focal point of your efforts to rebuild and not Wall.

6.) You have more faith in Vesely's shooting potential and repertoire than I do. Yes Kirilenko was a terrific player in his prime, but for Vesely to get to that level, I think you're looking at five + years of grueling development realistically. We just can't afford to wait that long on him. John's rookie contract will be up sooner than we think. What's his upside for us as a contender with our current roster construction? Both he and Singleton can't start. They might be a good pair defensively but they're so horrible offensively that we'd be screwed.

I think Vesely will be most valuable to us long term as a part of a trade to bring something really good in return.

Edited by stevemcqueen1
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RonArtest15

RonArtest15

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Posted
You mean when he took a young (the type of team he doesn't relate to right?) Bobcats team with limited talent from 35-47 then to 44-38 and into the playoffs the following season?

Then after he gets canned they go back sub-.500 and out of the playoffs?

I don't think ant reasonable basketball fan is really gonna blame Brown for the 1 year stint with the Knicks.

Hell yeah, especially for a team that has a lead guard with limitless talent surrounding by a bunch of chuckleheads that don't understand the game and lack discipline.

You're right, but I can dream.

Maybe its my wishful thinking but I think John Wall is enough to make any coach think about giving this team a go IF they put a decent FO in place.

As someone who was living in New York (and following the Knicks) during Brown's tenure, he's JUST as much at fault for implosion as the players. They couldn't get him out of there fast enough.

Another thing, what makes you think that Blatche, of all people, is the type of player Brown would want to coach? I don't see it. He gets the most out of veteran players with GOOD work ethic and b-ball IQs. A Blatche/Brown pairing would be a disaster from the start.

I guess we'll agree to disagree. I want NOTHING to do with Larry Brown. I think he's an awful fit for the team we currently have.

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Chachie

Chachie

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Posted

I guess we'll agree to disagree. I want NOTHING to do with Larry Brown. I think he's an awful fit for the team we currently have.

I'm not weighing in against you on Larry Brown, but the team we currently have won't be the same team in 2-3 years no matter who we hire as next coach. If it is, we'll all have already quit on Ted Leonsis' era.

I see 3 pieces that I know I want to keep that long and I see no reason why a Larry Brown wouldn't be able to help them... (aside from bailing on them after 1-2 seasons.)

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No Excuses

No Excuses

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Posted
Flip is going nowhere...he is here for the rest of the year so why are we talking about larry Brown?

I wouldn't be that sure.

There is a good chance he gets fired before the end of the month and Randy Whittman takes over as interim coach.

I don't think Cassell is ready yet.

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RonArtest15

RonArtest15

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I'm not weighing in against you on Larry Brown, but the team we currently have won't be the same team in 2-3 years no matter who we hire as next coach. If it is, we'll all have already quit on Ted Leonsis' era.

I see 3 pieces that I know I want to keep that long and I see no reason why a Larry Brown wouldn't be able to help them... (aside from bailing on them after 1-2 seasons.)

With whoever you hire, you'd want some sense of stability with a young team. Larry Brown is a coaching nomad who would most likely leave or QUIT after a year or two. Is that who you really want leading the troops? On top of it all, he's in his 70s. The stress-level as an NBA coach is high enough as it is...couple that with trying to get a VERY young team like the Wizards back to respectability, and you're left with a gigantic task that may be asking too much of him. As I said before, I think he's an awful fit.

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@DCGoldPants

@DCGoldPants

Posted
Posted (edited)

I've got to believe that if they don't win a game in the next week, Flip has to be let go. You can't start 0-double digits. At that point you just promote off your staff and start a search that lasts the rest of the season. Do real research on the best assistant coaches in the league. I don't think a HC retread will do it.

Edited by Buford
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Mr. Grundle

Mr. Grundle

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Posted

After Flip is fired, I'd hire Dave Joerger, assistant with Memphis. He's a young, defensive-minded coach. Won multiple championships in the minor leagues, including with the Dakota Wizards in the D-league. He has a reputation for developing young players.

This is exactly the kind of coach we need for this young team. He is going to get a shot somewhere soon, might as well be with us.

http://www.ridiculousupside.com/2010/2/26/1326900/former-dakota-wizards-coach-dave

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SiCkSoULjA

SiCkSoULjA

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Posted
Just a heads up for everyone, our game today vs. the T-Wolves is at 1 PM.

After the Kevin Love discussion, it will be nice to see him go up against us. Andray '1 rebound a game' Blatche vs. a guy who pulls down 20 like its nothing. Yikes.

What game did Blatche have 1 rebound?

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SiCkSoULjA

SiCkSoULjA

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Posted
Just a heads up for everyone, our game today vs. the T-Wolves is at 1 PM.

After the Kevin Love discussion, it will be nice to see him go up against us. Andray '1 rebound a game' Blatche vs. a guy who pulls down 20 like its nothing. Yikes.

What game did Blatche have 1 rebound?

Love looks like a totally different person wow

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