Boy, LA is a really bad rebounder
by seablaz on Apr 4, 2010 2:36 PM PDT
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PrintCharles Barkley never misses an opportunity to pan the Blazers for not having a physical inside presence. I often get frustrated with LA's soft play and inability to rebound. I agree with Charles that dunks are consistent, but a spinning fade away 20 footer isn't going to go every night, especially in the fourth quarter.
On a whim, i looked up Power Forwards averaging 30 min + in the NBA and sorted them by total rebounds per 40 minutes (from hoopsdata).
LA ranks 15th out of 22. Despite the fact that he's played alot of center this year and should have been putting extra emphasis on rebounding.
Every PF who plays 30+ and is taller than 6-9 rebounds better than LA (except Dirk... but even Dirk kills LA on the defensive glass. he just doesn't go for any offensive rebounds).
Anyone else get as frustrated as i do that, at 6-11, LaMarcus rebounds like he's 6-9? I'm really disappointed in LA. Feels like he took the big money and didn't get any better. Didn't expand his game at all. Am i overreacting?
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You're not going to be the best rebounding PF when you're camping out, draining 16-18 foot jumpers.
Just the way it works.
"Ain't nothin' in this world for free."
you don't 18 footers on the defensive end.
by damonrayhymer on Apr 4, 2010 8:42 PM PDT up reply actions
And LMA is a decent OFFENSIVE rebound guy
It does frustrate me that he is not positioning himself under the glass well for the DEFENSIVE rebounds.
What LMA is doing is running out on the fast break, where he is very effective. That does limit defensive rebounding, heading to the other end of the floor.
"I'm passing it down," Howard said. "Showing the guys that, hey, here's an example of a guy who played 16 years. If you don't want to listen and get the valuable, free information from him - soak it up like a sponge - then you've got to be a damn fool."
He'll never be a 20 and ten guy
but he may turn into a 24 and 8 guy, like Amar’e Stoudemire
He seemed to focus more on blocking out instead of rebounding
Unfortunately his game is a bit limited in that regard. Once he has decided what he wants to do on defense, he does that and nothing else. Read and react to a situation is not his game.
He's 12 or 13th if you sort by rebounding%
which is a better way to measure it because it doesn’t penalize him for our slow pace. (I say 12th or 13th because it’s not clear if Antwan Jamison would be above or below him if his two entries are averaged out.). If you lower the requirement to 25 minutes, he’s 18th or 19th out of 30 (which I like better because it’s easier to see how he compares to the whole league that way).
So… he’s a little below average, at the rear of the middle pack. Considering that, if the other team has a PF or C that plays outside (e.g. Nowitski, Okur), Aldridge is going to be guarding him (and out of position for rebounds), that’s not too horrible.
by Gargen on Apr 4, 2010 4:35 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
Nice analysis
Thank you.
"I'm passing it down," Howard said. "Showing the guys that, hey, here's an example of a guy who played 16 years. If you don't want to listen and get the valuable, free information from him - soak it up like a sponge - then you've got to be a damn fool."
Thanks for a bit of sanity.
I was just about to make the same comment.
Rebounding % is a much fairer comparison because it accounts for pace.
LMA is not going to ever be a super dominant rebounder. He doesn’t have a low center of gravity, the wide body or the tremendous strength that most top rebounders possess. On the other hand his long lanky build means that he can run the floor, shoot over the top of most opponents, and he should eventually become an increasingly effective, weakside, shot blocker.
To me, it seems pretty simple: appreciate what LMA does well, and figure out how to compensate for the areas where he is mediocre. Waving him play next to Oden, Camby and Pryz sounds like pretty decent compensating to me.
by upper left corner on Apr 5, 2010 8:06 AM PDT up reply actions
While it's true that pace matters, especially as the Blazers play at the slowest in the NBA...
inflating LaMarcus’ numbers to an average pace doesn’t help him out much. He goes from 8.1 RPG to 8.5 RPG.
You know how he always starts every game off active on offense? I’m convinced this is from several years of McMillan being in his ear begging, demanding, imploring him to start the game with energy. It’s a staple of this team now… Q1 will have a steady diet of LMA getting his.
We’re all aware of how he tapers off as the game progresses. It’s at this point of the game I’d love to see LMA put on the blinders and focus on rebounds, rebounds, rebounds. I’d go so far as to say I’d be tickled pink. Obviously it’d be nice to have both for 4 quarters… but if we can just get offensive LMA to start and a new dedicated rebounding LMA to finish I’d settle for that.
Win, baby, win.
by you'vegottomakeyourfreethrows on Apr 5, 2010 9:17 AM PDT up reply actions
He goes from 8.1 RPG to 8.5 RPG.
I was surprised to read that Buck Williams only averaged 8.7 RPG during his years with the Blazers, I would’ve guessed at least 10. The 89-92 teams were fast-paced and not great shooters, so there were plenty of boards to be grabbed
This is not to say that LMA = Buck, that would be silly. But it does go to show how how a number can look mediocre in one era and yet a legendary Blazer can have similar career averages. One of the Blazers from the past who I’ve compared LMA to was Mychal Thompson, who was also criticized for being “soft” during his time with Portland, because a lot of the time he was forced to play center because of injuries to Bowie, etc. But the Bahamian did manage one season of double-digit rebounds (‘81-82) and averaged 9.4 rpg the next year. So, sometimes our impressions of a player aren’t always accurate
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
WOW! Only 8.7?
That’s a big surprise to me, too. Based on my memories and his legendary reputation alone I also would’ve guess a minimum of 10.
And I know you’re not comparing them, but since you brought it up, it seems relevant to mention that if LMA was a bit more of an intimidating presence and imposed his will (a la Buck), he’d probably have fewer folks clamoring for him to be more productive.
Win, baby, win.
by you'vegottomakeyourfreethrows on Apr 6, 2010 9:11 AM PDT up reply actions
link
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2010/04/blazers_top_40_no_7_buck_willi.html
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Did anyone ever count the fact that he is probably number 1 PF in fast break dunks.
Also he scores alot more then most of those above him in rebounding, doesn’t he,
I just wish we would run more
One of the most wonderful things to watch is LaMarcus galloping down the court on that break and finishing the way he does. You don’t see many guys his height doing that the way he does…
"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man
I think that, in order for LA to rebound better, he would clearly have to change the way he plays
However, the problem comes from assuming that this could be done without sacrifices in other areas. Namely, a player can’t be both getting a defensive rebound and running out on the fast break. LA is great on the fast break, especially when finishing, and I’m not sure I would give that up for a couple of boards.
Secondly, you have to adjust for pace and other factors when looking at rebounding skill. To do otherwise is just lazy. What you want to be looking at is rebounding %, either total or offensive/defensive. LA comes in much better.
Finally, the team as a whole rebounds well, in the top 8, so its not as if LA’s rebounding is making us awful.
This would really bother me
if the blazers were a poor rebounding team. But they’re not.
by moflow on Apr 4, 2010 5:44 PM PDT reply actions 6 recs
recccccc
"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy
by Honka Playboy on Apr 4, 2010 8:00 PM PDT up reply actions
The problem is that if your bigs don't rebound
and you need to rely on team rebounding from your wings and your guards, your team loses easy scoring attempts on leak outs transitioning from defense to offense.
There’s always a cost when your bigs don’t play like bigs. It might be balanced out by reassigning responsibilities elsewhere but that still imposes a cost in team efficiency somewhere.
by howlingfantods on Apr 6, 2010 4:39 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm over it. Lamarcus is our power forward and he's an average rebounder. I used to get frustrated with it and now I've just accepted it.
"What people need to know is that those pictures were taken a year and a half ago, and I've grown since then." - Greg Oden
funny ting is is he usually gets his averages
when people claim he dissappears…he is one of the more reliable guys probably in the league. Does he need to improve, absolutely, who doesn’t…
"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man
I would think
that a power forward playing out of position against bigger stronger players at center would actually be less effective at rebounding. Did you bother to check how well he faired in assists/scoring/ steals? How about PER? Head to head matchups? On statistic does not a player make or break. Plus he is YOUNG. A full season at his true position and a consistent starting five will make you forget all about whatever shortcomings you see in LMA now.
O.R.
But there are diminishing returns in rebounding. Playing next to good rebounding players means you get fewer rebounds.
So LMA should get more rebounds when playing at center or next to Juwan, because Greg/Joel/Camby aren’t taking as many rebounds. He did, a little bit, but not emphatically so.
That said, I’d have to agree with an above poster, in that LMA is an average rebounder and I’m resigned to that. Last year he was a good o-rebounder since we had real centers all year, not quite as much this year though.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
False. Try to think of a single natural PF playing out of position at C
and you’ll have a pretty good list of PFs who have higher than average rebounding totals. Amare from a few years ago (note his reb numbers have dropped since he stopped playing C and started playing exclusively PF), David Lee, Al Jeff. Boozer and Millsap both play 4/5 a lot with each other, and have seen their numbers go up.
by howlingfantods on Apr 6, 2010 4:30 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't know about the numbers
but I’ve been impressed with the way LMA has come up with some tough rebounds, this year. He seems to be more willing to mix it up in the paint than in the past. I think that having Camby in the lineup has helped him, as well. The two of them are working well off of each other, keeping balls alive.
There was a play last night where Camby tipped the ball away and it was nearly stolen, then LMA reached in at the last second and deflected the ball again, which led to a new possession for Portland.
A lot of what LMA does on defense is below the shoulder level, he’s got very quick hands for a player of his size. And like we’ve memntioned many times in the past, he’s going to be a great complimentary PF for Oden, a lot of the reasons why LMA is getting criticized for his “lack of” rebounding or low-post scoring is because Greg has been out of the lineup
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I agree with every bit of this, and would add
that I’ve been impressed the last several games in his help defense. Maybe watching Camby, or having confidence that Camby will clean up the rebounds when LMA is out of position helping. I scanned through the AP file photos of the last several games and nearly every time the photo featured an opponent at the rim, LMA or Camby was contesting the shot. Great to see. Paid off on Evans last night
"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy
by Honka Playboy on Apr 4, 2010 8:06 PM PDT up reply actions
Agreed
on all counts. LMA is an under appreciated defender for sure. He does appear to be learning how to use that long body of his from Camby. They are both so similar in length and build. Plus having a player as proficient at shooting the 15-18 ft shot is more a benefit than a detriment if the right player is next to him…ie GO. If you think about the unique skill sets of Oden, LMA , and Batum….boy THAT lineup is gonna flat out get it done for years to come if everyone stops with the I WANT MY INSTANT RESULTS RIGHT NOW ! montra. For Pete’s sakes people PATIENCE!
O.R.
He's been better than last season
but he’s still got a long ways to go
The Leeroy Rule: being insistent >>>> being correct
by leeroyjenkins on Apr 6, 2010 7:24 AM PDT up reply actions
Plus would you really want to change a players style of play
Just because the centers got injured? Aldridge is a PF and will be very good at what he does (but i would argue he is not a 4/5 even at his height), even more so with a true center (Oden, Pryzbilla, even Camby.) Aldridge can be a major offensive threat for us if he doesn’t have to worry too much about interior defense. Our centers will get healthy again and Aldridge’s style of play will be a major asset. Plus with his long arms he can get so many deflections and blocks while people are concerned with Oden…
you should do other things on a whim
like watch how his outside shooting opens the floor for dre and brandon.
or how he finishes on the break.
or how he gets back to stop the break.
or how he closes passing lanes on D.
or how he is the most consistent player the blazers have.
dinasour type of guys choir boys
i'm pretty sure Patty Mills is the most consistent player we have
by In Walks Rudy on Apr 4, 2010 10:32 PM PDT up reply actions
patty mills is like when my mom bought me a chumbawumba album
DNP-CD
dinasour type of guys choir boys
I love LMA,
but there is a reason I call him “stone hands” while watching games. He’s got a great shot and his D is really picking up, but boy does he have a problem at times controlling the ball – be it dribble, pass, or rebound. It’s like he is wearing boxing gloves at times when he’s doing anything but shooting the ball. Again, I love him on the Blazers, but this aspect of his game drives me nuts at times.
Brandon Roy, 'nuff said.
Not nearly as bad as Martell.
He’s not a good ballhandler, so he usually stays away from that. However I haven’t seen him consistently losing balls in the post or on moves (whereas Martell is scary every time he puts the ball on the floor).
In fact his TO% this year is only 7.7% while his usage is 22.6%. I have some beefs with LMA, but this isn’t one of them.
However, if he gets the ball knocked away or a move interrupted, it makes him much more likely to rely on his fallaway J. shrug
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
PS Martell's TO% is lower than years past with a similar usage, so maybe I'm being a bit hard on him. But I worry a bit whenever he dribble drives.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
Webster has no court vision when he drives
if Marty puts the ball on the floor, his eye is on the rim. If he’s facing a poor (or disinterested) defensive team he’ll get a dunk or a lay-in and look great. But if he’s facing a defensive team that cares, he’ll show the ball too early and get it swatted. Or worse, he’ll get cut off 5-7 feet away from the hoop and look completely foolish (turnover machine) Once in awhile he’ll get lucky and jam it down over the Birdman, but not often enough to be worth 5 mil/year while only playing 15-20 mpg
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
it is when you're up against the luxury tax
like the Blazers will be, this summer. At some point the belt will have to be tightened, and like someone wrote over in the Oden thread re: the next CBA, it’s the mid-level salaries that are going to get “squeezed” the most
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
seriously?
a sampling of players making a comparable amount:
Kyle Korver—PER of 15 (although this is a full point above his next best year)
Nenad Krstic—PER of 13.8
Sasha Vujacic—PER of 10.9
Trenton Hassell—PER of 6.5
James Jones—PER of 8.6
Martell Webster—PER of 12.6
Now, obviously you could save some money by dumping his salary and using Rudy to take his minutes. This would arguably cost you some defensively. Furthermore, the savings is likely to be short lived, since Rudy is going to sign a contract at least as rich as Martell’s, at which point he would also be overpaid, at least according to your judgment..
we're talking about a guy who could potentially play 15-2 mpg as a backup 3
earning nearly 5 mil on a roster that will be hard up against the luxury tax
So the choice could come down to: keep Webster around as injury insurance for Batum, or not resign Camby in July
I could see Portland dealing Martell and their #1 choice to move up in the draft, and selecting another wing who’d they only have to pay 5-6 mil for the next 3 years, instead of (potentially)15 mil just to be a backup SF. Or, they could just decide to rotate Roy and Cunningham in behind Nic, depending on the size matchups
If Marty was a keeper, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But unless #23 has an epiphany and starts to show consistent production during the playoffs, I think we’ll have to take a hard look at his future in red/black this summer
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I don’t disagree that if the right deal comes along you take it. I just don’t think you can flat out call him overpaid, when you consider those who make similar salaries outside the rookie scale.
I'm not saying he's overpaid when compared to his peers
I’m saying that Webster could become a luxury tax casuality, due to his mid-range guaranteed salary and diminishing role
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
the savings is likely to be short lived, since Rudy is going to sign a contract
The Blazers have a team option on Rudy in 2011-2012 and don’t have to make him a QO until the fall of 2012 (same with Bayless and Batum) Next season, these 3 players combined will be earning less (and each playing more?) than Webster, if he remains in Portland
http://www.storytellerscontracts.info/resources/09-10salaries.htm
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Martel is getting better with his moves and can still improve
Martel’s worst mistake is that he tends to travel by shifting his feet when he starts his drive. But this is the kind of thing that coaching and practices can improve.
LA blocks per game keeps going down too.
I love the guy but would love for him to attempt to expand his game unlike he did last Summer.
He’ll be a good compliment to a big, beefy center that has a post game – if we ever get one that’s healthy. :)
Treat people well because Karma can hit you at any second.
I think this is probably a result of him defending low
ie using his quick hand before the guy takes the shot …..he gets tons of deflections prior to the guy raising for his shot
Rudy: ""McMillan has a philosophy of play and I do not think that will change by giving him a hug."’
Wins
The Blazers played roughly 27 games without a center (maybe add a couple with Camby missing some but I am pressed for time). They won 17 of those games. A few of those were without Roy. Sure other guys stepped up and were big in making that happen but LA was in the middle of all that. I have a hard time not giving him a ton of credit for keeping this season afloat this season. He may not be everything that everybody wants but he is contributing to this team winning, even through adverse conditions. I don’t really think he cares about adding 2-3 more RPG to his stat sheet unless it makes a difference in the win column. I don’t either.
PTB Liberation Day - 2/10/04
I also seem to remember him raising his rebounds per game
during that stretch….no stats, just an impression
Rudy: ""McMillan has a philosophy of play and I do not think that will change by giving him a hug."’
LA's rebounds with no center this season...
(This does not include the Clippers game in which he played for 6 minutes before injuring his ankle.)
The Blazers were 13-12 in those games and LA averaged 9.08 rebounds per game.
PTB Liberation Day - 2/10/04
I would say Miller kept the team afloat loooooooooooong before I would give LMA that due
The Leeroy Rule: being insistent >>>> being correct
by leeroyjenkins on Apr 6, 2010 7:21 AM PDT up reply actions
Good for you...
I think they both played major roles in keeping the team afloat. I wouldn’t credit one loooooooooooooooong before the other. I think it is kind of ridiculous to make that distinction to be honest with you.
PTB Liberation Day - 2/10/04
Agreed,
there is no reason why LA couldn’t get more rebounds and couldn’t be more aggressive inside in general. His only dunks seem to be alley-oops or fast breaks where nobody’s nearby him. His shot is amazing, but it seems to fail him in the fourth a lot. Adding more high-percentage shots to his reperetoire sure couldn’t hurt!
Just was looking at the Blazers' season stats
…shockingly, LA leads the team in rebounds…by a very large margin. Well, second, now that we have Camby. If LA is a terrible rebounder, I guess we need to call out the rest of the team?
he's the tallest remaining Blazer (until the Camby deal) so if he isn't leading the pack he's a slacker
That’s the prevailing attitude of LMA’s critics in a nutshell, not mine particularly
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Who else plays LMA's minutes?
You should ask yourself that question, it’s an important one
The Leeroy Rule: being insistent >>>> being correct
by leeroyjenkins on Apr 6, 2010 7:20 AM PDT up reply actions
True, true...
I’m just saying that while that he certainly could improve in the area of rebounding, it’s not like it’s the end of the world that his rebounds per game average is what it is. As other folks have pointed out, the Blazers are a fairly good rebounding team as a whole. Given his build and offensive style, I’ve never really expected him to hit the boards like Buck Williams, or any of our other great rebounding PF’s of the past.
Given his build and offensive style, I’ve never really expected him to hit the boards like Buck Williams
The thing about Buck was, he was 6’8 and 225 when he played in Portland (not really that much bigger than Clyde!) But Williams made up in heart and desire what he gave away in size/strength to beasts like Karl Malone
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Maybe it was the googles
or maybe it was the fact that I was much smaller myself back then…but he seemed big to me! But you are right about his heart and desire in rebounding and defense. It seems to me that those are qualities that can’t be just taught or learned easily though-hopefully, LA can prove doubters wrong! Or (perhaps more likely), Greg will be back next year to clean up the boards.
I don't expect LMA to morph into Buck
but Dante is an example of another undersized PF who will battle with the beasts and exact his pound of flesh
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
we do to an extent
I am more concerned with their inability to stop any cutters though.
"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man
Good analysis
Hmm… I agree and disagree with this. At least he can score… what’s he averaging? 17.5 PPG? What’s the most you guys think Aldridge will ever score in his career?
I think he's about hit his peak as long as he continues to refuse to go inside
If he mixed in an inside game, he’d get 22, 23 a game easy
The Leeroy Rule: being insistent >>>> being correct
by leeroyjenkins on Apr 6, 2010 7:20 AM PDT up reply actions
He doesn't "refuse" to go inside,
he just isn’t good at it. I wouldn’t expect much improvement either, he’s just too easily defended in the low post. I still think he could become more efficient by trying to work on his handle on the drive or by extending his range to 3 point territory. Basically either become more of a slasher like Bosh or more of a distance guy like Dirk.
by howlingfantods on Apr 6, 2010 4:43 PM PDT up reply actions
He just needs to get some footwork down
He’s shown a few post plays he did not feature the year prior, that sweeping hook across the paint, a modified up and under to the baseline. He just does not start them from good positions and ends up getting steered away from the hoop instead of forcing the foul or being allowed access to the hoop. It is a matter of footwork, better post position and timing, three things he can actually learn and develop.
That being said, I never see him averaging 10 post shots a game or anything, he can’t go completely away from his obvious strengths. that elbow jumper, the pick and pop, that post fade and maybe extend to the 3 point line as well. He is lethal in those aspects of his game and it does stretch the interior defense and open some lanes for Roy and Miller.
Much like Roy though, these additions to his arsenal would be huge assets, particularly if his fantastic jumpshot is running cold on a given evening.
"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man
I really want him to watch some Kevin McHale tape
McHale was a lean, unathletic big with super fantastic footwork. He knew how to create space in the post.
Can you imagine an athletic guy like Aldridge with the footwork of McHale to create space?
"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man
He is what he is.
He can’t establish great post position because he doesn’t have that much lower body strength and he gets taken out of his offense when defenders are allowed to bump and push him.
Mchale was a lot of things, but lean? He was a big physical guy with amazing body control and an ability to jiu jitsu against stronger defenders. LaMarcus could never develop his game, their physiques, desire, and skillset are entirely unlike. He wasn’t dominique or anything but it’s absurd to call him unathletic.
by howlingfantods on Apr 6, 2010 11:51 PM PDT up reply actions
lanky may have been a better word
and I am not saying LaMarcus can or should ‘become McHale’. But he could learn a lot about creating space with the ball in your hands around the rim., Mchale was a master at that…of course I can’t remember if they had a 3 second rule in McHale’s day or not…
"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man
It's always fun to watch the different excuses people come up with for LMA
When the bottom line is he’s just a softy and probably always will be.
Fine if you’re paying him $5 mil/yr , not so great when you’re paying him $10-15 mil/yr
The Leeroy Rule: being insistent >>>> being correct
I like LaMarcus. He's talented and mostly productive, and he represents us well.
I think my final determination of him hinges on how the Oden experiment plays out.
If (big IF) GO stays healthy long enough for those two to play side by side for a season or three, that may significantly alter my opinion. And let’s face it… that’s what we’ve been waiting for, right? Roy, LMA, and Oden?
I’m whelmed… for now.
Being insistent when you're wrong is just really, really annoying.
by you'vegottomakeyourfreethrows on Apr 6, 2010 9:46 AM PDT reply actions
Compare LMA to
Rasheed Wallace. LMA is a better rebounder than Sheed ever was by almost every measure (av., per 36, TRB%). When you have a skilled big that can play away from the basket and draw their big defender out to the perimeter, it’s not fair to complain about their rebounding.
as a few others have noted
the problem with LMA’s rebounding isn’t on the offensive boards (which your comment would be relevant to) but with his defensive rebounding. Unfortunately, LMA just doesn’t give much effort on the defensive end, either with man or help defense or with rebounding. This has very little to do with role or ability and almost entirely has to do with effort and desire.
by howlingfantods on Apr 6, 2010 4:35 PM PDT up reply actions
and one thing to say about Ra--
that dude was a freaking amazing defender. For much of the late 90s and early 00s, he was right up there with Tim Duncan and KG as the finest and most complete interior defenders in the league.
by howlingfantods on Apr 6, 2010 4:37 PM PDT up reply actions
*shrug* you're not paying enough attention to pace
but yes, he’s not very good. He’s a middle of the pack starting PF, and his weaknesses include being primarily a scorer who doesn’t score efficiently and being poor at other primary roles like rebounding and defending.
And yes, seablaz,
we overpaid. By a pretty large amount. I’d either have insisted on a shorter deal or held the line at 45 mill/5.
by howlingfantods on Apr 6, 2010 4:46 PM PDT up reply actions
we shall see
i do think we probably overpaid a bit, but as someone else pointed out most 6’11" guys are overpaid in relation to statistical production of some other positions.
I am willing to show me more. I think most of his drawbacks are things he can improve.
"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man
So we paid for height?
I’d rather pay a shorter guy with heart like Millsap or Landry or David Lee over a 6’11 guy who coasts.
I think he could improve too but only if he wants it. Since he hasn’t improved significantly since his second year (and even that’s debatable), it’s pretty unlikely he really wants it.
by howlingfantods on Apr 6, 2010 11:53 PM PDT up reply actions
LMA is still a better rebounder than Roy is a defender
Wasn’t his goal at the start of the season to make All League Defense? He’s our worst starter.
PS-Don’t say Miller, his off the ball D is the best on this team.
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