Diaw - Johnson talk so much, what about...

[King A]

... Steven Hunter?
He's lighting it up for the sixers:

GMS 4
GST 4
MPG 35.5
FG 20-30 (.667)
FT 6-11 (.545)
RBS 4.5 (2.3 off)
ASS .3
SPG .25
BPG 2.5
TO 1.25
PF 3
PPG 11.5


Salembert ist hurt but still nice numbers given time for Steven.
Looks like he can play alongside Iverson. And not even too much fouls for him.

Oh, and a take from my personal hero (kinda kidding) Sam Amico

Steven Hunter has been dominant as the 76ers' starting center, making 20 of his first 30 shots. Amico says: If only he had played this well for Phoenix in the playoffs last season.

http://amicoreport.com/pbn_rumors1109.html

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

This has come up in another thread somewhere..


How can you can you call 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds lighting it up when playing 35 minutes a game. The dude is 7 feet tall and he cant even get 5 boards a game playing nearly 3 quarters?!

How is that even possible?


Is it a nice line? Sure thing, and the blocks are nice as well. Of course it isn't that great either.

 

[haverford]

I'm guilty of having brought this up before. I agree this isn't "lighting it up," but I have to say, based on what I'm seeing of KT and what Hunter seems to be up to in Philly, Hunter would have been fine as a long term center for the Suns. Absent, of course, the financials.....

 

[sunsfn]

The stats are not that great for the minutes, but shot blockers like Hunter change the offense for the other team as soon as he blocks a shot or two.

Hunter is averaging 2.5 blocks a game. That number tells me that he is making players change their shots a few more times a game, and they will not drive the lane as often and, they will settle for an outside shot where their percentage goes down.

Hunter can be effective playing less minutes than some centers because of his shot blocking. He is not a good rebounder because he is out of position trying to block the shot. D'Antoni would bring him in during the game and he would block a shot or two and then he would take him out. This changed the game and the other team at times would continue to take outside shots even after he was taken out.

Shot blockers are very important to a team, I wish we had one. It was not going to be Hunter though because of the amount of money we had to re-sign him.

 

[goldseraph]

I'd sure like to have Hunter, at least then we would have a SINGLE legitimate center on the roster. Our biggest guys are like 6'9".

 

[PhxGametime]

Hunter is out rebounding Kurt Thomas I believe scoring and shot-blocking as well...


I do believe Thomas will pick it up but with Diaw playing so well and Brian Grant... who knows how many minutes he's gonna get to make the numbers more in his favor.

 

[elindholm]

The Sixers are 1-3. Whatever Hunter is bringing to the table, it's not enough. Putting up decent-looking numbers on a bad team is among the most useless NBA skills there is.

 

[Chaplin]

The Sixers are 1-3. Whatever Hunter is bringing to the table, it's not enough. Putting up decent-looking numbers on a bad team is among the most useless NBA skills there is.

Just ask Joe Johnson.

 

[haverford]

Is it conceivable that he might be able to put up similar numbers on a decent or even good team, Eric?

 

[Chaz]

Hunter is OK. I wouldn't mind having him on the Suns.

I don't think I would be willing to pay as much as Philly is for him.

 

[elindholm]

Is it conceivable that he might be able to put up similar numbers on a decent or even good team, Eric?

Sure. It's also conceivable that I could sprout wings and fly to the moon.

Why worry about what's "conceivable"? Hunter isn't a difference-maker. He wasn't in Orlando, he wasn't in Phoenix, and he's not in Philadelphia. He might "conceivably" become one some day, but so what? You could say the same thing about Pat Burke.

 

[Yuma]

Just ask Joe Johnson.

If only JJ was putting up decent numbers.

 

[haverford]

Is it conceivable that he might be able to put up similar numbers on a decent or even good team, Eric?

Sure. It's also conceivable that I could sprout wings and fly to the moon.

Why worry about what's "conceivable"? Hunter isn't a difference-maker. He wasn't in Orlando, he wasn't in Phoenix, and he's not in Philadelphia. He might "conceivably" become one some day, but so what? You could say the same thing about Pat Burke.

You know, the snideness is not appreciated, nor is it called for. I asked the question because I sensed in your dismissal a refusal to entertain the possibility that his numbers are not "empty." Your response seems to maintain that refusal. I'm almost sorry I asked.

 

[Chaplin]

You know, the snideness is not appreciated, nor is it called for. I asked the question because I sensed in your dismissal a refusal to entertain the possibility that his numbers are not "empty." Your response seems to maintain that refusal. I'm almost sorry I asked.

I know you only have 149 posts, but you should know that posts like that are Eric's speciality. You shouldn't take it so personally.

That said, I agree with Eric's basic point. Would I like to have Hunter? Sure, it'd be nice if we had him. Would I like to have Hunter instead of KT? Absolutely, positively not. There are a lot of big men I'd rather have than Steven Hunter if given a choice.

 

[haverford]

I know you only have 149 posts, but you should know that posts like that are Eric's speciality. You shouldn't take it so personally.

That said, I agree with Eric's basic point. Would I like to have Hunter? Sure, it'd be nice if we had him. Would I like to have Hunter instead of KT? Absolutely, positively not. There are a lot of big men I'd rather have than Steven Hunter if given a choice.

Thanks Chap.

 

[elindholm]

You know, the snideness is not appreciated, nor is it called for.

Oh please. Your pointed, rhetorical question wasn't snide?

 

[haverford]

You know, the snideness is not appreciated, nor is it called for.

Oh please. Your pointed, rhetorical question wasn't snide?

No. It wasn't. Sorry you heard that.

 

[haverford]

And it wasn't rhetorical, as I explained in my previous post.

 

[TucsonDevil]

Eric, sprouting wings alone wouldn't facilitate a trip to the moon? What are you going to do about the intense rays of the Sun? How about the lack of oxyge? Not to mention the time it would take to actually fly that distance... you would need food and water - could you carry that much with a simple set of wings? I doubt it...

... sometimes we just need to lighten up and have fun.

 

[elindholm]

No. It wasn't. Sorry you heard that.

Okay, I apologize for misunderstanding.

I guess I don't understand your point. Hunter hasn't shown anything other than, "He might be good under the right circumstances." Again, that could be said for almost anyone.

Right now, because of injuries, he is starting for the Sixers, logging good minutes, making some layups, blocking a few shots, not rebounding, and losing. I'm just not impressed by that.

Does he have it in him to be a valuable player on a good team? Maybe, maybe not. We saw plenty of that last season: flashes where he'd look very impressive, followed by long stretches where he'd look useless. Until there's evidence that clearly indicates he's moved beyond that -- and make no mistake, his performance with Philadelphia so far is not the kind of evidence I mean -- I'm not going to give him any further thought.

 

[haverford]

No. It wasn't. Sorry you heard that.

Okay, I apologize for misunderstanding.

I guess I don't understand your point. Hunter hasn't shown anything other than, "He might be good under the right circumstances." Again, that could be said for almost anyone.

Right now, because of injuries, he is starting for the Sixers, logging good minutes, making some layups, blocking a few shots, not rebounding, and losing. I'm just not impressed by that.

Does he have it in him to be a valuable player on a good team? Maybe, maybe not. We saw plenty of that last season: flashes where he'd look very impressive, followed by long stretches where he'd look useless. Until there's evidence that clearly indicates he's moved beyond that -- and make no mistake, his performance with Philadelphia so far is not the kind of evidence I mean -- I'm not going to give him any further thought.

No sweat on the misunderstanding....

I suppose my harping (I guess it's amounting to that at this point, heh, and I admit it's not a terribly original criticism of the Suns) has to do with team and managerial philosophies--whether whatever might "be there" with Hunter is just not going to be appreciated by the Suns management, either as something to work with in the present or to view as potential in a 7 foot tall 22 year old. That there is a kind of player that the Suns, and I suppose I'm really talking about the guiding history of the Colangeli, just have a huge blindspot for the "big man." So Hunter worries me as a case in a larger pattern--not so much letting functional, role-playing, non-Amare, traditional center-type, big men get away, but not even knowing what to do with them when they're here.

 

[elindholm]

So Hunter worries me as a case in a larger pattern--not so much letting functional, role-playing, non-Amare, traditional center-type, big men get away, but not even knowing what to do with them when they're here.

I can sympathize with that. But actually, there aren't any examples of big men who "got away" from the Suns and went on to do anything. Recent examples are Tsakalidis, Cabarkapa, Vroman, Lampe, and Hunter (some of whom weren't really big men, but never mind). None of them has done anything yet to make us think, "Gee, the Suns screwed up by letting him go."

It's fashionable on this board to quibble over draft choices, and thank you for not taking up that tired argument. As far as players who have been on the team goes, I can't think of a single case where the Suns were embarrassed by what a big man accomplished after the team gave up on him.

 

[fordronken]

Hunter also doesn't really fit in that well with the team, stylistically. He hurts our offense a lot more than he helps our defense. And while he was a pretty good shot blocker, his man-to-man defense was wildly inconsistent.

 

[Drop D]

I can't think of a single case where the Suns were embarrassed by what a big man accomplished after the team gave up on him.

Some may argue McDyess, at least until his knee blows up.

 

[haverford]

I can't think of a single case where the Suns were embarrassed by what a big man accomplished after the team gave up on him.

Some may argue McDyess, at least until his knee blows up.

FWIW, it's not just whom they've given up on, but those not pursued at all. Which opens the argument up in vast ways, I admit. But still worth thinking about, pace Eric.