East Valley Tribune: Okafor will be in Suns' sights

[George O'Brien]

East Valley Tribune: Okafor will be in Suns' sights

By Craig Morgan, Tribune
The Suns are in the middle of a four-game road trip, but don't be surprised to see some members of the Phoenix brass tonight at America West Arena.

The NCAA tournament's Phoenix Regional offers a great opportunity to scout college talent in a high-pressure, game environment. No talent intrigues the Suns (and many other NBA teams) more than Connecticut junior center Emeka Okafor, who many NBA analysts expect to go No. 1 or No. 2 in this summer's draft, assuming he declares.

The Suns currently own the NBA's fifth-worst record, meaning they will have the fifth most opportunities to land the top pick. With Amare Stoudemire locked in at power forward, the undersized Okafor (6-foot-10) would have to play center.

That works perfectly for a team in search of better interior defense and shot-blocking ability.

The Suns are barred from discussing Okafor because he is an underclassman, but some NBA scouts call the Huskies star a more offensively-gifted version of Detroit Pistons rebounding and defensive terror Ben Wallace, a 6-9 center.

Other scouts draw a more prominent parallel for Okafor.

“If (former Boston Celtics great) Bill Russell played in today's game, this is who he would be," said one NBA scout. “He's come a very long way offensively. He can throw a jump hook with either hand, he runs extremely well, he has above average hands and he can block shots with either hand, which is very unusual.

“He's the most polished and prepared of all the college big kids."

In order to develop into an NBA center, Okafor will likely need to acquire more of a face-up game while continuing to add strength to his 252-pound frame to play one-on-one defense against the likes of Shaquille O'Neal.

But Okafor's renowned work ethic and his ability to change games with his weak-side defensive abilities has teams salivating at the thought of him in their lineup.

“He's on everybody's radar," the scout said.

 

[scotsman13]

wow, personally there is few things that you could say about a player that i would think are higher prase then to say he is bill russell remade today.

 

[Yuma]

wow, personally there is few things that you could say about a player that i would think are higher prase then to say he is bill russell remade today.

Unless we could get a Wilt Chamberlain today!! Wilt would be better suited to today's game, I think. Think Amare's style of play, only 7'2" minimum, and a lot of folks thought he was actually TALLER than he would admit. The thing about Wallace is that he is built like a tank! Okafor is not, therefore I think physically they compare him to Bill Russell. Russell had a tremendous will and battling spirit. That's hard to teach!

 

[George O'Brien]

Unless we could get a Wilt Chamberlain today!! Wilt would be better suited to today's game, I think. Think Amare's style of play, only 7'2" minimum, and a lot of folks thought he was actually TALLER than he would admit. The thing about Wallace is that he is built like a tank! Okafor is not, therefore I think physically they compare him to Bill Russell. Russell had a tremendous will and battling spirit. That's hard to teach!

I'm also impressed by the fact that Okafor graduated in three years.

BTW, NBA.com lists Ben Wallace at 6'9" 240. Anyone want to guess how obsolete that weight listing is?

 

[Yuma]

I'm also impressed by the fact that Okafor graduated in three years.

BTW, NBA.com lists Ben Wallace at 6'9" 240. Anyone want to guess how obsolete that weight listing is?

I'm 5'10" and 218! I am no way shape or form as big as Ben Wallace!! I think that's extremly FALSE!!!

 

[F-Dog]

Bill Russell is supposed to be nearly as tall as Kevin Garnett, actually.

They must have measured the players in their socks in those days.

 

[George O'Brien]

Bill Russell is supposed to be nearly as tall as Kevin Garnett, actually.

They must have measured the players in their socks in those days.

I think heigth is overrated. Obviously a guy that is six inches or more taller has an advantage, but within a couple of inches the length of the player's arms, solid weight, quickness, and leaping ability can negate any heigth difference.

 

[Joe Mama]

Bill Russell is supposed to be nearly as tall as Kevin Garnett, actually.

They must have measured the players in their socks in those days.

If Bill Russell is as tall as Kevin Garnett they must have chopped off the bottom half of their feet as well when measuring players in the old days. KG is every bit of 7'1".

If you want some reference I remember that Amare Stoudemire was measured at 6'8 3/4" barefoot and 6'10" in shoes at the Chicago predraft Camp. The problem is Amare never stands up straight, so it's hard to compare him to other players. I believe he also had a 36" vertical leap. If I remember correctly Antonio McDyess had a record 40-42" vertical leap before he was drafted.

I just wish they would measure these guys barefoot and weigh them when they signed each contract. Of course then we wouldn't have much to debate over.

Joe Mama

 

[Skkorpion]

If the Suns draft Okafor AND his back is okay, we'll win 47 games next year. That's how good this guy can be, IMO.

 

[Joe Mama]

If the Suns draft Okafor AND his back is okay, we'll win 47 games next year. That's how good this guy can be, IMO.

The Suns struggle most against teams with these tall centers. I'm sorry, but I don't think Okafor, who I'm thinking is at most 6'9" with shoes, is the solution to that problem. If he has to play anything more than some backup minutes at Center he is going to get posted up and scored on regularly. I was hoping for a closer game tonight, so we could get a good, long look at him. They just killed Vanderbilt though.

Right now (and my opinion will probably change by tomorrow) I would rather the Phoenix Suns traded the pick than drafted Okafor.

BTW, even though it would probably mean all Amare Stoudemire for the Phoenix Suns, I really wish there was some way to enforce an age limit of 20 years old.

Joe Mama

 

[George O'Brien]

The Suns struggle most against teams with these tall centers. I'm sorry, but I don't think Okafor, who I'm thinking is at most 6'9" with shoes, is the solution to that problem. If he has to play anything more than some backup minutes at Center he is going to get posted up and scored on regularly. I was hoping for a closer game tonight, so we could get a good, long look at him. They just killed Vanderbilt though.

Right now (and my opinion will probably change by tomorrow) I would rather the Phoenix Suns traded the pick than drafted Okafor.

BTW, even though it would probably mean all Amare Stoudemire for the Phoenix Suns, I really wish there was some way to enforce an age limit of 20 years old.

Joe Mama

I am looking forward to the combine when we can this heigth issue settled. The media keeps saying Okafor is 6'10" and all we have to dispute this is that he doesn't look that tall when standing on the foul line. Yet somehow he blocks shots by guys who are very tall (the Vanderbilt center is 7'1") and he completely dominated the 6'11" Rafael Araujo. I am having a hard time buying the idea that he is doing it while being only an inch taller than Diogu.

 

[arthurracoon]

I'm also impressed by the fact that Okafor graduated in three years.

I'm even more impressed by what I heard on the radio today...

Okafor was deciding whether to go to Venderbilt or UConn...

Seems pretty smart

 

[Goldfield]

Him backing up Amare or even playing center is AWSOME!

 

[George O'Brien]

Him backing up Amare or even playing center is AWSOME!

One commentator said Okafor reminds him of Patrick Ewing except that Okafor has more offensive skills than Ewing did in college.

 

[scotsman13]

Unless we could get a Wilt Chamberlain today!! Wilt would be better suited to today's game, I think. Think Amare's style of play, only 7'2" minimum, and a lot of folks thought he was actually TALLER than he would admit. The thing about Wallace is that he is built like a tank! Okafor is not, therefore I think physically they compare him to Bill Russell. Russell had a tremendous will and battling spirit. That's hard to teach!

yuma, all i have to say to this is "11".

late in his nba career a young player came up to bill russell and said "what makes you so special? you arent that good." bill russell only said one thing "11". and turned to walk away. and this young player went after him and said "what does that mean?" bill held up both hands and said "11 championship, when you have that many come talk to me."

when walt or any other player has that many championships then you are welcome to come in here and say what makes them so special, until someone equals that to me he is the single greatest team player ever to play the game.

 

[Joe Mama]

yuma, all i have to say to this is "11".

late in his nba career a young player came up to bill russell and said "what makes you so special? you arent that good." bill russell only said one thing "11". and turned to walk away. and this young player went after him and said "what does that mean?" bill held up both hands and said "11 championship, when you have that many come talk to me."

when walt or any other player has that many championships then you are welcome to come in here and say what makes them so special, until someone equals that to me he is the single greatest team player ever to play the game.

Of course a skeptic like myself would probably tell you that if we had a time machine there would be no less than 10 big men who've played in the last 20 years that could have done the same thing as Bill Russell in his era. I forget who all of Russell's teammates were. However I believe for many of those championship seasons he was playing with three or four other hall of Famers on the same team.

I can honestly say that I don't remember ever watching an old Bill Russell game on ESPN classic. I don't know that I've ever seen more than a few clips of his play. Still, I have very hard time believing he would be held in such high regard if he played in one of the later eras. I'm sorry I just don't respect the competition that was 80-90% white and unathletic.

This is why I used to love those arguments between John Thompson and Danny Ainge regarding Bill Russell versus Shaquille O'Neal. Even Thompson, one of Russell's teammates, did not deny that Russell is about 6'10" 230-240 lbs.. That would make him a relatively undersized power forward in today's NBA.

Joe Mama

 

[ajcardfan]

I'm 6'4". I met Charles Barkley once, and I was stunned to see how small he actually was. I basically looked him right in the eye, he was probably an inch taller. He was one of the greatest rebounders ever, so height is not everything. Barkley used to dominate Kemp and Malone, he even guarded guys like Olajuwon and Shaq. Usually doing better than our centers.

I know Okafor and Barkley are very different players. But, I really really like Okafor, passing on him because of his size would be a mistake.

 

[scotsman13]

http://www.nba.com/history/players/russell_summary.html

take a look at some of what he did. btw he won a good part of those championships over walt.

 

[elindholm]

when walt or any other player has that many championships then you are welcome to come in here

Geez, now I need to add you to the list of people whose permission I need in order to post?

If I'm not mistaken, the baseball player with the most World Series rings is Yogi Berra. Does that make him the best ever?

 

[Goldfield]

I'm 6'4". I met Charles Barkley once, and I was stunned to see how small he actually was. I basically looked him right in the eye, he was probably an inch taller. He was one of the greatest rebounders ever, so height is not everything. Barkley used to dominate Kemp and Malone, he even guarded guys like Olajuwon and Shaq. Usually doing better than our centers.

I know Okafor and Barkley are very different players. But, I really really like Okafor, passing on him because of his size would be a mistake.

A BIGGGGG Second!

 

[scotsman13]

elindholm, i didnt say you couldnt post. i said that until someone equals the 11 championships that bill lead his team to you can say that he is better team player then bill. there was a reason that bill russell was courtside for barkley's ROH induction. he is the player that barkley most looks up to.

the bill vs. walt debate was done a long time ago with bill winning 11 to 2.

 

[elindholm]

the bill vs. walt debate was done a long time ago with bill winning 11 to 2.

Aren't you a little wary of such a simple answer to a complicated question? In your experience, isn't it more normal for complicated questions to have complicated answers?

And why didn't you address my Yogi Berra question?

And finally, just to check, you do mean Wilt Chamberlain, right -- not some other player named Walt?

 

[scotsman13]

as far as the yogi question the answer to that is simple too. i dont know i dont follow baseball.

and yes i am sorry i did mean wilt.

wilt vs. bill. it is very hard to beat 11 championships and 5 mvp. i would call that a straigh flush.

 

[George O'Brien]

the bill vs. walt debate was done a long time ago with bill winning 11 to 2.

Aren't you a little wary of such a simple answer to a complicated question? In your experience, isn't it more normal for complicated questions to have complicated answers?

And why didn't you address my Yogi Berra question?

And finally, just to check, you do mean Wilt Chamberlain, right -- not some other player named Walt?

What kind of Mickey Mouse question is that?

Seriously, I have no doubt that if Chamberlin had been on the Celtics, he would won a championships every year. The Celtics had a great team and a great coach. Russell played a huge part, but I'm sure Chamberlin would have done just fine.

It is really hard to compare Russell to modern players because the rules are different. The modern game permits a lot more contact, the current rules permit a modified zone compared to strictly man defense back then, there was no three point line back then, the refs called offensive 3 second more often, and so on. Physically the modern players are much taller and more athletic; but most of them have terrible fundimentals compared to players of the 60's.

Would Russell dominate today? Even assuming he had weight training, I'm guessing he would be a star but not the super player he was then. At that time opposing players did not really meet shot blockers except for Russell. He totally revolutionized the way the game was being played with his quickness and leaping ability. Still, he was the only player that came close to stopping Chamberlin who was at least three inches taller.

 

[elindholm]

What kind of Mickey Mouse question is that?

I thought we agreed to stop taunting each other? I've held up my end of the bargain.