How good will we be when...

[slinslin]

Camby is bigger than Voshkul and starts at center.

Grant is a little shorter but much stronger than Voshkul.

There can be an argument made that Voshkul is better than Divac, Okur, LaFrentz, Wright and Dalembert? .... No it can't.

Jake is a stiff but he works hard, he is your perfect backup but that is it.

 

[slinslin]

Originally posted by Chaplin
It's funny how people still actually think that "good" starting centers actually exist. A good 75% of slin's list are power forwards.

They are all starting at center and none of them is weaker than Voshkul.

Only a few are shorter but those are much stronger and better.

How tall is Jake 6'11 officialy but more like 6'10 maybe.

Jake also leads the NBA in fouls which is quite an accomplishment with the minutes he plays and also shows you something about his natural basketball ability and understanding of the game.

 

[George O'Brien]

Originally posted by slinslin
They are all starting at center and none of them is weaker than Voshkul.

Only a few are shorter but those are much stronger and better.

How tall is Jake 6'11 officialy but more like 6'10 maybe.

Jake also leads the NBA in fouls which is quite an accomplishment with the minutes he plays and also shows you something about his natural basketball ability and understanding of the game.

I was surprised that Voskuhl had not spent last summer in the weight room. Many of his fouls come as a result of being overpowered.

Another problem with Jake is that his hands are not strong enough. He frequently gets the ball stripped from him after making a rebound or has rebounds grapped out of his hands. More strength might help here too.

BTW, White's problem is not strength but the need to do road work to be able to run more and move faster. White also needs to spend this summer practicing catching the ball, rebounding without fumbling, and passing.

Both Voskuhl and White could get better, but it is not clear that either will be enough to be a championship contender.

 

[Chaplin]

Originally posted by George O'Brien
I was surprised that Voskuhl had not spent last summer in the weight room. Many of his fouls come as a result of being overpowered.

Many? Perhaps. Most? Absolutely not. A good 75% of his fouls are offensive off of bad moving picks. If he gets that taken care of, he'll be a lot more effective. And let's face it, that IS a skill that can be taught--he just needs to learn it.

 

[cly2tw]

Weight room?

Rodman weighed 220 pd at 6'8 but still one of the best defensive PF. (Maybe that's reason why the Suns wanted to have Marion play PF so often, he should be as strong as Rodman was!)

 

[George O'Brien]

Originally posted by cly2tw
Weight room?

Rodman weighed 220 pd at 6'8 but still one of the best defensive PF. (Maybe that's reason why the Suns wanted to have Marion play PF so often, he should be as strong as Rodman was!)

It is probably a mistake to use guys like Rodman to prove anything. There has never been a player like Rodman before or since. He had an amazing ability to figure out where the ball was going to go once it left the shooter's hand. He would get into position to make the rebound before anyone else. For some reason, most players never seem to even understand the theory let alone react to it.

In a sense, talking about Rodman is like trying to figure out how Barkley could play PF and only be 6'4". No one else has been able to do it for 30 years and I doubt anyone else will.

As for Marion, strength is important, but quickness is more important. I think he pumping up over the summer was a mistake. He needed to be stronger, but not bigger.

 

[cly2tw]

Originally posted by George O'Brien
As for Marion, strength is important, but quickness is more important. I think he pumping up over the summer was a mistake. He needed to be stronger, but not bigger.

Exactly. Strength is not the same as muscle, though muscle is the easiest way to improve strength.

Rodman was a master of tricking the opponent rebounder into wrong timing by exchanging and manipulating the subtle pushes under the basket. He would get a slight advantage to get to the ball first. Often times, he just used this small window of opportunity to tip the ball in a way that he was in a better position to get. He used to love contacts, actually he thrived by initiating contact. That's really an art! Not many viewers could appreciate it. Sometimes, you just wish that Marion with his basic physical tools/talents would quit his bad habits and learn some of this fine art instead! (If with natural hopping and jumping he already gets 10 rebounds a game, how many was he to get if he learned some Rodmansque tricks!)