George O'Brien
ASFN Icon
Three days ago, I was figuring the Suns were about to move Jahidi. Certainly he had not shown much over the past month and a half. He had not played more than 20 minutes in a game since Jan 2nd. Prior to Friday, his previous games minutes he played was 10, 2, 4, 13, 16, and 14.
Then on Friday, he played 24 minutes and grabbed 13 rebounds. On Sunday he played 33 minutes and grabbed 5 rebounds - but held Shaq to only 5 rebounds.
After today's game, I wondered how many teams watched the ESPN broadcast and asked why they turned down the give aways the Suns were apparently offering.
Of course, White is a strange player. He looks and sometime plays like a defensive lineman. Like Jake, he suffers from the fact that the guards refuse to wait for him to set his feet before making their move. He is certainly not "graceful" and bobbles passes more often than catching them.
BUT, he is ranked #8 in the NBA in rebounds per minute played. Bill Walton on ESPN said White's defensive job against Shaq was second only to that of Yao. White's ability to block out helped the Suns to outreboudn the Lakers 39 to 33 (Amare had 12 boards and Shawn had 13).
Why hasn't White seen more action? He might not have received the minutes in the Memphis game if Voskuhl had not picked up so many fouls at the start of the game. In effect, D'Antoni was forced to play White and he did very well.
My guess is that D'Antoni likes Voskuhl because he is quicker, has more offensive skills, and plays with a lot of energy. Voskuhl is much better than White at double teaming people and doing switches. When White is in the lineup, the Suns have to adjust their defense and play more zone and straight man defense.
However, with the Suns defensive problem it is encouraging to be able to outrebound opponents: 49-48 against Memphis and 39-33 against the Lakers.
But this just opens up more questions. Will White get more playing time? What will happen this summer?
For a team that has won only 1 game in the last 10, it is hard to see how the combination of Voskuhl and small ball is actually working. White's ability to block out may be as important as his rebounding and he certainly changes the personality of the team. No one says the Suns are "soft" when White is in the lineup.
White is a guy who might very well benefit from simply playing more. He is actually more skilled than at the start of the season, but it is hard to show it when getting so few minutes.
But what happens this summer if White keeps playing well? One possibility is that the Bobcats would take him without any bribes. But if they don't, it is not clear that the Suns would not be better off holding on to him until they have a sustitute. The Suns could easily get draft picks and more if they wait until NEXT February when some team is looking for inside power and an expiring contract.
It would be nice to have him around just to watch some idiot try to take a charge from him.
Then on Friday, he played 24 minutes and grabbed 13 rebounds. On Sunday he played 33 minutes and grabbed 5 rebounds - but held Shaq to only 5 rebounds.
After today's game, I wondered how many teams watched the ESPN broadcast and asked why they turned down the give aways the Suns were apparently offering.
Of course, White is a strange player. He looks and sometime plays like a defensive lineman. Like Jake, he suffers from the fact that the guards refuse to wait for him to set his feet before making their move. He is certainly not "graceful" and bobbles passes more often than catching them.
BUT, he is ranked #8 in the NBA in rebounds per minute played. Bill Walton on ESPN said White's defensive job against Shaq was second only to that of Yao. White's ability to block out helped the Suns to outreboudn the Lakers 39 to 33 (Amare had 12 boards and Shawn had 13).
Why hasn't White seen more action? He might not have received the minutes in the Memphis game if Voskuhl had not picked up so many fouls at the start of the game. In effect, D'Antoni was forced to play White and he did very well.
My guess is that D'Antoni likes Voskuhl because he is quicker, has more offensive skills, and plays with a lot of energy. Voskuhl is much better than White at double teaming people and doing switches. When White is in the lineup, the Suns have to adjust their defense and play more zone and straight man defense.
However, with the Suns defensive problem it is encouraging to be able to outrebound opponents: 49-48 against Memphis and 39-33 against the Lakers.
But this just opens up more questions. Will White get more playing time? What will happen this summer?
For a team that has won only 1 game in the last 10, it is hard to see how the combination of Voskuhl and small ball is actually working. White's ability to block out may be as important as his rebounding and he certainly changes the personality of the team. No one says the Suns are "soft" when White is in the lineup.
White is a guy who might very well benefit from simply playing more. He is actually more skilled than at the start of the season, but it is hard to show it when getting so few minutes.
But what happens this summer if White keeps playing well? One possibility is that the Bobcats would take him without any bribes. But if they don't, it is not clear that the Suns would not be better off holding on to him until they have a sustitute. The Suns could easily get draft picks and more if they wait until NEXT February when some team is looking for inside power and an expiring contract.
It would be nice to have him around just to watch some idiot try to take a charge from him.
