He was "Akeem" when he was drafted and then became "Hakeem" later on - I think in 1991 - right? (FWIW, I used "Akeem" in my post on that basis.)Ayton is no (H)akeem, and Luka is no MJ, but I get the basic parallels.
He was "Akeem" when he was drafted and then became "Hakeem" later on - I think in 1991 - right? (FWIW, I used "Akeem" in my post on that basis.)Ayton is no (H)akeem, and Luka is no MJ, but I get the basic parallels.
Oh, I wasn’t correcting your usage — just covering both bases.He was "Akeem" when he was drafted and then became "Hakeem" later on - I think in 1991 - right? (FWIW, I used "Akeem" in my post on that basis.)
Yeah, Hakeem was arguably the best player in the NBA during Jordan's 1st retirement.Oh, I wasn’t correcting your usage — just covering both bases.
With all due respect to Ayton, I do think the comp is a little disrespectful to the Dream.
Hakeem is really the alpha defensive player; and he played at the perfect time for his skill-set to dominate the game at that end. Quick enough to harass players on the perimeter, but the game was all about protecting the basket and Hakeem was like Batman coming out of the shadows and denying people at the basket, as well as swooping into passing lanes. Just a tremendous combination of pure athletic ability, natural instincts and intelligence. He has 5,992 career stocks (steals+blocks); the next closest person is Kareem at 4,349 and then David Robinson at 4,342. Robinson to his credit was really close in his prime, he just played in a lot fewer games. Hakeem averaged 4.8 stocks per game while Robinson was at 4.4. Ewing (4,030 career stocks) had maybe the best defensive potential out of all of them, but his knees started going even in college and he wasn't quite the panther he was when he was at Georgetown.Yeah, Hakeem was arguably the best player in the NBA during Jordan's 1st retirement.
I'm still shocked whenever I look at his total stat line for his career.
26946 points, 13764 rebounds, 3058 assists, 2162 steals, 3830 Blocks, 3667 TO.
In 5 of his first 7 seasons, he averaged 2+ steals and 3+ blocks a game.
In 1988/89, he had 213 steals and 282 blocks. Averaged 24.8 points, 13.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 2.6 steals, 3.4 blocks.
Following year, 24.3, 14.0, 2.9, 2.1, 4.6.
Hakeem is the only player to ever record 200 steals and 200 blocks in the same season. Only 3 players have ever recorded a 200 steal, 100 block season. Jordan did it twice. Pippen did it once.
Jordan had 236 steals/125 blocks in 86/87. Followed that up with 259/131 in 87/88. Pippen had 211 steals, 101 blocks in 89/90.
So there have been 4 such 200/100 seasons. It also happened 4 straight years. Interesting.
He was my favorite player during the Jordan era.
Sure but the Suns are much better off with Ayton and Paul than with Doncic and flotsam at the 5. They are the best team in the league and the debate is whether they screwed up. That’s kinda funny to me.Well yes. But that only further emphasizes the folly in picking the center # 1, IMO
The whole "Centers are less valuable" thing is funny to me. Who are the top 3 MVP candidates? 3 guys who are 6'11 or better.Sure but the Suns are much better off with Ayton and Paul than with Doncic and flotsam at the 5. They are the best team in the league and the debate is whether they screwed up. That’s kinda funny to me.
There is way too many variables to play this game. But I wouldn't assume that they don't have Paul just because they drafted Doncic. Or put another way, you can't just assume they draft Doncic and make no other moves to improve their team like they did when they acquired PaulSure but the Suns are much better off with Ayton and Paul than with Doncic and flotsam at the 5. They are the best team in the league and the debate is whether they screwed up. That’s kinda funny to me.
It's hard to bake in acquiring an all-NBA point guard for almost nothing 2 years after a draft into whether a draft pick was the right draft pick (it wasn't).Sure but the Suns are much better off with Ayton and Paul than with Doncic and flotsam at the 5. They are the best team in the league and the debate is whether they screwed up. That’s kinda funny to me.
They'd be one of the top teams in the NBA either way. With Doncic, their window would be considerably longer. If they do win a title with Paul, it will all be moot.There is way too many variables to play this game. But I wouldn't assume that they don't have Paul just because they drafted Doncic. Or put another way, you can't just assume they draft Doncic and make no other moves to improve their team like they did when they acquired Paul
Doncic's last 31 games: 36.3 minutes, .479/.399/.735, 31.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, 8.5 assists.Doncic is carrying a team whose 2nd best player is...Dinwiddie? DFS? THJ? Brunson?...to the 3rd best record in the West.
That iteration of the Suns would be insane.
3 seasons ago he was much more interesting, not as much now (as far as the Celtics are concerned)
I mean I don’t see any variables as they have Paul now and are the best team in the league. Do you feel execs in the Suns front office are pounding their heads on the best bc they are 51-21 with Paul/Ayton instead of Doncic? It’s ok for moves to work out great for more than one team.There is way too many variables to play this game. But I wouldn't assume that they don't have Paul just because they drafted Doncic. Or put another way, you can't just assume they draft Doncic and make no other moves to improve their team like they did when they acquired Paul
Not sure why they'd waste their time beating themselves up over it - but if they were to think about it, their thought process should be something like, "It's a good thing we made that great Chris Paul trade to make up for the fact that we missed on Doncic".I mean I don’t see any variables as they have Paul now and are the best team in the league. Do you feel execs in the Suns front office are pounding their heads on the best bc they are 51-21 with Paul/Ayton instead of Doncic? It’s ok for moves to work out great for more than one team.
So because they made a good move later that was independent of the draft, they made the right draft pick? Was it also smart to draft Jaylen Smith and then not pick up his third year option and then sell him off for peanuts? I mean, they're the best team in the league, so what does it matter that they threw away a lottery pick! Are the execs in the front office pounding their heads that they didn't draft Halliburton?I mean I don’t see any variables as they have Paul now and are the best team in the league. Do you feel execs in the Suns front office are pounding their heads on the best bc they are 51-21 with Paul/Ayton instead of Doncic? It’s ok for moves to work out great for more than one team.
Curiously, examples of "hot hand" players were all centers, not three-point shooters, as you might guess: Tim Duncan, Roy Hibbert and Marcin Gortat.Of the players who demonstrated the ability to go on hot streaks, the average hot hand effect led to a 2.71% increase in the chance of making a third shot in a row.
I think it’s a real effect, at least in the sense that you can get in a rhythm with any mechanical process. The problem is that it’s hard to predict and reproduce. So from a coaching/game planning perspective it can’t be a major factor.On the "hot hand": It is real, but rare, according to these researchers.
Yes, and I think it's also something that's really hard to capture in any scientific study. Not only is it mechanical it's neurological, where everything comes together at once - like how you go through your morning routine without thinking about it, but you are performing tasks like getting coffee, packing kids' lunches, etc..I think it’s a real effect, at least in the sense that you can get in a rhythm with any mechanical process. The problem is that it’s hard to predict and reproduce. So from a coaching/game planning perspective it can’t be a major factor.
Sadly that class is looking a lot more like a poor man's version of the 2003 class - Lebron/Darko/Melo. The Warriors, like the Pistons, are a title contender despite completely blowing the 2nd pick (TBD), but man would they look better if they'd picked Ball.Ayton is no (H)akeem, and Luka is no MJ, but I get the basic parallels.
I might put Edwards/Wiseman/LaMelo in that same category, depending how Wiseman's game/health evolves over the couple years.
I also find this odd. A healthy AD (yes I know this isn’t happening any time soon) gets right into the conversation too.The whole "Centers are less valuable" thing is funny to me. Who are the top 3 MVP candidates? 3 guys who are 6'11 or better.
How so? His playoff numbers are incredible, and probably just one of his losses they should have won (2019 against Portland). Even in that series Jokic still put up monster numbers (27/14/8) and shot .522/.462/.826. He didn't play well against Phoenix last year, but they didn't have a shot regardless, badly outgunned with Murray out.I mean Giannis is 6'11" or so, but he's not really a C in any meaningful way. Embiid and Jokic are the Cs, and to be brutally honest Jokic is lucky that it's a regular season award.
He's not exactly a defensive force out there. During the regular season. During the playoffs he's a liability. Hence the Nuggets' need for Jamal Murray to go absolutely bonkers to drag them to the WCF the bubble year. That's the problem with the Doug Moe School of Hoopsology.How so? His playoff numbers are incredible, and probably just one of his losses they should have won (2019 against Portland). Even in that series Jokic still put up monster numbers (27/14/8) and shot .522/.462/.826. He didn't play well against Phoenix last year, but they didn't have a shot regardless, badly outgunned with Murray out.
And as noted above, it's not like Embiid has been any better.
And by both the advanced stats and the eye test, he's improved defensively this year, right? We'll see if that continues in this year's playoffs.He's not exactly a defensive force out there. During the regular season. During the playoffs he's a liability. Hence the Nuggets' need for Jamal Murray to go absolutely bonkers to drag them to the WCF the bubble year. That's the problem with the Doug Moe School of Hoopsology.
Not by Darko. He was basically a 2 Darko defensive player for most of his career (not bad but not special), tailed off for about 75 games and is now back to where he was two years ago more or less.And by both the advanced stats and the eye test, he's improved defensively this year, right? We'll see if that continues in this year's playoffs.
And Jokic's 2nd star didn't even suit up.I mean I have been the first to call Embiid the new Dwight Howard, but even I'll grant that Rivers has gotten through to Embiid. So I really can't slag him for his past. And I really can't blame him for choking against the Hawks as he did everything but come charging out of a phone booth in underwear and a cape. Embiid's second star was the Houdini of the Playoffs, which is one reason the Nets just don't scare me. Even when healthy.
Who the hell cares about titles? Jokic locks you into one way of playing. A way that doesn't have a great track record of success unless Jamal Murray goes fucking bonkers. And Jamal Murray goes fucking bonkers isn't a franchise plan.And Jokic's 2nd star didn't even suit up.
Jokic is a problem in the playoffs the way Giannis is a problem in the playoffs. He can't win it all, until he does. It's like winning titles is hard and only 1 team does it per year. Lots of people go without rings. T
Jokic is looking like he'll be either the 1st or 2nd best center in the league for the next 5-8 years, and Denver is really hoping to sign him to the supermax this offseason (which would take him through the rest of his prime). Rough situation to be in.Who the hell cares about titles? Jokic locks you into one way of playing. A way that doesn't have a great track record of success unless Jamal Murray goes fucking bonkers. And Jamal Murray goes fucking bonkers isn't a franchise plan.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33666594/joel-embiid-scoring-44-philadelphia-76ers-win-know-to-do-win-mvp"If it happens, great," Embiid said of winning his first MVP. "If it doesn't, I don't know what I have to do. I'll feel like they hate me. I feel like the standard for guys in Philly or for me is different than everyone else."
Yeah, he played almost 70 games this year. What do they want him to do, miss less than a dozen games? Insanity.Embiid is preemptively talking about not how unfair the voting is if he doesn’t win the MVP:
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33666594/joel-embiid-scoring-44-philadelphia-76ers-win-know-to-do-win-mvp
I can't believe that they won't vote for me even though I don't have the best stats, and my team isn't any more successful than the others... I mean, is my twitter usage not worth anything?Embiid is preemptively talking about not how unfair the voting is if he doesn’t win the MVP:
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33666594/joel-embiid-scoring-44-philadelphia-76ers-win-know-to-do-win-mvp
I’ve got Jokic 1, Giannis 2 and Embiid 3 all with pretty clear gaps. I’ve got a +155 (I think) ticket on Jokic and a +700 on Giannis bc that’s just silly.I can't believe that they won't vote for me even though I don't have the best stats, and my team isn't any more successful than the others... I mean, is my twitter usage not worth anything?
yea, all they have done is say he isn't playing in the next 10-12 daysWorth noting that Nash hasn’t ruled Simmons out for the actual playoffs, if they make it past the play-in.
I'm sure that'll be perfect for Simmons, playing in the most important games under the brightest lights. For a guy who can't handle the sport of basketball, playing in important games, or bright lights, this is not ideal.Worth noting that Nash hasn’t ruled Simmons out for the actual playoffs, if they make it past the play-in.
I would be shocked if they go that way, given that he hasn’t practiced regularly with the team.yea, all they have done is say he isn't playing in the next 10-12 days
When his “back injury” popped up a couple weeks ago I pretty much assumed he was done until training camp. I haven’t seen anything since to change my opinion.Worth noting that Nash hasn’t ruled Simmons out for the actual playoffs, if they make it past the play-in.
Yeah you're not coming in after 9 months and just playing in the playoffsWhen his “back injury” popped up a couple weeks ago I pretty much assumed he was done until training camp. I haven’t seen anything since to change my opinion.
No doubt. I was expecting him to have “preseason” with workouts/practices with the G-league team to get him in shape. That’s not even an option anymore and every NBA practice from here on out, and for awhile now, consists of nothing more than a walkthrough with maybe some light work.Yeah you're not coming in after 9 months and just playing in the playoffs