give him half the opportunity, like Harden free pass to iso heroball to death 2 seasons in a row, to perfect his craft ingame and you've got yourself a WHITE DREAM ... I hope some team throw max at him and make him their 1st option.. so fun to watch him going to work in the post...and recently outside the postups as well... hehe linified... nice term...
So, you refute the statistics that were in Dwight's favor (FG% and TS) by saying that the eye test proves otherwise, yet you say statistically D-Mo is the superior player. Interesting. And we're not talking about changing a philosophy or breaking in a scheme. We're talking about giving a guy the keys to the car in rush hour traffic when he's barely had a learner's permit. I agree that offensively he's more effective than Howard on the post. Howard is awkward and relies on athleticism rather than agility and craft. D-Mo has improved, has nice moves and good touch. But Dwight is no slouch, and he's huge on the defensive end and the glass (where D-mo is pedestrian, especially for his size). I don't think anyone is denying that D-Mo has been good this year. But the fact is you can't project how he'd do as the primary option. He's benefiting from the fact that we have two all star, legit, proven players on this team. Someone made a good comparison between D-Mo and Scola. Remember when Scola had to be the primary option here? We all loved Luis but he just isn't that guy. The fact is, D-Mo has never had to deal with a defense geared to stop him. He's never faced constant double teams. He's never had to be "the guy" in the NBA. Could he be? I wouldn't bet on it but anything is possible. However you're ready to run the entire team through this guy when we have James freaking Harden on the team. Sorry dude. I've been giving you rope on this for weeks but it's gone way over the line.
You do realize the player you described there is a very good player. A 7ft scola would be an All star in his prime.
I think he's comparing output. At 7ft, D-mo is just a taller version of Scola. Although now that I think about it D-mo is a better defender than Luis was, but Scola had a better mid range shot. Isn't Scola around 6'10" anyway?
Scola was 6'9 and IMO has a much better post game then D-Mo does. Scola was just crafty around the basket with various fakes and scoops. His mid range was also money. Anyone remember that elbow jumper? I don't think I ever recall him missing that. Defensively, D-Mo is better, though I want to say that's purely from height. Rebounding, I would argue that Scola was better. He had some monster rebounding games, something D-Mo never did, and on average he rebounds comparatively despite being much shorter.
I agree 100%. I looked up their rebound numbers earlier and Scola had a slight edge even though he was significantly smaller. Of course Luis was quite a bit older so I'd expect D-Mo to improve in the next 3-4 seasons. Hopefully on the glass.
In terms of his per stats, DMo seems to be the same player he's always been. He's been getting more minutes and looks more comfortable, less clueless/awkward, but there hasn't really been any spike in his production. He shows flashes but obviously hasn't put it together yet. There's no guarantee he ever will. I think he can be a bench piece, but he hasn't shown me that he can be a first option even on a second unit.
IMO No. And I loved him here. A great complimentary player and a decent offensive option. But to me elite is something you build around. Someone that's head and shoulders above even the "good" players.
DMO could really thrive on a non playoff team in that he would get many more touches and plays called his way. With Harden and Howard its just not going to happen, especially with the rockets not having a true PG at the helm.
Scola's best year was 18 and 8 with over 50% shooting. If Dmo was doing that, some would want him to be a Max player and the #1 option.
Linified is an awesome term, Mr. Clutch. I'd rep if I could Anyway, Amazingskills I think DMo is good, not Dream good or something, but definitely has offense skill set around the basket. I will tell you though I cringe everytime he takes a 3, almost more than Smith taking one... I wish they'd stop having him shoot out there. I also think his defense could use some work. I'm not sure if I see the passing skills yet but time will tell.
LOL. Some people in the garm would build a bronze statue of DMO doing his post spin move in front of Toyota Center if he were averaging 18-8 LOL. :grin:
