Ridiculous Dirk is on another level. DMo is a role player with a nice shot and a few good post moves. Comparing him to Dirk only hurts him. Especially with Terrence Jones outplaying him last season
D-Mo getting up to 257 this offseason is a negative for him, in my opinion. He doesn't need to become a back-to-the-basket, paint clogging big man. How many 7 footers in the NBA can do what he does, athletically? Why mess with that? Motie is the NBA's next big thing if the Rockets stop trying to change him, and give him the opportunity he deserves. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBucvFHTQLI
I don't think it's about his post game. His post game was actually decent. It's about his defense and being able to keep his position. The guy can't stay on the floor to shoot those 3's (even though he wasn't doing very well at them) or his post game if he's playing matador or fouling all the time. The guy couldn't even stay on his feet. 30 extra lbs should help with that.
You probably didn't watch last season. He got the opportunity he deserved. Gaining weight doesn't mean you're going to turn into a hulking body of mass like Shaq. For a twig like Dmo, gaining weight means staying competitive with the rest of the stretch 4s in this leauge.
Dirk averaged 20 mpg his rookie season while D-Mo only got 12, but on a minute per minute basis, their numbers are very similar. In his second year, Dirk was at 35 mpg and started the entire season. He was also probably the most talented player on his team (which was not a very good one at the time) so there was no reason to hold him back. D-Mo is not in the same situation, but I think given the opportunity to develop he will prove to be a valuable NBA player even if he doesn't ultimately reach the heights of Dirk. But I don't think the possibility should be dismissed after one partial season, especially when he actually showed some promise.
lets just wait and see how Dmo will look with added weight, lithuania national team starting training camp next week, and in few weeks they prolly play some friendly games, then we can start to to judge him.
I don't like the Dirk comparisons either it puts unrealistic expectations on D-Mo. But it does do a good job in illustrating how much a player can improve from his rookie season. Dirk shot 20% from 3, one of the games all time great shooters shot .206 in his rookie season. He also grabbed a mere 6.1 reb per 36. Suddenly D-mo's 29% doesn't look so bad. The shot can improve, the strength will improve , and other things can only come with some NBA exp. He has length and quickness which is an invaluable combination. Just give him some time.
I don't even think it's possible to put on 30 lbs. of muscle in one offseason, despite what the Rockets claim.
T-Jones outplayed him last year, and from the look of summer league really worked hard to improve his game during the off months. I love what D-Mo could become, but right now Jones is the better player and the better option.
I'm a fan of Donatas, but I have to say that the excerpts the OP posted (thanks!) appear pretty on target to me. Donuts doesn't play nearly as well on defense as he should, considering his physical gifts. He's very inconsistent on both defense, and offense, and the offensive side of the game is his strength, or should be. Every once in a while, you'll see a good defensive play, a little stretch of defense, some brilliant moves around the post on offense, but it's just a tease. Motiejunas needs to play at least decent team D and really bring it on offense consistently, or he's going to be coming off the bench, fighting for minutes with guys that are hungry, and want badly to stay in the league.
To be honest, None of the Young PFs outplayed any other - they all showed huge holes in their game. But TJ at least looked like he had all the physical tools already and just needs to let the game slow down for him. So I agree that he is ahead right now. But it will be really interesting to see the new DMo...
