Okay but you do know Mullens has mostly been a disappointment for OKC. This is his third stint in the DL. OKC desperately needs center help that's why they gave up a very good player for Perkins. IMO Mullens is a marginal NBA talent. ANd I am talking with some seasoning. If he is killing Thabeet what does that say about Thabeet right now. THe reality is I didn't see the game so I can't say whether he was playing Mullens poorly or not. You have to watch the game to know and evaluate that. But just knowing stat wise Mullens outplayed him statistically, would throw up red flags for me. By the way I am not ready to throw in the towel for Thabeet. Not at all. He is just getting started down there and already showing improvement. ANd I love his attitude so far and that goes a long way in my book. I believe his defense will get better but the jury is definitely still out on him.
Agree completely, I personally advocate chaining him to a very uncomfortable chair and making him selectively watch Luis Scola for hours at a time.
Sorry to say but I really doubt Thabeet is gonna become an NBA player. He just doesn't seem to have it. Perhaps CD can work him into a decent player. We'll see.
I think CD has recognized that this guy will need to make major changes to become productive, and that will only happen this summer. For the time being, CD is focusing on fixing minor things to make him functional IN CASE we might need him. The other thing is that many have said he is out of shape. I think that if the dude takes advantage of the summer working with someone who can keep improving his footwork and understanding of the game, he can be productive. He may even be lucky enough to have a longer time to work out if there is a lock out, and he definitely seems like someone who really NEEDS an entire training camp to understand the plays. There's a lot of work to be done, but in this league, the fact that a 7'2 guy has a chance to be a productive player is something worth pursuing for a while. I think Ben Wallace would also be a great tutor for this guy. I can't remember who but I remember reading recently that he helped someone improve their footwork/positioning dramatically to improve their rebounding. That's all Thabeet needs. If he is on a level playing field in terms of positioning and footwork, then he will outrebound everyone. Shotblocking will improve in the same way. I think we need to accept the fact that he's not a #2 pick but could still end up being worth a long term full MLE if he just improves in 3 basic areas: know where/how to be positioned for a rebound (CD), know where/how to be positioned for a block (CD), and know where/how to be positioned to play defense without picking up silly fouls (Chuck Hayes?).
I think it's an issue if Thabeet is being consistently dominated. I don't think getting outplayed by Mullens is necessarily ground for red flags, as this one performance isn't an end al.
D-League stats IMO is more or less irrelevant. What's more important is how well he's learning and how he's reacting on the floor. For example, I care more for him learning more footwork and adjusting for the NBA's 3 second rull then the number of blocks. It's not about how good he is right now. It's how fast and capable he is at learning.
Exactly watching the game is much more important than watching stats. Watch how quickly he slides over on defense. ANd doesn't make stupid fouls or get faked out of his britches. That's more valuable to see than to read stats that he scores 20 points and gets 20 rebounds against inferior competition. Still if he did that and got an amazing amount of blocks and shut his opponenet down I would certainly be excited to see him play asap. I would want to see for myself if this guy is the real deal. Wouldn't you? Of course I didn't see the game so I can't respond on anything he has or hasn't done so far. I can only look at the stats and know his numbers are improving. So that means almost nothing especially since he got them against another pathetic draft pick. But they still are improving and that is enough to make me hope they will continue on that path.
I think the RGV coach Bill Finch is a good coach as he is the one who spends the time to integrate the Rockets rookies to our system. If RA leaves, I think Finch can be promoted to be one of the assistant coaches.
So Yao should get 30/30 cuz he's 7'6? By your standards, Shawn Bradley and George Murehsan are Hall of famers then.
He doesn't need to do much though as a center. If he can just block shots and rebound, it would help us. Kelvin Cato made a career out of doing only that.
