He does indeed, but as Clyde and Bill talked about and I was posting about earlier this year, he lost his confidence and McHale is trying to build it back up. If folks would consider the outside factors here, and realize where he came from and what the org should do to get the MOST it can out of him as an asset they would understand what I am saying. Hasheem is in a new country, has never really been taught the game, and needs a lot of work, so you start with a basis of defense and add a little bit as you go, but the key will be that you need consistent minutes, that is the only way he will get better is by playing. DD
Now, let's consider that statement. I'm sure he's lost his confidence and they're trying to rebuild it. But why did he lose his confidence???? Could it be...............because he knows himself that.......HE CAN'T PLAY!!!?? We need to put lots of lipstick on him and get him out of here in the blockbuster Dwight trade. Hopefully McHale only puts him in positions that make him look like the next great superstar so we can suck in some team to give us a first rounder for him. (I don't think even Kahn is that stupid, unfortunately.)
I just don't see it, DD. Oh, he might eventually become useful off the bench as a "disruptive force on the defensive end," but he doesn't have anything like the mobility and overall game Dalembert has. Heck, Dalembert has even showed us a midrange shot I didn't realize he had. I would love to be wrong, but haven't seen anything from Thabeet, yet, to change my mind about him. He looks like a clumsy stiff out there. Mr. Dalembert does not, and Dalembert has more passion and fire for the game in his big toe than I've seen from Thabeet since we aquired the guy. They're both tall, though.
I believe that given minutes this year under the tutelage of mchale, he'll start to show strides defensively and become a sugar free dalembert light type of player...a good backup.
My thoughts: 1. Thabeet still looks flawed, but less lost than he did last year. 2. I think there is something worth exploring with Thabeet. He's not a total stiff-- seems nimble enough for his size (in a Yao Ming kind of half-awkward way). Even the fact that he can catch the passes on these dunks is not a trivial matter (ask Kwame Brown). 3. The Rockets management folks likely see something in him, too, since they traded for him. Otherwise, they could have let Battier just expire and save themselves some money. They could also have made other deals for Battier. 4. That said, Thabeet ain't worth giving "entitlement minutes" to just to "develop" him and the coaches won't give him non-garbage minutes unless he shows he can be trusted to play them. Meanwhile, Thabeet has work on his game and prepare for his opportunity. Remember how Carl Landry didn't get any minutes for much of his first season here, but worked on his game, had a very good performance during a blowout before getting regular minutes? Thabeet has to take a similar path if he wants to get into the rotation.
Fair enough, I would suggest you go watch some footage of him at Uconn, he has plenty of mobility and leaping ability to block shots, led the nation I believe. He just needs time, and CH post was spot on....... DD
Thabeet's upside on the defensive end, I think, is probably less Dalembert (who, as you said, is quicker and more atheletic, not to mention smaller) and more Yao Ming and Greg Ostertag-- not very mobile guys but huge and effective on D. Thabeet has to get much more of a clue on the court in order to get to the level of these guys, though.
Again. I hope you're right . . . And I was on team V-Span until the bitter end - but from what I've seen there hasn't even been a flash of hope within his NBA body of work. If Coach Mac can work some magic and turn this guy around, he will be getting big paychecks for a Long time.
I was thinking more Mark Eatonish, but with more athleticism, but I get your point. He is not a quick jumper, but is really long, a more athletic Yao Ming on D would be great. DD
ROFL Dude, you have lost perspective if you think McHale should have run him out there against Dwight. Look, we're trying to cover up the fact that dude can't play to preserve any potential trade value he has. The Rockets organization is hoping that they can get somebody else to bite off on Thabeet's potential. They know he ain't got any. I said on this forum a year or so ago that some of the ugliest basketball I ever saw in my life was watching Thabeet while he was playing in Memphis playing against Hill and the two of them tripping and tangling up the court like 2 clutzes trying to dance. When we traded for him, I was willing to see if we could develop him. He went to Dleague and was pedestrian. He didn't show anything. So, it was Rick's fault for not playing him then. So, Thabeet got another off season plus additional lock-out time, to get hooked up with some individual coaching and markedly improve his game. Before the lockout, we saw CD in the gym with him and CD talked about him. CD was very diplomatic in his response. He said Thabeet needed to do a lot of work but he could make himself better. CD said he would never be much of an offensive player but he could make himself adequate but he could improve himself defensively if he worked hard enough. Lockout starts. We don't hear anything else. Lockout ends. Two weeks training camp. Thabeet comes in looking like exactly the same player. Now, you can talk all you want about he needs to be coached, he needs to be developed, he needs experience. But that's all on Thabeet. He's got to make that happen if he WANTS to get better. NBA players that are wanting to get better, extend their career, make more money, win more games, get to the All-Star game, etc. put in a ton of time in the off season. They train, they hire trainers, coaches, mentors, and they work on aspects of their games that they want to improve, by being coached in the skill and then by repetitively practicing that skill over an over. It's year 3 for Thabeet. None of that has happened. You can't keep making excuses for the kid. He's had 2 years and a boatload of money to invest in his career and get better. It hasn't happened. He can't even show enough in practice to stay in the active list. When you don't recognize these things, and you call the coaches decisions stupid, and you actually believe Thabeet should be out there meandering up and down the court with Dwight Howard.....you have lost your perspective.
Thabeet was not the worst player coming into this game (like some say), and after doing what he did last night he is not the MVP of the league. I like the fact that people bashed T will last year for playing unmotivated in garbage mins with Adelman, and now people are hating on Thabeet for going 100% in garbage time. I am sorry if y´all wanted Thabeet to block Duncan, I am sorry if y´all wanted Thabeet to get 10 rebs, he can´t play when he is on the bench. You have two chances, you keep playing a much improved Hill on the Center position, were he gets pushed around by guys like Splitter, or you play a Dalembert/Thabeet rotation at the 5 spot. In my mind Thabeet > Hill at the Center position. Hill is not a Center and he proves every night on the floor. Being a Center is much more than rebs and one-on-one D, it´s about intimidation, it´s about being everywhere when someone penetrates the paint. It´s about being what Dalembert was last night. Having said that, I am loving what McHale is doing with him, he is making Thabeet deserve the mins. He knows Hill is not a Center, he knows Dalembert is our starter, he just want´s Thabeet to show him he is the Center that protected the rim in College, he want´s this guy to stop over-thinking, but right now Hill deserves more mins at the 5 but it will change eventually. With Thabeet is about confidence and McHale knows that.
How many guys contribute next to nothing their first 3 years then become contributers? Only one in recent memory I can think of is Milicic, and he still sucks. Not saying it can't happen, but the odds are very low.
I don't know how Thabeet is going to get any appreciable minutes this year regardless of how well he plays. Samuel Dalembert is the highest paid player on the Rockets this year at $13.4 million. Scola is a sliver away from being an all-star at Power Forward, and he also plays Center when the Rockets go small. Patrick Patterson may actually become a better player than Scola in the near future, taking into account his defense and shot blocking abilities, which Coach McHale clearly values more that Coach Adelman did. Jordan Hill is currently the starting center and McHale seems to like him. I know it will probably never happen, but Thabeet could still develop into the Rocket's long term answer at the Center position. With Dalembert to mentor him and McHale to coach him, this is a perfect situation for Thabeet to be in. However, he is going to have to beat out Jordan Hill at the backup Center position (Dalembert will be the starter very soon) to get any meaningful minutes. I hope he can find a way to do that. Thabeet is 7'3" and has excellent natural shot blocking skills. He needs to learn to defend and rebound a-la Chuck Hayes/Samuel Dalembert. His scoring will not be an issue if he can do these other things, as we have seen over the last two games from Dalembert. I really want to see Thabeet earn his way into the Rocket's rotation this year.
Yes, though it should be noted that O'Neal was a high schooler while Thabeet played in college for 3 years.
Jopa, I like you, you are one of my favorite posters, but you have lost all perspective on this topic. 1. I never said I wanted Thabeet out there against Howard, ONLY WANTED HIM ACTIVE if needed for fouls. 2. You are speaking in absolutes about Thabeet when you don't know. 3. Hopefully you are consistent and saying the same things about TWill because so far their careers are on the same track. Either way, let's just see what happens, I am not saying Hasheem is any good, or a polished product. I am saying, LET'S FIND out if he can become one.... DD
True, yet Hasheem did not start playing basketball until he was 15 years old, so needs some time to get acclimated. DD
