That's a real an interview as you'll ever get from active NBA players. D-Mo is got all the tools needed to be a star on this league, he just needs to put it together. I hope he does.
This wasn't what Dirk was like as a rookie. He got pushed around badly...worse than DMO. He just played anyhow because Mavs weren't going anywhere.
Yeah, that's what a lot of people don't understand, it takes Euro's a while to adjust to the speed of the NBA and it takes Euro bigs a while to bulk up to the size they need to be at to be in the NBA. DMo was actually better than Dirk was as a rookie offensively.
Good interview. The bottom line as I see it, is very different from yours. He has some tools on the offense end, and nothing else. I am glad he is putting in the effort, but he has a very long way to go. If he struggles a lot again,DM will probably try to trade him for a second round pick.
D-Mo will never ever be another Dirk. I should post one of the U-20 videos of Dirk playing real competition. I cannot even describe how dominant Dirk was against U-20 NBA talent. However that certainly does not mean that D-Mo will not be a very good NBA starter. He is getting there.
Dirk's U20 stats were similar to DMo's stats in Summer League or the D league.....I'd say it's far too early to say that DMo couldn't be that good at some point. That said, if I had to bet, I wouldn't think that he'd ever live up to that, but he certainly could. Most Euro big men struggle in the beginning of their NBA careers, Dirk certainly did.
Other than physical appearance and size, I really don't see much resemblance between DMo and Dirk, at least offensively. Dirk is a legendary free throw shooter, and DMo is far below average. DMo also has a natural post game whereas Dirk had to develop his inside game. DMo is also a lefty and more of a clever/quick player, whereas Dirk is better fundamentally. On defense, Dirk is also a much better rebounder. Neither can really block shots or get steals or deflections.
You are right in saying that they don't have similar games. Dirk is a jumpshooter, DMo is more of a low post kind of player. When it comes to defense and rebounding, it's easy to look at what Dirk became and say that he's better defensively and that he is a better rebounder, but that wasn't the case when he entered the league.
One of only a few videos of Dirk playing against quality opposition before he turned 20. Dirk had only been playing basketball for under 4 years. Priceless video of Scola, R. Lewis, Al Harrington. But the jewel on the court was Dirk, highlighting his unbelievable shooting, body control, ball handling and understanding of the game. That Dirk looked nothing like D-Mo. <iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hCMSe1Injiw?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Dmo has really got a potential to be a great PF! I guess will see how coach McHale will utilize his talent along the side of D12!
Thanks for posting that interview. If this says anything about Donuts, it's that he puts in the time to learn the game. Any player that has the mind, motor, and physical gift of a true athlete will have a great chance at finding his role on a team. Also, kudos to him for taking the initiative and asking to be moved to the D-League to get some floor time and and recognizing it as an avenue to be used for progresssion. He's his own player and is far from being a finished product. My only concern for both our young PFs is that they may not see the floor much seeing as the Rockets are in a "win now" mode. Both show the promise of being good players with good skillsets and it's just a matter of honing it with floor time. The question now becomes: Can the Rox afford to play them in the hopes that either will be ready come the playoffs?
D-Mo is actually the perfect PF for the Morey/McHale offensive system. Let me count the ways: He is there with the fast break; He has legitimate 3 point range; He can blow by most power forwards that guard him closely at 3 point range; He can play around the rim in a classic back to basket style; He is an excellent passer. Given his current size, holding position on offense and defense should not be much of a problem. However D-Mo has 3 critical areas to work on. Understanding the complexities of the NBA game, defense and rebounding. If D-Mo can make measurable progress in those areas he could be the Rockets starting PF for many years to come.
IDK if he is going to be a star or not but right now Valanciunas is better than him and getting more Playing time. The interview was extremely frank and he is not content with playing so little. I chuckled at the Dleague reference as the 2nd best league in the world and his response and him referring to Asik as the 'Turk'.
From this interview im getting Dmo shots wasnt falling in, cuz he spent a lot of his time practicing with weights, if he really did practice with weights before the game, ofcourse his shot will be terrible.
DMo dominated the D-league. Both him and TJones did. They both belong somewhere between the D-league and the NBA. That's the dilemma. There's nothing more the two guys can learn in the D-league. Yet they are not ready for big time NBA. They do need more PT with the big boys.
You gotta appreciate his honesty. Thanks for posting. It was very insightful. I think it is funny to hear him say that the D-League could be better, I happen to agree with that. You can just tell by watching the games and comparing them to the Euroleague. In the Euroleague they actually play team ball.
Nice interview. Honest. He sounds like a guy who doesn't really know what he needs to do to get game time. Across different interviews, he sounds like a guy who wants to get better but has no direction. It doesn't help that players get better by playing and he isn't playing. There is very little practice to with which to earn time. Sometimes you sacrifice a few "unearned" minutes to help a guy develop his game. You invest the minutes like you invest the dollars. No investment, no return. Seems almost a catch-22 for him. If he doesn't bring something top notch from his offseason, such as elite post play, rebounding, or a dead-eye, reliable shot, he will be trade fodder. He needs to master something and not just have the best set of average tools. This is a win now team. No more sacrificial minutes.
Just a note to point out- That interview was back before the Patterson/Robinson trade when D-Mo was struggling to get playing time. You can only imagine that was probably the worst time for him mentally to keep from getting frustrated. I would assume that after D-Mo got to start, and played himself out of the rotation(admittingly with only himself to blame), his tone quickly changed about the level of competition in the NBA. Playing in garbage time and starting Im sure are completely different levels of competition. I think its great that he was honest about his frustrations while still being professional and respectful to the franchise. I just hope that his hard work and drive driven from his attitude and approach do not have a counterpart next year if he struggles to get playing time consistently again. He's going to have to learn to mentally deal with whatever role he has next year, and work to get better for whenever his number is called. If the coaches want him to be a situational 3 point shooter, you work on being the best you can at that role. You just do your job the best you can at this point. If he just sits there waiting on pins and needles for a starting role, he might get much, much more frustrated than he was last year.
He made 29% from the 3 point arc last season and was not even all that accurate from the 3 point arc in Europe from what I remember. He needs to be significantly better (at least somewhere in the 33-35% range) for that shot to become an actual weapon.
He is very close on corner threes already at 32%. He is excellent around the basket. Before Howard, I was hoping the Rockets would work more on his inside game. He has the makings of being a big impact offensively if he can get to the 35% range in the corners. He also needs to work heavily on defense. The Rockets have have a decent track record for improving/teaching the 3 point shot of PFs. Motiejunas has the potential to be the third best player on current roster. He also has the potential of sitting behind Smith and Jones if he can't get defense down and become a little more efficient on threes.
