Ahhh....usually agree with you, but I'm sure DMo has All Star talent. And he's way more than a role player. You reeled of some of the reasons why already. As mentioned, his post game is really something to behold....already in the top 3 or 4 in the League there..with the potential to be the best. That J from Downtown won't disappear ...just getting stronger. (Sam Perkinsesque) He's always had it, just hadn't been able to translate it on the court..needed minutes. Now these two by themselves are enough to make a case , but ....... Add in - An unbelievable feel for the game ...flows naturally out there..making everyone better. Along with this comes his underrated passing. 7 feet tall and runs like a deer. Has the VERSATILITY to slide over and play some 5 once in awhile. Make no mistake though, for it is at the 4 where he is nightmare matchup on both ends. All this talk about lack of defense is nonsense..DMo plays GREAT position D. I'd like to see someone toss out DMo's stats playing alongside Dwight....Pts, REB....et al... Even with the FANTASTIC move to get Ty, the Rockets are STILL under the radar, because many folks don't understand what we really have in Donatas. DMo really is an evolutionary player .....I do think late in his career, it's possible that he'll be seen down low most of the time. For a majority though, I see him as being a unique player, that is actually representative in many ways of where the NBA is headed.
To clarify, I am not denying him all-star potential, just that I don't believe he is an all-star at this time, just a very good role player next to Howard. The reason I believe this is simply due to his weakness in rebounding, which is largely hidden on this team due to everyone else in the starting 5 being good rebounders. That said, I do actually agree with you at this point that D-Mo might become an all-star given more playing time and a few years under his belt, assuming he recovers nicely. I would be ecstatic if that were to happen. Good call out on the passing. Forgot to mention that. For a big man, I agree, D-Mo has great overall feel for the game and makes some great passing. I might have mentioned it more though, but I would love to see D-Mo slide into Smoove's role of passer in the post, whether it be from the elbow or baseline and quickly whip it to Dwight for the alley oop. IMO, he is certainly a much smarter passer than JSmoove who takes a lot of needless gambles when firing off those rocket passes. Overall, D-Mo was a very good role player before he went down and has shown the potential to be much more. I am waiting eagerly to see how he moves when TC and the season starts.
To further clarify, the other reason I don't think D-Mo is going to have an easy time being an all star is because of how stacked that position is. We have Zach Randolph, Blake Griffin, Tim Duncan, and Anthony Davis in the West alone and with the combination of PF and C in the All-Stars, it only makes it harder on D-Mo.
It may just be a difference in the way one defines "role player", but I don't believe role players can create their own shots or draw double teams. Therefore, I believe DMo is much more than a role player.
D-Mo and Jones both still have unacceptably low FT %s. Donatas' rehab schedule should be giving him ample time to work on his FTs. We always knew about the post moves and passing. The defense was a nice surprise. But I need to see Donatas build on last year's big improvements as a jump shooter before I totally buy in.
Being an all star is a token of recognition, but not greatness. He can be top 30 player in this league one day, but not be an all-star. It would suck, but oh well. Other Lithuanian Zydrunas Ilgauskas was an all-star twice I think, but he wasn't even a top 30 player at any point of his career. Arvydas Sabonis was better than Ilgauskas, better than DMO ever gonna be, but he wasn't an all-star. All-star status is overrated. And we all know DMO would be an all star in East Conference
They were issued to fans watching Rockets games where DMo out performed players like Zach Randolph and Mark Gasol in one game and Carrying the Rockets on his back to an overtime victory against the Wolves in another game. It comes from watching DMo show moves in the post that are unstoppable while playing outstanding post defense and hitting almost .370 on his 3pt shots last season. You had to actually watch the games to get your glasses.
Things have changed a little since this was written. Now the glaring question is will DMo's back be in good shape come regular season?
A role player is someone who complements the stars on a team. If he recovers from his surgery, D-Mo should be part of the core team going forward, no doubt, but he is not the type of player who you build your team around. To me, you have your stars, cornerstones that you build the team on. Then you have role players that you surround the stars with to develop the team. If D-Mo can continue polishing that outside shot and improve his rebounding to respectable levels, then he definitely has a chance to be a cornerstone type player.
Harden will still be swishing and dishing. I think Howard is going to play less minutes and take a smaller offensive role. Lastly, I'd imagine Lawson would be more of a playmaker and scorer secondary. DMo has the potential to be 1st or 2nd scoring option depending on Harden being on the floor.
