Poking it out of Clyde's hands, right? :grin: That play was great for showing some of OT's athleticism and ball handing ability. That "grapefruit" move was something most guys just don't have the hands for, but there was a lot more to that sequence that just the hands. Very cool.
Ot is the only player i recall that would go directly under the basket, palm the ball with one hand , and with one jump/turn 180, slam the ball ( i mean SLAM not stuff) the ball in with defender's riding on his back. plus, our perfect naswer to Karl maolne who couple of times chickened out and would not fight him. plus, he did so much off the ball at offense that does not show on stats, absolutely high Bball IQ.
OT because of size. A frontcourt with Scola will still be considered undersized. Not with OT on it. OT has thrown plenty of PFs down the floor in his career inclduing Karl Malone. OT brings the "Power" in PF position.
Whats the difference Because of size? I hope you mean strength because Thorpe wasnt bigger than Scola.
Are you serious? What's the difference? I don't know... what's the difference between Hakeem uncorking a Dreamshake on someone and scoring, and some cat making an open layup? I truly don't understand the response. Yes, Thorpe was bigger than Luis. You are probably going by OT's draft measurements, which were not accurate when he played for the Rockets. He was easily 6'10" and 250, or damn near. Otis was also much stronger than Scola, could jump higher, was quicker, could run the court faster on the break, was a better passer, and a far better defender. It's not remotely close. Luis has a nicer skill set scoring in the low post and is an excellent defensive rebounder. Otis was a far better offensive rebounder and an excellent defensive rebounder. He would have had higher rebounding numbers with the Rockets, but the Dream was a rebound vacuum cleaner, sucking up every board in sight. What's bizarre is that there isn't a bigger Luis Scola fan on the board than the Blade Runner, yet I find myself "defending" OT. Go figure. Viva Scola!!
As far as i know, "stuffing" in basketball either means blocking a shot or stuffing one down the rim, as in slamming it, so i dont understand why my question seems silly. A layup and a dreamshake are both offensive motions, but completely different moves. I saw Thorpe play, so i know he's more athletic, stronger...I dont think i could find his draft measurements as they were a long time ago..but his career pages indicate he was either 6'9 or 6'10 and either 225 or 248. That being said, if you go with the higher measurements he's at best one inch taller than scola, but he'd weigh almost the same, give or take 5 pounds or less....i guess if you want to be very technical he probably was bigger, but as close as these measurements are I'd mark it off as a tie. Especially considering something these numbers are accurate or off by an inch or two and 5-10 pounds. Either way, i'm not sure that's enough to say you choose one because he was "bigger". Faster? Stronger? jumps higher? Yes, thorpe was, and that would help him play bigger, but that's not what the poster said.
Even if both are near the same size (height and weight wise) in their respective primes, my guess would be that Thorpe had more reach (wingspan). I have no idea if that statistic is available somewhere, but I'd like to see the comparison (that is, if an accurate and believable set of stats along those lines exists). I just envision Thorpe in my mind's eye as longer/taller than Scola for some reason, even though the height/weight stats are so close.
I know who Pop will vote for Jeff McDonald: Pop, on watching former draft pick and current Rocket Luis Scola go nuts at Worlds: “I couldn’t eat or sleep for two days." Twitter
I am biased by who was part of a championship, and I'm sticking to it. I also think it's more impressive to get more than 10 rb/game next to Dream playing every minute of every game than it is to get 10 rb/game next to no-Yao for the season, or Yao for half a season, or even Yao for a full season. Not trying to bash Yao at all, but Dream really cleaned the boards.
I love Scola and think he would have played great along side the Dream. BUT Their isn't a player in the game today like OT, and most of them would be peeing down their leg at the thought of playing against OT. Also, to clarify the fact that OT is bigger than Luis I think we all understand that we are talking about bigger on the court. so Whos is bigger on the court Chuck Hayes or David Anderson??? Measurements don't really tell the story do they? Everyone here always talks about what Chuck could do if he were a legit 6'9", well he would be OT(without the Man Hands).
Honestly. When Cato was playing with Yao . . . I wanted him to be a poor man's OT. Muscle, Rebounding, hustle. I knew he could not be OT . . but OT-like. OT was Awesome. HORRY - OT - Hakeem I would put that Front line against many of the Great Front lines in History Defensively . . they could lock up some folx [Throw in Mad Max . . . .Kenny Smith was the only person that was somewhat of a defensive liability] That was back in the WORK FOR A BASKET LEAGUE! Not being bailed out with Phantom foul calls Rocket River
OT - an athletic POWER Forward who supported Hakeem but had a whole lot of game himself. When Hakeem went down with the Caldwell injury OT stepped up to fill everything Hakeem was producing. But we are very fortunate to have Scola and all he brings to the Rockets.
Most of this has already been said. But OT was a bonafide all star when he came to Houston. The guy was strong as an Ox and had incredible touch. And though OT had short arms like Kevin Willis, he had huge hands with which he used along with quick hops to crank out vertical facials.(lots of AND 1's, which he made about 60% of the time LOL) OT also was an amazing position defender...In addition to all this the man was an enforcer...Very underrated....Otis subjugated his game for the benefit of the team. He and Vernon Maxwell are 2 big reasons why the Rockets continually beat the Bulls..just like we would have in the Finals if we had matched up better with Seattle. OT and Luis both are quiet leaders...just the kind of guys you find on title teams.
Put me on the Ol' Timers list. I LOVE Scola, but OT was a solid foundation at PF we have not even been close to having since he left. I missed OT grabbing the rebound and defensive and throwing the ball the length of the floor for a quick 2 points.
