The guy has as good or better rebound%, block%, steal%, and FG% numbers than Yao did his rookie year. http://www.basketball-reference.com...tat=&c5comp=gt&c6mult=1.0&c6stat=&order_by=ws He never will be Yao because he has no touch but he can easily become Yao with no shooting touch, which would be a huge win for the Rockets in this deal.
I asked this in another thread but forgot which one... why was he taken so high? He had decent numbers in college, but clearly he was a major project -- I don't think he's even played 10 years of organized ball yet. To dump a #2 pick so quickly is strange or telling not sure which one.
This is because the Grizz are one of the stupidest franchises in the league. They dumped Thabeet because they had no need for him (already 2 good cs int he roster), they want to save money AND Battier is a fan favorite and a cash cow of sorts in Memphis (since people will go to games to see him play).
Actually, Deke would probably be a better choice. Thabeet will never come close to be able to do the things Hakeem did. However, I think the Rockets are hoping he can could be something close to what Deke was.
He grabbed 9.9 boards adjusted per 36 minutes last season. That's not bad at all. Problem is he never got any playing time... this season... 8 minutes per game with many DNP... that's a joke, how can he show a single thing?
He souldnt shoot a jump shot ever in a ROX uni.....straight dunks like D. Jordan....Im sure he will be told to focus on defense and wont be thought about twice on offense unless he is dunking the ball.....IT IS WRITTEN.
Let's be honest, Thabeet's not going to be on any opposition's scouting report. The best we can hope for is for Miller to show him the ropes of Adelman's system and hopefully improve his ball handling/passing. I'm not overly optimistic to be honest. Miller and Divac have/had good hands and were decent lane passers to the cutting guards. Thabeet seems like a thick tree sprouting up in the lane.
Let's get this straight... we didn't trade for him to be an offensive force. We already have a good offense. Our defense is what's sorely lacking. Thabeet's best trait is that he is a really good shotblocker with the potential to be a serious rim protector down the road. A lot of people on this board seem pretty obsessed with offense, I'm not sure why when defense is clear what we're lacking.
One problem I see. He also had 6.6 personal fouls per 36 minutes last season, and this season he is averaging 7.1. :grin:
Thabeet can not be a better situation where bigs are what the franchise is known for. CD, Dream, Sikma, Deke all can help Thabeet improve on his game if he puts in the work. He does have the height and the shot blocking skills all he has to do is rebound the ball. I can't wait to see him play but RA is a tough nut just like his old coach in Memphis.
Clearly, he is still a project, and has a lot of refinement needed. But cutting down on fouls is something which DOES improve with experience. You can't teach height, and it's really hard to teach shotblocking, and he has both of those in spades.
I hope we will learn to appreciate. Still Memphis has done squat and with borderline franchise players and allstars in Gay, Randolph and Gasol They are still a first round sweep Not much better than us 45 wins
