Incomplete since dmo couldn't get off the bench against Portland last year. And this year he was in street clothes
Capela has a high ceiling, if he gets the proper training, he could become a Mutombo lite (dunking, blocking, rebounding and defending machine).
This is a pretty good analogy but the biggest difference between the two is their hands. Mutombo's were below average and Capela's are above average. Capela's offensive ceiling is higher than Mutombo. Will be fun to watch this year to see if he can achieve more of his potential.
Except that silly statement wasn't about shaq in 1998, was it? Shaq was also a lot more skilled and played in a way different era featuring a lot more half-court action and a lot fewer perimeter/transition opportunities, as well as less 3 pointers. The hack-a and the way it's deployed these days in an era of pace is going to necessarily limit a player like Capela's ability to become an offensive force. Otherwise, wake me when DeAndre Jordan scores 20 ppg.
I don't know if Capela will be a star, but the Rockets experience since Morey/Adelman is that if a rookie can break into the rotation in his first season, and not be traded away after the season, he's probably got a 10-year NBA career ahead of him.
Let's see how he might have developed more muscle mass in the upper body and leg strength... maybe 15-20 lbs., ideally. Just enough to help with positioning, but not so much as to interfere with his speed. Regardless, I think the one thing that is almost a given, is that he will have a sense of completion. He will never feel that "outsider" feeling again after getting to the point of playing important minutes in the WC Finals. His demeanor, even in training camp, will become like another "vet." He was in the trenches when it mattered. That is going to do wonders for him next season. I think because of his desire and work ethic... AND coach-ability, as per McHale's commens, he will progress well next season.
True. With regards to FTs, Capela has a good form so I'm not worried. Mutombo was bigger in every sense so defensively he will not reach his level. Offensively he will be better than Deke, but he's different. Maybe Camby is the better comparison since he was lanky, great shot blocker and agile + could shoot. Capela might turn into that.
Marcus camby is the best comparison I have seen so far or maybe a Tyson chandler type guy. I agree his ft are not bad I wpiod be shocked if he can't hit 60-65% next season. I actually liked when doc tried hack-a-Capela because he actually made more ft then he missed.
If you ignore where he was drafted, and asked yourself "what would I be willing to pay for 6'10 center with great athleticism, has already shown the ability to stay in front of Steph Curry on the perimeter, can rebound and block shots at an NBA level, has shown at least above average ability to finish around the rim, and is only 21 years old"....the answer should be almost anything. The two major question marks in his game are can he defend in the post one on one, and can he shoot. It's easy to see how he can improve in both areas by spending time in the weight room and in the gym.
While you are correct that Capela needs to improve his free throw shooting, my point remains valid. Admittedly D league and small sample rookie play is a poor prognosticator for long term success in the NBA, but you can pick up if a player has certain skill sets that translate well. Good hands is one of the best examples. Capela isn't in Hakeem's league, but his hands are much better than Mutombo's - I recall seeing Capela do a good job catching post entry, pick and roll and fast break passes, and he has a soft touch around the rim. Quickness, both on the floor and "second jump" variety, also translate well. I won't belabor the point with more examples, but Capela's offensive ceiling is definitely higher than Mutombo's, which is not that high of a bar in the first place.
Feed the kid! <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2QEj4AAsp7k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
During and just after the playoffs I ended spending time in Oakland. And I ended up talking a lot of basketball with people. To people in Oakland's credit, they were all pretty cool about them winning and were complimentary about our team. The one thing all of the groups of people I spoke to about the series was Capela. They all seemed to fear him. They all mentioned how they didn't seem to have an answer for him and they felt the game change when he was in. I thought it was a interesting perspective. So excited about his development.
Very good points. I would like to comment that Capela is a good offensive rebounder, but he is a very weak defensive rebounder. He really needs to work on that. Offensively, his post foot work and finishing around the basket apart from dunking is non-existent.
This seems to be way off base already, the original comment was about Capela being better than Mutombo offensively. Considering Mutombo was close to zero offensively why does Capela have to score 20 pts or more just to be better than him offensively? The Hack-A comment is pretty stupid IMHO, Hack didn't stop De Andre Jordan from scoring over 10 pts a game and Dwight scoring 15 pts a game. More importantly, Hack-A isn't that big an advantage vs a defensive big man because even if you get the possession, it's not a guarantee you can score as the defense has time to get in position while you inbound the ball ( majority of easy buckets are scored in transition off a missed shot). AND even then, the coach can sub him out. So you spend 5 possessions hacking Capela/Dwight, Mchale subs them out and puts in Dmo, guess what? You just put the Rox in the bonus for the rest of the quarter. This is why hack-a-Shaq didn't really stop Shaq from winning a 3 peat. The tactic is simply overrated.
