Splitter is playing out of position, he's basically a PF trying to be a C, Asik oth has a C's body no question. In terms of ability, Asik is so much better its not even funny, however my beef with Asik is he's had some serious injuries in the past. Hopefully he recovers from that.
I try to avoid telling someone to watch games. But you can't assume toughness and related things by taking a look at rebounding and shotblocking numbers. Otherwise you'll end up calling Toronto's version of Chris Bosh very tough and Paul Millsap soft. To me, toughness is about being physical, banging people and finishing strong. Al Jefferson has massive hands and an amazing feel for the game as far as rebounds are concerned. Kevin Love - like. Very often he just picks his spots, jumps vertically and grabs the balls with his huge hands. It works well enough for defensive boards, but he ends up sucking on the offensive glass because of the 3 seconds rule and lack of physicality. If he had Love's mentality, he'd compete with Love on rebounds numbers. Jefferson's feel and hands are special, which is part of why he's a marginal All Star. Tiago Splitter on the other hand is not nearly as gifted and smart and has woman's hands compared to Al Jefferson. He's very physical, but he's not strong for a center. All those things combined make it very hard to dominate on the glass or block a ton of shots. He can work on boxing out all he wants, he's just not talented enough to dominate opposing centers in the low post. Maybe if he added some weight.
Tiago is a good power foward, but I don't want him at center unless he's playing next to a really talented power forward.
So your saying Kevin Love or Al Jefferson does not box out? Totally wrong, your argument is wrong. Kevin Love is the epitome of boxing out for position. He holds his ground; he does not pick a spot and jump vertically. Same with Al Jefferson. He can not out jump other centers.
"If he had Love's mentality, he'd compete with Love on rebounds numbers." So no, I didn't say that about Love at all. I said Jefferson shares Love's nose for rebounds, and he has baseball mitts for hands, but he does not share Love's physicality.
Asik has the potential to be special on the defensive end as long as his health and conditioning permits him to make a large enough impact on the game
What? Bosh is a jump shooter. AJ is one of the premier post players in the league. He can bang down low, and he's a much better rim protector than Splitter or Bosh. Bosh collected rebounds because he played next to Bargnani who's really just a 7 ft. SG, while AJ got those #'s next to Kevin Love or Paul Milsap.
I don't think being soft is entirely mental. You can try as hard as you want, but you also need results.
honestly, i don't see much point going back and forth yes/no/yes/no. These issues can't be proven by studying lineups or stats. When the season is back, watch him play and compare to other centers. You'll notice the difference in box outs right away, if you'll want to. Or raise the issue in Jazz or Wolves forums, if you don't trust me.
well, Splitter's not being physical just in his mind, he's banging guys. He's not the greatest player or very strong for a 5, but I can't call him soft. Was Charles Oakley soft towards the end of his career? His rebounding declined, he had no elevation left on his jumpers and he never blocked shots, so he wasn't a very effective player overall. But I'd call him tough.
