That's just people trying to be polite. It would be rude to suggest that you watched him play and just didn't know enough to realize what you were seeing. Let them be polite if they want to.
You do realize that in order to utilize one's skills, a player must be capable of holding his position first, right? That's what he meant when talking about DMo's shortcomings. Yao Ming was falling all over the place in his rookie year, basically acted as a jumpshooter because NBA players were pushing him around like a rag doll. Once he bulked up, he was able to be the best low-post player following Shaq's decline. Lacking strength and lacking ability are totally different things.
That's the center position. You can play PF if you have height and skills. Bosh, Garnett, Dirk are those skinny dudes. Dmo is not an elite shooter and he does not have the wingspan so he must bulk up.
.......Dirk had to bulk up a bit before he was worth a damn, he was pathetic his rookie year. Bosh and Garnett weren't Euro style players which makes it different. Also, it's not like ANY of them set the world on fire as a rookie.
I dont get what your trying to do by dissecting every player... that's not even the point. Only point I was making was that big men year 3 is usually the most telling. Some players come right into the league producing, and some take a bit longer to produce. In the case of someone like Gortat, yes, it was more about opportunity, but that doesn't change the fact that it took awhile for him to show it. D-Mo is worth holding onto until year 3 even if he has a poor showing in year 2. The opportunity cost is too low and the reward too high with the size and talent he has. Morey might trade him regardless, but its only going to be if there is an opportunity to upgrade the talent on the team. D-Mo's team option for next year is a measly 1.4 mil in 2014/15 and 2.2 mil in 2015/16. Even if D-Mo isn't a star player, and is merely there for depth or a role playing stretch 4, that's still very good value for 3 more seasons. There's no point in dumping him this season regardless if he has a less than stellar sophmore year. As long as he's showing that he can help the bigs out in the rotation at some point, and there are no trades where he's necessary to go out in, he's a no-brainer to keep around regardless if he's the second coming of Dirk or not.
All I am saying he does not have to get enormous like a normal Center around 260-270 or more Try to maintain his mobility. I am not sure if he can shoot that well. Everybody was amazed at the beginning that he can rebound and shoot as a 7 footer. I am not sure if he can shoot better than 35% percent right now. Rebounding is another issue.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>This is dedication. <a href="https://twitter.com/DonatasMot">@DonatasMot</a> <a href="http://t.co/ksCAnO4QiL">pic.twitter.com/ksCAnO4QiL</a></p>— Daniella G (@DaniellaG_23) <a href="https://twitter.com/DaniellaG_23/statuses/363427830274609152">August 2, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> DMo lookin like a beast
I also think that D-Mo might actually become an average rebounder for his size. Why? Well, his did put a rebound rate of 9.1 rebounds per 36 minutes in his last season in Europe while being skinny as *****, while Nikola Pekovic all bulked up managed to have a rate of 9.3 rebounds per 36 minutes in his best season in Europe. He was also already as bulked-up & massive in Europe as he is now, so that helped him a lot. D-Mo (21 yr old at the time) 9.1 reb per 36 min Nikola Pekovic (22 yr old at the time) 9.3 reb per 36 min Pek needed a couple of season to adjust to the NBA game despite already having above average body and strength for NBA. I think Donatas might surprise a lot of people if he continues with his rigorous work ethic.
I am thinking he is doing exactly that. Getting stronger and filling out. He looked chubbier in those pictures.
Wow. D-Mo really did bulk up. Hopefully this will allow him to better show off his skills in the post.
Most of the board has unrealistic expectations for every single rookie that walks in the door. DMo's struggles were expected for a rookie, give him a little time, geez.
Looking back at this... Dirk ceiling is laughable now... the "some prima donna to him"... was quite prescient.
