Luther needs to be in a catch and shoot offense. As a ballhandler, he could never succeed as a PG. As a SG, he is too short to be an adequate defensive or offensive presence. His only value is as a spot-up perimeter shooter. IMO White, IF he can deliver as advertised, will be a marvelous upgrade over Luther.
DD - You've seen them both play. Who is better? I like Wafer for his 3 and his athleticism. Does White have a jumper?
Honestly, is there a difference between Gerald Green and von? I like wafer and I'm glad coach shows confidence in him, but if someone offers 3m per wafer and I can get green for half of that, i'll take green. Same age, same skillset.
I would say the difference is in work ethic. Though I can't say for sure GG wasn't working hard last season when he got here because it was a numbers game I would think because yao went down.
i think its wafer insurance in the case he gets hurt...Wafer hasn't increased his value that much other than being a solid role player so I see no fear of him leaving. Does white have range?
Had Yao not went down GG would still be on this team IMO. He wasn't here long enough for us to determine his work ethic. I would welcome him back. Imagine him AND white in the layup line or even practice or the game.
Bingo. People have already forgotten how bad our transition D is without him. We've had a lot of turnovers that lead to breaks for the other team, even in our recent winning stretch. He's always there to contest the shot. He made Barrea miss at the rim twice on the break. Remember how close that game was? It made the difference. The man puts a lid on the rim in those situations. When he was injured, those were automatic buckets for the opposition.
Yes he does, he looked so much better than everyone else, other than Pops, but it is hard to guage as these guys are not as athletically gifted as NBA players. I think White could turn out to be a real steal, but honestly with him it all depends on fit, and opportunity, I believe. DD
You're right. I didn't pay enough attention to your postulate. So, we agree. As far as Green is concerned, I believe he has more skills than Von Wafer or White. He is equally athletic and taller at 6'8" than either of them. Like T-Mc he is equally comfortable as a guard or forward. Wafer is more SG than SF and White, IMO, is more SF than SG. I'll be happy with any two of the three because they are all run/jump athletes with shooting prowess. With their quick feet and hands and superior lateral movement, any of the three can learn/improve defensive ability..
Newsflash: Being a successful player in college doesn't mean you can "play" in the NBA. Having a few 25+ point games does not mean you can "play" in the NBA. Luther's skillset is not cut out for this league, and even if he does get hot for a couple of weeks, scouting reports will immediately shut him down once teams start to take notice of his limited skillset and low basketball IQ.
I think its fair for us to dogpile on Luther, good guy though he is, for his limited skill set, but I can't agree with the "low basketball IQ" opinion.
Newsflash: He doesn't have low BB IQ... what he has is poor dribbling ability. You can't tell me he isn't better than some of the second string SG's in the league. In fact Boobie Gibson in Cleveland reminds me a lot of what Luther can be as a role player. Is he a hidden superstar? No. Will he find a place in the league? Yes.
The play under JVG that Yao Ming handoff to Luther going baseline used to be money. I don't think there's anyone on the current roster run that play as successful as Head. I kind of miss that.
I think it's a fact, he has a low bball IQ. And I'm using his height against him, because at that height if you can't create or handle, you're very limited in what you can do with your time on the court. He's a lot more athletic than a Charlie Bell/Eddie House type player but those two are much more efficient in a half court setting, this is where Luther really shows his flaws. Daniel Gibson has a much more sound release... Luther is awkward to say the least and he needs to step into his shot. Gibson can have his feet planted and calmly knock down trey after trey... the same can't be said for Luther. The only thing he has going for him is his 3PT shooting percentage and even then he is nowhere close to Eddie House. His best case scenario is Charlie Bell, someone who's in the league but can't really "play".
Height and lack of ability are physical flaws -- not mental flaws. If what you are postulating were true, somebody like Gerald Green would be a super superstar.
Shorter basketball players are expected to have a higher basketball IQ than taller, more athletic players because of the responsibility of their positions - that is what I am stating. For his size, he has a below average bball IQ and absolutely minimal court vision. I have no idea how you came to your conclusion.
This James White guy is wearing a Spurs jersey. Not a good omen IMO: http://www.nba.com/playerfile/james_white/
Height and physical ability = short/less athletic are expected be smarter or tall/less athletic ergo are expected to be imbecilic (Yao, are you reading this? ). Your supposition, not mine. Intelligence has nothing to do with stature or dribbling ability or leaping ability or ..... etc. etc. I don't know how to say that any clearer. Do PGs need to be smart? Yes. Do they need to be short? No (Hello, Magic Johnson!). Do Cs need to be intelligent? Absolutely. Do they need to be 7-6? No, but it helps.
