Why do people keep saying that Amare isn't a center? Based on 82games.com numbers, the last 3 years Amare has played 92% of his minutes at center. Over his career, he's played 63% of his minutes at center.
because that is not his natural position. Are you telling me Boris Diaw is a center too? Just because you play the position on the scoretables sheet does not mean thats how you line up or play the roll. Hell no one on the suns plays to their position outside of Nash anyway. I personally dont find much to like in Amares game, because he performs poorly when he doesnt start the game off hot, and when he comes into defending a good center or PF some flaws are exploited. People just love him for his dunks but most people cant see through the shiny jumps and look at that as his only real moveset.
There is no such thing as an inherent "natural position". Amare's natural position, in the context of the Phoenix Suns ballclub, is center. He jumps center, he'll guard the opposing team's center, he's their best shot-blocker, and he's their primary inside scoring option. What else do you want? If want to compile a list of the best PFs and the best Cs, he clearly goes on the center list. For now.
David Noel was drafted by Bucks at 2nd round 39th pick. This dude has the best overall athleticism in his draft year. He has the highest straight jump in 2006 draft, higher than tyrus thomas, rudy gay, everyone!
did people forget amare had freaking microfracture surgery? he's played over 40 games less than yao over the same time span. who is the bigger injury risk again?
All the time Amare missed was due to his microfracture surgery, though. Yao has missed time for a myriad of reasons, which the Rockets staff maintained were unrelated, over the last 2 years. I'm sorry to say it, but I think that makes him the bigger injury risk.
I need a preseason open practice session like Tyrone Biggums needs crack. It wasn't the first time and it won't be the last!
You're kidding me right?? If that's the case, then your world can't possibly include the likes of "under-sized shooting guard" or an "under-sized power forward."
Been playing the demo (yay, finally got me a 360 and a HDTV!!) and got damn! My wife thought I was watching a real game on tv! BTW, I suck, but is the clutchfans 2k league going down this season or what? I think I can get better, at sim balllin, and no cheezers allowed!
because they are unrelated, unless an infected toe nail and someone rolling into your leg are similar. amare's injury was far more serious than anything yao had, and as far as this discussion was concerned i don't think yao's durability rating should mark his overall rating down anymore than amare's.
Stoudemire missed 27 games in 03-04, which was unrelated to his knee. Yao gets an infected toe and a broken leg = myriad of reasons. What? Yao gets injured because of a toe infection (something that could have been prevented) and a broken leg (a freak accident in which his own player fell on his leg). Stoudemire gets a sever ankle injury that sidelines him for 27 games and has microfracture surgery on his knee (both of which are heavily influenced by the stress his athletic talents put on his lower extremities).
I was just considering the last couple seasons. Amare played 80 games in 04/05 and 82 games last season. The only serious health problem he's had in the last 3 years was the microfracture surgery. Last, he showed that he was fully recovered. Maybe I was wrong to use the phrase "myriad of reasons" for Yao. But he has missed significant time each of the last two seasons. And even when he's fully "healthy", he loses his balance and falls to the floor fairly frequently. I think a player of his stature who's playing big minutes and has to be the center of attention is just bound to be a big injury risk. It's kind of amazing that he only missed 2 games in his first three seasons.
Why not? If a player is a SG in a particular system, and he's smaller than most SGs on other teams, than he's an "undersized SG".
You are not addressing the issue at heart. Fact: Stoudmire has missed more games than Yao. He has missed them because of separate injuries. Yao has missed less games than Stoudemire because of separate injuries. You argument is invalid. You have to qualify the circumstances and weakly dismiss a rather strong term (myriad) in order to arrive at your baised conclusion. Furthermore, you assume that Stoudemire who relies much on his athletic prowess and who is a center of attention, is less of an injury risk. This premise is not proven by facts. Your bias is further proven when you state that it is amazing that Yao only missed three games his first three years. The very same evidence could be used to conclude that the last two years in which Yao has been injured are only abberations, and not a trend.
The argument that Amare is a bigger injury risk because microfracture surgery required him to miss a season and he had some other injury 4 seasons ago really isn't compelling to me. I'm not a doctor. But common sense tells me that recent history is more relevant when determining injury risk. Yao is coming off of two straight half-seasons. Amare played 82 games last year. All the significant time Amare has missed in the last 3 years was due to recovery from microfracture surgery. And by the end of last year, after a full 82-game season, he showed no effects from that surgery. Moreover, my intuition is that players of Yao Ming's size tend to have problems with their feet and/or knees. He's 300+ pounds and because he's so tall is legs are more exposed to contact. Also, due to his proportions, he isn't very coordinated and that probably increases chance of injury.
Hey Charley Rosen, how's Yao not very coordinated? What's the definition of coordination? Yao's propensity to fall, if any, is due to his high center of gravity, which is accentuated in the midst of basketball play.
I said: "Also, due to his proportions, he isn't very coordinated", which you quoted and effectively repeated in your post. Not sure what else you would like me to say. Yao loses his balance and falls a lot. You dispute that?
Not so, coordination scientist. If falling down in competitive basketball is the metric for coordination, then guys like Allen Iverson are the most incoordinated NBA players on the planet.
Yao falls a lot because he loses his balance. Iverson falls because (a) he flops, and (b) he's a runt constantly trying to initiate contact around the basket.
I never argued that Stoudemire was a bigger injury risk. What I argue is that both are injury risks, neither one more or less risky. You continue to state that Stouemire's recent history has only been plagued by microfracture surgery. What recent means to you is subjective. I would venture to say that most would see no difference between this magical three year mark and four years. My intuition is that players who have undergone microfracture surgery tend to have problems with their knees. Furthermore, if he sprains his ankle in such a way again that forces him to miss 27 games, he will require surgery on his ankles. The tendons can only take so much damage.
