On the defensive end, there are alot of comparisons that can be made between the two, however, Chuck needs to try and model his game after the more offensive minded undersized bigs like Barkley and LJ. His defense isn't going anywhere because he has a good foundation, he just needs to learn to use his girth to his advantage offensively. Actually with Chuck's inability to "get big" or go up over the top of the defender, I think a good model for what Chuck can aspire to become would be Anthony Mason. He's the perfect template for Chuck because he wasn't a big leaper (like Barkley and LJ) nor did he have anything close to acceptable shooting form but he was a monster once he could get going. With an offensive repertoire similar to Mason's added with his already impressive defensive skill set, Chuck could be a matchup nightmare.
I'm sure there's some truth to what you're saying, but it's not an absolute like you're claiming. Otis Thorpe didn't have range outside 5 feet but shot close to 70% FTs in his career. Not good, but not Shaq or Hayes bad. In fact, he shot better for his career from the line than did Nick Anderson, who was a prolific 3 point shooter. And if you can't account for the fact that Hayes shot 78% in college and is terrible in the pros, then your theory doesn't really hold water for him, either. He didn't lose the ability to perceive depth since joining the NBA. Shooters who can't transition to the NBA are understandable - they might not have the height or the hops or the speed to get the open looks that they had in college. But the free throw line is the free throw line, from high school to college to the pros.
The free throw issues are in his head. I think his confidence is gone at the line and it makes me wonder what coaching genius decided to make Chuck reinvent his free throw.
Thorpe did take midrange jumpers, though. He wasn't great at it, but part of our offense was him doing a side pick and roll and shooting a little 10-15 foot jumper on the baseline. There may be truth to it, but its also sort of chicken-and-egg. Is it lack of shoot jumpers that messes up the shooting ability, or it lack of shooting ability that keeps players from shooting them?
"Depth perception" was an unpopular issue couple years back from what I remember.. I'm not saying depth perception is the reason to shoot atrociously. Cuz some people have permanent innate depth perception issues on everything, that practice reps wont ever help. Plus you can be an inside player and shoot decently from the line. I'm saying guards collectively still tend to shoot a few % points better from the line than bigs. Possibly due to the deeper range shooting? Instead of just saying "for whatever reason", nothing wrong with trying to put an explanation behind it. I think Chuck's problems are still more mental than perception. I actually respect the hitch. Cuz not everyone's shooting mechanics have the same texbook form. Whatever way gets the ball in the rim to maximum effectiveness no matter how dumb it looks I say
is Chuck that different from Ben Wallace, sans the fro? Strips instead of blocks. undersized, strong, tough D, great rebounder, horrible FT shooter, put him on taller guys with success, great help defender (with different methods of succeeding)
Chuck may actually be a stronger post defender. But what separates Wallace was his superior athleticism/length which made him a bigger force on the boards, definitely a more imposing shot-blocker, and he could play 40 minutes a night without fouling. Wallace's foul-rate, in his prime, was amongst the very lowest for centers. Remarkable, considering his defensive impact.
Ben Wallace certainly defended vertically, amongst the best. Thats what was so great with Big Ben, he stripped, stole AND blocked in bunches. In his prime, Hakeem like with the steals and blocks...and thats whats so great about Olajuwon. After all that still having time to dump in 25 points a game and Dream Shaking the Big Bens of the league out their shoes. Everything else is comparable sans the fro and height.
great point on the foul rate. That would certainly be a huge improvement if Chuck could find a way to decrease it this year when we need more minutes out of him. Of course, a good number of his fouls come from block/charge calls that go against him, and if you take that away from him (tell him to do it less), it decreases his help defense effectiveness
Chuck's height w/o shoes: 6'5.5" wingpsan: 6'10" Wallace's heigh w/o shoes: 6'7" wingspan: 7'2" not HUGe differences. but wallace definitely bigger/longer
I wonder if Chuck really does have depth perception issues. Maybe all his coaches think it's a mental issue and never thought to test his depth perception. If he does have issue, I wonder if vision therapy can work. http://www.visiontherapystories.org/depth_perception.html
Karl Malone improved his ft% from 48.1% to high 76.6%, after 3-4 seasons. There's something about practicing free throws that must help.
If only the Rockets could transplant Chuck's brain/heart into Dorsey's body. Dorsey is comparable to Wallace in size & athleticism, but is braindead when it comes to basketball IQ.
http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/the_campaign_begins_chuck_hay_2009_11_06.html [rquoter] Let’s also bring back Sikma, a man who has played with and against, coached and seen virtually every relevant big man who’s set foot on an NBA court over the last three-plus decades. When asked if he’s ever witnessed a player possessing a defensive package quite like the one Hayes brings to the table, Sikma – not a man prone to hyperbole – actually summoned the name of Hall of Famer Wes Unseld. “He was a 6-7 guy who controlled the paint, kept people out, created space on the boards – did all those types of things. Of course, Chuck hasn’t shown as much low-post game on the offensive as Unseld but, defensively he’s similar. For instance, if we want to trap somebody, we’re hoping Chuck’s man is coming out to set the pick; we want him involved in that because he’s got great feet. He’s got a low center of gravity and he moves those feet side to side so well. They’re not big long steps, they’re short quick steps and he’s able to maintain angles on his man defensively and keep him from the hoop so well (note: if you wondered why Yahoo! Sports’ Kelly Dwyer remarked that Chuck’s “footwork belongs on Mt. Rushmore,” now you know).” [/rquoter]
I will be honest, like you I never saw Unseld play so I didn't know. Nice to see that you were right though when looking at it from a numbers point of view.
I'm actually quite impressed by the improvement in Chuck's offensive game this year. Last year he had trouble making layups -- now it seems that he can convert in the lane if he's open with regularity. That adds a dimension to our offense -- the opposing can not simply leave Chuck open in the lane.
