[WC 2nd Round] #2 Denver Nuggets vs. #6 Lady Mavericks

how would you rate bill russell? a glorified defensive juggernaut too i guess.

howard may not be an offensive force today, but he's only 22. i'm sure he'll learn. but at least he is still making a huge impact with his rebounding/defense/shotblocking like a dominant big man should.

 

Davis robinson was a great player before duncan ever showed up. From 89-97, robinson was a 1st team all nba, mvp, all star, scoring champ and all other kinds of awards. Duncan, much like magic, elevated him to another level just as robinson made it a easy transition for duncan. Robinson may not be top 5, but he's in the 6-10 range of all time. If duncan was couted as a center, he wouldn't be top 5 either. All im saying is his hook and ft's need to be more consistent.

 

Let me know when DH comes close to 11 rings and 5 MVP awards. Winning titles and MVPs has its perks, and that is getting due recognition by peers and pundits. The reason Russell is being mentioned in the top 5 is because of his team's success and his role in those teams. Again let me know when the Magic get close to the 60's Celtics success and DH coming close to Russell's individual accolades. Then I'll give merit to your flippant comment on Russell.

DH can learn all he wants but if you have no gift or talent in the first place, it will be painfully obvious when you do it in game. Again, outside of dunks and jump hooks, he's like a fish out of water.

 

That's why I said DH isn't even at Robinson's level yet. And regardless of position, Duncan will go down as the better player between him and Robinson on the list of greatest NBA players.

That's like asking a deaf person to get better at hearing. How long did it take Shaq to round out his FT's? Use that as a barometer.

 

You seem to know something about basketball, so please show me a center that has played with no skill or talent to avg 20 ppg 14 rebs and 3 blks. You don't put up those numbers over the course of 82 games without skill or talent. If its so easy to accomplish, how come kwame brown, olawakandi, and LaMarcus aldridge can't even come close? Its one thing to poke holes in a players game, but its another to minimize 82 games. BTW, in the playoffs he's been 26-15-3. Either he has some talent or there are a bunch of dumb ass coaches that let a guy just dunk the ball and shoot ugly hooks. Jamaal Wilkes had a ugly shot too.

 

Sure, his name is Dwight Howard. How? By outrunning, outjumping, and having more athleticism then your peers. But athleticism does not mean offensively gifted. And this isn't about his defensive skills or rebounding skills. Those are proven. His offensive game is not.

Because DH is more athletic then those players. DH is an athletic freak, no question. Athletic freakness does not equal gifted offensive moves though.

Sure, his talent is outrunning and outjumping his peers. Plus the usual ugly jump hooks, dropsteps, and dunks. SVG has done a good job to put him in good situations to maximize his athletic prowess. And it's hard to keep DH off the boards.

DH just has an embarrassingly ugly offensive game outside of dunking. I don't know why people are getting offended by that notion. In spite of his chewbacca-like offensive game, he still gets his numbers. He and you fans of his should be proud of that.

 

best scout report on dh12 i've read.

 

man, i found myself rooting for the mavs against the denver thuggests. kinda a weird feeling.

 

I don't really have a poblem with th Mavs. Dirk Nowitkzi is much more likeable, in my mind, than Carmelo Anthony.

 

It seems like you're focusing on this "skill" notion, as if that's the most important thing on the offensive end. Because Howard isn't "skilled", in your estimate, it sounds like you're saying he's not a particularly good offensive player. That's where I disagree. He is a top 5 offensive center in this league (including Yao, Shaq, Duncan, and Jefferson in the group), based on how he can help his team on that end of the floor. It's easy to see how much attention he draws when he's in the paint and he sucks in the defense, leaving more opportunities for his teammates on the perimeter. Even if he's not getting touches in the post, like Yao, he can still have a big impact on the possession.

 

I'm the exact opposite. I like Melo's game more than Dirk's. Something about 7 footers with a game as soft as charmin tissue that rubs me the wrong way.

 

Carmelo plays out of control and unintelligently way too often. Nowitzki is a much more refined basketball player, and someone I'd muchrather have on my team in a crunch time situation.

But my comment was more about personal likeability. Nowitzki just seems like a good guy, and I'd probably root for him to succeed if the Rockets get eliminated. Carmelo Anthony is a bit of a punk.

 

Yeah, Dirk would be perfect on most teams in crunch time, would love to have him taking the last shot...it's just sitting through the other 40 minutes of atrocious post defense that would make me go crazy. You can hide wing players' defensive shortcomings with a good team defensive concept but when your star big man is a doormat it's tough to win, all those jumpers have to fall.

 

Nowitzki has good length, is pretty mobile for his position, and is a good defensive rebounder. I think he's an adequate defensive player. No more a liability on that end than Carmelo Anthony.

 

I think they are comparable defensive players but as a big man Dirk's defense is more important. If Melo gets beat then Kenyon Martin picks up the slack and guys rotate. If Dirk gets beat it's 2 points.

I guess i'm just more disappointed in his poor defense than anything. He has the athleticism to be just as good a team defender as KG but with a thousand times more offensive ability. I feel the same way about Amare. All too often they don't use that length and mobility you spoke of in your post, adequate is not enough for a star big man imo.

 

Yeah, I am focusing on the skills part. If you have a big man quick enough and big enough to hang with DH, then there's no need to double him. But not too many teams have that. Therefore DH gets advantage over most players guarding him and needs extra attention, therefore leaving Magic 3 point shooters open. But that only reaffirms my earlier statement that DH is quicker and stronger then his peers. My statement that he has an ugly and limited individual post up skills still stands.

 

Nuggets are way too much for the Mavs. If you're Cuban, I assume you're thinking it's time to break it up and start over.

 

exactly.

other than billups, there is no one on the denver team i can say i really like.

melo is just another punk who can ball a little. stern has quit his melo-vs-bron drama long ago.

 

Shaq had ugly and limited post-up skills and he's one of the greatest centers of all time. Without his athleticism and strength, Shaq would have been a zero in the NBA. So saying Howard lives and dies by his athleticism doesn't mean much because he's so athletic.

 

I think he's still holding out that he can build around the Dirk/Howard/Terry core. The problem is that the other pieces don't quite fit. They don't have a physical post player, nor do they have any leadership. Hit them in the month and they'll fold like a cheap tent.

Honestly, Cuban's constant meddling with the roster is the reason they're in this mess today. He let Nash walk just to sign Dampier to that ridiculous contract. Then he compounded the mistake by dealing a promising Devin Harris for an over-the-hill Jason Kidd. Dallas had their chance a few years ago when they lost to the refs and DWade in the Finals.