Smart Thoughts of the Week: Dec. 4 – 11

Throughout the week some of you drop some brilliant or at least somewhat thoughtful comments and so this is a try at highlighting some of them. Disclaimer: It’s not that I necessarily agree with all of them, but they were interesting and for the most part, well put. Consider everything [sic’d].

Expectations for Chewblocka. /wookiesound (Kirk): I have read all about Ibaka on numerous websites and watched just about every video of Ibaka there is to watch, from when he was in high school up through some of his games in the NBA. There is no doubt that this guy is oozing with athleticism.

Ibaka’s timing on blocking shots is flawless. He almost never jumps too early to block a shot. He looks like he could be a premier shot blocker once he earns more minutes in the NBA. And I belive he has a 42″ vertical jump, and for a 6′10″ guy that is flat out amazing leaping ability. That is actually an incredible vertical for any player regardless of size, but for someone that is 6′10″, that is almost unheard of. So he can get up and block just about any shot that comes near him.

His offensive game should come around quite nicely too. He has good range w/ his shot for a big man and can step out and knock down a mid-range jumper and he can occasionally step behind the 3 pt and line and knock down a trey. And obviously he can throw down dunks and score points off of offensive rebounds.

I’ve seen Ibaka comparisons to Shawn Kemp, which I think are too lofty of expectations. I just think that’s too much for him to live up to, b/c that is basically saying he will turn out to be a hall of famer, which is just too far of a stretch right now. But if all the stars align, he has the right work ethic, strong desire and the passion to keep getting better and if OKC keeps developing him at a nice pace, he could turn out to be something very special. I do like to compare him to a better version of Tyrus Thomas on down the line though, which I think is a more realistic comparison than Shawn Kemp. I think he has about the same athletic ability as Tyrus did when he first broke into the league, but I just think Ibaka has better work ethic and has more desire to get better than Tyrus, which is why I compare him to a better overall version of Tyrus Thomas in the future.

I would like to see him bulk up just a bit more and put on another 10-15 pounds or so of muscle to help him bang with post players inside and score more in the paint, but I don’t want to see him put on more weight than 10-15 pounds b/c I don’t want too much weight that it would hinder his leaping ability or slow him down too much, b/c he has too good of leaping ability and speed for a big man, I would hate to seem him lose a step if he put on alot more weight.

But ESPN’s Trade Machine says this Thomas/Weaver/White for Dwight Howard would work. (Vince): I find it highly unlikely that we’ll trade for a big-time center. They’re very rare right now, and hence at a premium. Guys like Biedrins and Gasol simply won’t be had for mid-first round picks. And trading a member of the core seems unlikely.

And to repeat myself (though I posted it at the tail end of an older thread), I’m not sure why a team that’s fifth in defense, above-average in rebounding, and fourth (at last check) in blocks has a big man as its most pressing need. OFFENSE is our most pressing need. I submit that if you get improvement out of the young perimeter players, that a signing like Dampier or Camby can position us well. If you’re running out Green/Ibaka/Camby/Collison/2010 Draft Pick (or some version thereof) I think Brooks can mix and match enough to have an edge at the 4 and 5 over most teams (most of whom, remember, don’t have a quality big man either).

I still say our most pressing need, right now, is the backup 1 (and, no, Weaver is not the answer; if he were, he wouldn’t have lost out in camp to Kevin freaking Ollie). #1, Brooks needs to have some leverage over Westbrook, which he doesn’t with journeyman vets behind him; #2, our second unit offense has less movement than your average pickup game; and #3 I did like Westbrook playing off the ball last year a bit and I think having a solid backup 1 would allow Russell to do that again.

No joke here: He really needs to take it inside more. No doubt. (justin): One obvservation I’ve made about RW is that he’s much more efficient on inside attempts (finishing better), but he’s wasting that improvement because he’s taking way more jump shots this season.

Last year, according to 82games.com, Russ was 58% jump shots and 42% inside attempts. His eFG% was .368 and .478 (terrible) respectively.

This year, Russ is taking 68% jump shots and 32% inside attempts. His jump shot eFG% is about the same at .378, but his inside attempts are at .561, a huge improvement.

Yeah I have a hard time saying the p-word too. It’s just so vulgar. Oh, that p-word. (MartzMimic): I tend to be optimistic when it comes to the Thunder, but I can hardly allow myself to even utter the P-word. It’s like the sword of Damocles is hanging over my head and I have the feeling someone’s going to be cutting the thread. I really thought that the Thunder would top out somewhere around 34-35 wins.

Of course, a 48-34 record would give the Thunder the same record the Jazz had last year when they grabbed the eighth seed. I ask myself, “Are the Thunder this year as good as Utah was last year?” I think the answer may be yes.

We always knew that for the Thunder to make a jump, someone was going to have to come back to use. We’re still in the first quarter of the season, but look at how many other teams – teams we thought were locks for the playoffs – are under-performing. And I don’t think any of us could have expected Oklahoma City to turn into one of the league’s top defensive teams, especially without a dominating center. I just don’t know, fellas…

Simple, short and smart. We’ll end with that. (Osano-Whoa): Sometimes when I watch Harden I feel like people think he’s not athletic because he’s so smooth. It’s like there’s no wasted movement, and people are equating non-frantic with non-athletic.