It's Not Rocket Science

[BobcatsAllDay]

Why are we struggling? It's simple, basketball is played inside-out, and until we acquire a player who can score consistently in high % areas (aka "The Paint") we will continue to struggle. Nobody....I repeat Nobody on this team will reach their full potential until this happens.

Can Emeka score in the paint sometimes? Of course. Can he score in the paint consistently? HELL NO. We need someone who can and it does not have to be a dominant force, we just need a consistent 12-15pts/gm. I don't think that's asking for a lot. Initially, when I heard the Eddy Curry (Career #'s 13ppg, 54%FG) rumors I thought NO WAY, but this team needs someone who is comfortable catching the ball in the paint and scoring.

Acquiring this player will immediately make this team better at every position. Our PGs who are great penetrators will have more room to operate because the opposing team must account for our big(s). J-Rich will see more open looks from deep, and the angles to drive (which LB is asking him to do) will be more defined if we have a big that must be accounted for.

Lastly, there are very few teams in NBA history who have made it to the promise land (NBA championship) w/o a Center/PF who could score when called upon in the painted area. Currently our promise land is the playoffs so we do not need Shaq, Timmy D, or Hakeem. But we do need a reliable scorer down low if we want to see the playoffs anytime soon.

[Alex]

Amen brother.

[Icky Thump]

Why are we struggling? It's simple, basketball is played inside-out, and until we acquire a player who can score consistently in high % areas (aka "The Paint") we will continue to struggle. Nobody....I repeat Nobody on this team will reach their full potential until this happens.

Can Emeka score in the paint sometimes? Of course. Can he score in the paint consistently? HELL NO. We need someone who can and it does not have to be a dominant force, we just need a consistent 12-15pts/gm. I don't think that's asking for a lot. Initially, when I heard the Eddy Curry (Career #'s 13ppg, 54%FG) rumors I thought NO WAY, but this team needs someone who is comfortable catching the ball in the paint and scoring.

Acquiring this player will immediately make this team better at every position. Our PGs who are great penetrators will have more room to operate because the opposing team must account for our big(s). J-Rich will see more open looks from deep, and the angles to drive (which LB is asking him to do) will be more defined if we have a big that must be accounted for.

Lastly, there are very few teams in NBA history who have made it to the promise land (NBA championship) w/o a Center/PF who could score when called upon in the painted area. Currently our promise land is the playoffs so we do not need Shaq, Timmy D, or Hakeem. But we do need a reliable scorer down low if we want to see the playoffs anytime soon.



Seems like I've been saying this for 3 years... :(

I hope we do something about it before the doors fall completely off.

[SWedd523]

You're completely right. No team besides the Jordans (Bulls) comes to mind who won without a TRUE Center. The problem is that Emeka USED to be a solid 15/12 guy. This year he really is playing like crap and it really pisses me off.

All the Curry ideas have been put to rest. Now we're looking into the whole Kaman thing who is a HUGE step up from Curry IMO.

[davcbow]

You're completely right. No team besides the Jordans (Bulls) comes to mind who won without a TRUE Center. The problem is that Emeka USED to be a solid 15/12 guy. This year he really is playing like crap and it really pisses me off.

All the Curry ideas have been put to rest. Now we're looking into the whole Kaman thing who is a HUGE step up from Curry IMO.

He hasnt played that well since Primo stopped playing good and was traded... lol

[Ampsportsduo]

Mek's problems are not exclusively his. The PGs have not done a good job getting him the ball, and in most games he appears to be the 6th offensive option on the floor (just behind turning the ball over to let the other team score). The PGs have also continued to get him illegal screen offensive fouls by going too soon on the pick and roll. The result has been lower minutes after the first five games. Mek's rebounded well, often getting his scoring opportunities off those offensive rebounds.

[dnbman]

Mek's problems are not exclusively his. The PGs have not done a good job getting him the ball, and in most games he appears to be the 6th offensive option on the floor (just behind turning the ball over to let the other team score). The PGs have also continued to get him illegal screen offensive fouls by going too soon on the pick and roll. The result has been lower minutes after the first five games. Mek's rebounded well, often getting his scoring opportunities off those offensive rebounds.

While that may be true, Emeka still isn't a great scorer. The games I've been at, he had plenty of opportunities to score; he just played soft and doesn't have a great shot away from the basket.

I like Emeka as a player a lot. However, his offensive game is limited.