Trade Emeka ASAP!

[Jeff41]

I really can't stand to watch another game with this guy in a Bobcats uniform. Why does he even dress? No emotion, no defense, NO OFFENSE, can't hit a free throw. WORTHLESS. And he's our highest payed player? Something's wrong with that. You see guys like Ray and G-Force play their asses off every night and when we have to have a W to stay in the playoff race, Emeka gets dominated by a Euro-scrub on the Thunder (Kristic?) and can't make a layup. What a joke, good riddance to the worst starter on our team hopefully.

[teej]

He's not the worst starter, and he does stuff on D. He shows plenty of emotion, watch a game that matters. He hit 3-4 FT's, and had 9 rebounds. He is one of very few players to average a double double.

That said, he isnt tough enough, and I agree that for us to be contenders, he or Diaw has to move out of a spot down low.

Here we go again...

[Jeff41]

He's not the worst starter, and he does stuff on D. He shows plenty of emotion, watch a game that matters. He hit 3-4 FT's, and had 9 rebounds. He is one of very few players to average a double double.

That said, he isnt tough enough, and I agree that for us to be contenders, he or Diaw has to move out of a spot down low.

Here we go again...

I don't care about Emeka's double-double average of 10.1 points and 10.1 rebounds or whatever he gets to barely keep up his double double stat, he's not a good player and he gets dominated by Euro-trash like Kristic and scrubs night in-night out. And please tell me who is worse in our starting lineup than Emeka? I'd say he's probably our 8th best player and that's being kind. I want him gone, I would be embarassed if I were him to be our highest payed player and play like this during a playoff run. It would be bad enough if he just stunk it up out there, but on top of that he appears to not give a damn and that's unacceptable.

[teej]

I don't care about Emeka's double-double average of 10.1 points and 10.1 rebounds or whatever he gets to barely keep up his double double stat, he's not a good player and he gets dominated by Euro-trash like Kristic and scrubs night in-night out. And please tell me who is worse in our starting lineup than Emeka? I'd say he's probably our 8th best player and that's being kind. I want him gone, I would be embarassed if I were him to be our highest payed player and play like this during a playoff run. It would be bad enough if he just stunk it up out there, but on top of that he appears to not give a damn and that's unacceptable.
He averages 13.5 ppg, which is more than Raja, and the whole bench. He averages 10.2 rpg, which is more than anyone. You can't tell me that DJ, Diop, Vladi, or whoever else is better than him. He is a rare find, a big man that plays defense and has the ability to score some. He shows plenty of effort, he just does it in a different way. He has played fairly well of late, so I don't see how he should be embarassed? But hey, if you want to pick on one of two guys who've worked their asses off for this team the whole 5 years, go ahead.

[Jeff41]

He averages 13.5 ppg, which is more than Raja, and the whole bench. He averages 10.2 rpg, which is more than anyone. You can't tell me that DJ, Diop, Vladi, or whoever else is better than him. He is a rare find, a big man that plays defense and has the ability to score some. He shows plenty of effort, he just does it in a different way. He has played fairly well of late, so I don't see how he should be embarassed? But hey, if you want to pick on one of two guys who've worked their asses off for this team the whole 5 years, go ahead.

Raja plays lockdown defense, hits big shots, huge threat behind the 3 line, provides veteran leadership, ice in the veins at the line. We've seen the last few games how much Raja meant to this club, Raja's injury cost us that #8 spot IMO. DJ is a much better player than Emeka, and personally I would rather see Diop starting a C because at least he shows some effort out there and doesn't get pushed around by trash.

Emeka can average 13.5 all he wants to, he does NOTHING when the game is on the line or when it matters. He has padded his stats in past seasons in meaningless games and now that we finally have a season ending stretch where it matters for a change, he disappears. He's a soft player and he's weak mentally. I'm not sure why you are defending him with this "worked his ass" off stuff, anyone who wants to stay in the NBA has to work their ass off. There are a lot of guys who work their ass off on our bench, and that's where Emeka should be if he is still on this team next year.

[teej]

You call Emeka weak, but you regard Diop highly? No, Mek has worked very hard, he has a good work ethic, and he is quality guy. Diop is no more manly then Mek, so I don't see how you could start to say Diop should start. Diop has NO offense whatsoever, and his defense is not as good as Mek's either. If you've watched the games, Raja hasn't been ice at the end of the games, his leadership is still there on the bench in Juwan. I'm not diminishing what he's done, I'm just saying its not THAT special. Mek is more valuable to this team than Raja. Mek is more valuable to this team than Raymond, if nothing else due to DJ. But maybe in overall talent, too.

I still think that ultimately we cannot win with Mek and Diaw, but we're damn sure closer with them than without. And Diop is NOT the answer...

[millst2]

Well I have to disagree with the fact that mek is better than raja. Also disagree with the fact he is the Center piece of the team.

A lot of us have talked about how weak Mek is. Hell just think back to the conversation we all had when they released the info that Mek had his shots blocked more than anyone in the league. That was the one stat the bobcats lead the league in.

I don't think he is 8th in order of performance, but he isn't in no way the best or top 3 player on our team. I have said many times, that he goes to the rim weak, he plays the majority of the time like he is on zoloft. He wanted big money, he does in fact need to step his game up. His average to me means nothing also. Easy to do like he did and have a few games back to back where he was scoring 7-8 pts a game then goes the next couple games scoring 12. If he would play like a Man, and slam his body and cram the ball into our opponents faces then he would earn a lot more respect.

If we could trade nazr and mek for a tougher center I say go for it. Now, I am not saying one is out there available, just saying.

Felts and Raja and Wallace and DJ and maybe our bad passing Diaw in my gut is the core we will see shaped around this summer. Not sayin mek will be traded but I think we are in a lot better position than most teams, and we have roster space to make moves along with 3 draft picks we can trade up or away.

And also I do not think, as well as others on here all have talked before.. Mek for a long time just showed up. He didnt play with heart and drive. Now he has the big money and he needs to show the fans that he means business and starts Manning up and getting tough.

[WarioVsMooChicken]

If we simply pissed off Mek before every game, I'm sure he'd put up Howard numbers.

[davcbow]

I think we need to first get a shooter that can hit most of his shots and play decent defense. Then we can try to find a dominating big that can dominate the middle but keep Mek until we find that guy....:cool:

[Marvel]

I gotta say i've been very disappointed in Mek's performance last year and this year and to be our highest paid player and stink up the court like he did tonight is an absolute disgrace.Kristic almost dropped a double-double on his ass which is embarassing if he is our best interior defender.Let's just put to rest that he isn't an offensive threat and he doesn't need to score to be effective there's other ways he can help us win with rebounding which was average tonight and defense,but he is our best rebounder and shot blocker,he's very much like Tyson Chandler but if he were playing with CP he would be averaging around 16-18ppg but that's another story.We have to keep Mek and i wouldn't put the blame on him tonight i mean Diaw wasn't exactly hot either he went 8-21.

[SWedd523]

I don't necessarily think Mek is the problem. I mean, yeah, a lot of him disappearing has to do with his toughness (or lack thereof). But I think if we were to get him a viable big man next to him, and not a tweener, then we'll see his numbers go up.

Mek and Diaw are both short as it is, placing them next to eachother only magnifies their weaknesses. We won't go far with Diaw and Mek playing beside eachother. That will change if we can bring in a big powerful 4 or 5 though.

[ohara831]

I get aggravated with Okafor's inconsistency also. When he has the occasional stretch where he avg's 20 pts and 15 reb. it's great. Then you get nights where he shoots the ball only 5 times, and ends up with 5 pts and 6 reb. He just seems to take too many nights off. I cant say how many times I wanted to punch my computer or TV when I watched how utterly uninterested he seemed to be during many games over the season. And when you pay someone his kind of $, they damn well need to "bring it" EVERY NIGHT!

Now, as for trading him, I dont see it as likely at all. We absolutely cannot go with Diop as a starting Center. My God, people would just play hack a Diop on us and kill us. Guy is pathetic at the FT line. Unless you have a quality Center, not necessarily a star, but a quality starter on the team, we could not give up Okafor.

[amour217]

I don't necessarily think Mek is the problem. I mean, yeah, a lot of him disappearing has to do with his toughness (or lack thereof). But I think if we were to get him a viable big man next to him, and not a tweener, then we'll see his numbers go up.

Mek and Diaw are both short as it is, placing them next to eachother only magnifies their weaknesses. We won't go far with Diaw and Mek playing beside eachother. That will change if we can bring in a big powerful 4 or 5 though.

I agree with you there: having a big, strong PF with a refined offensive and rebounding style that can overcome Okafor's shortcomings may work best.

That being said, will this result in more Oka-what pics?

[BobCatsFanInTx]

Basically there is no argument to be had concerning Emeka. Some people have a loyalty to him being that he has been with the team since the beginning and some people don't care that he has been on the team since the beginning. With that said there was a stretch where Emeka was playing tough and was involved in critical situations on the court. Here lately however in my opinion it seems like Emeka is not involved as much. I have said in the past that Emeka is soft and shows no emotion. What he gives to the team has been important but what he lacks has also hurt this team. Emeka doesn't seem to be able to muster the emotion it takes to be an All Star caliber style of player. Dwight Howard isn't just great because of his superior genetics he is great because he wants to be involved in critical moments to help his team. Emeka has been in the league for five years and what part of his game has he actually made significant improvements in? I can't see any real statistical improvements.
He has no abilities offensively, he lacks defense for the course of a whole game. Most nights after the first half he wares down and gets pushed around near the basket.

Anyway this is all apples and oranges. Emeka is going to have his detractors and his fans. I would venture to say that if Diop got the minutes he would not be much of a fall off from what Emeka is currently giving us. At least not as of late. Emeka is paid much better now and he should do more than maintain his status quo play that he has given in the last five years. He should have proven that he was worth a pay raise. Yes, he does help the team in rebounding and cheap put back baskets but that is not all that he is paid for. It is time for Emeka to work on his post game and it's time for him to be tougher. If not I do think he should go. I could care less that he was this organztions first ever draft pick.

[kickazzz2000]

Mediokreafor

[amour217]

Mediokreafor


LOL I love it! +1

[Chef]

i feel like bill murray in groundhog day. every year for the past 3 (as long as i have been around) we have this exact same conversation at the exact same time. we should merge all of the trade mek threads from the past 3 seasons. i think the consensus is, no one really wants him all that much, we all agree he is terrible on the offensive end and plays rather emotionless basketball, but what trade could we make that is at best a lateral move. big men are expensive and no one gives them up on the cheap. hopefully, larry can figure something out.

[BRNC]

It is always nice to dump it on one player...problem is it is not one player...the size issue (Diaw and Okafor), lack of another STRONG rebounding post presence, inability (as a team to finish), are just a few of the problems...

I doubt any of these are addressed from (IMO) an incredible weak draft....looking at the bigs that will be FAs (at this moment) I think the best we can do is D. Gooden next to EO50...he has more range...plays D, and is a decent rebounder...I doubt Odom will come here and those are the best two (IMO)...

It is hard to say who teams will make available (to cut cap space) but Gooden might be our best bet if he signs to start somewhere rather than a back-up with a contender...

[teej]

I think Gooden wants to stay in San Antonio...we could get Rasheed though?

And to whoever said there will always be Mek fans and haters, I am neither, I respect the fact that he has a good work ethic and he does show some emotion (obviously you guys judge that in decibels, not how much he's actually in the game) when a game matters, and he is the model of consistency. BUT, he is a pussy in the paint, and along with Diaw we can't win. So I'm all for trading him IF we can get someone better. Which we won't.

[coordinator0]

I think Gooden wants to stay in San Antonio...we could get Rasheed though?

And to whoever said there will always be Mek fans and haters, I am neither, I respect the fact that he has a good work ethic and he does show some emotion (obviously you guys judge that in decibels, not how much he's actually in the game) when a game matters, and he is the model of consistency. BUT, he is a pussy in the paint, and along with Diaw we can't win. So I'm all for trading him IF we can get someone better. Which we won't.

Rasheed isn't the big rebounder we're looking for either. He's really tailed off in the past couple seasons and his offensive game is starting to limit itself to 3's. No thank you to either of the Pistons, but I like Boozer (no chance in hell of him coming here IMO).

[Ampsportsduo]

i feel like bill murray in groundhog day. every year for the past 3 (as long as i have been around) we have this exact same conversation at the exact same time. we should merge all of the trade mek threads from the past 3 seasons. i think the consensus is, no one really wants him all that much, we all agree he is terrible on the offensive end and plays rather emotionless basketball, but what trade could we make that is at best a lateral move. big men are expensive and no one gives them up on the cheap. hopefully, larry can figure something out.

We need a wiki page that can be copied and pasted every time one of these comes up. The page should outline both sides of the argument and then immeadietely lock the thread. Having this discussion again is about as entertaining as watching a Deal or No Deal marathon. Will she deal? oooooooo, she said no way banker, take that shadowy figure, she won't take your offer!

[teej]

We need a wiki page that can be copied and pasted every time one of these comes up. The page should outline both sides of the argument and then immeadietely lock the thread. Having this discussion again is about as entertaining as watching a Deal or No Deal marathon. Will she deal? oooooooo, she said no way banker, take that shadowy figure, she won't take your offer!

Yet each time a new thread is started something new comes up...thats why this is more relavant than Deal or No Deal.

[dnbman]

Yet each time a new thread is started something new comes up...thats why this is more relavant than Deal or No Deal.

I haven't seen anything new in the Okafor debate on this thread.

That guy has his limitations, but he is a beast on the boards. As others have said, if we have another inside presence, that will help Emeka a lot. I said this last year, but I think Emeka is the type of player that if you get a good team going around him with good coaching, he'll start making a lot of big plays for you. He seems like the kind of guy that likes to know the ship and its captain are head in the right direction. I think he's starting to see that now.

Bottom line is that he provides too much to dismiss him. For all of his short comings, we'd have a very hard time finding a player who can get as many rebounds as he can and block shots.

[BRNC]

I have not either (really seen anything not discussed to death)...and it is getting worse than beating a dead horse...for me...I want the team to get better (and I believe we all do) without going through tons of trades again...that is why I'm looking at the FA market...

[dav7z]

I see no inprovment in his game at all . I thought he played better ball his rookie year than this year. Does any one know how much differance thair is in his stats during that time line.

[davcbow]

I see no inprovment in his game at all . I thought he played better ball his rookie year than this year. Does any one know how much differance thair is in his stats during that time line.


Hey dav7z where ya been, I've missed your input alot.... working on getting a list for you...

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh52/davcbow/MekStats.jpg

[BETCATS]

Please calm down, Emeka is needed, unless we somehow get a ultrasuper star center to replace him, we need him. Dwight Howard aint walkin through that door. Thabeet aint walkin through that door. Jeff McGinnis on stilts aint walkin through that door :D

Sure he is not getting better, but he is the 'ole reliable' type. We know what we are going to get from him when he steps on the court. Plus, Raymond doesnt pass him the ball when he is open/has a open lane/comming off pick and roles, and when he did Emeka was consistanly puting up 20+. He is NOT Dwight Howard or the same leauge as him, but neither are most centers in the NBA. Okafor puts in work, but i knew paying him such a huge contract was a terrible idea, and i am guessing that since he is paid like a star everyone here is pissed that he is not one?

[Chef]

after watching ben gordon destroy us, what about this. trade mek for draft picks and 2010 or 2011 expiring contracts (service-able bigs), try a sign a trade with felton for the same thing (unless we can get a legit scoring big) and offer a big deal to ben gordon knowing we have cap space down the road. we would look like this

augustin/?/jefferson: pg
gordon/raja/cartier: sg
wallace/cartier/?: sf
raja/?/alexis: pf
?/diop/?: c

[spectre]

We have more options now, so it's understandable that Mek's numbers would go down. Notice however that his TOs, blocks and rebounds have pretty much remained the same but his FG% is MUCH better.

That being said, I think Boris is a fixture, and if it's determined that one has to go because we're too small I'd bet that it will be Mek.

Unless the demands are too big I feel pretty confident we'll retain Felton. I don't want to see this team next year with only DJ at the point.

[dav7z]

We have more options now, so it's understandable that Mek's numbers would go down. Notice however that his TOs, blocks and rebounds have pretty much remained the same but his FG% is MUCH better.

That being said, I think Boris is a fixture, and if it's determined that one has to go because we're too small I'd bet that it will be Mek.

Unless the demands are too big I feel pretty confident we'll retain Felton. I don't want to see this team next year with only DJ at the point.

It looks like to me we not trying to involve Mek enough . Him shoting over 56 percent from the field leading the team and his attempts constantly droping. With not much differance in his playing time.
Shooting 56 percent he should be putting it up at least 10 to 15 shots per game . If for nothing else but opening the floor up for our shooters.
thoughts?

[teej]

It looks like to me we not trying to involve Mek enough . Him shoting over 56 percent from the field leading the team and his attempts constantly droping. With not much differance in his playing time.
Shooting 56 percent he should be putting it up at least 10 to 15 shots per game . If for nothing else but opening the floor up for our shooters.
thoughts?

He and Diaw should both be shooting more, Diaw is the only player in the NBA to average 50 pct from the field and 40 pct from beyond the arc with enough attempts. I don't understand why Felton and DJ don't send it down low to Mek or out to Diaw for a J, and instead they end up taking the shots. For DJ I'm not so upset, but for Ray I am. Mek should be a major part of our offense, based on his skills, stats, and salary (same for Boris), but for whatever reason he isnt :confused:

[BRNC]

The problem I see is Diaw has to play to far out so we still only have one guy to box out and that's Okafor...I don't think it will come down to a choice between EO50 and Diaw but Crash and Diaw...I think we'll try to get another big to plug in next to EO50 (Gooden has been my best guess there) and either Crash and Diaw share the 3 or Diaw is coming in from the bench at 9mil a year...

We have never had another big that actually boxed and worked the boards with EO50 and until we do he is what he is...but I remember a couple of games (Dallas early with Twiggy and EO50) when Hollins and Mek worked well together...I'm not sure why it did not continue (many of us were not at the time) but it did not...

My concern with the team is an over-all lack of athleticism beyond Crash and Ray...I think (IMO) with a fairly athletic big with a good all around game (and again Gooden is the closest that will be a FA) EO50 will be more dominant...but I'm also basing that on a small sample so who knows...

[Slam]

We need to decide on who will take us further because they have the ability to be special, and who will just be a player.

At the moment the roster is filled with the latter and not so much the former.

[davcbow]

Also our payroll for next year is already at 66.8 mil. Thats for 12 players... Contracts run out for Martin, Howard, and Jefferson, leaving 1 team option year for Singletary and resigning year for for Felton and May. The lux tax limit is 71.1 mil.... So that leaves roughly 4.3 mil to play with as it stands to start out with. We will have to make some trades to dump some of the large contracts in order to survive.

1 Mek 10.5 mil
2 GW 9.5 mil
3 Diaw 9 mil
4 Vlad 6.5, Nazr 6.5 mil
6 Diop 6 mil
7 Felts 5.5 mil
8 Bell 5.2 mil
9 May 3.7 mil
10 DJ 2.4 mil
11 Lexy 1.4 mil
12 L Sean .7 mil

So how do we get 3 more players still having to resign Felts, May and Singletary and only having 4.3 to play with to stay out of the Lux tax hell... Which contract or contracts to free up money would you deal away with Felton still needing to be resigned? Or do we trade Felton and free up some money that way to start out with? Which players do we let get away from us. which do we let walk? Is the cap going to be lower next year leaving less room? We still need a shooter and a back up for Bell. Many , many questions and answers to find out for next season(IMO)...Thought :confused:

[BRNC]

We actually have 56mil in contract obligations...that does not reflect qualifiers for Ray or McMay which would add another 9.1...I don't think McMay will be offered @3.68 so that will be free...Ray at 7 makes us 63 and resign Juwan at the vet min adds another 1 and change so we're at 64...not much wiggle room...and with everyone else dumping what team is going to jump up and take any bad contracts we have? I think Diop and Vlad at 6 each may haunt us...Diaw at 9 might be moveable for a solid SG but we may have to take a little more back...it is going to be tight next year and before anyone says Nazr and his 6.4 I will...what team do you think wants his salary?

Unless Nazr is packaged in a trade (maybe Ray or Diaw) I think we live with it or buy him out...but a buy-out only frees a roster spot not the money so why do it?

[ammofan]

Okay guys, Okafor has been great for us. BUT what has he dramatically improved on over the past lets say, 3 seasons that makes him un-tradable? Yes, He does average a double double and has his whole career but, it is non existent. He makes no impact on the game and acquiring Diaw has really made me realize that Okafor is expendable.
I have not always wanted to trade Mek, but now I say lets do it. I would love to see us package him with another contract for a top 5 pick. I would like to see Hasheem Thabeet here because he can do about what Okafor does(10-10) alongside Boris. Or even if we were to pick up James Harden and then draft Greg Monroe at 13. Trading Mek for a pick could open up alot of oppurtunities for us.
And it would clear up cap space for signing Allen Iverson(Who I really want in a Bobcats uni)

[coordinator0]

Okay guys, Okafor has been great for us. BUT what has he dramatically improved on over the past lets say, 3 seasons that makes him un-tradable? Yes, He does average a double double and has his whole career but, it is non existent. He makes no impact on the game and acquiring Diaw has really made me realize that Okafor is expendable.
I have not always wanted to trade Mek, but now I say lets do it. I would love to see us package him with another contract for a top 5 pick. I would like to see Hasheem Thabeet here because he can do about what Okafor does(10-10) alongside Boris. Or even if we were to pick up James Harden and then draft Greg Monroe at 13. Trading Mek for a pick could open up alot of oppurtunities for us.
And it would clear up cap space for signing Allen Iverson(Who I really want in a Bobcats uni)

If we traded Mek for a pick, I highly doubt there's a guy in this draft that can be solid. Thabeet is the only guy that might be good, but I think he will turn out to be another version of Diop. Mullens might also be decent, but he's just as (if not more and doenst put up #'s even clost to) inconsistent as Thabeet. If we were to trade Mek I say we need to get a C back, and we probably wouldn't free up much cap room.

[amour217]

If we traded Mek for a pick, I highly doubt there's a guy in this draft that can be solid. Thabeet is the only guy that might be good, but I think he will turn out to be another version of Diop. Mullens might also be decent, but he's just as (if not more and doenst put up #'s even clost to) inconsistent as Thabeet. If we were to trade Mek I say we need to get a C back, and we probably wouldn't free up much cap room.

Definitely don't want Thabeet...a front line of Ajinca and Thabeet has waaaaay too many question marks for me, honestly. Having Ajinca only is fine, he has the potential to be pretty good, but I see Thabeet as one of those guys who are good in college simply because he's bigger than everyone else. In the NBA he'll be shoved around and his weak offensive game will become a glaring weakness. Combined with Ajinca's need for refinement, it may be a step backward for us

[amour217]

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/amour217/Blokeafor.jpg

[amour217]

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/amour217/CroakAfor.jpg

[amour217]

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/amour217/InvokeAfor.jpg

[amour217]

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/amour217/HeatstrokeAfor.jpg

[amour217]

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/amour217/CowpokeAfor.jpg

[davcbow]

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/amour217/CowpokeAfor.jpg

Bob Johnson will love him for sure....

[teej]

Bob Johnson will love him for sure....

LOL Thats why he's paying him so much?

Great work as always amour :biggrin:

[dav7z]

Love the Choke-o-for threads They come up all most ever season and get more and more creative.

[kickazzz2000]

..................

[Marvel]

Choke A Foorrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ammofan]

If we traded Mek for a pick, I highly doubt there's a guy in this draft that can be solid. Thabeet is the only guy that might be good, but I think he will turn out to be another version of Diop. Mullens might also be decent, but he's just as (if not more and doenst put up #'s even clost to) inconsistent as Thabeet. If we were to trade Mek I say we need to get a C back, and we probably wouldn't free up much cap room.

Alot of people thought Brook Lopez wouldn't be any good last year. Its hard to tell how big men will turn out. But my point was that Okafor is basically non effective so even if we did get an average player that averaged 10 and 6....he would not be taking or adding anything that Okafor wasn't. He would clear up cap space and Wallace is definatley improving on rebounding to make up for those 2 rebounds a game that Okafor is not there to get anymore( or whoever is playing lol)

[coordinator0]

Alot of people thought Brook Lopez wouldn't be any good last year. Its hard to tell how big men will turn out. But my point was that Okafor is basically non effective so even if we did get an average player that averaged 10 and 6....he would not be taking or adding anything that Okafor wasn't. He would clear up cap space and Wallace is definatley improving on rebounding to make up for those 2 rebounds a game that Okafor is not there to get anymore( or whoever is playing lol)

Who didn't think Lopez was going to be any good? He was MUCH more polished and technically sound than Thabeet is now. As for Wallace... you just don't get to see him every night like I do. He's definitely regressing with age and I wouldn't want him to replace Okafor at all.

[BigMike]

But my point was that Okafor is basically non effective ...

My problem with every Oak discussion I have read here is statements like this one from Ammofan. Oak is a better center then between 50 and 75% of the starting centers in the league depending on how you weight the stats. And I don’t just look at ESPN stats, I look at fantasy league stats, they take a more ‘whole player’ picture. He is the 16th highest paid center in the league so being ranked between 16 and 8th in stats and paid 16th… seams to me he is paid exactly on scale for his skill. This means your only strong argument against Oak is that he doesn’t mix well with Diaw, while this is true right now; I have faith that Larry Brown (ILBIT) will work that out in training camp.

To that end, why is everyone so focused on making our good center and forward crew the brunt of the “why we aren’t in the playoffs” blame? Does it not seam that we need to look more towards the SG and PG positions as well as getting some depth on the bench?

[spectre]

Every Play Counts - All Defensive Teams (http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=638)


CENTER

First Team and Every Play Counts Defensive Player of the Year - Dwight Howard (http://www.basketballprospectus.com/card.php?id=1530), Orlando. While Lewis deserves credit for his play and Stan Van Gundy is a brilliant defensive architect, ultimately the fact that the Magic leads the league in Defensive Rating comes down primarily to the efforts of Howard patrolling the paint. He is a world-class shot-blocker and rebounder who has become arguably the league's most intimidating force. With his combination of size, strength, speed and quickness, Howard is almost impossible to neutralize defensively.

Second Team - Tim Duncan (http://www.basketballprospectus.com/card.php?id=896), San Antonio. Recurring knee problems have dropped Duncan a notch at the defensive end of the court. The Spurs have been better defensively with Duncan on the bench, though I'm willing to write that off as something of a fluke. Duncan's intelligence and positioning make up for a lot of athleticism, and his individual defensive stats remain strong. Still, this is the first time I'll have left Duncan off my First Team.

Honorable Mention

Marcus Camby (http://www.basketballprospectus.com/card.php?id=508), L (http://www.basketballprospectus.com/glossary.php?search=L).A. Clippers (http://www.basketballprospectus.com/team.php?id=LAC) - Critics point to Camby's unwillingness to defend the pick-and-roll, and in truth Denver hasn't missed Camby defensively, much if at all. Still, only Howard surpasses Camby in terms of combining the ability to block shots and rebound.

Emeka Okafor (http://www.basketballprospectus.com/card.php?id=2496), Charlotte - Quietly, Okafor has evolved into the anchor of a strong Bobcats defense.
At least someone seems to disagree with the idea Mek is ineffective.

That's pretty darn good; 3 of our 5 starters got honorable mention.

[GoBobs]

I have been saying trade Mek for a while. We have two players who are at their best in the open court, Raymond Felton and Gerald Wallace. The bobcats should go the direction of a running team and Mek runs the floor like he is pacing himself in a marathon. That being said he is a very good player and we would be giving him up heading in to the best years of his basketball career if he peeks at the age most guys his size peek at. The only way we should consider trading him is if we get something really good in return. We are not going to get Dwight or Lebron or somebody like that.

The only two players I might consider are Chris Bosh and Amare who might both be on the block this summer. Amare kind of worries me because of his knees. I would like a Oak and Vlad trade for Bosh maybe even throw in some kind of pick to sweeten things up. This would only really work for us if Diop could play more minutes and get his free throw % way up. Oak is just hard to replace.

[davcbow]

I would love to have Bosh as a Bobcat....:cool:

[teej]

I would love to have Bosh as a Bobcat....:cool:

The RuPaul of big men...I'm just worried he wouldnt re-sign.

[ALuhrs704]

all i had to read to know that this is a dumbass post is when the guy who started it said okafor plays no D. please, please, show me where mek plays no D. and to say he plays with no emotion is bullshit. just because he isnt on the court yelling and screaming and getting into confrontations with players doesnt mean he shows no emotion. when we lost to miami he came off the court mad as hell and definitely showed emotion like ive seen in other games like when allen killed us at home.

[SWedd523]

I would like a Oak and Vlad trade for Bosh maybe even throw in some kind of pick to sweeten things up

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=cbxegx ;)

[teej]

I'd do it...Bosh gives us credibility to the fans, he is a quality big man, and Vladi isnt worth 6 mil, Cartier can do more for us at the minimum.

But would Bosh resign with us?

[SWedd523]

I'd do it...Bosh gives us credibility to the fans, he is a quality big man, and Vladi isnt worth 6 mil, Cartier can do more for us at the minimum.

But would Bosh resign with us?
I think he wants out of Toronto badly enough to be willing to sign with us. We'd most likely try and acquire him in a sign-and-trade type deal if at all possible.

[coordinator0]

I've read somewhere that Okafor's contract will be a PPP next year. IDK if it's true, but if that's the case we coud only trade him to a team way under the cap like Detroit will be. Not looking good... for all the Okafor haters :).

[spectre]

I'm pretty sure PPP only counts the 1st year after an extended contract.

What is "Base Year Compensation? (http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#Q73%5DWhat%20is%20%22Base%20Year%20C ompensation?)

BASKETBALL; Eye on High Finance When Talking Trade (http://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/19/sports/basketball-eye-on-high-finance-when-talking-trade.html)


A player is subject to the "poison pill" provision for a one-year period when his contract is extended at a higher salary. In that period, the player counts against his team's cap at his current salary.

But if he is traded during that period, he would count against his new team's cap at an amount equal to the average salary for each of the remaining seasons of the contract, including the period of extension.

For instance, if a player with two years remaining on his contract at $500,000 per year signs a two-year extension at $1.5 million a year, his new team would need to have $1 million in salary cap room to acquire him. Meanwhile, his old team frees up only the original $500,000.

[BigMike]

Every Play Counts - All Defensive Teams (http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=638)

At least someone seems to disagree with the idea Mek is ineffective.

That's pretty darn good; 3 of our 5 starters got honorable mention.


Hollinger gave 'Honorable Mention' to all 5 of our starters in his post yesterday:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiem-090415

[Jeff41]

:cheers1: What a glorious day! No more seeing our 6-9 "center" pushed around and having his weak layups rejected. Please God let Tyson's toe be healthy so we can have a legit center!

[bing!]

^ way to revive an old thread. Kudos.

[Jeff41]

^ way to revive an old thread. Kudos.

You're welcome, I haven't been on here since basketball season ended but I saw this wonderful news on ESPN and couldn't contain my excitement.