Who is this Emeka Okafor?!

[Keetch]

lol that needs a caption "mmmmmm.....fine ham biscuit...."

[Mustachio]

You guys are looking for Bigfoot.

Everyone keeps saying trade Okafor or give him a crappy contract and if he doesn't like it... let his ass walk. Ok great idea... trade him or let him go. But you tell me, is there another option. NO, the grass is always greener on the other team(i think thats how it goes).

There is no bigfoot. There is no superstar Center that magically produces more than Mek, or wants less money, or is attainable. there just isnt.

Emeka Okafor is a solid NBA player. Sure he has stone hands and disappears in some games. But you cant name 4 Centers in this league that you cant say the very same exact thing about.

Bottom line look at the Detroit Pistons. You can look at every position on that team and pick 2-3 better individual players at that position. Yet despite they go out every night and win and make the playoffs and win championships. They have 3 things that we dont even slightly have. Coaching. Chemistry. Experience.

This isnt fantasy basketball boys. You don't go out and build a team with 13 superstars and win ball games. Every other team out there is trying to win too. You guys seem to think replacing 20-10 at the center position is cake. IS IT. ask New Jersey. ask Cleveland. Orlando isnt gonna come to us and say you know what... how bout we give you Dwight Howard for Okafor and call it a day. It aint happening.

Are there better centers than Emeka Okafor. Sure. Do we have a chance at getting them? Hell no. Im not saying pay the man Dwight Howard money. Im just making sure we can replace what we are so anxious to get rid of. Its not as easy as some of you would like to think.

[amour217]

You guys are looking for Bigfoot.

Everyone keeps saying trade Okafor or give him a crappy contract and if he doesn't like it... let his ass walk. Ok great idea... trade him or let him go. But you tell me, is there another option. NO, the grass is always greener on the other team(i think thats how it goes).

There is no bigfoot. There is no superstar Center that magically produces more than Mek, or wants less money, or is attainable. there just isnt.

Emeka Okafor is a solid NBA player. Sure he has stone hands and disappears in some games. But you cant name 4 Centers in this league that you cant say the very same exact thing about.

Bottom line look at the Detroit Pistons. You can look at every position on that team and pick 2-3 better individual players at that position. Yet despite they go out every night and win and make the playoffs and win championships. They have 3 things that we dont even slightly have. Coaching. Chemistry. Experience.

This isnt fantasy basketball boys. You don't go out and build a team with 13 superstars and win ball games. Every other team out there is trying to win too. You guys seem to think replacing 20-10 at the center position is cake. IS IT. ask New Jersey. ask Cleveland. Orlando isnt gonna come to us and say you know what... how bout we give you Dwight Howard for Okafor and call it a day. It aint happening.

Are there better centers than Emeka Okafor. Sure. Do we have a chance at getting them? Hell no. Im not saying pay the man Dwight Howard money. Im just making sure we can replace what we are so anxious to get rid of. Its not as easy as some of you would like to think.

You hit the nail on the head, homie. While Okafor has shown signs of being wildly inconsistent, it could definitely be worse...we could have someone like Mark Blount out there. I think if Okafor wants to earn his money, he should also start learning to play some PF. Okafor's no moron, he's a smart player who can be dominant if he really puts his mind to it. It'll also allow Crash to move to SF and preserve his body, while giving us a front line of Nazr, Okafor, and Crash...that's a nice defensive front line. J-Rich and Felton at the guard positions makes for a very nice-looking team.

[Mustachio]

i still have yet to see what is wrong with this lineup.

Ray, Rich, Crash, Oak, Nazr. He wont try it for more than 8 minutes so theres no telling how it works.

I believe that with some playing time that lineup could be very very good.

allow that lineup to gel, build chemistry, and develop with eachother. MAKE THAT YOUR STARTING 5!!!

Then actually give your starters a rest AT THE APPROPRIATE times, by subbing in Jeff, Matt, Dude, Hollins, and Davidson.

you know... like an NBA team. Sams overthinking this thing i think.

[davcbow]

Davidson is in the D League right now so that would be the big O or is that 0?

[MattD]

You guys are looking for Bigfoot.

Everyone keeps saying trade Okafor or give him a crappy contract and if he doesn't like it... let his ass walk. Ok great idea... trade him or let him go. But you tell me, is there another option.

Antwain Jamison... play nazr at starting center

Emeka Okafor is a solid NBA player. Sure he has stone hands and disappears in some games. But you cant name 4 Centers in this league that you cant say the very same exact thing about.

Im going to be honest, Ive been repeating this line over and over in my head... still isnt making any sense. I can not name 4 centers who i cannot say the same about? Ok I think I got it, yeah I can, Marcus Camby, Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan, Yao Ming (all superstars, but there are more).

Bottom line look at the Detroit Pistons. You can look at every position on that team and pick 2-3 better individual players at that position. Yet despite they go out every night and win and make the playoffs and win championships. They have 3 things that we dont even slightly have. Coaching. Chemistry. Experience.

great example in my argument... they are consistant. Rarely does one of their great core players go out and have an off night. It happens, but they can recover from that, with our limited team, we get screwed. Emeka lives on and off.

This isnt fantasy basketball boys. You don't go out and build a team with 13 superstars and win ball games. Every other team out there is trying to win too. You guys seem to think replacing 20-10 at the center position is cake. IS IT. ask New Jersey. ask Cleveland. Orlando isnt gonna come to us and say you know what... how bout we give you Dwight Howard for Okafor and call it a day. It aint happening.

obviously, except we have a great opportunity to get Jamison this summer. we are in position, so if we open our wallet, it is a piece of cake



I will say it again, hes inconsistency hurts us, though he has been playing like a beast recently. Frankly I still believe everything I wrote earlier about this subject.

[spectre]

Antwain Jamison... play nazr at starting center

Sell me on that one, esp. on defense and him being able to stay in the game without getting into foul trouble. Take into account that Jamison is considered a VERY weak defender.

[MattD]

and okafor is considered elite? he has been mediocre, and terrible and great. At least antawn can score and trust me he was one of the better defenders on the wizards, not that that says much... He doesnt replace a true big, but still, I would rather have antawn in my lineup then okafor

[TheBeagle]

i still have yet to see what is wrong with this lineup.

Ray, Rich, Crash, Oak, Nazr. He wont try it for more than 8 minutes so theres no telling how it works.

I believe that with some playing time that lineup could be very very good.

allow that lineup to gel, build chemistry, and develop with eachother. MAKE THAT YOUR STARTING 5!!!

Then actually give your starters a rest AT THE APPROPRIATE times, by subbing in Jeff, Matt, Dude, Hollins, and Davidson.

you know... like an NBA team. Sams overthinking this thing i think.

I agree. I've been crying for that lineup for a month or so. It's the stubborness, the recalcitrance of not even trying it is what pisses me off the most. If it doesn't work, so be it; but it can hardly be any worse than some of the holes we dig ourselves by starting Jeff every game, even when, especially when the matchups are against that!

[spectre]

and okafor is considered elite?  he has been mediocre, and terrible and great.  At least antawn can score and trust me he was one of the better defenders on the wizards, not that that says much...  He doesnt replace a true big, but still, I would rather have antawn in my lineup then okafor

You can't expect to shoot your way to victory while allowing the other team unfettered access to the rim.

Nazr has never been able to stay on the court consistently without getting into foul trouble and you're wanting him to match up against Howard, Garnett, JON, Shaq, Curry/Randolph and the rest for 35-40 mpg?  He'll NEVER make it.  To even make this work you're going to have to get  a Haywood/Diop type to show some sign of defense in the paint...and it can't be a Jake Voskuhl because he's going to have to pull big minutes as well.

Jamison has also never been considered a "good" defender; at his very best it's average.  That's not to say I wouldn't love to have him, but you can't ignore the negatives.  Regardless the question I asked wasn't about Jamison, but Nazr.

Edit:

Maybe you could cover it in the draft with a Hibbert type?