re: Chad Ford: 6 and Ajinca for Jahlil Okafor?

quote:

---

Cook is right about Okafor showing his elbow moves. In fact, Okafor finished the season ranked fifth among players averaging 30 or more minutes in points per game from the elbows – trailing only Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol, Blake Griffin and Chris Bosh. He also had the seventh-best point percentage from the elbows among qualified players – behind only Darren Collison, Andrew Wiggins, Kevin Durant, J.R. Smith, Jae Crowder and Serge Ibaka. It’s clear that Okafor’s offensive arsenal, which already included a vast array of post moves, is continuing to expand.

---

quote:

---

“He’s such a gifted scorer naturally, but I thought he made great strides on the defensive end,” Coach Scheyer said. “I saw consistent effort on that end, and that’s something that people tried to pick on about him. I thought defensively he improved throughout the year, with his ball-screen defense, help-side defense and all that. … He loves the work. He wants to develop, and he loves the game so he’s always trying to get better. He’s constantly doing what’s necessary to take that next step in his game

---

Good article from Alex Kennedy. Okafor acknowledges his D inefficiency and realizes there is work to do. I think he gets it and could flourish next to AD


Let me ask you this - with the news that PHI is in love w Dunn - says he available at 6 and PHI will give you a Jerami Grant too .. What do you say?

AD played about 50% of his minutes at center last year. That's not saying he can't be a full time PF, but presumably Okafor will get paid big money on his 2nd contract and possibly 3rd since scoring and being tall usually gets you overpaid. Do we want our 2nd highest paid player to be a one way center?

I'm honestly not sure I'd want Drummond next to AD long term from a roster/cap management perspective. I'd love to have him on the roster as a trade chip, I just don't think 50%-60% of the cap should be committed to AD and a one way player.

Since Philly was so bad in general I'm not sure what we can make of the on/off numbers, but they had the 2nd worst NetRtg of -16 with Okafor on the floor. An ORtg of 92 and a DRtg of 108.

I also don't like 7 footers that don't rebound. I was hoping that maybe we'd see some RoLo kind of effect where he's a bad individual rebounder but the team performed better with him in, but the team Reb% was 47% and last in the league overall. With Okafor on the court they only went up to 47.8% which would only move them up to 27th.

People talk about raw stats like it means anything when it comes to winning

You know who else was a 20/10 guy on a bad team? Kevin Love. Al Jefferson put up beast numbers too. And guys like that are liabilities against great teams

Scoring is the easiest thing to replace in the league. A high scorer gets hurt, guys pick up the slack. A guy like Deaymond goes out and it's impossible to replace all the things he does

I couldn't care less about the empty stats Okafor put up last year. He can't help you win in multiple ways, which means he will eventually become a liability

In terms of roster construction, do we want our two best players (and eventually, two highest paid players?) to be big men? With a pace and space coach?

quote:

---

People talk about raw stats like it means anything when it comes to winning

I couldn't care less about the empty stats Okafor put up last year.

---

Nah, the raw stats are just a measure of the skill. Of course, it's easy to discount them when it supports what you're trying to convey. History tells me not many 20 year old centers can step in and replicate those "empty stats". Give me a break

Just the other day you were preaching about bringing in guys on the cheap who we can grow.. Uncover these hidden gems, so to speak. Yet you are against bringing in a skilled 20 y/o 7ft'er with a huge ceiling, and he's only making an averaged of $5m over three more seasons Doesn't make sense

quote:

---

You know who else was a 20/10 guy on a bad team? Kevin Love. Al Jefferson put up beast numbers too.

---

The Al Jefferson comp comes up a lot... the guy was the best player on multiple playoff teams while being a defensively liability. His inability grow as a defender is irrelevant to Okafor.

quote:

---

And guys like that are liabilities against great teams

---

Hey, get to the playoffs first, then win two series, then you can try your hand at beating great teams.

quote:

---

In terms of roster construction, do we want our two best players (and eventually, two highest paid players?) to be big men? With a pace and space coach?

---

For one, it's more about mitigating risk than constructing the roster. You are getting a guy with a high ceiling who is already above league average, versus drafting a Hield or Murray who are not a sure thing.

This roster is wide open as it is. You add a piece wherever you can. As for the term "two big men", yes they are big, but arent back to the basket, lumbering logs. As it is, Davis is taking nearly 30% of his shots from 16+ feet out the past two seasons with improving accuracy. He's expanding his game (young guy expanding his game, who knew!).

We act like the roster has to be constructed as "X", or else it doesnt work. Okafor would be here til 2020 for ~$5m a year - you go out and add more pieces... the roster isnt done. As AD shot develops, he spreads things out more. You saw it work in PHO with Amare (Brett Brown just so happens to comp Okafor to him) and Marion... two perceived "big men".. it's all about the skillset, for me

quote:

---

In terms of roster construction, do we want our two best players (and eventually, two highest paid players?) to be big men? With a pace and space coach?

---

Well that wouldn't be for another 4 years.

I'm the biggest proponent of not paying a center big money, but the guy is on a rookie contract. You have 4 years to figure out if he's worth keeping or not. And i would not object to paying a center big money if he was truely a difference maker, AND we had at least one good wing player already, and some young talent in the back court.

Golden State had Bogut and David Lee as their highest paid players last year, and i think Iggy was the next highest paid. Doesn't matter that much when you have young guys on rookie/reasonable deals already.
Dallas paid Chandler big money and he made a world of difference for that team. But they had Kidd/Terry/Marion making reasonable money.

Our problem is outside of AD, we have no one making reasonable money, nor do we have anyone really worth a shite. You could almost say Jrue, but considering how much he's sat out, it's not that reasonable.

quote:

---

I couldn't care less about the empty stats Okafor put up last year. He can't help you win in multiple ways, which means he will eventually become a liability

---

I like how he's played 50 NBA games but you're talking about him and writing him off like he's played 5 years and stopped developing.

quote:

---

Golden State had Bogut and David Lee as their highest paid players last year, and i think Iggy was the next highest paid. Doesn't matter that much when you have young guys on rookie/reasonable deals already.

---

Dude, using GSW is a terrible example. They have the most underpaid MVP in the history of the league on that roster because of an anomaly in timing.

I can see both sides of it, so I understand where you are coming from. I don't know if the rebounding will come, but what is the number that makes him an adequate rebounder? 10? A guy like KG didnt become that elite rebounder until he was 22. Or maybe, Okafor just doesn't have to be a double digit rebounder? Going back to Amare; he wasn't really a good defender, but he was electric on offense and an adequate rebounder. So maybe just something in between will suffice

quote:

---

Dude, using GSW is a terrible example

---

Yes, we are obsessed with matching the talent a team like GS has, and it's near impossible. Even the PHO comp is crazy, as those teams were loaded with good players.

There is no exact blueprint - we wont have a guy be our Curry, or Bogut, or Steve Nash, or whoever. We need to just build the best way we can with the resources available to us

quote:

---

But those bad rebounding numbers really make me doubt he becomes an adequate defender.

---

Okafor avg 8.5 rebounds as a freshman at Duke. That's not too too bad. Only 7 as a rookie which is concerning,i'd agree. But I just look at the team he was on and the direction that team took with openly tanking. I wouldnt put him in Brook Lopez company yet.

My concern with him is his maturity issues. Again, I think if he were on a team with strong leadership and direction that will correct itself.

Bottom line is the dude can play. He's what, 20 years old? Gimme that dude who puts up 17.5 with 7 rebounds and over a block a game as a rookie. Plus it's less we have to depend on Asik.