Same. His value goes way beyond the score sheet. Way. - Scoob
Agreed. Hell if Read or Weise are claimed in expansion draft, and even when two of Vandevelde (slimmest chance ever?) Bellemare, Gordon aren't resigned, i would happily offer Jagr a 1-2 year deal. If Streit's locker room/veteran presence is valued that importantly by our coaching and management, we may need to sign a veteran FA to bring that. And Jagr would fit that perfectly. Here's to wishful thinking.
Wasn't Okafor supposed to be a superstar? I remember hearing in his draft year that he was almost first overall. - jmatchett383
Offensively he could be really good, but for a big his defensive game is almost non-existent once he gets out of the paint. He doesnt dominate the boards either.
Location: Be nice from now on, NJ Joined: 03.17.2006
Jan 12 @ 9:55 AM ET
Offensively he could be really good, but for a big his defensive game is almost non-existent once he gets out of the paint. He doesnt dominate the boards either. - jak521
EVerything I read about Ben Simmons and people I talk to say he has the makings of a generational talent. Exciting times.
Location: any donut with a hole in the middle can get (frank)ed right in its hole, NJ Joined: 04.08.2012
Jan 12 @ 10:01 AM ET
I understand.
Just saying guys leave. - J35Bacher
Just a glimpse into the new CBA.
If Embiid were to make an Alll-NBA team next season (a distinct possibility considering he's already one of the better centers), he would be, potentially, turning down $100M if he left.
There is an enormous financial incentive for players to stay with their own teams now.
EVerything I read about Ben Simmons and people I talk to say he has the makings of a generational talent. Exciting times. - MBFlyerfan
I know that there's more to basketball than shooting, but if a guy is a "generational talent" like people say, shouldn't he be able to shoot? Shouldn't being able to shoot well be part of that, and be something that you have learned to do if you're that good?
It's not a direct comparison, but that's like saying Sidney Crosby would be a generational talent if he couldn't score goals.
If Embiid were to make an Alll-NBA team next season (a distinct possibility considering he's already one of the better centers), he would be, potentially, turning down $100M if he left.
There is an enormous financial incentive for players to stay with their own teams now. - PhillySportsGuy
Feels like that was always the case with the NBA, no? All the CBA exceptions built into their labor contract always seemed to discourage most player movement.
Location: any donut with a hole in the middle can get (frank)ed right in its hole, NJ Joined: 04.08.2012
Jan 12 @ 10:08 AM ET
Wasn't Okafor supposed to be a superstar? I remember hearing in his draft year that he was almost first overall. - jmatchett383
He was the #1 prospect coming out of high school. Hinkie swung and miss big time on that pick. There are rumors that the owners didn't let him take Porzingis because they wanted "more of a sure thing" in Okafor. I still think Hinkie's plan all along was to just play Okafor a lot then trade him at the deadline.
The guy just doesn't play any defense and it's very difficult to win games when your center is the worst defender in the league. He also doesn't know how to play in a modern offense. All he wants to do is post up and iso on guys. He can't set picks, he has no vision and has no basketball instincts. He's basically a kid that was bigger and better than everyone growing up, so he never actually learned how to play basketball.
The irony of the whole thing is that Embiid picked up basketball in 2011 while Okafor has played his entire life. Embiid's instincts are outstanding and Okafor's are some of the worst in the league.
Watching that, he still physically looks like the same player. He's not much slower and he's never been a burner anyway, he's still got the hands and the grit, but there's just been something missing for a couple years now. Yes, the team has been bad, especially the defense, and he's had to be better defensively and all that jazz. But it feels like an excuse at this point. It used to be that other players were the ones who needed Giroux on their line, not the opposite.
Some of us were hush-hush talking before the season about his trending down 5v5. Of course people trot out the BS argument, "What PP points don't count?" in response. They're two different situations. He's always been good on the PP, and that's not where decline happens. At 5v5 we're seeing a downward trend years in the making that has been worrisome. His points this year 5v5 have completely bottomed out. His points/60 is #10 out of 15 on the Flyers forward, 1 spot behind VandeVelde, and only ahead of Schenn, Lyubimov, Gordon, Weise, Bellemare. But the PP scoring just obfuscates that so people can rag on others. This is Claude mother (frank)ing Giroux we're talking about. Like I said, he doesn't look any different really, but there seems to be a lack of killer instinct and moxie and, I agree, a perimeter style where 5v5 has basically become a PP situation to him. He needs to attack the net more, work with defenders on his hip more. Maybe it's not just a decline but a mentality thing. All I know is this can't keep going on. - Mononoke
He may well be past his MVP-candidate peak of 11-12 and 13-14, but I don't think he's as bad as his 5 on 5 scoring numbers this year. Neither is Ghost. They are both behind MDZ and MacDonald (and Ghost is waaay behind) - that cannot last.
Feels like that was always the case with the NBA, no? All the CBA exceptions built into their labor contract always seemed to discourage most player movement. - johndewar
I wish the NHL would do something similar. I've opined that they should give a 10% cap discount if you resign a player that you have drafted/developed that has never played for another team.
He was the #1 prospect coming out of high school. Hinkie swung and miss big time on that pick. There are rumors that the owners didn't let him take Porzingis because they wanted "more of a sure thing" in Okafor. I still think Hinkie's plan all along was to just play Okafor a lot then trade him at the deadline.
The guy just doesn't play any defense and it's very difficult to win games when your center is the worst defender in the league. He also doesn't know how to play in a modern offense. All he wants to do is post up and iso on guys. He can't set picks, he has no vision and has no basketball instincts. He's basically a kid that was bigger and better than everyone growing up, so he never actually learned how to play basketball.
The irony of the whole thing is that Embiid picked up basketball in 2011 while Okafor has played his entire life. Embiid's instincts are outstanding and Okafor's are some of the worst in the league. - PhillySportsGuy
Kinda sounds like Luke Schenn, a guy who just dominated at other levels because he was athletically better than them, then got lost when everyone else was as good or better athletically.
Location: Unleash the Peanuts, MB Joined: 10.16.2008
Jan 12 @ 10:13 AM ET
Kinda sounds like Luke Schenn, a guy who just dominated at other levels because he was athletically better than them, then got lost when everyone else was as good or better athletically. - jmatchett383
To me he actually had a decent shot, and wasn't a bad passer.
Couldn't skate the puck up for poop however, and the general lack of foot speed was a big problem.
Kinda sounds like Luke Schenn, a guy who just dominated at other levels because he was athletically better than them, then got lost when everyone else was as good or better athletically. - jmatchett383
Luke Schenn isnt a terrible comparison. In a different era luke schenn could be a really good (okay fine, just much better than he is) defenseman, but was drafted in a time where his skill set doesnt match up with how things are done.
He needs to be traded it just sucks they arent gonna get any value out of him. Maybe they should let Hextall trade him
To me he actually had a decent shot, and wasn't a bad passer.
Couldn't skate the puck up for poop however, and the general lack of foot speed was a big problem. - flyer_nutter
He wasn't a bad passer when he had time and space. Whenever he had to retrieve a corner dump or had a forechecker on him, the question wasn't whether the turnover would occur, more a matter of how it would occur. And his coverage was below adequate.
