I think White has more of an old man's game where he knows how to play below the rim more. That says to me he has more longevity. His game isn't dependent on speed or jumping out of the gym.
I am not sure why. I am not seeing anything the teams are saying about their preferences. We were discussing how some guys put something on one mock and everyone copied it. I am starting to see Barrett at 4, and when the mocks started he was a solid three. It will be interesting to see who we bring in this week. Some interesting news for us to talk about finally!
Says everyone trying to excuse a lack of athleticism.
Lack of athleticism is not necessarily a bad thing. Dirk Nowitski developed an awesome fade away so he could get his shot off. Kareem learned a sky hook because he couldn't drive to the hoop like Dr J. Nikola Jokić is not the most nimble of guys. You play with the skills you develop. Skills last longer than athleticism is the point I was trying to make.
I don't think so. Like I said, Nowitski didn't develop his fadeaway until after being drafted. Ditto for Kareem. Almost every great NBA move by an iconic player was developed after being drafted into the NBA. In fact, I have seen multiple players with unlimited athleticism never develop their full potential, or end up out of the NBA. Guys like Andrew Wiggins, Olowokandi, Lamar Odom, etc., never rose to their projected greatness.
So the only guy I have seen lately at the NBA level that meets what you say is Jimmer Fredette. Not trying to be funny. He looks like a sixth grader playing with high school kids. The lack of athleticism really shows in his game at the NBA level. Jared Dudley can even hang with other NBA players despite his obvious lack of conditionining. At the NBA level, at least guys playing now, the lack of athleticism is usually not as glaring as the lack of skills. So what I am saying, is I believe skills outrank athleticism when evaluating players at this level. Very rarely do you see guys at the top college level lacking so much in athleticism, like a Jimmer Fredette, and is much more likely to see guys fail because of not developing NBA level skills. Can guys get time to develop skills based on superior athleticism? Yes. However, that alone doesn't determine their ability to succeed in the NBA. I am saying I value skills over athleticism, and that college basketball in the US usually weeds out lack of athleticism.
I kept telling my wife that. I heard a segment on ESPN radio from Kerr's agent during that time period. Partially his failure as a GM in Phoenix, directly drove a driven person to go around the country and spend time with famous coaches in NBA, NFL, etc. Kerr was determined not to fail as a coach. From watching him on TNT, I kept telling my wife he was going to be a great coach, we just hired him for the wrong position in Phoenix. Kerr always had good coaching insights on TNT. Not necessarily good GM insights. When Sarver hired him, I thought he overhired.
It has proven true. Kerr had a good eye for talent, but he had no negotiating skills whatsoever. He was an easy mark in trades.
Thomas trade. Shaq trades (both coming and going)
