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NBA.com Rookie Rankings (no mention of Balkman)
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technomaster
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12/28/2006  1:11 PM
http://aol.nba.com/rookies/rankings.html

How do y'all think Balkman doing in terms of impact compared to other rookies? He seems to be doing a fine job to me, but NBA.com ranks at least 10 others ahead of him.

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TMS
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12/28/2006  1:15 PM
only people who watch this kid play can truly appreciate the impact he has on games... he won't put up the sexy numbers that will gain him notoriety throughout the league.
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Ira
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12/28/2006  1:44 PM
Send the guy an email. Balkman belongs in the top 10.

http://aol.nba.com/chat_and_mailboxes/rookierankings_mailbox.html
holfresh
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12/28/2006  1:59 PM
Balkman amazes me to be honest...Lots of times he looks like he is beat and some how he gets his hand on the ball...Last night he was beat on a drive to the hole and got the block amazing...

These guys tend not to look at the nuances of the game..They basically look at stat line...Balkman can be a game changer in the mold of a Rodman...He needs to play under better control and more of a one on one lock down guy....

tomverve
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12/28/2006  2:05 PM
All you need to know to have this list completely discredited is that they have Morrison ranked #2.
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Anji
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12/28/2006  2:20 PM
THe only real Beef I have is I don't think Balk has ever made the Noteworthy section of the list......
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sebstar
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12/28/2006  2:25 PM
Posted by TMS:

only people who watch this kid play can truly appreciate the impact he has on games... he won't put up the sexy numbers that will gain him notoriety throughout the league.

And cats like Sheldon williams and Aldridge are? Lets face it, most sports writers ridiculed this pick, so there wont be any mea culpas coming forth unless there are no other options. It will probably be like this for awhile.
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TMS
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12/28/2006  2:30 PM
Posted by sebstar:
Posted by TMS:

only people who watch this kid play can truly appreciate the impact he has on games... he won't put up the sexy numbers that will gain him notoriety throughout the league.

And cats like Sheldon williams and Aldridge are? Lets face it, most sports writers ridiculed this pick, so there wont be any mea culpas coming forth unless there are no other options. It will probably be like this for awhile.


those guys were much more highly touted, so the votes maybe influenced by that lingering hype, so i agree w/u there... my point was simply that people don't get a true appreciation for what Balkman brings unless they see him play in real games & do all those little things that don't show up in the statsheets.
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sebstar
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12/28/2006  2:44 PM
I definitely get where you're coming from TMS. Writers, GM's, fans...ext love to wax poetic about players who are unselfish, defensive-minded, and have a game loaded with intangibles, but when pressed they usually fawn all over the player with the best stats regardless of context.

That said, the fact that Balkman didn’t even receive an honorable mention, when practically every other '06 pick did, leads me to believe that something deeper is at work and that he is being purposefully excluded.

If Balkman was a Jerry West pick I don’t believe we would be having this problem
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TMS
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12/28/2006  2:49 PM
that could very well be the case... we'd probably be reading articles about what a sleeper Jerry West the genius nabbed late in the 1st round instead of bashing him for not drafting Marcus Williams.
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TheGame
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12/28/2006  3:18 PM
I agree with all the comments above. No one is going to give IT credit for drafting Balkman and even when they do, they are going to talk about how he should have drafted Williams (ignoring the 20 other GM's that passed on Williams). Balkman is the truth. The guy is almost a shutdown defender as a rookie. He gets mad blocks and is just as good as Lee at rebounding (well almost, Lee is a little better). This kid develops a jumpshot and works on his ability to finish around the basket, and you are talking about a mix between Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen. Not saying he will be as good as Pippen, but if he develops a jumpshot, he will get pretty close to that level.

[Edited by - TheGAme on 12-28-2006 3:39 PM]
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Swishfm3
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12/28/2006  3:49 PM
they even gave JJ Reddick props..lmao
Ira
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12/28/2006  4:25 PM
Posted by TheGame:

He gets mad blocks and is just as good as Lee at rebounding (well almost, Lee is a little better).
[Edited by - TheGAme on 12-28-2006 3:39 PM]

He's very good for his position and a better defensive player than Lee, but he's not in Lee's ballpark as a rebounder.

Balkman averages 3.9 boards in 14.5 min - a little better than one rebound every 4 minutes.
Lee averages 10.4 boards in 30 min - a little better than a rebound every 3 minutes.

Anyway, that's my nitpicking stat for the day. Balkman was a very good pick where we took him in a weak draft.
technomaster
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12/28/2006  4:34 PM
That comes out to 10.8ish boards/40 for Balkman, and 13.8ish boards/40 for Lee. Lee's been outstanding this season.

Going back in time, can you believe Rodman was a 25 year old rookie?! In his rookie season he averaged 6.5ppg/4.3rpg/.6bpg/.5spg.

Remarkably, he never averaged more than .9spg or .9bpg in any season of his career. In spite of that, he got great defensive accolades. At age 29 (12.5rpg), he exploded as a double-figure rebounder and never looked back. He followed that with 2 consecutive seasons of 18+rpg. Unbelievable. Talk about late bloomers.


You can see his full stats here:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rodmade01.html
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Solace
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12/28/2006  4:39 PM
Looking through that list, it makes it look like a weak draft class. Ouch.
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Bippity10
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12/28/2006  4:41 PM
Posted by technomaster:

That comes out to 10.8ish boards/40 for Balkman, and 13.8ish boards/40 for Lee. Lee's been outstanding this season.

Going back in time, can you believe Rodman was a 25 year old rookie?! In his rookie season he averaged 6.5ppg/4.3rpg/.6bpg/.5spg.

Remarkably, he never averaged more than .9spg or .9bpg in any season of his career. In spite of that, he got great defensive accolades. At age 29 (12.5rpg), he exploded as a double-figure rebounder and never looked back. He followed that with 2 consecutive seasons of 18+rpg. Unbelievable. Talk about late bloomers.


You can see his full stats here:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rodmade01.html

Yeah that guy worked his arse off. He was in the best shape of everyone in the leauge. He was crazy but he definitely earned his production. Hopefully our guys can work as hard to improve their games.
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earthmansurfer
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12/28/2006  4:43 PM
I'd like to add:

As a rookie Lee got 12.9 rebounds per 48, averaging 17mins of playing time.
As a rookie Balkman is at 12.8 per 48, averaging 14.5 mins.
After one year Lee is at 16.6 per 48, averaging 30mins.
So, not only did his time go up, but his efficiency and rebounding did as well.

I'm not saying we should expect a similar shock next this year / next year from the kid, but Balkman has special written all over him. Steal

As others have said, alot of what Balkman does doesn't show up in stats, and I believe that too, but it gives us some form of measurement with rebounding and he is looking very good.
Can't wait to see Greg Anthony and the others at the end of the year...
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Bippity10
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12/28/2006  4:48 PM
It will all come down to how hard he works. If he wants it, and he works hard he can become a very productive defensive, rebounder and can help our team. If he hangs out too much JJ he could become a tremendous cookie eater. It's all up to Renaldo.
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Ira
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12/28/2006  5:21 PM
Posted by earthmansurfer:

I'd like to add:

As a rookie Lee got 12.9 rebounds per 48, averaging 17mins of playing time.
As a rookie Balkman is at 12.8 per 48, averaging 14.5 mins.
After one year Lee is at 16.6 per 48, averaging 30mins.
So, not only did his time go up, but his efficiency and rebounding did as well.

I'm not saying we should expect a similar shock next this year / next year from the kid, but Balkman has special written all over him. Steal

As others have said, alot of what Balkman does doesn't show up in stats, and I believe that too, but it gives us some form of measurement with rebounding and he is looking very good.
Can't wait to see Greg Anthony and the others at the end of the year...


Good points. I think you're right. Balkman has a lot of intangibles - most notably his defense and his intensity. He has much more upside than Jeffries. He's as good defensively, he rebounds better and he can give you a little more offense than JJ2. I'm very curious to see if he develops a decent offensive game like Prince and Bowen. If he does, he'll be starting material.
daddynel
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12/28/2006  7:30 PM
i'm going to venture to say that he will be a better defender than BOWEN. that's right, i said it.
NBA.com Rookie Rankings (no mention of Balkman)

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