WaltLongmire wrote:

Vmart wrote:Dennis Roodman wasn't a NBA player, Neither was Ben Wallace. If Thanasis can get it done on the boards and defense I'm sure there will be a place for him.

Big difference between a 10MPG situational energizer with no shot, and a 25MPG rotational player who can do some of the things he can do on D and also knock down the 17ft jumper or blow by you if they are guarding you a bit too tight.

Thanasis is also a bit of a freelancer on offense, no?

You would not get the highlight plays from Lance Thomas that you get from Thanasis, but in some ways he can do the same things, and his jumper actually looked acceptable at times last year. He also played well in our system offense, for the most part.

I recall see something about the drop off in his shooting too. Very strange for someone chomping at the bit to get into the NBA. I think if he had shown something last year on the offensive end they might have signed him.

I'm sure they've reviewed all his games...wonder if they will actually sign him?

BRIGGS wrote:Thansis should be enough to scare the sht out of Phil Jackson to take another raw defensive caliber stalwart!

You must really hate defense. Must be a MDA fan....SSOL

You probably hated the 90s knicks back in JVG days.

Im a two way player so i under the value of defense. I also prefer a defensive player with no offense vs an offensive player with no defense.

Defense can ignite an entire team...an offensive player can deflate your team....even if hes hot.

blkexec wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:Thansis should be enough to scare the sht out of Phil Jackson to take another raw defensive caliber stalwart!

You must really hate defense. Must be a MDA fan....SSOL

You probably hated the 90s knicks back in JVG days.

Im a two way player so i under the value of defense. I also prefer a defensive player with no offense vs an offensive player with no defense.

Defense can ignite an entire team...an offensive player can deflate your team....even if hes hot.

The real question is do you take a guy you rate 7.5/10 on D and 3/10 on offense over a guy who is 6/10 on D and 7.5/10 on offense.

Whether you like it or not, the Triangle calls for offensive players with diverse skills. You can occasionally get by with a Rodman, but he was a premier rebounder/tenacious defender, and was not bad at moving the ball around on offense and getting open near the basket.

Look at Jackson's Chicago teams. Your centers could hit short jumpers, your power forward was a good midrange shooter, tough rebounder and good defender, your small forward was one of the great all around players pf all time, your SG was a BB god, and your "PG" was usually someone with good range on their jumper. Phil rarely had offensive duds in his lineups, and for the most part, his best players, including his superstars, played D.

Phil Jackson was known as defender, and as a player he was not a great offensive talent or go to scorer, but he had a good hook shot and a midrange jumper that he could hit, and he could mix it up inside with those long arms of his.

I think you can find guys with similar defensive talent to Thanasis, but with some offensive ability, too.

I'm rooting for him, but was surprised that his shooting declined from the outside. Does this have something to do with dedication, practice, and repetition in regard to his shot? When I saw him in videos the year before we got him I thought his jump shot had some potential. He should know that he needs to be able to shoot the ball. Why has he regressed?