but when you compare him to elite centers... he falls short on the defensive side whereas towns doesn't have those question mark... it is very evident if you watch the games and if you see the numbers... it is not so evident if you just pay attention to when they have the ball or look at the box score...

FistOfOakley wrote:i think okafor is going to have lot of success if you pair him with an ibaka type of player... a guy who blocks shots but can also hit a jumper... kanter is finding good success BUT he is literally tied to ibaka's hip.. he doesn't see the floor without him which makes him very limited...

okafor isn't as bad as kanter on the defensive end but he has a long ways to go...

You could be foreshadowing the value of Thanasis if he pans out. He is the closest thing to Ibaka the Knicks will probably ever have.

Splat wrote:

FistOfOakley wrote:i think okafor is going to have lot of success if you pair him with an ibaka type of player... a guy who blocks shots but can also hit a jumper... kanter is finding good success BUT he is literally tied to ibaka's hip.. he doesn't see the floor without him which makes him very limited...

okafor isn't as bad as kanter on the defensive end but he has a long ways to go...

You could be foreshadowing the value of Thanasis if he pans out. He is the closest thing to Ibaka the Knicks will probably ever have.

He better still be growing because right now he plays the same position as Melo

BRIGGS wrote:

Allanfan20 wrote:What about the defense?

Allan--here's my take on Okafor's D. He needs to shed 10 pounds and work agility drills to expand lateral speed. Hes 19 years old. He also plays pretty solid 1-1 defense for a freshmen. I think with a 10 pd reduction to 260 and time spent building lateral agility and timing--he'd be a fine defender in the NBA. How good was Karl Malone on defense? Pretty good but they had a solid rim protector next to him.

conditioning will be key for okafor. for me it will be interesting to monitor his weight and body fat percentage. my hunch is that, when the college draft pages list his body fat % as NA, then there will be issues.... what are they trying to hide? obviously that he will get abused on defense and fade late in playoff contests!

dk7th wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:

Allanfan20 wrote:What about the defense?

Allan--here's my take on Okafor's D. He needs to shed 10 pounds and work agility drills to expand lateral speed. Hes 19 years old. He also plays pretty solid 1-1 defense for a freshmen. I think with a 10 pd reduction to 260 and time spent building lateral agility and timing--he'd be a fine defender in the NBA. How good was Karl Malone on defense? Pretty good but they had a solid rim protector next to him.

conditioning will be key for okafor. for me it will be interesting to monitor his weight and body fat percentage. my hunch is that, when the college draft pages list his body fat % as NA, then there will be issues.... what are they trying to hide? obviously that he will get abused on defense and fade late in playoff contests!

I think Okafor has been playing with a hurt ankle for almost a month now. Three games in a row I saw him flinch after sitting out. Hes not himself--but like anyone who saw the game start--no doubting his unbelievable skill/size package

dk7th wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:

dk7th wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:

Allanfan20 wrote:What about the defense?

Allan--here's my take on Okafor's D. He needs to shed 10 pounds and work agility drills to expand lateral speed. Hes 19 years old. He also plays pretty solid 1-1 defense for a freshmen. I think with a 10 pd reduction to 260 and time spent building lateral agility and timing--he'd be a fine defender in the NBA. How good was Karl Malone on defense? Pretty good but they had a solid rim protector next to him.

conditioning will be key for okafor. for me it will be interesting to monitor his weight and body fat percentage. my hunch is that, when the college draft pages list his body fat % as NA, then there will be issues.... what are they trying to hide? obviously that he will get abused on defense and fade late in playoff contests!

I think Okafor has been playing with a hurt ankle for almost a month now. Three games in a row I saw him flinch after sitting out. Hes not himself--but like anyone who saw the game start--no doubting his unbelievable skill/size package

alright then maybe i haven't seen him at full health. i will surely be watching the ncaa this year and paying close attention.

.... and he has been playing without the one thing that truly sets him apart, his power yarmulke. Amare stole it from him when he left for Dallas.

BigRedDog wrote:

dk7th wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:

FistOfOakley wrote:ok4 is good but there is just not that much evidence to suggest he's better than towns... i'm sorry.. defense counts a good deal for a center...

and bilas doesn't really know what he's talking about when he talks about prospects..

yeah Im sure anyone here knows more than Bilas.

Is this sarcasm? Just wondering how you really feel about Bilas

briggs feels that because bilas is on tv that his opinion has more validity somehow. you and i may feel that this is just another racket. for the record i like bilas but don't agree with everything he says. jon barry, albeit a commentator not a studio analyst, has terrific insights. hubie brown knows the game. chris webber is great. believe it or not bob wischusien whose regular gig is the ny jets if i recall, is a great play by play guy.

I really like Hubie a lot but Its funny you say this because whenever I have seen Hubie do the Knicks, he talks very complimentary towards Melo. Hubie feels Melo is the best offensive player in the league. I have heard him say this a few times.

i don't doubt he may have had nothing but praise for carmelo. he tends to stress the positive in players and play down the negatives. i like what he says but that is often my response to his commentary.