TripleThreat wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:Lets also remember that Jahi is likely north of 6-10 270 pounds and as we saw this Sunday very nimble on his feet and a VERY good ballhandler with a soft extremely accurate touch.

I tend to think he is not guard-able 1-1 kind of like a bigger more advanced Zach Randolph. While he doesnt play super high above the rim--well much higher than randolph--like Randolp he uses his unique body length and touch with his footwork to simply get great shots at the basket. I dont think he is guard-able 1-1.

Okafor will be a rookie. Regardless of pedigree, all rookies, esp bigs, tend to have certain issues

1) Rookies usually hit a rookie wall at some point in a season. The amount of games, travel and attrition, plus acclimating to the league all takes a toll. You could be Brian Scalabrine, you could be the next coming of Bill Russell, it's going to happen.

2) Rookies tend not to get the benefit of the doubt from refs. Meaning they are going to take extra pounding, esp bigs and they are going to be more prone to get into foul trouble. Okafor isn't going to be this unstoppable offensive force if he can't handle himself on the defensive end.

3) Rookies tend to struggle at the NBA level on a defensive level. Occasionally you get a player where that transition is easier, but most of the time, it's not. If you can't defend your own weight, you are going to get your minutes limited in some capacity, on most teams.

4) Bigs in general struggle at the free throw line. If you are a liability to get Hack A Shaq'ed late game, you won't see the floor if the team has other options.

5) Many young bigs had late growth spurts or, crazy as it sounds, are still growing, into their bodies. Very few NBA rookies are physically developed to the point where they can start banging, game in and game out, with consistency, to be considered "unguardable"

Guess what Briggs? Blake Griffin isn't a great defender. He's better than what he was as a rookie, but he's far from an elite big man defender. However people pay big money for luxury suites and courtside seats to see Griffin play. No ref in the league is going to call fouls on Griffin if he starts man handling Okafor to the point where Griffin gets tossed from the game. There's an established "pecking order" in terms of who gets sway with getting away with contact, ref calls, free hits in the league. Rookies are not on the top of that pecking order.

Griffin sells more shoes and is more marketable than Okafor. Stuff like that matters on the court, the Stern greed influence isn't totally gone from the league. If Griffin wants to punch Okafor in the face, he can, and Okafor will get called for the foul on it.

You keep pushing the idea that Rookie X or Rookie Y will produce at some historic rate, some Hall Of Fame level of production right out of the womb, and the league and it's rookie and draft history simply don't work that way.

TT My God if Blake Griffin isnt a great NBA player to you--no one is LOL How can someone break them off on Blake Griffin? And what fan cares if Griffin is marketable--why do you post such absurd comments? Ok Blake Griffin stinks

--->ou keep pushing the idea that Rookie X or Rookie Y will produce at some historic rate, some Hall Of Fame level of production right out of the womb, and the league and it's rookie and draft history simply don't work that way. Show me this post where I say this--if I did Ill lay down 5,000.00 to any charity you like--and people around here know Ill do it. If not be a man and you pay just 1,000 to my charity.(thats 5-1 odds--not bad right?) Thats a post saying a player is going to average 30 points in season 1. Go find it and in the next 15 minutes.