Posted by purple012870:
Lee for Hilton freakin Armstrong??? Wow
I can understand the raised eyebrows - but only to a point. Look, Lee's good, probably my favorite Knick, but I just don't see how he fits here anymore with Zach on board - and I'm talking more about his lack of size and post defense more than his overall contributions, which are many. Zach's only 25, plays the same position as Lee and is here to stay. Best possible scenario is that Lee turns into Zach Randolph someday, a guy who can put up 23/10 a night, a distinct possibility but nowhere near a sure thing. And that's obviously what the Knicks thought also otherwise why make the Randolph trade?
I want a low post defender, preferably a big-time shotblocker, that's big enough to swing between the 4 and the 5 without there being any type of mismatch in the other team's favor. Lee, for all the great things he brings to the table (his great motor, nose for the ball, excellent rebounding ability, willingness to improve his game such as the big improvement at the foul line, etc...) is barely big enough to play the 4 - he's definitely not a 5. And he's not a shotblocker.
Isiah can talk all he wants recently about not relying on a post defender such as Eddy Curry to bail guys out who get beat on the perimeter and you know what, that's a fair point. I like the fact that's he's been stressing perimeter defense during training camp and the preseason. But let's be honest, even the best defenders in this league get beat off the dribble - you need help stopping guys or intimidating guys with shotblocking and it amazes me that he sells the shotblocking element of the game that short.
If you looked up Hilton Armstrong in the dictionary you'd see the word "POTENTIAL" next to his name in bold type. As an NBA big man, the sky's the limit with this kid. I really believe that. And this is coming from a guy who watches a ton of college ball and seen him play many times for U-Conn during his 4 years there. Right off the top, he's got the height (a legit 6'11" with a huge wingspan), is an awesome weakside shotblocker and cabable rebounder. But it's the potential on the other end of the floor that excites me. The guy's quick, he can put it on the floor and actually has a jumpshot with excellent form and range out to 20='. I'll tell you this, when it's all said and done, he will be a much better pro than Channing Frye, a player who posesses similar size, tools and physical ability but nowhere near as complete a game. Go to his NBA player page and click on the link of his 16 point effort against Detroit at the Palace early on last year or the link of his game-saving block against Dwight Howard last year to get a little taste of what I'm talking about. All he needs is playing time, which he hasn't gotten yet, primarily due to the fact that the Hornets already had Chandler and West playing big minutes up front and that Byron Scott apparently favored Cedric Simmons over Armstrong during big stretches of the season last year.
Remember New Orleans thought highly enough of this young man to make him the 12th overall pick in the 2006 draft and to pull the trigger on the Cedric Simmons for David Wesley deal, which I'm guessing was mainly done to open up more playing time for Armstrong. I interested in him enough that I'd open up talks by offering Randolph Morris, Nate Robinson, etc.. but if Isiah ever really wanted to get serious about acquiring Armstrong, David Lee (the 30th pick in the 2005 draft) would have to be on the table. This kid's potential is that good and his ceiling that high, not to mention his skills and defensive prowess make him a better fit on this roster as currently constructed.
10/20/2007 5:38 PM
