That was the suggestion on another string. Point was something to the effect that his numbers aren't really that special and that all we can say at this point is he's a promising rookie.

I don't buy it. It's not his numbers I look at, but the kind of plays he makes. Great rebounds in traffic at critical points in games. Steals and deflections where he moves like a guard. Sweets brings a rare combination of bulk ... the guys a load ... and quickness. And on top of that, he seems to have the right attitude. The improvement he's made this season has been impressive.

There's a reason Sweets is the Garden favorite. IMO, he'll be our starting power forward for the next 5 - 10 years, and he'll be playing on some all-star teams during that period.

SWEETNEY is CHARLES OAKLEY REINCARNATED.. EXCEPT NOT MEAN enought.. But that will come in time....

I'll give him til his 3rd season b4 he's a starter

Sweets is a fan favorite because he's a hard worker. I love watching him fight for those offensive rebounds.

Mark Aguirre is doing great working with him. He will be a monster in the future.

He even looks like he lost a good amount of weight since Spoon left...no1 waving big macs in his face I guess.

I would love to see Sweets get a few more starts. IMO he's earned it.

[Edited by - MaTT4281 on 03/31/2004 15:40:39]

I saw every one of those games. They arent build anything alike, their styles are nothing alike. Oakley had no back to the basket game. The only thing they have in common is both are good offensive rebounders and they both play with great energy.

Sweets is different that Oak. Oakley never could dunk the ball as fast as him. Oak had a jump hook and a turn around that were sickening to look at...that is whenever he was allowed to do it.

I agree that they are very similiar. I said before Sweets is a throwback. He's just exciting. A straight up NYC player. I feel his game really reps the NY game. All we gotta do now is put KT on the injured list if his finger is so screwed up. Knicks got Mutombo coming back, right?

Baker and Sweets need to play more than 11 minutes 16 minutes.

I said my peace about Sweetney before. A great man once said "there's no p%ssy like new p%ssy."

Despite the crassness of the statement, the point is well taken. We like Sweetney because he's new fish. We don't demand much from him in 10 minutes per, and when he delivers anything, we rejoice.

Truth is, as I've pointed out on more than one occasion, only one top ten pick has delivered less than he has this year, and it's Darko (who doesn't play).

We don't get to see much rookie play in New York. We seldom draft high enough to get anyone good, and when we do have one that shows promise, more often than not there's too much pressure on the coach to win for the rook to get any burn.

Wait till the novelty wears off with Sweetney. And wasn't it "Fatsweets" like a minute ago, you fickle bunch of school girls?



[Edited by - TRU on 03/31/2004 16:39:48]

"Truth is, as I've pointed out on more than one occasion, only one top ten pick has delivered less than he has this year, and it's Darko (who doesn't play)."

This might also be the best draft class since 99 when there were 12-15 BIGTIME NBA players. Also I think if Sweetney started in a better situation he would be further along, and not having to fight for a spot behind $26 mill worth of Spoon, Harrington, McDyess and Kurt Thomas. No wonder they ignored him for the first 3 months.

I agree with Fish about the 1999 comparison.

Alot of the picks this year have made their mark. Sweets has not been getting the time.

He can't even get in the game when the starter is playing terrible. His time will come and you know Isiah is watching and taking note. Isiah could sweep Kurt Thomas off the roster along with Othella to make way for Sweets and Baker. I personally would like to see them both play more than the sub 20 minutes per game they've been getting

He's a third-string power forward on a sub-.500 team. Not the Goddam second coming.

Geez....
You should drink some Green Tea.

There have been a lot of PFs his size that haven't been good enough to hold down starting spots (Traylor, Fizer, Trent) in recent years.

How does he project 5 years down the road? I mean... really, isn't he a lot like a young 'Spoon? As he gets older (and builds more muscle), will he lose quickness/leaping ability... or will he become more refined (like Elton Brand)?

Spoon's numbers peaked in his 2nd year in the league, with 18.4ppg/10.2rpg/1.4bpg in 38mpg.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/863/career
After that, he became rather erratic with his rebound/point averages.

The more I think about it, it's just like my backup/starting center threads about Mohammed a few weeks ago. Give him a lot of minutes, and he looks like he's capable of averaging a double double.

If we take a close look at his offensive skills, where does he stand? Is he limited by the # of touches/chances he gets?

Brand is the exception to the rule on undersized big men who don't have some level of SF skills. Somehow he gets it done (20/10 worth)... I'm not sure how Sweetney measures up--- he could just be another Traylor/Trent/Fizer and these are just flashes of brilliance, nothing more.

Any comparison to LJ is nonsense. LJ was all world, could do it all despite his lack of size and then the world collapsed because of his back. Oakley was solid rebounder, great defensive player, enforcer and in his later years could throw in bombs. Sweetney will be a different type of player-excellent rebounder with great hands (as good as any player with his size), quick jumper with long arms which compensate for his lack of ideal height. How far he goes and how good he becomes depends on how he developes his mid range jumper. He could become a Karl Malone (would love that) or merely a solid starting PF with excellent rebounding skills. Prediction-KT get traded and Sweets starts by end of next year.

As a Japanese scholar once said at a history conference discussing the effect of the American Revolution-"It's too soon to tell"

[Edited by - TheSage on 04/01/2004 08:13:05]