In less than an hour or playing time, Krispy has shown he can shoot it a bit and disrupt isht…
a lot. Most encouraging, he's shown some fight, particularly today. He adjusted to okafor in the 2nd half and seemed to relish the competition. That's not stuff you can teach and right there, no matter how it all eventually plays out, you already know he's
not the next bargnani or darko.
Deep deep exhale. Whatever instincts and guts phil has shown in drafting krispy, you have to believe he was not truly convinced until he saw those 3 blocks on okafor today. I am 100% sure he was lighthing up the northern cali hard tonight and to all the other long suffering knicks fans out there,you deserve it too--so let's enjoy this little moment and first real step forward. Sorry amare.
But how do the knicks continue to build Krispy up so he can hold his position more easily, postup, and be a more effective re-bounder…while still playing to his strengths as a mobile shooter/scorer?
The most interesting knicks job right now is on that team of personal trainers tasked with answering that question. They are just now seeing some of what Krispy can and can't do and now they have to figure out what they want him to be doing for the next few months, out to year 1, and well beyond. Who do they pattern his physical development after, what models fit his case?
Krispy is a 4. But he's got some 3 and 5 in him too, and is still growing, making him a very unique project in any training center. Nobody really know the best road to take ,in part, because there really hasn't been anybody else quite like him. I hope Herring or some other good writers try to get that story but for now, we can only speculate on the p/t regimen the knicks are setting up. Maybe some personal trainers out there might want to take a crack at it for everyone's edification.
Anyway for basic comparisons sake, I tried to think of a few players that together might make up the "ideal krispy" and how his physical transformation might take shape.
Kareem abdul jabbar
Kareem played the 5 for all of his career and was built a lot like Krispy is now. I can't stand by these numbers as the research was done on insidehoops but here they go:
Billed Information:
NCAA: 7-1 3/8
Milwaukee Bucks (rookie): 7-1 1/2, 235
Basketball Reference: 7-2, 225
NBA (late career): 7-2, 267
Actual Measurements:
Height: 7-1.88 (7-1.375 UCLA, 7-1.5 rookie Bucks training camp, 7-1.625 2nd season Bucks training camp, 7-1.88 3rd season Bucks training camp)
Wingspan: 7-5
Playing Weight:
225lbs - rookie
231lbs - 2nd season
235lbs - early career
240lbs - mid career
267lbs - late career
Guys today at the 5 are just bigger than they were in the 70's and I am sure kareem as a rookie would have been pushed around by okafor too. But as you can see, Kareem played most of his career in the 230's and 240's and his weight gain was pretty gradual. He had a wiry strong build and his lower body and core was very strong from all the martial arts training he did. His upper body never got "huge" in the dwight howard/ben wallace sense and I think that's probably the way the knicks will go with Krispy. He's got to have enough in there to compete but they don't want to hurt his shooting and mobility.
As an aside, when krispy hit that short hook against the lakers, I thought, damn if there was ever a guy to bring back the sky hook, it's this cat. He's got the footwork, height, and touch. It's also does not require textbook deep positioning. Hoping phil has kareem on speed dial these days. Somebody has to keep that beautiful shot alive.
Kevin durant
Height: 6'9
2007 Rookie weight : 215
2014 weight: 240
Dirk nowitzki
Height: 6 11 ish
1998 rookie weight: 220'ish
2015 weight : 235- 240
The first time I read a comparison between durant and Krispy was from an interview with Marcus landry, a team-mate of his in Seville and brother of Carl landry. I didn't really see it from the highlight films but after a few SL games, it's making a little more sense. A little. Krispy has the potential to shoot over guys from all over the court and he's long but he's got a long way before he can put it on the floor and spray people like durant. When he's attacked closeouts and gone high off glass, it actually reminded me more of marcus camby. In other words, a little awkward at this stage.
In any case, durant has added 20-25 pounds in 7 years, but it seemed like he was still really skinny until a few years ago. He's a much quicker athlete than krispy is ever going to be, and pound for pound, probably a lot stronger as a rookie. Until the foot injury, durant's mobility has been outstanding and I think the decision to stay lean and mean has been the right one. How does a guy be that quick and that strong at the same time? Genetics obviously have something to do with it but I think the training staff will be looking to get krispy more explosive, starting with his legs, and like KD, looking to keep his physique lean but strong.
Dirk is probably a closer physical comparison to krispy being nearly 7 feet and a similar body style. Dirk had immense training on his legs even as an early age that enabled him to shoot at all kinds of angles and while krispy might not get that far, his potential to stroke unblockable shots ( although a little more arc would be nice) is clearly there. Dirk added weight and upper body strength but never got really ripped like some guys. I don't know if that was a conscious choice but his shooting and overall game certainly did not suffer. He was able at the 4 to be an effective rebounder and that lower body strength/coordination probably has a lot to do with it. In other words, whatever dirk did, krispy 's people should be taking a good hard look at.
But Krispy is different and at his size, he will have to battle big pf's and the occasional center. How much more weight will he have to gain than a 4 like durant or dirk?
Pau gasol
height : 7'0
2001 rookie weight: 227
2015 weight: 254
I know they list Pau's weight at 227 but he still looked stronger than Krispy as a rookie. He seemed to get off the floor quicker and was able to rebound from day 1. Krispy still seems to be growing into his body, leading to some awkward moments, whereas Pau looked more comfortable as a rookie. Some people just bloom later but some people are simply not as coordinated. We're not really going to know what's the story with krispy for a little while. And for his sake, I hope his body starts to slow down so it can absorb all these changes he's about to go through. As interesting as it would be to see him at 7'4, too many guys that big break down early.
Pau was a 4/5 for most of his career but he lost his share of battles as a center until he finally hit the weight room. Even against the celtics in 07', he was criticized for soft play and he 's been getting thicker ever since as he's settled into more of a straight 5.
That might be how Krispy's arc plays out. There's no reason to rush him into a 5 but when eventually you want him to be able to be a force down there. You combine that with his perimeter game ( which is far ahead of Pau's at the same time) and good luck guarding that guy. And on defense, even better luck going anywhere near the rim.
How about KG?
KG has played the 3, 4, and 5 at points in his career and was the original freak of nature, and still is really going into year 20 something in the NBA. He's always been in great shape and while not the skinny kid he was a rookie, he just got really strong while keeping the lean body. His explosiveness and timing compensated for his lack of girth but krispy 's not the kind of athlete. He can't stay as thin as KG and play the 5 or the 4. If anything, I think Krispy, and frankly all rookie's have to look at KG's conditioning/nutrition program as a the blueprint for a long career.
Will cauley-stein
Did anyone see how much thicker this guy got between the NCAA's and the draft? He's older and a better fit in his body than krispy but there is no denying his strength program in just a few months has, at least cosmetically, been effective. His early SL returns are solid as well. I am no fan of quick fixes but it gives some optimism for opening night in November 2015.
Summary
Krispy is not exactly like any of these examples so there's not exact formula. He needs functional strength and explosive training, not just bulk and his foundation has to be really strong or the guy's likely to get injured. He seems to throw that body around and it's a bit scary at times.
The knicks are not winning the championship next year anyway so there is no rush to transform a growing teen-ager's body overnight. The priority should be long term development and in fairness to the knicks and a lot of other people who have observed krispy for a while, this process of building his body and his game could take 2 to 3 years. And yes carmelo, you are supposed to wait for him, but hopefully you will also understand that if he does reach his potential that early, the two of you have a chance to make one hell of a duo. If you want to bounce early, a guy named Ndour would be happy to take your minutes.
