got this from another board:
Wilcox’s defensive problems run deeper than not getting blocks…he’s a really, really poor help defender. It’s a problem; I’m not sure how many players have “figured out” defense after three years in the league, but I don’t think it’s that many. I still think Wilcox could be a decent defender in the league, but the reason why he doesn’t get blocks is part of what hurts in other ways on D. He just doesn’t have a good fundamental grasp of what to do. He’s got decent size and a good wingspan, but he’s got no idea how to consistently use them.
The Mendoza Line for being a good rebounder is about a rebound every four minutes. Kaman is right at that level—he’s a little higher as a starter. Wilcox is a little below that as a reserve…and way below it as a starter. His rebounding numbers are actually down a bit this year. I’m wondering if this is another area where Wilcox relies too much on physical skills rather than fundamentals.
If Wilcox ever figures out—or, more likely, partially figures out—this stuff, he’ll be a good NBA starter. But he’s not there yet and there’s just no indication he ever will be. Although his offense is good, he’d have to make huge strides as a defender and rebounder to become an above average NBA starter. He’s pretty far behind guys like Troy Murphy and Drew Gooden, and is probably behind someone like Udonis Haslem in overall effectiveness.
I really think Wilcox has a little bit of Kandi Disease in terms of how people look at him. He physically looks like a good basketball player, the way Kandi physically looked like a top notch center. Wilcox is better than Kandi, IMO. But I think there’s a tendency to give people who look the part credit for more upside than they deserve. Wilcox had 9 really good games at the start of the year…just like he had about 15-20 good games last year. I’m not sure that means he’s going to be a really good, consistent starter though. I agree that we should deal him while his stock is high.
