[quote
You claim to have seen him play enough times this season yet you fail to see his defensive impact in the game? By being a good man defender, he does not allow the opposing player to overpower him, when the player attempts a shot he GASP actually alters it leading to a bigger chance of a missed shot.[/quote]
First of all, it's not like he was defending opponents best player (perhaps for stretches - did he guard Duncan? (That's an actual question.)), but normally the less dangerous post player and mostly in garbage time, when the talent level isn't exactly high. I have seen him being posted up many times - no matter how much size he has, he is very weak and a defensive liability if being attacked by a strong player. Sure, that will improve with time, but it still means that he doesn't have a lot of natural strength (and strength is an athletic virtue) like Shaq or Dwight Howard do. And sure, he did show a bit of shotblocking instincts and length, but we can't know how efficient he is in that department. Him being a garbage time player means that opposing teams won't prepare to face him and that they won't scout him, which means that players will attack him without knowing that he's capable of blocking shots. That pads up his blocking stats quite a bit, but doesn't make him an 'elite' shotblocker'.
Why not? You do know that the triangle can limit a player's movements if one cant find his spots right?
Sure, one can be lost playing a complicated system like triangle definitely is, but it doesn't make him move in slow motion or run the court like a deformed cow. And his jumping ability is a bit limited. He doesn't jump high nor he jumps quick. I know he said that his measured vertical was 32+ inches, but he was either lying or jumping off the trampoline. In both of those cases, he'll be a class under elite centres in the League or even a notch below fat bastards like Curry. A lot of people underestimate Curry's athletic skills - he has very athletic build, a lot of natural strength and athleticism and can really move if properly motivated and conditioned.
Then dont go saying stuff like "Sure, he's still 18 years old but every good NBA center already showed glimpses of brilliance at that age"
Oh, RLY? Tell me one decent centre in this League who hasn't been very skilled and some of them even hyped/labelled as the next big thing at the age of 18? Yao? Curry? Shaq? Bogut? Darko? Kaman? Heck, even Brad Miller who was undrafted had skills.
But as fas as prep-to-pros centres go, Eddy Curry was far ahead in his first season.
GASP a center drafted in the top 3 played better than someone that was drafted 10th overall?!? How can that be?
Curry was drafted #4 overall in a much weaker draft class. But even if they were in the same one, I can assure you that Curry would be picked before Bynum. And considering questions of Curry's motivation/passion for the game at the time of the draft, that tells a lot about Bynum.
You forgot the part were nobody said Andrew Bynum is an athletic freak. He's a physical specimen but not an athletic freak.
Nobody have to say he's an athletic freak - I said he ISN'T one and that will hurt him. All those guys I mentioned (Dwight Howard, even Amare) were more skilled and way, WAY more athletic than Bynum. What does that mean? That he most probably can't be nor as athletic nor as skilled as them and that doesn't sound like a very good player to me.
Which means, you aint seen nothing yet from him. You cant judge him and compare him to those other guys because as you said, he has much less experience and athlecism.
That also means that he won't improve as quick or as much as those guys.
Funny how you changed your opinion from Brendan Haywood to Jerome James in a span of a few days. What happened? Read something at lakersground?
I have heard Brendan Haywood comparison before, but not Jerome James. That one was mine - I tried to think the closest psychical match to Bynum and he's exactly that - big boned, tall and long.
