Marc Stein on Al Harrington being traded

[exodus]

BTW how many blocks per game did May get?

[thesheedera]

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Secondly Shelden is much better on offense than he gets credit for. Coach K wants him under the basket so that is where he stays but he actually has a good jumper, both straightaway and turnaround.

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Agreed. Coach K once again misusing a talented big man and not developing him to his full potential. Luckily for Brand he got out early, and he was so damn good that you couldn't keep the ball away from him.

Duke is again a one dimensional team and when JJ gets cold in the tournament, they will fall apart.

But I digress.

[thesheedera]

Very few. Blocking shots has never been his specialty. Early on the excuse was so he could stay out of foul trouble, but I just don't think he has the instincts. He's a good defender and alters what people want to do down low, but he isn't a shot blocker.

[exodus]

Actually the real reason is that May has short arms. He actually moves well and has a decent (33") vertical for someone that big. However he is the same height as Josh Smith but his standing reach is 3.5" less.

People keep trying to play down Sheldens blocks but he is getting them for a reason. He isn't playing in a weak conference.

No I don't think Duke is title bound either. Other than Shelden they have a lot of weak defenders in their rotation. He can't cover for all of them.

[thesheedera]

Arm length is a big reason too, you're right.

Shelden's a great college shot blocker. Not sure how this specific part will translate to the NBA because he's not a leaping shot blocker and most post players will be tall enough to shoot over him.

But as of right now, he's a great shot blocker, there's no other way to say it.

[exodus]

He won't block 3.7 shots per game in the pros, but he will be one of the top shotblockers because that is what he does.

Look at the top shotblockers and you can see you don't have to be tall.

Brand isn't exactly a leaper but he blocks 2.5 per game.

[Packfill]

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Splitter offering little to no defense? What are you guys talking about? Yeah most of these guys might end up being PF's, so what? They are PF's in the same way that Zaza is. But given the state of the C position in the NBA, they will be fine at the 5. We need bigs, not just one center. A talented big would be huge for us.

Aldridge or Splitter would give us the talented defensive big we need. Bargnani would be more of an offensive player, but either way he's a talented big

About Splitter from draftexpress

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Defensively, Tiago is very solid, and quite intense.

He's rarely banged in the low post despite usually being lighter than his rivals, and he enjoys accurate lateral quickness to stop his matchups and even to contain (to a certain degree) smaller rivals after defensive changes.

He never forgets team defense, and generally shows very good positioning. He's a decent shot blocker, but he rarely risks his defensive position to get the block

, so in the end he's not very prolific.

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The clips I have seen of Splitter show him to be extremely thin and not particularly athletic. I just don't see how he will be a viable defensive presence in the NBA. Obviously I have only seen snipets of his game tape, but it did not leave me wanting to see more.

[Lascar78]

he looks thin, but he plays tough. If you look at Dikembe, he looks real thin, but he isn't going anywhere. I know he doesn't have Deke's height, but he is supposedly a tough guy.

[thesheedera]

Sheed and Camby or other skinny defenders. Gotta be tough and athletic if you don't have the power.

[Packfill]

We shall see, he could be great. But from my uneducated position, I would not touch him in the drafts top 10 picks. Plus his buyout is scary. Bargnani is really a small forward permimeter shooter which we definitely don't need.

[shock]

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He won't block 3.7 shots per game in the pros, but he will be one of the top shotblockers because that is what he does.

Look at the top shotblockers and you can see you don't have to be tall.

Brand isn't exactly a leaper but he blocks 2.5 per game.

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Brand has the longest arms in the NBA

[Lascar78]

well if he's anywhere near as good as Dirk or Gasol (the other so called SF's pre-draft), I might give it a thought.

Aldridge

Splitter

Bargnani

is my preferred order. That is assuming the buyout is not an issue

how bad is the buyout?

[exodus]

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Brand has the longest arms in the NBA

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Exactly.

There is a reason why Shelded is blocking so many shots at 6'9". Either he is more athletic than people give him credit for or he has an extremely long reach.

[thesheedera]

Ex, I'm not saying that your two possible reasons are false, but a third one is instinct. Some guys have a knack for timing their block attempts.

I think its a combo of decent athleticism, a good reach, and excellent instincts, patience and timing.

[exodus]

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but a third one is instinct. Some guys have a knack for timing their block attempts.

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Those instincts won't disappear when he turns pro. The simple fact is that most shots are taken below the rim in the pros just like in college. He will block his share.

[KB21]

Who is going to push him around?

There aren't very many Shaq's out there.

You guys have yet to realize what the center position is becoming in the NBA today. Dwight Howard, Ben Wallace, Amare Stoudemire.....Minnesota is starting Eddie Griffin at center.....there simply aren't that many skilled seven footers out there.

Bargnani is 7'0", 240 lbs. Tiago Splitter is 6'11", 240 lbs. These guys aren't going to get pushed around in the NBA. In fact, Splitter plays more of a physical game than most European big men do.

[Lascar78]

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Splitter plays more of a physical game than most European big men do.

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FYI he's from Brazil, and those guys play a much more physical game than Europe (speaking in generalities of course)