Let's say Shelden is average/mediocre...

[DJlaysitup]

...for at least the first year or two. Let's say he isn't a bust and isn't a bruiser either. So he gives us 20 minutes a game of pretty solid play, is pretty good on defense but is foul-prone. He gets some baskets but obviusly isn't a "go to" option. He makes a hustle play here and there but he also turns the ball over here and there. Then what?

Interior play has been our achilles heal the last couple years and so far all we've done is effectively replace AL with Shelden. Looks like to me BK HAS to get a vet big in here this offseason to do the lion's share of shoring up the inside game or we're gonna be in the same boat as last year.

I understand the "defense will be better by just subtracting AL" arguement, but I don't think that just subtracting AL gets us where we need to be on the interior. A 5 is a hard spot to fill but BK's gotta get one. (IMHO)

[TheDude]

i think that's why the front office has been talking about continuing to add a veteran big man. i think they are aware of it and that's what they're looking for in the s&t...

[er9dverk]

id like to get wilcox, however we can do it.

magloire would be fine if he's fired up and signed longer than next year, for a price that lets us re-up marvin/josh/josh.

foster might work also - he looked good in the playoffs year before last.

but mainly i want wilcox.

[KB21]

Well, who they acquire may not fit what Bernie described on the radio the other day, but according to him, the Hawks are looking for a young big man, in the 22-23 age range. That's why I'm thinking that they are trying to get Andris Biedrins from Golden State.

[TexasPete]

Suddenly, Wilcox looks like an option to me. He could help us at PF.

[Packfill]

I really do not see Wilcox as any much of a defensive/rebounding big. He is athletic and has a nice junk offense game but realistically Josh Smith could give the team at least that and more if forced to play out of position at the 4.

[chillzatl]

I think people are looking at a bunch of disorganized games and jumping to conclusions far too soon. The fact that we need bigs has nothing to do with Sheldon. We simply need more bigs, period. Sheldon is and will be fine and he will do exactly what he was brought here to do.

[drzachary]

Quote:

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I think people are looking at a bunch of disorganized games and jumping to conclusions far too soon. The fact that we need bigs has nothing to do with Sheldon. We simply need more bigs, period. Sheldon is and will be fine and he will do exactly what he was brought here to do.

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What are you talking about, Chillz?

Clearly, Shelden forgot everything he ever knew about basketball. Those few summer league games PROVE IT. Beyond a shadow. Of. A. Doubt.

[exodus]

I watched Shelden alot this year and I am not the least bit worried about what he does in summer league. I know his game and how he plays when the games matter.

I have two concerns with him. One is that his standing reach of 8'8" will put him at a significant disadvantage every night. My other concern is that i just don't think he was the best player at 5.

But he knows how to play and this nonsense about him suddenly being slow is just a joke. He timed MUCH faster than Childress in the lane agility test even though he weighs 260.

He knows how to do the little things. I remember watching a game where he was in the lane and an opposing guard caught the ball at the 3 pt line with nobody near him. Shelden ran out at him even though he had no chance to block the shot. The guy could have shot underhanded and Shelden still couldn't have blocked it.

After the shot Shelden kept running at the guy and for a split second I thought Shelden was going to lower his shoulder and just level the guy. Then he did something strange. When he got close to the guy he turned around, spread out and BOXED THE GUY OUT. Imagine that.

[TexasPete]

Shelden didn't forget a thing. He knows what to do but what he has done in the past isn't working at the moment. He will need to make some adjustments to have a decent NBA career. No longer will he be able to simply overpower players. He will need an effective face up jumper and some reliable low post moves. He has nothing to rely on right now. And the rebounds don't come as easy either.

Shelden has work to do. I hope this summer league was a wakeup call for him. He is clearly not ready for starters minutes now and probably will come off the bench all year. Hopefully, he can provide some defense and rebounding off the bench. This talk about Shelden being fine is interesting...maybe he will and maybe he won't. The jury is out and nothing I say or what other posters say will impact the ultimate outcome. But I would guess that many people felt a whole lot better last week than they do at the moment.

[Guest]

Quote:

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But he knows how to play and this nonsense about him suddenly being slow is just a joke. He timed MUCH faster than Childress in the lane agility test even though he weighs 260.

---

After watching the first game of the RMR, the idea of him being slow isn't referring to him being physically slow, its mentally. Big difference, he will eventually speed up once he gets used to the NBA and gets comfortable. But on a couple of plays it looked like he had cement shoes on...

[Lascar78]

he looks quick to me.

You have to remember though, these games are quicker than the NBA. up and down, these games are like playing with the suns, regardless of who is playing. Fast breaks and hoisted shots galore. Ben Wallace on the suns wouldn't look as great as he does on the pistons either. Not to mention that there are a lot of guys in the summer league who are world class athletes but don't have the NBA skills. I bet the average summer leaguer is a good bit quicker than the average NBAer.

Shelden doesn't look nearly as bad as I thought he would, he is fouling a lot and not rebounding too much, but overall he looks like he'll be fine.

Salim is EXACTLY the same as last year. Still no D, still bad handles, still no PG skills.

Marvin looks thinner but stronger if that makes any sense. It seems like Marvin is getting more and more tone while Smith is getting increasingly bulky. I really think Marvin-Smith at the 3-4 will work well in the long run. I don't know that I've ever seen a bigger turnaround from a season to the next year's summer league as I see in Marvin. We'll have to see if it carries over to the season. New attitude, ability to take contact well, he's stringing moves together and all. He looks great!

John Edwards is as lost as ever. That guy is hopeless. Solomon looks like a solid NBDL guy as expected.

[drzachary]

Quote:

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I watched Shelden alot this year and I am not the least bit worried about what he does in summer league. I know his game and how he plays when the games matter.

I have two concerns with him. One is that his standing reach of 8'8" will put him at a significant disadvantage every night. My other concern is that i just don't think he was the best player at 5.

But he knows how to play and this nonsense about him suddenly being slow is just a joke. He timed MUCH faster than Childress in the lane agility test even though he weighs 260.

He knows how to do the little things. I remember watching a game where he was in the lane and an opposing guard caught the ball at the 3 pt line with nobody near him. Shelden ran out at him even though he had no chance to block the shot. The guy could have shot underhanded and Shelden still couldn't have blocked it.

After the shot Shelden kept running at the guy and for a split second I thought Shelden was going to lower his shoulder and just level the guy. Then he did something strange. When he got close to the guy he turned around, spread out and BOXED THE GUY OUT. Imagine that.

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You don't have to convince me, I think Shelden will be a great pro. I was being sarcastic before

[jerrywest]

Quote:

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he looks quick to me.

You have to remember though, these games are quicker than the NBA. up and down, these games are like playing with the suns, regardless of who is playing. Fast breaks and hoisted shots galore. Ben Wallace on the suns wouldn't look as great as he does on the pistons either. Not to mention that there are a lot of guys in the summer league who are world class athletes but don't have the NBA skills. I bet the average summer leaguer is a good bit quicker than the average NBAer.

Shelden doesn't look nearly as bad as I thought he would, he is fouling a lot and not rebounding too much, but overall he looks like he'll be fine.

Salim is EXACTLY the same as last year. Still no D, still bad handles, still no PG skills.

Marvin looks thinner but stronger if that makes any sense. It seems like Marvin is getting more and more tone while Smith is getting increasingly bulky. I really think Marvin-Smith at the 3-4 will work well in the long run. I don't know that I've ever seen a bigger turnaround from a season to the next year's summer league as I see in Marvin. We'll have to see if it carries over to the season. New attitude, ability to take contact well, he's stringing moves together and all. He looks great!

John Edwards is as lost as ever. That guy is hopeless. Solomon looks like a solid NBDL guy as expected.

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Agree 100%. SW will be fine. He does the little things so well.

[exodus]

I know you were being sarcastic. really my comment was directed at the board as a whole and i only replied to you since yours was the last post.

[er9dverk]

tell you my thinking on wilcox.

we gotta have another big, preferably one with experience in the league. available may be foster, magloire, wilcox, maybe others.

foster is an option - not a bad price, blue collar worker, holds his own underneath, blocks out, rebounds, has a post game, looked real good in the playoffs year before last. prolly not real quick, maybe not a lot of upside.

magloire will be in a contract year and should tear things up. but at the end of the year, he's gone unless we want to pay $13 mil or more. that would make it real hard to re-sign our young stars, which we have got to do.

wilcox is quick, and is showing flashes of emerging as a real player. you can tell by looking at him that he spends bunches of time in the weight room... not many that do that - its one reason i like sheldon.

wilcox isnt as tall as we would like, but he's quick and can jump, and he's strong. i like him. price may not be too bad.

we need a few beasts under the basket, positions may not always matter so much (center or pf). id like to show guys like araujo you dont fool with marvin or joe.

[DrReality]

I agree that he will be fine. Of course he's got lot's of work to do. I never thought he would start, at least not at the beginning of the year. He may move into that slot. But one huge difference is that he played in a System at Duke. He new his role and what was required of him. I would venture to say that the summer league is the antithesis of Duke. It's a lot more about run and gun instead of a system, and that doesn't fit his style. Give him some time and he'll be fine. And then there will be someone else that will get ragged.

[DJlaysitup]

Quote:

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...magloire will be in a contract year and should tear things up. but at the end of the year, he's gone unless we want to pay $13 mil or more. that would make it real hard to re-sign our young stars, which we have got to do...

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Think I'd take the chance on Mags and his contract year. Hopefully he tears it up and helps us move up the nba ladder. As far as next year, cross that bridge when we come to it. If we can't afford him then, just let him go and sign somebody else. The young guys will continue to improve so we will probably keep improving anyway the following year (hope).

[Weez]

Wilcox might come at a reasonable price? are you joking? Have you read any of the rumours that he's 'peeved' at Seattle for not offering him a deal similar to that of Nene (this year), Chandler, & Curry (last year)?

He's not worth anywhere near that...FAR too unproven!

[er9dverk]

denver screwed the market with the nene contract. nene is unproven and coming off reconstructive knee surgery. i dont know if any bigs are ever again going to be "reasonably priced" in a real sense, except for rookies and guys who fall out of the sky like diop.

foster comes at a decent price. mags will cost bundles after this next year. id love to have wilcox. given the situation, with charlotte and us being the only ones with cash, he might agree to some deal we can live with if seattle doesnt sign him.