Ah, the Kwame Brown of old

[Nicholasp27]

?

i said IF

[chillzatl]

some people like to compare him to guys like Brad Miller and Divac. But physically I would compare him more to a guy like Yao. They have similar builds, though Bogut is in far better shape than Yao, even today. Yao also doesn't have great lateral quickness and isn't a great shot blocker. But look at his impact. He's the 2nd best center in the game. The only reason he isn't regarded as dominant is because of his attitude. Well, Bogut HAS that attitude. Imagine the player Yao would be if he were a tough player who took every matchup as a personal challenge. I think Yao would be a 25/12 player, despite his lack of lateral quickness and dominant shotblocking.

I'm not saying that bogut will reach that level either. But it would not surpise me one bit because he has all the physical skills to do it and he has the attitude to want it.

[Packfill]

I hope you guys are right about Bogut, but from my unexpert perspective he just does not possess that intimidation factor which almost every great center had. Going to a game watching Ewing, Robinson, Mourning, Shaq and the like you could tell that their very presence on the floor influenced the may the oppositions team played - whether it show up statisticly or not. You could feel it just being in the stands. This was true in college and in the pros. They just had an aura about them.

Bogut to me does not have that aura.

Maybe my standards are too high. I still think he will be the first pick and I think he will have a good career. But, I am not sure the "ruthian" numbers people are suggesting will be any more meaningful then the 20/10/2 that an Elton Brand puts up, or the 17/8/2 that a Ilglauskas puts up - meaning that they are not a harbinger of future playoff glory. They are good, but they do not make players around them better the way Shaq or Robinson did.

If the game has changed then it has changed to become a "guards" league where a Nash or Kidd like point guard, despite their flaws (Kidd=bad shooting; Nash=lack of athleticism), are more important for success because they make everyone on the court better.

[drzachary]

Weez, since you seem to share the same 'mutombo=comedy gold' view that I hold, you might enjoy this:

http://www.whowantstosexmutombo.com/

It is PHENOMENAL!

[chillzatl]

as I said in the other post, the game has changed. If the league was full of those guys still, it might matter. But it is not and as it looks right now, it won't be any time soon. Bogut might not be a center that dominates at both ends of the floor like those guys. But nobody else is either. Well, except Shaq. Even Ben Wallace, the best pure defensive center in the game today, doesn't have the presence of those guys. That doesn't take anything away from his value on todays game though. The same would hold true for Bogut or any other great center of this era.

[Weez]

solid start my friend, solid start.