Ekpe Udoh and Why the Best is Yet to Come

cellomac1212 · Post #1 » by **cellomac1212** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 2:42 am

Over this past month it has been obvious that Udoh is beginning to turn into the player we all expected him to be. Just thought it was worth pointing out that Udoh has been in a severe disadvantage compared to the rookie class he came in with. So far he has not participated in a training camp or summer league, and has played limited NBA minutes due to being a bench player and a lack of NBA games suited up for. Also, he is forced to play out of position the majority of the time here. So, why am I optimistic he will actually become very good and reliable?

First, minutes played 1,679 compared to Greg Monroe 3,434. So next time you guys go comparing him to Monroe, realize Monroe has had a training camp, summer league, and twice the game time experience. He should obviously be better at this point.

Second, He is finally understanding his role on the offensive side of the ball. His post game has improved dramatically and he has opened up his mid range shooting game.

Third, though I am not a huge +/- believer, it is hard not to notice his impact on the game whether he starts or comes off the bench.

Just opened this thread because I think the circumstances of why Udoh's development has not been as fast as others needs to be recognized. Maybe the Warriors will recognize we may have a good thing growing here and not give up our entire team for a mediocre center.

Whatever thoughts you have is fine to post here if you need to. Otherwise this is more of a rant and I realize there are about 3 other Udoh threads going right now (so spare the comments "you could of put this ______")...

KevinMcreynolds · Post #2 » by **KevinMcreynolds** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 2:46 am

He seems 10x more comfortable in the last month. He used to be all jittery on offense, but looks comfortable now. He just needs to learn to finish better.

Also, his "stay the f*ck away from my rim" defense has been the bomb yall. No free baskets.

Ganji · Post #3 » by **Ganji** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 2:52 am

one could only wish, the warriors fix the roster, so he can play PF alongside good center... I think Dre and Udoh might look good together, but as long W's have Lee, it's not gonna happen...

ILOVEIT · Post #4 » by **ILOVEIT** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 3:18 am

I've been wrong in the past on player potential...but I called it for Udoh and Klay....I could tell immediately that Udoh had the potential to create a low post game...In two years he's going to be way stronger as well..then fricken watch out.

Quazza · Post #5 » by **Quazza** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 4:12 am

Curious - what were his block numbers for Baylor?

TaylorMonkey · Post #6 » by **TaylorMonkey** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 4:51 am

Ganji wrote:one could only wish, the warriors fix the roster, so he can play PF alongside good center... I think Dre and Udoh might look good together, but as long W's have Lee, it's not gonna happen...

Of the three, let's just say the problem isn't Lee.

Not sure how I feel about all the Brook Lopez rumors but he could be an interesting pairing with Udoh.

hamncheese · Post #7 » by **hamncheese** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 5:05 am

Quazza wrote:Curious - what were his block numbers for Baylor?

averaged 3.7 per game (also played 35 mpg)

RGMirs · Post #8 » by **RGMirs** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 5:17 am

So I looked through this season and tallied up how much we won when Udoh played heavy minutes. He had 7 games for 25+ minutes and 4 games for 30+ minutes this season:

Udoh playing 25+ minutes Warrior Record: 5-2
Udoh playing 30+ minutes Warrior Record: 3-1

WTTTFF the warriors better be giving him more minutes. We are a far better team when Udoh gets 25+ minutes.

Kaymak · Post #9 » by **Kaymak** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 5:44 am

Udoh has been underrated by damn near every warrior fan i've come across. he definitely has the potential to be a starter in this league and a big time difference maker on the defensive end of the floor.

Jester_ · Post #10 » by **Jester_** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 5:48 am

To think the flack some of us took in the Monroe thread for suggesting Udoh would ever be anything more than a bench player. :roll:

He needs to work on his man-D, get bigger and work on his post-moves, but he'll be a solid starter by the time he's 26-27.

Quazza · Post #11 » by **Quazza** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 6:02 am

Jester_ wrote:To think the flack some of us took in the Monroe thread for suggesting Udoh would ever be anything more than a bench player. He needs to work on his man-D, get bigger and work on his post-moves, but he'll be a solid starter by the time he's 26-27.

next year? :lol:

WTF_GSW · Post #12 » by **WTF_GSW** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 6:48 am

Udoh finally getting the touches he need on offense. I said in the other thread that Udoh would start in Detroit and would be successful if we swap Udoh for Monroe and I still stand by it.

Frank Mulely · Post #13 » by **Frank Mulely** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 6:56 am

WTF_GSW wrote:Udoh finally getting the touches he need on offense. I said in the other thread that Udoh would start in Detroit and would be successful if we swap Udoh for Monroe and I still stand by it.

Frank Mulely · Post #14 » by **Frank Mulely** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 6:57 am

WTF_GSW wrote:Udoh finally getting the touches he need on offense. I said in the other thread that Udoh would start in Detroit and would be successful if we swap Udoh for Monroe and I still stand by it.

I mean everybody does better outside of the GS failwagon, so thats an easy call.

cellomac1212 · Post #15 » by **cellomac1212** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 7:51 am

Glad to see so many stand by Udoh. I seen the spark in him last year. He does have two things going against him though:

1. Lack of being prepared to do well due to his injury and the lockout

2. Having to learn how to be a center at an NBA level (cause he should be a PF)

But I have always stood up for this guy for one main reason. The only thing anyone knew about him that was a given is that he would out work anyone... These players that care more about basketball than anything else always prosper. The guy who shows up the earliest and leaves the latest is bound for success. That's who Udoh is!!! It has been said by numerous coaches! He was a safer pick than Monroe for this reason alone. While people questioned Monroe's lack of work ethic, they questioned Udoh's skill. This kid will become a beast and this is just the beginning. He put on about 10 lbs this year and pumped his game offensively in a lockout year... What do you think this guy is gonna do in the next offseason with coaching and instruction??? How bout 10 more lbs (of muscle) and even more offensive prowess. The kid is a worker. To expect anything else is a bit (Please Use More Appropriate Word) (if that's a safe word here, otherwise use "Naive")...

Udoh in 2012-2013 season= 260lb starting center for GSW at 27 years old. 10 and 10 can definitely be accomplished by next year and with ultimate defense...

But I digress... lets give up Monta or Steph for a soft ass center in Lopez... (Sarcasm)....

The Warriors need to understand the possible talent they have on their team and give the a chance to succeed (Jeremy Lin comes to mind here)...

stephcurry4life · Post #16 » by **stephcurry4life** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 8:31 am

udoh is good but he needs a player who can gobble down rebounds since he is a shot blocker. I think theres a decent chance he can develop into a C...but by next year? seems like a bit of a stretch to me. I think that if possible we should trade monta for jefferson. i love monta as much as any warrior fan, but we have rush and klay who are both capable of starting. someone like jefferson would help the warriors make the playoffs this year without a doubt. and udoh off the bench...pretty solid.

cellomac1212 · Post #17 » by **cellomac1212** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 8:45 am

stephcurry4life wrote:udoh is good but he needs a player who can gobble down rebounds since he is a shot blocker. I think theres a decent chance he can develop into a C...but by next year? seems like a bit of a stretch to me. I think that if possible we should trade monta for jefferson. i love monta as much as any warrior fan, but we have rush and klay who are both capable of starting. someone like jefferson would help the warriors make the playoffs this year without a doubt. and udoh off the bench...pretty solid.

How many players in the NBA consistently are in the top 10 in scoring???

Probably 11...

I don't know why Monta is the only one of these people that is completely replaceable. Rush and Klay cannot fill Monta's size 8 shoes. Rush has been a starter for Indiana, why wasn't he a top 10 scorer there but would manage to do what Monta does here? Sorry, I don't care about advanced stats much, but I do know scoring in between 22 and 26 points a night is nearly impossible for most NBA players. It should hold some value considering Monta does it with the entire defense trying to stop him due to the Warriors failing to put competent helpers on the court... Imagine Steph getting that same attention. Do you seriously think Klay or Rush will be there to bail him out???

stephcurry4life · Post #18 » by **stephcurry4life** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 8:53 am

to win a game you do not need to have 5 dominant scorers. you need to have a good balance. our team is so inconsistent because of our center position. i would love to keep monta ellis...hes one of my favorite players... but the reality is, the only way we can make our team more balanced is if we get a center..the only way we can get a good center is by trading monta ellis. so if we trade monta...we wont be getting 22 ppg from the sg position every night...but we would have two huge scoring threats down low that would be crashing the offensive and defensive boards, and dont forget that we would still have stephen curry...our best shooter. we would be loosing a lot of scoring by starting rush...but he would provide more size and defense.

DubZzZzZ · Post #19 » by **DubZzZzZ** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 9:38 am

dont get me wrong udoh is a nice peace to a rotation but i guarantee you there is not a person that knows basketball that wouldn't take greg monroe if they could do the draft over.

killacalijatt · Post #20 » by **killacalijatt** » Fri Mar 2, 2012 9:41 am

Udoh next to Bynum would be phenomenal. Udoh at PF is what I want. Udoh at C is not something I like.