Kevin Seraphin

[veji1]

great post Limo, I agree that Seraphin has been very mechanic. This is a young player who has been putting a tremendous amount of work to improve and know where to be on the floor, identify his spots and use them well. This helped him "slow the game" after a first year where everything was just going to fast.

Now he has a confort zone, he actually started having it when he played for the french team and Vittoria last year. This confort zone means that when he gets the ball in the right situation, he knows what to try to do with it and how to do it pretty effectively.

Of course step 2 is adapting to teams identifying your conforts zone and disrupting it. This what Boston did well here. Get him out of his grove, preventing him from executing his moves in the tempo he loves.

This is where indeed he will have to learn to be more aggressive, exploit the defense commiting to disrupting his play by deceiving it (ie you think I am starting a post up for the hook, quick turn around base-line/one dribble/attack the basket, etc...) getting the ball out or meeting it straight up (see the double coming, get in motion to get a foul from an unset defender, etc...).

Basically KS has perfected his moves, now the work starts on his counter-moves... If he can perfect that too than he becomes a very special player, Elton Brandish (well if he can get to the FT line as well). If he can't he will still be a good 4/5 with solid game but not able to be one of the very first options of his team.

One last point. For and inside-out game to work, you need to have efficient outside scorers as well. Give Serapin a Korver standing curling to get the ball out of the post and he can be a lot more efficient. Hopefully Beal can become one of those legit 38% 3PT shooters that open up the floor.

[loot]

If you ook at his current arsenal of moves on O, and him being ambidextrous... can you imagine what he'd look like after a summer with Hakeem?

[hands11]

If you ook at his current arsenal of moves on O, and him being ambidextrous... can you imagine what he'd look like after a summer with Hakeem?

http://www.nba.com/wizards/video/2012/1 ... p4-2287276

Love the young guys on this team. Kevin is a cool young man.

[veji1]

If you ook at his current arsenal of moves on O, and him being ambidextrous... can you imagine what he'd look like after a summer with Hakeem?

Look I love Hakeem and all, but it sounds like half of the league young big men have been working out with him or Kareem at some point and yet the result aren't impressive to say the least.

To me learning to trust his strength and just playing a more direct game is the first priority, than nifty counter moves are great too of course, but before he can master the pump and head fakes of the Dreem, he could usefully watch videos of Blake Griffin or Dwight Howard to see how to use his strength and speed better.

[loot]

Look at some of the big men whoé worked with Hakeem: McGee, Aamare eetc.. Those guys dont have the right mindset. Given the way Serpahin caries himself, I think the influence a few weeks of trainign with Hakeem could have on him would be great.

[veji1]

I get your point and true it could help. But I also think one has to be careful of not overloading his hard drive. I mean he is still young an Hakeem waited till his 30s to have all those polished moves in his arsenal. Seraphin is a willing worker so he will learn them eventually. But on the other hand it is much harder to change one's mindset later in one's carreer to become more aggressive. This is why i think the priority in training should be focussing on aggressivity. I want to see him dunk, not because dunks look good, but because by going for the dunk he gets fouled. Even if he commits more TOs and O fouls, aggressivity needs to be the priority on offense, the moves will come next.

[dlts20]

One problem Im really having with KS is he doesnt back down guys far enough. He has alot of Blatche in him when it comes to that, except its worst with KS because he's a very strong guy. It makes me mad to see how he easily accepts a pass way off the block. Thats the 1st problem. He needs to fight to get bettter position and stop accepting being pushed far out.

Then after catching it way out there. He's always going to take like only 1 or 2 dribbles and shoot some kinda turnaround shot, weather it be a hook or with 2 hands. Sometimes he needs to use his size to lean in for the shot. Go towards the basket instead of straight up. Everytime though, he needs to back down guys more. He's a huge body. Back those guys down and get closer. Dont just settle for that hook way out when you can back down these guys who dont have your strength

[penbeast0]

I don't see Elton Brand, veji, but I do see -- of all people -- Nene. Good box out if not great rebounding, good post moves for high percentage, similar demeanor out there. I'd be pretty happy with a young, healthy, Nene out of Seraphin.

[nate33]

I don't see Elton Brand, veji, but I do see -- of all people -- Nene. Good box out if not great rebounding, good post moves for high percentage, similar demeanor out there. I'd be pretty happy with a young, healthy, Nene out of Seraphin.

Quick feet too.

[tontoz]

I think his confidence took a hit during that 2nd Boston game. I think teams are going to make it tougher for him to get into his comfort zone to shoot the hook.

He needs to develop a face up game. He rarely faces a guy up and drives. If he can get that big body moving decisively towards the basket it will put a lot of pressure on the defense.

[hands11]

Any chance we get to see the Kevin we all grow to have high hopes for again any time soon.

Three games of suckitood is getting kind of disheartening.

[AWIZZINGBULLET]

I really get sick of some of the Wizards players and the way they'll react to a Kevin Seraphin mistake vs. another guy on the team. Really feel Seraphin is the team's whipping boy because of his personality and it makes me sick. Seraphin was clearly one of the team's bright spots all night yet the one error at the end causes Crawford to get demonstrative and essentially throw his teammate under the bus before everybody in the arena. Reactions like that have me wanting to see Crawford get traded away. Sometimes I wish Seraphin would grab a teammate by the throat and toss them into the third row.

You are feeling the same way I have felt about other players in the past.

Flip Saunders was the coach who came and started using the word "knucklehead" to refer to players.

When Gilbert Arenas became injured, veteran players who he had been carrying lashed out publicly about the habits of young players. One player nicknamed the "Leader of Men" couldn't guard his own shadow but he hated on the professionalism of Andray Blatche. While very true on Blatche, Antawn got to get killed with impunity. Want to know why Cleveland kept knocking the Wizards out of the playoffs each season? Jamison and Butler were never whipping boys but Varejao repeatedly whipped them (and whatever midget EJ played at C) on the boards in the fourth. Butler was never a whipping boy. He openly defied Flip Saunders when it came to not passing the ball and forcing shots. What Flip would do after losses is call out McGee. Javale has been vilified after being called out the same way the slow kid in school starts getting picked on by other children once the teacher lets the other kids know she can't stand that kid.

I think Kevin is from another culture and he's playing next to a bunch of idiots. Sure, they'll pick on his mistakes probably up until he knocks one of them out. The sooner the better IMO. I see the same thing with Jan Vesely. He's a whipping boy, too.

I can't stand rooting for this team at times because this team is too bad to be hazing anyone. Leave Beal alone and do nothing but praise his effort, while assuring him he will succeed and to keep working harder and believe in himself. They should do that with every player.

Ted and Ernie are fools. Wittman will have no meritocracy. Veterans who have big contracts will play and their mistakes will be ignored. In frustration, young players will be denigrated and traded away as their careers are hurt. Seraphin is going to be fine because he's a joyful, energetic, bull of a player. Classy, too.

I can't say that from the top down in the Wizards. EJ might not have been even a good coach but he was a class act. Firing him 11 games after he made the playoffs virtually without Gilbert and with NO FRONTCOURT HELP and with injuries is the thing a GM like Grunfeld would do. Then Ernie saved his own job. Then Ernie made mediocre, overpaying veterans, Ernie moves.

Now the young guys are dummies or knuckleheads or underperforming. Same old Wizards.

I know the guys like him, but Randy Wittman from a personality standpoint seems like a B.S.'er. He only has the heart to jump in Seraphin's face and it's pretty damn annoying. You said Vesely is a whipping boy? I don't see it. That guy doesn't get chewed out ever by Wittman the way Seraphin does and it's sickening. I think Wittman is a coward, always thought he was arrogant, but now I add coward to the list. Can you imagine the earful Seraphin (even with the offensive outburst he had) would've gotten had he been the guy to leave Chris Kaman wide open after the timeout and then deliver that love tap of a foul? I just get frustrated, he ought to talk to Seraphin with the same respect he does anyone else and stop picking and choosing who he sticks his chest out with and raises his voice at. Remember Vesely not Seraphin was picked 6th overall and has yet to really deliver. From what I can tell there are no superstars currently playing for the Wizards, so why does Seraphin get it while others get a pass?

[AWIZZINGBULLET]

I really get sick of some of the Wizards players and the way they'll react to a Kevin Seraphin mistake vs. another guy on the team. Really feel Seraphin is the team's whipping boy because of his personality and it makes me sick. Seraphin was clearly one of the team's bright spots all night yet the one error at the end causes Crawford to get demonstrative and essentially throw his teammate under the bus before everybody in the arena. Reactions like that have me wanting to see Crawford get traded away. Sometimes I wish Seraphin would grab a teammate by the throat and toss them into the third row.

You are feeling the same way I have felt about other players in the past.

Flip Saunders was the coach who came and started using the word "knucklehead" to refer to players.

When Gilbert Arenas became injured, veteran players who he had been carrying lashed out publicly about the habits of young players. One player nicknamed the "Leader of Men" couldn't guard his own shadow but he hated on the professionalism of Andray Blatche. While very true on Blatche, Antawn got to get killed with impunity. Want to know why Cleveland kept knocking the Wizards out of the playoffs each season? Jamison and Butler were never whipping boys but Varejao repeatedly whipped them (and whatever midget EJ played at C) on the boards in the fourth. Butler was never a whipping boy. He openly defied Flip Saunders when it came to not passing the ball and forcing shots. What Flip would do after losses is call out McGee. Javale has been vilified after being called out the same way the slow kid in school starts getting picked on by other children once the teacher lets the other kids know she can't stand that kid.

I think Kevin is from another culture and he's playing next to a bunch of idiots. Sure, they'll pick on his mistakes probably up until he knocks one of them out. The sooner the better IMO. I see the same thing with Jan Vesely. He's a whipping boy, too.

I can't stand rooting for this team at times because this team is too bad to be hazing anyone. Leave Beal alone and do nothing but praise his effort, while assuring him he will succeed and to keep working harder and believe in himself. They should do that with every player.

Ted and Ernie are fools. Wittman will have no meritocracy. Veterans who have big contracts will play and their mistakes will be ignored. In frustration, young players will be denigrated and traded away as their careers are hurt. Seraphin is going to be fine because he's a joyful, energetic, bull of a player. Classy, too.

I can't say that from the top down in the Wizards. EJ might not have been even a good coach but he was a class act. Firing him 11 games after he made the playoffs virtually without Gilbert and with NO FRONTCOURT HELP and with injuries is the thing a GM like Grunfeld would do. Then Ernie saved his own job. Then Ernie made mediocre, overpaying veterans, Ernie moves.

Now the young guys are dummies or knuckleheads or underperforming. Same old Wizards.

I know the guys like him, but Randy Wittman from a personality standpoint seems like a B.S.'er. He only has the heart to jump in Seraphin's face and it's pretty damn annoying. You said Vesely is a whipping boy? I don't see it. That guy doesn't get chewed out ever by Wittman the way Seraphin does and it's sickening. I think Wittman is a coward, always thought he was arrogant, but now I add coward to the list. Can you imagine the earful Seraphin (even with the offensive outburst he had) would've gotten had he been the guy to leave Chris Kaman wide open after the timeout and then deliver that love tap of a foul? I just get frustrated, he ought to talk to Seraphin with the same respect he does anyone else and stop picking and choosing who he sticks his chest out with and raises his voice at. Remember, Vesely not Seraphin was picked 6th overall and has yet to really deliver. From what I can tell there are no superstars currently playing for the Wizards, so why does Seraphin get it while others get a pass?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Don't worry, AWIZZINGBULLET, Seraphin will keep improving and Randy will be gone soon at this rate.

[Zonkerbl]

Although, in Randy's defense, he's said in the past he gets in KS' face because he can take it.