Post#1372 » by doclinkin » Tue Apr 9, 2024 7:34 pm
I don't get the vitriol that Edey enflames. I guess the idea is that his brand of basketball is not aesthetically pleasing? That he's just a big bully beating up on little kids and no one wants to see that.
But I don't see sense to the idea that he won't be able to do in the NBA what he does in college. Which is: score efficiently. Grab rebounds. Force fouls on opponents. Deter some shots and interior scoring on his size alone.
Okay its an open question whether his team will give up as many points as they score when he is on the floor. Reasonable to argue. But do people really think jump hooks and a dunks are not available in the league? Or that he won't have better passers and taller players feeding the post? Any PG in the league would love to have him as a bail out option. Offensively he's Shaq with a free throw shot. In pick up ball he's the first pick by any team captain.
Here's a question, if you gave Edey to UConn, do you think Hurley would have found a way to use him? Could they have won the championship with him? Or could Painter if he had UConn's roster around Edey? Or even one other star with a go-to offensive game?
Edey is a unique individual who will one day be in the Basketball hall of fame based on his NCAA run alone. No question. I fully expect he will have a long and interesting professional career if his health allows. I think in the NBA, but he would leave a trail of destruction in FIBA play.
He's a bright, hard working, polite and thoughtful kid, with a competitive streak and unmatched physical talents. You may dislike his game, think it ugly, but you can't argue it hasn't been effective up to now. And getting better. Last year he got played off the floor by smaller faster teams. This year he did not. No blaming him now that Purdue can't beat the high seeds. It took the most effective defensive center in the NCAA to check him, and the #1 best team to beat him. And even then he caused foul trouble and put up 37 points on solid percentages.
I get it that his game is boring. Ugly. Looks clumsy. I just don't understand the argument by people who seem to think he is not good or won't be able to put up numbers at the next level. Or come up with every tortured argument in the book to downgrade him. It's weird to me.