Karl Wants Javale McGee To Be More Like Tim Duncan

[LascelleL]

No lie, I just saw that on the wiretap and busted out laughing.

[dangermouse]

I want my bank account to be more like Bill Gates'.

I want my girlfriend to be more like Jenna Jameson.

I want my Wizards to be more like Oklahoma City.

[Nate505]

He basically said he just wants him to be less worried about making the spectacular play and just focus on making the solid, fundamental basketball play. For instance, instead of blocking a shot 10 rows into the stands, block the shot in a way that you can retain possession of the ball. Or instead of trying to throw down a highlight reel dunk in traffic, just put the ball in the basket the easiest way possible. Just play solid fundamental basketball, like Duncan does. Not actually play like one of the greatest big men ever(though that would obviously be nice too).

Nothing too ridiculous in what he said, IMO.

The idea isn't ridiculous. The idea of the person he's telling it to to be smart enough to pull it off is.

Seriously, McGee may be the dumbest player in the league.

[SalamiNCheez]

I want my bank account to be more like Bill Gates'.

I want my girlfriend to be more like Jenna Jameson.

I want my Wizards to be more like Oklahoma City.

Eww.. really?

[siydee]

easy to take that headline the wrong way, but pretty much everyone is laughing at that wiretap is taking it out of context. there is nothing ludicrous about what karl is saying.

[The Rebel]

^ It was a great trade. Nene's contract is terrible since he's rarely healthy and playing at 100% and let's be honest, 100% for Nene isn't star caliber or anywhere close to it.

Javale is still growing as a player, really young, sooooooooooo lllllllllloooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnggg and full of potential.


Aslo just saw today is Javale's 25th birthday, quarter of a century. Javale: "what's a century?"

Nene actually should have been an all-star. This is what I mean when I say underrated.

Now, that doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad trade. Obviously they weren't winning any titles with the core they had. Shaking things up can be a good thing. Taking a risk can be a good thing. However, if Denver was under any illusion that McGee was in Nene's league in terms of being able to actually play 5-on-5 basketball effectively at the time, then it was a bad trade because that just means they didn't know what they were doing.

Re: "really young"...25. What sport are you following here? When have you ever seen a 5th year NBA player not understand the game and later evolve into someone who really grasps team basketball well? Basketball simply isn't that complicated if you've got a good brain for it.

The Nene trade had more to do with dumping Nene then it did with getting McGee back, Nene has missed almost a third of the games played throughout his career, and many of those were due to nursing minor injuries. For about 3 years Nene finally looked like he was about to finally reach his true potential especially without Melo on the team after that drama, the last couple of months of the 2009-2010 season Nene was putting up 15 and 8 on something like 65% shooting in 30 mpg.

Then they gave him his new deal, he started missing games with minor injuries again, he started not playing hard several games, ending up missing over half the season last year, and 13 games already this year. Karl loves Nene personally especially after them both going through the cancer battle, and you will find most Nuggets fans actually still have a soft spot for Nene, but paying 13 million a year for a guy who only plays 2/3rds of the time, and then only hard when he feels like it, is not a recipe for success.

Say what you will about McGee, but he has limited his bonehead mistakes, he still makes one every few games, but it is not that bad, but at least he is on the court and giving it his all every night. If Nene would have done that he could have been a 20 and 10 guy, McGee wants to be better then he is, Nene just never seemed to care as much as Karl or the fans wanted him too.

[mysticbb]

^ It was a great trade. Nene's contract is terrible since he's rarely healthy and playing at 100% and let's be honest, 100% for Nene isn't star caliber or anywhere close to it.

Javale is still growing as a player, really young, sooooooooooo lllllllllloooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnggg and full of potential.

So far this season: Nene played 576 min and the Wizards with him on the court are at +5.2 per 100 possessions. McGee played 798 min and the Nuggets are -2.4 per 100 possessions with him on the court. Nene has $45.5m left on his contract (3.5 years), McGee $39m. To be quite blunt, I much rather pay Nene with injury problems $45.5m than McGee without injury problems $39m, because the former will at least make my team play better basketball when on the court, while the other makes his coaches wish he would have the brain of someone else.

Say what you will about McGee, but he has limited his bonehead mistakes, he still makes one every few games, but it is not that bad, but at least he is on the court and giving it his all every night.

His "all" is not that much, that is the issue here. McGee is not a basketball player, he is an athlete, who happens to be big enough to play the game of basketball. He lacks the understanding and the fundamentals.

[MrHidden]

I want my bank account to be more like Bill Gates'.

I want my girlfriend to be more like Jenna Jameson.

I want my Wizards to be more like Oklahoma City.

Eww.. really?

i think he mean Jenna in her prime

[eathb_au]

The only reason why Denver were able to take the Lakers to 7 games was because they did the trade

Nene was always pathetic against the Lakers and in the playoffs in general

[tsherkin]

"More like" doesn't have to mean "exactly like."

Karl's got a good idea, and a really basic one.

"Don't worry about being spectacular, just make the basic play."

Even McGee should be able to grasp that to one extent or another. Block the ball in play, check your man on D, box out, run the floor, hit the open man with the pass. Just play fundamental ball. McGee needs to slow down and worry less about how he looks and more about how to make the right play. He's got million-dollar talent and a ten-cent brain, but if he can keep things simple, well...

Even Kwame Brown learned how to be a deep rotation player by manning up in the post and boxing out, you know what I'm saying? If McGee can just focus, then he could be really good. He's flashing some basic post moves, he's hitting the offensive boards really well and finishing at the rim well.

He can't shoot away from the rim, he blows at the line... he's not a primary scoring threat. Or even a secondary, he's purely a clean-up player on offense and that's fine. But if Karl can help him operate under some basic constraints of strategy on defense, then his value would shoot up IMMEDIATELY. He clearly anticipates shots very well and has the mobility, length and timing to get to them and block shots. He's been at 6.6+ BLK % from his second year forward and led the league one season. Everyone knows he can hunt down the shot and block it. Now he just needs to worry about leaving his man a little less and knocking the ball to a teammate. That shouldn't be an intellect-straining move, even for McGee. Might take some time, but it's manageable.

I like what Karl is doing, or trying to do.

[Effigy]

Suns want Michael Beasley to be more like Lebron James.

[Debaser]

The Big Areumental

[mysticbb]

Karl's got a good idea, and a really basic one.

Nobody is disputing that this is a good idea, just that McGee produces more mental lapses within a week than Duncan had in his whole career. That is not just a question of McGee not having the fundamental skills of Duncan, he also doesn't possess the mental abilities.

Every coach should want his interior big to play like Duncan, keep it simple, stays with the fundamental stuff, don't force the issue, make the right plays offensively and cover the holes on the defensive end by moving to the right spots. That is in fact a great idea, just that Duncan seems to have a more natural understanding of the game, knows what a team sports means and worked on his fundamental skills his entire career. It probably helped that he developed a base strength and stamina via swimming, because that is a workout for the whole body and not just for specific muscles. It is probably a good idea for young basketball players to become a medley swimmer as well.

[torotoe]

So far this season: Nene played 576 min and the Wizards with him on the court are at +5.2 per 100 possessions. McGee played 798 min and the Nuggets are -2.4 per 100 possessions with him on the court. Nene has $45.5m left on his contract (3.5 years), McGee $39m. To be quite blunt, I much rather pay Nene with injury problems $45.5m than McGee without injury problems $39m, because the former will at least make my team play better basketball when on the court, while the other makes his coaches wish he would have the brain of someone else.

Do you not see the obvious bias in +/-? McGee is a bench player on a good team. Nene is by far and away the best player on an awful team. When McGee is off the floor Koufos is producing and the starters are in with him, hence the +/-. The wizards are a joke when Nene is on the bench.

[9abovetherim]

And I want Monta Ellis to be more like Dwyane Wade, oh wait...