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so lately, i have been hearing people say that Big Al is just a younger Zach Randolph. this troubles me greatly.... does anyone else believe in this comparison?? i mean, jefferson is a pretty big black hole, and i dont think he even knows he has a left hand. but i just hope he can learn to be a winner. he's got great skill, and i hope he isnt plagued for playing on bad teams his whole career...

http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=752671

As for the left hand, Al has a broken finger at the moment.

airmax#1 wrote:so lately, i have been hearing people say that Big Al is just a younger Zach Randolph. this troubles me greatly.... does anyone else believe in this comparison?? i mean, jefferson is a pretty big black hole, and i dont think he even knows he has a left hand. but i just hope he can learn to be a winner. he's got great skill, and i hope he isnt plagued for playing on bad teams his whole career...

big al isn't passing a lot, true but if he gets double or triple teamed he passes frequently out of the double/triple team. it's not really a case of a black hole here - at least to me.

Big Al is a team player and a highly motivated individual. He, unlike Randolph, will do whatever it takes to help benefit the team. Big Al wont let himself become just another Zach Randolph.

The comparison between Big Al and Z-Bo is ridiculous.

Big Al shoots a higher field goal percentage, grabs more rebounds, plays better defense, and knows when the time is right to pass. The only thing that they really have in common is that they both have a hard time finding a cutter when they're double teamed. Big Al is still very young, so I think with time he'll add that to his game.

I wouldn't worry about the comparisons to Z-Bo, the people making the comparison obviously haven't seen enough of Al to think they're anywhere close.

the_incredible_basti wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



big al isn't passing a lot, true but if he gets double or triple teamed he passes frequently out of the double/triple team. it's not really a case of a black hole here - at least to me.

My problem with Al there isn't that he's not willing to pass, just that he's a bad passer.

casey wrote:-= original quote snipped =-


My problem with Al there isn't that he's not willing to pass, just that he's a bad passer.

I'm not denying this at all but it shows at least that he's no randolph in that case. I guess and hope that he'll work on his passing the next few years.

the_incredible_basti wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



I'm not denying this at all but it shows at least that he's no randolph in that case. I guess and hope that he'll work on his passing the next few years.

Yeah, the Randolph comparisons make no sense to me.

Too early for the Randolph comparison. I think he's just a bad passer right now. He's shown good recognition of help defense when he makes his move to the hoop. I think his passing will get better as he develops and as he gets more comfortable with his teammates.

The randolph comparison has just become a token response on the forum. Ignore it. From a numbers stand point it makes no sense (Randolph is smaller with a left hand and usually prefers the jumper--Al is bigger, likes the hook shot and the right block where he can get in the middle)

Stupid comparison....the reason we dont have to worry about it is attitude. Maybe they have some of the same shortcomings now (e.g. defense) but Al's attitude is 100% better, so he'll work to improve.

Let's see.

Blocks:

Al: 62
Zach: 6

Rebounding:

Al: 374
Zach: 323

Free-throws Attempted:

Al: 240
Zach: 180

Dunks:

Al: 56
Zach: 2

http://www.82games.com/0708/07MIN12A.HTM
http://www.82games.com/0708/07NYK12A.HTM

The thing about Al is, dont try to figure him out, just sit back and enjoy the show. We hear such wide opinions on Al's game b/c its hard to measure his strengths. Shooting the basketball( the hardest thing to do in the sport) and his mental focus are his strengths.

If he was averaging 10 points and 8rebs a game but out of those 10 points 2 of them are monstorous dunks, then Al would get alot more respect and attention. Instead, he just keeps puts the ball in the basket more often, but not in such a flashy way.The more pressure, the better he performs and once the wins come in people will appreciate his game.

If the draft goes well, the twolves will make the playoffs next year

theGreatRC wrote:Let's see.

Blocks:

Al: 62
Zach: 6

Rebounding:

Al: 374
Zach: 323

Free-throws Attempted:

Al: 240
Zach: 180

Dunks:

Al: 56
Zach: 2

http://www.82games.com/0708/07MIN12A.HTM
http://www.82games.com/0708/07NYK12A.HTM

On the defensive comparisons: Numbers aside, I think it's difficult to evaluate Al as a defender because, as a big, he has to cover for other players' mistakes. Just like when KG was here, the lack of good defensive play by the Wolves' perimeter guys leaves the bigs in trouble a lot. Who knows what kind of defender Al could be with a Bruce Bowen on the wing, or a Desagnia (sp?) Diop at his side?

On the offensive side, comparing Al to Randolph is just as lazy and inaccurate as comparing Wally Szczerbiak to Larry Bird.

kingly222 wrote:The thing about Al is, dont try to figure him out, just sit back and enjoy the show.

lol, what?