MGrand15 wrote:MrDollarBills wrote:character wise, what has he done that has made you think he's not up to par? i haven't heard or seen anything from him that says "bad kid", at least while he's been here.
Okafor's been battling weight issues for years now. I get some guys carry weight but I do think it's an easy way to see how hard someone's working. How they take care of their body. This was the first training camp he came in notably skinnier.
His first highlight after getting drafted was knocking some drunk dude out after calling him a broke boi outside of a club. He took shots at the Philly coaching staff after the trade. Even Russell, who was in a literal circus, kept it classy after getting traded.
On and off the court, I just don't see the fire man.
I'm not saying he's a bad kid or irredeemable. But we have some HIGH character guys. And it makes them tough to let go even if they're not performing. I think he's neutral at best. Which is fine if you're good.
I will say this in his defense. I didn't love how self serving that Players Tribune piece that he penned a couple of months ago was, but I did feel how strongly his family loved him and what a tight and sort of high character group they seemed as a whole. That gave me some sympathy for him.
He's legitimately had a rough ride. He wasn't just a fluke number 1 pick like Anthony Bennett. He was a number 3 pick that pretty much everyone agreed was a legitimate top 3 pick. And his ride since then has been very rough, and for the reasons that MGrand mentions is unlikely to get much easier going forward.
So I root for him to succeed because he is an underdog. But I also don't want the Nets to get sucked into a vortex of trying to salvage a player who really does not work in their system. I think if KA does not see something good from him by the offseason, there's a significant chance he does not return. Simply because, with how well Marks picks players, that roster spot is too valuable.
