Okafor On NBA.com

[BigSlam]

http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/0 ... .20090309/

Interesting all the pub we are starting to get since getting on this winning streak! Me like it. Me likey it a lot.

[tsherkin]

I like that Okafor is still working with Olajuwon...

[BigSlam]

I like that Okafor is still working with Olajuwon...

I've always thought they were a bad fit - because their styles are so different. I've always thought that EO50 learning under someone like Ewing would be more beneficial to him?

[thruthefire]

Alonzo could help.

The last few sentences are my favorite.

Now, the Bobcats are giving Okafor every chance to use what he has. "We're trying to raise the bar for him," Brown said.

And Okafor won't be needing any cape to help him fly over it.

"I'm getting there," he said. "I'm not quite there yet. But with some more work and patience, I'm going to get there."

It makes me smile!

[tsherkin]

I like that Okafor is still working with Olajuwon...

I've always thought they were a bad fit - because their styles are so different. I've always thought that EO50 learning under someone like Ewing would be more beneficial to him?

Defensively and in terms of rebounding he helps, and he's helped make Oak at least a LITTLE more fluid.

Ewing was more athletic and taller than Okafor, and a lot more powerful. He also traveled every time he tried to score, which was always on that godawful face-up move where he jabs baseline and then travels (literally) into the lane for a hook shot. He's taught it to Dwight, though Howard miraculously doesn't travel while doing it. He also shot mid-range Js. Ewing was good, but I don't know that his style translates to someone who doesn't have overwhelming power.

Okafor has Olajuwon's height, and the mobility-based moves that he's learning are at least more relevant to his physical disposition, rather than those of Ewing. I'd argue that if there's anyone sutied to teach him how to play, it'd be Olajuwon, because he's pushing the boundary of his finesse repertoire and exploiting his athletic ability. Plus, in the offense that the Cats are running by the declaration of those here, the guy he REALLY wants to talk to is Karl Malone.

Malone was competent as both a backdown post scorer and a face-up scorer, but did his most potent damage rolling and popping off of screens and then scoring in transition. You don't even need his imposing physique for that to work with Okafor. I think he'd be eminently suited to tutor Emeka, much more so than any of the dominant centers from the late 80s and early/mid 90s.

[dmutombo321]

^^
Good analysis and I like the Malone suggestion.

Any player who measures 6'8-6'9 and tips the scales over 250 could benefit from some pointers from the Mailman.

You can definitely see the moves Okafor's picked up from the Dream - especially that spin move precursor to throwing the sweeping lefty hook in the lane. Okafor looks rather mechanical when he executes it and he'll never have Dream's footwork but it has made him a better player.

[Rich4114]

Good read! I like how he acknowledges he's got a lot of work to do. Good players always recognize that.

[Dexmor]

Hakeem was much more natural finasse. Zo is the same size and athletism and he should be the teacher.

[Walt Cronkite]

Cool article. I was surprised to read that Mek is the current Bobcat record holder for consecutive games played.

[tsherkin]

Hakeem was much more natural finasse. Zo is the same size and athletism and he should be the teacher.

Zo was an ugly offensive player, though, and a lot bigger than Okafor. Emeka's body can't handle the weight that Alonzo slam around the way he did, so it's not really appropriate.

What Okafor needs to do is firm up his J out to 17 feet the way Amare did and get involved heavily in the high sidescreen. Then, under Olajuwon's tutelage, he can continue to improve his fluidity and footwork, as well as his basic post moves.

You've got to realize, Zo was conservatively about 270 pounds most of his NBA career (I've got a Primerica plan for you if you believe B-R.com's "240"). Mourning was 6'9.5" without shoes, which is a half-inch shorter than Emeka IN shoes. That means 'Zo is basically 6'11 on the court, a full inch taller.

And Zo's wingspan is 7'6.5 inches, which is 2.5" longer than Emeka's.

They are physically dissimilar. Mourning weighed 250 when he was drafted and successfully added 20-30 pounds to his frame by the time he started playing for Miami. Meka can't take the weight, isn't as tall, isn't as long, isn't even CLOSE to as strong...

Mourning wouldn't work out. He had one move and an unstable jumper, but he was so strong that he just moved people out of his way to offensive boards and post position. Okafor is a lot closer to Olajuwon than Mourning, no matter the distance to Olajuwon.

[thruthefire]

Why wasn't Mourning a better rebounder?

[fatlever]

tsherkin - it seems you are only using size/weight in terms of comparing mourning to okafor to hakeem. in terms of size and weight okafor may be closer to olajuwon, but my feel-o-meter tells me okafor is much closer to mourning in terms of quickness, speed and agility. olajuwon was one of the quickest/fastest/most agile centers to play the game. okafor is lightyears apart from olajuwon on that phase and much closer to mourning.

thats like taking a point guard who is tim hardaway's size, but john bagley's speed and telling him to go learn the crossover dribble from hardaway. without the quickness the Tim Hardaway crossover doesnt have much of an impact.

that being said, hakeem and okafor seem to like each other and i can think of no better big man to try to immulate, so.... okafor, go for it, even if its at half the speed and effectiveness of hakeem.... who i must say, is the most talented big man i've watched since i started following bball (mid 80s)

[Liver_Pooty]

I disagree about Mourning being stronger than Okafor from a physical standpoint. I believe Mourning forced his will on the opponent much more, and was 3 times as fierce as Okafor which makes it look like hes stronger.

I remember after Okafors rookie season when he added 20 pounds of muscle ( that eventually led to him having severe injury issues that year ) he looked like Ronnie Coleman out there.

[tsherkin]

I disagree about Mourning being stronger than Okafor from a physical standpoint. I believe Mourning forced his will on the opponent much more, and was 3 times as fierce as Okafor which makes it look like hes stronger.

I would disagree on the notion that Okafor is as strong as Mourning, but I would agree that the intensity Mourning brought was very, very different from most players in the NBA, Okafor included. I would not fault Okafor for not possessing that, though, that was near Jordan-like intensity. The man loved to play, loved to compete, loved to dominate and he worked out like Karl Malone, man.

I remember after Okafors rookie season when he added 20 pounds of muscle ( that eventually led to him having severe injury issues that year ) he looked like Ronnie Coleman out there.

Right, but that's precisely my point; Okafor can't handle the weight to be that strong and you can't reach THAT level of physical insanity just being wiry or even being built like Meka is now. His body just can't take it.

tsherkin - it seems you are only using size/weight in terms of comparing mourning to okafor to hakeem. in terms of size and weight okafor may be closer to olajuwon, but my feel-o-meter tells me okafor is much closer to mourning in terms of quickness, speed and agility. olajuwon was one of the quickest/fastest/most agile centers to play the game. okafor is lightyears apart from olajuwon on that phase and much closer to mourning.

Oh, I agree that Okafor isn't athletically similar to Olajuwon and has more in common with Mourning in terms of his speed to the rim, his lateral quickness, etc. I was speaking strictly in terms of power, which is the defining aspect of Mourning's game. Consequently, Okafor shouldn't learn from him because it won't work.

thats like taking a point guard who is tim hardaway's size, but john bagley's speed and telling him to go learn the crossover dribble from hardaway. without the quickness the Tim Hardaway crossover doesnt have much of an impact.

That's basically what I'm saying; Okafor is like Mourning, only without the power and intensity. Mourning's not going to teach him how to tell his body to piss off and take the extra 25, 30 pounds he needs to play like Mourning did.

that being said, hakeem and okafor seem to like each other and i can think of no better big man to try to immulate, so.... okafor, go for it, even if its at half the speed and effectiveness of hakeem.... who i must say, is the most talented big man i've watched since i started following bball (mid 80s)

The deal with Emeka is this: at 6'10 in shoes and at, what, 250 these days? 260, even? He's not going to hit Mourning's physical peak (which was close to 280, he looked a like Dwight, in terms of his physique).

What he can do is diversify his post arsenal and add that to his improving team play. He functions well with Diaw and from I'm reading from you guys, does solid work off-ball and as a screener. So you couple that with a developing array of post moves, even if they aren't super-lightning-mega-alien quick the way Olajuwon's were, and he takes a step forward.

You put Malone with him, and he can start worrying about a mid-range J and thunderous finishes while rolling, which he certainly CAN do.

He may resemble Mourning athletically, but that's not a style Emeka can play, he's not a power-post player.

[BigSlam]

Oh, I agree that Okafor isn't athletically similar to Olajuwon and has more in common with Mourning in terms of his speed to the rim, his lateral quickness, etc. I was speaking strictly in terms of power, which is the defining aspect of Mourning's game. Consequently, Okafor shouldn't learn from him because it won't work.

That's basically what I'm saying; Okafor is like Mourning, only without the power and intensity. Mourning's not going to teach him how to tell his body to piss off and take the extra 25, 30 pounds he needs to play like Mourning did.

But he doesn't have the touch, finesse or arsenal of offensive post moves that the Dream had, so that wont work either.

[tsherkin]

But he doesn't have the touch, finesse or arsenal of offensive post moves that the Dream had, so that wont work either.

But Olajuwon can at least teach him technique that he can use, even if it's half-speed, that's the point. Dream had a fairly fundamental game. Okafor won't iso from 15+ feet out, but Dream was a backdown player too, and didn't always rely on quickness. He was still effective into his late 30s because he had shoulder fakes and up fakes and ball fakes and drop steps and... on and on.

Okafor needs a go to move, even if it's basic like "get into the paint, and get a hook shot," and then a counter and a fallback.

For him, I think power hop into the lane for a jump hook as a goto move, spin baseline as the counter and a turnaround (not fallaway, just turnaround) jumper from inside 13 feet as the fallback and that's a good start. It's not like Charlotte is going into him for 18 shots a game, or even 15.

He's not going to be a 24+ ppg scorer, but he'll benefit more from learning post skills than he will dealing with Mourning (unless Mourning is mainly a defensive coach).

THat's my point, Hakeem can impart skill; Mourning can't, he was never an especially SKILLED offensive guy. Like Dwight, he just sort of used physical gifts in basic ways to take advantage. Dwight still barely has a lot of post moves and faces up too much, but still. Mourning had "slam into the defender and dunk/layup," "ugly-as-sin mid-range J" and "tip slam" in his arsenal. He got close because he could establish and hold position WAY better than Okafor.

[Dexmor]

Well he should at least copy that half running hook that mourning did. That you don't need to be taught and it is unblockable. It is the my go to move whenever I play pick up hoops.

[tsherkin]

Yeah, any kind of hook shot (if it drops reliably) invites fouls and is almost impossible to block.

[Dexmor]

The Zo hook half running hook Im talking about is usually so good it's even hard to foul and it gives you an awesome look to make it a really high % shot. Mourning must have scored 5000 points off that move. I really do believe he should be the teacher although I will say Hakeem was the best post player ever imo. I also think that 2 years when they won the championship he was the best big man ever. Nobody beats his post moves. Again me personally growing up I copied Hakeem and I did score alot and was able to copy the move were he would show the ball quick all the way out to the side and then do the hook. That one works almost as good as the Zo.

I am from NY so I grew up watching the Knicks and Ewing and I don't see how he taught anybody anything. All he really does is the drop step fade away and jump shoot.

If I could have anybody coach Mek it in this world it would be 1 of 3 people in the world and that's Kareem,Zo and Hakeem. I feel very lucky that Mek has Hakeem which I didn't even know until this post and my boy Bynum has Kareem.

[Dexmor]

I wish that Hakeem would be like Kareem and be at everygame and be a fulltime Mek coach like Kareem is with Bynum. Maybe we need to offer Hakeem a position and more money. Whay he can teach is invaluable. It's truley priceless.