Is Emeka Okafor a bust?

[etopn23]

Okafor came into this league from UConn surrounded by hype. He had a great rookie year, beating out Dwight Howard for the ROY award. I (along with most others) were expecting him to develop into a monster in the post.

Injuries derailed his second season, but his third season showed a marked improvement in FG% and help D.

Now looking at his fourth season, how exactly has he improved as a player? Statistically he'd regressed this season, he's borderline incompetent on the offensive end, he's inconsistent:

(Okafor's stats this month)
MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF DEF REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
24 1 - 9 0 - 0 0 - 0 2 8 10 0 1 0 4 1 2
40 6 - 11 0 - 0 8 - 10 5 16 21 0 0 5 1 3 20
32 4 - 10 0 - 0 1 - 2 4 9 13 2 0 2 2 3 9
30 4 - 10 0 - 0 1 - 1 2 7 9 1 1 1 1 2 9
37 5 - 12 0 - 0 0 - 0 4 13 17 1 0 0 5 0 10
41 7 - 15 0 - 0 4 - 6 2 11 13 3 0 2 6 2 18
43 8 - 16 0 - 0 4 - 7 7 11 18 1 0 1 2 3 20
28 9 - 14 0 - 0 2 - 2 6 12 18 0 0 0 2 3 20

He had a stretch of 4 great games, had two subpar games, another 20/20 after that, and a horrible game in San Antonio.

Is he a bust?

[richard]

if you're seriously asking this question, you don't know what a bust is.

[$$D-Block$$]

I don't know if he's a bust or not. But he will always be compared to Dwight Howard.

So unless he can keep up with D12, he's going to seem like a disappointment.

[Flash3]

Define bust, because imo he's far from it.

[etopn23]

if you're seriously asking this question, you don't know what a bust is.

#2 Draft Pick, 0 Defensive/All NBA Teams, 0 Playoff Appearances.. hell, 0 time All-star.

What exactly has he accomplished? How has he lived up to expectations?

[DraftBoy10]

He's not a bust, but he's nothing near D12.

[etopn23]

Define bust, because imo he's far from it.

A bust IMO is a player who hasn't accomplished anything in this league, and hasn't lived up to expectations.

[Red Monkey]

I wouldn't call him a bust. He is definitely more then a serviceable big man. He plays D, alters shots, rebounds, might be his team thats holding him back. With the right PG, we'll see his offensive number boost up. I think what makes him sound like a bust is when you compare him to Dwight Howard. Emeka is no Dwight. Dwight is a stud, but Emeka is a completely different player. Emeka is to Camby as Dwight is to Shaq.

[Serpo]

Wouldn't call him a bust too , but certainly not the expected franchise player .

[richard]

-= original quote snipped =-

#2 Draft Pick, 0 Defensive/All NBA Teams, 0 Playoff Appearances.. hell, 0 time All-star.

What exactly has he accomplished? How has he lived up to expectations?

no, he hasn't lived up to expectations, but he's still a good player who can produce. a bust is kwame brown, darko milicic, michael olawokandi, sam bowie, etc.

[NyKnicks1714]

He is anything but a bust. Look down the draft list for that year. There are only a couple of players you could say are clearly better.

[Iggyemu]

Definitely not. People thought he would be a star player though. But a lot of people also thought he would be just a good player and that is what he is.

[RTM]

He's a double-double guy who blocks shots and plays good D. Most teams would gladly have him start for them.

So, in my eyes, he isn't a bust.

[miller31time]

Not remotely a bust. He's still a defensive anchor (whether he's made an All-NBA Defensive team or not) and a competent scorer in the post. He'll give you a double double nearly every night, as well.

Is he even close to Dwight Howard? No, but that's why Orlando took Howard over Okafor - Dwight had more upside (All-Star, All-NBA team, MVP potential), and Okafor would have more immediate impact (thus the ROY honors).

[Raymond Felton]

not even close to a bust. People need to learn what the word 'bust' actually refers to.

EO hasn't been the consistent force that many thought he would be, and for that he can be considered a disappointment. People knew what they were getting when he came in, and the consensus was that Howard had a much higher cieling. EO never was expected to be an offensive force, but a defensive player who could get you 15-20 a game on offense. Consistency is his issue, and he hasn't done it any better than when he came into the league, actually probably less

[CupcakeNoFillin]

I'm pretty sure that there would be many teams that would like to have him play a big role on their team. I don't think he's a bust.

It's hard for anyone to look so good compared to Dwight Howard anyways.

[ilikecb4]

-= original quote snipped =-

A bust IMO is a player who hasn't accomplished anything in this league, and hasn't lived up to expectations.

Emeka can still get 20, 10 , 2 a night...

he's a bust are u kidding me?

He's nowhere near close to D12....

But when he's healthy (which he hasn't been)..he's a good defensive player who can get you a double double..

A bust=Darko and Kwame...

[Flash3]

-= original quote snipped =-

#2 Draft Pick, 0 Defensive/All NBA Teams, 0 Playoff Appearances.. hell, 0 time All-star.

What exactly has he accomplished? How has he lived up to expectations?

if you're comparing him to dwight howard, of course he's going to be a bust.....

[AbdicatedReign]

Nope. Look a few spots down at #8 if you want a bust.

[etopn23]

not even close to a bust. People need to learn what the word 'bust' actually refers to.

EO hasn't been the consistent force that many thought he would be, and for that he can be considered a disappointment. People knew what they were getting when he came in, and the consensus was that Howard had a much higher cieling. EO never was expected to be an offensive force, but a defensive player who could get you 15-20 a game on offense. Consistency is his issue, and he hasn't done it any better than when he came into the league, actually probably less

Charlotte drafted Okafor expecting him to be their franchise player. He hasn't panned out. Last statement just reflects what I said.


For the record i'm not saying he's a bust because he isn't as good as Dwight Howard; i'm saying he's a bust because he hasn't event developed into someone Charlotte can build around.