Utah @ Denver

[yunggunz]

Kleiza has become very good at taking his player off the dribble. He has a relatively unique combination of quickness and strength.....the guys that can match his strength (like okur or boozer last night) dont stand a chance of staying in front of him, while most swingmen are too weak to prevent from getting bullied into the lane. He's about as quick as a SG but as strong as a PF.

Kleiza isn't a player that can pull up for a jumper off the dribble, so unless another player (ala Iverson/Melo) draws in the defense and kicks out to him so that his man is left running at him, he also wouldn't be able to drive to the basket like he did against the Jazz. Any SF that is quick enough to stay in front of him would likely give him trouble.

I dont think I said that he pulls up off the dribble for jumpers....its usually a drive into the lane for a runner, layup, dunk, or kickout to the perimeter. And he can easily drive past any PF that comes out to defend him on the perimeter. A lot of SF's are quick enough to stay with him, but there really aren't many that are strong enough or big enough to bother him once he makes it into the paint. Its his combination of strength/quickness that makes him a tough matchup.

But IM not saying he is a number 1 or number 2 option type guy. A lot of guys would be able to shut him down like gerald wallace, ron artest, josh smith.

[noone]

I dont think I said that he pulls up off the dribble for jumpers....

I know you didn't. I was just trying to make the point that if he could pull up for his own jumpers, he wouldn't need others to create space for him (making his defender run at him) to drive to the basket. At this point if you were to just hand him the ball at the 3 point line, he would struggle getting into the paint and getting a good shot off because defenders would play him for the drive because they know he won't shoot.

its usually a drive into the lane for a runner, layup, dunk, or kickout to the perimeter.

Furthering what I just said above, he's only able to do this as effectively as he does because Melo and Iverson draw the perimeter defenders towards them, so when they do kick it out, those perimeter defenders are running towards Kleiza allowing him to pump fake and drive with the inital defender in no position to play good defend.

A lot of SF's are quick enough to stay with him, but there really aren't many that are strong enough or big enough to bother him once he makes it into the paint.

Kleiza is slow compared to the average SF, and because he is, any SF (as big as Kleiza or not) could impede his progress enough (if not be in position to take a charge) so that by the time he did make it to the paint, that 2nd or 3rd defender would already be in position to take a charge or make him force a bad shot.

But IM not saying he is a number 1 or number 2 option type guy. A lot of guys would be able to shut him down like gerald wallace, ron artest, josh smith.

Imo, he's best used as a #4 guy (on a championship team), occasionally #3.

[WadeKnicks2010]

Man, once you guys get that power forward situation patched up(literally, patch those guys up) you're going to be as deadly as any team in the west.. Camby is as good a center as you can get on a team where you don't need your center to be a scoring option. AI is being AI. and Carmelo seems to be getting better each game since his kind of crappy first two months (by his standards).

[yunggunz]

Furthering what I just said above, he's only able to do this as effectively as he does because Melo and Iverson draw the perimeter defenders towards them, so when they do kick it out, those perimeter defenders are running towards Kleiza allowing him to pump fake and drive with the inital defender in no position to play good defend.

Its not just AI and Melo that pull defenders when they go into the paint. Players ranging from Jose Calderon to Josh Howard do it. Its just an aspect of basketball, so you cant contribute his success to playing alongside AI/Melo. You can attribute it to playing alongside NBA caliber players.

And Kleiza doesnt drive past his defender as they are coming out. He usually settles his feet for a second and then makes the drive in (preventing charges and allowing the lane to clear out).

Kleiza is slow compared to the average SF, and because he is, any SF (as big as Kleiza or not) could impede his progress enough (if not be in position to take a charge) so that by the time he did make it to the paint, that 2nd or 3rd defender would already be in position to take a charge or make him force a bad shot.

Kleiza is a very, very fast player with below average lateral quickness. His drives from the corners are completely predicated by his speed, not lateral quickness. And if the second or third defender comes over, you kick it out to a wide open player (and Kleiza has also shown the ability to hit the Josh Howard-style tear drop over weakside help).