Horford, and it's not even close.
20-11 tonight. Mike Bibby is really helping his game.
ROY
Moderators: bwgood77, zimpy27, infinite11285, Clav, Domejandro, ken6199, bisme37, Dirk, KingDavid, cupcakesnake
-
panacea
- Veteran
- Posts: 2,837
- And1: 0
- Joined: Feb 02, 2007
richboy wrote:
Durant is asked to be a star. Think about that. One player is asked to be Kobe Bryant. The other player is asked to be Nick Collison. Nothing against Nick but trying to be the man on a team is very difficult. People criticize Durant for not shooting well?
I agree, he has been asked to be a star - and this year he has not delivered. No knock on his potential, but he hasn't done enough to distinguish himself from what is (IMO) a pretty weak rookie class. Horford gives you solid numbers each game, and his game has vastly improved since the arrival of Bibby.
-
High 5
- RealGM
- Posts: 15,657
- And1: 2,185
- Joined: Apr 21, 2006
richboy wrote:Horford is one of the most overrated rookies in years. His only above average skill right now is rebounding. Even his defense at the center position isn't that good.
The fact is one player is asked to be a role player. He can go an entire game without shooting and no one would notice. The only shots he should take is good shots. His only job is to rebound and score on garbage hoops.
Durant is asked to be a star. Think about that. One player is asked to be Kobe Bryant. The other player is asked to be Nick Collison. Nothing against Nick but trying to be the man on a team is very difficult. People criticize Durant for not shooting well?
I'm not sure how much harder he has it than Horford. No one expects anything from the Sonics this year and there's a ton of pressure on the Hawks to make the playoffs now. Durant has the fortune of playing his ideal position. Horford is forced to play center when he'd be a much better PF. He's still playing extremely well for a rook. All Durant is really worried about is shooting the basketball right now. He has the length and athleticism to be a much better defender and rebounder.
You have no idea just how wrong you are about Horford's scoring. We need him to score to win. Of course after your first paragraph I should have just stopped reading. Half of what Horford does so well doesn't show up in the stat sheet. I really wish people would educate themselves before speaking.
Anyways, Horford had 20/11 tonight and 16/14 the game before. He's really starting to click with Bibby. Another interesting stat is Horford shot 92% at the line this month. 24-26.
-
HeyIt'sMe
- Lead Assistant
- Posts: 5,308
- And1: 127
- Joined: Oct 06, 2004
- Location: Durham, NC
richboy wrote:Horford is one of the most overrated rookies in years. His only above average skill right now is rebounding. Even his defense at the center position isn't that good.
The fact is one player is asked to be a role player. He can go an entire game without shooting and no one would notice. The only shots he should take is good shots. His only job is to rebound and score on garbage hoops.
Durant is asked to be a star. Think about that. One player is asked to be Kobe Bryant. The other player is asked to be Nick Collison. Nothing against Nick but trying to be the man on a team is very difficult. People criticize Durant for not shooting well?
Disagree. Horford is considerably undersized for the center position and is a natural PF, yet still puts up close to a double double as a rookie not having any plays run for him. He's a terrific rebounder and gives Atlanta the type of gritty, hard nosed post player they haven't had in years. He sets great picks, is a tremendous ball handler and outlet passer, and can knock down the mid range J with regularity. His scoring has recently started to go up and he if he finishes the season with 10 and 10, he could make a very strong case for ROY.
He may not be the sexy scorer Durant is or have the hype, but Durant isn't the defender/passer/rebounder Horford is, either.
-
TheKingOfVa360
- General Manager
- Posts: 8,326
- And1: 1,663
- Joined: Jun 27, 2006
- Location: Orange County, California
-
-
AbdicatedReign
- Pro Prospect
- Posts: 814
- And1: 0
- Joined: Jan 22, 2007
- Location: Emerald City
39.9%
41.7%
42.6%
Those are the rookie FG%s of Durant, Lebron, and Carmelo. Not that far apart (and Durant has a lot less help than both of them).
Think about it: the Sonics, outside of Durant, don't have one NBA-caliber starter. You could make an argument for Wilcox/Collison but, mainly, Durant is carrying the load for a team full of bench players. I understand that people want to hate on the player who gets hyped, it's natural. But, at least try to be objective and consider context for a moment. Horford is having a good rookie year. He plays in a relatively pressure free environment, allowed to do fill a role and do what he does well. Durant, as the youngest player in the NBA, is asked to singlehandedly win games for his franchise. Every single night, the onus is on Durant to go out with a team of below-average players and scratch out victories. On top of that, he's being played out of position at shooting guard, forced to create shots for himself and his teammates while starting his offense 25 feet from the basket.
ROY is meant to measure rookie impact. Yes, the Sonics suck and the Hawks are looking to make the playoffs but, how much of that can be attributed to Durant and Horford, respectively. The Sonics have won 15 games. 14 of those wins (he was injured for one against Memphis) are directly because of Kevin Durant, because he went out and got those wins with his team. You can't say that 93% of the Hawks' success is because of Horford, maybe 10% or 15%. What if they switched teams? Durant to the Hawks and Horford to the Sonics? How many more wins would the Hawks have and how many less would the Sonics have. Could Horford really carry a franchise? Could he have the impact Durant is on a miserable roster? Could Durant have more impact on a team with talent? That's why he's the ROY, in my opinion.
41.7%
42.6%
Those are the rookie FG%s of Durant, Lebron, and Carmelo. Not that far apart (and Durant has a lot less help than both of them).
Think about it: the Sonics, outside of Durant, don't have one NBA-caliber starter. You could make an argument for Wilcox/Collison but, mainly, Durant is carrying the load for a team full of bench players. I understand that people want to hate on the player who gets hyped, it's natural. But, at least try to be objective and consider context for a moment. Horford is having a good rookie year. He plays in a relatively pressure free environment, allowed to do fill a role and do what he does well. Durant, as the youngest player in the NBA, is asked to singlehandedly win games for his franchise. Every single night, the onus is on Durant to go out with a team of below-average players and scratch out victories. On top of that, he's being played out of position at shooting guard, forced to create shots for himself and his teammates while starting his offense 25 feet from the basket.
ROY is meant to measure rookie impact. Yes, the Sonics suck and the Hawks are looking to make the playoffs but, how much of that can be attributed to Durant and Horford, respectively. The Sonics have won 15 games. 14 of those wins (he was injured for one against Memphis) are directly because of Kevin Durant, because he went out and got those wins with his team. You can't say that 93% of the Hawks' success is because of Horford, maybe 10% or 15%. What if they switched teams? Durant to the Hawks and Horford to the Sonics? How many more wins would the Hawks have and how many less would the Sonics have. Could Horford really carry a franchise? Could he have the impact Durant is on a miserable roster? Could Durant have more impact on a team with talent? That's why he's the ROY, in my opinion.