The Bismack Biyombo Thread

[countryboi]

Biyombo needs to spend the entire offseason catching passes in the post without fumbling around while also taking 600-750 10-15 foot jumpers a day. I still think he is 2 years away from being where he needs to be.

he was a two-three project when he came in to the league....he just happened to be alot less raw than we expected....right now i would say he is first big man off the bench on a good team level but he has a lot of areas that are not NBA level at all

[TheKingofSting]

I love how we get all torn out of shape when Biz has a bad game, I think we sometimes forget he is only 19.

[HornetJail]

Biz was not expected to play this well so soon. I didn't even expect him to crack 15 minutes a night this season, because of how bad we thought he was on offense. He's still a project, but he has tons of potential. Still watching him really does make me forget that he's the same age I am. He's going to be a star in 3-4 years, no question about it. He has the right attitude, already is a solid defender and shot blocker, and his length is going to be such an advantage once he works on his game. I think he could be as good as Ben Wallace defensively and better offensively. (I really hope I never see a 40% in the free-throw column again after this season)

[Kabookalu]

Biyombo needs to spend the entire offseason catching passes in the post without fumbling around while also taking 600-750 10-15 foot jumpers a day. I still think he is 2 years away from being where he needs to be.

I forget what scouting report I was reading but this was noted in his international reports, but they noted that he improved in this part later on as the season went along. It may be that Biyombo isn't used to the faster paced game of the NBA yet, and with the condensed schedule with few practices, he hasn't have had time to absorb everything.

[BigSlam]

Interesting that Silas sees Biz as a PF:

Silas is wondering whether the 6-foot-9, 245-pound Biyombo can hold up physically long-term against a steady diet of bigger opponents.
“Basically, I see ‘Biz’ as a power forward,’’ Silas said. “We don’t have anybody who can be a center for the long haul.’’

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/0 ... llens.html

I think we all like the idea of Biz and Mully logging PT next to each other though. Mully has made some nice passes from the top of the key to an open guy in the paint so hopefully he can connect with Biz the same way.

[KembaWalker]

so there could be issues next season if we draft Davis and Silases are still here

[dmutombo321]

I've never understood everyone's fixation of making Biz a center. Yes, he can function there when needed with his length and shotblocking but the simple fact remains that aside from Ben Wallace, there really have not been many < 6'10 centers who have succeeded in the league during the past decade.

Biyombo has the size of a typical PF. Fortunately, he is also fairly athletic and not especially limited with his lateral movement. There is no reason why he shouldnt play at the 4 unless we need him at the 5 out of necessity.

Assuming we miss out of Davis and go into next season with a Biz/Mully front line at the 4/5, I can live with that as long as Mully works on his strength and Biz on his hand's/offense.

As we've discussed, they complement each other quite well. Assuming they're both seeing 35 mins per game next year, if Mully can defend adequately, pull down 8 boards and continue to be a force offensively & if Biz can stay out of foul trouble and average double figure rebounds, the front line should be fine.

[Kembastockton]

He is just like Joakim Noah. A little bit better than advertised, but still not a franchise changing player.

The phrase that someone is "not a franchise changing player" gets bandied around way too much. In the nba today there probably aren't more than four or five true "game changers", the odds of actually picking one are extremely low.

So by your own logic what's the point of crying over that spilled milk named Kenneth Faried?

I love how we get all torn out of shape when Biz has a bad game, I think we sometimes forget he is only 19.

Even Mike had an nba game once in which he only scored six points. Cut my dude some slack.

As we've discussed, they complement each other quite well. Assuming they're both seeing 35 mins per game next year, if Mully can defend adequately, pull down 8 boards and continue to be a force offensively & if Biz can stay out of foul trouble and average double figure rebounds, the front line should be fine.

I don't care whether they compliment each other or not. BJ Mullens cannot be out long term solution at center. I think if we miss out on Davis we need to scoop who ever is left on the board at 31 between Fab Melo and Festus Ezeli. This is provided that scoring machine John Jenkins is gone of course.

[Stun704]

so there could be issues next season if we draft Davis and Silases are still here

Silas needs to go after this season if we get Davis, we most definitely don't need a totally unneeded and unwarranted cluster **** with our two highest potential players

[Liver_Pooty]

The idea of Byron Mullens being a long term anything for us other than a nice bench player makes me nauseous.

[Eoghan]

I've never understood everyone's fixation of making Biz a center. Yes, he can function there when needed with his length and shotblocking but the simple fact remains that aside from Ben Wallace, there really have not been many < 6'10 centers who have succeeded in the league during the past decade.

Lame. Alonzo and Bill Russell may have been barely 6'10" on a good day and they did just fine along with tons of other guys. Besides, who's to say Biz won't be 6'10-6'11" in a couple of years? We're fixated at playing at Center b/c he has no face up game at all and the muscle to defend the other team's biggest player.

[dmutombo321]

I've never understood everyone's fixation of making Biz a center. Yes, he can function there when needed with his length and shotblocking but the simple fact remains that aside from Ben Wallace, there really have not been many < 6'10 centers who have succeeded in the league during the past decade.

Lame. Alonzo and Bill Russell may have been barely 6'10" on a good day and they did just fine along with tons of other guys. Besides, who's to say Biz won't be 6'10-6'11" in a couple of years? We're fixated at playing at Center b/c he has no face up game at all and the muscle to defend the other team's biggest player.

Bill Russell has no place in the conversation as he played in a era when there were few 7 footers and opposing C's were routinely as small as 6'8. Thats why I prefaced my statement by saying the past decade.

Zo, while short for a C, still had an inch and 20lbs on Biyombo along with an offensive game that permitted him to be a 21 point, 10 reb, 3.5 block player his first year in the league when he was only a couple years older than Biyombo.

No way Biz comes close to those collective #s the season after next, or ever.

If everything works out perfectly, he may eventually be a 12/10/3 guy who players great defense.

I'm not opposed to having him check the opposing 5 sometimes on Defense. I certainly prefer Biz on Dwight Howard than Mullens. But in other matchups, like the Heat, we better with Mullens at the 5 with Biyombo guarding Bosh.

If we're fortunate enough to draft Davis, we'll have to slot Biz at center out of necessity. We'll lead the league in blocks but have little post offense to speak of.

[captaincrunk]

I've never understood everyone's fixation of making Biz a center. Yes, he can function there when needed with his length and shotblocking but the simple fact remains that aside from Ben Wallace, there really have not been many < 6'10 centers who have succeeded in the league during the past decade.

Lame. Alonzo and Bill Russell may have been barely 6'10" on a good day and they did just fine along with tons of other guys. Besides, who's to say Biz won't be 6'10-6'11" in a couple of years? We're fixated at playing at Center b/c he has no face up game at all and the muscle to defend the other team's biggest player.

If we had a legit center, Biyombo would be a matchup problem for them instead of us.

[captaincrunk]

I've never understood everyone's fixation of making Biz a center. Yes, he can function there when needed with his length and shotblocking but the simple fact remains that aside from Ben Wallace, there really have not been many < 6'10 centers who have succeeded in the league during the past decade.

Lame. Alonzo and Bill Russell may have been barely 6'10" on a good day and they did just fine along with tons of other guys. Besides, who's to say Biz won't be 6'10-6'11" in a couple of years? We're fixated at playing at Center b/c he has no face up game at all and the muscle to defend the other team's biggest player.

Bill Russell has no place in the conversation as he played in a era when there were few 7 footers and opposing C's were routinely as small as 6'8. Thats why I prefaced my statement by saying the past decade.

Zo, while short for a C, still had an inch and 20lbs on Biyombo along with an offensive game that permitted him to be a 21 point, 10 reb, 3.5 block player his first year in the league when he was only a couple years older than Biyombo.

No way Biz comes close to those collective #s the season after next, or ever.

If everything works out perfectly, he may eventually be a 12/10/3 guy who players great defense.

I'm not opposed to having him check the opposing 5 sometimes on Defense. I certainly prefer Biz on Dwight Howard than Mullens. But in other matchups, like the Heat, we better with Mullens at the 5 with Biyombo guarding Bosh.

If we're fortunate enough to draft Davis, we'll have to slot Biz at center out of necessity. We'll lead the league in blocks but have little post offense to speak of.

Instead of "biggest player" I think slam should have said "better post scorer". Biyombo should be put on the post scorer of the opposing 4/5 combo.

[Elden Payton]

Biyombo should be listed as 6'10 because he measure in at 6'8.25 in bare feet which is in fact taller than Kevin Love & Kendrick Perkins to name a few.

There is confusion in his weight as far as I know because his weight was measured at 245 during the combine but his listed weight in the games & sites like realgm is 229..Does anyone know why this is?

Seriusly though at 6'10 245 with his length and already impressive strength he has shown capabilities of being a legit starting 5 in this league, he needs to bulk up more to play there full time but I actually do consider him to be a 5 and a very special one at that.

I do hope we draft Davis and have a Davis/Biyombo front court.

Also in regards to post scoring these guys have so much potential I'm sure they can both be more than capable scorers in the paint, Oboviously Davis moreso than Biyombo.

[Kabookalu]

I've never understood everyone's fixation of making Biz a center. Yes, he can function there when needed with his length and shotblocking but the simple fact remains that aside from Ben Wallace, there really have not been many < 6'10 centers who have succeeded in the league during the past decade.

Biyombo has the size of a typical PF. Fortunately, he is also fairly athletic and not especially limited with his lateral movement. There is no reason why he shouldnt play at the 4 unless we need him at the 5 out of necessity.

Assuming we miss out of Davis and go into next season with a Biz/Mully front line at the 4/5, I can live with that as long as Mully works on his strength and Biz on his hand's/offense.

As we've discussed, they complement each other quite well. Assuming they're both seeing 35 mins per game next year, if Mully can defend adequately, pull down 8 boards and continue to be a force offensively & if Biz can stay out of foul trouble and average double figure rebounds, the front line should be fine.

The only thing that is holding Biyombo back to being a center is height and lacking some fundamentals that he could easily learn in one offseason with his work ethic and dedication to the game. Fortunately for Biyombo though, you don't block shots with your head. And while it's true that there have rarely been successful centers under 6'10, there have rarely been centers with Biyombo's disproportionate wingspan to height ratio. If strength is the problem, Wolves fans are always saying that Biyombo played as good defense on the 300 pound bull that is Nikola Pekovic as any big in the league. Strong thighs is what's most important in maintaining post position, and that's a strength Biyombo has. He's bound to get stronger.

What Biyombo lacks in as a center is nothing physical, except for height. His fundamentals need a lot of work but seeing how much strides he has made in this shortened practice ladened season, I'm confident he clears it sooner than later. Chuck Hayes, the same height as Kobe Bryant, has shown what undersized centers can do in this league.

[amcoolio]

If Biyombo grew two more inches we'd have one of the most valuable players in the NBA. He might, you never know. Just look at Paul George

[Kirsten19]

Biyombo is 6'8.5" without shoes, that's 6'10" in NBA.

Look at Kevin Love, 6'7.5" without shoes and is listed at 6'10", Tyrus Thomas too

[BlackOutBuzz]

Fortunately for Biyombo though, you don't block shots with your head.

This is what I was thinking while reading this little exchange...I understand Biz is maybe 2 inches from being "ideal" center height, but does that really matter when you have a 7'7" wingspan and a standing reach of 9'3"? Plus, he may still be growing.

[dmutombo321]

The hope is that he's still growing because despite his impressively long arms, he's still undersized compared to most 7 footers.

The Lopez bros , Brendan Haywood, Darko, Vucevik, DeAndre Jordan, Howard, Bynum, McGee, Cousins, Diop, etc may not have as impressive arms as Biyombo in proportion to their own bodies but all still have greater standing reaches than Biyombo because they are bigger than he is, and also possess greater bulk.

To illustrate this to the absurd extreme, even if player A is 7'0 and has arms that hang down to his calves and player B has shorter T-rex arms that stop at his waist, player A will still be at a functional size disadvantage if player B happens to be 8 feet tall and outweigh him considerably.