Official Speculation Thread '20-'21 VI: "I like this team"

[tiderulz]

Irrelevant topic, but did you guys notice how in-face dunks completely dissapeared from basketball?

I guess nobody plays hard enough defense to even challenge dunk at rim.

no one wants to be on a poster anymore

[cedric76]

This new nba is soooo soft, i miss the old days

[The Effect]

Have you watched Bagley though? He’s a terrible defender and below average on offense.

At least Bamba has shown flashes of elite rim protection and long range shooting.

I don't understand the bamba hype on this board
He hasn't shown elite anything, he's barely shown he's above average at anything.

He might be able to block shots, but he's still a bad one on one defender, is extremely lazy on the court unless he thinks he had a highlight type play available, and most importantly, hes done nothing to prove to the coaches that he's worth playing over BIRCH!

Sorry but I'd take bagley over him in a heart beat

Seriously, someone explain the bamba hype to me? I really believe it's his predraft projections over anything he's shown on the court

It's not complicated.



Bamba's closest physical comp is Gobert, except that Bamba is more agile than Gobert. Bamba has the potential to be an elite shot blocker and rim protector. 274 players played more minutes than Bamba did last year. Only 17 of them blocked more shots than did Bamba. He had a higher block percentage than did anyone that played enough minutes to qualify and his rebound percentage would've placed him about 13th in the NBA if he played enough minutes. That's elite. That's not too bad for someone that is "extremely lazy" is it? And make no mistake... rim protection is the most important thing that a center brings to your team. There is a place in the NBA for anyone that can get themselves up and down the floor and that can protect the basket.

This is like when people compare every defensive minded SF to Kawhi. Just because the physical comps are similar doesnt mean they are similar players

Bamba has shown NOTHING to prove hes in the same category as Gobert

Gobert can actually play 1-on-1 defense, bamba is only good at cheating over and making the occasional block. He is one of the laziest players on the court every time he goes out there, and literally looks clueless on anything besides fast breaks

Sorry but the more realistic comparison is a poor mans Nerlens Noel, except noel is a better defender too

[The Effect]

Atlanta has Trae Young.

New Orleans has Zion and Ingram.

OKC has SGA and a treasure trove of picks to build with in the coming years.

Phoenix has Booker and Ayton.

What does Orlando have? What is our core for building beyond the 8th seed?

I’ll get the popcorn. This should be entertaining.

Orlando has a championship team if you can trade Gary Clark+2nd rd pick for Lebron. Vuc, Fultz, Fournier, Ross, Gordon would all play great next to LBJ.

Lebron is old.

Gary Clark for Giannis makes much more sense but adding the 2nd round pick is an over pay. Haven’t you been reading the thread? 2nd round picks are gold man. We can’t be throwing them away so easily! If anything they should add a pick. Clark for Giannis + a pick.

Exactly, If we are giving up clark for Giannis, we better be the ones getting a pick back, and im thinking it better be a 1st

[pepe1991]

When i was very young, 14 years old boy there was player with +40 inch vertical who can rain 3s like crazy, get super hot, run pick&roll, dunk on everybody, had epic swagger and i was 100% sure he will be new Kobe.
During his rookie year alone he scored 20 or more points -12 times. Including 33 points game.

Spoiler:

His name is JR Smith

When i turned 15, here comes 6'9 athletic phenom with 41 inch vertiacal who was also gifted scorer, good rebounder, improving 3 point shooter and fifteen years old me didn't know better and i was once again up in arms how new superstar is born.
In his rookie year, there were some amazing games for a rookie, including 12 double doubles and 18 games where he scored at least 17 points, including 20 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks, 5 assists game - going toe to to against greatness of prime Kobe.

Spoiler:

Name of a player is non other than Rudy Gay

What a hell any of this has to do with anything ? Well you see Gobert and Bamba and there are some similarities. But just because their outside "look" is similar, that doesn't make them similar players.
Rudy Gay, Aaron Gordon, Josh Smith all have similar atributes to Lebron. Way better than Kawhi or Paul George, yet non of them ever come close to elite. Not every versitale defender is Kawhi Leonard- level defender, matter of fact no of them are.
Similarities don't mean equality. For every Jimmy Butler there are 5 Rouda Hollis Jeffersons and Stanley Johnsons and Nassir Littles of the world.

We, as fans, tend to get cought up in hype and it's hard to let it go, but it's simply time to ....let it go.
Gordon isn't star, 7 years passed by. He never improved as shooter ( made 6 threes today, still stands on 31% for 3 over 7 games), he never improved as scorer, his efficiency never touched league's average. His passing this year isn't even good, he averaged 1,7 assists a game on 25 mpg. He is what he is, unfulfilled potential, that might never was there to being with.

Bamba, same story. He looks like he should be good center. So did Thabeet. Thabeet was great rebounder, amazing shot blocker at college and somewhat decent scorer for a position. Just to go in nba and flop so hard.
Bamba's main issue complete lack of desire for basketball and "motor" (god, i hate that term in basketball ).

Whole story short, striking similarity in body type to XY star doesn't automatically mean new star. Sooner we get over it, better.

[The Effect]

Oh and for those saying that we bamba is valuable because hes a rim protector, Just look at Hassan Whiteside, whos one of the top shot blockers in the nba. Hes lead the NBA in blocks multiple times over the past 7-8 years, and was a double double guy for most of those years, and has career averages of almost 14/12 and 2.5 bpg........yet hes changed teams 4 times in 8 years and his team has only made the playoffs 3 times

So sure, shot blocking is important, but its no the end-all people want to think it is. a player like bamba needs to do more than just block shots. He needs to learn to actually play 1-on-1 defense, needs to learn to have ANY kind of offensive game and most importantly needs to learn to care about basketball. from his everything ive seen in the past about him, he seems like the guy who loves what basketball supplies him more than he actually loves the game. Absolutely no hustle out of the guy

[Xatticus]

When i was very young, 14 years old boy there was player with +40 inch vertical who can rain 3s like crazy, get super hot, run pick&roll, dunk on everybody, had epic swagger and i was 100% sure he will be new Kobe.
During his rookie year alone he scored 20 or more points -12 times. Including 33 points game.

Spoiler:

His name is JR Smith

When i turned 15, here comes 6'9 athletic phenom with 41 inch vertiacal who was also gifted scorer, good rebounder, improving 3 point shooter and fifteen years old me didn't know better and i was once again up in arms how new superstar is born.
In his rookie year, there were some amazing games for a rookie, including 12 double doubles and 18 games where he scored at least 17 points, including 20 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks, 5 assists game - going toe to to against greatness of prime Kobe.

Spoiler:

Name of a player is non other than Rudy Gay

What a hell any of this has to do with anything ? Well you see Gobert and Bamba and there are some similarities. But just because their outside "look" is similar, that doesn't make them similar players.
Rudy Gay, Aaron Gordon, Josh Smith all have similar atributes to Lebron. Way better than Kawhi or Paul George, yet non of them ever come close to elite. Not every versitale defender is Kawhi Leonard- level defender, matter of fact no of them are.
Similarities don't mean equality. For every Jimmy Butler there are 5 Rouda Hollis Jeffersons and Stanley Johnsons and Nassir Littles of the world.

We, as fans, tend to get cought up in hype and it's hard to let it go, but it's simply time to ....let it go.
Gordon isn't star, 7 years passed by. He never improved as shooter ( made 6 threes today, still stands on 31% for 3 over 7 games), he never improved as scorer, his efficiency never touched league's average. His passing this year isn't even good, he averaged 1,7 assists a game on 25 mpg. He is what he is, unfulfilled potential, that might never was there to being with.

Bamba, same story. He looks like he should be good center. So did Thabeet. Thabeet was great rebounder, amazing shot blocker at college and somewhat decent scorer for a position. Just to go in nba and flop so hard.
Bamba's main issue complete lack of desire for basketball and "motor" (god, i hate that term in basketball ).

Whole story short, striking similarity in body type to XY star doesn't automatically mean new star. Sooner we get over it, better.

And nobody is claiming that Bamba is Gobert at this point. Gobert wasn't Gobert at that age. The important part of it is that everything that makes Gobert what he is can be taught. The threshold of skill required is actually rather low when you have otherworldly height and length. Gobert's feet are slow, but he moves them enough to stay in position and he keeps his arms up. He simply uses his length and positioning to deter opponents from driving into the paint and he boxes out. Offensively, he sets screen, rolls to the basket, and hits the glass. That's basically all he does. Anyone can be taught to do these things correctly, but few people have the physical attributes to be special just by being fundamentally sound. Mark Eaton was another guy that could scarcely move but that was a defensive force simply by being long and tall.

[Xatticus]

Oh and for those saying that we bamba is valuable because hes a rim protector, Just look at Hassan Whiteside, whos one of the top shot blockers in the nba. Hes lead the NBA in blocks multiple times over the past 7-8 years, and was a double double guy for most of those years, and has career averages of almost 14/12 and 2.5 bpg........yet hes changed teams 4 times in 8 years and his team has only made the playoffs 3 times

So sure, shot blocking is important, but its no the end-all people want to think it is. a player like bamba needs to do more than just block shots. He needs to learn to actually play 1-on-1 defense, needs to learn to have ANY kind of offensive game and most importantly needs to learn to care about basketball. from his everything ive seen in the past about him, he seems like the guy who loves what basketball supplies him more than he actually loves the game. Absolutely no hustle out of the guy

Whiteside isn't a great rim protector because he isn't disciplined. Blocks aren't a great indicator of a player's ability to defend the rim, though there is certainly some correlation. He is far better at protecting the paint than Vucevic though and his teams have won many more games over the years, yet everyone points to him to demonstrate how unimportant rim protection is. I find it silly.

And this is precisely what I mean when I say turd polishing. Whiteside was the starting center and an integral piece for a series of Miami teams that were no more talented than the Orlando Magic over the same era yet that enjoyed significantly more success than the Orlando Magic over the duration. The difference is that Riley wasn't satisfied and decided to change course instead of doubling down on a team that wasn't good enough to compete. We polish our turds and then hold them up for all to admire while we bask in the glory of a 42-win season and rejoice in the knowledge that we aren't the Sacramento Kings (except that we are).

[Skin]

Oh and for those saying that we bamba is valuable because hes a rim protector, Just look at Hassan Whiteside, whos one of the top shot blockers in the nba. Hes lead the NBA in blocks multiple times over the past 7-8 years, and was a double double guy for most of those years, and has career averages of almost 14/12 and 2.5 bpg........yet hes changed teams 4 times in 8 years and his team has only made the playoffs 3 times

So sure, shot blocking is important, but its no the end-all people want to think it is. a player like bamba needs to do more than just block shots. He needs to learn to actually play 1-on-1 defense, needs to learn to have ANY kind of offensive game and most importantly needs to learn to care about basketball. from his everything ive seen in the past about him, he seems like the guy who loves what basketball supplies him more than he actually loves the game. Absolutely no hustle out of the guy

Whiteside isn't a great rim protector because he isn't disciplined. Blocks aren't a great indicator of a player's ability to defend the rim, though there is certainly some correlation. He is far better at protecting the paint than Vucevic though and his teams have won many more games over the years, yet everyone points to him to demonstrate how unimportant rim protection is. I find it silly.

And this is precisely what I mean when I say turd polishing. Whiteside was the starting center and an integral piece for a series of Miami teams that were no more talented than the Orlando Magic over the same era yet that enjoyed significantly more success than the Orlando Magic over the duration. The difference is that Riley wasn't satisfied and decided to change course instead of doubling down on a team that wasn't good enough to compete. We polish our turds and then hold them up for all to admire while we bask in the glory of a 42-win season and rejoice in the knowledge that we aren't the Sacramento Kings (except that we are).

[The Effect]

Oh and for those saying that we bamba is valuable because hes a rim protector, Just look at Hassan Whiteside, whos one of the top shot blockers in the nba. Hes lead the NBA in blocks multiple times over the past 7-8 years, and was a double double guy for most of those years, and has career averages of almost 14/12 and 2.5 bpg........yet hes changed teams 4 times in 8 years and his team has only made the playoffs 3 times

So sure, shot blocking is important, but its no the end-all people want to think it is. a player like bamba needs to do more than just block shots. He needs to learn to actually play 1-on-1 defense, needs to learn to have ANY kind of offensive game and most importantly needs to learn to care about basketball. from his everything ive seen in the past about him, he seems like the guy who loves what basketball supplies him more than he actually loves the game. Absolutely no hustle out of the guy

Whiteside isn't a great rim protector because he isn't disciplined. Blocks aren't a great indicator of a player's ability to defend the rim, though there is certainly some correlation. He is far better at protecting the paint than Vucevic though and his teams have won many more games over the years, yet everyone points to him to demonstrate how unimportant rim protection is. I find it silly.

And this is precisely what I mean when I say turd polishing. Whiteside was the starting center and an integral piece for a series of Miami teams that were no more talented than the Orlando Magic over the same era yet that enjoyed significantly more success than the Orlando Magic over the duration. The difference is that Riley wasn't satisfied and decided to change course instead of doubling down on a team that wasn't good enough to compete. We polish our turds and then hold them up for all to admire while we bask in the glory of a 42-win season and rejoice in the knowledge that we aren't the Sacramento Kings (except that we are).

Exact same thing is true about Bamba. Mo is very undisciplined and is a bad defender, but he does get some blocks. So again, bamba is much closer to Whiteside than Gobert. No one is saying that rim protection isnt important, what every is sayin is that it isnt the end-all that people are trying to make it out to be. There needs to be more to a player than "he can occassionally block shots". Thats why guys like Whiteside and Noel move around from team to team. Its important, but you need to be able to do more

[Skin]

Bamba and Gobert are not a good comparison. Bamba has range that Gobert does not. Bamba needs time on the court to develop as a player and get in sync with the team. He really couldn't have landed in a worse situation for himself. Fans taking it out on him are unjust. He's blocked by Vuc and coach's pet cat (Birch). Clifford has no interest in player development. He tries to claim that he plays young players, but he does so ONLY when he has no other option. He has a poor track record of player department. None of Henny's guys have improved under Clifford. ...and even if you wanted to say Vuc developed a 3... Clifford himself said that he's done less to coach Vuc than any other player on the team. So I credit Vuc for that more than anything else. Cliff is too old school... What he likes to do is lean on veteran players who can help him make the playoffs, but no further than being a pretender. Bamba has skills of a modern C, but plays for an old school coach who doesn't know how to use him correctly. Cliff gets mad when Bamba shoots a 3. lol. Bamba is in the worst situation he possibly could find himself in. Blocked by the team's best player and playing for a coach who does not care about him.

If he were on a team like Boston or Dallas he would be way farther along.

[Skin]

Oh and for those saying that we bamba is valuable because hes a rim protector, Just look at Hassan Whiteside, whos one of the top shot blockers in the nba. Hes lead the NBA in blocks multiple times over the past 7-8 years, and was a double double guy for most of those years, and has career averages of almost 14/12 and 2.5 bpg........yet hes changed teams 4 times in 8 years and his team has only made the playoffs 3 times

So sure, shot blocking is important, but its no the end-all people want to think it is. a player like bamba needs to do more than just block shots. He needs to learn to actually play 1-on-1 defense, needs to learn to have ANY kind of offensive game and most importantly needs to learn to care about basketball. from his everything ive seen in the past about him, he seems like the guy who loves what basketball supplies him more than he actually loves the game. Absolutely no hustle out of the guy

Whiteside isn't a great rim protector because he isn't disciplined. Blocks aren't a great indicator of a player's ability to defend the rim, though there is certainly some correlation. He is far better at protecting the paint than Vucevic though and his teams have won many more games over the years, yet everyone points to him to demonstrate how unimportant rim protection is. I find it silly.

And this is precisely what I mean when I say turd polishing. Whiteside was the starting center and an integral piece for a series of Miami teams that were no more talented than the Orlando Magic over the same era yet that enjoyed significantly more success than the Orlando Magic over the duration. The difference is that Riley wasn't satisfied and decided to change course instead of doubling down on a team that wasn't good enough to compete. We polish our turds and then hold them up for all to admire while we bask in the glory of a 42-win season and rejoice in the knowledge that we aren't the Sacramento Kings (except that we are).

Exact same thing is true about Bamba. Mo is very undisciplined and is a bad defender, but he does get some blocks. So again, bamba is much closer to Whiteside than Gobert. No one is saying that rim protection isnt important, what every is sayin is that it isnt the end-all that people are trying to make it out to be. There needs to be more to a player than "he can occassionally block shots". Thats why guys like Whiteside and Noel move around from team to team. Its important, but you need to be able to do more

Bamba has not had the time on the court for you to justify this claim.

[OrlMagic05]

Whiteside isn't a great rim protector because he isn't disciplined. Blocks aren't a great indicator of a player's ability to defend the rim, though there is certainly some correlation. He is far better at protecting the paint than Vucevic though and his teams have won many more games over the years, yet everyone points to him to demonstrate how unimportant rim protection is. I find it silly.

And this is precisely what I mean when I say turd polishing. Whiteside was the starting center and an integral piece for a series of Miami teams that were no more talented than the Orlando Magic over the same era yet that enjoyed significantly more success than the Orlando Magic over the duration. The difference is that Riley wasn't satisfied and decided to change course instead of doubling down on a team that wasn't good enough to compete. We polish our turds and then hold them up for all to admire while we bask in the glory of a 42-win season and rejoice in the knowledge that we aren't the Sacramento Kings (except that we are).

Exact same thing is true about Bamba. Mo is very undisciplined and is a bad defender, but he does get some blocks. So again, bamba is much closer to Whiteside than Gobert. No one is saying that rim protection isnt important, what every is sayin is that it isnt the end-all that people are trying to make it out to be. There needs to be more to a player than "he can occassionally block shots". Thats why guys like Whiteside and Noel move around from team to team. Its important, but you need to be able to do more

Bamba has not had the time on the court for you to justify this claim.

I wish I was wrong, but Bamba isnt good. He lacks the motor to be an effective big in todays NBA. Prior to covid he struggled running up and down the court and in the little time he played last night he looked exactly the same. Birch is WAY better at this time because he plays with "heart" and is all over the floor, where Bamba looks very stiff. I hope I am wrong, but Bamba was a miss and I hope we sell while he still has some value, but I doubt he has any right now.

[The Effect]

Whiteside isn't a great rim protector because he isn't disciplined. Blocks aren't a great indicator of a player's ability to defend the rim, though there is certainly some correlation. He is far better at protecting the paint than Vucevic though and his teams have won many more games over the years, yet everyone points to him to demonstrate how unimportant rim protection is. I find it silly.

And this is precisely what I mean when I say turd polishing. Whiteside was the starting center and an integral piece for a series of Miami teams that were no more talented than the Orlando Magic over the same era yet that enjoyed significantly more success than the Orlando Magic over the duration. The difference is that Riley wasn't satisfied and decided to change course instead of doubling down on a team that wasn't good enough to compete. We polish our turds and then hold them up for all to admire while we bask in the glory of a 42-win season and rejoice in the knowledge that we aren't the Sacramento Kings (except that we are).

Exact same thing is true about Bamba. Mo is very undisciplined and is a bad defender, but he does get some blocks. So again, bamba is much closer to Whiteside than Gobert. No one is saying that rim protection isnt important, what every is sayin is that it isnt the end-all that people are trying to make it out to be. There needs to be more to a player than "he can occassionally block shots". Thats why guys like Whiteside and Noel move around from team to team. Its important, but you need to be able to do more

Bamba has not had the time on the court for you to justify this claim.

Yet hes had enough time to justify that hes an "Elite rim protector"?

[basketballRob]

Exact same thing is true about Bamba. Mo is very undisciplined and is a bad defender, but he does get some blocks. So again, bamba is much closer to Whiteside than Gobert. No one is saying that rim protection isnt important, what every is sayin is that it isnt the end-all that people are trying to make it out to be. There needs to be more to a player than "he can occassionally block shots". Thats why guys like Whiteside and Noel move around from team to team. Its important, but you need to be able to do more

Bamba has not had the time on the court for you to justify this claim.

Yet hes had enough time to justify that hes an "Elite rim protector"?

Yes and he's the best defensive center we have based on the stats.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

[basketballRob]

Oh and for those saying that we bamba is valuable because hes a rim protector, Just look at Hassan Whiteside, whos one of the top shot blockers in the nba. Hes lead the NBA in blocks multiple times over the past 7-8 years, and was a double double guy for most of those years, and has career averages of almost 14/12 and 2.5 bpg........yet hes changed teams 4 times in 8 years and his team has only made the playoffs 3 times

So sure, shot blocking is important, but its no the end-all people want to think it is. a player like bamba needs to do more than just block shots. He needs to learn to actually play 1-on-1 defense, needs to learn to have ANY kind of offensive game and most importantly needs to learn to care about basketball. from his everything ive seen in the past about him, he seems like the guy who loves what basketball supplies him more than he actually loves the game. Absolutely no hustle out of the guy

Whiteside isn't a great rim protector because he isn't disciplined. Blocks aren't a great indicator of a player's ability to defend the rim, though there is certainly some correlation. He is far better at protecting the paint than Vucevic though and his teams have won many more games over the years, yet everyone points to him to demonstrate how unimportant rim protection is. I find it silly.

And this is precisely what I mean when I say turd polishing. Whiteside was the starting center and an integral piece for a series of Miami teams that were no more talented than the Orlando Magic over the same era yet that enjoyed significantly more success than the Orlando Magic over the duration. The difference is that Riley wasn't satisfied and decided to change course instead of doubling down on a team that wasn't good enough to compete. We polish our turds and then hold them up for all to admire while we bask in the glory of a 42-win season and rejoice in the knowledge that we aren't the Sacramento Kings (except that we are).

Exact same thing is true about Bamba. Mo is very undisciplined and is a bad defender, but he does get some blocks. So again, bamba is much closer to Whiteside than Gobert. No one is saying that rim protection isnt important, what every is sayin is that it isnt the end-all that people are trying to make it out to be. There needs to be more to a player than "he can occassionally block shots". Thats why guys like Whiteside and Noel move around from team to team. Its important, but you need to be able to do more

That's not true, he was statistically a far superior defender than Birch or Vuc last season.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

[OrlMagic05]

Whiteside isn't a great rim protector because he isn't disciplined. Blocks aren't a great indicator of a player's ability to defend the rim, though there is certainly some correlation. He is far better at protecting the paint than Vucevic though and his teams have won many more games over the years, yet everyone points to him to demonstrate how unimportant rim protection is. I find it silly.

And this is precisely what I mean when I say turd polishing. Whiteside was the starting center and an integral piece for a series of Miami teams that were no more talented than the Orlando Magic over the same era yet that enjoyed significantly more success than the Orlando Magic over the duration. The difference is that Riley wasn't satisfied and decided to change course instead of doubling down on a team that wasn't good enough to compete. We polish our turds and then hold them up for all to admire while we bask in the glory of a 42-win season and rejoice in the knowledge that we aren't the Sacramento Kings (except that we are).

Exact same thing is true about Bamba. Mo is very undisciplined and is a bad defender, but he does get some blocks. So again, bamba is much closer to Whiteside than Gobert. No one is saying that rim protection isnt important, what every is sayin is that it isnt the end-all that people are trying to make it out to be. There needs to be more to a player than "he can occassionally block shots". Thats why guys like Whiteside and Noel move around from team to team. Its important, but you need to be able to do more

That's not true, he was statistically a far superior defender than Birch or Vuc last season.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

He might be a good rim protector when the offensive player is attack him directly, but god forbid he has to run to the other side of the paint... Actually god forbid he has to run PERIOD. He isnt good. Trust me I know it sucks because I want him to be good, but he isnt a serviceable player right now. Birch is a lot better right now.

[BadMofoPimp]

Oh and for those saying that we bamba is valuable because hes a rim protector, Just look at Hassan Whiteside, whos one of the top shot blockers in the nba. Hes lead the NBA in blocks multiple times over the past 7-8 years, and was a double double guy for most of those years, and has career averages of almost 14/12 and 2.5 bpg........yet hes changed teams 4 times in 8 years and his team has only made the playoffs 3 times

So sure, shot blocking is important, but its no the end-all people want to think it is. a player like bamba needs to do more than just block shots. He needs to learn to actually play 1-on-1 defense, needs to learn to have ANY kind of offensive game and most importantly needs to learn to care about basketball. from his everything ive seen in the past about him, he seems like the guy who loves what basketball supplies him more than he actually loves the game. Absolutely no hustle out of the guy

Whiteside isn't a great rim protector because he isn't disciplined. Blocks aren't a great indicator of a player's ability to defend the rim, though there is certainly some correlation. He is far better at protecting the paint than Vucevic though and his teams have won many more games over the years, yet everyone points to him to demonstrate how unimportant rim protection is. I find it silly.

And this is precisely what I mean when I say turd polishing. Whiteside was the starting center and an integral piece for a series of Miami teams that were no more talented than the Orlando Magic over the same era yet that enjoyed significantly more success than the Orlando Magic over the duration. The difference is that Riley wasn't satisfied and decided to change course instead of doubling down on a team that wasn't good enough to compete. We polish our turds and then hold them up for all to admire while we bask in the glory of a 42-win season and rejoice in the knowledge that we aren't the Sacramento Kings (except that we are).

Exact same thing is true about Bamba. Mo is very undisciplined and is a bad defender, but he does get some blocks. So again, bamba is much closer to Whiteside than Gobert. No one is saying that rim protection isnt important, what every is sayin is that it isnt the end-all that people are trying to make it out to be. There needs to be more to a player than "he can occassionally block shots". Thats why guys like Whiteside and Noel move around from team to team. Its important, but you need to be able to do more

Bamba is closer to Kwame Brown than he is to Whiteside.

[BadMofoPimp]

FYI. Bamba's great "stats" are almost always against other teams scrubs and backups.

[Skybox]

I'm on Team Bamba but he looked like he was running in mud last night.