Bill Self to the Thunder?

[steverocks35]

You guys have stumbled into why Westbrook is not and will never be a top 5 player in the league. Not even top 10 to be honest. If Westbrook was the best player on a team would that team be top 10 in the league? Nope.

He's not tall enough. It's not because a PG has too many assists or shoots too much, rather that they have the ball in their hands too much. And the further you go in the playoffs the more likely the other team has a bigger defensive stopper who can disrupt that smaller PG.

The elite players in the NBA can post up at will. Magic, Bird, Jordan, Hakeem, Shaq, Duncan, Kobe, Dirk, Lebron. The ball moves freely amongst all 5 players to keep the defense spread out. But when push comes to shove you have the finisher who can post up when the chips are down.

We have seen it time after time, the great PG's come up short ... because at the end of the day they are too short.

Bizarre.

 

[garyeb2]

Bizarre.

That is kind of where I was at.

 

[KCRuf/Nek]

lbj plays pg for the heat

:capelspin

 

[bocabull]

Success favors a fairly high arch. The ball must pass through the hoop with a little room to spare, and that limits the possibilities.

Increasing the height at which the player launches the ball not only reduces the distance to the basket but raises the entry angle of the ball's parabolic arch, allowing more free space.

Physics comes literally into play.

 

[steverocks35]

Success favors a fairly high arch. The ball must pass through the hoop with a little room to spare, and that limits the possibilities.

Increasing the height at which the player launches the ball not only reduces the distance to the basket but raises the entry angle of the ball's parabolic arch, allowing more free space.

Physics comes literally into play.

I guess that's why Shaq was such a better shooter than Steve Nash.

 

[WTSooner]

Go check the top 50 NBA player of all time list. Not many sub-6'6 guys.

 

[bocabull]

I guess that's why Shaq was such a better shooter than Steve Nash.

Of course he was. Shaq made 58.2% of his shots over his career. Nash made 49%. Shaq had almost twice the attempts and made 18.8% more of them. That is statistically significant.

 

[152219]

Go check the top 50 NBA player of all time list. Not many sub-6'6 guys.

In 1996 to correspond with the NBA's 50 years the NBA released a top 50 players in NBA history up to that point.

14 players on that list were under 6'6" with a number of players list at 6'6".

 

[152219]

Of course he was. Shaq made 58.2% of his shots over his career. Nash made 49%. Shaq had almost twice the attempts and made 18.8% more of them. That is statistically significant.

Except of course, that isn't a true shooting % because a 3 point basket is worth more and because free throw percentage isn't part of the equation in FG %.

True Shooting %, Nash is #13 all-time and Shaq is #37
http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ts_pct_career.html

 

[bocabull]

Except of course, that isn't a true shooting % because a 3 point basket is worth more and because free throw percentage isn't part of the equation in FG %.

True Shooting %, Nash is #13 all-time and Shaq is #37
http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ts_pct_career.html

True shooting % is a fake metric. Shaq slamming the ball in your face in the NBA finals is real.

Seriously, at the top of their game, to win the title, do you want the ball in Shaq's hands in the paint, or Nash's hands at the 3 point line?

 

[steverocks35]

Go check the top 50 NBA player of all time list. Not many sub-6'6 guys.

Challenge Accepted:

1. Nate Archibald
2. Paul Arizin
3. Dave Bing
4. Bob Cousy
5. Walt Frazier
6. Hal Greer
7. John Havlicek
8. Pete Maravich
9. Earl Monroe
10. Bill Sharman
11. John Stockton
12. Isiah Thomas
13. Jerry West
14. Lenny Wilkins
15. Charles Barkley (Listed at 6' 6", he isn't that tall)

 

[152219]

True shooting % is a fake metric. Shaq slamming the ball in your face in the NBA finals is real.

Seriously, at the top of their game, to win the title, do you want the ball in Shaq's hands in the paint, or Nash's hands at the 3 point line?

And a 3 pointer is still worth 1 more point. And FT shooting matters as well. Sorry to disappoint you.

 

[152219]

Challenge Accepted:

1. Nate Archibald
2. Paul Arizin
3. Dave Bing
4. Bob Cousy
5. Walt Frazier
6. Hal Greer
7. John Havlicek
8. Pete Maravich
9. Earl Monroe
10. Bill Sharman
11. John Stockton
12. Isiah Thomas
13. Jerry West
14. Lenny Wilkins
15. Charles Barkley (Listed at 6' 6", he isn't that tall)

I made the list on paper but was too lazy to type them out. Jordan and Dr J are also listed at 6'6" (and a couple more if I recall)....who knows if they are a legit 6'6"

 

[steverocks35]

I made the list on paper but was too lazy to type them out. Jordan and Dr J are also listed at 6'6" (and a couple more if I recall)....who knows if they are a legit 6'6"

Yep, there were a few that were probably not legit 6' 6" but I wasn't positive so I didn't include them.

 

[WTSooner]

In 1996 to correspond with the NBA's 50 years the NBA released a top 50 players in NBA history up to that point.

14 players on that list were under 6'6" with a number of players list at 6'6".

1996? Can't we do better than that? That was nearly two decades ago.

 

[WTSooner]

And for those of you nit-picking the 6'6", I could have said 6'3, which is what Westbrook is listed as.

I'm guessing on the current list, if we use 6'3, it's less than 20%. Probably in the 12-15% range. And most of those played 30 years ago. Nobody since who, Stockton and Thomas?

 

[152219]

1996? Can't we do better than that? That was nearly two decades ago.

Well, that was an official list from the NBA. The NBA hasn't released a list since then. Take it up with them.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

Thank you, spot on. They way too often get stalled with 5 on the shot clock and Russ has to take a contested fadeaway at the buzzer, not his fault (usually). I get tired of seeing them spend 15 seconds trying to get KD the ball as he stands there with his hand in the air and a defender draped on him.

Do you realize that you and the previous poster just described almost every offense that has a superstar? It's not like there is a 35 second shot clock in the NBA. IF a set play is run and it doesn't work, you don't have time to run another play

 

[steverocks35]

And for those of you nit-picking the 6'6", I could have said 6'3, which is what Westbrook is listed as.

I'm guessing on the current list, if we use 6'3, it's less than 20%. Probably in the 12-15% range. And most of those played 30 years ago. Nobody since who, Stockton and Thomas?

Dude, moving the goalposts after you lose your argument is just weak.

 

[steverocks35]

Do you realize that you and the previous poster just described almost every offense that has a superstar? It's not like there is a 35 second shot clock in the NBA. IF a set play is run and it doesn't work, you don't have time to run another play

There's a 24 second shot clock and you don't see very many teams get bogged down like the Thunder do.