The Eight Foot Two Schlub

[cjmewett]

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But our guy retains the shot of a slightly above average six footer. If he can hit a 12 foot jumper, isn't he going to be pretty much unstoppable?

[/ QUOTE ]The specifics of the OP are somewhat unclear, but let's just get this out of the way: if the guy is a >45% jump shooter, this isn't even close, and he's possibly one of the best players to ever suit up. I think we're all on different pages here; you seem to be talking about an 8-foot Dirk Nowitzki, and I think it's clear that he would be among the top 5 players in the league.

[BennyMac]

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Manute Bol did not have average athletic ability; he had well below average. Remember how akward and gawky he was? Since this guy is just an enlarged regular 6 foot tall guy, that's what he would look like. Comparing him to Bol is absurd...he would have half a foot and 150 pounds on Bol, AND he would have better athletic ability.

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Having actually played basketball with and against Manute I can tell you that this isn't true. Bol had above average athletic ability, he ran fairly fast and moved laterally well and had excellent hand/eye coordination. He was an above average athlete, but his problem was how he was built. He had extremely long legs (think of a regular 6' guy, but make his feet his knees and double the lenght of his legs. Because of this he was at a disadvantage in the post, since his hips were so high he had no leverage when fighting for position and his frame prevented him from gaining any weight. His doctors told him not to weigh more than 240 lbs. Thus he was easily pushed around down low. Although not much of an offensive force, he was an excellent defensive player, who made it difficult for opponents to score (although he was weakest at defending his own man if said player was very strong and built thick down low, think Karl Malone for example). Shawn Bradley had the same problem, he had excellent offensive skills, although he much less heart than Bol and was easily intimidated. Shaq is an extraordinary athlete, he has a vertical leap of over 30" which is unheard of for guys his height. His foot speed, hand/eye coordination and lateral quickness are absolutely sick for someone of his size and strength. Unlike almost all other 7 footers Shaq is normally proportioned. His biggest problem is a complete lack of shooting touch due to a broken right wrist which never healed properly. The bones fused and prevent his wrist from having the normal range of motion, something that is essential to the act of shooting a basketball. BTW, the 8' guy starts for the worst 1/3 of the teams in the league (that need a center), but he does play for 6-8 years as a backup for almost any team. And it is unlikely that he is anything more than mediocre (think of a taller Mark Eaton)

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Is it allowed to know what you're talking about in these threads?

[mjkidd]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
But our guy retains the shot of a slightly above average six footer. If he can hit a 12 foot jumper, isn't he going to be pretty much unstoppable?

[/ QUOTE ]The specifics of the OP are somewhat unclear, but let's just get this out of the way: if the guy is a >45% jump shooter, this isn't even close, and he's possibly one of the best players to ever suit up. I think we're all on different pages here; you seem to be talking about an 8-foot Dirk Nowitzki, and I think it's clear that he would be among the top 5 players in the league.

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Well, DS said he would retain all his athletic abilities he had before he grew. I think that a slightly better-than-average 30-year-old American male has a decent jump shot, so my feeling is we're talking about a coordinated 8'3 400 pounder with decent quickness and a decent shot. He would be a superstar and it's not close, right?

[joel2006]

No, because he still has to be able to get his shot off. If he can do this then yes, but it isn't clear based on the info provided. Plus, competitiveness and desire to be great are VERY important intangibles.

[mak15]

he dominates for sure.

[pete fabrizio]

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[ QUOTE ]
But our guy retains the shot of a slightly above average six footer. If he can hit a 12 foot jumper, isn't he going to be pretty much unstoppable?

[/ QUOTE ]The specifics of the OP are somewhat unclear, but let's just get this out of the way: if the guy is a >45% jump shooter, this isn't even close, and he's possibly one of the best players to ever suit up. I think we're all on different pages here; you seem to be talking about an 8-foot Dirk Nowitzki, and I think it's clear that he would be among the top 5 players in the league.

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Well, DS said he would retain all his athletic abilities he had before he grew. I think that a slightly better-than-average 30-year-old American male has a decent jump shot, so my feeling is we're talking about a coordinated 8'3 400 pounder with decent quickness and a decent shot. He would be a superstar and it's not close, right?

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The average 30 year old does not have a "decent jump shot." The average 30 year old in this country has the beginnings of a beer belly, can do maybe 20 pushups, can hit about 30% of free throws, and would practically collapse if he had to play full-court basketball for more than 5 minutes. Maybe you're thinking of slightly above average in the group of 30 year olds who regularly play basketball.

[mjkidd]

Joel -- what is involved in getting his shot off? Why would that be difficult for someone so tall? How would an average 7 footer (or even Shaq) be able to contest his shot?

[mjkidd]

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The average 30 year old does not have a "decent jump shot." The average 30 year old in this country has the beginnings of a beer belly, can do maybe 20 pushups, can hit about 30% of free throws, and would practically collapse if he had to play full-court basketball for more than 5 minutes. Maybe you're thinking of slightly above average in the group of 30 year olds who regularly play basketball.

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Fine. But the average 30 year could in this country could get in shape in a month, and could develop a decent jump shot in about the same amount of time. Which he would, if he were suddenly 8'3.

[joel2006]

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Joel -- what is involved in getting his shot off? Why would that be difficult for someone so tall? How would an average 7 footer (or even Shaq) be able to contest his shot?

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Most jump shooters need to be able to catch the ball cleanly and maintain a certain distance from a defender to feel comfortable shooting/prevent their shot from being blocked. This is why JJ Reddick will never be a great NBA player, he can't create his own shot. Larry Bird OTOH was brilliant at creating just enough distance to get off his shot. Most players can't make a 12 ft jumper with a hand in their face. Like many great defensive players Bruce Bowen is a master at 1) denying the ball 2) Penetrating a shooter's comfort zone 3) disrupting his rhythm/hindering his shooting process. There are lots of guys who are GREAT shooters that never make it in the NBA because they can't get their shot off consistently (think Tim Legler). If 8 ft guy can't drive to the hoop, then his defender will just crowd him as soon as he catches the ball/picks up his dribble, taking away the space he needs to shoot comfortably. This is by far the best way to defend a jump shooter, because it stops him from shoooting at all. Larry Bird and Reggie Miller had a million little moves (foot jabs, step backs, head fakes, pump fakes, etc) that they used to keep defenders off balance and create space to shoot. This is a crucial part of basketball that is entirely lost on most casual fans. As Jordan got older and became more of a jump shooter, he too developed a lot of the same moves/techniques (like his fadeaway jumper for example).

[augie_]

David,

I think that he will take his team to the championship every year that he's able to play.