The Official NBA Regular Season 07-08 Thread

[Spellmen]

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Man, Dwight Howard is a beast and most fans don't even realize it yet. He's only 21 years old and is averaging 24/15 with ~3 blks.

What's this kid's ceiling? Can't remember the last time I saw someone his size with such remarkable agility. Once his offensive game is more refined it's very possible he'll have some 30/15 seasons.

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Yeah, he really doesn't seem to be talked about a whole lot. I don't really see why his ceiling can't be Shaq-high

[Jack of Arcades]

Most elite players peak early.

Shaq put up 29.3 ppg at 21 and 22
Lebron already hit 30 ppg at 21
MJ had 37 PPG at 23 (28 at 21)
Wilt had 50 at 25
Barry had 35 at 22
Kobe peaked "late" - 35 at 27 - but he still had 30 at 24.
Kareem had 31 at 23.
Duncan's pretty much been the same player since he entered the league.

Dwight turns 22 in a week, it's possible this is the best we're gonna see out of him.

[kidcolin]

you're just looking at points. MJ dropped 37 at 23, but he "peaked" (by his insane standards), ages 24-27 (PER=31). His points dropped, but he started passing the ball and rebounding like crazy.

Same goes for Duncan, Shaq, KG, etc. Scoring didn't increase like crazy, but they got so much better at the other things. Shaq became a great passer ~26 or 27. Duncan improved his rebounding.

Now, let's talk about Dwight. He's shooting 61% this year. He's posting a 27 PER. He's already a better rebounder than Shaq ever was. If he can sustain this production, a Shaq-esque ceiling is pretty fair. Now, I don't exactly expect that. The reason his shooting % is so nuts is because he basically dunks. Which is fine, but that's also why he doesn't shoot a lot of shots. If he ever wants to drop 27-30 a game, he needs to get the ball a lot more and take more shots. Which means he'll have to develop a better offensive game. His %'s will likely drop. I don't know if he can ever match Shaq's combination of offensive prowess while shooting such a high percentage. Shaq was pretty insane in that regard.

I guess that's my long-winded way of saying he'll be insanely good, but I doubt he'll match Shaq's peak.

[Assani Fisher]

Random question....If these 3 teams got together and each played the other two 10 times(so 20 game schedule) which team would end up with the best record? Suppose they each have a month to practice and international rules:

1. Current UCLA team
2. The 96 Bulls(playing today, so they're all old)
3. The current Greece national team

[kidcolin]

Assani,


Thanks for this post. I find it both interesting and thought provoking. Also let me point out that I really enjoy you as a poster. Keep up the great work. As for your question, I believe it's nonsense and do not wish to answer it. Regardless, I hope you really enjoy theorizing about competitions between basketball squads in various leagues of varying skills. For us NBA fans, its a magical time of year. Sit back and enjoy my friend- you deserve it.

[BobboFitos]

[ QUOTE ]
Assani,


Thanks for this post. I find it both interesting and thought provoking. Also let me point out that I really enjoy you as a poster. Keep up the great work. As for your question, I believe it's nonsense and do not wish to answer it. Regardless, I hope you really enjoy theorizing about competitions between basketball squads in various leagues of varying skills. For us NBA fans, its a magical time of year. Sit back and enjoy my friend- you deserve it.

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[anatta]

Just started watching the C's game, 0/10 both teams to start the 2nd. I'm not dumber for watching this, umm, what am I, I dunno, I think I just lost my jumper in this life and the next.

[Spellmen]

Really good post KidColin. I agree with pretty much everything you said. They peaked early scoring wise, but I think it's clear Shaq/Jordan and others improved as players and were at their actual peak during those championship runs. Jordan improved his passing and added a lot of range to his game that wasn't there when he was younger, and Shaq definitely had a more polished game as he got older and became a great passer. I think his passing was/and probably still is underrated by your casual fan.

Also, to clarify, I don't think Howard is likely or a favorite to reach Shaq level, but I think the potential is there. He's obviously a physical freak and from everything I've read a really hard worker, so hopefully he can improve his offensive game, passing, and cut down on the turnovers

[Jack of Arcades]

KC,

I didn't mean "peak" as in "had their absolute best year" but more like "never got significantly better." Jordan was better from 24-27 than at 23, but he was never really *that* much better.

I mean, I'm just saying I don't know how much Dwight can add over what he's currently doing. I doubt he really can add much, given that 24/15 is so good (it's better than KG, Duncan, etc).

[kidcolin]

Like I said, we need to see how Dwight finishes this year out. If he maintains this for a year (unlikely, but even if he finishes with 23/12 it's nuts), getting just *that* much better puts him on an insane level.