Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Just because your mouth is moving, Part II
Matt over at the Bulls Blog shows Jason Whitlock some love as he joins the chorus as an Okafor doubter:Not that he isn't a decent prospect who had a great year, but sportswriters across the country are HOPING that Okafor makes it big in the league, to 'show up' all of the young high school and international kids who are going in the league early. After 3 years of college and a degree, Okafor is certainly more well-rounded and educated than he was when he was 18, and he's a better basketball player than he was then. But that doesn't change the fact that he isn't Tim Duncan coming from Wake Forest, or (good god) Olajuwon. Look at things objectively, and tell me how good an NBA player he'll really be.
We'll see if Okafor proves me wrong, but in my opinion the Bulls shouldn't be too swayed by his college stardom. If they can get a top-flight talent by trading the pick, go for it. The team already has a player with similar age and game, who happens to be 3-4 inches taller and able to jump out of the gym. Oh, and they also have the same...issues.
I don't disagree with Matt's initial assessment; pundits across America hope Okafor's professional success will deter high schoolers from jumping straight to the NBA.
But I do find fault with his comparison of Okafor to Duncan and Olajuwon -- which, after all, I now recognize to be Whitlock's central argument. Okafor has neither Olajuwon's body nor Duncan's game.
But Okafor does have finesse. And shot-blocking ability. And a knack around the basket. In short, he's no Pervous Ellison.
Both Duncan and Olajuwon (and Patrick Ewing to boot) were highly celebrated NBA bound centers from their freshman year of college on. Okafor, on the other hand, developed into a pro prospect.
Emeka's quick, has great hands, an array of low post moves and plays quality defense. Is he the next great NBA center? No. Is he the next Never Nervous? No. Okafor's somewhere in between.
Which puts Whitlock, ironically, on the side of having over-hyped Okafor's defects...
