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Timvp,
That's good about the recent rim finishing. RE: The 3pt shot, I know they refer to Chip Engelland as the shooting doctor / shooting magician, how much do you think he can do with Kawhi? Can he make him a high 30's shooter?
It's early, but what I like the most about him is that he doesn't try to do too much. He sticks to his role. He isn't seemingly the guy that starts chucking shots or his defensive intensity depends on his offense or stuff like that. He's been so far a low key guy you can rely to give you production if you don't ask him to do stuff out of his comfort zone (ie: shoot 3s).
Timvp,
That's good about the recent rim finishing. RE: The 3pt shot, I know they refer to Chip Engelland as the shooting doctor / shooting magician, how much do you think he can do with Kawhi? Can he make him a high 30's shooter?
funny thing is in Europe Bowen was never considered as a great defender (not that I remember at least) but he was a great at scoring
Here is the FT dunk video: he is #11 : http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8k...ruce-bow_sport
lol I hadn't seen that vid either, reason why I was posting
love that vid
50 pts for Bowen !
I don't think Pop should put such pressure on the kid comparing him to Bruce. I like that he's giving him lots of time though - wish he would do the same to Splitter and bench Bonner. Feels strange to have a great rebounder at the 3 - getting 2nd chance opportunity instead of the wings rushing back on defense.
Leonard is so un-emotional - kinda eerie for someone so young.
lol Ever see a young Tim?
Great stuff Timvp
This early would you say Leonard is the Spurs best Rookie since Manu came in 10 yrs ago? As far as i can recall I would say yes.
Speaking of the Blazers :Batum and Wallace. I read somewhere that with the money freed up next year with RJ's possible amnesty and Duncan's contract expiration. Either Batum or Wallace could be possible pickups either via FA's or trade. The thinking being Portland won't keep both. With this in mind and the fact that both play similar roles to Leonard . Would either be a good fit for the Spurs along side Kawhi at the forward line? If so who would you rather get Batum or Wallace?
A five of TD, (batum or Wallace) , leonard, manu and tony. would be great, right?
Wasn't that a second division team? I found this description. It's amazing to read how he worked his way up.
A self-made player who worked his way up the ladder starting from the very bottom. An average player at Cal-State Fullerton. Spent time in 2nd division France, not considered good enough for the first division, cut from there actually. Played in the CBA as well until he got his break. Below average athlete and all-around talent. Learned how to become a good enough spot-up shooter from the corners to not be a complete offensive liability.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Bruce-Bowen-1747/
What we need is for Pop to get over himself and bring Bruce back to help coach these guys on D.
I was thinking about the Athletic comparison of Bowen and Kawhi. While I might agree that a young Bowen might have equal or better hops and speed than Kawhi. What we have to factor in Kawhi's length and yes hand size. Which are just redicolous. There have been a few plays where his length (wing span) have really been useful. (deflections, blocks, getting to loose balls, rebounds the seem out of reach yet he gets to them, and reach in steals) . If you factor Kawhi's length as part of athleticim I'm not sure you can say bowen is a better athlete
Yes, it was.
Bowen career path is quite amazing and unique.
Bowen was often a liability on offense. He'd remain outside the 3pt line in the corner and other teams would slough off, making the Spurs go 4 on 5. He really didn't shoot the 3 often enough to make him a real threat that had to be defended.
While Leonard may never become a 3pt threat at all, his willingness to drive and pop a medium range jumper as well as to mix it up on rebounds will add a dimension.
Different players have different skill sets. Leonard's comparison to Bowen really lies in his equal willingness to play pressure defense as his primary job.
Tell me that was a local media idiot who asked Leonard about Bruce being called dirtiest player in the NBA. WTF does that have to do with anything? Morons!
Going into the season I thought RJ should come off the bench as a 6th man. I had JA taking his spot but now that we know he pretty much sucks, I agree KL should start.
I think his ceiling defensively is James Posey, who was very respectable on that end. JP wasn't very athletic either. Mostly relied on timing, length and good hands. KL doesnt have the physical tools you mentioned Bowen had. KL just needs to increase his range out to 3 points like Posey.
exactly the will,desire and unselfishness as well as freakishly long arms are all Bowen like traits leonard possesses
Yeah but he doesn't have the foot speed. Bowen had unmatched lateral quickness.
Incredibly odd thing to say. Puts plenty of unnecessary pressure and unrealistic expectations on the young rookie.
Bruce peaked around what 33-35? Leonard is just a rookie.. he deserves a chance to develop into his own type of player.
Good points. Being extra cautious throughout his rookie year might be the way to go since refs will give him little benefit of the doubt.
Why would I want Leonard to play shooting guard? First of all, it's always best to push young players. Playing SG would really test most of Leonard's current areas where he can improve including ballhandling, passing and shooting. In development terms, the better he gets in those areas, the higher his ceiling.
And his value rises if he can play shooting guard. While I agree that it's unlikely he's a long-term SG, his strengths would be magnified even more at that position. At shooting guard, his rebounding ability would be a game-changing in itself since there aren't too many shooting guards who can keep him off the glass -- while there are plenty of SFs who could at least compete with him on the boards.
There's nothing to lose if Leonard proves he can play SG. It'd just be gravy. Plus, it'd open up a starting spot in future years with a ton of flexibility. If Leonard can play SG or SF, you could literally put any type of swingman next to him -- from a small shooting guard to a tall, lumbering SF -- and get away with it.
If he can play above average defense on him, then he should be able to against somewhat similar power forwards, such as Griffin, Stoudemire and Bosh. [/quote] Odom is in reality a small forward who is big and bulky enough to survive defensively at power forward. But there's nothing "power forward" about his offensive game.
Comparing Odom's offense to Griffin, Stoudemire and Bosh? Yeah, no, they're nothing alike.
Artest in his day was 40 pounds heavier than Leonard and was ultra quick. He couldn't jump but that elite quickness on such a huge frame grades as an A athlete in my book. Prince and Battier are both about 6-foot-10 in shoes (3 inches taller than Leonard) and Prince has longer arms than even Leonard. Those two could make up for any athletic shortcomings with height and length.
Christie was an great athlete in his day. Bell is a good example of a not-great athlete becoming a very good defender ... but I think he was a bit overrated and his lack of athleticism held him back. Even at his best, he got lit up pretty regularly by players like Manu.
But yeah, I probably should have stated that better. 99% of the time to be a great defender you need to either be a great athlete or be especially long for your position. The other 1% are the bulldog type defenders like Raja Bell and Mario Elie ... but that type usually gets exposed against the cream of the crop.
Leonard is long but 6-foot-7 in shoes is average to below average height for a SF. His arms make up for it somewhat but it doesn't put him in the Tayshaun Prince category.
Nah, I'm tired of Pop worrying so much about the offense. Spurs fans can't whine about the defense out of one side of their mouths and then support Pop placing so much value in offensive fit out of the other side of their mouths.
As it is, the Spurs have the second most efficient offense in the league. Adding Ginobili to the mix will make it even better. Leonard isn't going to ruin that. And even if the offense struggles at times, I don't care. The defense is what needs to improve by any means necessary.
And like I wrote in the OP, it makes no sense to bring your defensive stopper off the bench because once a player gets going in the NBA, it's often too late.
That's a great point and it is something I should have discussed in the OP. Part of what Bowen special defensively is his ability to never get picked off. He was so skinny and fluid that screens didn't bother him.
Leonard's bulk is good for his potential when it comes to defending on the low block. However, will his bulk make it more difficult for him to maneuver around screens? We'll have to see. Thus far, it's been a mixed bag.
Personally, I'd be thrilled if he ever becomes a ~35% three-point shooter. I'm not a big fan of Leonard's shooting mechanics. His release point is low. He gets disturbingly little arc. He also shoots with both arms, which makes it difficult to be consistent. On top of that, his gigantic hands work against him (most great shooters have average to small hands).
Engelland has his work cut out for him. Leonard by all accounts is a hard worker so there's hope ... but there are a lot of little issues that could keep him from ever being a reliable three-point shooter.
Thabo comes to mind. He worked on D Wade in the playoffs when he was on the Bulls early in his career.
24writer 24writer
"He wants to be a great player, he enjoys the challenge. That's good for us,"-Coach Pop on Leonard. #Spurs
5 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
24writer
24writer 24writer
"We're basically throwing him in the frying pan, the way we did Tony. Tony was 19,"-Coach Pop on Leonard. #Spurs
6 minutes ago
Awesome, thanks
If I didn't know better, I would doubt that rim was ten feet by the way Bowen was flying.
Well, Neal was a first team All-Rookie last year and he has a ways to go to match that level.
Leonard has the potential to be the best rookie since Manu ... but there's plenty of time for Pop to doghouse him
I wouldn't want Wallace for how much money he's going to make. His injury history would scare me off plus his type of player doesn't age well.
Batum would be intriguing. I think he could shine in the Spurs system. That said, I'd limit how much I'd give him. If he's wanting a contract more than about $35 million, I'm not sure it'd make sense.
And for Batum to fit, Leonard would need to prove he's capable of playing shooting guard this year because Batum surely can't.
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