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Are you kidding me? Kevin Martin attacks the rim every game. Weight only really matters if White is getting hurt. Has he been hurt? No. The lighter you are, the quicker you are going to be and the higher you are going to jump.
James White!!!!!
Are you kidding me? Kevin Martin attacks the rim every game. Weight only really matters if White is getting hurt. Has he been hurt? No. The lighter you are, the quicker you are going to be and the higher you are going to jump.
I never meant to imply that he's frail. I have no doubt that he can take the pounding that will come in the NBA from attacking the rim with aggression, but with his frame those hits will take a bigger toll on his body than it would someone who is considerably bigger. It's very similar to an NFL running back that is small of stature - the hits ac ulate over time and shorten many careers.
The same thing has happened with Manu, and the result is the Spurs coaching staff encouraging Manu to shoot more during the season to save his body from the beating he takes when he takes it to the hole often. That said, White probably still has a few years of pounding to take before he starts having the hip/back type problems that Manu started having.
You stole Borosai's thunder!
Garnett is one of the lankiest ers I have ever seen, and his weight never bothered him in the league. You dont have to get big to get strong
Garnett is 7 ft tall and considerably bigger than White. Bad comparison.
My point to all of it is this:
James White will have to develop a significant outside threat to be effective in this league for the long term.
I think Butler's size will negate any height disadvantage he may have because he should be able to create seperation with his body in order to get his shot off....something not foreign to him.
That was how Jackie used to do it...only before, he was a 270lb lard ass. Then the Spurs staff made him lose alot of that weight, and I think his early-mid season struggles reflected the fact that he lost much of his girth he had used previously body up opponents.
He's now at a respectable weight, and I fully expect the coaching staff to continue pushing him to add muscle to his frame....which he has the ability to do.
If White can become an excellent defender and decent shooter, he will find his role. With Parker and Duncan on the team, he doesn't need to dominate the ball. He's never going to be the Michael Jordan people hoped for. I think in college people were disappointed in him that he wasn't a star, but in the NBA he might be successful if he is just a very solid role player. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
I see your point. To maximize his time in this league he'll need to learn to moderate his aggressiveness and slashing because he doesn't have the muscle to sustain the contact he'll inevitably absorb...right?
It's a good point, though I'd hate to see him learn a shot (like the Bowen corner-3) and then forget to slash...because slashing is what makes him the most valuable to this team. The Spurs have enough "shooters"....
Yea, bad comparison considering he weighs 20 more pounds than White, your right that is considerable
One complaint about White was that he didn't use his athleticism in the half court and "rarely dunked in traffic." His fraility is the major reason - he can't take hits like Barnes put on him in GS very often, but that's why his aggressiveness so far has been a nice surprise.
But he's as frail as Hamilton, who at least has his pull-up jumper to go for him. Rip rarely slashes.
White is probably more of a long-term plan for the Spurs. I think they're hoping to play him a decent amount next season and then resign him and reap the rewards. Following next season most of those pure shooters will be gone. Barry, Finley and Horry all have expiring deals next season (and Horry will probably leave before that). The only other pure shooters that remain are Bonner (if he resigns) and maybe Udrih (and do you really think he'll be around?).
6-7 200 isnt that frail. If he put 10-15 pounds of muscle on he will be fine, and he can put that on in a offseason
I know that many of the shooters will be gone in '08, but the Spurs will ostensibly have a good amount of cash to re-supply the "shooters" around Duncan. I'm not saying White shouldn't develop a decent shot, just that I'd prefer if he continued to be aggresive and go to the hole...the Spurs have too few players willing to do that.
As far as his long-term potential...
I think the Spurs will push for him to gain consistency with his shot, but that they will focus mainly on making him their defensive stopper, a la Bruce Bowen.
EDIT: I wonder how he fits into their long-term plans altogether. With most of the current rotation players coming back next year, it's unlikely White will see regular minutes. He'll then be a FA in 2008 when the Spurs could look to go after "bigger fish" with what money they've got.
I wonder how much they'll be willing to spend, and conversely what he'll be asking, at that point....
Problem with White is I think he's more like 6-6 175.
Damn really? I didnt know that, I was going off of NBA.com, but i know that they regularly screw stuff like that up. If that is the case I can see the problem, especially when you have to put weight on to a naturally athletic player, might mess up his game
He looks skinny, but I dunno about 175....that's Shaun Livingston territory, and I wouldn't put them in the same category. He's also fairly muscular....though I'll disagree with Mardy and say that he probably doesn't have the frame to put on another 10-15 of muscle.
Its really not that hard to put on 10 pounds of muscle. Add some strenght up top, get your core stronger, and get your legs stronger and that will be close to 10 pounds right there. Then again ,you guys have seen him more than I have, so I will just have to go with yall
He's very muscular and fit, but he probably has an incredibly high metabolism, and for some it's damn near impossible to put on 10 pounds...fat, muscle, or otherwise...without the use of some juice.
I personally cannot relate, but I've had friends that were workout freaks and couldn't gain the weight.
The Spurs really seem more interested in acquiring a long SF than a guy like White. I really look at White as more of a shooting guard that can pick up some minutes at the 3. The long-term plans for White would probably be to make him the 6th man that can come in and give you energy off the bench.
As far as his asking price...that really depends on how good he looks next season.
I guess your right Tony, hopefully, he can get stronger without having to put on much weight or mess with his athleticism
Like others above, I see White as more a SG than SF, or at least the Spurs won't find their long-term solution in him.
As for clearing out playing space for younger guys, don't you think this is the summer Brent Barry gets moved? Perhaps it hangs on the 2008 Plan and taking on new salary.
My thoughts exactly. I have him penciled in as being traded.
I disagree with those of you that think White has no future as the starting SF. I'm not saying he will be, but I wouldn't rule it out. Bowen stuck with this team as the starting SF for years because of what he brings on the defensive end. White has that same defensive potential, and if he brings that defensive intensity every night, I think the Spurs could reward him with a starting spot in the future...as a pure Bowen replecement, this guy fits the bill.
Now, whether he comes off the bench in that capacity, and/or whether the Spurs choose to start a SF of the 3/4 ilk, I dunno. I think there is room on this team for both of them eventually.
James White future with Spurs is as defender.
Spurs will need to find a successor for Bruce and one player won't be enough : Bruce is able to defend Iverson one day and Zach Randolph the next one. Spurs likely won't find a player as awesome as Bruce with that kind of versatility.
White is quite long and very quick : he can be a great defender against SGs. Spurs need another player to defend against strong SF.
If Spurs sign a strong/big defensive SF or if they draft one (a player like Dominic McGuire), they will have the start of a solution for Bowen's successor.
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