While listening to The Herd on ESPN Radio this morning (btw, this is the best sports radio show), Colin Cowherd said something that I’ve been screaming for years now. And whenever I say it, nobody wants to hear me. Its simply this: NBA centers show you who they are when they ENTER the league. They dont normally somehow turn into a great player after starting as a mediocre one. If they stink at something when they come out, they more than likely will stink at it for their entire career. The exception MIGHT be made for some players that came straight out of high school. Colin brought up the examples of Kareem, Bill Walton, Patrick Ewing, & David Robinson as some examples of big men who came out and were great players, particularly offensively, their FIRST season. Conversely, look at Shaq, a great player in his own right. The things he stinks at now, are the things he stunk at when he came out of LSU. Centers dont change to a measurable degree. Another example is Dwight Howard. He is not gonna develop a jumper like Robinson & Ewing had. People keep saying they hope his game expands beyond what it is currently. Stop hoping. It isnt gonna happen. Greg Oden isnt going to become a great scorer. Good rebounder maybe. Shot blocker, sure. But putting the ball in the hoop? I bid thee nay.
Andrew Bynum, you saw promise early on. He COULD be a great player if he ever stops getting injured. Personally, not holding my breath. Injury-prone guys seem to stay injury-prone. But he has a much better chance of being a great player than Oden. I’m not trying to disparage these big guys. I’m just saying “they are who you thought they were.” #kanyeshrug
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