Giving Credit where Credit is Due- BBD

[Chris]

I don't see why he's getting praised because of the contrast created from playing like crap early in the season, he's exactly where we thought he'd be at the end of last season. Is for me, anyway. He's still frail and he's still overweight, both of which I'd rather replace regardless of circumstance.

Frail?  In what way?

Anyways, I also do not agree that he played like crap early in the season.  He was not good offensively, but he has been the C's most consistent defensive player off the bench all season.

[EJPLAYA]

TP4U EJ. I know that couldn't have been easy writing the OP.

Seriously though, you have been one of BBD's biggest detractors and for you to pay the man the compliments you did only means that he is indeed playing much better and looking much better.

Many thanks nick. The difference in him and TA, whose game I despise, is that I have always liked him as a person. It has never been about heart and hustle out there, just his size. When I felt like he was being lazy off the court and putting all that fat on it was upsetting because you knew he had talent and we needed it out there. If he continues to show the kind of effort off the court to get back into good shape and increase his strength, he will only get better. He has a lot of upside if he wants it bad enough. I disagree with many on here though that think he has upside but Powe doesn't. If Powe just worked on his FT shooting he'd be a much tougher player. He can shoot a solid jumper if he wants to bad enough. It would be nice to be able to keep them both. Hopefully BBD continues to improve and makes that a harder decision for us.

[celticmaestro]

I'll give him credit where it's due. Glen Davis has done well as of late. But the image of him trying to stop Pau Gasol is still fresh in my memory. Aside from that, I'm pleased with what I've seen lately.

[xmuscularghandix]

I don't see why he's getting praised because of the contrast created from playing like crap early in the season, he's exactly where we thought he'd be at the end of last season. Is for me, anyway. He's still frail and he's still overweight, both of which I'd rather replace regardless of circumstance.

he's not overweight, figure it out. thats the whole thing with his game. How do you want him to guard bigger players when he's only like 6 foot 9? if this is where you expected BBD to be by last year where should Leon Powe be in his third year? Starting? Having some kind of scoring touch? doing anything besides dunks and drawing charges?

you can't be serious with this.

[EJPLAYA]

I don't see why he's getting praised because of the contrast created from playing like crap early in the season, he's exactly where we thought he'd be at the end of last season. Is for me, anyway. He's still frail and he's still overweight, both of which I'd rather replace regardless of circumstance.

he's not overweight, figure it out. thats the whole thing with his game. How do you want him to guard bigger players when he's only like 6 foot 9? if this is where you expected BBD to be by last year where should Leon Powe be in his third year? Starting? Having some kind of scoring touch? doing anything besides dunks and drawing charges?

you can't be serious with this.

He actually IS overweight, but it appears that he is less so than a couple months back. Hmmm... Maybe that has something to do with his better play lately?!

You kind of conveniently left out Powe's rebounding though which is by far his greatest strength. He is one of the best in the league per minute out there including starters. He also has a nice little hook, often off the glass, in addition to those dunks around the rim. So let's see what we have:

A PF that aggressively finishes around the rim with dunks and hooks while drawing fouls on the opposition yet finishes anyway, draws charges frequently, and rebounds like a mad man. Yeah, you're right. Who possibly could want a player with that skill set...

[Bankshot]

I don't see why he's getting praised because of the contrast created from playing like crap early in the season, he's exactly where we thought he'd be at the end of last season. Is for me, anyway. He's still frail and he's still overweight, both of which I'd rather replace regardless of circumstance.

he's not overweight, figure it out. thats the whole thing with his game. How do you want him to guard bigger players when he's only like 6 foot 9? if this is where you expected BBD to be by last year where should Leon Powe be in his third year? Starting? Having some kind of scoring touch? doing anything besides dunks and drawing charges?

you can't be serious with this.

He actually IS overweight, but it appears that he is less so than a couple months back. Hmmm... Maybe that has something to do with his better play lately?!

You kind of conveniently left out Powe's rebounding though which is by far his greatest strength. He is one of the best in the league per minute out there including starters. He also has a nice little hook, often off the glass, in addition to those dunks around the rim. So let's see what we have:

A PF that aggressively finishes around the rim with dunks and hooks while drawing fouls on the opposition yet finishes anyway, draws charges frequently, and rebounds like a mad man. Yeah, you're right. Who possibly could want a player with that skill set...

Doesn't sound like he's really knocking Powe.  I think the point is that Dave expects BBD to be good or improve by his rookie year (which is ridiculous in itself for any player, never mind a 2nd round pick), but it appears ok that Powe hasn't done anything in 3 years to improve his game.

I don't think there is any reason to be down on either player right now, they are both playing well.

OT: Isn't Powe 3 or 4 years older than BBD?

[TatteredOnMySleeve]

I'll give him credit where it's due. Glen Davis has done well as of late. But the image of him trying to stop Pau Gasol is still fresh in my memory. Aside from that, I'm pleased with what I've seen lately.

Who could stop Gasol? KG always does a nice job, but he wasnt allowed to guard Gasol in that game without getting called for a foul, and everyone else who tried was miserable, not just BBD, who should never be asked to guard Gasol..he does a nice job on true centers not finnese power forwards that are 5 inches taller than him

[nickagneta]

What I like about BBD and don't about Powe is the same thing that I like about Perk and Rondo. he develops during the year and always seems to be taking steps forward. Now before everyone jumps down my throat, I do admit that he took a definite step backward from where he ended last season to where he started this season, but it's been all uphill from there.

Does anyone ever remember a player who's shot was so bad to start the season improve his success at developing that shot so much during the season. His shot to start the year was atrocious and many thought it a joke that the coaching staff insisted that he could do it and would develop it. granted, it's not pretty but he's starting to put that shot down near 50% of the time. That's is amazing progress for inseason development.

His weight and physique are definitely going in the right directions and in very noticeable ways. The man can now dunk with a simple leap without taking a 15 foot running start! I really don't remember personally seeing a player that looked so bad to start a season take this much of a leap during the year , both game-wise and body-wise.

I've always been a Big Baby fan and supporter and think he will be coming back and contributing off the bench for this team in very positive ways for years to come.

[Toine43]

What I like about BBD and don't about Powe is the same thing that I like about Perk and Rondo. he develops during the year and always seems to be taking steps forward. Now before everyone jumps down my throat, I do admit that he took a definite step backward from where he ended last season to where he started this season, but it's been all uphill from there.

Does anyone ever remember a player who's shot was so bad to start the season improve his success at developing that shot so much during the season. His shot to start the year was atrocious and many thought it a joke that the coaching staff insisted that he could do it and would develop it. granted, it's not pretty but he's starting to put that shot down near 50% of the time. That's is amazing progress for inseason development.

His weight and physique are definitely going in the right directions and in very noticeable ways. The man can now dunk with a simple leap without taking a 15 foot running start! I really don't remember personally seeing a player that looked so bad to start a season take this much of a leap during the year , both game-wise and body-wise.

I've always been a Big Baby fan and supporter and think he will be coming back and contributing off the bench for this team in very positive ways for years to come.

What I'll ask you then is what specifically do you want Powe to improve? Have you heard the "rumblings" that I referred to in my last post that Powe can actually make a 15-footer, but Doc just doesn't want him to ever take it? I'm happy that BBD is improving like he is, but I feel comfortable being happy for BBD and not caring about Powe adding dimensions to his game. Sure, it would be nice for Powe to become more well rounded, but at the same time he is what he is. There are players in the league similar to Powe who have earned a lot of money only doing a couple of things really well; e.g. Ben Wallace.

My point is that with a player like Powe, you can spin it a couple of ways, and I'm not saying either way is right. You could express your disappointment in Powe for not improving his game by adding a jumper (or whatever else you want him to add), or you could be happy that Powe knows who he is and stays within himself.

[Bankshot]

What I like about BBD and don't about Powe is the same thing that I like about Perk and Rondo. he develops during the year and always seems to be taking steps forward. Now before everyone jumps down my throat, I do admit that he took a definite step backward from where he ended last season to where he started this season, but it's been all uphill from there.

Does anyone ever remember a player who's shot was so bad to start the season improve his success at developing that shot so much during the season. His shot to start the year was atrocious and many thought it a joke that the coaching staff insisted that he could do it and would develop it. granted, it's not pretty but he's starting to put that shot down near 50% of the time. That's is amazing progress for inseason development.

His weight and physique are definitely going in the right directions and in very noticeable ways. The man can now dunk with a simple leap without taking a 15 foot running start! I really don't remember personally seeing a player that looked so bad to start a season take this much of a leap during the year , both game-wise and body-wise.

I've always been a Big Baby fan and supporter and think he will be coming back and contributing off the bench for this team in very positive ways for years to come.

Why do some people say that BBD "can now dunk"?  I'm guessing those who say that haven't watched every game, because he dunked last year too and without taking a 15 foot running start.  He didn't do it much at all, but he always could dunk.  I believe he was dunking in college when he was over 300 lbs. 

[moiso]

He definitely looks like he has more spring in his step the past month or so.  Last year he seemed more likely to jump 6 inches in the air, do a quick double pump, and shoot it as he was about to land.  The past month he's been attacking the rim like he means it.

[wahz]

I don't see why he's getting praised because of the contrast created from playing like crap early in the season, he's exactly where we thought he'd be at the end of last season. Is for me, anyway. He's still frail and he's still overweight, both of which I'd rather replace regardless of circumstance.

Frail?  In what way?

Anyways, I also do not agree that he played like crap early in the season.  He was not good offensively, but he has been the C's most consistent defensive player off the bench all season.

Exactly. He has been good defensively and he kept shooting because those shots were falling in practice and he was encouraged to shoot. Not sure how much better he can get, but if he actually becomes a good shooter from inside 18 feet, and develops a "baby" hook shot that he can hit consistently, and if he can get even two more inches on his vertical leap, he just becomes a pain in the butt because of how strong he is and how he hustles.

If I was him Id hire a jumping coach from a college track team. Granted its very much God given but if he can gain a little hops that will be critical.

[youcanthandlethetruth113]

I haven't been as hard on BBD as I have been in the past on TA, however I definitely have not been real happy with what he has brought us for most of the time he has been on our squad. I have noticed though some things that he has done recently that I wanted to compliment him on.

- He has been doing a much better job finishing at the rim. He has been using his body to shield off defenders and laying the ball up opposite side going to the basket with more consistency. He still struggles underneath going straight up, but at least he is being smarter about his moves.

- He does appear to have slimmed down the past month or so. He isn't back to pre-draft weight, but comparing his appearance from the Detroit game to the parade last year it is obvious he must be putting in more effort with his conditioning and strength training. Keep it up BBD. It will only make you better.

- He is on a hot streak again hitting shots from 18 feet. It is clear that it is mental for him. He doesn't have a pretty shot that is fundamentally sound, so it is likely he will be hot and cold. Lately he has been hot and it helps. It should really help when KG returns and he can hit those for the second unit vs. just helping replace KG's points.

All in all I think he has been progressing and maybe there is hope for him yet. I still would keep Powe of the two, but he is definitely narrowing the gap. Fortunately they are both playing much more consistent because we will need it come playoff time!

Gun to my head, BBD vs. Powe, can only keep 1.

I'd probably take the bullet lol.

But seriously, a year ago I'd answer that question with "Powe" 10 times out of 10.

Today, i'm pretty torn between the two. Leon can throw it down in traffic but I don't see him ever developing a consistent jump-shot.

BBD is obviously WELL ON HIS WAY to becoming a very tough guy to guard in the league with the improvement of his 18-foot jumper. However, he really has no lift.

All in all I couldn't decide.

I love them both and guys like Leon and Glen (low-cost BANGERS who know their role) are hard to come by and I'd like to keep 'em both.

[EJPLAYA]

No more positive threads out of me about anyone anymore. That was pretty brutal BBD. Especially the defense which is normally much better. Hopefully that was just a bad game and I didn't jinx the guy by raving about his play of late!

[KCattheStripe]

My point is that with a player like Powe, you can spin it a couple of ways, and I'm not saying either way is right. You could express your disappointment in Powe for not improving his game by adding a jumper (or whatever else you want him to add), or you could be happy that Powe knows who he is and stays within himself.

I think the bigger point is that Baby is learning who he is and that is a more complete player than Powe.