Semih Love Thread

[Meadowlark_Scal]

There are a lot of us who saw talent in this guy...and i am glad he got to start....it does something for a player, and the rest of the C's team really pitched in by setting him up in the post often...he did good, and is getting better. He is still an nba rookie, i think he is going to be good/ better..!

[ballin]

Well, I knew the Gortat comparisons were inevitable.

1) Gortat is a much better rebounder, and has been since he came into the league.

2) Gortat is much more athletic

3) Gortat has never been nearly as foul-prone

4) Gortat is only 2 years older

5) Gortat actually has a couple of nice moves, whereas Semih relies primarily on putbacks and layups generated by Rondo

And, since it's not been mentioned, bigs develop much slower than perimeter players. What we've got in Semih is pretty much an insurance policy in case one of our bigs get injured, and not a 100% viable backup like Gortat. I don't really see this changing

[MBunge]

Well, I knew the Gortat comparisons were inevitable.

1) Gortat is a much better rebounder, and has been since he came into the league.

2) Gortat is much more athletic

3) Gortat has never been nearly as foul-prone

4) Gortat is only 2 years older

5) Gortat actually has a couple of nice moves, whereas Semih relies primarily on putbacks and layups generated by Rondo

And, since it's not been mentioned, bigs develop much slower than perimeter players. What we've got in Semih is pretty much an insurance policy in case one of our bigs get injured, and not a 100% viable backup like Gortat. I don't really see this changing

Gortat this season - 4.1 pts, 4.8 rebs, .8 blocks in 15.5 minutes a game.
Semih this season - 4 pts, 2.5 rebs, .6 blocks in 13.8 minutes a game.

Considering the age and experience difference, I think you're underselling Semih just a bit.

Mike

[Celtics18]

Well, I knew the Gortat comparisons were inevitable.

1) Gortat is a much better rebounder, and has been since he came into the league.

2) Gortat is much more athletic

3) Gortat has never been nearly as foul-prone

4) Gortat is only 2 years older

5) Gortat actually has a couple of nice moves, whereas Semih relies primarily on putbacks and layups generated by Rondo

And, since it's not been mentioned, bigs develop much slower than perimeter players. What we've got in Semih is pretty much an insurance policy in case one of our bigs get injured, and not a 100% viable backup like Gortat. I don't really see this changing

1) This point is hard to disagree with.  Gortat has been a very good rebounder from the beginning.  Semih's been pretty poor in this department, but I hope he can improve.

2)  I straight disagree, and really have no idea how you've come to this conclusion. Semih needs to develop his upper body strength, but he moves his feet very well, and while not an explosive leaper, has shown that he can catch and finish inside.  

3) Semih's fouls per minute numbers have been coming down over the last couple of weeks.  That's to be expected as he gets used to the NBA game.

4) Yes, Gortat is two years older than Erden.

5) Really?  I don't remember seeing a polished post game from Marcin Gortat.  Semih's already showed me a nice little half hook over both the right and left shoulder.  I've also seen an effective drop step from him.  I think once he gets more comfortable, his repertoire and offensive skills will surprise a lot of people.

I'm going out on a limb here, but I think Semih Erden will ultimately have a more successful NBA career than Marcin Gortat.

[Fafnir]

Well, I knew the Gortat comparisons were inevitable.

1) Gortat is a much better rebounder, and has been since he came into the league.

2) Gortat is much more athletic

3) Gortat has never been nearly as foul-prone

4) Gortat is only 2 years older

5) Gortat actually has a couple of nice moves, whereas Semih relies primarily on putbacks and layups generated by Rondo

And, since it's not been mentioned, bigs develop much slower than perimeter players. What we've got in Semih is pretty much an insurance policy in case one of our bigs get injured, and not a 100% viable backup like Gortat. I don't really see this changing

Gortat this season - 4.1 pts, 4.8 rebs, .8 blocks in 15.5 minutes a game.
Semih this season - 4 pts, 2.5 rebs, .6 blocks in 13.8 minutes a game.

Considering the age and experience difference, I think you're underselling Semih just a bit.

Mike

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/tiny.cgi?id=M67er

Gortat turns it over less and rebounds a heck of a lot better than Semih. He's also a better defensive player by a large margin, whether that's experience or talent is in the eye of the beholder.

If you want to compare him to Gortat at age 24 you can too, Gortat is still markedly better.

[GarnetTR]

As an old fan of Semih, I watched his games in Turkey and Euroleague a lot and I would say that he never gives up challenging and fighting. Yeah, his talents seem limited but actually he has many post moves and, come on, he is injured for now. I think he would be better than Marcin Gortat, although Semih is younger a little bit, they have same statistics and Semih is much more open to improvement

By the way, sorry for bad English 

[clover]

Semih's going to need all the love we can give him tonight against Stoudemire.

[Fafnir]

Semih's going to need all the love we can give him tonight against Stoudemire.

They won't have him guard Amar'e for more than a few minutes at a time. No way Semih can stay with him.

When Amar'e is in the game KG/BBD will have to be in to guard him, hopefully KG most of the time...

[snowball]

hopefully KG is right.
Baby may not get the offensive charge calls
on his flops. Plus he doesn't have the length
to effectively block Amare.
Big night for Garnett
must keep Amare out of paint
and limit Knicks to poor outside shots.
which they are often content with taking.

[2short]

If I was doc tonight I wouldn't hesitate to start KG at center with davis at pf.  If shaq was going to play then it would be a different story as SOMEONE would have to guard the big guy and amare wouldn't be able to.  A healthy kg on amare is a great matchup.

[Eeyore III]

Gortat has a fully-developed, ripped NBA body.  When he got it I don't know, but he reached the NBA with it already.

Semih needs to work on his body big-time, and most likely will do so, with Bryan Doo in the offseason.  Then we'll be able to make a better comparison.  Remember what a blob Perk was to begin with.

I'm not sure how much of Gortat's advantages are merely the result of his more mature physique, but I think about 95%.

Go Semih!!!

[Fafnir]

He's been playing professional ball for a while now, and is 24. I'm not sure how transformative you can be on his frame at this point. Gortat certainly has a better "NBA Body", but that'd be because he's a better talent in my view.

[Chris]

He's been playing professional ball for a while now, and is 24. I'm not sure how transformative you can be on his frame at this point. Gortat certainly has a better "NBA Body", but that'd be because he's a better talent in my view.

I am not sure about "transformative", but he does have a lot of room to get stronger.  Even though he has been playing pro ball (and I think that is a big reason he has picked up on things so quickly), European teams are not known for their strength and conditioning programs. 

While he may never be huge, I think he is going to get a lot stronger over the next few years, and put on a decent amount of weight to be able to bang a little more with the freaks of the NBA. 

I think this is the biggest thing holding him back at the moment.  He has a relatively well rounded game, but he simply does not have the strength to battle down low consistently.  Once he gets that, I think he will be a much better player.

Now, I am not sure he will ever be at Gortat's level, but I think he will be able to be a very reliable backup center for many years in this league. 

[Celtics18]

 

I understand that Semih is a fully grown man at 24 years old (that can't always be said for 18 and 19 year olds coming into the league).  So, while his physique may not change drastically, I do think he can get stronger in the arms, chest and shoulders and, also, learn to deal with the physicality of NBA players better.

If he can do this, I feel that his ceiling is higher than Marcin Gortat's.  This is not a knock on Gortat, who has been a very solid role player since coming into the league.



 

[Fafnir]

I just don't see better strength transforming his defense and rebounding profoundly enough to reach the levels many are touting.

Career 3rd string C or one of the lower end backups, that I can see I suppose. Pachulia maybe is a better comparison?