Joel Embid adding three point shot to his game... (Recent workout videos)

[Celtics4ever]

I think when all is said and done, you will be ridiculously wrong.

I concur TP.

[Snakehead]

I think when it is all said and done, Embiid will be the most physically dominant player the NBA has ever seen. He will far surpass Shaq.

Wow this is insane.  Did you ever watch Shaq? 

[LarBrd33]

I think when it is all said and done, Embiid will be the most physically dominant player the NBA has ever seen. He will far surpass Shaq.

Hahaha I forgot they had Optimus Prime.

I am a fan of the Transformers stuff, but I am not as well-versed in is lore. Was shaq featured in one of their episodes? I am quite excited to see what the franchise does without Bay; his movies have more fireworks than even the Celtics front office would want.

Michael Bay and Zack Snyder ("300", "Sucker Punch", "Watchmen", "Man of Steel") went to the same visual arts school... I think that's why they both make awesome visuals, but kind of suck as filmmakers... and why I have very low expectations for Snyder's "Batman V Superman" movie.

[hwangjini_1]

I think when it is all said and done, Embiid will be the most physically dominant player the NBA has ever seen. He will far surpass Shaq.

this statement will draw a lot flack, and for good reason.

you honestly think embiid will be more physically dominant than wilt chamberlain was? the nba had to change the rules of the game because of wilt. embiid had yet to put a healthy foot on a nba court.

outside of hyperbole, i have no idea why you make such a statement.

[Denis998]

I think when it is all said and done, Embiid will be the most physically dominant player the NBA has ever seen. He will far surpass Shaq.

Hahaha I forgot they had Optimus Prime.

I am a fan of the Transformers stuff, but I am not as well-versed in is lore. Was shaq featured in one of their episodes? I am quite excited to see what the franchise does without Bay; his movies have more fireworks than even the Celtics front office would want.

Michael Bay and Zack Snyder ("300", "Sucker Punch", "Watchmen", "Man of Steel") went to the same visual arts school... I think that's why they both make awesome visuals, but kind of suck as filmmakers... and why I have very low expectations for Snyder's "Batman V Superman" movie.

I already watched the whole movie in its trailer, seemed disappointing. I was never much a fan of superman though. Much more excited for Suicide Squad on the other hand.

[crimson_stallion]

I think when it is all said and done, Embiid will be the most physically dominant player the NBA has ever seen. He will far surpass Shaq.

this statement will draw a lot flack, and for good reason.

you honestly think embiid will be more physically dominant than wilt chamberlain was? the nba had to change the rules of the game because of wilt. embiid had yet to put a healthy foot on a nba court.

outside of hyperbole, i have no idea why you make such a statement.

I have to agree...I find it difficult to have any respect for a statement like that.

Shaq was a 7'1", 300 pound monster who was far more athletic than a man his size had any right to be. 

Guys like Hakeem and Barkley have actually admitted to being almost afraid when they saw him on the court. 

To paraphrase Barkley "first time I saw Shaq on the court I was like - [dang], that's a big dude".

They had to change the design of the rims because Shaq pulled down so many of them. I have heard that Tim Duncan played PF because he didn't want to play against Shaq, and that KG listed himself at 6'11" (rather than 7 foot) because he didn't want to be put at center and have to play against Shaq.

The hack-a-shaq rule was created because of Shaq.  You could argue that's a bad thing, but I would argue that it shows just how dominant he was, because people knew that there was NO other way to stop him but to foul him and take advantage of his one single major weakness.

The guy was an absolutely unstoppable force.

In college Shaq averaged 35 points, 19 rebounds and 5 blocks Per 40 minutes along with 63% FG.

Embiid averaged 19.4 points, 14 rebounds, 4.5 blocks and 62% FG in college...as well as 6 fouls, Per 40 minutes.   

Still amazing numbers sure, but Shaq's level of dominance was on a whole other level...and Shaq never had Embiid's health problems going against him early in his career.   

I can understand people saying that think that Embiid has a lot of upside and star potential, but for somebody to say that they think he will far surpass Shaq is I think a bit rediculous, personally. 

I think if Embiid ever becomes as good as Demarcus Cousins i'll be surprised.  Actually if he ever becomes as good as Karl Anthony Towns, then he's doing pretty well.

[crimson_stallion]

Why do people hope Embiid fails?

I don't wish failure on Embiid.  It's just amusing to point out how badly Philly could be screwed if he never gets healthy.

Mike

There's definitely a little bit of fans here hoping he fails.  I mean, I hope Philly fails in general.  They are a long-time rival of the Celtics.  But I don't want to root against Embiid getting healthy.  That's poor taste.  And I've obviously wasted a lot of time here defending Philly strategy when I feel like the majority of this forum doesn't really give it enough credit. 

I still think Embiid will be ok and I think an intelligent GM can make that team competitive pretty quickly.

It's a little hard to take the "I hope Philly fails in general" too seriously when you're so deeply invested in the idea of them being successful and proving wrong "the majority of this forum."

Mike

i was also "deeply invested" in the idea that Brooklyn pick ended up outside the top 5, but I assure you I've been rooting for that to happen as well.

The difference is that NO ONE could keep arguing that the Nets pick is going to end up outside the top 5 because, you know, they kept losing games.  Hence, you pretty much stopped posting about that.

I know, it's great, right?  That pick is basically a lock for top 6 at this point.  It's awesome. 

I've long been hoping for the Philly plan to fail, but man... it still looks like it will probably work out for them.

Hoping for philly to fail does not align with hoping for embiid to be sucesful

Ideal world:  They panic-trade him Boston, he becomes the next super-phenom, Boston wins 30+ years of titles (since by the 2036, I'm hoping there's a cure for aging) and Philly toils in misery forever.  *shrug*

I'd like to see what a healthy Embiid can do as a fan of the sport.  I'd like to see what D'Angelo Russell becomes as well, but as a Celtic fan, it will pain me to see these studs shining for our rivals. 

Yeah, it's hard to root against a team while rooting for a player.  As someone who firmly had the Seattle Supersonics as my 2nd favorite team (living in Seattle it can't be avoided), I truly root against the Thunder every playoffs...  but man, I can't hate Durant.

I don't hope Embiid fails, I just want to see Philly fail in the most miserable way possible.  I hope Embiid leaves Philly and then flourishes.

The only reason I criticse Embiid is that, to be completely honest, i just don't think he's the huge revelation everybody else seems to think he'll be.  I think he's a talented player, but I'm not convinced that he is a transcendent talent who (if healthy) will change the game.   I might be wrong, but I just don't see it, and so I am 'realistic' in my expectations of him.

The reason I want to see Philly fail is because I feel that what they are doing is in poor taste, and is an insult to the sport.  They are INTENTIONALLY losing not just games, but entire seasons, in the hope of circumventing the system and easy lottery picks.   

I don't see how that is any different to a boxer throwing a boxing match so that he can make an extra buck. 

It's disgusting, it's disgraceful, and it's an embarrassment to the sport, to the league and to the Philly fans.  As far as I am concerned the owner should be stripped of his ownership rights for what he is allowing to happen there. 

So for me, personally, seeing them fail as a franchise (and finding out that all this losing was for nothing) would bring me absolute joy.

What makes me sad is that you have guys like Noel, who (while flawed in his game) has legit talent and seems to be a good guy, getting jammed up in all this.  Nobody takes a guy like him seriously when he's playing for the Sixers, and by the time his rookie contract ends and he has a time to walk, people will have lost valuable time that could have been spent on a proper team honing his skills...instead of wasting away on a waste of time roster that doesn't care.

[Eddie20]

I think when it is all said and done, Embiid will be the most physically dominant player the NBA has ever seen. He will far surpass Shaq.

this statement will draw a lot flack, and for good reason.

you honestly think embiid will be more physically dominant than wilt chamberlain was? the nba had to change the rules of the game because of wilt. embiid had yet to put a healthy foot on a nba court.

outside of hyperbole, i have no idea why you make such a statement.

I have to agree...I find it difficult to have any respect for a statement like that.

Shaq was a 7'1", 300 pound monster who was far more athletic than a man his size had any right to be. 

Guys like Hakeem and Barkley have actually admitted to being almost afraid when they saw him on the court. 

To paraphrase Barkley "first time I saw Shaq on the court I was like - [dang], that's a big dude".

They had to change the design of the rims because Shaq pulled down so many of them. I have heard that Tim Duncan played PF because he didn't want to play against Shaq, and that KG listed himself at 6'11" (rather than 7 foot) because he didn't want to be put at center and have to play against Shaq.

The hack-a-shaq rule was created because of Shaq.  You could argue that's a bad thing, but I would argue that it shows just how dominant he was, because people knew that there was NO other way to stop him but to foul him and take advantage of his one single major weakness.

The guy was an absolutely unstoppable force.

In college Shaq averaged 35 points, 19 rebounds and 5 blocks Per 40 minutes along with 63% FG.

Embiid averaged 19.4 points, 14 rebounds, 4.5 blocks and 62% FG in college...as well as 6 fouls, Per 40 minutes.   

Still amazing numbers sure, but Shaq's level of dominance was on a whole other level...and Shaq never had Embiid's health problems going against him early in his career.   

I can understand people saying that think that Embiid has a lot of upside and star potential, but for somebody to say that they think he will far surpass Shaq is I think a bit rediculous, personally. 

I think if Embiid ever becomes as good as Demarcus Cousins i'll be surprised.  Actually if he ever becomes as good as Karl Anthony Towns, then he's doing pretty well.

That's how you do it folks. Denis998 has this year's asinine post of the year all locked up.

[LarBrd33]

I think when it is all said and done, Embiid will be the most physically dominant player the NBA has ever seen. He will far surpass Shaq.

this statement will draw a lot flack, and for good reason.

you honestly think embiid will be more physically dominant than wilt chamberlain was? the nba had to change the rules of the game because of wilt. embiid had yet to put a healthy foot on a nba court.

outside of hyperbole, i have no idea why you make such a statement.

I have to agree...I find it difficult to have any respect for a statement like that.

Shaq was a 7'1", 300 pound monster who was far more athletic than a man his size had any right to be. 

Guys like Hakeem and Barkley have actually admitted to being almost afraid when they saw him on the court. 

To paraphrase Barkley "first time I saw Shaq on the court I was like - [dang], that's a big dude".

They had to change the design of the rims because Shaq pulled down so many of them. I have heard that Tim Duncan played PF because he didn't want to play against Shaq, and that KG listed himself at 6'11" (rather than 7 foot) because he didn't want to be put at center and have to play against Shaq.

The hack-a-shaq rule was created because of Shaq.  You could argue that's a bad thing, but I would argue that it shows just how dominant he was, because people knew that there was NO other way to stop him but to foul him and take advantage of his one single major weakness.

The guy was an absolutely unstoppable force.

In college Shaq averaged 35 points, 19 rebounds and 5 blocks Per 40 minutes along with 63% FG.

Embiid averaged 19.4 points, 14 rebounds, 4.5 blocks and 62% FG in college...as well as 6 fouls, Per 40 minutes.   

Still amazing numbers sure, but Shaq's level of dominance was on a whole other level...and Shaq never had Embiid's health problems going against him early in his career.   

I can understand people saying that think that Embiid has a lot of upside and star potential, but for somebody to say that they think he will far surpass Shaq is I think a bit rediculous, personally. 

I think if Embiid ever becomes as good as Demarcus Cousins i'll be surprised.  Actually if he ever becomes as good as Karl Anthony Towns, then he's doing pretty well.

A lot of effort expended over a comment that was probably said tongue-in-cheek. 

FWIW, though... you cherry-picked Shaq's Sophomore season.  Traditionally, big men make significant leaps from Freshman to Sophomore season.  Shaq had 3 years of college before joining the NBA.  As a Freshman, he wasn't physically the same player.



As Freshmen: 

Embiid: 19.4 points, 14 rebounds, 4.5 blocks, 62% shooting  per 40

Shaq:  19.8 points, 17.1 rebounds, 5.1 blocks, 57% shooting per 40

Hakeem:  18.1 points, 13.5 rebounds, 5.4 blocks, 60% shooting per 40

Duncan:  13 points, 12.7 rebounds, 5 blocks, 54% shooting per 40

Embiid gained steam throughout the season.  If he gets healthy, he'll be a special player. 

[LarBrd33]

One from two weeks ago and one from a few days ago.

His shot looks really nice but he also looks pretty tentative in his steps. Would just love to see this guy play a full season- he could be a very special player.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OdqsZUqYDk&ebc=ANyPxKqIgullfQqV-lBAAtqzzurT60YkASm0e0FAAQy2yFPy-r4LxncQtz0iJjdlSvP8ChHCwG4nvgHRN_c_vdZOfB1Cnl74Dg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8IsXNMkgms&ebc=ANyPxKrFR9KcZeKhzOAl15oL9ydP6cup6J3VC0isgm_6UTGkc28xkPfqwp_ZxoapP_vCV8FBtCKH-4TXg1417_1lf85HL3iftA

Fwiw, that first video is over a year old.  Second one is recent, though.

[Snakehead]

Embiid: 19.4 points, 14 rebounds, 4.5 blocks, 62% shooting  per 40

Shaq:  19.8 points, 17.1 rebounds, 5.1 blocks, 57% shooting per 40

Hakeem:  18.1 points, 13.5 rebounds, 5.4 blocks, 60% shooting per 40

Duncan:  13 points, 12.7 rebounds, 5 blocks, 54% shooting per 40

Embiid gained steam throughout the season.  If he gets healthy, he'll be a special player.

You think he is going to put on enough weight and somehow become as strong as Shaq?  Good luck.

He is saying physically dominant, we aren't talking about points they put up.  It's a ridiculous statement.  Even if you like him (I do if healthy) he is no different from Anthony Davis or Towns physically.  No where in the realm of Shaq.  Even the two most physical bigs in the league (probably Drummon and Jordan) are not near the realm of Shaq.

This is the man you are talking about here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI85iVU3xkE

Embiid could HOPE to be as strong as Robinson and Shaq could make him look like a rag doll.

[LarBrd33]

Embiid: 19.4 points, 14 rebounds, 4.5 blocks, 62% shooting  per 40

Shaq:  19.8 points, 17.1 rebounds, 5.1 blocks, 57% shooting per 40

Hakeem:  18.1 points, 13.5 rebounds, 5.4 blocks, 60% shooting per 40

Duncan:  13 points, 12.7 rebounds, 5 blocks, 54% shooting per 40

Embiid gained steam throughout the season.  If he gets healthy, he'll be a special player.

You think he is going to put on enough weight and somehow become as strong as Shaq?  Good luck.

He is saying physically dominant, we aren't talking about points they put up.  It's a ridiculous statement.  Even if you like him (I do if healthy) he is no different from Anthony Davis or Towns physically.  No where in the realm of Shaq.  Even the two most physical bigs in the league (probably Drummon and Jordan) are not near the realm of Shaq.

This is the man you are talking about here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI85iVU3xkE

Embiid could HOPE to be as strong as Robinson and Shaq could make him look like a rag doll.

I'm not trying to legitimately compare him to Shaq.  I doubt Denis was all that serious. 

But let's be fair.

Shaq spent 3 years in College before entering the NBA.   His rookie season he looked like this:



Embiid spent 1 year in college, missed 2 years of NBA... He's technically months away from being at the same point Shaq was at as a rookie:



Considering what Embiid looked like in 2011 compared to now...



... And considering that he apparently has been growing since he was drafted and is now 7'2... I think he could indeed still fill out.  That guy is going to be a monster if he gets healthy.  And based on Durant/Brook Lopez, I'm becoming a believer in bone grafts.  He could have played this season, but they decided they wanted to strengthen the bone for the long-term.   He's only 21 years old.  We'll see what happens.

[LarBrd33]

I think the Shaq comparison doesn't make a ton of sense given how limited Shaq's offensive game was.  They compared Embiid to Hakeem in College.  But I'll say that I visit a lot of NBA forums outside of this blog and before this year's draft (and before they decided to shut down Embiid for another season), there seemed to be a pretty heavy consensus on NBA Reddit that Embiid was going to be better than Okafor and probably end up being a bigger version of Karl Towns.  Given how incredible Karl Towns looks, that's kind of scary to think about.

[LatterDayCelticsfan]

Just want my 'African Broda' to hack it in the NBA. Is that too much too ask? Still p---ed with Hasheem Thabeet flaming out