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Blake Griffin *

  • it goes without saying im a huge BG fan. he is unbelieveable to watch in the open floor. that being said i think he is dangerously close to becoming this generation's shawn kemp...a one trick pony. he is fair to skilled and athletic to not be snagging 12-15 boards a game and blocking some shots here and there. I know he is young and he has tons of time to improve and mature. but what are the chances that this is the sort of player he will be for the next 7-8 seasons?

    This post was edited by James Hale on 5/21/2012 at 8:46 PM

    "The way I figure it, everyone takes a beating..."

    wallacestate ●

  • There's no telling how much injuries have slowed him down late this season. He has been, in the past, a decent rebounder. For career longevity purposes, it would be nice for him to develop a more consistent mid-range game and some smooth post-moves (in contrast to his usual 'I'm more athletic and will bull-rush/jump-over-you moves').

    He's a special player and there's nothing wrong with being a guy who averages 21 points, 8-10 boards, and 4 highlight-worthy dunks each and every outing.

    Stuck in Mexas ●

  • Agree, he needs a lot of work and now before its to late. Crazy to talk about this so early in his career but I was thinking this just the other day as well
    He seems to get flat footed and out of place alot and being so talented some guys miss out on the "game" part of it all not to mention he isnt on the best of teams either.

    signature image

    Win today, or you'll be a loser tomorrow!

    decasooner

  • Watching the Spurs series, I felt for Blake a bit. The Clippers weren't getting much out of Deandre Jordan (whom they gave a 43 million dollar contract in the offseason). It was clear the injuries were hampering him a bit. That said, I think his series average was right at 20 points, 10 rebounds a a game. Not bad.

    I don't think the Kemp comparison is accurate. Blake is much more versatile (better outside game, better passer, better rebounder). Blake is more dedicated to his craft, as Shawn Kemp succeeded in eating himself out of the league. Also, I believe Blake has a much better head on his shoulders. The one record Shawn Kemp still holds that may never be surpassed is "Most Children Fathered With NBA Groupies". Dude is fertile if nothing else. Only Athlete in his stratosphere is Travis Henry.

    Blake will be fine.

    stubbysooner1

  • Let's remember that we are talking about someone just finishing their second year in the NBA and who's averaged 21 points and 11 rebounds a game over that time. He's pretty damn good. Having said that, he certainly needs work in four areas to take that next step towards becoming truly elite...

    1. Develop a consistent low post move instead of just relying on brute force and sheer athleticism. A quick jump hook with either hand would be unstoppable.

    2. Become a legitimate threat to score from 15-18 feet. Karl Malone couldn't shoot at all in college and developed into one of the best jump shooting power forwards of all time.

    3. FT % must be 65, at a minimum. If you can't make close to 2/3 of your FT's and aren't named Wilt or Shaq, you are a liability late in the game.

    4. Defensive improvement should come with time and effort as he certainly has all the physical skills needed to become an adequate defender, but like everything else...it's really just about him wanting it bad enough.

    My guess is that Griffin will put in the work to address these shortcomings the best he can. Time will tell if it's enough to make him a Hall of Fame type player.

    OU_ATL

  • Funny how we all noticed the same things. Part of it was the Spurs, they play great team basketball and it seemed like the Clippers were playing one on one.

    Clearly we all love Blake and only want the best for him. Hopefully, he gets a complete off season to work with Chris Paul and the Clippers decide to let the game come to them a little more. Sure wouldn't hurt to get a big man who can shoot from outside and spread the floor.

    Go Blake!

    NCJIM

  • wallacestate said...

    it goes without saying im a huge BG fan. he is unbelieveable to watch in the open floor. that being said i think he is dangerously close to becoming this generation's shawn kemp...a one trick pony. he is fair to skilled and athletic to not be snagging 12-15 boards a game and blocking some shots here and there. I know he is young and he has tons of time to improve and mature. but what are the chances that this is the sort of player he will be for the next 7-8 seasons?

    Shawn Kemp 1st yr 6.5 pts 4.3 reb
    2nd yr 15.0 pts 8.4 reb

    Blake Griffin 1st yr 22.5 pts 12.1 reb
    2nd yr 20.7 pts 10.9 reb

    Tim Duncan 1st yr 21.1 pts 11.9 reb
    2nd yr 21.7 pts 11.4 reb

    I want to lean towards Duncan and not Kemp. I know he doesnt have the skill set yet of Duncan. But he's inproving and that last couple of games he's started showing some signs of having some offensive skills.

    Darewreck

  • I agree Blake is a lot better than Shawn Kemp at this age. He is still a young player and already a super star and he is a very hard worker and wants to be very good so his game will improve.

    I think he needs to become more of a consistent rebounder because he will get 18 one night and five the next. I agree that he needs to work on his low post game so that he can post up and his team trust they can give the ball to him more.

    If he improves to 65 to 70 percent as a free throw shooter he will average at least six more points per game and there is no reason Blake can't be a good free throw shooter.

    He needs to continue to work on his mid-range jumper and always needs to work on staying in the best condition that he can be in.

    Blake still has a great upside to him and it is going to be fun to watch over the next few years.

    James Hale

  • Let's separate offense and defense.

    On offense he is quick and fast for a big man. He's also a very good ball handler that can be lethal combined with his quickness. Finally, he can jump out of the gym. Obviously he has to develop a mid-range game and be able to be a legitimate threat stepping away from the basket. When he posts up down low he is tough to stop. Defenders almost dare him to take a 15 foot shot.

    Defensively he isn't very good. A big part of his problem is he isn't very long. He's maybe a touch over 6'8 and doesn't have long arms (like Jordan). That hurts his rebounding. Especially against a team like the Spurs who are so fundamentally sound. He's also not a shot blocker. He played a lot of zone at OU to stay out of foul trouble and isn't a very good man-to-man defender. His quickness and court smarts allows him to gamble and he makes a lot of steals.

    At this point he's a lot better offensive player than he is defensively. He's only 23 and works hard. He's also smart and knows full well what he needs to work on, so he will get a lot better over the next couple of years. JMHO.

    This post has been edited 2 times, most recently by Usedtobe1 on 5/22/2012 at 5:56 AM

    Usedtobe1

  • He'll improve his basketball, he just needs to learn to be a little less dramatic as he goes about the business.

    This post has been edited 2 times, most recently by Kyote80 on 5/23/2012 at 1:33 PM

    Kyote80 ●

  • Not talking about a statistical comparison. I mean the fact that kemp was known almost solely as a dunker. I know BG is a better player than kemp just think he is way to good to be thought of as simply a great dunker

    "The way I figure it, everyone takes a beating..."

    wallacestate ●

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