Joined: Aug 2003 Gender: Male Posts: 20,400 Location: Boston, HI Karma: 162
Derren's 2010's top big men « Thread Started on Aug 28, 2009, 4:59pm »
The college season has yet to appear on the radar (and it won't for another 3 months), but I'm already looking forward to seeing some outstanding big men in action. I already have my top 2 guys in place--though maybe a new player or two might dethrone them with a heavy dose of improvement.
Cole Aldrich, Kansas Pattrick Patterson, Kentucky
I like Patterson a lot, but my top ranking goes to Cole Aldrich--simply because he plays Center (a more premium position) and is fundamentally sound in most areas. Yes, he's white and many of you are tired of hearing of the next great white guy to come along (Raef LaFrentz, Keith Van Horn, Chris Mihm, Paul Davis, Eric Montross, Cherokee Parks, Christian Laetner, and the list goes on).
So what makes Cole any different? Well, let me set this straight first. Many of the guys I've just listed had the skills, but didn't have the athleticism. The others had the athleticism, but not the skills. Maybe some had the skills and some athleticism, but didn't have the heart. Maybe some had all these three things (skills, athleticism, heart), but didn't like the physical contact, etc.
Cole has a good dose of all 4 ingredients.
-he's got the skills (hints of McHale-esque post moves, improving range on his jumper, soft touch around the basket), -he's got athleticism (better than any of the guys I've listed above) -he's got heart (goes after blocking shots, rebounds, putting back misses) -and he doesn't shy away from physical contact
I'm not saying he excels in all of these 4 areas, but they are all there. But the best thing about Cole is, he doesn't think he's the savior. Just like Perk, Cole knows his role and just does the best he can in his role. Cole will not be the centerpiece of the team, but will be one of the key pieces whose contributions will be magnified when you see what you are missing when he's not playing.
Ok, moving onto the next guy on my list, here's a guy who reminds me of Amare Stoudemire both in his game and his demeanor. Patrick Patterson doesn't smile on the court (hard to do that when he's tearing off your face), and his explosive body allows him to get passed his defenders and dunk with force.
LIke Amare, Patterson is strong, but not muscle bound and cemented to the floor (like Baby). He moves very well and is very coordinated.
And like Amare, I don't think Patterson is suited for the post up game. But where Amare is able to do a lot of damage is with his midrange jumper--and so far, I don't know if Patterson can his midrange jumpers. This may be a problem at the next level so hopefully we'll see him working on it this season.
But even with this limitation, Patterson is still a big time prospect because of his bullish attitude and physical abilities on the court.
As we get closer to the season, and as I give more attention to the other prospects, I'll continue to add to this list.
Joined: Aug 2003 Gender: Male Posts: 20,400 Location: Boston, HI Karma: 162
Re: Derren's 2010's top big men « Reply #2 on Sept 7, 2009, 1:26am »
I need to clarify my statement, Eddie.
No one has come close to replicating McHale's moves in the post. The guy was just so artistic down in the trenches. He's got moves, and counter moves, and counter moves to counter defenses who counter his counter moves
So maybe he's got like 10 moves he can easily execute to get good looks at the basket.
I think Cole Aldrich has the ability to really hone a few of those moves, and make him a decent scorer. I've seen his fake to the left, spin over his right shoulder, and make an easy layup at the basket--and his defender was at his mercy.
I've seen Cole drop some semi hooks near the basket looking pretty comfortable.
I think he can be a solid 13 - 15 ppg guy in the NBA.
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