Cockburn coming back
- Thread starter LarryMullenJr.
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The NBA game has really changed. 25 years ago, I'd bet Kofi would have been a lottery pick, now he might not even get drafted.
Agreed, Luka would be a lottery pick too. Now they take these athletes that have no fundamentals, but can jump out of the gym and expect the coaches to teach these idiots how to play team basketball. Oh wait, I mean how to stand and watch the Star player go one on one.
I don’t know how anybody can watch this garbage!
I'm guessing you haven't watched a lot of NBA lately. The ball movement is crisp and moves at a fast pace. Some teams that have superstars, can abuse opposing teams one on one because those teams can't stop that player, but overall the ball movement is better than any other level of basketball.
NBA player skills and offensive systems are light years beyond NCAA. The reason Garza is a long shot is because teams will roast him on defense because they can induce switches and get him matched up on someone he cannot stay close to. Then on the other end of the floor he is guardable because the defenders are bigger and more athletic than he faced in college.
I see Brook Lopez making an impact in this years Finals - Garza is fully capable.
From this year’s Finals:
When is the last time you’ve seen something like this at the college level?
Lopez is one of the 3 or 4 best interior defenders in the league and also adds good offense inside and outside
From what I have seen, Kofi can play defense and he can run the court. If he gets the ball within 5-6 ft of the basket, he is a good offensive player. Otherwise, he cannot shoot and he doesn't seem to be able to handle the ball or pass. I don't watch much NBA nowadays, so I don't know if a team can make Kofi's skills fit into their team.
Yeah, comparing Garza to Lopez is silly.
And as good as a defender as Lopez is in the lane he can still be a liability in the screen game and he's light years a better defender than Luka.
The fact that you are seeing a bit more zone in the nba will work to Lukas advantage I think.
You can potentially bring him in to run pick and pop for a few minutes here and there as a change up on both ends and not get killed on defense.
Kofi will have similar problems as Luka on defense.
He can block shots and rebound better but he'll still get picked on in the screen game.
The true big man is becoming a dinosaur. Its getting more and more difficult to play a guy who can't defend on the perimeter.
I think allot of 90s fans stopped paying attention during the iso era that followed Jordan and don't realize its a different game now.
Also I think James Harden has turned allot of people off that only tune into the playoffs.
Its a much cleaner game than college because they don't let you hold and grab.
About 15 or 20 years ago, college basketball was more interesting in terms of style of play as the NBA had a lot of boring post and iso stuff. Now? NBA is way ahead of college in terms of analytics and style of play, somewhat because the players are simply better and able to execute more complicated concepts, but also because they have a ton more practice time than college teams that are really limited in how much they can work together.
Other than requiring so much skill from players (which is why pure big post bangers are going the way of the dinosaur), it has required defenders to be able to cover almost anybody on the court so we now have the proliferation of "3 and D" wing types that can space the floor on offense but also guard 1-5 on defense in switches. There just isn't anywhere to hide a mediocre defender these days because teams will find them and force them into the action.
Kofi can't run up and down the court to many times before he stops running and is the last one up. I've noticed that.
I have watched, and the ball movement isn't as crisp as it was 15 or 20 years ago, which in turn wasn't as crisp as it was in the early 90's. It is also very predictable.
NBA offenses are the most efficient they have ever been in history. Any decrease in ball movement is solely from taking a better shot instead of passing to a worse one.
but seriously passes per possession way higher than they were 20-30 years ago
Wow, that’s not true. Kofi is in great condition. 7% body fat at 290. He is actually one of the fastest players on the team. I’m sure you don’t watch Illinois too much, but he got a lot of dunks running the floor.
His NBA issue is that his type of player, the post up big with little range on his shot, is not valued in the league.
Kofi isn't a 3 point threat. The NBA game is all about spacing and shot making. Luka offensively will kill it in the league, especially with space to work with. Which he hasn't had in college. He was facing double and triple teams every game. He had to have extra lbs just to take the pounding. And anytime he had a single defender, he went right around them. His defense was solid and way better than he's getting credit for. With six fouls to give and less minutes, lighter, and quicker. Just my opinion, but I think he's going to be in the league for a long time.
Either way luka has a spot in the league as a matt bonner or Steve novak type.
Did you see last night's game? I keep hearing that NBA players have to actually play defense without all the physical aspects of the college game, but I'm certainly not seeing that.
Some truth to what Doughhudd said about Kofi running. He should have said he doesn't always run, not that he can't. Hawkeye fans were spoiled watching Luka. Kofi could easily outrun Luka in a race, but Luka hustles more than any player I know and gets down the floor faster than Kofi most of the time.
Garza's best comp for sticking in the NBA is probably Frank Kaminsky. Be a good enough shooter and skilled enough scorer that you can stick on the bench as a rotation player without getting too abused on defense.
Kofi is strong, but not much of a shot blocker and not quick. He is better off than Garza, but still will have
defensive issues. Kofi offensive game is limited to postup around basket. Garza has better offensive game.
I suspect Kofi might stick in NBA as a backup. Garza probably ends up playing Euro ball.
Kofi will dominate B1G. Whether B1G can do much beyond early exits in NCAA tourney is debateable.
The majority of that contact is initiated by the offensive player.
Usually they get those calls but the later in the playoffs it gets the calls come.
The battle this year for the regular season championship will probably come down to Illinois and Michigan. The Wolverines get the nod.
I would pick Purdon't as the slight favorite, but UM, Illannoy and OSU should also compete for the B1G championship.
Illini down 11, 46-35, Kofi is getting the ball down low but is being double teamed and has been getting the ball stripped and taken away from him. You can tell it's his first game of the season. He will not get the player of the year award in college basketball this year unless he's the last man standing.
Cinny is playing D exactly the way Iowa should against big centers.
Pressure the ball handler and switch screens, which stops the post feed from happening more often than not, then swarm the post player when the ball does get to the block.
Kofi is a bad passer with bad hands.
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