Why doesn't Ibaka play more?
by John Park Williams on Feb 23, 2010 9:40 PM CST
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I have watched the Thunder play about ten times this year. Tonight (versus Phoenix) is the first time I have seen Serge Ibaka get extended minutes. He looked great. He more than held his own against Stoudemire. On offense he had a very nice turn-around jumper, and on defense he played great position defense, helping out on the pick and roll and just being an inside presence.
He looked a hell of a lot better than Greg Oden, Hasheem Thabeet, or Marc Gasol. He kind of reminded me of Emeka Okafor, except for not as stiff and a lot quicker off of his feet.
I am wondering why he doesn't play more. He obviously will make more mistakes than Collison, but at the same time, his upside is so much greater that if he develops between now and the playoffs, it could make a huge difference. Also, even though I like Jeff Green, no team will ever advance far in the playoffs with Jeff Green as their starting power forward.
For those of you watch all the games, what are your thoughts? (By the way, from the time I started writing this until now, the Thunder took out Ibaka and Maynor, inserted Jeff Green and Nick Collison, and the Suns went on a 16-4 run and won the game on a Jason Richardson floater. Correlation is not necessarily causation, but still, it happened).
This post does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of Welcome to Loud City or SB Nation. However, it was made by one of the members of the Welcome to Loud City community, so there is a large chance the above post is extremely ballin'!
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i think
Brooks is waiting to see an improvement on his overall decision making. For every great play he has, he does something to negate it. Collison is much smarter, just not as athletic and fouls a lot… Serge is dealing with getting used to the goaltending/basket interference rules of the nba differing from those from the other countries he’s played and it shows at least once a game it seems and did so lastnight. He gets over-excited and gets too aggressive and will draw extra attention from the refs who slap him with the occasional T. None of this stuff is anything he won’t overcome soon. The kid is 20 and once he matures just a little bit, he’s gonna be a force…
by tron solo on Feb 24, 2010 10:23 AM CST via mobile reply actions
He doesnt play more because he still has lapses at times, Collison still sets screens alot better and does the small little fundamental things that are so important for a big. We are very happy with him and he is ahead of schedule…..This notion that this team cant win big with Jeff at the 4 is ridiculous!….we win with defense and we would not be the defense we are without him, its a luxury to have a guy who can switch on pick and rolls and step out and guard perimeter players, he also effectively fronts the post, i know he gets in trouble if they get position but ill take the trade off. I dare anybody who saw the defense he played on Dirk last week tell me he cant be on a championship team. Once we acquire a big that can consistently block and change shots and can post up some on O you will see Jeff’s efficiency go up even more.
Ibaka is just what his name says he is .....
a serge or energy from the bench. He also is just a rookie who gets spaced out sometimes. He does have the potential to be our D Howard in the post . I would not have a problem with him starting center next year. IMO a 6-3, 6-6 ,6-10,6-9,6-10 lineup is not a small lineup because of our length.
Yes, you are right he has a nice jumper and can boom the ball down but until he finds some “stick- em” he will continually fumble the rock on heavy traffic rebounding.
How the hell did that happen? I am Trailblazer fan to the core but I love me some OKC THunder!!! Must be the Hometown pride I feel.
I'll Say it now so you guys can know I'm a true follower: "In Pioli I Trust"
Go Chiefs!!!!!
i dont understand
All this negativety about jeff green… He has literally saved several games for us (the last second driving dunk vs. Atlanta over josh smith, the game saving block against minnesota, the clutch three pointer at the end of regulation vs. NY, the shutdown D against dirk holding him to 9 second half points.) I really have no actual complaints about him. His ball handling usually gets him around most big men (see amare lastnight) and he is VERY athletic and strong. Sure, you could make little complaints all you want, but when we’re winning and he’s a key piece, what are we really complaining for?
by tron solo on Feb 24, 2010 3:42 PM CST via mobile reply actions
He can't play too many more minutes.
He fouls at such a high rate that he can’t play too many more minutes. He averages 5.2 fouls for every 36 minutes.
I love Jeff Green
and every game he plays, I hate more and more that people talk about trading him.
I also like Ibaka, but don’t underestimate what Collison brings to the table. If anything, I’d rather see Krstic get fewer minutes.
by ElectricPencils on Feb 25, 2010 7:57 PM CST reply actions
fouls
he plays out of control at times and picks up fouls very quickly. when you pick up 3 fouls in a minute its hard to play extended time. next year he’ll see a more playing time, IMO. He’ll be more comfortable in the NBA, with the speed/physicality of the game, etc.
i love our team as awhole
Serge is great for the thunder very young, energetic and prolly my favorite player but he still needs experience. Jeff green is underappreciated and undervalued to alot of you apparently. My only complaint is that being a power forward u would think he would have moves for back to the basket shots. would love to see him get a lil baby hook going. Collison is a very smart player, and i swear he gets a charge at least once a game for us.
by cubsfanfromoklahoma on Mar 6, 2010 4:37 PM CST reply actions
jeff green
if not mistaken, one of his favorite shots is a running hook. i see him do hooks quite often.
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