 Emeka Okafor, Twin Towers Anyone?
Part four of the series features the Bobcats' center, Emeka Okafor. (See the archives after the jump)
Status
Thoughts on the player I spent some time today thinking about a lineup of Dalembert, Okafor, Thaddeus, Iguodala and Miller. A few things came to mind right away. First, defensively, this team is just huge. Giant. They could match up with anyone physically, they'd have guys on the perimeter who could lock people down, and two mistake-erasers guarding the hoop. Dalembert and Okafor would be the best shot-blocking duo in the league and should absolutely own the boards on both ends of the floor. Defensively, this may be an even better lineup than one with Josh Smith, but there are some drawbacks. The biggest drawback would be defending against a team with a 4 who can spread the floor, Detroit and Orlando come immediately to mind. Neither Okafor nor Dalembert is particularly adept at sticking with guys out to the three point line. But, teams with three-point threats at the 4 are few and far between so maybe you can live with that matchup. On offense, there are several problems. I don't think Okafor's back-to-the-basket game is developed. It's better than Sammy's but he isn't going to command a double in the post regularly. Yes, he'd obviously give you more out of the position than Reggie Evans, but we're talking about a huge financial investment here and I think for that kind of money you have to solve the low-post problem. His game is just too similar to Dalembert's. The next problem is his free throw shooting. Adding his 59% average to the worst FT shooting team in the league just screams disaster to me. One last thing, this past season, perhaps conveniently, is the only year Okafor has been able to really stay healthy. He played all 82 games in 07-08 after missing 9, 56 and 15 games in each of his first three seasons, respectively. Despite the drawbacks, putting a dominant defense on the floor is always tempting, I can't say that I'd be disappointed if Okafor was the Sixers big acquisition, but... Thoughts on likelihood A week ago, I might've put the likelihood of this somewhere in the 30% range, but as soon as Larry Brown signed on to coach the Bobcats Emeka Okafor cashed in. Brown will demand the center stays put and he'll anchor Brown's defense for the year or two he's coaching down in Charlotte. He's Brown's prototypical big man: grab rebounds, intimidate, and block shots. The Bobcats are going to wind up overpaying to keep him. Archives after the jump... 
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I know I sound like a broken record, but when you spend money in the NBA you have to think about what talent you are buying. In Okafor, he will command top dollar. 12-15 per? In which case, he better solve many of your 4 problems offensively and defensively. You don't want a player for that money where you see obvious deficiencies. Then you can't spend to plug up the holes he will leave you with. The low free throw percentage, limited offensive game, questionable injury history, and sub par athleticism detract from the obvious upgrade in rebounding and defense. For the money, I'll pass on this one too. I know it's a pipe dream, but I'd go 5 years at 40 mil tops. NBA Action...it's chock full of overpaid slop.
If you spend this kind of money you can't have any doubt the guys a stud (or maybe on the cusp) in multiple facets of his game.
I don't know that Okafor will get top dollar because of his health issues. If he does want that much, just go get Elton Brand instead. Okafor isn't a 20/10 guy. For top dollar, he needs to be a 20/10 guy. I do like his two blocks a game though.
Poor offense. You see where Bob Ford said Iguodala is looking like a possible sign-and-trade candidate? I think that would be great for this team.
Do you have a link?
Nevermind, here it is.
I have to admit, I'm kind of sick of Sixers stars being shipped out of town. I like Iguodala a lot and I think he's shown consistent improvement with his jump shot. I'm not ready to write him off as a shooting guard, but at the same time, Thad will be the best player on this team in two years, if not next year. I guess moving Iguodala in a sign and trade, for something really, really special (Amare?) wouldn't be a terrible thing. Especially if it clears the small forward forward spot for Thad and leaves the Sixers with enough flexibility to get a shooter or two.
Ugh, I don't want to think about this right now.
Well, from three he's shot, over his four seasons:
33.4 35.1 31.0 32.9
so I don't see the consistent improvement. Though he had a good month shooting in March.
That's the big question: Can Andre play the 2 effectively for a team that needs to get better from the outside? It seems likely that Thad will be our starting 3 sometime in the near future. And Dre is no backup. If he can develop a consistent outside shot, then we've got one of the best wing tandems in the league. If he can't, we've got a problem. I have no idea what the answer is here, but agree that if we are going to trade him, it needs to be one hell of a deal.
Another consideration if Dre is going to slide down to the 2 spot is replacing Andre Miller at the point. If you could get someone like Jose Calderon, a talented playmaker AND outside shooter, that would help offset Dre's weakness there. I doubt that will happen but it's worth exploring.
Calderon is up next.
What about a possible trade for Richard Jefferson? The Nets want to ship either him or Vince. If Iggy were to be sent to NJ, he would fit the 3 right away and RJ would fit the 2 in Philly. Just a thought.
Ugh. Not a fan of Jefferson.
Good job with the possible moves Brian.
I personally hate Okafer and don't want an injury prone guy like him.
I was just wondering if you were going to do C.J. Miles at some point in time. He is likely to move.
If we get Okafor, we'll use up all the salary cap space and we'll have two big men with limited offensive game. How does our halfcourt offense improve at all?
And it is not a given that he will stay injury-free. He is a defensive force but that is not really what we need right now. I don't see much room for improvement in his game to be honest.
It wouldn't be the right move. Not for this team, because he doesn't solve any of the needs. The low post D is there, adding another guy who blocks shots would be great, but you still have to outscore your opponent to win.