Comments on: Thunder continue strong play, get fourth straight win in Portland 109-95

By: blakepotash

blakepotash — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 08:41:32 +0000

He also tends to bite on pump fakes a lot, that’s why Al Harrington was able to do well against the Thunder. Similarly against the Rockets, when a team goes small, and he has to go out and guard a wing, like Chandler Parsons, he isn’t polished in that area of the game. If he gets a smart defensive coach, and a little more time, he can be an All-Defense type of player, but he isn’t there yet.

By: akennedy41

akennedy41 — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:27:21 +0000

Yeah I agree that he probably isn’t the best defender in the NBA this season. But he is the best shot blocker by a good margin and has some nights where his impact is just huge. I agree that he definitely needs to get better as a rebounder and a lot of that will come with better discipline at which shots he goes after to block.

I do think that the bets shot blocker in the NBA should probably always be in the conversation for DPOY because blocks really are valuable especially from a demoralizing stand point. Ibaka tends to get his blocks in bunches within a game and it will change the way a team plays the rest of the game because he sets the tone early.

Some of the Thunder players will also noticeably lead the man they are guarding into a drive in Ibaka’s direction. So I think his value is a little underrated from some of the criticism of Ibaka I have been hearing but if I was to think of the best defender in the NBA right now, I don’t think I’d pick Ibaka.

And of course in a year or two I would be very surprised if he doesn’t blossom into one of the best defenders in the NBA.

By: JackWinter

JackWinter — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:14:14 +0000

Ibaka’s been getting a lot of attention for his defensive exploits from the general NBA public as well as some national writers recently as postseason awards discussion heats up. As someone who religiously watches OKC, do you think he deserves consideration for DPOY? Personally, I just don’t see it. He’s the league’s best shot blocker, yes, but still isn’t a consistently great rebounder and has more to learn in terms of understanding help, angles, and the like. He obviously has the physical tools to become a perennial contender for DPOY, I just think he’s probably a year away from that.

By: Game 50 Recap: Blazers 95, Thunder 109 - Rip City Project - A Portland Trailblazers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 07:17:23 +0000

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