New York Knicks power forward Amar’e Stoudemire has been one
of the league’s most explosive players since being drafted out of high school
in 2002. Numerous injuries have taken a toll on Stoudemire though who was
noticeably slower and far less explosive last season.
But Stoudemire isn’t accepting that he is past his prime although
he will turn 30 this season. Instead he enlisted the aid of former Houston
Rockets’ center Hakeem Olajuwon to help him further develop his post game in
hopes of getting his scoring average back above 20 points-per-game.
Offensively this may be a good move for Stoudemire.
Stoudemire is a player who has spent much of his time in the post playing above
the rim but no player can play that way forever. Olajuwon was able to play
productively for 18 years in the league with a style that consisted of a series
of head fakes, misdirection, spin moves and counter-moves.
Most of these moves were made without Olajuwon even leaving
his feet and that is great news for a player like Stoudemire who has to play
under the rim and is not very bulky.
But Stoudemire isn’t the only player who should have been
seeking out Olajuwon’s help this offseason. Here is my list of the five players
who could most benefit from Olajuwon’s tutelage:
Derrick Favors – Utah Jazz
Favors is the Jazz’s most athletic player but he is
extremely raw offensively. He does seem to play well on the defensive side of
the ball and has shown improvement in his low post scoring but a couple sessions
with Olajuwon may help shorten the learning curb and allow him to win a starting
spot in Utah.
Roy Hibbert – Indiana Pacers
Hibbert made the All-Star team last season but mostly
because of his defense. At 7’2” he is one of the league’s best shot blockers
but his scoring has only improved by one point over the past three years. If he
were to improve his low post scoring he could start to close the gap with the
league’s two best centers: Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum.
Serge Ibaka – Oklahoma City Thunder
Ibaka is an athletic defender who can block shots all over
the floor. Playing him and Kendrick Perkins together though is a liability for
the Thunder offensively as the Miami Heat showed during the NBA Finals. Unlike
Perkins though, Ibaka does have a fairly reliable jumpshot. If he could add a
more potent low post game to his repertoire, then the Thunder could see a lot
more Finals appearances in their future.
Josh Smith – Atlanta Hawks
After trading away Joe Johnson, general manager Danny Ferry
has essentially given the team over to Smith. While Smith has always been the
team’s defensive leader with his ability to rebound, block shots and play
lockdown defense, he is still inconsistent offensively.
His jumpshot has never
developed and despite playing power forward for most of his career, he has very
little in terms of a post game. Smith is an excellent passer though and if he
were able to develop his post game he could open up the floor for the many
shooters Ferry has brought in this offseason.
Blake Griffin – Los Angeles Clippers
Griffin has entertained us with his insane dunks and leaping
ability but he found out during the playoffs that teams were not so willing to
let him get to the basket as easily as he did during the regular season. Teams
started to get real physical with Griffin towards the end of the season and
throughout the playoffs forcing him to work for everything he got.
Griffin had one of his worst performances of the year in the
Clippers’ elimination game versus the Grizzlies. If not for a late game scoring
surge by the Clippers’ bench, the Clippers would have never made it out of the
first round. Griffin’s ability to score in the paint may be even more important
this season if he continues to have problems with his knee making it even more
important for him to pay Olajuwon a visit.
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Blogger for The Sport Mentalist and an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2. He is also a Sports Reporter for Pro Sports Lives. He can be contacted at sportmentalist@yahoo.com and be sure to follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist.
nice work
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