Suns doing Amare a "disservice" playing him at C

[Lascar78]

Quote:

---

He isn't going to have any success trying to play with his back to the basket against bigger, stronger players. That is why he isn't scoring now. It just doesn't work.

I think he could. Either way his advantage at C is clearly quickness, and his weakness is height. I think that he has pretty decent footwork to build on, and he can do well against bigger guys with quick moves and fakes to get them to bite. Right now he does best in the post when he catches it in the post and instantly spins around his man because many C's are too slow to react. I think he could build on that and add up and unders and such. He'll never be able to go over the top of his man, but there are other ways of shaking your man than dribbling by them.

He also should be a beast on pick and rolls like Amare is, he is our best screen setter, and might be our best cutter. When he cuts he cuts hard. The problem is that our team has never known how to run a pick and roll (or defend it) in the Woody era, and we have no PG to run it. If you run a high pick and roll, he can cut faster than 90% of the bigger centers, and attack the rim like Amare does.

So in short what I'm trying to say is dribbling around a man is not the only way to take advantage of your quickness.

[BusBoyIsBack]

Al Horford would score 4-6 more PPG if people would simply pass him the dang ball on those pick and rolls. He almost always gets open.

I love JJ, but he leaves Horford wide open a whole lot on the pick and roll.

[TheTruth]

I agree with just about everything you just said Lascar. Here are some facts:

1) Horford is barely through HALF of his ROOKIE season

2) Horford is NOT a big part of this offense (yet)

3) Horford is STILL developing

4) Horford WILL get stronger

Listen, people are ragging on Horford like he has been in the league for 5 years. He IS going to get stronger over the offseason and will probably pick up a couple moves or two to utilize at the 5. Yes, his biggest advantages are his quickness and his maturity. The kid is a worker who is quick for his size. He has all offseason to fully utilize his weapons with that year under his belt. He will develop some of the moves that you (exodus) talk about. How well they will be developed remains to be seen. I know he is no Dwight Howard, but Howard was known as a big time rebounder and dunker (and little else) his rookie year. I remember reading an article in which HE said that he focused on getting much bigger and improving his game in the offseason so he could dominate other Centers in the league. Guess what? Howard came back several pounds heavier stronger, and with improved technique. What makes you think Horford can't develop some of these moves in time?

[Lascar78]

You should be ashamed of yourself and ashamed to call yourself a Hawks fan. JJ has given himself to this franchise and he gets this. It's a grind. He isnt a rah rah guy. Get over yourself. Hell, if you want to be negative, there are tons of other viable subjects.

[BusBoyIsBack]

Quote:

---

Howard came back several pounds heavier stronger, and with improved technique. What makes you think Horford can't develop some of these moves in time?

---

Bingo

Dwight Howard has gained a whopping 25 pounds since hitting the league.

Horford may not have shoulders as broad as Dwight's but he's got room to put some more strength and muscle himself.

And as he continues to refine that 12-15 footer, he's going to have no problem scoring in double figures every night

[exodus]

Quote:

---

Dwight Howard has gained a whopping 25 pounds since hitting the league.

Howard came into the league out of high school. Horford had 3 years of college. There is no parallel between the two.

[BusBoyIsBack]

Quote:

---

Howard came into the league out of high school. Horford had 3 years of college. There is no parallel between the two.

---

So there is a window where you can gain weight between 18-21 that you can't do after 21?

[exodus]

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

Howard came into the league out of high school. Horford had 3 years of college. There is no parallel between the two.

---

So there is a window where you can gain weight between 18-21 that you can't do after 21?

Where did i say you can't gain weight after 21 Mr Strawman?

What i am saying is that you can't draw a parallel between a guy who comes in out of HS and a guy who played 3 years in college at a big time program where weightlifting sessions are mandatory.

[Traceman]

It won't surprise me at all to see him gain 15 lbs of muscle over the next few years and even more when he hits his mid 20's. He will naturally get stronger just by becoming a man (as will Smoove, Marvin and Chillz) but when you combine that with the weight training that I'm sure will be a part of his off season regimen, he is going to be a full-fledged beast.

The dude is just 21. He's still a kid. At his age, I weighed 170 and by 30 I was 210. I lifted in college and ate everything in sight and still couldn't gain weight but as i got older, the weightlifting all of a sudden seemed to work a lot better. He is going to naturally gain strength weight as he matures.

[AtLaS]

Quote:

---

haywood got his season average in the first quarter

---

And did nothing for the rest of the game.

Quote:

---

Dampier had his way.

---

If you remember that game, Dampier scored maybe 6 points that were actually against Horford. Zaza got schooled twice in a row on the EXACT same pick and roll for wide open dunks. He also gave up a few offensive boards to Damp that resulted in putbacks. It was not primarily Horford that got owned in that game.

Quote:

---

And lets not forget all the times Horford has been basically a non-factor due to foul trouble.

---

That I agree with, he definitely needs to improve. But Horford's offense is more of a concern to me than his defense. Horford definitely got destroyed by Garnett though, but Horford should have never been put on him in the first place.