Okafor, a bust?
by KingJafi on Jul 29, 2009 11:14 AM EDT
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PrintThough his numbers don't lend themselves to it, Magic fans can call Okafor a bust in my opinion. Considering the hype Okafor had going into the draft and the debate caused when the Magic selected Dwight Howard, I'd say things haven't panned out well for him. There are certain levels of busts, he's definitely not a Kwame Brown style bust. Or is he a Ryan Leaf style bust where that Manning/Leaf debate should of never existed in the first place. Coming out ot college though, Okafor was a hot commodity...a guy with size that had matured in college. It was something novel considering straight from high school and one and done guys had become the norm. Okafor has so much buzz around him and Dwight had so little that the Magic's franchise player, Tracy McGrady even went so far to say he wanted out if the Magic didn't draft Okafor (something McGrady pretended never saying, by mentioning to the Sentinel recently that at the time he was excited to play with Dwight, its just that things between himself and management weren't working out...yeah, ok TMac). McGrady called drafting Dwight a "rebuilding project." In hindsight, McGrady was the one with something in his Koolaid...doesn't a franchise have no other choice but to rebuild when they have the number one pick in the draft, a 19 or however many game losing streak, and the worst record in the league? I digress...but back to my point...I find it ironic that the summer Dwight leads the Magic to the Finals, Okafor is subsequently traded from the Bobcats for a guy who was returned from a trade earlier in the season for injury concerns. And though Tyson Chandler has some upside to his game, he is nowhere even close to Dwight Howard. Ultimately, it's a contract shedding move for Charlotte...Okafor has sniffed his first whiff of being a bust...being traded for an expiring contract.
Time will tell if it gets worse for Okafor. I like the guy so I wish to see him succeed but if things keep going the way they are for him, it isn't beyond the realm of possibility he ends up as defensive help for Dwight one day (the ironys or all ironys). Okafor may very well never become a superstar and the fact he will always be linked to Dwight Howard will only make it harder for him to shed the bust label if it starts getting thrown around. John Weisbrod should not only be remembered in basketball circles as the guy who drafted Dwight Howard, but also the guy who wisely avoided drafting Emeka Okafor.
(PS. On a side note, I saw Weisbrod at the NHL Draft last month. The guy seems happy doing something he loves which is scouting. I'm sure he's he gets a kick out of the fact that a choice he actively participated in making resurrected a franchise. As a Magic fan, I'm glad we had a guy in charge during the 2004 NBA Draft who understood how to scout athletes in general and was able to pick up on Dwight's long term intangibles.)
This FanPost was made by a member of the Orlando Pinstriped Post community, and is to be treated as the opinions and views of its author, not that of the blogger or blog community as a whole.
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I don't think Okafor is a bust
He would definitely be considered a bust if he was drafted before Dwight Howard, but he wasn’t. Okafor is still a solid player, and the guys drafted after him are not appreciatively better than him. You can make a case for Igoudala, Ben Gordon, Al Jefferson, and Josh Smith (and maybe some others I cannot think of from that draft class) should have been drafted before him, but since Okafor plays center and puts up double digit points and rebounds as well as a decent amount of blocks on a consistent basis, one could still argue he is still above those players (I wouldn’t make that argument personally since I would probably prefer Igoudala and Jefferson over him, but I wouldn’t call foul if somebody still argues for Okafor).
Just my opinion.
Even though the Hippopotamus lacks a stinger for a tail, a truly wise man would rather be sat on by a bee. ~ Banacek
I also don't think he was a bust
If you look at the other centers who were drafted, he still stacks up well:
1. Dwight Howard – star player
2. Emeka Okafor – solid contributor
8. Rafael Araujo – out of NBA after rookie contract expired
11. Andris Biedrins – solid contributor
12. Robert Swift – injury problems, has played 97 games in 4 seasons (missed 06-07 season due to torn ACL)
21. Pavel Podkolzin – played 6 games over two seasons before returning to Russia
29. David Harrison – left NBA after rookie contract expired, major attitude issues
31. Jackson Vroman – left NBA after rookie contract expired
32. Peter John Ramos – played 6 games in the NBA, relegated back to D-League, playing in Spain
46. Ha Seung-Jin – played 46 games in NBA, averaged 1.5 PPG, now in Korean Basketball League
57. Sergei Karaulov – never played in NBA
Other than Howard, Okafor, and Biedrins, not a single center from that draft is still in the NBA. Okafor may have been over-rated, but Charlotte desperately needed a big – they had Primoz Brezec, Jahidi White, Melvin Ely, and Jamal Sampson, none of which were elite bigs (scarily enough, Brezec was probably the best of the four). Given Charlotte’s needs, Okafor made sense. If they had followed up with an elite guard in later drafts, he would have been a very good pick. The failure of their talent analysis is what “made” Okafor a bust.
"When you make your final stand
I'll be right there
I'll never leave
And all I ask of you is
Believe"
Great analysis by both of you.
Which is why I wouldn’t go so far as to call Okafor a bust along the lines of Mike Olowokandi, Kwame Brown, or Nervous Pervis Ellison. But to Magic fans who immediately think to life without Dwight when the “what if” possibility presents itself…and the fact a majority of general managers at the time would of picked Okafor over Dwight lends cred to those who perceive Okafor as a bust. I think overhyped might be more appropriate at this point. For me, he never lived up to the hype…and the fact he hasn’t been to the playoffs when Josh Smith, Ben Gordon, and Andre Igoudala played integral parts in getting their lousy franchises to the postseason is interesting. One thing’s for sure, the Bobcats never surrounded him with quality talent.
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love...get it on Twitter : KingJafi29.
i see what your saying
We got the better player, but Okafor is nothing near a bust. On a good team, he would really shine. TnT rarely has the Bobcats on.. Playing next CP3 will really help him.
"No matter where you go, you are what you are playa"-Jay Z
Twitter Account
Well, you answered your own statement.
The Bobcats are just a dysfunctional franchise.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Okafor was clearly the second-best big man in this draft.
Well, in hindsight — I know there was some discussion at the time that he might be first. But he was drafted after Howard, and now he’s an above-average NBA starter, and there you have it. There were only three NBA-quality big men in the draft, and Okafor is clearly better than Biedrins, on account of the fact that he frequently plays defense.
He's currently two-thirds man, one-third amazing. Which, let's face it, is still a pretty good ratio.
I remeber Dick Vitale saying how the Magic were going to regret about not drafting Emeka Okafor. If I could remember, I think he said something like how the Magic were taking a chance with Dwight, and they should’ve picked Okafor because he was already “proven” player.
It was the shoes!!
Vitale says that about almost any college player.
.. to say his opinion would be biased would be an understatement.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Okafor is not a bust just and average NBA player
He isn’t going to hurt you on offense or defense but he will rebound and play adequate D. He isn’t a star but not everyone can be
Above avg
I would say he is above avg C 13 pts, 10 Rebs, and 56% FG
"No matter where you go, you are what you are playa"-Jay Z
Twitter Account
He's above-average.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Okafor is definitely not a bust.
.. he’s an above-average center in the NBA.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Okafor is not a bust
But he has played below expectation.
by Half-man Half-gortat on Jul 29, 2009 6:55 PM EDT reply actions
What was the expectation?
.. you knew what you were going to get when Okafor was drafted. Anyone who thought he was going to be a superstar was fooling themselves, because that was never going to happen. Emeka was fairly polished.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
He was portrayed as a transformative defensive player
A much more polished Mutumbo. Instead, he’s been…nice.
by Half-man Half-gortat on Jul 31, 2009 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions
No he wasn't
Find me a comparison of Okafor to Mutombo. Okafor is 4-5 inches shorter, played great defense and had a solid post game. Mutombo was lauded solely for his defense and shot blocking. He was never destined to be a player like Mutombo.
It's not a dunk unless your hand makes contact with the rim. Yeah, I'm talkin' to you, "Superman..."
by ben_gleicher on Jul 31, 2009 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions
I never heard that comparison.
Not saying you’re wrong, however.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
The 2004 UConn Huskies were better than any Bobcats team Okafor has played on.
It’s no wonder he’s “played below expectation.”
It's not a dunk unless your hand makes contact with the rim. Yeah, I'm talkin' to you, "Superman..."
It is relative
We would call him a bust if the Magic had selected him and we watched Dwight dominate in Charlotte, think about it…
Pretty much.
I use the term ‘bust’ when defining how a player has matched expectation.
Personally, Okafor matched my expectation when he declared from UConn. What exacerbates perception is where a player gets picked in the draft .. like Bogut, people say he’s a bust (which he’s not, IMO) but that’s because players like Chris Paul and whoever else were picked behind him.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
That's exactly what I was saying...
…to Magic fans, especially when you look what they got in Howard instead, Okafor hasn’t matched their expectation. Maybe to you he did match your expectation, but think about 2004 and how livid fans were to not get Okafor. The future of the franchise rested on who was picked. You very well might of known he wasn’t going to be a superstar, but there is no doubt fans seriously thought Okafor would be a superstar.
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love...get it on Twitter : KingJafi29.
Perception is reality.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Sure, but remember how dysfunctional Charlotte was/is
They’d probably have traded Gerald Wallace and tried to make Howard into a small forward
"When you make your final stand
I'll be right there
I'll never leave
And all I ask of you is
Believe"
Okafor=Kenyon Martin
Dwight= Kevin Garnett.
That’s all
by Will Said Skills Pay the Billz? on Aug 10, 2009 10:19 AM EDT reply actions
Not particularly close, no.
Martin’s downfall (aside from his injuries) is his terrible rebounding. Okafor’s a great rebounder.
He's currently two-thirds man, one-third amazing. Which, let's face it, is still a pretty good ratio.
Just ignore him.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
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