MVP
Well-Known Member
Because he is good.
Tell me any other Russian player besides AK who I ever liked? You can't as there is none, so CY talking about Russian players is biggest ********.
When will Hayward surpass AK47 as the 2nd best Jazz SF of All Time?
- Thread starter AKistheFEARFACTOR
- Start date
Because he is good.
Tell me any other Russian player besides AK who I ever liked? You can't as there is none, so CY talking about Russian players is biggest ********.
fishonjazz
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Who the **** doesn't love Sabonis?
Stifle Tower
Punch Bowl Re-Filler
Comes down to the argument of a player who was elite on one end of the floor, but s liability on the other, vs. a player who is very, very good in a lot of areas, not elite in any, but is a true 2-way player. But perhaps the latter comment MAKES him elite. There are only a handful of 20+ scorers who are also good defenders. I also think Hayward could be in the top-10 in scoring average IF he were more selfish. He's 17th in scoring, but his shooting percentages of 45%/36% are comparable to (or better than) many of those above him.
I loved AK. He could do little things that were amazing. His intelligence related to ball trajectory was probably top 5 ever in the NBA. He had a special gift related to knowing how forces exerted would act on the ball. He was unquestionably gifted.
He was not used correctly and lost motivation. He became a pretty average NBA player, seldom using his basic strengths as well as his most special gift.
He was not used correctly and lost motivation. He became a pretty average NBA player, seldom using his basic strengths as well as his most special gift.
Stifle Tower
Punch Bowl Re-Filler
I have to disagree with not being used correctly. AK was just too damn frail to play PF in his era. Today? Yes, although his inconsistency doesn't really translate into a stretch-4. And he wasn't skilled enough offensively to play the 3. What frustrates ALL of us, I think, is we know AK could have been a HOF'er. Just a little work on his body to add strength and off-season practice on his shooting. Hayward is reaching his ceiling due to hard work. IMO, his body of work now puts him ahead of AK. Kirilenko had way more potential than Gordon, but maybe only reached 70% of what he could have been. He just quit improving after signing his big contract.