推 CarlosBoozer:在Boozer的排擠之下能有如此演出值得鼓勵 12/25 09:21
→ rainmaker2:姚明如果不打明星賽 Okur應該很有機會補上 12/25 11:05
推 JerrySloan:我賭爵士沒有人入選 12/25 12:00
The Silent Assassin
By Travis Heath
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Dec 18, 2006, 01:09
Is it just me or does it seem like Mehmet Okur rarely misses an open jumpshot?
It's getting to the point where it is actually a surprise when the ball doesn't
go in, especially from beyond the arc.
Still, few people around the league seem to be talking much about the Turkish
big man, which is surprising considering Okur has a solid chance to be voted
in by the coaches to the All Star team as a back-up to Yao Ming this February.
Of course let's not get started down the old windy All Star road again because
as Jazz fans found out this week, the way the voting is currently constructed
is a crock of . . . well, let's just say it could stand to be improved a bit.
Back to the topic at hand, though, the man they call Memo.
Some media pundits have questioned Okur's production this year by virtue of
looking at his numbers alone. One statistic they point to is how Okur's per
game scoring average is down approximately three points. However, what these
people are overlooking is the fact Okur had to score more points last season
with Boozer down for the majority of the campaign. His role this season
involves being a complimentary scorer, and he's doing a fantastic job of
exactly that so far.
How many other players at the center position in the league can shoot the
long ball like Okur can? The answer can be counted on one hand.
Okur's rare combination of size, shooting touch, and basketball IQ is causing
defensive problems for anyone in the league who tries to defend the Jazz.
With Carlos Boozer looking unstoppable in stretches so far this season double
teams have become his constant companion, and most often when teams look to
double, they like sending an additional big man so Boozer has a harder time
shooting over the top as well as limiting his vision to find open cutters.
When this happens, that's when Okur is at his best as a spot-up shooter
around ring.
In addition, Okur can be used as the screener on screen-and-rolls with Deron
Williams, or if Boozer is setting the screen, he can flare out to the corner
so his defender can't cheat in and help. Okur's offensive prowess puts teams
in an impossible double-bind and compliments the talents of Williams and
Boozer to perfection.
So far this season, Okur is shooting a career high 37.5% from beyond the arc.
Most coaches around the league will tell you that if their guards shoot about
35% or higher from the land of plenty, that's a decent mark. Of course that's
for guards, most coaches don't even consider having their center step out and
shoot the three, right? How many treys have you seen Yao shoot lately? How
about Shaq? Or if you prefer comparisons to a couple of the league's young
guns, how about Amare Stoudemire or the next big thing Andrew Bynum?
The point is that what Okur brings to the table is unique. That said, it's
one thing to have a unique commodity on your team, but it's entirely different
thing to have a unique commodity that fits your system to perfection like
Okur does for Jerry Sloan.
Oh, yeah. One more thing. Okur is also a gamer, despite what you might hear
from some media people around the league. Sunday's win in Indiana marked the
204th consecutive game in which Okur has played, which is the fourth longest
current streak in the league. That streak looked to be in jeopardy last week
when Okur turned his ankle. After watching the play where the injury occurred,
most who saw it speculated that he would miss at least a game or two. Maybe
they should have consulted Memo first, because he was right back on the floor
in Utah's next contest without so much as a limp.
Make no mistake about it: Boozer and Williams have helped make the Jazz one
of the better teams in the NBA. However, it's the unique complimentary play
of Okur that has given this Utah club a chance to go farther than any other
in franchise history.
其他部份略.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_19966.shtml
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