AK watch
- Thread starter MVP
- Start date
Good thread. It'll be fun seeing how AK does this year. I think he'll do very well.
I Loved AK in the first couple of years after Stockton and Malone were done. After Deron and Booz showed up it seemed like AK was a lost peace. AK was always one of may favorite players to watch and I hope that he has a great season and can get back to playing the way he did back in those early years for us and when he plays for his national team. Except for the 4 games he plays against the Jazz that is.
SaltyDawg
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure what will cause AK's inevitable failure this season.
Will it be when he gets injured? You can almost count on him getting injured at some point.
Or will it be when he becomes disinterested because the offense doesn't involve him enough? When Love, Rubio, and Roy are clicking at full strength, with a bit of Williams mixed in, AK will almost certainly be an after thought. If he was complaining about his role in Utah, he is really going to hate it in Minnesota.
Will it be when he gets injured? You can almost count on him getting injured at some point.
Or will it be when he becomes disinterested because the offense doesn't involve him enough? When Love, Rubio, and Roy are clicking at full strength, with a bit of Williams mixed in, AK will almost certainly be an after thought. If he was complaining about his role in Utah, he is really going to hate it in Minnesota.
Chad Feldheimer
Well-Known Member
Nah he will love it. He got his 10 million a year. That's all he is interested in.
SaltyDawg
Well-Known Member
He was making way more than that in Utah.
Duck Rodgers
Well-Known Member
I don't think AK will veer much from his career stats this year. Maybe a little more production than usual before some of their injured players get back.
I'm going to be looking at T-Wolve boxscores every morning though, but hopefully the Jazz are good enough that I won't have any desires to watch too many Minny games in and of themselves even though they probably are my second favorite team right now because I like watching Rubio and like AK. Although, I wouldn't even want to watch any of these early games with Barea/Ridnour running the show.
I'm going to be looking at T-Wolve boxscores every morning though, but hopefully the Jazz are good enough that I won't have any desires to watch too many Minny games in and of themselves even though they probably are my second favorite team right now because I like watching Rubio and like AK. Although, I wouldn't even want to watch any of these early games with Barea/Ridnour running the show.
The Thriller
Well-Known Member
Will AK all of a sudden not be injury prone?
Will AK all of a sudden develop shooting range?
Will AK all of a sudden add an offensive move (not just that spin into the key yelling, "AIIII" while losing the ball and asking for a foul)?
If not, then I wouldn't expect him to average more than 8-10 pts per game and 4 rbs while missing 1/4 of the season to various aliments. He might sometimes have some highlight blocks. But for every block there will be 3-5 times where his gambles lead to easy looks for his man.
Quite honestly, teams just don't have to defend him. Opposing defenses love it when guys like Brewer and AK play. That means they can cheat off those guys to focus on the real stars. It was amazing how good we were despite playing 3 on 5 most of the time on offense and playing Boozer as our primary big man. Damn Sloan was good.
Will AK all of a sudden develop shooting range?
Will AK all of a sudden add an offensive move (not just that spin into the key yelling, "AIIII" while losing the ball and asking for a foul)?
If not, then I wouldn't expect him to average more than 8-10 pts per game and 4 rbs while missing 1/4 of the season to various aliments. He might sometimes have some highlight blocks. But for every block there will be 3-5 times where his gambles lead to easy looks for his man.
Quite honestly, teams just don't have to defend him. Opposing defenses love it when guys like Brewer and AK play. That means they can cheat off those guys to focus on the real stars. It was amazing how good we were despite playing 3 on 5 most of the time on offense and playing Boozer as our primary big man. Damn Sloan was good.
MVP
Well-Known Member
Just when I thought I saw it all comes this newest absurd from Thriller. Can't wait to see what you say after AK is back to his usual 5x5 self under Adelman. Sloan sucked as coach since NBA allowed zone defense and was constantly outcoached by Pop,Jackson and others who knew how to utilize three ball and wing play, thankfully he is retired and we do not need to worry about him anymore. Oddly enough he did his best coaching job when he deviated from his PG to PF dominated offense in 2004 ( led by AK ). To bad he had no guts/brains to continue with something new and fresh and needed to recreate his Stockton to Malone clone with DWill and Boozer. Somehow no other NBA team offered him the job... GM's must know how outdated Sloan is and his losing playoff record speaks for itself.
Gyp Rosetti
Banned
AK: The only player in pro sports' history whose underachievement can be blamed on a coach.
Who is AK?
Sloan has been interviewed for a couple of jobs before withdrawing from consideration. I think he's earned the right to be picky about what head coaching job he wants, if any.
Adam Keefe? Oh wait, he's retired.
Ditto for Arvesta Kelly, Alec Kessler, Albert King, Andy Kostecka, and Arvid Kramer.
I'm stumped.
Stifle Tower
Punch Bowl Re-Filler
That move has been trademarked: it's called the "Spastic Octopus."
MVP
Well-Known Member
Not underachievement. You using wrong word
Definition of UNDERUTILIZE
: to utilize less than fully or below the potential use
And history in sports is full of examples when players shine under different coaches when used properly. AK will be perfect example of one.
The Thriller
Well-Known Member
You're right.
Sloan sucked. The Jazz would have done so much more had they fired him and hired on someone like Avery Johnson or Vinny Del Negro.
As do Pop and Phil. They suck too. I mean, who doesn't outcoach Phil and Pop? How embarrassing.
I also blame AK's visa issues back in 07 on Sloan. It was all Sloan's fault for AK making vacation plans and visa stuff during the playoffs. What was Sloan thinking?
MVP
Well-Known Member
Obviously. Just few more month left until AK haters will be faced with sad but true fact - AK shines under different coach which proves that Sloan was the one to blame for underutilizing one of the best players in Jazz history.
Obviously the coach would be the one to blame for underutilizing a player. But is the coach also to blame for a player not adjusting his game in a way that helps the team?
SaltyDawg
Well-Known Member
And then shortly after that all the AK lovers will have to face the sad but true fact: AK sucks when he isn't the best player on the team.
It's going to be very interesting to see how AK responds to being the 5th option on that team.