Zach Lowe 'Wingspan and a Prayer' Rudy Gobert Article

[Qman]

https://grantland.com/the-triangle/rudy-gobert-utah-jazz-fiba-potential-7-footer-tyson-chandler/

Interesting article that points out what most of us know- Rudy has some rare gifts but it is unlikely his skills will catch up with his body.

 

[sirkickyass]

Was just coming here to post this myself.

This little nugget was kind of sad:

The list of seven-footers since 1980 who saw fewer than 500 minutes in their rookie season — there are 117 such guys — basically consists of Rasho Nesterovic, an 18-year-old Andrew Bynum, and 115 stiffs who never amounted to much. That’s an artificial cutoff point, sure, but history is not on Gobert’s side.

 

[Hotdog]

The dream is dead.

Rudy is a bust.

 

[MDAV28]

This article kind of seems pointless..

 

[sirkickyass]

This article kind of seems pointless..

It's easily the most in-depth article I've seen about Rudy's skill set ever.

 

[NUMBERICA]

The article is about a thing (in this case, an actual player) that intrigues Zach Lowe. So that's what the piece is.

 

[MDAV28]

It's easily the most in-depth article I've seen about Rudy's skill set ever.

That's fair. Just not sure what Lowe was trying to accomplish with the article.

 

[One Brow]

That's fair. Just not sure what Lowe was trying to accomplish with the article.

Since when did talking about an NBA player require any additional motive?

 

[MDAV28]

Since when did talking about an NBA player require any additional motive?

Well I mean.. it always has? The article just seems to go back and forth on his opinion of Gobert and the topic is "This guy is tall, fits the build of a defensive center with no offensive game, and could maybe be good but probably not". I mean I like Lowe and I don't actually mind the article it just seems like empty content and his tone on Gobert starts positive until he almost seems to talk himself out of liking him.

 

[One Brow]

Well I mean.. it always has? The article just seems to go back and forth on his opinion of Gobert and the topic is "This guy is tall, fits the build of a defensive center with no offensive game, and could maybe be good but probably not". I mean I like Lowe and I don't actually mind the article it just seems like empty content and his tone on Gobert starts positive until he almost seems to talk himself out of liking him.

This whole forum is filled with people talking about basketball players because they are basketball players, and that's what Lowe is paid to do. He thought Gobert, in particular, was an interesting player to evaluate. No other motive needed.

 

[Sexual Favors]

Well I mean.. it always has? The article just seems to go back and forth on his opinion of Gobert and the topic is "This guy is tall, fits the build of a defensive center with no offensive game, and could maybe be good but probably not". I mean I like Lowe and I don't actually mind the article it just seems like empty content and his tone on Gobert starts positive until he almost seems to talk himself out of liking him.

He's just being honest about the situation with Recognizing Gobert's positives and negatives. Gobert is a very intriguing player with a lot of promise, but he isn't without blemishes and hurdles to clear. Good on Lowe for considering all angles.

 

[Twin Towers]

Rudy Gobert can easily average 10 points 10 rebounds and 2 blocks per game.

The problem is everyone is stat whores now days and they don't think that is good enough. And big guys don't get the credit they deserve anymore. The late 90's & early 2000's is where it started to change.

Guys like Ben Wallace, Dennis Rodman, Luc Longley, Bill Laimbeer etc etc wouldn't even play in todays game because these stupid GM's are looking for complete players who can do everything at he PF and C positions.

Which is ridiculous. Great defenses have GREAT role players who can do the little things that never show up in the box score. But GM's are lazy and don't know basketball anymore and they just look at numbers.

Gobert needs to bulk up a little bit and he needs to learn to play within himself. He should get his points off passes under the basket and offensive rebounds. You don't go to him in the post. If he learns that he can be an amazing center. But he needs playing time to develop.

 

[Julie Greengiant]

Rudy Gobert can easily average 10 points 10 rebounds and 2 blocks per game.

The problem is everyone is stat whores now days and they don't think that is good enough. And big guys don't get the credit they deserve anymore. The late 90's & early 2000's is where it started to change.

Guys like Ben Wallace, Dennis Rodman, Luc Longley, Bill Laimbeer etc etc wouldn't even play in todays game because these stupid GM's are looking for complete players who can do everything at he PF and C positions.

Which is ridiculous. Great defenses have GREAT role players who can do the little things that never show up in the box score. But GM's are lazy and don't know basketball anymore and they just look at numbers.

Gobert needs to bulk up a little bit and he needs to learn to play within himself. He should get his points off passes under the basket and offensive rebounds. You don't go to him in the post. If he learns that he can be an amazing center. But he needs playing time to develop.

It seems to me like defensive centers have been getting a lot of credit pretty much since Dallas won the championship with Tyson Chandler. Now guys like Hibbert, Noah, Lopez, etc are being valued more properly.

 

[Joe Bagadonuts]

Was just coming here to post this myself.

This little nugget was kind of sad:

Rudy has a very good shot of being an exception to this arbitrary rule.

 

[Qman]

To me the question of the article was who is the next Tyson Chandler?

After going through the usual suspects Lowe mentions Gobert. Lowe is focusing on him as a intriguing player who is playing in the FIBA championships who most people haven't heard of.

 

[Qman]

Rudy has a very good shot of being an exception to this arbitrary rule.

Mostly because Gobert has the fire/passion required. I also like his aggression on the court.

And all historical precedents are void if Corbin was the coach.

 

[Joe Bagadonuts]

Mostly because Gobert has the fire/passion required. I also like his aggression on the court.

And all historical precedents are void if Corbin was the coach.

Agree 100%.

 

[One Brow]

And all historical precedents are void if Corbin was the coach.

How many NBA coaches would play the rookie Gobert major minutes with Jefferson, Millsap, Favors, and Kanter on the team? I agree the historic precedence does not apply due to the depth of the competition, but I don't think Corbin is the reason.

 

[Sexual Favors]

How many NBA coaches would play the rookie Gobert major minutes with Jefferson, Millsap, Favors, and Kanter on the team? I agree the historic precedence does not apply due to the depth of the competition, but I don't think Corbin is the reason.

Did you miss last season? Rudy didn't have to compete for time with Jefferson and Millsap, as they weren't on our team.

Gobert rarely played, and Kanter only saw 26 mins (in a very jerked around fashion) because Corbin decided to play Marvin 25.4 minutes a night as a PF, because of "spacing" that we never really had (despite defense and rebounds) because RJ was logging 27 mins a night as an SF, so Marv couldn't play there. The other bigs minutes went to Jeremy at the tune of 18.3 a night, despite the fact that Jeremy was as close to as raw as Gobert as a big man, but without the potential and upside for the position.

Those decisions were Corbin's. Not hate, just facts.

 

[sirkickyass]

Rudy has a very good shot of being an exception to this arbitrary rule.

Why? I understand 500 minutes is a number that seems arbitrary, but it's not totally arbitrary since it does measure how much playing time a guy earned. Given that the failure rate is greater than 98% under that threshold, and it seems safe to say that the failure rate is not that high above the 500 minute mark, I don't think the conclusion is arbitrarily derived.

As a result, I think in order to say he's got a very good shot you'd have to figure out what makes Gobert closer to the exceptions than to the norm for that group.

Rudy Gobert can easily average 10 points 10 rebounds and 2 blocks per game.

The problem is everyone is stat whores now days and they don't think that is good enough. And big guys don't get the credit they deserve anymore. The late 90's & early 2000's is where it started to change.

Guys like Ben Wallace, Dennis Rodman, Luc Longley, Bill Laimbeer etc etc wouldn't even play in todays game because these stupid GM's are looking for complete players who can do everything at he PF and C positions.

I think this is very misinformed. Ben Wallace was one of the original poster children for a nascent +/- argument in the early 2000s during his original Detroit run when he put up a couple scoreless triple/doubles. Bill Laimbeer would have rated as above league average for a power forward in PER nearly every season he was in the league, including when he was 36. The Dennis Rodman assertion is ridiculous on face. The article itself posits how valuable everyone understands that Tyson Chandler is and we've all seen how valuable guys like Omer Asik are regarded around the league when they are essentially this generation's version of the player you are mentioning.

Advanced stats, particularly RPM, help bolster effective non-scorers. Not the other way around.