All Things Biggie

[chzbrgr]

He's a darn good player but he isn't going to start, at least not right away. IMO he's too slow to play alongside Nurk and that is my biggest apprehension about Swanigan as a prospect everything else he has in spades. However, he got beat up on the perimeter in SL and pretty obviously is not very comfortable playing defense away from the basket or on the switch on a guard. I can guarantee you that Terry doesnt start him day one, you gotta go with your known commodity (vonleh or Aminu) and let him earn the spot, but if he shows he can I got no problem with his fit in the starting unit. I still think it's more likely we see Collins starting before Swanigan because of his defense.

 

[B-Roy]

I want this for every Blazer game this year. It has been the biggest problem with our defense for years, IMO.

Problem is, how do you fix it? Contesting shots is the very basic core of individual defense. You can't really teach someone to contest a shot, you either do it or you don't.

 

[H.C.]

Interesting:

1. You say that rather than Love, you'd compare Biggie to Elton Brand
2. Haak disputes that comparison based on Brand's superior defense/shot blocking
3. You dismiss that dispute because the basis for the dispute is only applicable during his time with the Clippers
4. So...you're saying that Biggie only compares well with a post-injury Brand? Not really the most flattering comparison.

ffs I can't make a comparison jesus. Fine fine. You people asked for it.


You know I wrote up a big thing as to why I made the comp to Brand but you know what?
I'm not going to sit here and defend the comp I made.
Even though I wrote up a pretty damn good post before I pushed the delete button on my keyboard.
If you people don't like the comp so be it, move the fuck on.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Here's a Biggie comp for all you youngsters out there:

Caleb Swanigan reminds me of a young Luke Jackson. Jackson was the 6'9" 240 lb. power forward that played next to Wilt back in the mid to late 1960s.

Nurk = Wilt
Biggie = Luke Jackson

BNM

 

[e_blazer]

Here's a Biggie comp for all you youngsters out there:

Caleb Swanigan reminds me of a young Luke Jackson. Jackson was the 6'9" 240 lb. power forward that played next to Wilt back in the mid to late 1960s.

Nurk = Wilt
Biggie = Luke Jackson

BNM

For a minute there I thought you meant the former Duck player and I was going to slap you upside your head.

 

[Boob-No-More]

For a minute there I thought you meant the former Duck player and I was going to slap you upside your head.

Fucking kids these days. Now, get the fuck off my lawn...

BNM

 

[Natebishop3]

Here's a Biggie comp for all you youngsters out there:

Caleb Swanigan reminds me of a young Luke Jackson. Jackson was the 6'9" 240 lb. power forward that played next to Wilt back in the mid to late 1960s.

Nurk = Wilt
Biggie = Luke Jackson

BNM

It's a good thing you're keeping the expectations low

 

[PtldPlatypus]

ffs I can't make a comparison jesus. Fine fine. You people asked for it.


You know I wrote up a big thing as to why I made the comp to Brand but you know what?
I'm not going to sit here and defend the comp I made.
Even though I wrote up a pretty damn good post before I pushed the delete button on my keyboard.
If you people don't like the comp so be it, move the fuck on.

Didn't say there was anything wrong with the comparison to Brand. I just found the response to his specific critique odd, given the logical conclusion to which your response led.

If you're going to give your opinion on a public forum, you might consider being less sensitive about disagreement.

 

[BonesJones]

What exactly are you going for? I have yet to figure that out.

Yes, you can have people say both things - and they can both even be right. Imagine that.

It really depends on the player, how/why he looks good/bad, the expectations, his role, his age, his position, where he's at on his development curve, etc. The world is not black and white. There are an infinite number of shades of gray (way more than 50) in between.

BNM

I've tried to explain this to him but he doesn't want to understand. It's a simple concept and I refuse to think he's that stupid. I guess he just wants to troll.

 

[illmatic99]

For a minute there I thought you meant the former Duck player and I was going to slap you upside your head.

LOL I was thinking the same. The Ducks' Luke Jackson was a lotto pick if I recall. He and Ridnour were quite a duo.

 

[Reep]

Searching for 6'7" to 6'9" players who had seasons above 10pts, 10reb and 2asst, came up with some possible comps.

Boozer (very similar height and wingspan)
Webber
Unseld
Silas
Oakley
S. Wicks
M. Lucas

There were others, but these had multiple years of those states and are the most recognizable.

 

[Boob-No-More]

I've tried to explain this to him but he doesn't want to understand. It's a simple concept and I refuse to think he's that stupid. I guess he just wants to troll.

He wants to be "right" and he wants us all to know it. Some posters are so invested in their own opinions, they'd rather be "right" than see players we drafted succeed.

His binary brain wants him to be able to bash Collins and praise Bell based on their summer league performance, but that require him to also acknowledge that Swanigan was a good pick based on his outstanding summer league performance.

Oh my, what's a poor troll to do???

BNM

 

[Scalma]

Here's a Biggie comp for all you youngsters out there:

Caleb Swanigan reminds me of a young Luke Jackson. Jackson was the 6'9" 240 lb. power forward that played next to Wilt back in the mid to late 1960s.

Nurk = Wilt
Biggie = Luke Jackson

BNM

Oh cool are you like 97?

 

[ripcityboy]

What a time to be alive for basketball stat junkies.

http://stats.nba.com/articles/#!/statistical-nuggets-from-day-11-of-las-vegas-summer-league/

Hey, this is probably why we lost that game!

Bingo.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Swanigan's best feature is probably his sheer drive. Anyone who can lose that much weight in that short amount of time has obviously got an iron will.

A minor blemish on the Biggie Legend is the fact that Kuzma, whom he was presumably supposed to be guarding most of the time, was the guy who killed us.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

I still think it's more likely we see Collins starting before Swanigan because of his defense.

I agree with this. Collins can be a useful role player even if he doesn't take a shot. Swanigan can rebound but Collins is more versatile.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Here's a Biggie comp for all you youngsters out there:

Caleb Swanigan reminds me of a young Luke Jackson. Jackson was the 6'9" 240 lb. power forward that played next to Wilt back in the mid to late 1960s.

Nurk = Wilt
Biggie = Luke Jackson

BNM

Luckily the game hasn't changed since then

 

[Boob-No-More]

Oh cool are you like 97?

Not quite, but I started watching (and playing) basketball at a very early age. My dad also played ball and was a big Wilt fan. My uncle was in grad school at Kansas when Wilt played there. So, he was also a big Wilt fan. We got our first color TV in 1965 and I remember watching Gunsmoke, Wilt Chamberlain and the Apollo space missions with my dad on that set.

BNM

 

[Boob-No-More]

Luckily the game hasn't changed since then

A rebound is still a rebound. That's also the one skill most likely to translate from one level to the next.

BNM

 

[Mediocre Man]

A rebound is still a rebound. That's also the one skill most likely to translate from one level to the next.

BNM

Ya. Rebounding almost always translates

 

[e_blazer]

Swanigan's best feature is probably his sheer drive. Anyone who can lose that much weight in that short amount of time has obviously got an iron will.

A minor blemish on the Biggie Legend is the fact that Kuzma, whom he was presumably supposed to be guarding most of the time, was the guy who killed us.

Yeah, I noticed that too. He's used to playing under the basket and I think he's going to have a tough time covering stretch 4s.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Ya. Rebounding almost always translates

Yes, it does. I also think it's a very underrated skill.

As they are currently constructed, no one is going to out shoot GSW on a consistent enough basis to beat them in a seven game series. You may get hot a couple times, they may get cold a couple times, but at the end of the day with Durant, Curry and Thompson, you're just not going to out shoot them the majority of the time.

So, the way to beat them is to get more possessions. One way is to limit your turnovers. That's GSW's one Achilles's heel - they get careless with the ball and turn it over at a fairly high rate. But ultimately, the best way to carve out more possessions is on the glass. Limit them to one shot and get yourself some extra possessions through offensive rebounds. Swanigan and Nurkic will makes us much better in this regard. Nurk only played 16 minutes in that GSW series, but in those 16 minutes he owned the defensive glass (11 DRB) and we outscored GSW by 8 points in those 16 minutes. As we saw in summer league, Swanigan is relentless on the offensive glass.

And it's not just GSW, if you can dominate the glass you give yourself a chance to win every night, even on nights when you don't shoot well - especially on nights when you don't shoot well. OKC was the worst 3-point shooting team in the league last season - dead last, 30th of 30 in 3FG%. In today's NBA, that should be disastrous, but they were also the best rebounding team overall, and the best offensive rebounding team in the league. Their rebounding helped overcome their poor shooting and allowed them to win 47 games and be the 6th seed in the very competitive Western Conference.

Now picture PORs shooting (6th in the league in 3FG%) with a full season of Nurk and Swanigan dominating the glass at both ends of the floor...

BNM

 

[e_blazer]

Yes, it does. I also think it's a very underrated skill.

As they are currently constructed, no one is going to out shoot GSW on a consistent enough basis to beat them in a seven game series. You may get hot a couple times, they may get cold a couple times, but at the end of the day with Durant, Curry and Thompson, you're just not going to out shoot them the majority of the time.

So, the way to beat them is to get more possessions. One way is to limit your turnovers. That's GSW's one Achilles's heel - they get careless with the ball and turn it over at a fairly high rate. But ultimately, the best way to carve out more possessions is on the glass. Limit them to one shot and get yourself some extra possessions through offensive rebounds. Swanigan and Nurkic will makes us much better in this regard. Nurk only played 16 minutes in that GSW series, but in those 16 minutes he owned the defensive glass (11 DRB) and we outscored GSW by 8 points in those 16 minutes. As we saw in summer league, Swanigan is relentless on the offensive glass.

And it's not just GSW, if you can dominate the glass you give yourself a chance to win every night, even on nights when you don't shoot well - especially on nights when you don't shoot well. OKC was the worst 3-point shooting team in the league last season - dead last, 30th of 30 in 3FG%. In today's NBA, that should be disastrous, but they were also the best rebounding team overall, and the best offensive rebounding team in the league. Their rebounding helped overcome their poor shooting and allowed them to win 47 games and be the 6th seed in the very competitive Western Conference.

Now picture PORs shooting (6th in the league in 3FG%) with a full season of Nurk and Swanigan dominating the glass at both ends of the floor...

BNM

I can't see Swanigan playing PF against the Warriors and being matched up with Durant. I could definitely see him backing up Nurkic, especially when the Warriors go small and use Green at the 5 spot. I think that the Blazers would have to use Chief or Vonleh at the PF to try to hold Durant in check (as much as is humanly possible).

 

[Boob-No-More]

I can't see Swanigan playing PF against the Warriors and being matched up with Durant. I could definitely see him backing up Nurkic, especially when the Warriors go small and use Green at the 5 spot. I think that the Blazers would have to use Chief or Vonleh at the PF to try to hold Durant in check (as much as is humanly possible).

That's fair, but the last three years, GSW has started a conventional big line up with Bogut/Zaza at center and Green at PF.

It was Bogut's injury, more than anything, that let CLE comeback and beat them in the 2016 finals. If you can't beat them at their own game (which no one can) pound them inside and on the glass.

BNM

 

[e_blazer]

That's fair, but the last three years, GSW has started a conventional big line up with Bogut/Zaza at center and Green at PF.

It was Bogut's injury, more than anything, that let CLE comeback and beat them in the 2016 finals. If you can't beat them at their own game (which no one can) pound them inside and on the glass.

BNM

I don't disagree with that at all, but it's going to depend on the matchups as to whether it can be Nurkic and Swanigan doing it on the court together or if they have to tag team.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Yes, it does. I also think it's a very underrated skill.

As they are currently constructed, no one is going to out shoot GSW on a consistent enough basis to beat them in a seven game series. You may get hot a couple times, they may get cold a couple times, but at the end of the day with Durant, Curry and Thompson, you're just not going to out shoot them the majority of the time.

So, the way to beat them is to get more possessions. One way is to limit your turnovers. That's GSW's one Achilles's heel - they get careless with the ball and turn it over at a fairly high rate. But ultimately, the best way to carve out more possessions is on the glass. Limit them to one shot and get yourself some extra possessions through offensive rebounds. Swanigan and Nurkic will makes us much better in this regard. Nurk only played 16 minutes in that GSW series, but in those 16 minutes he owned the defensive glass (11 DRB) and we outscored GSW by 8 points in those 16 minutes. As we saw in summer league, Swanigan is relentless on the offensive glass.

And it's not just GSW, if you can dominate the glass you give yourself a chance to win every night, even on nights when you don't shoot well - especially on nights when you don't shoot well. OKC was the worst 3-point shooting team in the league last season - dead last, 30th of 30 in 3FG%. In today's NBA, that should be disastrous, but they were also the best rebounding team overall, and the best offensive rebounding team in the league. Their rebounding helped overcome their poor shooting and allowed them to win 47 games and be the 6th seed in the very competitive Western Conference.

Now picture PORs shooting (6th in the league in 3FG%) with a full season of Nurk and Swanigan dominating the glass at both ends of the floor...

BNM

The only thing that concerns me about Biggie is his ability to guard todays forwards. You have to love his skill set....ESPECIALLY at 26.

 

[Trackjack]

Swanigan will be able to guard 4 in this league. If there stretch 4 than one thing do is shoot the 3 point shot. There not a lot 4 quick 4 in this league. Now what he will have trouble with if he get switch out on a guard.

 

[Reep]

FWIW:

Vonleh: 6'8" w/o shoes; 247 lbs; 7'3"-7'4.3"* wing; 9'0" reach
Biggie: 6'7.5" w/o shoes; 246 lbs; 7'3"-7'4.7"* wing; 9'0" reach

*differed each year measured

Biggie has skills, but obviously Vonleh is quicker and jumps better. I was just a bit surprised to see how similar their build was.

 

[e_blazer]

FWIW:

Vonleh: 6'8" w/o shoes; 247 lbs; 7'3"-7'4.3"* wing; 9'0" reach
Biggie: 6'7.5" w/o shoes; 246 lbs; 7'3"-7'4.7"* wing; 9'0" reach

*differed each year measured

Biggie has skills, but obviously Vonleh is quicker and jumps better. I was just a bit surprised to see how similar their build was.

Biggie's motor seems to have a significantly higher horsepower rating.

 

[Reep]

Biggie's motor seems to have a significantly higher horsepower rating.

I had a Corvette with about 430 hp and 400 ft-lbs of torque. I also have a diesel truck with 360 hp and 800 ft-lbs of torque. They both have power, but use it very differently.

If Vonleh had Biggie's brain and drive, then he would be the far better player. As it is, I think they each have their strengths.