Thabo Sefolosha

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Rastapopoulos

Rastapopoulos

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...is the kind of guy that we need. He's the guard version of Batum. He's pretty nondescript on O, but his defense was REALLY giving Roy problems. It's no accident that he's starting ahead of James "most ready for the NBA" Harden for OKC. TrueHoop has an article about Quinton Ross, and Sefolosha is another guy like that.

I also like Kyle Weaver who seems to be out of the rotation in OKC (admittedly, not a good sign), but who had very good +/- for them last year (sort of the anti-Durant).
 
We would need a guy like that if we didn't have Batum. As is, we don't. He'd be nice to have for the few months we are without Batum, but you wouldn't want both of them on the floor at the same time. I suppose I'd want someone like him as a 14th man type now, as defensive insurance.
 
I don't think he was giving Roy problems, as much as Roy was just gassed. He had no oomph! And considering LMA was out, what else can he do? :)
 
Meh. My first thought was to post that he's a bad player on a bad team, and while that might be a slight oversimplification, I think it's pretty accurate.

And given that we already have Roy, I'm not sure where he'd fit into the rotation.

Ed O.
 
Ed O said:
Meh. My first thought was to post that he's a bad player on a bad team, and while that might be a slight oversimplification, I think it's pretty accurate.

And given that we already have Roy, I'm not sure where he'd fit into the rotation.

Ed O.
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I agree, especially when Batum returns.
 
That guy got away with like 18 fouls, the Refs were Roys problem.
 
Seems like he's just the same player as Ime, and we didn't want to keep him around.
 
Similar to Batum. Like I said, if we didn't have Batum, I'd welcome Sefolosha on our squad.
 
Thabo played excellent D last night against another very good offensive player.
 
The NBA only allows one mediocre player to be a "stopper" at a time by letting them grab, hold, etc. Now that Bruce Bowen has retired, apparently Thabo Sefolosha has ascended to that throne. Expect 5-6 years of hearing what a great defender he is when he should be fouling out in 15 minutes against star players.
 
PapaG said:
The NBA only allows one mediocre player to be a "stopper" at a time by letting them grab, hold, etc. Now that Bruce Bowen has retired, apparently Thabo Sefolosha has ascended to that throne. Expect 5-6 years of hearing what a great defender he is when he should be fouling out in 15 minutes against star players.
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Au contraire:

Relationships between NBA players and referees were generally all over the board — love, hate, and everything in-between. Some players, even very good ones, were targeted by referees and the league because they were too talented for their own good. Raja Bell, formerly of the Phoenix Suns and now a member of the Charlotte Bobcats, was one of those players. A defensive specialist throughout his career, Bell had a reputation for being a "star stopper." His defensive skills were so razor sharp that he could shut down a superstar, or at least make him work for his points. Kobe Bryant was often frustrated by Bell's tenacity on defense. Let's face it, no one completely shuts down a player of Kobe's caliber, but Bell could frustrate Kobe, take him out of his game, and interrupt his rhythm.

You would think that the NBA would love a guy who plays such great defense. Think again! Star stoppers hurt the promotion of marquee players. Fans don't pay high prices to see players like Raja Bell — they pay to see superstars like Kobe Bryant score 40 points. Basketball purists like to see good defense, but the NBA wants the big names to score big points.

If a player of Kobe's stature collides with the likes of Raja Bell, the call will almost always go for Kobe and against Bell.
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alex42083 said:
Seems like he's just the same player as Ime, and we didn't want to keep him around.
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Except Ime is older and slower and less talented.

RR7 said:
Similar to Batum. Like I said, if we didn't have Batum, I'd welcome Sefolosha on our squad.
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(So, by transitivity, Batum = Ime.)

So we can't have two players who can play defense? He's similar to Batum because both are rangy players who play defense. So, by the same reasoning, Rajon Rondo is similar to Kevin Garnett, so the Celtics should really let one go.

But this is kind of a moot point, unless the owner of the "Thunder" gets pissed that Mr. Funny Name from Switzerland is keeping his #3 pick from getting more minutes.
 
PapaG said:
Raja Bell wasn't the chosen one, though. Bruce Bowen was and was treated by the refs as such. Now it appears to be Thabo Sefolosha.
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So when you say "should foul out in 15 minutes" you don't mean "deserves to", you mean "NBA head office will probably demand that".
 
Rastapopoulos said:
So we can't have two players who can play defense? He's similar to Batum because both are rangy players who play defense. So, by the same reasoning, Rajon Rondo is similar to Kevin Garnett, so the Celtics should really let one go.

But this is kind of a moot point, unless the owner of the "Thunder" gets pissed that Mr. Funny Name from Switzerland is keeping his #3 pick from getting more minutes.
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Uhm no, that's not similar at all. Sefolosha is extremely limited offensively. So is Batum. Rondo and Garnett are not. Garnett and Rondo can be on the floor at the same time without taking away something on the offensive end. Sefolosha and Batum can not.
 
Rastapopoulos said:
So when you say "should foul out in 15 minutes" you don't mean "deserves to", you mean "NBA head office will probably demand that".
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No, I didn't mean that at all. I meant "deserves to" foul out, but the chosen one plays by different defensive rules. :dunno:

Odd that they would pick the Thunder for this esteemed designation. Perhaps the NBA does view Kevin Durant as their most marketable piece for the future versus LeBron in the East.
 
Batum hasn't shown much capabiltiy on offense in the NBA, so there is no reason to think he can produce significant offense IN THE NBA.
 
More praise for Sefolosha: NBA.com's headline is "Sefolosha slows Wade in win" and there's also this:

I’d say everybody gets a game ball, but once again, Thabo Sefolosha was the stud of the evening. Miami relies on mainly one guy to provide their scoring. And that one guy was held to 22 points on 6-19 shooting and turned it over six times. Thabo on the other hands had just two points, but grabbed nine boards, dished out four assists and had four steals. He’s a wrecking crew. He doesn’t just shut down his man. He jumps passing lanes. He helps on every drive. He communicates. This team is amazing on the defensive end of the floor and it all starts with the Swissman.
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And hey, he's a role player playing over 30mpg and scoring less than 6ppg. They must be INSANE to play him.
 
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Probably the first time I saw amazing on the defensive end associated with OKC.

It's odd to me how the media randomly chooses to "annoint" players, and then it picks up steam from there. I am not trying to put him down at all. I agree he is a good defender. I just can't recall any national articles ever mentioning Batum playing good defense on players.
 
RR7 said:
Probably the first time I saw amazing on the defensive end associated with OKC.

It's odd to me how the media randomly chooses to "annoint" players, and then it picks up steam from there. I am not trying to put him down at all. I agree he is a good defender. I just can't recall any national articles ever mentioning Batum playing good defense on players.
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Actually, OKC, on defense, is the polar opposite of us. They have fantastic perimeter defense (with Westbrook and TS) - while we have elite interior defense (Oden/Joel).

We would be a scary team on defense once Batum is back.
 
So tell me why we wouldn't want a guy who is the next Bruce Bowen, who the refs are going to "let" foul other players?!

I would take him.
 
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