[gregoden08Participant]

Man, after being ROY, he hasn’t gotten any better. If anything, he has gotten worse (if that’s even possible). I thought this guy was going to be an absolute stud. Better than Dwight. Obviously, I was wrong. He still is a good defensive player, but he’s still a 6,10 center on a good day.

Anybody know why his game hasn’t progressed?

[Lemons4LifeParticipant]

First just being on Charlotte’s team is pretty bad. I think he needs to see a good Big Men coach who can teach him better handles, shots, rebounding, etc. Even confidence would help cause I know he didn’t win much at Charlotte.

[DeLaQuestParticipant]

Emeka is what he is: a Poor Man’s Ben Wallace-in-his-prime.

A lot of top 3 picks turn out far worse. Emeka was a very safe pick, and in that regard he has not disappointed. Most of us Charlotte fans miss him a lot this year.

He will never have great handles. It just isn’t within his ability. He is just not a fluid guy when it comes to offense.

How can you imply he needs to learn better rebounding? Have you checked his numbers????

See what I wrote to GregOden08 above. Not every number 1 or 2 pick becomes a star. Emeka is a high quality player.

[SportsNinjaParticipant]

Stoudamire…that’s an a so I mean Damon
Steve Francis…it took a couple years but he became…insignificant
Grant Hill…Amazing talent, great player and an even better person, but he is the Ken Griffy Jr of basketball…injuries disrupted an AMAZING CAREER
Larry Johnson…solid…very good even, but did he become the player we thought he would be?
Derrick Coleman…Could have redefined the position, his best years were in Sega’s Live…sick 360 dunk from the baseline
Mitch Richmond…throw him on another team and he is one of the best SG’s ever
Chuck Person…who??? JK…

[DeLaQuestParticipant]

GregOden08, you’re being unfair to Emeka.

Emeka shot 56% last year, versus 45% in his rookie season. He has become a much more efficient offensive performer.

With David West and Chris Paul as teammates, he isn’t scoring as much with the Hornets. But he is still putting up good numbers in rebounding and blocking shots: 10 and 2 in 31 minutes a night.

Also, height is not as important as people make it out to be. Emeka is very long. With a standing reach of 9’2.5″, a 7’4″ wingspan, and a muscular 255 pounds, he is absolutely an NBA Center in the physical numbers that matter.

Also, if I am not mistaken, only a handful of guys have averaged double-doubles in the 5 years prior to this one: Steve Nash, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, and yes, Emeka Okafor.

Emeka has been among the league leaders for rebounds per game AND blocked shots per game for years.

Trust me, we Charlotte fans miss Emeka Okafor. Tyson Chandler has been a bust so far, and our team is winning far less often than last year.

[The8thDeadlySinParticipant]

Ya know. Some guys need to be on a good team for their tallents to be shown. Guys like Okafor, IMO, need to play on a championship team for them to be at their best. Another example of a player like this is Lamar Odom. He is much better as a Laker than he was anywhere else. Emeka’s entire career, he has played for a bad team and when he was drafted, he was expected to do something that he simply cant do. Carry a team. He is at best, a good starter. He is a guy that obviously, will rebound, play defence, and score on putbacks. He isnt going to use great post moves or take his man off the dribble or even shoot a midrange shot. He is an above average C who needs to be on a better team to be at his best.

[DeLaQuestParticipant]

The8thDeadlySin,

I largely agree. Emeka needs to be around good scorers.

Okafor has occasionally shown hints of a solid, catch-and-shoot 12-footer from the baseline. But I don’t think that it has quite “taken”. The less time with the ball in his hands on a scoring attempt, the better.

Sadly, Tyson Chandler makes Okafor look like Kevin McHale. The Bobcats have more success with Nazr Mohammed at Center. He at least has some half-decent offensive skills.

[Author]

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