OKC will not go deep. They are too shallow at every position and their defence is not good enough.

Yes Adams should probably start.

The only value Perkins has to this ball club right now is in the locker room. Apparently he plays a big part in keeping the dynamic between Westbrook and Durant amicable.

bff's even

I reckon his first nba start its just around the corner, he is honestly playing that much better than perkins at the moment!

I was talking about the on court dynamic, as well as coping with all the media pressure for Westbrook to defer to Durant, etc. Just the pecking order.

From the few games i've seen this year Adams is playing better than Bogut..he should def. be starting for OKC

on another note Brett Browns 76ers continue to impress, early days but leading the atlantic division and 2nd overall in the East.

No way. Bogut is the best defender in the league at his position not named roy hibbert and an underrated passer to boot. No sleight to adams who has a big career ahead of him but he's still learning the game...

Oh I'm sorry, NZ produces first round draft picks and guys who get 30mins of court time in the NBA and double doubles and play for a contender like OKC every week.
This is a kid that was apparently destined for the D-league and has no offensive game just natural potential and he outshines everyone on his team not called Kevin Durant and I'm not supposed to discuss it?

Bogut is a great player and hopefully Adams can stick around the league as long as he has as well as contribute what Bogut does. Just don't be surprised if Adams surpasses him later in his career.

"unnecessary seeing posts by all these random anons every second day"

black pot meet black kettle

Bogut is clearly one of the best defensive centres in the NBA, his iq and anticipation are top notch, he stops plays before they happen.

Anon you are confusing weak side shot blockers with elite defenders...

Re: Bogut's defence

I remember watching/reading something about Bill Russell and why he was such a dominant defender. Yes he was long, but they also said that he mastered the concept of disruptive distances (not an official term, I just made that up). That is, he would know exactly where to position himself on the floor to cover both the horizontal and vertical space. This is exactly what Bogut does. Referring back to what paul said, this concept of disruptive distances is why Bogut stops plays before they happen. The Bogut types(position defenders) are the proactive defenders and they almost always trump the shot-blocking Chandler and Sanders types (reactive defenders). The fact that you list Al Horford as better than Bogut on that end proves you don't know what you're talking about.

Some people on this forum, either have a very poor knowledge of basketball, or do not get to see a lot of NBA.
Firstly, Mystro and whoever wants to talk up Adams, should be allowed to as he is putting together some great games (whether he is Kiwi or not) especially since he is on a contender. People also forget that big guys take a lot longer to develop, thus why his play is such a pleasant surprise.
Also anyone that says Bogut is not an elite defender in the NBA has no idea. You obviously did not pay much attention to Golden State's playoff run last year. He was integral in their success, especially on the defensive end and on the boards without Lee.

If you can deter people from coming into the lane with your positional D it is even more effective, as your man isnt left alone for a dump-off or o-board while youre chasing a block.

Bogut is effective in both ways, and also has good hands for a big guy.

Adams very well might have a better career than Bogut, especially if he stays away from major injuries, but right now Bogut is a very influential player, as shown in last year's playoffs.

Errr. Golden state has the best defense in the league right now. Not sure where you are getting your little anecdotal eye test factoids from...

Not only that, but now they have an elite wing defender in iggy along with guys like bazemore, thompson and Douglas who are coming along nicely on that end.

To say that golden state is poor defensively because of Stephen curry is like saying They are poor offensively because andrew bogut has a bad elbow and cant shoot.

Look at the numbers before you even think about touching that keyboard again.

Shot blocking is the single most overrated stat in basketball.

bogut takes more charges than any other centre

Mick, GSW is second in defensive efficiency.
http://espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/teamstats/_/sort/defensiveEff/order/true

Can't argue with second in the league, but Steph Curry could lock down the ball a little more. It's the ability to stop the ball that separates good from great in the playoffs. To me, that's the single most important thing in winning a championship, hence why a superstar point guard hasn't won a ring in god knows how long.

Come the crunch (post-season), I doubt GSW will be in the top three because of that single element. Maybe even top four if Memphis hit their straps. The more I watch NBA (and basketball in general) the more I am of the opinion that offence is overrated as a whole. Especially in the NBA, guys will put the ball in the bucket--they all can.

Going back to the OP good on Adams for doing so well early on in his career. We have plenty of threads about Mills,Delly and Bogut so I see no problem in an Adams thread. He is getting meaningful minutes on a contending team in his rookie season which is great for his development.

Nice catch ss.

Absolutely agree too. superstar point guards are way overrated. Unless you count Parker, no championships have been won with one since isaiah. Guys like rondo, nash, williams or paul use way too much shot clock on the initial dribble to be efficient. Give me parker or George hill any day.

Everytime I think offense is overrated though I see tom thibodeau coach and it brings me back to earth. Such a fantastic defensive mind but couldn't coach a layup line.

Curry is a rare bird though because we haven't seen a volume shooter at that psoition with that level of efficiency maybe ever. Plus iggy can guard PGs, and sg is probably the weakest position in the league right now so you can hide curry there.

Well if you count Parker, you count Billups.
Come playoffs, how does GSW deal with KD and RW? There aren't two Iguodala's on the team. Do you rely on the second line of D?

BEST thread on Hoops for a while.

Its clear some people don't understand how defense actually works and its great to hear it explained so well in response.

Interesting thoughts on PG's, even more so on Curry. Steph is something else....
If GSW can build some consistent team D, and Bogut + Curry are healthy come playoff time then they are really gonna come close to taking the West.

back to the OP, I'm loving the look of Adams. He looks so natural, great body shape, long but not too light or too heavy, really helps for a bigman's quest to stay injury free. Nice hands and moves so well, seems to be in the right place at the right time. BIG future.

If OKC wants to win a 'ship they need to PAY THE TAX! and get a new coach. But they won't and will see both Russ and Kev leave OKC at the end of their current contracts. Then maybe the Thunder will be sold back to Seattle?

Pop seems to rate Bogut and the Dubs

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/11/10/spurs-coach-popovich-believes-warriors-are-for-real/

It was a much tougher night at the office for Steven Adams Vs the Wizards.
The game went to overtime but the Thunder snuck away with the Win.

Adams and Kendrick Perkins both went 0/3 from the field and both finished with only 1 point each.
Adams had an offensive rebound and a defensive rebound & 2 blocked shots in his 19 minutes of play.

Kevin Durant had a double double of 33 points 13 boards 6 assists & a block and Westbrook had 13.
Serge Ibaka stepped up with 25 points 12 rebounds & 3 blocks.
For the Wizards Beale high scored with 34 and Wall had 10 points 8 assists.

It just goes to show how tough an NBA schedule can be with 82 games and some back to backs, especially for someone with only 1 season of college ball. As he develops I think he will have more good games than bad ones.

What a shame these two bigs can't play against one another in an Aus v NZ game, then some questions could be answered...

Can't have been many rebound left to snare between Ibaka and Durants haul also