Thabeet | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Thabeet

joober jones

Finally Non-Fat Guy
Joined
Nov 2, 2011
Messages
4,737
Reaction Score
9,662
Donyell Marshall was voted Big East Defensive Player of the Year, even though Calhoun (correctly IMO) said he, "couldn't guard a chair", though he led the league in blocked shots (a way-overrated stat.)

I admit to some bias, having been coached in college by someone who valued tough-nosed defense, not stats.

Blocked shots doesn't account for all the altered shots and shots not taken, but a shot blocker is a vital resource. Being a rim protector is not an overrated role.
 
C

Chief00

JC loved his project big men.

After 2007 and 2008, I felt like he was mortgaging that class just to prove that he could develop anybody. Before the 2008-09 season I asked my dad what he thought we needed to accomplish to make that era worthwhile. "Final Four." I agreed.

Well, we made the Final Four. No complaints.

Is Thabeet one of the Top 10, or even Top 20 players in this program's history? Probably not. Was his being an NBA bust surprising in the least? Not really.

But he was a big part -- arguably the defining player -- of an era that led to a Final Four and frankly the last "vintage" UConn team we've had.
You have to remember Jim Calhoun did not win an NC until he got a project, who developed into an NBA Big. His thinking was that was usually an important ingredient to have. Travis playing with Ray also knock on the door. Emeka, Josh and Charlie were a pretty impressive Big rotation in 2094.
 
Joined
Aug 30, 2011
Messages
1,359
Reaction Score
4,875
I admit to some bias, having been coached in college by someone who valued tough-nosed defense, not stats.


Yea....doesn't justify your awful take. Why don't you ask Calhoun what he thought about Hasheem's defense here?
 
Joined
Aug 27, 2011
Messages
6,205
Reaction Score
30,378
Thabeet had a lot of success in college. The accolades and honors were deserved.

He did virtually nothing as a pro.

That is certainly a fair take.
 
Joined
Aug 27, 2011
Messages
3,217
Reaction Score
10,696
I would I think Hasheem took some heat from the fans because they thought he should have been better tha
It's been 11 years so you must have forgotten how good he was. His junior year he was on every Second Team All American team, except First Team on the NABC team (2009 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans - Wikipedia). And he was the NABC Defensive Player of the Year. He was co-Big East Player of the year also.

He wasn't an offensive juggernaut but he averaged 13.6 ppg and 10.8 rpg in 2008-2009. We'd kill for that production today!

And don't you remember how other teams wouldn't even look at the basket when they were in the lane and he was near the rim? Go watch some of the games from that season.

I think people forget how good he was at UConn just because he didn't have a good pro career.
I would take Thabeet on this team in a second. I would take him on any of our teams since 2009. I think the reason Thabeet took heat from the fans is because people thought he should be even better than he was solely based on his height of 7-3. Most big men are raw and take time to develop. One thing you can say about him was that he improved every year he was here. Just look at Hasheem as a Fr and compare him to how he played as a Junior.
 
Joined
Sep 16, 2011
Messages
48,007
Reaction Score
161,466
Donyell Marshall was voted Big East Defensive Player of the Year, even though Calhoun (correctly IMO) said he, "couldn't guard a chair", though he led the league in blocked shots (a way-overrated stat.)

I admit to some bias, having been coached in college by someone who valued tough-nosed defense, not stats.
Yikes. I'm sure you were a better defender in college than Thabeet.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
33,481
Reaction Score
96,125
Donyell Marshall was voted Big East Defensive Player of the Year, even though Calhoun (correctly IMO) said he, "couldn't guard a chair", though he led the league in blocked shots (a way-overrated stat.)

I admit to some bias, having been coached in college by someone who valued tough-nosed defense, not stats.

I also played for coaches who desired tough hard nosed defense. I get that part of it. But many of his stats weren't even in columns due to not having columns for altered shots, rushed shots, afraid to take shots which he led the nation in no doubt. No one needed him to guard anyone on the perimeter although he had decent feet by the time he left. Not only was he a great rim protector in college his rebounding stats improved every year as did his scoring.

I mean I respect your opinion but it's not right in this case, or close if you actually really believe he is the most overrated player in our history. Actually again it's not close.
 
Joined
Jan 20, 2015
Messages
155
Reaction Score
956
This revisionist history about him being an overrated Husky doesn't cut it. He's obviously an NBA bust. But the guy was a game-changing defensive presence with enough offense to keep the other team honest.

In keeping with this year's theme of "what ifs" thanks to so many close, painful losses, I have little doubt we'd be a tournament team with a talent like Thabeet at center.
 
Joined
Aug 24, 2011
Messages
8,233
Reaction Score
17,484
Donyell Marshall was voted Big East Defensive Player of the Year, even though Calhoun (correctly IMO) said he, "couldn't guard a chair", though he led the league in blocked shots (a way-overrated stat.)

Calhoun, also correctly, called Thabeet "the most dominant force in the country" in 2009. Only Okafor was more complete from a defensive standpoint.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
33,481
Reaction Score
96,125
Calhoun, also correctly, called Thabeet "the most dominant force in the country" in 2009. Only Okafor was more complete from a defensive standpoint.

Wow that's a great debate with these 2. Okafor was a great defender and a really good shot blocker most of that from the pure guarding perspective. Thabeet was more secondary blocking but a dominant force in that area. Flip a coin almost here I may lean a little on that end to Thabeet but no one would be wrong. I think I go in pure size and length, thinking of what the players had to look at as they went to the basket or tried to score form the low post. Again either way the opposition had to think hard about how to squeeze one in.
 
Joined
Sep 16, 2011
Messages
48,007
Reaction Score
161,466
Wow that's a great debate with these 2. Okafor was a great defender and a really good shot blocker most of that from the pure guarding perspective. Thabeet was more secondary blocking but a dominant force in that area. Flip a coin almost here I may lean a little on that end to Thabeet but no one would be wrong. I think I go in pure size and length, thinking of what the players had to look at as they went to the basket or tried to score form the low post. Again either way the opposition had to think hard about how to squeeze one in.
No debate, Okafor was the better defender. Okafor is there with Anthony Davis as the most dominant defensive bigs of the last 20 years.
 
Joined
Aug 24, 2011
Messages
8,233
Reaction Score
17,484
Wow that's a great debate with these 2. Okafor was a great defender and a really good shot blocker most of that from the pure guarding perspective. Thabeet was more secondary blocking but a dominant force in that area. Flip a coin almost here I may lean a little on that end to Thabeet but no one would be wrong. I think I go in pure size and length, thinking of what the players had to look at as they went to the basket or tried to score form the low post. Again either way the opposition had to think hard about how to squeeze one in.

I think that most post players not named DeJuan Blair never even bothered to go after Thabeet due to his size and length. He was also deceptively fast -- I can recall many times where he would close the gap on a guard coming off a ball screen who thought he had a clear lane to the hoop and erase the shot. Okafor was a superior one on one post defender who used his quickness off the ground to block shots (Akok is similar in that regard) and understood how to position himself.

I always thought that Jake was a great "position" post defender. Okafor was just as good in that regard, and added other-worldly shot blocking instincts and quickness.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
33,481
Reaction Score
96,125
I think that most post players not named DeJuan Blair never even bothered to go after Thabeet due to his size and length. He was also deceptively fast -- I can recall many times where he would close the gap on a guard coming off a ball screen who thought he had a clear lane to the hoop and erase the shot. Okafor was a superior one on one post defender who used his quickness off the ground to block shots (Akok is similar in that regard) and understood how to position himself.

I always thought that Jake was a great "position" post defender. Okafor was just as good in that regard, and added other-worldly shot blocking instincts and quickness.

I would actually take Jake in a down low banking one on one I agree he was excellent and held his ground like EO did. Thabeet the rim protector extraordinaire, EO really good all around and Jake the stabilizer wish we had one of them now we'd be 14-3.
 

Mike Honcho

HU5KIES!
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
1,275
Reaction Score
7,439
A couple more Thabeet articles out in the past week:

B/R Mag: 'He just got left behind'

Cardiac Hill: Pitt great DeJuan Blair reflects on Hasheem Thabeet slam in interview
 

joober jones

Finally Non-Fat Guy
Joined
Nov 2, 2011
Messages
4,737
Reaction Score
9,662
There's being tough and there's being a fecal orifice. Blair was being a fecal orifice. I wonder if that gets past the filter.
 
Joined
Aug 25, 2011
Messages
13,634
Reaction Score
70,087
I admit to some bias, having been coached in college by someone who valued tough-nosed defense, not stats.

Image result for laughing gif
 
Joined
Aug 24, 2011
Messages
22,196
Reaction Score
4,333
Looking back how good do people really think he was? I mean yes he was a #2 pick but wasn't on any AA teams if I can recall, perhaps maybe a defensive team. He played for us, so I'm biased, but I'm not sure he was better than Jake or Travis. He blocked shots, and dunked demonstrably but I don't remember him having an arsenal of offensive moves.

I'm not convinced he's even in our top 5 (which speaks good for UConn): Emeka, Andre, Jake, Boone, Travis.

He was a much, much, much more impactful player than Jake or Travis. Scored, despite a lack of skills, reounded and totally changed the game on defense.

Not in Emeka's class, but as a college Center who was. We can discuss Boone -- Boone might have been better over his career but at their best Thabeet gave us a lot more. Drummond only played one year -- comparing him to those who played 3 or 4 is useless. But if I take each each of their best year's, Drummond had far more skills and was more of an NBA ready prospect but Thabeet did a heck of a lot more of making us a better team than Drummond ever did.
 

Online statistics

Members online
82
Guests online
2,219
Total visitors
2,301

Forum statistics

Threads
155,752
Messages
4,030,448
Members
9,864
Latest member
leepaul


Top Bottom