The Kemba/Shabazz difference

[Deleted member 3149]

IMO, their games are very similar. Shabazz admits that he emulates Kemba's game. Difference here, Kemba hits the shot yesterday in regulation to put Memphis away early. Kemba had a unique thing going for him with buzzer beater shots, almost to the point where it was weird.

Shabazz in overtime is Kemba at the buzzer... Both unique and sensational.

 

[mauconnfan]

IMO, their games are very similar. Shabazz admits that he emulates Kemba's game. Difference here, Kemba hits the shot yesterday in regulation to put Memphis away early. Kemba had a unique thing going for him with buzzer beater shots, almost to the point where it was weird.

Shabazz in overtime is Kemba at the buzzer... Both unique and sensational.

Maybe it was Kemba that pushed it back out then because it was IN…….lol………good comparison though!

 

[Deleted member 3149]

Maybe it was Kemba that pushed it back out then because it was IN…….lol………good comparison though!

That ball literally went in and magically came out lol. At least shabazz kept it going in OT!

 

[UChusky916]

Bazz is not as physical or explosive as Kemba but he makes up for it with better BBIQ and a craftiness that Kemba had but not to Bazz's level. Also I think Bazz is a better jumpshooter but Kemba was better at getting to the rim and finishing.

Both guys have similar heart and determination. Kemba took us to the promise land. And he did it in 3 years.

 

[UConnDad]

Bazz is not as physical or explosive as Kemba but he makes up for it with better BBIQ and a craftiness that Kemba had but not to Bazz's level. Also I think Bazz is a better jumpshooter but Kemba was better at getting to the rim and finishing.

Both guys have similar heart and determination. Kemba took us to the promise land. And he did it in 3 years.

Agree with all of this. If it takes Bazz an extra year we could have a record number of positive posts!

 

[Lefty2one]

Agreed about the athleticism difference, probably the biggest reason why Kemba was a lottery pick and Bazz is projected as a late second round pick. Kemba was a much, much better finisher in traffic and a better defender as well.

Still, after watching Bazz as a freshman/sophomore I never thought he'd get to the level he's at now as a college player. He's got a legitimate argument to the third-best PG we've ever had behind Kemba & KEA.

 

[Henry]

As players, their affect on the team is similar. They were both there at crunch time. However, also remember that most of Kemba's "magic" came in the last 11 games. The 2011 team did not have a great regular season and were a bubble team until guaranteeing an NCAA bid by winning the BE tourny.

 

[Bosoxfan44]

I think this year's team is more experienced and talented than the 2011 team. A lot of things need to go right in order to win the big dance.
What the 2011 team did by winning so many games in a row might never happen again. Winning the Big East Tourny w/o a bye and then six games in a row in the NCAA is amazing.

 

[SubbaBub]

Bazz is a better rebounder, pure shooter and defender. Kemba drove the ball better, was better around the rim and was a better leader. The gap though is certainly closing to the point where the differences are more type than magnitude. The major difference is of course willing a team through knockout competition.

 

[Excalibur]

Bazz is a better rebounder, pure shooter and defender. Kemba drove the ball better, was better around the rim and was a better leader. The gap though is certainly closing to the point where the differences are more type than magnitude. The major difference is of course willing a team through knockout competition.

agree with everything but the defender part. Kemba would often let someone else guard the best perimeter player to conserve energy, but he could be a lockdown defender when called upon. He never seemed to get caught up on a ball screen.

 

[intlzncster]

[quote="Bosoxfan44, post: 850998, member: 4564"]I think this year's team is more experienced and talented than the 2011 team. A lot of things need to go right in order to win the big dance.
What the 2011 team did by winning so many games in a row might never happen again. Winning the Big East Tourny w/o a bye and then six games in a row in the NCAA is amazing.[/quote]

More experienced, yes. More talented? No. Jeremy Lamb would be the second best player on this year's UConn team. Oriakhi and Roscoe were both better than all the posts this year.

And despite what people claim, Kemba is/was a better player than Shabazz.

 

[UConnDad]

Kemba was more aggressive. He would make you try to guard him. Even double teamed it was very difficult to do. Could split the double easily. And as far as rebounding Kemba was all over the place. The stats may have Bazz with more but Kemba had better rebounders inside. And Kemba was a better defender. But Bazz is the best player in the country this year!

 

[intlzncster]

Kemba was more aggressive. He would make you try to guard him. Even double teamed it was very difficult to do. Could split the double easily. And as far as rebounding Kemba was all over the place. The stats may have Bazz with more but Kemba had better rebounders inside. And Kemba was a better defender. But Bazz is the best player in the country this year!

Kemba should have been NPOY that year. Jimmer Chitwood was simply every middle aged white dude writer's dream.

 

[mcs333]

No question Bazz is better than Kea. Kea stats 15 PPG, 3 RB and 4 a. Bazz has a chance to be a first team AA with stats that are sig. Better than Kea.

 

[ecasadoSBU]

We have not seen the best of Napier yet. He continues to improve as March approaches. its amazing. Let him be. Comparisons gotta wait till May

 

[Inyatkin]

Kemba should have been NPOY that year. Jimmer Chitwood was simply every middle aged white dude writer's dream.

See also: McDermott, Doug

 

[CTPride]

Bazz is a better 3 point shooter and passer than Kemba. Kemba has a slight slight slight edge in everything else.

 

[Kembacity]

SO this year will likely be the 2nd time we've had our star win the Cousy but lose the NPOY award to a hot-shooting white boy. I give McDermott more credit than Jimmer. Jimmer didn't deserve that at all, how do you get NPOY as a guard and not win the Cousy? Makes no sense!

 

[Kitaman]

When Bazz shoots you expect its going in. When Kemba shot you knew it was going in.


Disclaimer: Some of this is distorted because of Bazz's long range bombs.

 

[Danzz]

Bazz is not as physical or explosive as Kemba but he makes up for it with better BBIQ and a craftiness that Kemba had but not to Bazz's level. Also I think Bazz is a better jumpshooter but Kemba was better at getting to the rim and finishing.

Both guys have similar heart and determination. Kemba took us to the promise land. And he did it in 3 years.

I don't think Bazz necessarily has a BBIQ but their games are similar in many ways. Although Bazz is sneaky quick Kemba was explosive. We are lucky to have had both of them. Their biggest similarity: they both can take over a game in the final minutes and finish off opponents.

 

[B1GEast]

If you had to choose between Bazz and Kemba to play PG, 90 percent or more would take Kemba. Bazz is good, but Kemba was special.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I don't think Bazz necessarily has a BBIQ

Another strange one from you. Isn't Kevin Ollie on record as saying Shabazz has a higher basketball IQ than any guard he's been around besides Andre Miller?

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

When Bazz shoots you expect its going in. When Kemba shot you knew it was going in.

Is this to say that Kemba was a better shooter? Because I think he clearly wasn't. Even his last year when his shot looked tighter and more reliable he never came close to hitting 40% from three. With Shabazz, if he puts it up, I assume it's going in, no matter where he is on the court. If he's got a big isolated on him at the top of the key and he pulls up I'm legitimately shocked when he misses.

 

[PAHusky]

Is this to say that Kemba was a better shooter? Because I think he clearly wasn't. Even his last year when his shot looked tighter and more reliable he never came close to hitting 40% from three. With Shabazz, if he puts it up, I assume it's going in, no matter where he is on the court. If he's got a big isolated on him at the top of the key and he pulls up I'm legitimately shocked when he misses.

I could be interpreting this incorrectly, but I think it meant that Kemba's heroics were so consistently awe inspiring that, as a fan, there was none of that late game anxiety that usually happens when your team is tied and the ball is in their hands. Despite the crazy amount of close games played in 2011, for most of the year (at Texas, Nova for instance) and then especially by the BET (i.e. Gary McGee, whose soul allegedly still haunts MSG looking for his ankles) and the NCAA's you knew as a fan that anything Kemba put up in crunch time was going in. By this point Bazz has played so well, just a shade behind Kemba, that you think any shot he puts up will fall. It has much less to do with their shooting accuracy and a lot more to do with the confidence level they respectively inspire within our fans.

 

[Danzz]

Another strange one from you. Isn't Kevin Ollie on record as saying Shabazz has a higher basketball IQ than any guard he's been around besides Andre Miller?

Don't know what Ollie said but they both have pretty good BBIQ from what I've seen. Based on your earlier post (shooting % etc) it seems like you think Bazz is better than Kemba . An argument could be made either way but I lean toward Kemba on a close call. I don't see anything strange about that and if you polled this board the vote would likely be straight down the middle. These are two great guards and you can't go wrong either way.