SKAL BACK
- Thread starter Tetsujin
- Start date
At the very least, Noel's career peak of shotblocking destroys Skal's, and is quite a bit better than Queta's. Noel's career shotblocking is actually pretty similar to Queta's, but that's across 10K minutes and starting nearly half his games, compared to Queta's 150 minutes and no starts ever. If Nerlens Noel is healthy and himself, there's every reason to think he's the best shotblocker of the bunch by a long shot.
Noel also has a history of being one of the best subs in the game. He was absurdly good with OKC and that first year with NYK. Granted, that was 3 years ago now, so who knows if any of that is still left, but that version of Noel is an absolute game-changer. He also hasn't been healthy at all, so maybe he can rediscover some of that with a clean bill of health.
Thinking from Skal's perspective, he's just trying to get/stay in the league.
Given his size, playing for a storied program, and selection in the first round, he might have been hoping for a long and successful career. While he's made more money than most of us over a lifetime, it's puny by NBA standards.
He's still a young guy and has a few good years ahead of him if he gets a chance and is able to prove himself. Not sure if we are the team for that, given that we have a pretty full roster, but there likely isn't much of a market for him.
The choice is between G-league/Europe/Asia. I guess he can get paid more elsewhere, but the next 1-2 years might be his last shot for an NBA career, and he's probably prioritizing that over money.
For us, not sure. Our 3-4 spots are pretty much loaded with Barnes, Sasha, Keegan, and Edwards, and Lyles too potentially seeing some time there. Not sure if Skal plays 4, or is a good fit there. The battle for the final big(s) is between Noel, Neemias, and now Skal. One for sure, will not make the roster. Having him in the G-league allows us to keep tabs on him, and sign him if he shows potential. In any case, a move that costs us nothing, and allows us to monitor a "young" player.
Given his size, playing for a storied program, and selection in the first round, he might have been hoping for a long and successful career. While he's made more money than most of us over a lifetime, it's puny by NBA standards.
He's still a young guy and has a few good years ahead of him if he gets a chance and is able to prove himself. Not sure if we are the team for that, given that we have a pretty full roster, but there likely isn't much of a market for him.
The choice is between G-league/Europe/Asia. I guess he can get paid more elsewhere, but the next 1-2 years might be his last shot for an NBA career, and he's probably prioritizing that over money.
For us, not sure. Our 3-4 spots are pretty much loaded with Barnes, Sasha, Keegan, and Edwards, and Lyles too potentially seeing some time there. Not sure if Skal plays 4, or is a good fit there. The battle for the final big(s) is between Noel, Neemias, and now Skal. One for sure, will not make the roster. Having him in the G-league allows us to keep tabs on him, and sign him if he shows potential. In any case, a move that costs us nothing, and allows us to monitor a "young" player.
He isn't putting anything together at age 27, I hope folks aren't trying to fool themselves into thinking that he's going to develop into something great. He is who he is with an occasional good to great game that makes you think "what if," but it's too late for that. I would be surprised if he made the team and super surprised if he ever cracked the rotation.
I think he's a great person with loads of talent, but putting all of it together seemed to be too much for him. It was never about skills for him, it was the between the ears stuff. Lacked toughness mentally as a young player, I distinctly remember him having issues in college too.
I think he's a great person with loads of talent, but putting all of it together seemed to be too much for him. It was never about skills for him, it was the between the ears stuff. Lacked toughness mentally as a young player, I distinctly remember him having issues in college too.
Largely agree, but there's always hope 
FWIW, Whiteside had achieved less in the NBA than Skal did, and had bounced around in China and Lebanon before joining Miami at age 25 and becoming an All-Star.
Not saying that Skal can have a similar jump (of course, Hassan's case is quite rare). Even a fraction of that will be good though. That said, given that he will barely see time even if he makes the roster, we might not be the ideal destination for him.
FWIW, Whiteside had achieved less in the NBA than Skal did, and had bounced around in China and Lebanon before joining Miami at age 25 and becoming an All-Star.
Not saying that Skal can have a similar jump (of course, Hassan's case is quite rare). Even a fraction of that will be good though. That said, given that he will barely see time even if he makes the roster, we might not be the ideal destination for him.