SKAL BACK

Just based on what I have seen with these guys, Noel would be my preference over Quetta and Skal. If he's healthy I think he is clearly better for our team needs, namely shot blocking and interior defense.
 
gilly420 said:
Just based on what I have seen with these guys, Noel would be my preference over Quetta and Skal. If he's healthy I think he is clearly better for our team needs, namely shot blocking and interior defense.
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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.
 
Capt. Factorial said:
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.
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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.
 
The_Jamal said:
Kind of what everyone has already said in the thread. It's a camp battle for the back-up/3rd C slot and the 15th man on the roster. Does sound like Skal might be headed to our G-League team too.
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Yeah, there’s lots of reporting now that this is an Exhibit 10 so it might be more of a deal to get the guy into our system and versed with the schemes before the Stockton season more than anything else.
 
Well, I have no idea what the purpose would be to put Skal in the G-league but he's been there already I guess. Maybe he's going the Mikki Moore path.
 
He realistically has 3-5 years of peak basketball left. This team has had success with it's G-League not just as a feeder for players but for coaches too.
Pure speculation, but I think Skal had some relationships here that he is hoping to cultivate into long term work outside of just playing.
 
Capt. Factorial said:
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.
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I have always considered shot blocking overrated. I am much more concerned with changing shots. That is something Queta was very good at in the G League. His sheer size and length makes players think twice when they get in the lane.
 
SacTownKid said:
Well, I have no idea what the purpose would be to put Skal in the G-league but he's been there already I guess. Maybe he's going the Mikki Moore path.
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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.
 
We aren't going to have a ton of backup minutes for Skal because most, if not all, of the backup minutes for every position should go to Lyles, Duarte, Monk, and Sasha.
 
Whoever wins this Battle For Backup Center, it's going to be a good battle. It's well set up to produce a "surprise" type contributor who comes in with 5-10 effective minutes a game, whether it's Skal, Noel, Len, or even Queta.
 
ShastaKingsFan said:
Notice the soft touch on all his shots. Always impressed me

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Wow!

All the tools are there; size, athleticism, smooth jumper, soft touch, outside shot, rebounding, shot blocking.

I know that everyone looks good in highlight reels, but per the video, he's not a one trick pony. Hope, for his sake and ours, that he can put it all together.
 
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.
 
Sac.Kings said:
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.
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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.
 
Sac.Kings said:
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.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't write everyone off this soon in their life. Remember what a guy like Hassan Whiteside was able to do, after leaving the league and then coming back. You never know, some people mature a lot later
 
Sac.Kings said:
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.
Click to expand...

Hassan Whiteside says hello.
 
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