Lance gets a workout with the Nets

[NovaScotian]

http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/66965/20100602/nets_will_work_out_two_groups_of_six/

I remember coach mike saying that lance was an nba caliber player earlier this season, but seriously, the nets must be taking lance's 'king of nj' tattoo a little seriously. but really, good for lance.

[Osiagledknarf]

Call me crazy, but I think he has a chance to be signed as an undrafted free agent and possibly make a team. He has the skills defensively and has the ability to guard 3's and smaller 4's.. He can rebound and defend, something that he could possibly make the roster as a 11th/12th man or D-League guy.

I think it isn't as far fetched that he could signed and possibly make a team, I really don't.

[Verga3]

With Lance's character, leadership abilities and work ethic, any NBA team would be extremely fortunate to have him on their roster. He is a champion.

[cspan37421]

This kind of reminds me of the stuff about Jon, his "t-rex" arms, etc. Yeah, he can never play in the NBA, because all he does is WIN, score, dish, WIN, protect the ball, rebound, WIN. Nobody wants that, right?

It's so crazy, they come up with some measurement that proves that not only is winning not everything, apparently, it's not anything!

[gumbomoop]

During his first 3 seasons, LT seemed to me afflicted with undisciplined, chaotic energy. Maybe he began to turn that around in 2d half of his junior year. Anyhow, I thought I saw - and it took me awhile, and probably other posters persuaded me of this - a much more disciplined player early his senior year.

I thought he ran more smoothly, played [usually] with controlled rather than wild fierceness. Now I'm talking strictly physical skills, not leadership, about which no one had any doubts.

But skills-wise, his D clearly improved, became much smarter. So I can see why K asserted that LT might make some NBA team [remember he said that?].

But I sure hope LT pulls out some heretofore hidden consistency re basic O skills: handle, footwork, stationary screening. Maybe his pretty fair elbow jumper will be found a plus, but I'd have to think he'd need to show he can do something on O other than set screens. Not a whole lot, but something else.

I sure hope this happens. I wouldn't have given it much chance 12 months ago, but it's no longer inconceivable. For all I know, several NBA teams may be looking for a 10 mpg situation-stopper on D. Now I think about it, all NBA teams need such a player. Is LT that player?

[ChicagoCrazy84]

LT would not be the first undersized PF ever to make an NBA squad without an offensive skill set...or wait, would he be? Its certainly not impossible, but even with his play for us his senior year, he has a long way to go. I was always hard on Lance mosly because he was maybe a tad overhyped out of high school, but I sure hope he gets picked up because he improved a bunch throughout his career with us. I know it took everyone, and I mean everyone to make 2010 a NC year, but we would not have won without LT. Here's to a small miracle for Lance!

[basket1544]

Lance has the rebounding skills and defensive skills necessary to be a pro. However, he's got to take a lot more shots than he did for Duke this year. At times his offense was a hinderance for the rest of the team. It became 4 on 5 since the defender knew they could drift off of Lance and guard Kyle (or whoever was hot) instead.

[AZLA]

http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/66965/20100602/nets_will_work_out_two_groups_of_six/

I remember coach mike saying that lance was an nba caliber player earlier this season, but seriously, the nets must be taking lance's 'king of nj' tattoo a little seriously. but really, good for lance.

Good for Lance. If you look at his height and build, and then, couple it with his great character and leadership (and tattoos) on a championship team, he's definitely worth taking a look at.

Now if Jon would just go ahead and get a few good tats himself -- he might go first round :) .

Any suggestions?

[Dukefan4Life]

Lance has the rebounding skills and defensive skills necessary to be a pro. However, he's got to take a lot more shots than he did for Duke this year. At times his offense was a hinderance for the rest of the team. It became 4 on 5 since the defender knew they could drift off of Lance and guard Kyle (or whoever was hot) instead.

I don"t think lance has to take more shots in the NBA. His game his Energy hussle and being a glue guy. I think putting all those together he will be fine at the next level

[SilkyJ]

Lance has the rebounding skills and defensive skills necessary to be a pro. However, he's got to take a lot more shots than he did for Duke this year. At times his offense was a hinderance for the rest of the team. It became 4 on 5 since the defender knew they could drift off of Lance and guard Kyle (or whoever was hot) instead.

Lance took and made quite a few mid-range jumpers this year. Early in the season it was one of the pleasant surprises b/c in previous years your post would have been 100% right. This past year though, when defenders drifted off him he shot the mid-range J with confidence.

I think there are some people out there that keep those kind of stats (i.e. types of shots taken- layups versus jumpers, etc.), though I'm not exactly sure who they are.

EDIT: Found it! I know this guys posts here, but I couldn't find his handle to PM him so I found his website and sure enough they kept "Type of shots" stats the last 2 seasons.

Lance jumpshots Jr year: 5-20
Lance jumpshots Sr year: 23-65

IIRC he was hitting those jumpers earlier in the season, then slumped a little later. He hit 2 in the championship game tho!

If you click on the link, you can see he shot quite well from the elbows, but from the foul line to the 3 point line, i.e. dead-on, he struggled.

God I love stats and links!

http://www.scacchoops.com/tt_player_page.asp?hplayer=268&tab=3

[flyingdutchdevil]

IMO, Lance is a poor man's ex-UCLA-guy-on-the-Bucks-whose-name-I-can't-remember-or-spell. Lance can definitely make the NBA - but I really don't see him being much more than a really good practice player. There are players who are much more athletic and better defenders at his spot. Sure - Lance has leadership, but when was the last time a recruit out of college became a leader while also being a 9-12th man?

I really hope Lance makes it, but, IMO, both Z and Jon have much better chances.

[DukieInBrasil]

IMO, Lance is a poor man's ex-UCLA-guy-on-the-Bucks-whose-name-I-can't-remember-or-spell. Lance can definitely make the NBA - but I really don't see him being much more than a really good practice player. There are players who are much more athletic and better defenders at his spot. Sure - Lance has leadership, but when was the last time a recruit out of college became a leader while also being a 9-12th man?

I really hope Lance makes it, but, IMO, both Z and Jon have much better chances.

I agree with this take. The only way LT is going to make the league in any significant way would be if he can show that he can make that elbow jumper very consistently. He just doesn't have enough other offensive options and his rebounding is less than impressive for a player his size.

Could the player you're thinking of be Luc Richard Mbah a Moute?

[flyingdutchdevil]

Could the player you're thinking of be Luc Richard Mbah a Moute?

Yes! A rich man's Lance! That is a badass name, BTW. Almost as good at LaceDarius Dunn.

[ElSid]

This kind of reminds me of the stuff about Jon, his "t-rex" arms, etc. Yeah, he can never play in the NBA, because all he does is WIN, score, dish, WIN, protect the ball, rebound, WIN. Nobody wants that, right?

It's so crazy, they come up with some measurement that proves that not only is winning not everything, apparently, it's not anything!

Reminds me of the "all he does is catch touchdowns" quote from the NFL. Buddy Ryan about Cris Carter, I think.

Sounds awful, right?

[uh_no]

Lance has the rebounding skills and defensive skills necessary to be a pro.

You realize those two skills are the exact opposite of what is necessary to succeed in the NBA?

seriously....who in the NBA actually plays defense and rebounds?

best of luck to lance

[toooskies]

You realize those two skills are the exact opposite of what is necessary to succeed in the NBA?

seriously....who in the NBA actually plays defense and rebounds?

best of luck to lance

Every single game in this year's NBA playoffs has been determined by not only the stars on offense, but whether the other team has a guy that can play defense against the other team's stars. The Cavs couldn't guard Rondo. VC couldn't guard Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis couldn't guard Garnett. Perkins could guard Howard, despite not being an offensive juggernaut. No one can guard LA at every position.

The NBA stereotypes of "it's all one-on-one basketball" and "no one plays defense" are a little old. It's a meme of the 80's, 90's, and early 00's. I still like college basketball more-- it's better to watch a game where fans actually care what's going on-- but as basketball, they're playing at a much higher level.

[ncexnyc]

That so many are selling Lance short. Didn't we learn anything from the recent adventures of our very own Greg Paulus?

[Cockabeau]

We are NOT selling Lance short here. Gifted position defender and extremely limited on offense.

[DevilHorns]

Every single game in this year's NBA playoffs has been determined by not only the stars on offense, but whether the other team has a guy that can play defense against the other team's stars. The Cavs couldn't guard Rondo. VC couldn't guard Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis couldn't guard Garnett. Perkins could guard Howard, despite not being an offensive juggernaut. No one can guard LA at every position.

The NBA stereotypes of "it's all one-on-one basketball" and "no one plays defense" are a little old. It's a meme of the 80's, 90's, and early 00's. I still like college basketball more-- it's better to watch a game where fans actually care what's going on-- but as basketball, they're playing at a much higher level.

Thank you. If anyone thinks there is no defense in the NBA needs to look at this article on our very own Shane Battier http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15Battier-t.html

The games are longer, the season is longer, and play-off series are not single-game elimination. You have to conserve energy to some extent. If you are beat on a play, it may not be in your best interest to expend all your effort, for example. For the casual viewer this is seen in stark contrast to the 100% commitment and effort we see every Duke game.

[Devilsfan]

Lance impressed me most in an area where I never before gave him credit. At the basketball banquet Lance's speech would have been voted best if there was a contest. He looked at the audience and spoke from his heart. No notes, no reading. A genuine heartfelt speech that surpassed all others including Dick Broadhead's trying to be cool and relate to Duke sports fans. Lance has a tremendous command of the English language and a teriffic manor of communicating his thoughts. Hats off to a young man everyone associated with Duke should be and will continue to be very proud of, imo.

[COYS]

Thank you. If anyone thinks there is no defense in the NBA needs to look at this article on our very own Shane Battier http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15Battier-t.html

The games are longer, the season is longer, and play-off series are not single-game elimination. You have to conserve energy to some extent. If you are beat on a play, it may not be in your best interest to expend all your effort, for example. For the casual viewer this is seen in stark contrast to the 100% commitment and effort we see every Duke game.

To support your point, check out the NBA's offensive efficiency statistics: http://espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/teamstats

The top teams in college basketball last year had much higher offensive efficiencies and much better defensive efficiency stats, as well, but that's more the product of the greater variability of opposing teams in college basketball. NBA teams don't have the benefit of playing a team as relatively poor as Penn as Duke did last year. Even the Nets aren't quite that untalented compared to other NBA teams. If Duke only plays ACC teams all year, our offensive rating would probably have been much closer to 1.12 points per possession, which the Suns had to lead the NBA last year. Similarly, because the college season is shorter, one big game on O or on D can significantly skew the stats. The length of the NBA season allows stats to regress back towards to the mean.

It is true that the top college teams also had better defensive ratings, but that is also the result of playing many games against significantly inferior competition. If the top 30 teams played each other for an entire NBA length season, you'd probably see efficiency stats similar to what the NBA has now.

[basket1544]

You realize those two skills are the exact opposite of what is necessary to succeed in the NBA?

seriously....who in the NBA actually plays defense and rebounds?

best of luck to lance
I think you meant this sarcastically. Every team needs someone that will look to rebound instead of looking to score and will step to the help side defense. Lance does these two things instinctively. My only concern is that the opponent may realize he can drift away from Lance to double on someone else. Lance has shown at times that he has a good jump shot, he just needs to take it when he's open.

[DukieInBrasil]

We are NOT selling Lance short here. Gifted position defender and extremely limited on offense.

Finally!!! Something you said that I can agree with wholeheartedly and without reservation. And even beyond that, I would argue that the very existence of this thread is testament to the fact that we are not selling him short. Several people, including K himself, believe that LT might work his way on to a roster. I say he has less than a 50/50 chance, but even at that, I'm sure that LT would be happy with that. A la Shawshank Redemption, "Just give me that chance." Go Lance!!!

[uh_no]

Every single game in this year's NBA playoffs has been determined by not only the stars on offense, but whether the other team has a guy that can play defense against the other team's stars. The Cavs couldn't guard Rondo. VC couldn't guard Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis couldn't guard Garnett. Perkins could guard Howard, despite not being an offensive juggernaut. No one can guard LA at every position.

The NBA stereotypes of "it's all one-on-one basketball" and "no one plays defense" are a little old. It's a meme of the 80's, 90's, and early 00's. I still like college basketball more-- it's better to watch a game where fans actually care what's going on-- but as basketball, they're playing at a much higher level.

I was being sarcastic :P

the better teams in the league play defense....the lakers, celtics, heat...etc

the bottom half is so painful though.....people stand around...don't box out....

maybe lance can show them how its done

[amat1129]

During his first 3 seasons, LT seemed to me afflicted with undisciplined, chaotic energy. Maybe he began to turn that around in 2d half of his junior year. Anyhow, I thought I saw - and it took me awhile, and probably other posters persuaded me of this - a much more disciplined player early his senior year.

I thought he ran more smoothly, played [usually] with controlled rather than wild fierceness. Now I'm talking strictly physical skills, not leadership, about which no one had any doubts.

But skills-wise, his D clearly improved, became much smarter. So I can see why K asserted that LT might make some NBA team [remember he said that?].

But I sure hope LT pulls out some heretofore hidden consistency re basic O skills: handle, footwork, stationary screening. Maybe his pretty fair elbow jumper will be found a plus, but I'd have to think he'd need to show he can do something on O other than set screens. Not a whole lot, but something else.

I sure hope this happens. I wouldn't have given it much chance 12 months ago, but it's no longer inconceivable. For all I know, several NBA teams may be looking for a 10 mpg situation-stopper on D. Now I think about it, all NBA teams need such a player. Is LT that player?

I totally agree, i also think that he has flourished when he has been able to guard guys at his natural position on the wing rather than his first few years where he was at such a mismatch guarding much bigger players on the block

[NovaScotian]

can we get real here for a minute? of course lance is an excellent player, and would be an asset to whatever team he is on - no one disagrees with that. but can anyone who honestly believes lance will play in an nba game point to someone who is currently on an nba roster that is WORSE than lance?

let's remember, shelden williams, who was a GREAT defender and rebounder (2006 DPOY, duke career blocks and rebounds leader), and a decent post scorer in college has sat basically at the end of the bench in the nba since his rookie year. shelden is a much better rebounder than lance has ever been (career 3.6 rpg, 4.9 rpg in '10), a much better defender (though perhaps less versatile), and a much better scorer than lance (who let's get real, aside from his sixty or whatever jumpers this year, was invisible offensively). and he still can't crack an nba rotation.

this isn't to pooh-pooh lance, or shelden for that matter. it's to point out that the talent level in the nba is so great, that even shelden, who was one of the best players to put on a duke uniform, is basically a garbage minutes player.

a lot has been said about his offensive game, and how many nba stars also have basically no offensive skills. but are we so duke-biased that we think lance could have the impact of ben wallace or anderson varejao or birdman anderson? bruce bowen was a great (albeit dirty) defender, but he never would have been a star if he didn't learn to hit the corner three. has lance shown any ability to be confident or consistent in his shot?

so, yes - lance thomas is a great basketball player. i love him very much, and have many fond memories of watching him play. but it's not enough to say "all he does is win." who is he better than? who would he be replacing?

[SupaDave]

can we get real here for a minute? of course lance is an excellent player, and would be an asset to whatever team he is on - no one disagrees with that. but can anyone who honestly believes lance will play in an nba game point to someone who is currently on an nba roster that is WORSE than lance?

let's remember, shelden williams, who was a GREAT defender and rebounder (2006 DPOY, duke career blocks and rebounds leader), and a decent post scorer in college has sat basically at the end of the bench in the nba since his rookie year. shelden is a much better rebounder than lance has ever been (career 3.6 rpg, 4.9 rpg in '10), a much better defender (though perhaps less versatile), and a much better scorer than lance (who let's get real, aside from his sixty or whatever jumpers this year, was invisible offensively). and he still can't crack an nba rotation.

this isn't to pooh-pooh lance, or shelden for that matter. it's to point out that the talent level in the nba is so great, that even shelden, who was one of the best players to put on a duke uniform, is basically a garbage minutes player.

a lot has been said about his offensive game, and how many nba stars also have basically no offensive skills. but are we so duke-biased that we think lance could have the impact of ben wallace or anderson varejao or birdman anderson? bruce bowen was a great (albeit dirty) defender, but he never would have been a star if he didn't learn to hit the corner three. has lance shown any ability to be confident or consistent in his shot?

so, yes - lance thomas is a great basketball player. i love him very much, and have many fond memories of watching him play. but it's not enough to say "all he does is win." who is he better than? who would he be replacing?

You'll be surprised what can happen when certain people get to play a faster style of basketball. Lance ALWAYS had to play pretty much a slow back to the basket game in college. He is fast and sleek and much more suited for the NBA. I've said this before and even butted heads with Jumbo on the issue - Lance Thomas CAN be an NBA player.

The whole basis of the above argument is a bit redundant when you consider the fact that Shelden is STILL a NBA player. So if you want to compare Lance to someone on the bench then fine. Lance will be a NBA player on the bench.

He also would bring something to a Nets team that looked lost last year - a championship attitude for starters.

You want some NBA players WORSE than Lance? Well it really doesn't matter. That's not what business or the NBA is about. Players work out everyday waiting on phone calls. Players get old, players get injured, and players become disgruntled. Once a team has found a pool of players they like - you can be assured that the players are notified. Teams REALLY like the types that keep their hard hats on.

Will he make it? Who knows? But everyone told me Paulus couldn't be a football player either...

[uh_no]

Will he make it? Who knows? But everyone told me Paulus couldn't be a football player either...

anyone who said that was friggin stupid....wasn't he player of the year in HS for football?

[Orange&BlackSheep]

You realize those two skills are the exact opposite of what is necessary to succeed in the NBA?

seriously....who in the NBA actually plays defense and rebounds?

best of luck to lance

Um, Dennis Rodman?

[El_Diablo]

Um, Dennis Rodman?

Shhhhhh.....he doesn't fit into the meme. Neither does Charles Oakley (whose prime offensive contribution for most of his career was simply hitting open jumpers). Of course, Lance isn't on the same level as players of that caliber...his ceiling may be more like a Jared Jeffries role (but on a smaller scale).

Honestly, if you're the Nets, wouldn't it make sense to get a jump start on the CBA and replace a player like this:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=998

...and save about $4 million per year? Would his 0% 3-point percentage really be that missed in NJ?

[1Devil]

Lance seems a lot more like a future coach than any kind of NBA player.

[SupaDave]

anyone who said that was friggin stupid....wasn't he player of the year in HS for football?

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1482&highlight=baseless+paulus

Enjoy...

[davekay1971]

Lance has the rebounding skills and defensive skills necessary to be a pro. However, he's got to take a lot more shots than he did for Duke this year. At times his offense was a hinderance for the rest of the team. It became 4 on 5 since the defender knew they could drift off of Lance and guard Kyle (or whoever was hot) instead.

Maybe that's why Lance, along with Zoubs, was so instrumental with second chance points and kick-outs. Looking at our offense as 4 on 5 (or 3 on 5 before Zoubs picked up his scoring later in the season) really misses what made us so offensively efficient all season long - we had 3 scorers and 2 guys who just worked like crazy setting screens, getting offensive rebounds, and finding open shooters. It was a 5 man offense all season long.

In the NBA, Lance isn't going to have to take one shot to have value to a team. NBA offenses are set up to find open looks and isolation for the premier scorers. If Lance gets the opportunity to play the kind of lock-down D on 3s and 4s in the NBA that we know he can, and if he can be an effective rebounder at both ends, he can contribute to an NBA offense the same way he did our offense this year - by screening, offensive rebounding, and good, smart passing. Think a player like Dennis Rodman or Ron Artest, but without all the crazy.

[Indoor66]

Maybe that's why Lance, along with Zoubs, was so instrumental with second chance points and kick-outs. Looking at our offense as 4 on 5 (or 3 on 5 before Zoubs picked up his scoring later in the season) really misses what made us so offensively efficient all season long - we had 3 scorers and 2 guys who just worked like crazy setting screens, getting offensive rebounds, and finding open shooters. It was a 5 man offense all season long.

In the NBA, Lance isn't going to have to take one shot to have value to a team. NBA offenses are set up to find open looks and isolation for the premier scorers. If Lance gets the opportunity to play the kind of lock-down D on 3s and 4s in the NBA that we know he can, and if he can be an effective rebounder at both ends, he can contribute to an NBA offense the same way he did our offense this year - by screening, offensive rebounding, and good, smart passing. Think a player like Dennis Rodman or Ron Artest, but without all the crazy.

Yet! :D Maybe the crazy goes with the position?

Actually, I wish only the best for Lance. He worked and works hard and has earned and deserves everything he gets. He will be a success in life.

[DukieInBrasil]

Um, Dennis Rodman?

Dennis the Rod man hasn't played in the NBA in about 10 years.

[DukieInBrasil]

Maybe that's why Lance, along with Zoubs, was so instrumental with second chance points and kick-outs. Looking at our offense as 4 on 5 (or 3 on 5 before Zoubs picked up his scoring later in the season) really misses what made us so offensively efficient all season long - we had 3 scorers and 2 guys who just worked like crazy setting screens, getting offensive rebounds, and finding open shooters. It was a 5 man offense all season long.

In the NBA, Lance isn't going to have to take one shot to have value to a team. NBA offenses are set up to find open looks and isolation for the premier scorers. If Lance gets the opportunity to play the kind of lock-down D on 3s and 4s in the NBA that we know he can, and if he can be an effective rebounder at both ends, he can contribute to an NBA offense the same way he did our offense this year - by screening, offensive rebounding, and good, smart passing. Think a player like Dennis Rodman or Ron Artest, but without all the crazy.

I agree with this take, especially the bold part, which i thought was funny (LT's well on his way to equalling the tats tho'). I would say that Artest has a great deal more offensive potential and production than LT has ever shown. As limited as Rodman was on offense he was a decent O-rebounder who was effective at put-back scoring. LT was not particularly good at that aspect of offense and due to lack of elevation or nastiness, he got blocked a lot close to the basket.

[NovaScotian]

The whole basis of the above argument is a bit redundant when you consider the fact that Shelden is STILL a NBA player. So if you want to compare Lance to someone on the bench then fine. Lance will be a NBA player on the bench.

what i was saying is that shelden is leagues better than lance, at everything that lance does, and shelden is one of the last guys on that bench.


I agree with this take, especially the bold part, which i thought was funny (LT's well on his way to equalling the tats tho'). I would say that Artest has a great deal more offensive potential and production than LT has ever shown. As limited as Rodman was on offense he was a decent O-rebounder who was effective at put-back scoring. LT was not particularly good at that aspect of offense and due to lack of elevation or nastiness, he got blocked a lot close to the basket.

lance is also a generous 6'8", so his rebounding would be put to the test when with 2-3 defenders who are well taller than him.

[muzikfrk75]

I just don't see it happening.

[SupaDave]

I just don't see it happening.

Why not? B/c it's ACTUALLY happening. See something you guys have to be able to do is separate the imagined from actual reality.

Right now - he's getting a shot with the Nets - an NBA team. He has to prove himself and work hard but the truth of the matter is that he currently has one foot in the door.

Debate as you may but count me as one of the ones who thought Shav should have NEVER left the team. He most definitely proved me wrong.

[SupaDave]

what i was saying is that shelden is leagues better than lance, at everything that lance does, and shelden is one of the last guys on that bench.



lance is also a generous 6'8", so his rebounding would be put to the test when with 2-3 defenders who are well taller than him.

Lance is a much FASTER player than Shelden. His game is much better situated for a 24 second clock which routinely features plays like back door cuts, give and gos, high screens, pick and rolls, and alley-oops. Learn to see the big picture.

[phaedrus]

Could the player you're thinking of be Luc Richard Mbah a Moute?

I thought at first he meant Kareem. But that would have been a little generous.

[Orange&BlackSheep]

Dennis the Rod man hasn't played in the NBA in about 10 years.

So are you asserting the NBA has fundamentally changed since Rodman's retirement? I really think that is crazythink.

Speak up, anyone, who believes that Dennis Rodman would not be making mid-level money in today's game to play great D and have a nose for the ball.

[DukieInBrasil]

So are you asserting the NBA has fundamentally changed since Rodman's retirement? I really think that is crazythink.

Speak up, anyone, who believes that Dennis Rodman would not be making mid-level money in today's game to play great D and have a nose for the ball.

Not at all. Rodman was one of the best ever at what he did, including being weird. He made great money then and would make great money now. I was merely pointing out that he isn't in the NBA now, unlike Artest who is helping his team to this year's Finals. And I do think the game has changed, not fundamentally though. Allowing zone D has moved the game away from the 1-on-1 clear out type offense somewhat.
I actually think that Rodman is a better comparison for LT than Artest, as LT has a much more limited offensive game than Ron, as did Dennis. However, I am not willing to claim that LT is in the same category as Rodman in terms of being a great rebounder and ball-hound. Rodman was also much stronger and phenomenally chiseled, and although LT is very chiseled as well he is not as strong as Dennis was nor does it appear that LT has the frame that DR had. Rodman was a great offensive rebounder and LT wasn't that great while at Duke. Maybe LT will continue to get stronger and if given a chance to make the Show, perhaps LT will focus more on those things which got him there. Go Lance!!!

[SupaDave]

So are you asserting the NBA has fundamentally changed since Rodman's retirement? I really think that is crazythink.

Speak up, anyone, who believes that Dennis Rodman would not be making mid-level money in today's game to play great D and have a nose for the ball.

Actually after watching this - the case for Lance improves for me. Dennis wasn't a necessarily a big player coming out of college if you look at the Detroit clips. But his legs got arguably bigger as his career progressed.

Strangely enough - his highlight plays are highly reminiscent of what Lance's would look like this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS5yQJQewJU

[gumbomoop]

However, I am not willing to claim that LT is in the same category as Rodman in terms of being a great rebounder and ball-hound. Rodman was also much stronger and phenomenally chiseled, and although LT is very chiseled as well he is not as strong as Dennis was nor does it appear that LT has the frame that DR had.

I'm sort of agnostic on the basic issue of whether LT could actually make the NBA.

I was still watching the NBA some when DR was a really Big Thing. The biggest difference between DR and LT, IMO, is footwork. I always thought LT's footwork on O was lacking, really lacking.

Consider a comparison between LT and Casey Sanders, who at times just couldn't figure out which was his pivot foot, resulting in some amazing Twister moments. LT not as twisted as Casey, but he must have known his limitations, for he simply quit trying to do much one-on-one. More than anything, that factor held him back on O. Probably not a coincidence that he also never developed an adequate handle, for handle and footwork must be connected, yes?

Since LT's hope for landing in NBA depends totally on D-stopper, I could see him finding a spot. Wouldn't predict it, but could see it. After all, even on NBA second-teams, you got 3 players happy to shoot. LT has some experience setting screens. Most of them legal.