That was my next question. Why are we supposed to be hot for Pek? Dude is 27. Ok. So no upside. He is an efficient scorer in the paint. Yeah, but so is Milsap and many others. Is he an enforcer? No. Is he a rim protector? No. Is he a rebounding monster? No. What do the Blazers need at Center? Short of snagging an All-Star center that is very good at several things, I think the Blazers need a rim protector (which is why they went after Hibbert), and/or they need an excellent defensive rebounder (which is whey they went after Hibbert). One of those is good, both is better, and best of all would add having a bit of an offensive game so the team is not playing 4 on 5 at the offensive end. Pek doesn't qualify as a rim protector or a rebounder. At least Big Al can rebound (as well as play offense).
Plus with all that said we can go to all the work of trying to sign Pek and then MIN can match. At least Al Jeff is unrestricted.
Well this is the scouting report. I think he is a dude that can take up a ton of space in the paint. We are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league; but more importantly, we have a hard time boxing out. HAVING a strong guy down low to clog the paint and make it hard for guards to penetrate and score around the rim is a huge benefit.
I think that's lip service man. But then again we are talking about Khan whom has made countless mistakes after mistakes.
Except he doesn't make it hard for teams to score at the rim. Minnesota actually has the highest opponent FG% in the league for shots at the rim.
How about we use the Oden/Hickson tag-team. Hickson on O and Oden on D. Sub them at every dead-ball. Have the longest games ever. Only half joking.
Not saying we should, but it..wouldnt hurt.to offer it..... Pek or al Jeff would provide size and skill.
Well one person can't do it all. Love is a terrible defender and their other PF sucks just as bad too.
If he was able to affect the rim at all, then they wouldn't have the highest % against them, regardless of who is along side him. #1 team, by the way, is Indiana. They have one guy, primarily, protecting the rim.
Yep. I was WAY more on-board with Hibbert getting MAX from us then getting Pek. Hibbert > Al Jeff > Pek = Hickson (Not as a player but as contribution)
But what's their ranking for that 3-9' range? Does it also suck? That could be an indicator of good interior defense - keeping the opponent from getting to the rim, and then forcing a miss. I don't watch enough MIN games, but Pek did look like a big body who could alter shots in the limited time I saw him play. I wouldn't throw max at him, and I probably wouldn't waste time with a reasonable offer since he's RFA. But I wouldn't hate having him on the roster.
I disagree. Mark Eaton wasn't much of a shot blocker or rebounder; but the guy altered so many shots around the rim just because of his size. Does it deserve Max? Probably not, but there is a tax on quality bigs.
Mark Eaton was a very good shot blocker. You don't know what you're talking about. Pekovic is not a rim protector, sorry.