<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">What the heck is wrong with Mek? The short answer is a sprain of Emeka Okafor's right big toe. He says that won't keep him out of a home game tonight against the Denver Nuggets. The long answer is more complicated. Twenty-one games into his second season, he has regressed from the standards he set as NBA Rookie of the Year. The numbers say it, opponents notice it, and Okafor -- still the best asset the Charlotte Bobcats have -- acknowledges it. "I try to dissect it, try to cut it up, I try to analyze. I don't know," Okafor said Friday. "I busted my (butt) this summer. But I'm not getting the results I thought I'd get. Not at all." The numbers show it. All his significant statistics -- 12.7 points per game, 9.7 rebounds per game and 39 percent shooting from the field -- are off last season's pace. The shooting percentage is a plummet, considering he shot a respectable 45 percent last season. When he's on -- at least 19 points and 10 rebounds -- the Bobcats are 2-1 this season. But those dominant performances happen less frequently and it's no longer a lock he'll average a double-double for the season. A bright guy and analytical by nature, Okafor is mystified. "You've got theory and you've got reality," he said. "The reality? I don't know. I'm trying, though. I've always tried and I'm always going to try." If Okafor has no theories, then we'll supply a few: The downside of respect Remember how surprised the NBA was by Okafor's immediate productivity as a scorer? Defenses have adjusted and it's biting into his game.Opponents double-team immediately when Okafor catches the ball in the post. Last season, teams were more likely to wait until he made a move to give help. This tests him as a passer, and so far he's not tested well. This happens to big men; Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing committed constant turnovers until they recognized where double-teams come from and how to exploit them. "To me, it's real simple: Pass the ball," coach Bernie Bickerstaff said. "And we're telling his teammates to get into position to receive the pass." Bickerstaff said this is as much a jump-shooting issue as an Okafor issue. Particularly when Kareem Rush was injured, opponents didn't fear the jump-shooters beating them. "The problem has been our perimeter shooters," Bickerstaff said. "New Jersey had three or four guys around Mel (Ely) and Emeka. Our bigs are always playing in traffic."</div> Source
His shooting last year was not respectable. 45% for a big man is just bad. They should stop running playing for him to take jump shots. He shot 32% on jumpers last year, and only 21% this year. The fact that jumpers take up 1/2 of his shot attempts is ridiculous.
my gut is that okafor requires more time than most to come into his own and define his role on a team. we certainly saw that at uconn. regardless of his performance to this point, i still think he's got the potential to make an impact in the league. injuries - especially a big toe - aren't really an excuse where this guy is concerned. he played with a pretty serious back injury through the better part of two seasons with the huskies.
Emeka will be fine, almost every good player in the L has their "off" seasons every once in a blue moon.
^ I agree, he is just dealing with constant double teams now. Another thing that's hurting him is the lack of perimeter shooters on the team. Kareem Rush is a good shooter, but he is streaky. Other than him, there are no other consistent outside shooters on the team.
