He's not there yet, most of the jump shots he makes are wide open 12 - 15 footers. But, he's still young and can improve. In any case, OKC didn't give him a $50 million contract due to his scoring. He'll never be more than the 4th or 5th option on that team. So, any scoring they get out of him is a bonus. Best case, he can become consistent enough with his jumper that teams will actually be forced to guard him, meaning fewer double teams for Durant, and less help defense on Westbrook and Harden. BNM
From yahoo article: Ibaka was the No. 24 pick in the draft in 2008, the same year Presti selected Westbrook. A native of the Republic of Congo, Ibaka remained overseas for a year before joining the Thunder and developing into a defensive stopper. He led the NBA with 198 blocks in the 2010-11 season and finished second in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year last season after recording a league-best 241 - a franchise record 3.65 per game. ''He's come a long way in a short amount of time, but I've seen a lot of hard work that's gone into that on his behalf, and that gives us confidence that he's going to continue to work at it,'' Presti said. Ibaka has steadily improved his offensive game, adding a mid-range jumper while starting to develop effective post moves. But he's best known for his defensive impact, particularly after blocking at least 10 shots in three games last season - once as part of a triple-double.
OKC has 2 franchise players and overpaid for their 4th-best player, yet people are whining about Batum getting a 4-year contract when the team is obviously going to build through the draft with LMA as the franchise player, and Batum being the only other starter making over the MLE next season. Basically, I completely agree with you, and I'll add that the Blazers are trying to solidify a foundation while paying for a young player who had his market price determined by another team.
I think someone forgot to t ake their crazy pills. That is a very good and rational argument. Maybe I forgot to take some pills because it makes sense to me.
