2 inches
Such a talented offensive player, put up big stats up at Duke, drafted 2nd round mainly because he was undersized.
2 more inches give Carlos a lot more room to get off his offensive shots which have a low release point. I think this would make Carlos extremely more efficient and a bigger scoring threat. I think it would at least allow Boozer to use his whole aresenal of offensive moves without having to always struggle getting his shot up against the defense.
2 Inches doesnt make Boozer a great defensive and maybe not even a good one, but it would improve him in terms of rebounding and maybe 2 inches is enough for Carlos to have enough motivation to leave his feet when his man shoots.
I think 2 inches would be enough to help Boozer's career enough to make him hall of fame worthy....but this is all what ifs
2 of my favorite collegiate players Salim Stoudemire and Chris Lofton get 2 more inches. They were lights out shooters in the NCAA but both would have had more realistic shot to be effective in the NBA with the extra height. Stoudemire with 2 more inches would be 6'3, and Lofton would have been 6'4
I honestly dont think the 2inches to some of the superstars you guys are naming would make a difference, Malone, Mourning, Olajuwon, Dirk, Melo, Howard??
Obviously it would help, but they're already amongst the elite players to ever pick-up a basketball...how bigger/better can they get?
The first name that comes to mind is Beasley. Derrick Williams is another. If they were 2 inches taller they could forever shed that "tweener" label. Steve Francis is another one who could've benefit from being taller. He would've been a terror at 6'5. Kevin Love would be interesting 2 inches taller. I believe he only measured at 6'7 without shoes at the draft combine.
Mike Gansey. He was 6'4 with decent athleticism and length. had he been a legit 6'6, he would have made a damn decent career backup 2 with his intangibles,hoop IQ, hustle, passion, and all-around skills. Would have been a player similar to Courtney Lee.
Hindsight, had he not gotten so sick, he may have still been an NBA player. The heat were pretty high on hiim if I remember correctly.
Sometimes a lack of height can be Motivation for some players...Guys like Chuck Hayes is a 6'6 guy playing center..They know how to use their bodies to push bigger centers off the block..And they know how to move their feet to guard quicker power forwards..
Coaches like Don Nelson loved exploiting mix matches...Some coaches didnt have an answer when he let his team played small ball with every player on the court were under 6'5...
Superstars like Barkley,Allen Iverson & Larry Johnson were all undersized..They werent traditional power forwards, shooting or point guards,if you juded them on their height..They were basketball players that you could put anywhere on the court,they played bigger than their height...
Agreed, but he would have been able to play his more natural position of SF. The one year in Sacramento that he actually got to play the 3, he avg something like 14-8 if i recall. The conditioning issue did plague him I agree, but that extra 2 inches would have helped tremedously while he was actually playing.
Hassan Adams, freak athlete who was undersized to play the small forward and not a good enough shooter/ball handler to play the two-guard. Side note, saw him and Matt Barnes working out at LMU a week ago and Adams looked out of shape, I'd be surprised if he could even dunk anymore it was that bad.
I like your prospective and eventhough this may not be a popular opinion, I am not sure Adrian Dantley wouldve been a better player with 2 more inches on him. Dantley was short, actually somewhere between 6'3 1/2 and 6'4 1/2. He was an interior player. I think he really developed his craftiness and IQ due to his height disadvantage. Sometimes, if a player already has certain physical advantages, they dont work as hard to improve certain aspects of their game. Its like when I used to play against taller players, I had to figure out different ways to get my shot off. Quicker release, better spacing, better handle, etc....There were guys I played with that were taller and had longer arms and had no problem getting their shots off, but they never developed other offensive aspects because that part came easy to them.
Ray Allen just sprang to mind a couple of extra inches would have done his 3 point range no harm and allowed to to perhaps have played some SF where his off the ball movement could have been even more effective against SF's who cannot move as quick as SG's.
Ray Allen just sprang to mind a couple of extra inches would have done his 3 point range no harm and allowed to to perhaps have played some SF where his off the ball movement could have been even more effective against SF's who cannot move as quick as SG's.
Maybe with 2 inches, thompson would have been a legit 4th pick in this draft.
From last year draft, i see my men Ed Davis(no way pre draft measurements are accurate), he'll be a good nba PF, he'll be an all star caliber potential with 2 inches, and 20 pounds of meat.
I would say, a 6'6 OJ Mayo, elton brand and as a french, Seraphin.
This guy is a short 6'9 in shoes, but a 280 pounders with a 7'3 wingspan, watching him in the post at eurobasket, you just can't move him(he's a Perk' with hops and lateral quickness), saw 7 footers and taller broke their teeth on him, even marc gasol this afternoon, 4 inches taller, then he goes through ibaka on the offensive end.
Could have been a legit nba center, he'll stay a combo like horford, big al or stoudemire under d'antoni, PF who spend most of their time at C, not necessarily a good thing for them, even less for their teams.
Name some players...past, present, or future draft picks where you think plus 2" inches in height would make a significant difference...in their careers or rating their draft stock.