Knicks · Kristaps P=superstar (page 4)
RonRon wrote:when the cap rises 20m next year, many contending teams will have the ability to trade for CA with a large trade exemption and the assets/draft picks/and younger players needed to execute the trade and match salaries
True, I totally forgot the obvious there. That means we will have to wait till around the draft. 
Still, there are only so many teams Melo would agree to.
nixluva wrote:Rookie wrote:I don't get the comparisons to Dirk and Bargs other then they are all tall and white. Other then all 3 having the ability to spread the floor, their games are nothing alike. I see a lot of Bradley's game (when he was playing well) in KP. Again, the ability to use height and length to to protect the basket and block shots. I think that KP will develop a similar post up game to Bradley. Impossible to compare now because we haven't seen KP post up yet, but those quick spin moves or one or two dribbles before he uses his height and length to score I think will be similar. The differences are that KP has a sweet shooting form and although we didn't see him shoot much, I think he is going to be good from midrange out. I also think that KP is going to have a tremendous work ethic which will elevate him above the comparison to Bradley, but again I see similarities to Bradley that I don't see to Dirk or Bargs. I think the biggest thing for KP that will elevate his game is when he gets strong enough to establish deep post position, and I don't think it will take him that long to do it.some more film of Bradley. check the way Bradley sets the pick and then pops from the top of the key and how he stays on his feet and uses his length to defend and block shots
It seems like you've never watched any of KP's ACB highlights. He's much closer to Dirk, Pau and Bargs, than Bradley. KP is a fluid, skilled and athletic player. Bradley could move great for a guy his size but still not as fluid as KP. Yes they both have that height and length to play over the top of the defense, but KP is in constant motion on offense and can face up and drive by his man, run, catch and shoot from anywhere on the floor. Bradley wasn't really that kind of player. KP can also move his feet on D very well and I think he'd be a bit more agile than Bradley. Once again their height and length makes KP and Bradley similar in that aspect, but KP has that ability to move like a smaller player.
Yeah, the thing about KP (when comparing him to Bradley) is that Bradley was not at all athletic like KP. Not anywhere near it. Actually, who at his size EVER was? This kid can be special if he stays healthy. That drive (brother being his daily mentor with BB), BB in family, etc.
As you said, KP is just so fluid. He does not at all play like any (near) 7 footer that I can remember. Dirk in a way, but Dirk never had this kind of athleticism. And he has NO indecision in his game and moves. He is super spontaneous and yet cerebral.
His defense is going to be really fun to watch. It was just summer league, but when he was any where near the pain you can see the other team just totally change. When was the last center or player we had that did that?
I can't wait for the season to start and man has it been years since I've said that. (And looking forward to the other rook as well as our new TEAM.)
EMS
H1AND1 wrote:TripleThreat wrote:earthmansurfer wrote:Regarding Melo and trading him, the best thing we could do would be to raise his value.The general problem is the team CANNOT RAISE MELOS TRADE VALUE
The guy has a No Trade Clause. The only practical trade would be the Lakers, given it's a fit for the large market Melo desires and there's a history with Phil Jackson and that franchise and that franchise looks to acquire a "big name" for when Kobe Bryant finally burns out.
Raising someone's trade value would be like having the Red Sox and the Yankees fight over a player at the trade deadline in the past. Except in this case, said player can say - I'm only going to the Red Sox, thus removing almost all trade leverage of having the Yankees in play.
I think folks have to get truly realistic here. 10 cents on the dollar. 15 cents on the dollar. That's all the Knicks are going to get here if Melo is traded. He's not going to agree to waive his NTC to go to a gutted team. There's a good chance the Knicks will have to take a mediocre contract back as well to make the salaries match.
To drive down the price, Melo will do what many athletes do. Attack the fanbase, attack the front office, attack his team mates in the press, act like a malcontent, refuse to play even less defense than before, shotjack and never pass the ball. Basically be a sulking bitch, which Melo seems to do well.
For Zinger's sake, the Knicks better hope Melo is off the roster IF Zinger does turn into a franchise core. Fans chanting for Zinger and him getting any kind of real press buzz will only incite a low IQ selfish chucker like Melo.
What's going to amuse me the most, what will make me laugh out loud, is when Melo does get traded, that the most ardent Melo ball lickers on this forum, who try to excuse every last horse shit / team killing behavior he does, will finally turn on him and start to trash on him.
I think he meant it more of in the sense that a "rising tide lifts all boats". This team is flimsy without Carmelo giving a maximum effort and playing he kind of ball he is capable of playing. At that point the Knicks at the least will be ABLE TO TRADE Anthony. Forget about getting value back. Just the fact that he and his salary can be dumped is a net positive if the Knicks are rebuilding around The Zinger.
If the Knicks happen to get a pick or two or a young player and pick, whatever. All the better. No matter what they won't get full or even half value. But anything plus the ability to truly rebuild
Is worth it.
And as RonRon said, the cap is going up, so if we trade him at that time, we can really revamp the team. Not that I want that as we could also add another superstar. Small chance, but possible. Even another all star player could put us over (if KP and Grant start to shine.)
earthmansurfer wrote:this is a great catch. One simple indication of one's true athleticism is how they land. Its one thing to get up there (vert leap) its another to land like a cat, or land like a sack of bricks. Watch KPs lower body and feet when he jumps and lands. He's springy. He lands on the front of his feet, never the back. His body control considering his age and size really impressed me. His ability to bounce around and cover more space than a wall when fronting OK4 was telling.nixluva wrote:Rookie wrote:I don't get the comparisons to Dirk and Bargs other then they are all tall and white. Other then all 3 having the ability to spread the floor, their games are nothing alike. I see a lot of Bradley's game (when he was playing well) in KP. Again, the ability to use height and length to to protect the basket and block shots. I think that KP will develop a similar post up game to Bradley. Impossible to compare now because we haven't seen KP post up yet, but those quick spin moves or one or two dribbles before he uses his height and length to score I think will be similar. The differences are that KP has a sweet shooting form and although we didn't see him shoot much, I think he is going to be good from midrange out. I also think that KP is going to have a tremendous work ethic which will elevate him above the comparison to Bradley, but again I see similarities to Bradley that I don't see to Dirk or Bargs. I think the biggest thing for KP that will elevate his game is when he gets strong enough to establish deep post position, and I don't think it will take him that long to do it.some more film of Bradley. check the way Bradley sets the pick and then pops from the top of the key and how he stays on his feet and uses his length to defend and block shots
It seems like you've never watched any of KP's ACB highlights. He's much closer to Dirk, Pau and Bargs, than Bradley. KP is a fluid, skilled and athletic player. Bradley could move great for a guy his size but still not as fluid as KP. Yes they both have that height and length to play over the top of the defense, but KP is in constant motion on offense and can face up and drive by his man, run, catch and shoot from anywhere on the floor. Bradley wasn't really that kind of player. KP can also move his feet on D very well and I think he'd be a bit more agile than Bradley. Once again their height and length makes KP and Bradley similar in that aspect, but KP has that ability to move like a smaller player.
Yeah, the thing about KP (when comparing him to Bradley) is that Bradley was not at all athletic like KP. Not anywhere near it. Actually, who at his size EVER was? This kid can be special if he stays healthy. That drive (brother being his daily mentor with BB), BB in family, etc.
As you said, KP is just so fluid. He does not at all play like any (near) 7 footer that I can remember. Dirk in a way, but Dirk never had this kind of athleticism. And he has NO indecision in his game and moves. He is super spontaneous and yet cerebral.
His defense is going to be really fun to watch. It was just summer league, but when he was any where near the pain you can see the other team just totally change. When was the last center or player we had that did that?
I can't wait for the season to start and man has it been years since I've said that. (And looking forward to the other rook as well as our new TEAM.)
EMS
As 'nice' as his skill set and youtube highlights are the real telling thing is just watch him in motion. He's the anti-spaz. Very smooth and fluid. Anothe reason I dont want to see him bulking up just for the sake.
I dont see Shawn Bradley. I see something more like a 7'3 Tayshaun Prince. A guy with insane length who is simply an excellent basketball player... (and KP now is stronger than Prince ever was or is)
fishmike wrote:earthmansurfer wrote:this is a great catch. One simple indication of one's true athleticism is how they land. Its one thing to get up there (vert leap) its another to land like a cat, or land like a sack of bricks. Watch KPs lower body and feet when he jumps and lands. He's springy. He lands on the front of his feet, never the back. His body control considering his age and size really impressed me. His ability to bounce around and cover more space than a wall when fronting OK4 was telling.nixluva wrote:Rookie wrote:I don't get the comparisons to Dirk and Bargs other then they are all tall and white. Other then all 3 having the ability to spread the floor, their games are nothing alike. I see a lot of Bradley's game (when he was playing well) in KP. Again, the ability to use height and length to to protect the basket and block shots. I think that KP will develop a similar post up game to Bradley. Impossible to compare now because we haven't seen KP post up yet, but those quick spin moves or one or two dribbles before he uses his height and length to score I think will be similar. The differences are that KP has a sweet shooting form and although we didn't see him shoot much, I think he is going to be good from midrange out. I also think that KP is going to have a tremendous work ethic which will elevate him above the comparison to Bradley, but again I see similarities to Bradley that I don't see to Dirk or Bargs. I think the biggest thing for KP that will elevate his game is when he gets strong enough to establish deep post position, and I don't think it will take him that long to do it.some more film of Bradley. check the way Bradley sets the pick and then pops from the top of the key and how he stays on his feet and uses his length to defend and block shots
It seems like you've never watched any of KP's ACB highlights. He's much closer to Dirk, Pau and Bargs, than Bradley. KP is a fluid, skilled and athletic player. Bradley could move great for a guy his size but still not as fluid as KP. Yes they both have that height and length to play over the top of the defense, but KP is in constant motion on offense and can face up and drive by his man, run, catch and shoot from anywhere on the floor. Bradley wasn't really that kind of player. KP can also move his feet on D very well and I think he'd be a bit more agile than Bradley. Once again their height and length makes KP and Bradley similar in that aspect, but KP has that ability to move like a smaller player.
Yeah, the thing about KP (when comparing him to Bradley) is that Bradley was not at all athletic like KP. Not anywhere near it. Actually, who at his size EVER was? This kid can be special if he stays healthy. That drive (brother being his daily mentor with BB), BB in family, etc.
As you said, KP is just so fluid. He does not at all play like any (near) 7 footer that I can remember. Dirk in a way, but Dirk never had this kind of athleticism. And he has NO indecision in his game and moves. He is super spontaneous and yet cerebral.
His defense is going to be really fun to watch. It was just summer league, but when he was any where near the pain you can see the other team just totally change. When was the last center or player we had that did that?
I can't wait for the season to start and man has it been years since I've said that. (And looking forward to the other rook as well as our new TEAM.)
EMS
As 'nice' as his skill set and youtube highlights are the real telling thing is just watch him in motion. He's the anti-spaz. Very smooth and fluid. Anothe reason I dont want to see him bulking up just for the sake.
I dont see Shawn Bradley. I see something more like a 7'3 Tayshaun Prince. A guy with insane length who is simply an excellent basketball player... (and KP now is stronger than Prince ever was or is)
Yeah when you see KP run it doesn't look like he's as tall as he is. Just look at him Sprint -
nixluva wrote:Yeah when you see KP run it doesn't look like he's as tall as he is. Just look at him Sprint -
did he walk at the end? Seems like he took bunny steps and then another lol
BRIGGS wrote:Since you came on this board you have been way off in regards to trade value... Melos value is 80-85% of what it was. The Knicks will be able to command a pick or two and two very good young players.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhw7MjSMkAQ[/youtube]
"The Rose"
Some say love, it is a river
And that it drowns the tender reed
And some say love, it's like a razor
And that it leaves your soul to bleed.
Some say love, it is a hunger
An endless aching need
I say love, it is a flower
And you, it's only seed.
It's a heart afraid of breaking
That never learns to dance
It's a dream afraid of waking
That never takes the chance
It's the one who won't be taken
Who can not seem to give
And the soul afraid of dying
That never learns to live.
When the night has been too lonely
And the road has been too long
And you think that love is only
For the lucky and the strong
Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snows
Lies the seed that with the sun's love
In spring becomes the rose...
martin wrote:nixluva wrote:Yeah when you see KP run it doesn't look like he's as tall as he is. Just look at him Sprint -did he walk at the end? Seems like he took bunny steps and then another lol
Yeah I think the Refs felt the play was just to beautiful to mess it up with a lame call.
Rookie wrote:looks pretty athletic here
Yeah that was a great play. I think it's more about how KP is able to use his agility and quickness in the course of every minute of the game. His body control is on another level. But none of this is to bash Bradley at all. He was a freak of nature to be able to do what he did at that height. I just think KP is a different type of player. KP is kind of a new prototype IMO.
RonRon wrote:when the cap rises 20m next year, many contending teams will have the ability to trade for CA with a large trade exemption and the assets/draft picks/and younger players needed to execute the trade and match salaries
No NBA analyst or insider believes the cap will dramatically jump up that much in one season. Across a period of seasons with some type of "smoothing" option, sure, and likely after a protracted labor war.
If Melo moves at THIS seasons trade deadline, what happens to the cap in the future will have no bearing on the fact that the Knicks will have to take in a mediocre to bad contract to get a close salary match.
How many teams will Melo reasonably waive his No Trade Clause for? I mean realistically.
Out of those teams, how many will part with a franchise core to get Melo ( Quick answer - None of them)
Out of those teams, to make the salaries match enough make the trade legal, what kind of player do you think the Knicks will get at that chunk of salary? Melo is not going to a gutted team.
Kobe Bryant wanted out of the Lakers, the Bulls were interested, but what was the problem? In order to get Kobe to the Bulls, the Bulls would have to gut themselves to the point where the team could not contend with Kobe Bryant coming in. It was Bryant's No Trade Clause that leveraged the situation, but the Lakers simply refused to make a deal suitable just for Kobe Bryant's whims.
It's a two way street. The No Trade Clause means Melo can leverage where he goes and how much comes back, however making it so limited creates a pure disincentive for the Knicks to trade him at all. Unless he does what a lot of disgrunted guys do to their teams, attack their fanbase, their team mates , their franchise and dog it openly.
No one is giving up Blake Griffin for Melo. No one is giving up Jimmy Butler. They aren't even getting D'Angelo Russell.
Something like Roy Hibbert, Nick Young and Julius Randle would be the HIGHLY OPTIMISTIC AND REALISTIC RETURN. A large disposable contract, a mediocre player on an unpleasant but not totally brutal contract and an edge of the lottery type prospect.
The Clippers are not going to trade Paul, nor Griffin ( why trade the younger more marketable player?), nor clearly Jordan in any deal.
The Bulls can get 80 percent of Melo's one sided game and offensive punch for Mirotic on a bargain contract without gutting their team to do it.
Houston? Since when has Daryl Morey paid top shelf price for anything?
Who else?
Trading Melo won't be this massive wealth of options that some of you believe it will be.
This will be a bitter ugly divorce between a team and a player. Zen Master is a one of a kind savant manipulator of the media and wants to protect his waning legacy. Melo can't say three sentences without saying something team killing or idiotic to the press and doesn't seem to understand simple things like social grace, professionalism and diplomacy. This current Knicks team is not likely to make the playoffs. How do you guys think this is going to end?
It's like watching a car crash about the happen long before it happens in slow motion.
Melo is going, but it's going to be bloody and the Knicks aren't going to get the bounty that some of you think they will. Then again, some of you had these grand plans for free agency and what happened? Most of your ideas went nowhere. Most of your trade scenarios went nowhere.
Melo is a depreciating asset and the entire league ( except maybe Sacto and Denver) knows it.
That something COULD happen is different world than if it's LIKELY to happen.
The cap could jump 20 million in one offseason without a massive labor war and without the owners hedging for a smoothing option. It technically COULD happen. Then again, flying cows could rain milk all over the ghost of Charlies Hayes playing third base for the Yankees. Coke could turn into Pepsi. Briggs could stop waiting by the mailbox for a return reply from Mensa. But is it LIKELY?
He played a year at BYU, served a two year Church mission in Australia, and then immediately declared for the draft. I think he put himself behind the eight ball in doing so. While on that two year basketball hiatus, his skills obviously atrophied. LDS missionaries have minimal time to play anything more than the occasional (a couple of hours a week max) pickup game. Their nutrition is often spotty--although in Australia I suspect he didn't starve--and he certainly had no opportunity to keep up with the game, watch tape, lift weights, etc. He should've returned to BYU, gotten back into the discipline of the sport, played for a year, and then declared for the NBA.
I also understand the argument that the best way to prepare for the NBA is to play in the NBA. In Bradley's case, I don't think that approach did him any favors.
fishmike wrote:Have you tried masturbation?
I'll ask your mother. She's still in my bathroom flossing.
( If you want some from me, feel free to come get some, fishmike. Anytime, the store is always open mother fucker. The last time you stepped up to me, you said it was impossible for a veteran NBA player to work hard and learn to develop a three point shot ( i.e. how could STAT change to help the Knicks back when he was on their roster) After pointing out Jason Kidd, Spencer Hawes and Chris Bosh all put in the work and blood to do it to help their teams, you just dismissed it and went ahead and headed out with your tail between your legs. Feel free to go snitch to a Staff member, and I hope they tell you the same thing, if you don't want some, don't go looking for some. I'm talking basketball, how the league operates, market value, labor issues, trade history, positional value, etc, etc, and here you are being a total jack off.
Irony for you there. A total jack off talking about masturbation. I'll let your mom go make me a sandwich now. )
Rookie wrote:looks pretty athletic here
Nice looking play.
I looked at a few vids of him on YouTube before commenting on his athleticism- and the videos basically confirmed what I had remembered about him. Had his moments, but his strength, coordination, and quickness never caught up with his size, for the most part.
Sometimes it looked like he was moving in slow motion, but he was so darn big that he could do his thing, anyway. His problem is that he was drafted as high as he was.
Actually had a 20/20/13 blks game once.
Maybe Ralph Sampson is a better past player for a comparison with KP as he develops? Just too early to tell, and that is why I'm not a big fan of this thread.
WaltLongmire wrote:Rookie wrote:looks pretty athletic here
Nice looking play.I looked at a few vids of him on YouTube before commenting on his athleticism- and the videos basically confirmed what I had remembered about him. Had his moments, but his strength, coordination, and quickness never caught up with his size, for the most part.
Sometimes it looked like he was moving in slow motion, but he was so darn big that he could do his thing, anyway. His problem is that he was drafted as high as he was.
Actually had a 20/20/13 blks game once.
Maybe Ralph Sampson is a better past player for a comparison with KP as he develops? Just too early to tell, and that is why I'm not a big fan of this thread.
Hes no Ralph Sampson or Sean Bradley. If he wants to be a super star in the nba he can be.He can simply be a PF/C who emulates Kevin Mchale/Pau Gasol. Hes got great touch he 7-2.5 if he works hard on post moves the weight room and stays healthy--nothing will stop him. Hes the only Knick worth paying to see right now.
TripleThreat wrote:fishmike wrote:Have you tried masturbation?
I'll ask your mother. She's still in my bathroom flossing.
( If you want some from me, feel free to come get some, fishmike. Anytime, the store is always open mother fucker. The last time you stepped up to me, you said it was impossible for a veteran NBA player to work hard and learn to develop a three point shot ( i.e. how could STAT change to help the Knicks back when he was on their roster) After pointing out Jason Kidd, Spencer Hawes and Chris Bosh all put in the work and blood to do it to help their teams, you just dismissed it and went ahead and headed out with your tail between your legs. Feel free to go snitch to a Staff member, and I hope they tell you the same thing, if you don't want some, don't go looking for some. I'm talking basketball, how the league operates, market value, labor issues, trade history, positional value, etc, etc, and here you are being a total jack off.Irony for you there. A total jack off talking about masturbation. I'll let your mom go make me a sandwich now. )
Classy
fishmike wrote:TripleThreat wrote:fishmike wrote:Have you tried masturbation?
I'll ask your mother. She's still in my bathroom flossing.
( If you want some from me, feel free to come get some, fishmike. Anytime, the store is always open mother fucker. The last time you stepped up to me, you said it was impossible for a veteran NBA player to work hard and learn to develop a three point shot ( i.e. how could STAT change to help the Knicks back when he was on their roster) After pointing out Jason Kidd, Spencer Hawes and Chris Bosh all put in the work and blood to do it to help their teams, you just dismissed it and went ahead and headed out with your tail between your legs. Feel free to go snitch to a Staff member, and I hope they tell you the same thing, if you don't want some, don't go looking for some. I'm talking basketball, how the league operates, market value, labor issues, trade history, positional value, etc, etc, and here you are being a total jack off.Irony for you there. A total jack off talking about masturbation. I'll let your mom go make me a sandwich now. )
Classy
How many of you guys post with multiple accounts?
WP76 wrote:We'll never know but I think Bradley's level of success in the NBA might have been significantly higher had he played another year of college basketball.He played a year at BYU, served a two year Church mission in Australia, and then immediately declared for the draft. I think he put himself behind the eight ball in doing so. While on that two year basketball hiatus, his skills obviously atrophied. LDS missionaries have minimal time to play anything more than the occasional (a couple of hours a week max) pickup game. Their nutrition is often spotty--although in Australia I suspect he didn't starve--and he certainly had no opportunity to keep up with the game, watch tape, lift weights, etc. He should've returned to BYU, gotten back into the discipline of the sport, played for a year, and then declared for the NBA.
I also understand the argument that the best way to prepare for the NBA is to play in the NBA. In Bradley's case, I don't think that approach did him any favors.
Amazingly, he actually gained some weight during his mission, but was still relatively weak.
His body clearly seemed to have an problem metabolizing food/nutrients, IMO, but I'm not a nutritionist.
Interesting player, but KP is at a another level athletically, IMO.
Article from 1993 about Bradley that deals with his weight: Greg Shepard runs a business, based in Utah, called "Bigger, Stronger, Faster." That's what Shepard, the strength coach for the NBA's Utah Jazz, does. He trains athletes to become bigger, stronger, faster. His most recent client has been 7-6 Shawn Bradley, the 76ers' first-round draft choice. Shepard is working with Bradley on strength, flexibility and agility. But now the Sixers are finalizing a plan for Bradley to begin his training regimen in Philadelphia, in concert with coach Fred Carter, assistants Tony DiLeo and Jeff Ruland, trainer Mike Abdenour and strength and conditioning consultant Pat Croce. If Sixers general manager Jim Lynam can work out the details with Bradley and his agent, attorney David Falk, Bradley could be in town early next week. He would not, however, be expected to participate in the Sixers' camp for rookies and free agents that begins Tuesday at Holy Family College, or in the six-team Arrowwood summer league in Rye, N.Y., that begins July 16. "I would say it could be sooner rather than later," Lynam said. "This has been a mutual thing because we're in this thing together." Shepard has been training athletes for 29 years and has been associated with the Jazz since 1981. He said he has worked with 18 athletes 7-feet or taller, including the Jazz's 7-4 Mark Eaton. "One of the first questions about Shawn was whether the weight he gained while he was on his (Mormon) mission (in Australia) was muscle or fat," Shepard said. "We did a hydrostatic weighing with him, putting him underwater to get the most accurate measure. You get a weight, use a formula, then determine his percentage of body fat. He came up at 7.8 percent. "When Eaton first came to the Jazz (in 1982), he weighed 280 pounds, had 18.5 percent body fat, which meant he was carrying 52 pounds of fat. But he really dedicated himself to training, got up to 300 pounds, got his body fat down to 8.5, which meant he was carrying 26 pounds of fat. "I think Mark and Shawn have similar frames, and Shawn picks up the techniques we use as fast as anyone I've seen. He's 21, maybe could eventually weigh as much as 330. I'm not saying he should weigh that much, but he certainly could get to 280 to 300. "The key is doing athletic things while you gain. If all you do is gain weight, then try to be athletic, it doesn't work. Shawn's aware of that. He's an athlete, I saw how much his agility and flexibility improved in the last three weeks." When Croce sent Shepard a fax of the program he had in mind for Bradley, Shepard said he was impressed. "Sometimes a lot of mistakes are made," Shepard said, "but what Pat sent me was similar to what I wanted to do." Croce and Ruland originally had intended to visit with Bradley and Shepard in Utah. The Sixers have had a terrific track record with first-round draft choices training - and even playing ball - with the team before signing contracts. They are anticipating second-round pick Alphonso Ford, a 6-2 guard from Mississippi Valley State, joining them for next week's camp sessions. But Bradley's situation is unique, in that he played just one season for Brigham Young University and only recently has returned from the two-year mission in Australia. "We've said from the outset that this is a unique set of circumstances and that we need to address it in a unique manner," Lynam said. Bradley, who played collegiately at somewhere between 205 and 215 pounds, was listed in the league's predraft biography at 235 and is being listed by the Sixers at 248. All parties have agreed that he needs to train intensely before resuming competitive basketball. "That's not to say we won't be working with him on basketball skills," Lynam said. "There's no magic to this (timetable). If he needs two or three weeks of training first, then fine." The Sixers, though, clearly preferred Bradley training locally, rather than in Utah. Bradley's home is in Castle Dale, Utah, about three hours from Salt Lake City. "He was going to have to relocate as it was to be near the right kind of facility," Lynam said. "But had he stayed in Salt Lake, it would've meant us communicating with his trainer as the middleman and not really being sure where the best (pickup) games for him might be. They could've been there, they could've been in Provo, we weren't positive. This way, nothing gets lost in the translation." That's what Shepard wanted, too. "I was real worried at first, because Shawn was going in all different directions, visiting teams and such (before the draft)," Shepard said. "I felt he should train first, then do the other things. But he did absolutely the correct thing (deciding to go to Philadelphia). " . . . I've predicted that (the league) might someday have to raise the basket (from 10 feet) to 12 feet, maybe start having the players wear pads. I mean, players like Karl Malone (6-9, 255) and Shaquille O'Neal (7-1, 300) could be average guys in 10 years. "If that happens, we'll start having guys 300 to 350 moving like Malone, moving better, jumping out of sight, running fast and fluid. Shawn has the potential to take basketball to another level. He's so far ahead of where Eaton was, it's not funny. What will separate Shawn is his competitive nature. "Here's an example. I test athletes in the standing long jump - three steps. Shawn did 23 feet the first time. I said that was below average for someone his size, so he asked to do it again. I told him 25 feet would be average, he did 25 feet, 7 inches. To me, that was phenomenal, because it was his first time. What happens if he works at it?" In his one season at BYU, Bradley averaged 14.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.21 blocks, leading the nation with 177 blocks and setting NCAA freshman records for total blocks and blocks per game. He became the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year and helped the Cougars to a 21-13 record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. In three seasons at Emery (Utah) High, he averaged 20.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and 5.4 blocks, leading his teams to an aggregate record of 68-4.Sixers Figure Bradley Worth Weighting For
by Phil Jasner, Daily News Sports Writer
POSTED: July 09, 1993