Post by KruPaxson on Jan 17, 2007 3:18:29 GMT -5
If you looked up the word "tweener" in the dictionary(www.dictionary.com) you would find the following definition:
Main Entry: tweener
Part of Speech: n
Definition: an athlete, esp. a basketball player, who does not do not possess enough size for one position or enough quickness for another
Usage: slang
Tweeners are often looked at as outcasts or possibly as the potential prospect that will change the game of basketball. Scouts often give up on guys because his skills don't reflect his body type or his body type doesn't translate into a definitive position. There is another type of player out there that posses skills to play multiple positions and this player is known as a combo player due to the fact he can play a combination of positions. The question remains though, Is there a spot for them in BBS?
A tweener often has skill there is no question about that but does their skills outweigh the potential flaws that a team can expose. We will take a look into a few current players and look at some guys that will be up coming in the draft and see if this will impact teams from drafting them.
The most current name in the league is the multi talented Steve Francis. Steve Francis has the body of PG but acts more like a SF. He posses great speed and athleticism but really doesn't have the consistent jump shot to be a SG nor does he have the floor presence and passing ability to be a great PG. So where does that leave him? You put him at PG you are risking at least 3-5 topg and really either limit your team's scoring or Francis' scoring. You put him at SG chances are that FG% drops as he stays on the outside of the floor. You put him at SF who is he guarding? There is no doubt Francis is a special talent but he doesn't fit the Bill, and no I wasn't talking about Bendernagel. If the Hawks can figure out a way to maximize his talents he can be great if not he could be just a guy that's in the Dunk Contest every year like Harold Miner was.
Jamal Crawford is a bit of a different case the Francis. Crawford can play the 2 or the 3 and be fine there but he is listed at the PG position. He is an intriguing prospect at 6'7 and has amazing handling ability but does he possess the passing ability to be a true PG. He is like a young Penny Hardaway. Penny had success at both the PG/SG positions. Crawford could be one of those luxury players or could be a guy that's trying to be something that he is not.
Earl Boykins has either been blessed or damned by God. Boykins has a 5'5 body frame and is not a true PG. He may play PG but the guy is a SG at heart. He sure can score but he is often exposed on the defensive end getting posted up and scored on at will. He is a strong off the ball defender and is lightning quick(I think a big reason for his B- handles). He can score the ball off the dribble due to his speed but struggles to get his teammates involved. If he was 6'6 and not 5'5 we might be looking at a hall of famer.
Troy Hudson and Bobby Jackson are two similar guards that could probably be successful SG in the league if they were a bit taller and they both play the PG position. These 2 seem to be the protégés of Vernon Maxwell.
Jason Terry was another young guy questioned at draft day for being the future of the Jazz Franchise. Ironically fellow tweener David Wesley stole the job from him last season.
Honorable Tweeners
Lindsay Hunter
Dana Barros
Damon Jones
Erick Strickland
Brent Price
Chris Whitney
Marko Jaric
Not all Tweeners are guards there are a handful of bigger guys that share the same problem.
Donyell Marshall is one of those special guys that you have no idea what to do with. Sure he can play PF at 6'9 but he is a guy that can play inside and out which tempts you to play him at SF because who doesn't love a SF that can rebound the ball. Although despite being capable of knocking it down from the outside he isn't the greatest outside option. I'd rather him be inside but he isn't a post player.
Keith Van Horn was middle America’s next Larry Bird. Don't you hate when they compare every good white player to Larry Bird? Well KVH is another player that can go inside out but is way to soft to play inside on the boards.
Antoine Walker. Scout rave non stop about Walker and his ability to handle, shoot, drive, pass the basketball. Walker is one of the biggest teaser tweeners out there because yes he can do a little bit of everything but does that almost hurt him. I'd rather see Walker sticking his fat ass down low then shooting 3's from the outside but he is too small to be a PF but is way too inconsistent from the outside. He could be a great PG but he is too slow. One thing for sure is Walker will be giving Jah a bunch of headaches.
Robert Horry has the body of a big man but is in love with the 3pt ball. The difference with him and rest is that he can hit it with consistency. Although he is a horrid defender on much smaller and quicker SF along the perimeter.
Honorable Mention
Charles (BO) Outlaw
Larry Johnson
Pat Garrity
Michael Smith
Wang Zhi-Zhi
The upcoming years in the draft bring up players that leave the questions where can they fit?
Gilbert Arenas-Much like a Steve Francis...Is he a PG or a SG
Dwayne Wade-Is in the same boat as Arenas
Memet Okur-Has the size of a big man but the game of a SF, will he have the size to play C or the speed to play SF?
Joe Johnson-Like a Crawford is listed as a PG but will he ever be a true PG or wind up at SG,SF?
Joseph Forte- Too small to play the 2 but not really a PG
Gerald Wallace-Amazing athletic ability but doesn't possess a J or a Post game
Terrence Morris-Can he handle the PF spot in the pros
Nikoloz Tskitishvili- Where is this Euro going to play?
Drew Gooden-SF or PF
Juan Dixon-Much like Damon Jones, Chris Whitney and all the other smaller guards before him
Fred Jones-Plays like a Forward but at 6'4 he plays with the guards
Now of course there are always exceptions to these tweeners.
Allen Iverson is the ultimate tweener and has flourished personally scoring at will. He is a league leader in stls.
As for the bigs...
Dirk Nowitzki is a 7 footer that actually plays SF and thrives. He has the speed and all the intangibles to play there.
Now some of these tweeners have turned out to be successful players as far as personal terms. AI turned out to be a 30ppg type player but to this day it is still widely debated and questioned if he should play the 1 or 2 and his team suffers as a result some way some how just like teams with the super talented Antoine Walker. Other players never turn out to even be good starters like Donyell Marshall but he can be a valuable bench player despite having so much talent. Others get lost in the shuffle like Chris Whitney. So buyer beware on your tweener. It's a sad but true story they may never have a spot in BBS.
Main Entry: tweener
Part of Speech: n
Definition: an athlete, esp. a basketball player, who does not do not possess enough size for one position or enough quickness for another
Usage: slang
Tweeners are often looked at as outcasts or possibly as the potential prospect that will change the game of basketball. Scouts often give up on guys because his skills don't reflect his body type or his body type doesn't translate into a definitive position. There is another type of player out there that posses skills to play multiple positions and this player is known as a combo player due to the fact he can play a combination of positions. The question remains though, Is there a spot for them in BBS?
A tweener often has skill there is no question about that but does their skills outweigh the potential flaws that a team can expose. We will take a look into a few current players and look at some guys that will be up coming in the draft and see if this will impact teams from drafting them.
The most current name in the league is the multi talented Steve Francis. Steve Francis has the body of PG but acts more like a SF. He posses great speed and athleticism but really doesn't have the consistent jump shot to be a SG nor does he have the floor presence and passing ability to be a great PG. So where does that leave him? You put him at PG you are risking at least 3-5 topg and really either limit your team's scoring or Francis' scoring. You put him at SG chances are that FG% drops as he stays on the outside of the floor. You put him at SF who is he guarding? There is no doubt Francis is a special talent but he doesn't fit the Bill, and no I wasn't talking about Bendernagel. If the Hawks can figure out a way to maximize his talents he can be great if not he could be just a guy that's in the Dunk Contest every year like Harold Miner was.
Jamal Crawford is a bit of a different case the Francis. Crawford can play the 2 or the 3 and be fine there but he is listed at the PG position. He is an intriguing prospect at 6'7 and has amazing handling ability but does he possess the passing ability to be a true PG. He is like a young Penny Hardaway. Penny had success at both the PG/SG positions. Crawford could be one of those luxury players or could be a guy that's trying to be something that he is not.
Earl Boykins has either been blessed or damned by God. Boykins has a 5'5 body frame and is not a true PG. He may play PG but the guy is a SG at heart. He sure can score but he is often exposed on the defensive end getting posted up and scored on at will. He is a strong off the ball defender and is lightning quick(I think a big reason for his B- handles). He can score the ball off the dribble due to his speed but struggles to get his teammates involved. If he was 6'6 and not 5'5 we might be looking at a hall of famer.
Troy Hudson and Bobby Jackson are two similar guards that could probably be successful SG in the league if they were a bit taller and they both play the PG position. These 2 seem to be the protégés of Vernon Maxwell.
Jason Terry was another young guy questioned at draft day for being the future of the Jazz Franchise. Ironically fellow tweener David Wesley stole the job from him last season.
Honorable Tweeners
Lindsay Hunter
Dana Barros
Damon Jones
Erick Strickland
Brent Price
Chris Whitney
Marko Jaric
Not all Tweeners are guards there are a handful of bigger guys that share the same problem.
Donyell Marshall is one of those special guys that you have no idea what to do with. Sure he can play PF at 6'9 but he is a guy that can play inside and out which tempts you to play him at SF because who doesn't love a SF that can rebound the ball. Although despite being capable of knocking it down from the outside he isn't the greatest outside option. I'd rather him be inside but he isn't a post player.
Keith Van Horn was middle America’s next Larry Bird. Don't you hate when they compare every good white player to Larry Bird? Well KVH is another player that can go inside out but is way to soft to play inside on the boards.
Antoine Walker. Scout rave non stop about Walker and his ability to handle, shoot, drive, pass the basketball. Walker is one of the biggest teaser tweeners out there because yes he can do a little bit of everything but does that almost hurt him. I'd rather see Walker sticking his fat ass down low then shooting 3's from the outside but he is too small to be a PF but is way too inconsistent from the outside. He could be a great PG but he is too slow. One thing for sure is Walker will be giving Jah a bunch of headaches.
Robert Horry has the body of a big man but is in love with the 3pt ball. The difference with him and rest is that he can hit it with consistency. Although he is a horrid defender on much smaller and quicker SF along the perimeter.
Honorable Mention
Charles (BO) Outlaw
Larry Johnson
Pat Garrity
Michael Smith
Wang Zhi-Zhi
The upcoming years in the draft bring up players that leave the questions where can they fit?
Gilbert Arenas-Much like a Steve Francis...Is he a PG or a SG
Dwayne Wade-Is in the same boat as Arenas
Memet Okur-Has the size of a big man but the game of a SF, will he have the size to play C or the speed to play SF?
Joe Johnson-Like a Crawford is listed as a PG but will he ever be a true PG or wind up at SG,SF?
Joseph Forte- Too small to play the 2 but not really a PG
Gerald Wallace-Amazing athletic ability but doesn't possess a J or a Post game
Terrence Morris-Can he handle the PF spot in the pros
Nikoloz Tskitishvili- Where is this Euro going to play?
Drew Gooden-SF or PF
Juan Dixon-Much like Damon Jones, Chris Whitney and all the other smaller guards before him
Fred Jones-Plays like a Forward but at 6'4 he plays with the guards
Now of course there are always exceptions to these tweeners.
Allen Iverson is the ultimate tweener and has flourished personally scoring at will. He is a league leader in stls.
As for the bigs...
Dirk Nowitzki is a 7 footer that actually plays SF and thrives. He has the speed and all the intangibles to play there.
Now some of these tweeners have turned out to be successful players as far as personal terms. AI turned out to be a 30ppg type player but to this day it is still widely debated and questioned if he should play the 1 or 2 and his team suffers as a result some way some how just like teams with the super talented Antoine Walker. Other players never turn out to even be good starters like Donyell Marshall but he can be a valuable bench player despite having so much talent. Others get lost in the shuffle like Chris Whitney. So buyer beware on your tweener. It's a sad but true story they may never have a spot in BBS.