Steven Adams nuggets...
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It’s not like he’s been shy of his disdain for his time at Pitt.
Doesn’t sound like disdain. Just apathy.
I get the impression he’d have been the same way regardless of what college he ended up at. Wouldn’t be a shock given how he grew up if he’d have referred to Coach K as just some dude.
He hated the coaching and his role, the classes Pitt enrolled him in, the nightlife, etc. He had his handlers reaching out to transfer.
His role is no different in the NBA than it was at Pitt - rebound and guard the rim. He gets paid a lot more to do it now, though.
If watching him play at Greentree didn’t get you excited for the Pitt bb season to start then you weren’t a Pitt bb fan . What we saw from him during the season was nothing less than disappointing . I understand his role is somewhat the same in the NBA , but he wasn’t going up against NBA players while at Pitt . I was disappointed in his decision to leave , but I couldn’t blame him one bit .
I’ve always been a big JD supporter , but the three biggest disappointments with personal IMO was not utilizing Adams as effectively as he could’ve , the stagnation of JRob and not finding a way to make Khem Birch feel comfortable. Imagine for a second a team that had Adams , Birch , JRob , Lamar Patterson , Zanna , Trey …..
I’ve always been a big JD supporter , but the three biggest disappointments with personal IMO was not utilizing Adams as effectively as he could’ve , the stagnation of JRob and not finding a way to make Khem Birch feel comfortable. Imagine for a second a team that had Adams , Birch , JRob , Lamar Patterson , Zanna , Trey …..
What did he do in Greentree that got you excited about Steve’s offense?
Yeah, idk about this. I covered all of his games at Greentree. He didn’t play badly, by any means, but even then he got most of his points off of put backs.
I saw an aggressive guy who could overpower anyone with athleticism out of this world for a man his size . In college ball who was going to stop him down low ? What big man was going to run up and down the court with him ? Was he going to knock down three pointers , no , but he played with his hands tied behind his back and looked unsure of his role and afraid to make mistakes under JD .
Playing in the NBA where everyone possesses such great offensive skills his offense isn’t necessary and I don’t think JD was prepping him for this role at the next level .
Even with his lackluster numbers at Pitt he was a lottery pick , the NBA guys saw his next level talent that was never on display while wearing a Pitt uniform .7 pts 6 rebounds per game and constantly being taken out doesn’t sound like a first rounder . I expected much more .
While all true about his athleticism — I saw a guy with limited offensive skills. I also saw a guy who grabbed an offensive rebound right under the basket and didn’t quite know how to go back up with it so he passed it back out to the corner to his teammates laughter.
I believe how Dixon used him at Pitt for his one year was completely compatible with the skills he possess at the time. And frankly, he’s now been in the NBA for a decade and he hasn’t yet shown basically a single additional offensive skill than what it has been suggested he was not allowed to use at Pitt.
My memory is quite close to your memory. I kept score and all of the stats for all of the games at Greentree and he didn’t score a ton for sure. I think it was something like 12 a game. @Joe the Panther Fan can you find the stats from that year? I don’t remember if you were already working with me that year.
I was just looking for them and I don't think I have them any more. I lost a hard drive a little while ago and I think all the digital copies were on that drive. I have hard copies from a lot of the seasons that I helped with the stats, but it doesn't look like I have those ones. I actually have all the individual sheets that show who played each night and the scores of all the games, but not the stat sheets.
For instance, I can tell you the league MVP that year was Lamar Patterson, and the all league team was Adams, Derick Colter, Durand Johnson, Lucky Jones, Jakim Donaldson, Keaton Miles, Kendrick Perry, Ovie Soko and Chevy Troutman. The all newcomer team was Adams, Colter, Stephen Hawkins, James Robinson and Quevyn Winters.
I think Steve led the league in rebounding with something like 10 a game which was basically why you and I told John he needed to be on the All League Team. But it wasn’t because of scoring I recall.
I find it laughable that people think Adams wasn't allowed to do things more than just rebound. He had no game with the ball, but he could move anyone on the floor. We would have been a contender if he stayed a second year. Amazing that he's so valuable in the NBA.
There are individuals who possess such superior physical skills that they can just overpower more talented guys . His stats in the NBA are greater than his stats at Pitt were and the last time I looked there’s no comparison to the talent level between the NBA and the ACC .
I’m not suggesting he should’ve been a 20 point a game type guy , but a double double ( pts and rebounds ) seemed reasonable .
It took me three minutes to realize than Donte Taylor was not the player he was cracked up to be , both Adams and JRob impressed , our memories are obviously different.
I’m not suggesting he should’ve been a 20 point a game type guy , but a double double ( pts and rebounds ) seemed reasonable .
It took me three minutes to realize than Donte Taylor was not the player he was cracked up to be , both Adams and JRob impressed , our memories are obviously different.
Pitt has got a lot of mileage in the last 20 years with superior point guard play and center play.
Adams is no exception. Pitt's defensive efficiency went from 151st in the country the year before Adams came to Pitt to 21st in the country with Adams. We went from an NIT team the year before to a team that lost to Wichita St in the NCAA Tournament. Now, That Wichita State team we lost to went to the Final 4 that year and was 4 points shy from playing for the National Championship. We finished 11th in the country in the final pomeroy efficiency rankings with Adams. That team was both really good and underappreciated.
Had that team gone to the Sweet 16 or better, Adams would have been remembered in a much more positive way. The biggest gripe I have is, he single handedly changed our entire defense and made us tough on defense. And he only played 23 minutes per game. He should have played over 30 minutes per game.
Gary Mcghee gets a ton of praise still today because he anchored Pitt's defense in 2011 and that team earned a 1 seed. For some reason, Adams praise on the defensive end is really underappreciated by many.
We have been really successful in the last 20 years with superior defense and rebounding ability. Its one of the reasons I want Kante to force his way into this years lineup at both PF and C. Steve clearly did not enjoy his time here at Pitt. But he still was a really good and underappreciated player here. And, he helped our team become really good, especially on defense.
Yeah the narrative that Adams was used incorrectly at Pitt is old, tiresome and flat out untrue. Steve has a $100,000,000 NBA contract for doing EXACTLY what he did at Pitt.
Yeah, I don't remember the number but I think he lead the league in rebounding as well.
Adams career stats are better in the NBA, sure. But it took him four years in pro ball before he consistently posted numbers better than what he did at Pitt. And that was with Prime Westbrook driving and dishing.
Your argument here is weak.
The NFL game is what?? 20% longer. That says a lot. I was sorry to see him go, but he's sitting pretty....and is often a great talker.
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