Well fouling out, and committing fouls at the wrong moment are different. All depends on the flow of the game. I believe that it goes back to Curry and using Amir at moments where he has a chance to succeed.
I think JJ has more upside. If you compare JJ as a rookie with Amir's stats as a vet while he is trailing he has room for improvement. Amir has pretty much hit his ceiling of development and what you see is exactly what you get. I favor JJ due to his superior basketball IQ something that Amir didn't seem to have a times on the floor. It also seems that JJ has the ablity to play more than one style of basketball. He doesn't have to run the floor to score.
I am not convinced that Amir has hit his ceiling. He was a kid out of high school when drafted. He may have more years in the league but not as many "professionally coached" years. Isn't JJ actually older hen Amir still??
That's what they said about Tyrus Thomas... (not sure if that's a good comeback or not). The main advantage that I see JJ having is that he can actually shoot the ball with range. He's more able to play SF. So that means that when you stick him in there with a Ben Wallace type, you get a little bit of spacing. But he can also do many of the same things as Amir. Amir's main advantages seem to be shotblocking and rebounding. They are both very athletic. Amir is more spectacular and JJ is more solid.
JJ already shoots better than Amir. His outside shot will only get better as players usually improve a lot in their first two years in the NBA. JJ is already better around the rim with his hook and assortment of put backs. When he gets a little turn around added, watch out. Offensively, with just normal projected development for a first year player in the NBA, JJ should far exceed Amir. JJ is incredible on the break but Amir is good on the break too. Amir has more NBA experience than JJ so rebounding and defense would give Amir a slight, very slight edge. But doubt that will hold up in 1-2 years. JJ projects out to be a better player than Varejo of the Cavs. So on the salary market, he will be worth more than Amir and probably already is.
I'm not sure if JJ is better around the basket. His best finish seems to be the impressive reversers under the rim and use of of the glass. But his FG% is definitely lower in the paint, so it's probably that he is forced to get fancier in order to finish. I think he's converted on that hook once or twice this year with a lot of ugly misses too. It is a really nice benefit that he can shoot the ball though. If the defense leave him completely open, he is a threat.
As many touches as JJ has around the hoop, he would be leading the league in FG% if he could just finish. Lee I am still waiting for your vote...will it be Amir or are you going to wait until right before the poll closes in March to make a decision?
Complimentary SLAM article about Amir. Not overly well written IMO, but still interesting. SLAM ONLINE | » Johnson Continues To Battle Raps' Johnson ready to face former club | Basketball | Sports | Toronto Sun He's not falling for the trap where he bad mouths his former team or says that he wants revenge. He just seems like a happy, hard working player... who happens to like karate chopping shooters.
Noticed Buddahfan made a comment on the first article. Sounds like Amir is doing well in Toronto. I wish him the best, seems like a nice kid.
Yeah, the comment comment concerns the true height of Amir. Looks like Toronto is calling him 6'9" and 210 pounds.
I would point out that the article I just read begins and ends with fluff. The last two paragraphs say the exact same thing; probably to extend word count. My point is, Amir seems like a nice kid. He works hard and hustles. He isn't a great basketball player. Whatever. Good luck, kid.
Despite JJ scoring 10pts and 9 brds to Amir 9pts and 5 brds, I think Amir looked more polished out there tonight with his 4 blocks. Despite the 5 fouls, I might trade Kwame or Max for him
Maybe more polished, but years of NBA experience versus a handful of games ought to account for something. If you watch JJ defending, it seems clear (at least to me) that he has earned a bit of respect from the refs. Several times the other night he was fighting Gerald Wallace for position, basically pushing him off his spot, and Wallace complained to the refs. All the got back was shrugs. Amir would have picked up three fouls on each of those posessions. Kwame or Max for Amir - yeah, I'd do that though.
Watching the two Toronto games so far - its kind of hard not to notice that in both games we quit scoring completely when they put Amir in. And their team really keys on Amir's defensive enegy. Of course, we gave him away for nothing, as Dumars has lost his ability to recognize what a good player looks like.
