The Knox Factor

[BleedGreen]

I hope Big Ben is turning the corner, but we have a very small sample size to make such a proclamation. Lets talk 2/3 of the way through the conference schedule.

His confidence has vastly improved, but he has a loooong way to go. Saturday's line: 31 minutes played, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 3 steals (odd stat of the night). In 31 minutes, you gotta have more than 4 rebounds from your center position. Also nary a 1 offensive rebound among the 4.

The guy has improved, but still has a ways to go before we annoit him the next George Odufuwa (why don't we have a 3 page thread dedicated to THAT guy!).

That said, they do seem to be better when he and Big George are on the floor at the same time.

I was one of the folks who was knocking Knox. He is playing better. His aggressivness must pick up. Against an aggressive type inside guy he will have problem. Confidence is key for him and he must remember his height on the offensive side. He turns away from the basket more then in. THat has to change. Still, his improvement has been wonderful to see. With two more years for him, there is actually hope. PLus, he is contributing now some, which is good.

[risinggreen]

I've watched the last few games in person, and I don't think anyone expects Knox to be the next Shaq or Kareem. The point is, this guy is improving, and he has the size and long arms that we are going to need WHEN we hit the big tourney. Let's face it, we are a pretty small team both inside and out, and he is starting to show a defensive presence that could help us out against the bigger teams. I've seen a lot of shot alterations that don't show up in the stats, and he has been very close to blocking several of those shots, even though he is most likely being coached (correctly at this point) to avoid leaving his feet in most situations. Bottom line is that we are fortunate to have him, especially when you consider that our interior size without Knox is basically limited to a handful of talented guys, who for the most part, are lucky if they're six foot seven in their sneakers.