JNice

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What happened with Emeka's play this year? Did the extra 20 lbs he added over the summer slow him up? From the small sample I saw it seemed that way. He might be better off toning down and dropping some of that weight before next season. He's already stronger than most at his position.

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endora60

Injury happened. Not just the one he's down with now, the one he suffered during the off-season and the one he got in college. After a while that just takes its toll; even when the player is well enough to be on the court, he's not as sharp as once he was. Rust is a problem, of course--but also fear. Realistically, Okafor can't get near a basketball court without wondering if he's going to be hurt again and subconsciously trying to avoid pain. It's a natural human response--but it will make him more timid, less willing to drive hard, less eager to mix it up under the basket.

This is awful, I know, but I'm not betting he's ever able to be what he should have been for the Bobcats.

Laurie

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JNice

Well, I hope not. I hate to see good players like that ruined by injuries. Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, Antonio McDyess ...

It does make Orlando's selection of Howard look like a unanimously declared good choice... no matter what Dickie V says.

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ziggy66

I think the problem with Emeka Okafor this season was simply not spending enough time on the court in the offseason. It was reported that he spent a lot of time working on Yoga and flexibility over the summer, but outside of a few workouts with Hakeem Olajuwon ( which seemed to confuse him more than help him ), how much time did he really spend on a court working on his footwork and low post moves. The biggest indicator of his lack of time spent on refining his offense is his fg% of 40% that he was at for 05-06 prior to his injury.
Even with all of the griping above, I'm a big Okafor fan, From a defensive and rebounding standpoint hes as good as any other power forward in the league, But offensively he HAS to get it together and raise that FG% if he and the Bobcats are to have a significant improvement NEXT season.

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WhoDaBest23

Now I hear that Okafor might even be done for the year... The injury bug's hit the Bobcats pretty bad this season.

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