Last Question..Can Afflalo Be Defended?

[hefty4fizzle]

He killed us! Other than putting a contract out on him how do we stop him? Does a hand in his face make a difference? Or is just not letting him touch the ball the best strategy? How do you limit or stop an athletic shooter? Does defense win championships? Again...I want to know how do you stop players like Afflalo/Farmar???

[ByJoveByJingle]

He killed us! Other than putting a contract out on him how do we stop him? Does a hand in his face make a difference? Or is just not letting him touch the ball the best strategy? How do you limit or stop an athletic shooter? Does defense win championships? Again...I want to know how do you stop players like Afflalo/Farmar???
Afflalo is the kind of player (like Kobe) who can only be stopped by his own actions or inactions. He killed us last time with hands in the face or not. If he continues his slump against us, this point will be irrelevant. If he's out of his slump, I don't know what we can do to stop him--so it may be irrelevant, anyway.

I'm not worried about Farmar . . . unless it comes down to a last second shot opportunity.

[TucsonDon]

Sounds silly, but the guy in the league with the best chance of stopping Afflalo is Afflalo because of his defensive presence. Arron's been stopping himself of late (not literally) with the lack of confidence and overworking himself. They told him to stay out of the gym for a few days and clear his head...hopefully that will be an effective tactic.

[MustafaFan15]

I think the key is to shut down the other players and let Afflalo get his points. If our defense actually steps up and shuts down the rest of the team, we should be in the game. One player can't win a game by himself.

[Josh Gershon]

Afflalo's step back three-pointer (not the Ivan push off :)) is basically unguardable. Definitely one of the best moves in college basketball.

He hasn't been the same lately but Afflalo is an incredible player when on and there is nothing one guy can do to defend him.

With that said, you have to play him to drive. Let UCLA's other players burn you with the long ball.. not Afflalo.

[Batpig]

Wow, major props for Afflalo. I agree with the sentiments about his step back move. It is absolutely deadly. I would like to see him drive more. He has been settling for way to many jump shots lately. He may not be a great leaper, but he is bull strong and very quick. He also has great balance and can finish in a variety of ways around the basket. With his strength and quickness, he should be trying to take his man off the dribble a little more often and take it hard to the rack, he will get fouled more often than not. He has the stones and the strength to mix it up with the bigs inside. If he can start doing that more often, his aresnal would be extremely difficult to stop.

BTW, I am really looking forward to seeing a the Adams vs. Afflalo matchup. It is always a fun one.

[CombatCoach]

This guy is just all-around a superbly talented player. He is strong on both sides of the ball and I think his upside is limitless.

As a comparison, I liken him to Kobe Bryant minus the overall explosiveness, which is in no way a slander of any sort. He is extremely athletic and as I said before, has a tremendous upside. I think he will be a fine pro and his game translates very well at the next level.

I haven't liked a Bruin player this much since the Toby Bailey days, and Afflalo is a much, much better player than Bailey was.

He is one player that makes me proud to be a Bruin alum.

Till next time...

[WayneNewton]

It's not a question IF Afflalo comes out of his shooting slump against the Cats - He WILL come out of his shooting slump against the Cats.

Don, how are the odds looking on this? Afflalo breaking out on Saturday that is. If it were on the board I'd jump on it like Oprah jumped on Frey.

[Dave]

Try some reverse phycology on him. Let him shoot wide open shots because he hit everything when we had a hand in his face.

[DCCat]

Try some reverse phycology on him. Let him shoot wide open shots because he hit everything when we had a hand in his face.
We've been trying that with everyone lately. Hasn't worked with them ... but maybe Afflalo will be different. :rolleyes:

[G Dogg]

This guy is just all-around a superbly talented player. He is strong on both sides of the ball and I think his upside is limitless.

As a comparison, I liken him to Kobe Bryant minus the overall explosiveness, which is in no way a slander of any sort. He is extremely athletic and as I said before, has a tremendous upside. I think he will be a fine pro and his game translates very well at the next level.

I haven't liked a Bruin player this much since the Toby Bailey days, and Afflalo is a much, much better player than Bailey was.

He is one player that makes me proud to be a Bruin alum.

Till next time...

I'm sorry, but this is a ridiculous assessment of Afflalo. He's a great player, no doubt, but he is the polar opposite of Kobe Bryant or Toby Bailey. Kobe is the total package. He's incredibly athletic, but also possesses tremendous basketball skills (shooting, handling, sound defense, etc.). Toby Bailey's main asset was his incredible athleticism. He was a decent basketball player at the D1 level, but he lacked a consistent jumper, he wasn't a great ball handler, etc. He was simply one of the more gifted athletes around. Athleticism can make up for a lack of other skills.

Afflalo, on the other hand, has a Good - Very Good outside shot, is a very good ballhandler, and plays outstanding defense. He is getting better as a rebounder. Afflalo is not, however, "extremely athletic" and does not have "tremendous upside." Quite the opposite, in fact. His upside is very limited due to his general lack of athleticism. I agree with Batpig who said that Afflalo should drive more. He'll be able to get to the free throw line a great deal due to his strength, but because of his lack of athleticism, probably won't be able to finish much on his drives.

When was the last time Afflalo dunked? I can't remember. Watch when he goes to the hole. He works so hard to propel his body such a short distance in the air.

Arron Afflalo is an outstanding basketball player, and is also one of my favorite Bruins of all-time, but "extremely athletic," he is not.

[gumby]

Try some reverse phycology on him. Let him shoot wide open shots because he hit everything when we had a hand in his face.
I like this idea, but to effectively convey the thought to our players the coaches will have to say, "Guard him closely."

[CombatCoach]

When I say "athletic," it doesn't always mean jumping or being explosive. All I meant was that he is a wonderfully talented player that is very coordinated and has good body control. I love the guys game! I never said he could jump out of the building or anything of that sort.

I'm also not an NBA scout, a professional talent evaluator, or anything close, just my take on what I think he is.

I also wasn't comparing Afflalo to Toby Bailey, just that I haven't "liked" a Bruin player as much since Bailey. I understand they are totally different players.

Geez, just giving the guy props and I get smashed...

Till next time...

[G Dogg]

Geez, just giving the guy props and I get smashed...

I didn't mean to come off as "smash[ing]" you. I apologize if it appeared I was attacking you. I never intended that.

I was simply disagreeing with your assessment of Afflalo. And, if that is your definition of "athletic," then I suppose I agree with you. My definition of athletic is not that all, however. When I think of athleticism, I think of (among other things): quickness, leaping ability, agility, and overall speed. Obviously, there are other "athletic" traits, as well.

I agree, though, that Afflalo is a great player and deserving of props.

[catgrad97]

Kobe is the total package. He's incredibly athletic, but also possesses tremendous basketball skills (shooting, handling, sound defense, etc.).

It's the etc. that I wonder about. Kobe may know how to pass the basketball, but he sure doesn't do it enough.

Afflalo has a helluva jumper. Maybe he took a couple pointers from Stoudamire's step-back last year!

[TucsonDon]

He is extremely athletic and as I said before, has a tremendous upside.
Yeah...I know someone already took issue with this, but I just don't understand how anyone could watch him play and feel this way, particularly being someone involved in the field of athletics. This is the complete opposite of how the NBA scouts feel about him, and that's why they are fearful of using an early pick on a kid who is limited athletically and doesn't have that great upside you talk about. That's why people consider him a great college player who will maximize his potential on this level. Your comment about Budinger playing PG yesterday was something which blew my mind completely, and I told you about it, and now you're coming with this. I don't really get it, man.

[gumby]

I'm trying to remember the last time the board was so in awe of a player who scores 17 a game. The most he's ever scored this year is 23. He scored 20 against us last time. Settle down a little.

[85Cat]

AA = Khalid Reeves II

[ByJoveByJingle]

I'm trying to remember the last time the board was so in awe of a player who scores 17 a game. The most he's ever scored this year is 23. He scored 20 against us last time. Settle down a little.
Shouldn't be hard . . . just find the last thread about Farmar.

[gumby]

Shouldn't be hard . . . just find the last thread about Farmar.
Imagine if we faced Morrison or Redick ... :surrender

[TheCat]

When he scores 50 in the NBA you can compare him to Kobe......against us you can't figure if it is him or our defense.