barsad said:

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Actually I'd be more interested in your genuine answers to my basketball questions instead of your weak attempts at trolling and flaming, or blind Daws love posts, pretty boring sheit, guys. What are the best things we want in a center that Daws showed us this year, and what do we need to improve on?

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I guess this statement is directed at both bearister and myself.

If you think I'm trolling you, you might want to consider toning down the harsh statements that you have continued to use on this site for several weeks. I didn't start this thread, and it was bearister who shot back at you angrily. I read his initial response to you but I don't think you completely understood it.

Again, I didn't create this thread, but if you feel that it's "pretty boring sheit", note that there's this blue rectangle at the top of the forum that reads "NEW TOPIC". You might want to consider using it.

HearstMining said:

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Mark McNamara

• 1980-1982: 17.2 pts, 10.5 reb
• 1981-1982 - 22 pts, 12.6 reb

I was at Cal a few years before him. What I liked about his play is that he knew what he was good at and stuck to it. Unfortunately, not good enough to have much of an NBA career, but he was a first-round pick and on the 76ers championship team with Dr. J!

Going back a little further, Ansley Truitt

• 1971-1972: 18.8 pts, 13.2 reb

---

Mark McNamara passed in 2020

https://en.as.com/en/2020/05/01/nba/1588347777_346753.html



*During my time at Cal, 1972-1976, it was a football school. I never attended one basketball game. Cal had 18 conference wins during those 4 years.*

The first Cal game I went to was 1981 when my bosses, John and Rupe Ricksen, invited me to the Cal vs Huskies game. McNamara was impressive, but he was not the player on the court that impressed me the most. It was a tall, blond crew cutted forward for the Huskies that had good handles, a good shot, good passer, good rebounder and a nasty disposition ready to fight: Detlef Schrempf.

* If I did my math right, a student attending Cal from 2019-2023 enjoyed seeing the Bears snag 17 conference wins.

brevity said:

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You should see Fardaws Aimaq in Summer League action starting next week:

Cal’s Fardaws Aimaq has agreed to join the Sacramento Kings for the California Classic Summer League, I’m told.

The 6’10 ½" Afghan-Canadian center is among the NCAA’s most prolific rebounders of the 2020’s + an unselfish passer.

14.5 PTS, 11.0 REB, 2.1 AST, 1.0 BLK this season.

— Jon Chepkevich (@JonChep) July 1, 2024

The Kings are playing 6 games in the California Classic July 6-10, and then 4 or 5 more games in Las Vegas from July 12-22.

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Okay, the Sacramento Kings have announced a pair of rosters, one to play 3 games in Sacramento and another to play 3 games in San Francisco (the California Classic takes place in both cities).

Sacramento Kings announce their 2024 Summer League Roster(s) which will feature two teams playing during California Classic pic.twitter.com/b0lcoTO03C

— No Ceilings (@NoCeilingsNBA) July 3, 2024

Fardaws Aimaq is on the team playing in San Francisco. His first pro game will be against the Lakers this Saturday; expect quite a bit of hype because it's also Bronny's debut. Here is Aimaq's schedule:

Saturday 7/6/24

L.A. Lakers vs. Sacramento (1:30pm PT, Chase Center) -- ESPN, ESPN+

Sunday, 7/7/24

Miami vs. Sacramento (1:30pm PT, Chase Center) -- NBA TV, ESPN+

Wednesday, 7/10/24

Sacramento vs. Golden State (7pm PT, Chase Center) -- NBA TV, ESPN+

After the California Classic, the Kings will consolidate the two rosters into a single team for Las Vegas Summer League. Who will make the cut? Stay tuned.

Big C said:

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Aimaq seemed to get very little respect here. I swear there are people who seem to think the Thurmanator was a better player. I predict we will look back and yearn for a guy who collected double-doubles like that.

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Agree - I made the comment before, I never saw anyone who put up a DD almost every game get so much flack. And I didn't see Aimaq doing it by outjumping his teammates for uncontested rebounds.

100%. All eyes were on his athleticism. Although he may not be the most athletic, he had excellent rebounding skills. He also scored a lot. It's uncommon for a big man in college to be a strong rebounder and score a lot of points.

Johnfox said:

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100%. All eyes were on his athleticism. Although he may not be the most athletic, he had excellent rebounding skills. He also scored a lot. It's uncommon for a big man in college to be a strong rebounder and score a lot of points.

---

For me, it was never about his athleticism (or pack thereof) but about his willingness to bang in the post. He's a big dude who played smaller in the post. He needed to establish position and just bulldoze people on occasion. Instead, he took mincing steps and got pushed around.

Aimaq's not agile and quick. He lacks great low post footwork. He can't guard anyone on the perimeter. He's also not a stretch 5 who can hit threes at a 36%+ clip. His bread and butter at the next level (no matter where he plays professionally) will be as a low post banger and rim protector. To do that well, he's got to absorb contact as well as to dish out hard hits (especially with his body). Unfortunately, I saw neither in his play. Instead of playing like Bill Laimbeer or Charles Oakley, he played like he was afraid of contact.

I know many of his defenders love his numbers. "He was a double double machine!" they'll exclaim. However, how many putbacks did he miss because he went up soft? How many layups did he brick because he was afraid he was going to get hit?

Until Daws develops the mental toughness and the will to dominate his opponents physically (and mentally), he's going to be limited. He needs some of Jorge's scrappiness and willingness to mix it up. If Jorge had Daws's size, he would've destroyed opposing teams. Jorge would've scored 30 a night and averaged 4+ blocks per game (until opponents learned to avoid the paint).

01Bear said:

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Johnfox said:

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100%. All eyes were on his athleticism. Although he may not be the most athletic, he had excellent rebounding skills. He also scored a lot. It's uncommon for a big man in college to be a strong rebounder and score a lot of points.

---

For me, it was never about his athleticism (or pack thereof) but about his willingness to bang in the post. He's a big dude who played smaller in the post. He needed to establish position and just bulldoze people on occasion. Instead, he took mincing steps and got pushed around.

Aimaq's not agile and quick. He lacks great low post footwork. He can't guard anyone on the perimeter. He's also not a stretch 5 who can hit threes at a 36%+ clip. His bread and butter at the next level (no matter where he plays professionally) will be as a low post banger and rim protector. To do that well, he's got to absorb contact as well as to dish out hard hits (especially with his body). Unfortunately, I saw neither in his play. Instead of playing like Bill Laimbeer or Charles Oakley, he played like he was afraid of contact.

I know many of his defenders love his numbers. "He was a double double machine!" they'll exclaim. However, how many putbacks did he miss because he went up soft? How many layups did he brick because he was afraid he was going to get hit?

Until Daws develops the mental toughness and the will to dominate his opponents physically (and mentally), he's going to be limited. He needs some of Jorge's scrappiness and willingness to mix it up. If Jorge had Daws's size, he would've destroyed opposing teams. Jorge would've scored 30 a night and averaged 4+ blocks per game (until opponents learned to avoid the paint).

---

calumnus said:

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01Bear said:

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Johnfox said:

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100%. All eyes were on his athleticism. Although he may not be the most athletic, he had excellent rebounding skills. He also scored a lot. It's uncommon for a big man in college to be a strong rebounder and score a lot of points.

---

For me, it was never about his athleticism (or pack thereof) but about his willingness to bang in the post. He's a big dude who played smaller in the post. He needed to establish position and just bulldoze people on occasion. Instead, he took mincing steps and got pushed around.

Aimaq's not agile and quick. He lacks great low post footwork. He can't guard anyone on the perimeter. He's also not a stretch 5 who can hit threes at a 36%+ clip. His bread and butter at the next level (no matter where he plays professionally) will be as a low post banger and rim protector. To do that well, he's got to absorb contact as well as to dish out hard hits (especially with his body). Unfortunately, I saw neither in his play. Instead of playing like Bill Laimbeer or Charles Oakley, he played like he was afraid of contact.

I know many of his defenders love his numbers. "He was a double double machine!" they'll exclaim. However, how many putbacks did he miss because he went up soft? How many layups did he brick because he was afraid he was going to get hit?

Until Daws develops the mental toughness and the will to dominate his opponents physically (and mentally), he's going to be limited. He needs some of Jorge's scrappiness and willingness to mix it up. If Jorge had Daws's size, he would've destroyed opposing teams. Jorge would've scored 30 a night and averaged 4+ blocks per game (until opponents learned to avoid the paint).

---

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Lol! That was a hilarious movie! Kareem played his role perfectly!

01Bear said:

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calumnus said:

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01Bear said:

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Johnfox said:

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100%. All eyes were on his athleticism. Although he may not be the most athletic, he had excellent rebounding skills. He also scored a lot. It's uncommon for a big man in college to be a strong rebounder and score a lot of points.

---

For me, it was never about his athleticism (or pack thereof) but about his willingness to bang in the post. He's a big dude who played smaller in the post. He needed to establish position and just bulldoze people on occasion. Instead, he took mincing steps and got pushed around.

Aimaq's not agile and quick. He lacks great low post footwork. He can't guard anyone on the perimeter. He's also not a stretch 5 who can hit threes at a 36%+ clip. His bread and butter at the next level (no matter where he plays professionally) will be as a low post banger and rim protector. To do that well, he's got to absorb contact as well as to dish out hard hits (especially with his body). Unfortunately, I saw neither in his play. Instead of playing like Bill Laimbeer or Charles Oakley, he played like he was afraid of contact.

I know many of his defenders love his numbers. "He was a double double machine!" they'll exclaim. However, how many putbacks did he miss because he went up soft? How many layups did he brick because he was afraid he was going to get hit?

Until Daws develops the mental toughness and the will to dominate his opponents physically (and mentally), he's going to be limited. He needs some of Jorge's scrappiness and willingness to mix it up. If Jorge had Daws's size, he would've destroyed opposing teams. Jorge would've scored 30 a night and averaged 4+ blocks per game (until opponents learned to avoid the paint).

---

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Lol! That was a hilarious movie! Kareem played his role perfectly!

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It was his best role as a professional.

bearsandgiants said:

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01Bear said:

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calumnus said:

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01Bear said:

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Johnfox said:

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100%. All eyes were on his athleticism. Although he may not be the most athletic, he had excellent rebounding skills. He also scored a lot. It's uncommon for a big man in college to be a strong rebounder and score a lot of points.

---

For me, it was never about his athleticism (or pack thereof) but about his willingness to bang in the post. He's a big dude who played smaller in the post. He needed to establish position and just bulldoze people on occasion. Instead, he took mincing steps and got pushed around.

Aimaq's not agile and quick. He lacks great low post footwork. He can't guard anyone on the perimeter. He's also not a stretch 5 who can hit threes at a 36%+ clip. His bread and butter at the next level (no matter where he plays professionally) will be as a low post banger and rim protector. To do that well, he's got to absorb contact as well as to dish out hard hits (especially with his body). Unfortunately, I saw neither in his play. Instead of playing like Bill Laimbeer or Charles Oakley, he played like he was afraid of contact.

I know many of his defenders love his numbers. "He was a double double machine!" they'll exclaim. However, how many putbacks did he miss because he went up soft? How many layups did he brick because he was afraid he was going to get hit?

Until Daws develops the mental toughness and the will to dominate his opponents physically (and mentally), he's going to be limited. He needs some of Jorge's scrappiness and willingness to mix it up. If Jorge had Daws's size, he would've destroyed opposing teams. Jorge would've scored 30 a night and averaged 4+ blocks per game (until opponents learned to avoid the paint).

---

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Lol! That was a hilarious movie! Kareem played his role perfectly!

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It was his best role as a professional.

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Lol. No center on the Lakers was his best role as a professional.

In movies this one was a classic:

Kings-Lakers in SF was on ESPN just now. Fardaws had 6 points and 9 rebounds in 26 minutes.

What kind of defensive assignment did he draw? How did he look at that end?

BearSD said:

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Kings-Lakers in SF was on ESPN just now. Fardaws had 6 points and 9 rebounds in 26 minutes.

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And 5 assists, 1 steal, 3 TOs

0-1 from 3

Outside of the turnovers that's pretty solid!

Last two summer league games for Sacto in SF are Sunday at 1:30 pm PT and Wednesday at 7 pm PT. Both are on NBA TV and ESPN+.

The Kings lost to Miami 102-86. From the box score, it appears that Fardaws had a mixed game. He played 25 minutes, scored 4 points, had 9 rebounds, 5 assists and only 1 turnover. However, the box score had him listed at center and Miami's center scored 26 points, so it sounds like a weak defensive effort on Fardaws's part, though I didn't see the game. ESPN did have one of Fardaws's baskets up as a highlight.

Eastern Oregon Bear said:

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The Kings lost to Miami 102-86. From the box score, it appears that Fardaws had a mixed game. He played 25 minutes, scored 4 points, had 9 rebounds, 5 assists and only 1 turnover. However, the box score had him listed at center and Miami's center scored 26 points, so it sounds like a weak defensive effort on Fardaws's part, though I didn't see the game. ESPN did have one of Fardaws's baskets up as a highlight.

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TBF, that player is Kel'el Ware, he was the 15th pick in the 1st round and he's 7'0"

Johnfox said:

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100%. All eyes were on his athleticism. Although he may not be the most athletic, he had excellent rebounding skills. He also scored a lot. It's uncommon for a big man in college to be a strong rebounder and score a lot of points.

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He had the best season offensive rebounding in Cal history.

According to the advanced metrics he was our most valuable defensive player as well (in large part because defensive rebounds count towards defense). Another big part of his high defensive rating was our lack of backups at center. A side effect of that is he had to play less aggressive defense than he might otherwise have or in a conference where more physicality is allowed.

He doesn't really fit today's NBA but he was a really good college center. Better than many storied Cal centers of the past. I wish we had him for another year,

here is a write up. sounds like the player we know.

incredible rebounder, very good passer (5 assists, 1 TO in his second game, 4 assists his first game), solid screener ... solid jumper when open ... his defense and athletism are the question marks

https://www.si.com/college/cal/basketball/fardaws-aimaq-impresses-ex-warriors-gm-in-summer-league-game-01j27jrgyr5w

Saw a highlight where Bronny was going in for a monster slam, and Aimaq stopped him (by fouling him). That would have have been all over ESPN, Twitter, etc if Bronny made that slam in his first game

brevity said:

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Here is Aimaq's schedule:

Saturday 7/6/24

L.A. Lakers vs. Sacramento (1:30pm PT, Chase Center) -- ESPN, ESPN+

Sunday, 7/7/24

Miami vs. Sacramento (1:30pm PT, Chase Center) -- NBA TV, ESPN+

Wednesday, 7/10/24

Sacramento vs. Golden State (7pm PT, Chase Center) -- NBA TV, ESPN+

After the California Classic, the Kings will consolidate the two rosters into a single team for Las Vegas Summer League. Who will make the cut? Stay tuned.

---

Sacramento announced their Las Vegas roster yesterday, and Fardaws Aimaq, unfortunately, did not make the cut.

The Kings actually did a bit of consolidating before the third game in San Francisco, bringing in some of the players that were playing on the separate squad playing in Sacramento. Aimaq was not listed in the box score, so he only got to play in 2 games.

vs. Lakers (box score): started, 26 min, 6 pts (2/6 FG, 0/1 3PT, 2/4 FT), 9 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl
vs. Heat (box score): started, 25 min, 4 pts (2/4 FG), 9 reb. 5 ast

Big C said:

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There is a future in professional basketball for Fardaws Aimaq. He could easily make mid-six-figures if he commits to playing overseas. Then, if he wants, he comes back to the states, in his mid-thirties, worth some money. Life could be worse.

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Given he's Canadian, I'm guessing he'd return to Canada once his playing days are over. I could be wrong; he could move back to the US, but he'd have to apply for a visa and go through all the rigamorale of immigrating.

Big C said:

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Good catch, thanks.

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You never know, maybe Daws met a(n American) girl (or boy--I really don't know his sexual orientation nor do I discriminate based on sexual orientation) in college and wants to settle down with her (or him) in the US. I'd love to see him in the Bay repping Cal. For as much criticism as I have for his game as a archetypal big man, I do think he represented Cal well as a player. I have no doubt he'll also be an excellent Cal alumnus. I'd be stoked to see him on the sidelines of Haas Pavilion once his playing days are over.

FWIW, I totally agree with you that he's likely got a long career ahead of him playing basketball overseas. I absolutely believe he'll be a valuable big man in Australia or Europe. His game will evolve and he'll learn to develop certain parts of his game. He'll make lots of money playing overseas before retiring. If he's wise with his money, he can probably retire without having to work a 9-5 job once his playing days are up.

I hope our rotation of bigs at least match the production and contribution of Daws

He wasn't just an outstanding rebounder. He was a scorer, excellent passer, and solid defender depending on matchups, and was a stretch center (have we were had one before?). He also had excellent hands.

He did have trouble scoring against longer/athletic centers, but so do the majority of DI centers.

The biggest weakness in his game from my perspective was lack of foot speed to defend on the perimeter

HoopDreams said:

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I hope our rotation of bigs at least match the production and contribution of Daws

He wasn't just an outstanding rebounder. He was a scorer, excellent passer, and solid defender depending on matchups, and was a stretch center (have we were had one before?). He also had excellent hands.

He did have trouble scoring against longer/athletic centers, but so do the majority of DI centers.

The biggest weakness in his game from my perspective was lack of foot speed to defend on the perimeter

---

Amit Tamir was a stretch 5 about a decade before it became a thing. He was hitting threes at a time when bigs were still back to the basket players. I remember it drove me nuts that he kept drifting beyond the arc*. But I also remember him draining threes with pretty good consistency.

*This went against everything I learned about how bigs were supposed to play.

01Bear said:

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HoopDreams said:

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I hope our rotation of bigs at least match the production and contribution of Daws

He wasn't just an outstanding rebounder. He was a scorer, excellent passer, and solid defender depending on matchups, and was a stretch center (have we were had one before?). He also had excellent hands.

He did have trouble scoring against longer/athletic centers, but so do the majority of DI centers.

The biggest weakness in his game from my perspective was lack of foot speed to defend on the perimeter

---

Amit Tamir was a stretch 5 about a decade before it became a thing. He was hitting threes at a time when bigs were still back to the basket players. I remember it drove me nuts that he kept drifting beyond the arc*. But I also remember him draining threes with pretty good consistency.

*This went against everything I learned about how bigs were supposed to play.

---

Ryan Anderson as well, though at 6'9 we could have treated him like a forward. Drove me crazy that we had maybe the best front line depth in Cal history and Braun played small.

He played dozens of different lineups but never Hardin, Anderson, Boykin, Christopher, Randle. Instead we would see lineups like: Anderson, Vierneisal, Christopher, Randle, Knezevic and came in 9th in the PAC-10.

calumnus said:

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01Bear said:

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HoopDreams said:

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I hope our rotation of bigs at least match the production and contribution of Daws

He wasn't just an outstanding rebounder. He was a scorer, excellent passer, and solid defender depending on matchups, and was a stretch center (have we were had one before?). He also had excellent hands.

He did have trouble scoring against longer/athletic centers, but so do the majority of DI centers.

The biggest weakness in his game from my perspective was lack of foot speed to defend on the perimeter

---

Amit Tamir was a stretch 5 about a decade before it became a thing. He was hitting threes at a time when bigs were still back to the basket players. I remember it drove me nuts that he kept drifting beyond the arc*. But I also remember him draining threes with pretty good consistency.

*This went against everything I learned about how bigs were supposed to play.

---

Ryan Anderson as well, though at 6'9 we could have treated him like a forward. Drove me crazy that we had maybe the best front line depth in Cal history and Braun played small.

He played dozens of different lineups but never Hardin, Anderson, Boykin, Christopher, Randle. Instead we would see lineups like: Anderson, Vierneisal, Christopher, Randle, Knezevic and came in 9th in the PAC-10.

---

Yeah, I was thinking about including Ryno, but I seem to remember him more as a stretch 4 at Cal than a stretch 5. Maybe I'm misremembering.

01Bear said:

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calumnus said:

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01Bear said:

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HoopDreams said:

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I hope our rotation of bigs at least match the production and contribution of Daws

He wasn't just an outstanding rebounder. He was a scorer, excellent passer, and solid defender depending on matchups, and was a stretch center (have we were had one before?). He also had excellent hands.

He did have trouble scoring against longer/athletic centers, but so do the majority of DI centers.

The biggest weakness in his game from my perspective was lack of foot speed to defend on the perimeter

---

Amit Tamir was a stretch 5 about a decade before it became a thing. He was hitting threes at a time when bigs were still back to the basket players. I remember it drove me nuts that he kept drifting beyond the arc*. But I also remember him draining threes with pretty good consistency.

*This went against everything I learned about how bigs were supposed to play.

---

Ryan Anderson as well, though at 6'9 we could have treated him like a forward. Drove me crazy that we had maybe the best front line depth in Cal history and Braun played small.

He played dozens of different lineups but never Hardin, Anderson, Boykin, Christopher, Randle. Instead we would see lineups like: Anderson, Vierneisal, Christopher, Randle, Knezevic and came in 9th in the PAC-10.

---

Yeah, I was thinking about including Ryno, but I seem to remember him more as a stretch 4 at Cal than a stretch 5. Maybe I'm misremembering.

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He occasionally played alongside Hardin, especially for tip offs, but the great majority of his two years he played center, with Hardin on the bench when he was in and vice-versa.