2010-11 Player Previews: It's Time for Manny to Make the Jump

Manny Arop brings many things to the table that are not measured in statistics. The guy is a gamer. He will do anything you need done and does it surprisingly well. Some of you may recall that he lead the Canadian Jr. National team in many ways, only losing to the American team.

The guy can flat score and score from just about any distance. If he is better than last year, that is scary news indeed for our opponents. Personally I think he may be at his best in transition.

Arop has a nose for the ball. It’s almost like a sixth sense. He knows the game, he anticipates so well and he has sufficient athletic ability to effectively translate that sixth sense into results — rebounds, deflections, steals, etc. I hesitate to compare him to Dennis Rodman but he has that same knack for running down rebounds.

I don’t know if I agree with you on the defensive stuff. He is not a lock down defender in the same way that Knight was. He gets things done more with anticipation than being able to react quickly. I suppose you could say this is two sides of the same coin and you get to the same place — but I think there is a fundamental difference between the two styles: One is a stopper (Knight); the other is a disruptor (Arop).

I can’t even recall how many times I was screaming at Few from the stands or the couch to bring in Arop! The guy is instant energy and leaves everything on the court. His combination of effort, talent, and sheer determination ALWAYS resulted in positive outcomes for the team. He literally had a hand in at least half of the steals when he was on the court, or was able to tip the ball to teammates for rebounds and points. I was also impressed with his shooting ability, consistency, and versatility. His speed, quickness, athleticism, length, and shooting ability make him a threat from anywhere inside of half-court. I certainly hope few plays Arop as much as possible, especially in late game situations and set plays. This guy is golden!

I don’t think people realized how amazing he was on defense, probably because half the time Steven Gray got credit for it because people lazily assumed that the guy who Gray matched up with in the pregame starting lineups was who he actually defended in clutch time (Klay Thompson comes to mind).

I do hope he is able to make the jump…along with some other key players…Sacre, Olynk, Harris, Meech, Gray. I think with these players making some progress and the addition of Dower & Carter, we will be a much improved team.

Love Manny’s nose for the ball, how well he hangs around the basket and is able to pop to the outside, love his on ball defense as well as his ability to rotate….if he can increase his offensive production along with all the lil things he does so well…rebounding, defending, being right place right time…he will really be a diffrence maker.

Lastly…what this team really needs to correct from last year is the amount of OF rebounds they allow…having Manny play more minutes will help…but the rest of the team has get much more “nasty” when it comes to defensive rebounding….if they can cut down on second chance points and turn those defensive rebounds into points on the other end…they will be very competitive….hopefully the team gets a lil bit of “Manny mania” on them and they all play as hard as he does.

If you REALLY want a good time, go talk trash on Kentucky’s site… Seriously, nice to hear a new voice, have fun with it, some people take this a little too personally, but it is for fun, and for learning. I’m new as a poster, but the Zags have been my religion since the early 90’s. Be careful what you post about Manny though, really. He is going to tear things up, sooner than later. If you don’t believe it, watch more, in volume and in earnest. I watched at least 3 UCLA games last year. Your young post guy Nelson, who was only playing because of the crazy crap you endured last year, was a guy who stuck out to me. Hard working, scrappy, relentless. Didn’t notice Arnet, will look for him this year.

I think Manny’s biggest problem so far is finding his role. I think he fell into the rebounder-defender role because that’s what the Zags needed last year.

But I can see him as a go to scorer or a 3 point sniper too. His handle and first step will get him to the rim against most defenders and he has a nice mid range game too. He hasn’t shown much in the way of passing.
 
The Zags have a bunch of weapons and Manny won’t be forced to carry the load on offense, but I’d like to see the coaches encourage him to look for his shot.

 Without Matt B the team may need someone to take the initiative offensively from the backcourt and get the ball up to the rim where the trees can take over.

probably no one paying too much attention to Baylor’s Lacedarius Dunn saga. NO input to whether or not he hit his girlfriend, or what should happen to him, only concern, is as a basketball fan, I really looked forward to watching Manny “D” up on a great one on one guy like that. Interesting to see how things develop.