Listened to KB and Andy this morning and this topic once again discussed ad nauseum. Frankly, I'm sick of hearing about it. First and foremost, Edey is a good basketball player, that's an undeniable fact. Also a fact, Edey's single greatest "skill" is in fact his height which really isn't a skill, it's a God-given gene. I don't know when the two became synonymous? Edey overcomes a lack of basketball skillset because he is in fact 7'4. There's nothing wrong with that and it's not a disparaging comment.
Why is "Edey is just tall" such a controversial take?
- Thread starter IndyResident16
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Van Gundy said he might be able to help an NBA team as a specialist for 6 minutes a half. Rebounding, clog the middle, alter or block shots
He’s not just tall. There have been several “tall” players. Edy is also big. He has meat on his bones. Doesn’t change the argument. I agree if he were 6 inches shorter we wouldn’t be talking about him so yeah, he is pretty much both tall and big
Disected as you just did...you are spot on, it is just a fact.
The reason it is controversial is that it is used as a slur by some and puers take great offense.
Zach has clearly worked hard to become a better basketball at his position, his footword has improved dramatically. He seems like a good kid, but you just don't know as much about pu players as you do IU players, that is just a fact.
Edey gets dragged in the socials worse than anything I have seen in college and frankly, he isn't doing anything that the refs aren't allowing him to do or any other player would do. I don't blame him at all. Are the calls laughable? Sure but that is not a knock on the kid. I have no issue bashing Caitlyn Clark because she actively brings the crap on herself, there is a big difference.
I never use the "he's just tall" comment because it has taken on a bigger meaning that I don't agree with.
My issue is that Purdue people can't differentiate between "tall" and "good" as if it's one or the other. He is in fact both tall and good (in comparison to his collegiate peers). But he has very little basketball skills. He can't shoot, he can't pass, and he can't dribble. Being tall is what makes him good. Someone like Victor Wembeyana who is also 7'4 would still be a very good basketball player at 6'10 or 6'11 because he can in fact dribble, pass, and shoot. Someone like Steph Curry would still be very good at basketball at 5'11 or 6 foot because he is an elite shooter.
You are not wrong here at all.
That said, there are two points that affect this for me:
1. Just Tall has become a slur toward the kid
2. Purdue grads have such deep insecurities that they are habitually offended by any such discussion.
He is the most dominant player at his position in a long time. Bur he gets a lot of help.
#1 is the by-product of #2. It's only considered a slight because of butt-hurt Purdue fans. There's a reason why the NBA has shifted from back to the basket 7+ footers the last 15-20 years. And it's because they don't possess the skills to play in today's game.
In fairness, he is a 50% 3-pt shooter.
I'm fairly sure Painter has told him to stay in the paint because that is how he has created his system to function. Edey might be on a fairly short leash in that regard. So he may be a better shooter than we know (but I doubt it).
I think what most people don't understand is that his height is not his best skill / attribute. To put it bluntly, it's his girth. Alot of other 7 footers are string-beans comparatively. Edey can put his back on the defender and take a step back, and he is just that strong to the point where you can't stop him from legally displacing you. Once he does that three times, he is now 3 feet away from the basket and is nearly automatic with his shot.
Everybody knows that if you can push him a few feet further away from the basket, his scoring percentage goes down, so defenders are trying to do everything in their power to do that, but more often than not, that involves them putting two hands on him and pushing with everything they have or trying to pin his arm down to help deny the entry pass. The problem is, when you are sitting there pushing with all of your might in one direction, then Edey gets the ball and is starting to spin to make his shot, you have to transition from full-push-forward to proper defensive form for the shot. The half second it takes to do that is not easy, and as a result, most defenders usually have an arm on him when he goes for the shot and it counts as a foul.
The only other option is to double him, but the rest of the Purdue team is good enough 3-pt shooters to make that option even less appealing. Edey has actually improved his passing significantly from last year. His assist to turnover ratio in the last few weeks has been in the 1.7 to 1 range while it was 0.7 to 1 last year.
All fair and good points.In fairness, he is a 50% 3-pt shooter.
I'm fairly sure Painter has told him to stay in the paint because that is how he has created his system to function. Edey might be on a fairly short leash in that regard. So he may be a better shooter than we know (but I doubt it).
I think what most people don't understand is that his height is not his best skill / attribute. To put it bluntly, it's his girth. Alot of other 7 footers are string-beans comparatively. Edey can put his back on the defender and take a step back, and he is just that strong to the point where you can't stop him from legally displacing you. Once he does that three times, he is now 3 feet away from the basket and is nearly automatic with his shot.
Everybody knows that if you can push him a few feet further away from the basket, his scoring percentage goes down, so defenders are trying to do everything in their power to do that, but more often than not, that involves them putting two hands on him and pushing with everything they have or trying to pin his arm down to help deny the entry pass. The problem is, when you are sitting there pushing with all of your might in one direction, then Edey gets the ball and is starting to spin to make his shot, you have to transition from full-push-forward to proper defensive form for the shot. The half second it takes to do that is not easy, and as a result, most defenders usually have an arm on him when he goes for the shot and it counts as a foul.
The only other option is to double him, but the rest of the Purdue team is good enough 3-pt shooters to make that option even less appealing. Edey has actually improved his passing significantly from last year. His assist to turnover ratio in the last few weeks has been in the 1.7 to 1 range while it was 0.7 to 1 last year.
If you substituted "He's just tall" to "He's just big" it would still be met with the same fate. Edey's greatest attribute is his size not any actual basketball skill he possesses.
Well they have another 7 foot guy (Berg) who is awful. He is just tall. Edey is a good basketball player
Edey’s free throw percentage is at about 70% so that is decent as compared to his peers so I would not say that he can’t shoot. Form looks good also.
What does that have to do with anything? Edey is a good basketball player, I literally said that in my intro. But the fact remains that his size is by far and away his greatest skill set. I don’t understand why that’s such a controversial take.
Dude is officially Purdue's all time scoring leader....after all these years, someone finally passed Rick the Rocket. You aren't just "tall" to be in the No# 1 spot. Many teams have had 7'2 or 7'4 statues who regularly ride the pines...those players are "tall".
Courtsense explained it to you already. It's because the statement of fact has taken on an implied meaning.
That's like saying a track runner is "just fast".
Size has always been a component of the game of basketball. There have been thousands of under 6-ft dudes who have played ball in high school who if they were just 6 inches taller would have been all-B1G conference players. Their size limited them.
So having size matters. But there are plenty of people who have size who also suck at basketball. Edey isn't one of those, and most of the time when someone say "he's just tall" they are implying that anyone with size would be just as good. It's usually tagged with "if I was that tall I could do that" -- when in reality no they couldn't.
Having elite size comes with disadvantages. Usually slower, heavier feet, respiratory/cardiovascular conditioning, etc. The latter doesn't get talked about much, but partially why Edey is elite is because he is in such damn good shape. The guy can run the floor for 30+ minutes a game like he's a guard/forward. His ability to get up and down the floor and get into position in the paint is underappreciated by most.
Purdue has been a tremendous 2nd half-team because he can outlast all of the bodies an opponent can throw at them. They not only don't typically have the size, but they don't have the conditioning. He gets better throughout a game -- if he's needed.
The NATIONAL Player of the Year (2 years running) has no skills? Why would Purdue fans be butt-hurt? First thing : Purdue does not play in the NBA, neither does IU, DUH! Purdue is 107-28 with Edey and 59-20 in the BT! IU in that span is 75-55 and 38-41 in the BT! Maybe, I'm guessing your little BUTT-Hurt about being so inferior, so like most losers you need to try and degrade those who are superior to YOU! Painter is right there are a lot of people who know nothing about basketball!
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This part is partly right and partly wrong. For the record, yes, Edey is in fabulous shape for a man his size and would likely run a mile faster than 99% of the people on this board, but he is still slower than most guards / forwards.
I have seen enough Purdue games to see Smith get a rebound, come racing up the court, and then back off and dribble for a few seconds to let Edey catch up. Purdue has an elite half-court offense. Painter knows this. He can get 1.2 to 1.5 points per possession when Edey is on the floor and in the paint. Braden waits for Edey to get into position.
Purdue is fairly lowly ranked with regards to transition points for this reason (probably half of them are Lance Jones 3's, for better or worse. He often jacks them up early in the shot clock before the rest of the team is ready and in rebounding position). For all of the naysayers who think Purdue is going to fade back into mediocrity once Edey leaves, they need to see that Braden is sometimes holding back. Unless the new 7 footers are able to come close to matching Edey's production level (which is highly unlikely), Purdue is going to run a much faster pace next year.
I didn't say he had no skills. I said he possesses very little real basketball skills ie can't dribble, can't shoot, can't pass, etc. which would be 100% accurate. His greatest skill/attribute by far and away is his SIZE (which really isn't a skill to begin with). If you want to argue that Zach Edey would be skilled enough to produce at the same level if he were 6'9 or 6'10....feel free to knock yourself. You could do that by watching him play at Wabash.
How do know he can't dribble? Can't pass?? You do know that he has 73 assists this year, while your starting PG, Cupps has 41! 100% accurate, really, I would advise you to take up another sport! When you go to the SHRINKING argument your not really associated with reality!
Because I've never seen him dribble or pass with any kind of skill. He had 77 turnovers this year precisely because he can't pass or dribble out of a double team. Turning around and scoring over someone 6 inches shorter isn't necessarily a basketball skill, it is in fact the by-product of simply being bigger than everybody else. There's a reason why his NBA career will be short-lived and it is due to the fact that he possesses very little real basketball skills.
I agree that he is slower than almost all guards and most forwards, but he is faster and better conditioned than most big men anywhere near his size (height + weight) -- and his stamina is elite for his size.
I watched Marquette again this weekend, and 6' 11" Osa just killed me with how bad he was at getting up and down the floor. The dude barely got past a speed walking/jog on most possessions, and Marquette played 4 on 5 offensively for way too long on most possessions. He would never crash the boards, as he was always looking to bail out and start walking the other way. It was baffling.
Zach will be 2X National Player of the Year, and you qualify to be what??? Nothing!
Girth is one way to put it but I would say strength - guy has worked his ass off to get where he is. Nobody wanted him - probably one of the most under appreciated college players ever. You may not equate skill with making 5 foot shots but I would because he’s practiced them literally thousands of times.
Who is arguing he shouldn't be 2x NPOY lol? Being big doesn't exclude you from being good, why can't Purdue fans differentiate from the two? It isn't an either/or. He's good because he's larger than everybody else, why is that so hard to acknowledge? He's not good because he possesses some elite basketball skill(s), he's good because he dominates his competition by virtue of being larger than everybody else.
It's not a slight, it's a simple fact.
I don’t think you are describing his one basketball skill, low post offense, accurately if you say he is just tall. He is probably the best college basketball player in history at that particular skill. No, he does not have any other D1 basketball skills.
Correct - he can’t pass, shoot either hand or make free throws! He plays 20-30 years ago he’s the first pick in the NBA draft - but he has no skills - got it
His low post offense is literally nothing more than catching the ball 5 feet from the basket and turning with either his left or right foot and laying the ball up with the other hand, over guys yielding anywhere from 4-8 inches.
Haha this may be the most Walmart thread ever - good luck in the off season!
20-30 years ago when basketball was a physical game dominated by low skill 7 footers. The NBA has pivoted from that style of play to bigs who actually possess.....you guessed it, real basketball skills. Thank you for proving my point, dumbass.
The great thing about Painter - who can’t coach - is you could have had all our guys but they weren’t 5 stars. According to many on here you have all the resources, the tradition, and the better program. We just settle for the bottom of the barrel - build culture - get recruits and win games. It’s ok you can diss Edey all you want but it’s sour grapes. Guy played behind the Carolina Center and nobody wanted him. Painter - who again can’t coach or develop players - took him, developed him, and keeps getting recruits who want to play hard and win at all cost
This conversation is pointless. Edey will go down as one of the most dominant players in college basketball. The one skill is does have that every IU player lacks is that he is a WINNER! Purdue or IU fans won’t give a crap about Edey if he wasn’t winning games!
Again, who in the f*** is actually dissing Edey? He's more than deserving of NPOY accolades. But to try and say his biggest attribute by far and away isn't anything but his size is flat out lunacy.
