I didn’t ridicule you, but I think whoever did was right to do so. Nobody cares about anything in the NBA except scoring. If you watch NBA games they don’t even attempt to box anyone out. If they cared about rebounding it would be a much bigger emphasis by coaches and players. Remember when they had nicknames for guys like “The glove” because Gary Payton played unbelievable defense? That era is dead and gone.
I hope you’re right, because I think in a league where no one tries to rebound, he could average 15 a game.
I think there's always a place for people in the NBA who can rebound. They usually want you to score and be a defensive all pro to pay you handsomely, but I've never known the NBA to not value the extra possessions rebounding gives your team and takes from the opponent. There's always been a premium for that in the NBA; there have just been a recent dearth of players willing to get great at the hard, dirty work required to be excellent at it.
KDub has always struck me as a kid with a unique instinct for knowing where the ball would come down off the rim and beating his opponent to that spot. That's why he routinely got boards against taller/bigger bodies. Rebounding is more about hard work, hustle, and instinct than it is about size. Size helps, but that has never precluded KDub from cleaning the glass better than taller, bigger, more athletic players.
That's what I saw in him in college that I felt would translate well to the NBA. Again, he hasn't vindicated me yet, but last night he demonstrated he's capable of huge rebounding nights in the league and I'm hopeful for him that his performance will result in more opportunities to go get the ball for his team.