Mo Bamba

gunks

gunks

Hall of Famer
#61
#61
Mo was my guy when I thought we'd be picking 4-5ish, before teams out tanked us. Pre-lotto I was hoping he'd drop to 7.

Now that we're at 2? I dunno. I kinda want us to keep it simple and draft one of Ayton or Doncic. But if we trade down for Mo and get some assets in the deal I wouldn't mind. I've always been a sucker for shot blockers, since the Keon block party days!
 
ockingsfan

ockingsfan

Starter
#62
#62
Ozymandias said:
The lack of Mo hype here is funny. Mock drafts have led ya's astray. In a few years ppl will look back and say "how couldn't i have seen this coming?"....
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I think the lack of hype for Mo is because he seems more the traditional lock down the paint type center.

With the NBA being more perimeter oriented in the last 4-5 years, the need for the block stuffing center has been minimized because so many teams are looking 3 point shots first, drive the lane second.

It's not to say that Mo won't be a game changer on defense, he will be. He will have a good impact on making a team a playoff contender (like Rudy Gobert), but I'm not so sure he makes a team a championship contender.

Perimeter players (like KD, LeBron, Curry, Klay Thompson, and Harden) are definitely in vogue right now.
 
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Joshoua

All-Star
#63
#63
Ozymandias said:
The lack of Mo hype here is funny. Mock drafts have led ya's astray. In a few years ppl will look back and say "how couldn't i have seen this coming?"....
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The recent hype on mo is what’s funny to me. He apparently got better by not putting any more game tape out there
 
Ozymandias

Ozymandias

All-Star
#65
#65
ockingsfan said:
I think the lack of hype for Mo is because he seems more the traditional lock down the paint type center.

With the NBA being more perimeter oriented in the last 4-5 years, the need for the block stuffing center has been minimized because so many teams are looking 3 point shots first, drive the lane second.

It's not to say that Mo won't be a game changer on defense, he will be. He will have a good impact on making a team a playoff contender (like Rudy Gobert), but I'm not so sure he makes a team a championship contender.

Perimeter players (like KD, LeBron, Curry, Harden) are definitely in vogue right now.
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This is a major bigman draft. Do you think its prudent to turn a blind eye to that in search of something en vogue?

I say its best to pick low hanging fruit from the ripest branch, thats Mo and Ayton andto varying degrees of a lesser extent; JJJ and Bagley and Carter Jr..
 
F

Folsomkingsfan

Starter
#66
#66
gunks said:
Mo was my guy when I thought we'd be picking 4-5ish, before teams out tanked us. Pre-lotto I was hoping he'd drop to 7.

Now that we're at 2? I dunno. I kinda want us to keep it simple and draft one of Ayton or Doncic. But if we trade down for Mo and get some assets in the deal I wouldn't mind. I've always been a sucker for shot blockers, since the Keon block party days!
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Mo is my favorite prospect in the draft from an armchair GM prospective. He has the game and measurements to genuinely be a Rudy Gobert type player with a 3 point shot. If we were picking from 4 and beyond then this would be a simple decision for me. Throw everything out the window and swing for the fences with Bamba.

Now that we are 2 I echo your feelings. Even though I love Bamba a lot, I recognize the risks that he presents. Because he is so raw he could wind up being the standard "he is big and lengthy therefore he could potentially dominate so i will pick him early" player that busts every couple of drafts. We need to nail this pick. Therefore, assuming we stay at 2, I want us to keep it simple too. Doncic and Ayton are 1 and 2 on the majority of boards for a reason. Take one of them.
 
ockingsfan

ockingsfan

Starter
#67
#67
Ozymandias said:
This is a major bigman draft. Do you think its prudent to turn a blind eye to that in search of something en vogue?

I say its best to pick low hanging fruit from the ripest branch, thats Mo and Ayton andto varying degrees of a lesser extent; JJJ and Bagley and Carter Jr..
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Just because this is a bigman heavy draft, doesn't mean we need to draft a bigman.

We are picking #2 overall, not 4th or 5th, so we have pretty much every player on the table for us to chose, except for Ayton most likely.

There are many good bigmen in this draft (i.e. Bagley, Bamba, JJJ), but there are also 2 high quality wings, (Doncic and MPJ) that are available and viable choices for #2.

We should be picking BPA and for who we think has the highest ceiling, not the position.
 
Ozymandias

Ozymandias

All-Star
#68
#68
ockingsfan said:
Just because this is a bigman heavy draft, doesn't mean we need to draft a bigman.

We are picking #2 overall, not 4th or 5th, so we have pretty much every player on the table for us to chose, except for Ayton most likely.

There are many good bigmen in this draft (i.e. Bagley, Bamba, JJJ), but there are also 2 high quality wings, (Doncic and MPJ) that are available and viable choices for #2.

We should be picking BPA and for who we think has the highest ceiling, not the position.
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Mo is #1 overall on my board he's the bpa, fits a scarcely found need, and he's the cream of the best part of this years crop all in one.

He just reportedly ran a 3/4 court sprint thats faster than westbrook and wouldve been tied for first at the combine ablazing 3.04seconds
 
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2

206Fan

All-Star
#69
#69
Ozymandias said:
The lack of Mo hype here is funny. Mock drafts have led ya's astray. In a few years ppl will look back and say "how couldn't i have seen this coming?"....
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I think the Kings desperately need a franchise player..which means they need more offense. Bamba is extremely limited on offense. If he actually showed any resemblance of an offensive feel, then I'd feel differently. However, his supposed 3pt shooting was non-existent this year. Less than 2 attempts/game while shooting less than 30%. Everything about his mechanics was bad. It needs an entire overhaul. Bamba lacks skills as well. No ball handling, no post game, no nothing really.. He also showed very little offensive feel aside from PnR finishes.

For that reason, I'll pass on Bamba. He's an extremely raw player, and he needs to climb a large hill in order to reach his offensive potential compared to guys like Ayton, Doncic, and MPJ. I don't think he's a franchise player. I think he's a guy who you can slide in as your 3rd best player, but the Kings need a #1 player.
 
Blob

Blob

Starter
#70
#70
Ozymandias said:
Mo is #1 overall on my board he's the bpa, fits a scarcely found need, and he's the cream of the best part of this years crop all in one.

He just reportedly ran a 3/4 court sprint thats faster than westbrook and wouldve been tied for first at the combine ablazing 3.04seconds
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He's great. His coordination and footwork are exemplary for a man his size His shot mechanics are nice. I didn't know he had that kind of speed! Do you have a link? As I have said I think as we get closer to the draft, and assuming Ayton goes #1, I think there could be heated internal debate between Bagley and Bamba. Its close. Bagley has AD-like game without the wingspan. Bamba carries more risk and not as immediate return in my mind, but if he develops, watch out. He will be a force. He's way ahead of Gobert. If he knocks it out of the park in individual workouts which sounds like he may do, I endorse him at #2. In Brandon Vlade I Trust. :p
 
Ozymandias

Ozymandias

All-Star
#76
#76
206Fan said:
I think the Kings desperately need a franchise player..which means they need more offense. Bamba is extremely limited on offense. If he actually showed any resemblance of an offensive feel, then I'd feel differently. However, his supposed 3pt shooting was non-existent this year. Less than 2 attempts/game while shooting less than 30%. Everything about his mechanics was bad. It needs an entire overhaul. Bamba lacks skills as well. No ball handling, no post game, no nothing really.. He also showed very little offensive feel aside from PnR finishes.

For that reason, I'll pass on Bamba. He's an extremely raw player, and he needs to climb a large hill in order to reach his offensive potential compared to guys like Ayton, Doncic, and MPJ. I don't think he's a franchise player. I think he's a guy who you can slide in as your 3rd best player, but the Kings need a #1 player.
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You assesment lacks persepective IMO, it's riddled with holes and untruths. The Kings need a lot of things, not just a franchise player Hayward was a Max player in the west on a good defensive team and his teams were always just pretenders, it takes more than a franchise player to cut the mustard out west, you need to play the game well in all facets to compete. Mo could be on of the great shotblockers, he will improve immensely in his first few seasons, he can help the kings in areas that cost MAX$$$ on the open market in free agency.

If WCS can smoothly transition to defending PF's well the kings will have a formidable frontline that can deter even stars. The defense would improve drastically, and the kings have a big chunk of capspace to buy a big peice at SF.

For a teenage kid with 7'10 wingspan his shooting touch is promising, shooting is the easiest skill to improve and he's got a good foundation to start from and soft touch he could end up a solid 3Pt%. And 80%Ft shooter.
 
Sac.Kings

Sac.Kings

All-Star
#77
#77
Definitely not a franchise big man but could develop into an excellent high level role player. He's too limited on offense to be a cornerstone of a franchise. And please don't show me him shooting threes in an open gym. We saw that with Tyreke every single year and he's still terrible from 3.
 
Ozymandias

Ozymandias

All-Star
#78
#78
Mo is agile and fleet of foot and quick off his feet and anticipates well, and definetly opposing players are uncomfortable playing against that length (which will be the same in the NBA). He's an eraser and will often have the last word on possessions. He's good at avoiding fouls too.

Mo Bamba is no ordinary C... Do you see how good Rudy Gobert is? U gotta beat utahs perimeter defense then u gotta beat Rudy, he's like a final boss in a video game. Fans LOVE this style of ball im convinced, it's a blue-collar brand of ball.those jazz home games in the playoffs were insane atmosphere and when they beat houston in game 2 without rubio that was one of the best games in the playoffs..

Mo could be te best C in Kings franchise history. I think he's got HOF talent.

What about the Kings defense last szn has people so overconfident here tat they look at mo and dont say "huge obvious upgrade"? This question applies to PHX and ATL too.
 
Ozymandias

Ozymandias

All-Star
#79
#79
I want to post the video of that little kid knicks fan who was crying on tv after the Porzingis pick, feels relevant here. Im above that tho.
 
Ozymandias

Ozymandias

All-Star
#80
#80
Sac.Kings said:
Definitely not a franchise big man but could develop into an excellent high level role player. He's too limited on offense to be a cornerstone of a franchise. And please don't show me him shooting threes in an open gym. We saw that with Tyreke every single year and he's still terrible from 3.
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Why definitely?

Brook Lopez has been drilling open gym 3's for years and just as a28 and 29 year old started shooting them at 5attempts and 35% clip. Are your powers of veiwing into the future so strong that you can safely rule out extreme lateblooming scenrios like that with Mo?
 
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Ozymandias

Ozymandias

All-Star
#81
#81
3.04seconds 3/4 court sprint !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yall realize how crazy that is? Mo's amajor OUTLIER. His athletic profile is extreme even by NBA standards. Thats faster than john wall and donovan mitchell and dwayne wade

He's built like a young Wilt Chamberlain. He was skinny at this age too,, thats why they called him Wilt the Stilt.

Gobert ran 3.57 and was older. Gobert is built like Chamberlain too im under the impression he was 7'1 in shopes with 7'8 1/2" wingspan.. Wilt had better hands tho easily but wilt had possibly the strongest hands in nba history.
 
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ESP47

All-Star
#83
#83
Ozymandias said:
Mo is agile and fleet of foot and quick off his feet and anticipates well, and definetly opposing players are uncomfortable playing against that length (which will be the same in the NBA). He's an eraser and will often have the last word on possessions. He's good at avoiding fouls too.

Mo Bamba is no ordinary C... Do you see how good Rudy Gobert is? U gotta beat utahs perimeter defense then u gotta beat Rudy, he's like a final boss in a video game. Fans LOVE this style of ball im convinced, it's a blue-collar brand of ball.those jazz home games in the playoffs were insane atmosphere and when they beat houston in game 2 without rubio that was one of the best games in the playoffs..

Mo could be te best C in Kings franchise history. I think he's got HOF talent.

What about the Kings defense last szn has people so overconfident here tat they look at mo and dont say "huge obvious upgrade"? This question applies to PHX and ATL too.
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I think most Kings fans realize that if things materialize with Bamba, the defense will be much better.

My problem is what's the point if the offense just stays extremely mediocre? Gobert isn't anything without Mitchell or Hayward. Defensive minded big men are found outside of the lottery all the time while talent wings not so much. Gobert is freakin awesome but it's easier to find yourself a defensive center than it is to find a guy who can carry your offense. I realize that Bamba's size and wingspan are elite and you aren't going to get that kind of promise with your run of the mill centers out there but it's really hard to justify taking a guy like that at #2 when there is a massive hole in the roster and I don't just mean a hole at the SF spot. I mean a hole as far as real offensive weapon goes.

If I have an equally tantalizing prospect at SF and I can plug him into a spot that was previously a black hole in the lineup and play him next to another young talented center in Giles, I'm going to do it over picking another center with similar weaknesses and then either play one or both of them limited minutes or pretend like Giles is a power forward and put out a lineup that is doomed to fail offensively.
 
funkykingston

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
#84
#84
His 3/4 sprint time makes it even more egregious that he often jogged back in transition. Maybe that's just a kid who needs to increase his cardio level/work capacity but my fear is that his motor just runs hot and cold.

Bamba isn't Wilt. I can squint and see him as an all-star player but it's almost certainly not because he's a team's leading scorer. Peak level Bamba would be a defensive anchor that sets the tone for the whole team and scores efficiently without necessarily having plays run for him. Open threes as part of the secondary action as he comes up court (like Boogie loved) and off the pick & pop,easy buckets in transition, off offensive boards, from lobs and dumpoffs etc and occasionally from post-ups. Mo could eventually be a 16 ppg scorer just by being aggressive and opportunistic. He'll need a massive gain of lower body muscle to establish and keep position in the blocks but I don't ever see that being his bread and butter. I don't think he'll ever be a go-to scorer because I don't know how he'd create his own shot.

But a quicker Gobert who hits open shots? That's a valuable piece. I don't see the unlimited Giannis-like potential because he's not a ball handler, doesn't have a face-up game, doesn't shoot off the dribble etc though I suppose there's an outside chance he could develop those skills.

The issue I have is with the idea that Bamba will definitely reach his potential as an elite defender. He's got amazing tools and he is a very bright kid but on the court I very rarely saw a killer instinct from him. How great does he really want to be? Interviews are one thing. Willie has talked about how nobody would outwork him in the summer etc only to come back essentially the same inconsistent player.

Bamba has maybe the biggest floor to ceiling gap of the prospects at the top of this draft.
 
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B

BigVirg

Bench
#85
#85
funkykingston said:
His 3/4 sprint time makes it even more egregious that he often jogged back in transition. Maybe that's just a kid who needs to increase his cardio level/work capacity but my fear is that his motor just runs hit and cold.

Bamba isn't Wilt. I can squint and see him as an all-star player but it's almost certainly not because he's a team's leading scorer. Peak level Bamba would be a defensive anchor that sets the tone for the whole team and scores efficiently without necessarily having plays run for him. Open threes as part of the secondary action as he comes up court (like Boogie loved) and off the pick & pop, in transition, off offensive boards, from lobs and dumpoffs etc and occasionally from post-ups. He'll need a massive gain of lower body muscle to establish and keep position in the blocks but I don't ever see that being his bread and butter. I don't think he'll ever be a go-to scorer because I don't know how he'd create his own shot.

But a quicker Gobert who hits open shots? That's a valuable piece. I don't see the unlimited Giannis-luke potential because he's not a ball handler, doesn't have a face-up game, doesn't shoot off the dribble etc though I suppose there's an outside chance he could develop those skills.

The issue I have is with the idea that Bamba will definitely reach his potential as an elite defender. He's got amazing tools and he is a very bright kid but on the court I very rarely saw a killer instinct from him. How great does he really want to be? Interviews are one thing. Willie has talked about how nobody would outwork him in the summer etc only to come back essentially the same inconsistent player.

Bamba has maybe the biggest floor to ceiling gap of the prospects at the top of this draft.
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GREAT POST!
 
kingsfan1984

kingsfan1984

Starter
#87
#87
Bamba is more inconsistent than WCS is my biggest concern. Would be some type of entertainment betting which of the 2 would show up each game.

For both these guys, it appears basketball is not their passion
 
E

ESP47

All-Star
#88
#88
206Fan said:
So here's my question, why couldn't he fix his shooting before the season started and during it? It was broken...I'm not sold on his stroke until I see it in SL. Lots of guys have better mechanics in an open gym, it's just a matter of transferring it to an actual game.
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I'm at the point where I don't even want to see my big man shooting from the outside. Unless they've shown a high likelihood of being able to shoot at an average to above average rate from the outside, I think it's a waste of time and a losing basketball shot.

I absolutely despise the elbow jumper and that's exactly where Joerger would have him planted on half the plays. I hated it when Cousins took it, hated it when Webber took it and hate it now that WCS is there taking it. Webber was the most infuriating because he would do real damage inside and then just settle for low percentage 16ft jump shots for half the game. It's a losing shot and there's a reason why almost none of the good teams have their big men taking it.
 
Blob

Blob

Starter
#89
#89
jcassio said:
OMG! I don't want either one of them now.
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LOL why? It was just two guys fighting position. I wouldn't draw anything major from it. It gets messy out there without a ref to intervene and when the competitive fires are stoked! The takeaway from my perspective is Ayton was much stronger in his base which allowed him to deny Bamba. He created a wall Bamba could not penetrate. But Bamba was not passive. He kept trying to get where he wanted to go. It was a learning experience for him and exemplified why Ayton is such a force. The last play was an exclamation point.
 
Blob

Blob

Starter
#90
#90
ESP47 said:
I'm at the point where I don't even want to see my big man shooting from the outside. Unless they've shown a high likelihood of being able to shoot at an average to above average rate from the outside, I think it's a waste of time and a losing basketball shot.
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I hear Koufos is working on his three ball this summer ;)
 
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