Hassan Whiteside as Our Future Power Forward

[Peter_Gibbons]

Since we are so lucky to get Whiteside in the 2nd round, what do you guys think about Whiteside being our starting PF down the line? I know he is raw right now but he has a lot of potential with his length and athleticism.

I know he is not ready right now, but Hassan said he prefers to play the 4. He has the speed and athleticism to play the position so I think it can be a great fit.. He is not a post up player yet so depending on how his game develops, he can easily play with Cousins.

I like the potential of a Whiteside + Cousins frontline a lot. Not many teams can match up with us. I can see us pounding the offensive glass all the time.




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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...aft/index.html


Regarding Sending Bigs with Potential to the D league.
"I was shocked Memphis made that decision," Olajuwon said. "That was the wrong move. If you are a big guy, you need to play. Give the boy a chance so that he can develop confidence. By sending him to the D league you are demoralizing him. Give him the opportunity. Being a shot blocker is enough to keep him on the floor. Give him time. That was wrong. It is not the right move. Give him time to develop."

On Hassan's potential"
"He has all the tools," Olajuwon said. "If he goes to the team that has a good big man he can practice against, he can get confidence. If he gets the right coach that knows that he is a talent and will play him and encourage him, he can come along quickly. But as you know, with the draft, he does not know what to expect."

 

[Chupacabra]

This was very similar to my thoughts. I dont know if im thinking of whiteside as a starting powerforward though. Im thinking of a 3 man rotation of Cousins/Thompson/Whiteside. Whiteside is the center when on the floor with Thompson and the powerforward when on the floor with Cousins. Either way, Id expect Whiteside to see alot of minutes. This of course is all years in the future.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

I see what you mean. But what do you think of Whiteside vs JT potential in the near future?

Do you think Whiteside will be a better player down the line? As much as I like Whiteside, he does seem like he may take a bit of time to get it. But JT is in many ways like that too. Except HW is taller, longer and a better athlete.

 

[TTown Kings]

Supposedly Westphal said on the radio that they see Whiteside as a 4

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

Westphal says they see him as a 4. Said he has a really good jumper.

As long as he's quick enough to defend some of the more athletic 4's, why not? definetly a good gamble in the second round. Still shocked he dropped so far.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

Supposedly Westphal said on the radio that they see Whiteside as a 4

Yes I can see it. Originally they probably brought in Whiteside to workout as a potential center. But they saw his speed and athleticism. He is skinny so it may be tough for him to play the 5 full time. But playing along side the tank of a center Cousins is, he will be free to guard shorter guys and roam around the paint to use his 9'5" reach and 7'7" wingspan to block/alter shots form the weakside.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

Westphal says they see him as a 4. Said he has a really good jumper.

As long as he's quick enough to defend some of the more athletic 4's, why not? definetly a good gamble in the second round. Still shocked he dropped so far.

From watching his workouts, he has a fairly good shooting form for a big. I believe he can develop a reliable 17 foot jumper with some work. His turn around jumper, and basic post moves are not bad either. Raw but not as raw most critics say he is.

 

[Telemachus]

While Whiteside might someday be the Kings starting PF, I think it will be at least 2 or 3 years down the line. He is long and athletic, but very, very raw as a player. He also needs to get a lot stronger. He will likely spend at least part of this season in the DL. I see him being an energy guy off the bench in a role similar to Chris Anderson of Denver.

 

[Vlade4GM]

I think we should consider putting him in the D-League. I don't think he's ready for the NBA and it would be nice if he can get a lot of minutes. He still has a lot to learn.

 

[jcwkings]

I can see him as a 4, he has that kg frame, at the very least he should start as a 4 because at 5 he will be pushed around easily. with all the length on our team mike bibby from years back would be perfect for us. we need shooters at the 1 and 3 spots. maybe steve blake and anthony morrow would be good fits.

 

[NME]

Probably a spot 4/5 for a while depending on matchup, but if he develops he could look really good next to Cousins. He has the mobility to defend the 4, and even if he just plays garbageman off of DMC's post presence and hits a few open shots, he should be ok on offense.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/frank_hughes/06/23/hassan.whiteside.draft/index.html


Regarding Sending Bigs with Potential to the D league.
"I was shocked Memphis made that decision," Olajuwon said. "That was the wrong move. If you are a big guy, you need to play. Give the boy a chance so that he can develop confidence. By sending him to the D league you are demoralizing him. Give him the opportunity. Being a shot blocker is enough to keep him on the floor. Give him time. That was wrong. It is not the right move. Give him time to develop."

On Hassan's potential"
"He has all the tools," Olajuwon said. "If he goes to the team that has a good big man he can practice against, he can get confidence. If he gets the right coach that knows that he is a talent and will play him and encourage him, he can come along quickly. But as you know, with the draft, he does not know what to expect."


A great article of Hassan pre draft. Hakeem is not only mentoring him, but worked with him for a week on his post moves etc. I know its a long shot, but if we can get Hakeem in as the big man coach for both Whiteside and Demarcus, sky's the limit for these two kids. Hakeem also thinks Whiteside has a lot of potential and can play the 5, 4 and even 3. He dismisses the immaturity and not focused issues saying he is just a shy kid but you can tell he loves the game when he plays.

 

[Vlade4GM]

He's more of a PF defensively, but regardless of what position he plays he'll be very limited offensively. Body wise he's a PF, but at the moment he's probably just a spot up shooter and open dunk maker.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

He's more of a PF defensively, but regardless of what position he plays he'll be very limited offensively. Body wise he's a PF, but at the moment he's probably just a spot up shooter and open dunk maker.

Keep in mind most bigs are very raw when they first enter the league. At least he can shoot. Something that even much higher profile bigs such as Dwight Howard still can't do. I'm not saying HW is DH, but you get what I mean.

Bigs are expected to be raw offensively. If he can block shots and rebound, I think he can be play 10-15 mins a game at the 4 & 5 spot to start out.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

He's more of a PF defensively, but regardless of what position he plays he'll be very limited offensively. Body wise he's a PF, but at the moment he's probably just a spot up shooter and open dunk maker.

one of the kings assistant coaches moved on.. there is a spot on the bench for another coach. maybe hakeem?

 

[UK_King]

i don't know about you guys but favourite quote of the night.

Hassan.

On want he wants to say to Kings fans celebrating him being chosen by the team:
“We’re going to get wins; we’re going to get wins. That’s all I plan on doing, just coming in and help win…win, win, win, just really winning.”

 

[Vlade4GM]

Keep in mind most bigs are very raw when they first enter the league. At least he can shoot. Something that even much higher profile bigs such as Dwight Howard still can't do. I'm not saying HW is DH, but you get what I mean.

Bigs are expected to be raw offensively. If he can block shots and rebound, I think he can be play 10-15 mins a game at the 4 & 5 spot to start out.

That doesn't mean they all progress the same. He's 21 and all he has is a decent jump shot. I'm not saying he can't improve, but if that's the starting point then expectations should be tame.

His defense and rebounding are also very raw. I don't think people understand just how raw he is fundamentally and physically.

 

[Sparky6string]

i don't know about you guys but favourite quote of the night.

Hassan.

On want he wants to say to Kings fans celebrating him being chosen by the team:
“We’re going to get wins; we’re going to get wins. That’s all I plan on doing, just coming in and help win…win, win, win, just really winning.”

He's gonna help us win with his length.

 

[Sac.1989]

one of the kings assistant coaches moved on.. there is a spot on the bench for another coach. maybe hakeem?

With DC & Whiteside, the still improving JT we NEED a big man coach of stature.

Its a key need that i feel must be filled if were truly going to be able to tap into the potential we've got. Reef is great as an assistant and deputy big man coach but i just feel we can do so much better here and really should.

 

[Bricklayer]

Keon Clark reborn?

 

[DesertFox]

Keon Clark reborn?

An excellent 4th big, which he doesn't need to be for at least a year.
And he has some potential on offense, which is just gravy.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

Keon Clark reborn?

I see HW to be much more than Keon when he develops. He has better size and a bigger frame. With Cousins already dominating the paint on post ups, he doesn't need to be a great offensive guy. He just needs to be good enough on offense. Hit open shots, pick n roll dunks, offensive glass put backs. It will take time for him to get stronger and learn his position.

In about 2 yrs, hopefully less, I see him being our starting 4.

 

[gunks]

Keon Clark reborn?

I can dig it.

 

[hammystyle]

Keon Clark reborn?

As long as he can avoid the sauce, count me in.

 

[Telemachus]

I see HW to be much more than Keon when he develops. He has better size and a bigger frame. With Cousins already dominating the paint on post ups, he doesn't need to be a great offensive guy. He just needs to be good enough on offense. Hit open shots, pick n roll dunks, offensive glass put backs. It will take time for him to get stronger and learn his position.

In about 2 yrs, hopefully less, I see him being our starting 4.

I see Whiteside's role with the Kings being similar to that of Chris Anderson's in Denver. Just tell him to go out there and go after every rebound and try to block every shot and basically cause havoc for the other team. As he develops his game, his role would hopefully become much more than that.

 

[bajaden]

I think Whiteside can see some minutes on the floor. I just think Westphal will have to pick and choose those minutes. Put him out there in the right situations. He's very raw! And we do a disservice to him by raising our expectations too high right now. He has a lot of holes in his game right now and needs time to develop.

On the plus side, the Kings got a player at 33 that could one day be a star in the league at best, and a very good defensive player at worse. Right now he's one of the most athletic 7 footers in the NBA, and thats saying something. If he develops properly, he could be an absolute monster at the PF position in 2 or 3 years. For all of you that were in love with Thabeet because of his shotblocking. Be happy! Because Whiteside is a better shotblocker than Thabeet. Not quite as big though..

 

[Vlade4GM]

I think Whiteside can see some minutes on the floor. I just think Westphal will have to pick and choose those minutes. Put him out there in the right situations. He's very raw! And we do a disservice to him by raising our expectations too high right now. He has a lot of holes in his game right now and needs time to develop.

On the plus side, the Kings got a player at 33 that could one day be a star in the league at best, and a very good defensive player at worse. Right now he's one of the most athletic 7 footers in the NBA, and thats saying something. If he develops properly, he could be an absolute monster at the PF position in 2 or 3 years. For all of you that were in love with Thabeet because of his shotblocking. Be happy! Because Whiteside is a better shotblocker than Thabeet. Not quite as big though..

I'd compare him to Gasol athletically.

 

[bajaden]

I'd compare him to Gasol athletically.

That might be close. He's probably got better hops than Gasol and might be quicker, but Gasol is a pretty good all around athlete. I'm assuming that your talking about Pau. Now if he can just develop the same skill set, then we have something.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

I'd say it's Whiteside's length that really accentuates his perceived athleticism. He'll be one of the longest players in the league the moment he steps out on the NBA court. He's an okay leaper and isn't super in lateral quickness or overall speed, but his arms never end and help him make ground for some of those attributes, so he'll be an effective defensive player. He's also stronger than given credit for.

 

[King-Da-Yah]

I'd say it's Whiteside's length that really accentuates his perceived athleticism. He'll be one of the longest players in the league the moment he steps out on the NBA court. He's an okay leaper and isn't super in lateral quickness or overall speed, but his arms never end and help him make ground for some of those attributes, so he'll be an effective defensive player. He's also stronger than given credit for.

I remember shortly after the combine hearing this too, that is that he is stronger then one might think. I don't have the numbers in front of me but I think he had a pretty good workout during the bench press portion.

I like HW's potential, and think it is great he slipped to 33. What is it we always say? Guards are a dime a dozen, while fairly athletic, rediculously long 7 footers with a nice little j are much more rare. I think if he follows Baja's advice and rounds his game more he could def play the 4.

Is anyone else still kind of I'm shock we have gotten so lucky two years in a row? Might be too early to tell, but it has def been a great few weeks for us. (minus the high speed fun)