John Henson the best fit next to Cousins?

#61
Using a five-player rotation at the 4/5 is not how I envision things. Instead, why not just draft guy who can both defend man to man and block shots?
Exactly! You simply can't have a player that is great at one thing and below average at everything else or you will be running a long rotation, making it a one big circus.

If I am looking for a defensive big, I am after someone that can be a great at both weakside help defense and man on man defense. No doubt that Drummond's potential in that aspect of the game is off the charts but there is always that risk factor that might be too high for a top 5 pick.

The more I think about this draft there more I think we will be disappointed with the outcome in a couple of years time! :(

Unless of course we get to fill a need with a "slider" (eg Michael Kidd Gilchrist)
 
#62
Well then I guess Anthony Davis is going to be a bust as well. He's only 5 pounds heavier than Henson. Obviously neither guy will be able to play at their current weight in the NBA post without getting killed. They both need to meet with their team trainer after the draft and get on a program to add muscle.
The difference is their frames. Davis has a wide frame that can put on a lot more weight, Henson does not. Henson has a narrow frame and disproportionally long legs (so that means a high center of gravity.) He's never going to have the necessary lower body strength to hold his position. He's going to be a long toothpick like Brandan Wright.
 
#66
Whiteside is the better prospect imo... if we want shot blocking and rebounding Hassan could be our guy.
I agree with this.

I think that Henson has by far the better basketball I.Q. But if you're looking to bring in a young, raw shotblocker to play 10-15 minutes a night, then you might as well develop Whiteside, because at least Whiteside has the body for it.

It's hard for me to be a big fan of Henson when I think that we'd have to burn a lottery pick to get him while we have Whiteside on the team.
 
#67
I agree with this.

I think that Henson has by far the better basketball I.Q. But if you're looking to bring in a young, raw shotblocker to play 10-15 minutes a night, then you might as well develop Whiteside, because at least Whiteside has the body for it.

It's hard for me to be a big fan of Henson when I think that we'd have to burn a lottery pick to get him while we have Whiteside on the team.
In my opinion, Whiteside has A LOT more issues going on then just the basketball IQ thing. I'm going to call it 'motor' for lack of a better word, but his reaction time is horrendous. By the time he reads a play or reads the angle a shot is coming off the rim for a rebound, it is already in the hands of another player. His rotations are awful, and while part of it is IQ and knowing where to be, I think that ... some of it is just his reaction time. How his body is actually moving, not just how his brain is thinking.

That is why I think Whiteside is, at MOST, a 10-15 mpg guy. If you're drafting Henson you WANT him to be much more than that. Maybe not after year one, but soon. And I think Henson can get there. I'd be shocked if Whiteside did.

Which is why I think Whiteside is in the same boat as guys like Solomon Alabi and Hasheem Thabeet. Those guys just don't move as fluidly as they need to. They are like robots. One second to process where they should go, and another second to get their body to listen. And by that time, the game has moved to another sequence which means they need to start that 2 step process all over again.
 
#68
In my opinion, Whiteside has A LOT more issues going on then just the basketball IQ thing. I'm going to call it 'motor' for lack of a better word, but his reaction time is horrendous. By the time he reads a play or reads the angle a shot is coming off the rim for a rebound, it is already in the hands of another player. His rotations are awful, and while part of it is IQ and knowing where to be, I think that ... some of it is just his reaction time. How his body is actually moving, not just how his brain is thinking.

That is why I think Whiteside is, at MOST, a 10-15 mpg guy. If you're drafting Henson you WANT him to be much more than that. Maybe not after year one, but soon. And I think Henson can get there. I'd be shocked if Whiteside did.

Which is why I think Whiteside is in the same boat as guys like Solomon Alabi and Hasheem Thabeet. Those guys just don't move as fluidly as they need to. They are like robots. One second to process where they should go, and another second to get their body to listen. And by that time, the game has moved to another sequence which means they need to start that 2 step process all over again.
This is a great description of Whiteside, and his fellow big's who just don't pan out. You could've also been describing Duane Causewell.
 
#69
That is why I think Whiteside is, at MOST, a 10-15 mpg guy. If you're drafting Henson you WANT him to be much more than that. Maybe not after year one, but soon. And I think Henson can get there. I'd be shocked if Whiteside did.
Henson just doesn't have the body and the frame to hold up against PF/Centers night-in and night-out for an 82 game season.
He isn't going to be able to hold position, he will get muscled around, and I would bet that if you tried to play him more than 15-20 minutes a night he's going to end up getting injured on a consistent basis.

I like Henson, but not as a lottery pick and not for this team because we already have someone who can potentially come in and give you 15 minutes of shotblocking.

Whiteside showed better shot-blocking in college then Henson, and Whiteside has the body to be able to play the PF position full time if he ever gets everything else in working order.

Now, if someone drafted Henson and then came to us and wanted to trade Henson for Whiteside in a straight trade, sure, I'd be down for that.
But I don't want to burn a great asset of a lottery pick on Henson who I don't think will have the physicality to play major minutes on a consistent basis in the NBA.
 

Glenn

Hall of Famer
#70
So what we want is a guy about 6'11" who is heavy enough to not get shoved about, agile enough to keep in front of his man, and a shotblocker otherwise we will be disappointed.
 
#71
In my opinion, Whiteside has A LOT more issues going on then just the basketball IQ thing. I'm going to call it 'motor' for lack of a better word, but his reaction time is horrendous. By the time he reads a play or reads the angle a shot is coming off the rim for a rebound, it is already in the hands of another player. His rotations are awful, and while part of it is IQ and knowing where to be, I think that ... some of it is just his reaction time. How his body is actually moving, not just how his brain is thinking.

That is why I think Whiteside is, at MOST, a 10-15 mpg guy. If you're drafting Henson you WANT him to be much more than that. Maybe not after year one, but soon. And I think Henson can get there. I'd be shocked if Whiteside did.

Which is why I think Whiteside is in the same boat as guys like Solomon Alabi and Hasheem Thabeet. Those guys just don't move as fluidly as they need to. They are like robots. One second to process where they should go, and another second to get their body to listen. And by that time, the game has moved to another sequence which means they need to start that 2 step process all over again.
I dunno about this. Whiteside was one of the most prolific shotblockers in recent memory in his one year in college. So far in the D league and limited minutes with the kings he's maintained that elite shot blocking pace. Not sure it's slow reaction time based on bad instincts... more probably it's due to a lack of game experience. I think the more he plays the better feel he'll get for the game. I expect him to be an impact defensive player in the nba shortly... he's only 22.
 
#72
So what we want is a guy about 6'11" who is heavy enough to not get shoved about, agile enough to keep in front of his man, and a shotblocker otherwise we will be disappointed.
Don't forget a good motor ;) ...otherwise Drummond fits your above description. But I get your point. You're going to have to take some risks with a guy like Henson, or whomever @ #5.
 
#76
Not undersized by any means, but actually thought he would measure about an inch taller. Probably looks slightly taller due to his lack of weight and crazy length.
As Vlade4GM said, Henson has unusually long skinny legs which make him appear taller than he might be. It is also a problem when it comes to defending in the NBA low post. With weak, skinny long legs like that, he will find it tough to stand ground. I hope I am wrong as I would like to see the kid succeed no matter where he goes.
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#77
Measured 6'10.5" in shoes - unconfirmed.
yeah, 1/4" off of Cousins, so that's fine. But that's not the measurement everybody is concerned about.

Henson is one of those guys where I'm pretty sure he is going to be able to do the thing he is known for doing. The question is going to be how effective he is at doing anything else.
 
#80
@SHowardCooper: John Henson: 6-9 without, 6-10 1/2 with, 216 pounds for a PF (always the concern). But massive standing reach of 9-3 1/2. Shot. Block. Er.

@SHowardCooper: Anthony Davis measurements from pre-draft camp: 6-9 1/4 without shoes, 6-10 1/2 with, 222 pounds, 7-5 1/2 wingspan, 9-0 standing reach.

@SHowardCooper: Always good to see who goes Herman Munster on fhe footwear. This year: Andre Drummond 6-9 3/4 without shoes, 6-11 3/4 with.
 
#81
So Henson measures out arguably better than Davis. That will help his stock. Actually thought Davis would be closer to 6'11'' barefoot than 6'9''.
 
#83
6lb difference between Henson and Davis, at relatively the same size was unexpected. Everyone talks about Davis' wide shoulders and how that will help him fill out his body, which I would agree with to a certain extent, but it's clear both players need to hit the weights.
 
#87
I think he is going to surprise people with his vertical jump. He has solid explosiveness for a guy of his size.
Henson 6'9" without shoes, 6'10.5" with shoes, 7'5" winspan, 9'3.5" reach, 9.25" hand length, 10" hand width

Good god. I'll take the risk that he will eventually gain enough weight/strength to be "wiry" strong.
 
#90
I just dream about having a Tyson Chandler next to Cousins. Blocking shots, killing pick and rolls, shooting 60% living on ally oops and wide open jumpers.

15-20 pounds will get Henson to a reasonable weight. I have to figure just maturing in his early 20's will add half that.