NBA combine:

bajaden

bajaden

Hall of Famer
I'm not sure how many of you got to watch the combine today. I'm sure it was imformative for those in attendance, but not so much for the viewers. The producers should watch the NFL combine coverage. They could learn a few things. Such as, I didn't tune in to watch a talking head give me info about the coaching change and recuiting at Kentucky, while things are happening on the floor.

All right, now that I got that out of my system, I'm curious what, if anything, those that did watch were able to discern from it. I did take some notes that I'll post later after I get my thoughts together. One interesting piece of information though was about Sam Young. Apparently at one of his workouts they had a verticle jump test set up. The one where you jump straight up and slap at the little bar's sticking out. Each one being a different height. Somehow he impaled one of them into his bicep. For some reason they couldn't remove it and he had to be taken to a hospital for the removal.

What stunned them was that a few hours later he showed up with this huge bandage on his arm and ready to continue the workout.. He still had a very large bandage on his arm today. He's one tough dude. Thats also what the scouts said.. By the way, he shot the ball very well today at the combine.
 
He might be tough, but with our track record I don't think I'd want to chance bringing someone to town who cannot manage to keep from impaling himself on a stationary bar.

:eek:
 
VF21 said:
He might be tough, but with our track record I don't think I'd want to chance bringing someone to town who cannot manage to keep from impaling himself on a stationary bar.

:eek:
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Well, the bar isn't exactly stationary, but I'm not sure how he impaled himself. They did say that he had never been tested for his vertical before. At least not with that system. I like Young. In some ways he was the heart and soul of the Pitt team, along with Blair.
 
Thanks for the Videos! I dont get ESPNU, so obviously I didnt watch it .. that Sam Young story is kind of crazy , I like his game though.

They said Curry looked good, Ive been on here making the case for him at number 4 so I guess this helps my cause :p

Also, WOW! Blair looks small .. small to the point where I cant see him being as good at that wieght. I actually really liked him at his old size, now im not too sure .. He played so physical and used his big body so well in College that I dont see what kind of game he can have in the NBA.
 
MassachusettsKingsFan said:
Thanks for the Videos! I dont get ESPNU, so obviously I didnt watch it .. that Sam Young story is kind of crazy , I like his game though.

They said Curry looked good, Ive been on here making the case for him at number 4 so I guess this helps my cause :p

Also, WOW! Blair looks small .. small to the point where I cant see him being as good at that wieght. I actually really liked him at his old size, now im not too sure .. He played so physical and used his big body so well in College that I dont see what kind of game he can have in the NBA.
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Curry ran the ballhandling drills very well. He shot the ball effortlessly. I don't think he missed a shot. He also was very good at the 3 on 2 drills. He looked pretty quick. He does have an air of confidence about him and I don't think he did anything to to harm your case.

Blair did look a lot thinner. They said he had dropped 40 pounds and was down to 275, which is still pretty good weight for a guy that they said measured out at 6'6", which if true is taller than I thought he would be.
 
bajaden said:
I'm not sure how many of you got to watch the combine today. I'm sure it was imformative for those in attendance, but not so much for the viewers. The producers should watch the NFL combine coverage. They could learn a few things. Such as, I didn't tune in to watch a talking head give me info about the coaching change and recuiting at Kentucky, while things are happening on the floor.
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So far, all I have watched is the PG's (the blessings of TEVO). I agree with you on the coverage. All I kept thinking was, Why don't you talk about the player we are currently watching (even telling us who they are would be good start)? Then they kept doing close-ups while the players were shooting, but not showing whether or not the shot went in. Very disappointing IMO.
 
I don't think anyone should draw too many conclusions from the combine. I think the height and reach measurements certainly factor into it. But beyond that, its just a small slice of all the things that need to be considered. By no means is this an attempt to discredit those that did perform well. The most impressive shooters were Curry, Teague, and Ellington. I also was impressed with Lawsons shooting. If I had to name one player that surprised me, and I hate to say this because I'm not a fan of his, but Greivis Vasquez really impressed me. Especially with his 3 on 2 drills. He passed the ball very well. He also shot the ball well. He also did well in the ball handling drills.

Summers surprised me by shooting the ball poorly. He also surprised me by being bigger than the rest of the SF's that were there. The dude looked like a PF.

Jack McClinton didn't help himself much. He shot poorly. Didn't handle the ball very well at all and didn't do that well in the 3 on 2 drills.

Mullens shot the ball fairly well and used both hands in the low post. There's just something about his body language that bothers me. At times he appears bored.

DeRozan was just OK. He shot just OK. Ran the ballhandling drills OK, but looked better in the 3 on 2 drills. He didn't hurt himself, but did little to stand out. Great athlete though.

By the way the combine is on again at 7 am west coast time tomorrow.. For those that have it. A little tip. If you can stop the feed aka PVR. Its a good idea to do so and write down the numbers of the players. Otherwise its hard to know who's doing what. The announcers certainly don't help.
 
Telemachus said:
So far, all I have watched is the PG's (the blessings of TEVO). I agree with you on the coverage. All I kept thinking was, Why don't you talk about the player we are currently watching (even telling us who they are would be good start)? Then they kept doing close-ups while the players were shooting, but not showing whether or not the shot went in. Very disappointing IMO.
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Its a real shame. The broadcast could become a must see for all basketball addicts if it were done properly. Who knows, maybe in the future they'll get it together.
 
I have ESPNU but why is the combine on at 1 in the morning??? I can't stay/get up that late/early!

Edit: Nevermind... I forgot that I have a DVR and can record it... haha Thanks for the idea Telemachus!
 
Bricklayer said:
After Griffin & Thabeet, and maybe, MAYBE Hill, this is a little man's draft. And shaky little men at that.
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Well in fairness, there are some other bigs. They just aren't very good. Blair by the way is a big man. He's just not a tall man.:D
 
Kings Faithful said:
I have ESPNU but why is the combine on at 1 in the morning??? I can't stay/get up that late/early!

Edit: Nevermind... I forgot that I have a DVR and can record it... haha Thanks for the idea Telemachus!
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It was orginally on at 11 am this morning. And don't forget that its on again a 7am tomorrow morning. Set the timer....
 
i read somewhere.. was it draftexpress or nbadraft.net any ways..

point guard rodrique beaboius (or something like that forgot..ill lookt it up again later) had a 6"10 length for a 6"2 body freakishly long! could we pick him up at 31st? also darren collison was quick
 
I took a peek at the ESPN video and agree with everything said about Curry. He was very impressive. However, take everything you hear from Lavin with a grain of salt. He was talking up DeRozan before the drills even got under way. Not to take anything away from DeRozan, but he did just OK. And I'll stand by that. Jodie Meeks stood out more than DeRozan did on his shooting alone.

I think someone mentioned Beaubios. He ran the 3 on 2 drills fairly well. I didn't think he faired all that well in the ballhandling drills, and he shot the ball just OK. He has a lanky look to him that probably makes him look taller than he is, which I think is around 6'2". And yes he does have long arms.
But then, so did Quincy Douby.. Hmmm....

One thing to remember is that in this setting, the players are going against no one. Even in the 3 on 2 drills, the 2 are coaches that just try and present and obstacle. As an example of what I mean, Haragbody looked like an unstopable force out there. He shot the ball well from everywhere including the three pt range. He made shots in the post with either hand with ease. If the dude was three inches taller, he would be a superstar. I suspect he'll pull out of the draft and return to Notre Dame.
 
Here is a qoute from the Combine by Jason Levien:

Sacramento Kings Assistant GM Jason Levien seems to agree: “This is a good opportunity to see guys in a different setting, outside of their college uniforms, and against guys at their positions. It’s one means of measuring players against each other. From a skills perspective, you can look at their ball-handling, look at their shooting, evaluate their mechanics, and get a feel for them that way. It’s a piece to the puzzle. You don’t want to make it more than that. There is a danger that when it comes so close to the draft that you forget the body of work. This is an opportunity to see them in a different setting, and in that regard it’s important.”

http://www.draftexpress.com/blog/Jo...ony-Interview-on-the-Geoff-and-Gary-Show-3231
 
bajaden said:
Haragbody looked like an unstopable force out there. He shot the ball well from everywhere including the three pt range. He made shots in the post with either hand with ease. If the dude was three inches taller, he would be a superstar. I suspect he'll pull out of the draft and return to Notre Dame.
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Sigh. There's a lot of truth to that statement.

Harangody might as well use this opportunity as the prospects are looking a little thin. Unless he grows a little over the summer, in which case he'd be a mid-late lottery pick next year, he is better off staying at ND, which is what he said he'd do. I'm guessing he's just using this experience to get a feel for what things are like prior to next year.

I know Bricky likes ND guys - I think he said Rob Kurz was in his top 5.
 
Grrr... :p

But as to Harngody, why would he go back to school? Nothing to gain there (as noted he's hardly going to grow and alreayd had the huge year), and this draft is so weak that he's probably got a better shot at impressng somebody this time through than next, especially if he looked good at the combine. I mean unless its just because college is fun and make it last while you can.
 
Bricklayer said:
Grrr... :p

But as to Harngody, why would he go back to school? Nothing to gain there (as noted he's hardly going to grow and alreayd had the huge year), and this draft is so weak that he's probably got a better shot at impressng somebody this time through than next, especially if he looked good at the combine. I mean unless its just because college is fun and make it last while you can.
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I would agree with you that in a draft thin on big's, one would think that this is his best chance to be drafted higher than he should. I'm simply reporting what the rumors were around the combine. The guy looks like he should be a bartender at the local pub, but the truth is, he's very talented. Just a wee bit too short in my opinion, but I think he can play in the NBA as a bench player.
 
bajaden said:
Here are some tidbits from draftexpress at the combine..

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Word-on-the-Street-NBA-Combine-Edition-3235/
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Thanks for the link. Very interesting, and I found this very informative.
Most teams we’ve spoken to in Chicago are indicating that they believe Oklahoma City is indeed leaning towards picking Harden. They also believe the Thunder are not enamored with Rubio at all, as they are committed to developing Russell Westbrook at his natural position—point guard
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If true it looks like Thabeet or Rubio will be available at #4.
 
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