Papagiannis
- Thread starter Sac.1989
- Start date
Heck yes, we needed a PG man! Wade Baldwin was the best PG available at that point in the draft. Most everyone was like "Papa who?"
It is very strange for a First Round pick to be waived on the eve of his sophomore season. He is still on his rookie contract.
Here is a link to an interesting story--> http://hoopshype.com/2017/10/16/gri...act-to-first-round-pick-only-once-since-2001/
It is very strange for a First Round pick to be waived on the eve of his sophomore season. He is still on his rookie contract.
Here is a link to an interesting story--> http://hoopshype.com/2017/10/16/gri...act-to-first-round-pick-only-once-since-2001/
I have the suspicion that there is something behind the scenes with Baldwin - he may be a terrible locker room cancer. I was never very high on Baldwin from watching him play myself. He had a good body in terms of size, length, and athleticism but I felt he didn't make enough use of the tools he did have, gave some poor effort at times, and made boneheaded plays. But the general consensus was that he was oozing with potential - and I think he was, and probably still is. For the Grizz to completely bail on him this early suggests they don't think he can be fixed, and their failure to trade him anywhere suggests nobody else really thinks so either. It's a shock for the scouting to be that far out of sync with the front office, so my only guess is that he must have worked pretty hard behind the scenes to get himself out of the NBA so quickly.
Performance wise, Baldwin just wasn't very good. He didn't get a lot of run, but when he did, he looked lost and struggled shooting the ball. The thing with Baldwin is that he didn't start to play serious basketball until his freshman year of HS. He played football until his JR year. He focused solely on basketball and transferred to a more competitive basketball team. This is what he said about his transfer,
At this point, he's starting organized basketball really late. Off of that alone, he knows that his chances of making the NBA are slim. His future outlook is about his career path after playing college ball. It becomes clear that he's serious about his academics after committing to Vanderbilt.... which is known as Harvard of the South.
What I'm trying to say is that Baldwin is a serious late bloomer. I think his struggles have less to do with his attitude, and more to do with his rawness. He's still adjusting to the NBA. I think once he has the pace down, he should be ready to contribute.
He's 6'4 with a 6'11 wingspan and 200lbs. He's athletic and can shoot 3s. He's a project, but it's a low-risk gamble. He's younger than 2 of our rookies this year.
What I'm trying to say is that Baldwin is a serious late bloomer. I think his struggles have less to do with his attitude, and more to do with his rawness. He's still adjusting to the NBA. I think once he has the pace down, he should be ready to contribute.
He's 6'4 with a 6'11 wingspan and 200lbs. He's athletic and can shoot 3s. He's a project, but it's a low-risk gamble. He's younger than 2 of our rookies this year.
Well, I think he was looked at at the time as Kris Dunn light, or the next best choice in a draft light in good PG's. I was more of a Iasiah Whitehead fan at the time, although he wasn't ranked very high, I thought he had outplayed Dunn in two of their three matchups. That said, I did think Baldwin had upside, and it's still a little early to pass judgement. I think his misfortune is somewhat due to roster space and needs.
Grizzlies like Chalmers and Harrison and have young prospects at the off guard spot. I think Baldwin simply got beat for minutes by other guys like Dillon Brooks and Harrison. If Brooks is able to regularly play like he did versus the Pels, he may be one of the candidates for rookie of the year. Looked like a savy vet out there.