Pittman (Texas) 6'9", 290

[Kingster]

Liked this guy last year. Like him more now. Last year, Griffin couldn't do squat when the guy played him. This year, the NC frontcourt can't do squat either. In fact, they want no part of him. Davis and Thompson are running away from this guy... Thompson and Davis are taking turns guarding him - "No, you take him Thompson" "No, Davis, you take him." Biggest? is how much does he love basketball vs. food. His weight is down, but still doesn't have the stamina. He's definitely on a downward progression in weight though and by TV account is seriously into a nutritional program, taking care of his body. Still needs to lose maybe 40 lbs. NOBODY is moving this guy out of the post. Excellent finisher. Very good touch. Very good on free throws. Good hands. He's darn quick for a guy that is this big. This guy is an excellent athlete and basketball player in a fat person's body.

 

[bajaden]

Liked this guy last year. Like him more now. Last year, Griffin couldn't do squat when the guy played him. This year, the NC frontcourt can't do squat either. In fact, they want no part of him. Davis and Thompson are running away from this guy... Thompson and Davis are taking turns guarding him - "No, you take him Thompson" "No, Davis, you take him." Biggest? is how much does he love basketball vs. food. His weight is down, but still doesn't have the stamina. He's definitely on a downward progression in weight though and by TV account is seriously into a nutritional program, taking care of his body. Still needs to lose maybe 40 lbs. NOBODY is moving this guy out of the post. Excellent finisher. Very good touch. Very good on free throws. Good hands. He's darn quick for a guy that is this big. This guy is an excellent athlete and basketball player in a fat person's body.

I have him on my top ten list right now. I haven't commented much about him because I wanted to get a real good sampling of him before doing so. But, since you brought him up, yes, I like him a lot. He's a 6'10" senior that is listed at 290. I know that sounds like a lot, but when he came to Texas he weighed more than 350 pounds. By all accounts he works very hard to stay in shape and is on a strict diet. He also appears to have a long wingspan. The most surprising part is that he's a very good athlete, and has surprising quickness for a guy that size. I was getting ready to do a write up on the Texas/North Carolina game later today..

 

[ElRey]

I'm never seen this guy play but I always have doubts about guys with weight issues. Sean May comes to mind. Glen Davis, etc

 

[Kingster]

I'm never seen this guy play but I always have doubts about guys with weight issues. Sean May comes to mind. Glen Davis, etc

Big Baby turned out ok. Kevin Love has gotten into a lot better shape since coming into the NBA. To me, it all depends on where you take him in the draft. It's really difficult to pull the trigger on him in the top 5, but after that? All I know is that I think he could make a positive impact with the Kings today, and if he continues to lose weight and get in better shape and work, he could be an immediate impact player in the NBA.

 

[bajaden]

Big Baby turned out ok. Kevin Love has gotten into a lot better shape since coming into the NBA. To me, it all depends on where you take him in the draft. It's really difficult to pull the trigger on him in the top 5, but after that? All I know is that I think he could make a positive impact with the Kings today, and if he continues to lose weight and get in better shape and work, he could be an immediate impact player in the NBA.

I've done a lot of background research on this guy, and everything I've read on him tells me that he's dedicated to becoming a very good player. If you had seen him play in his freshman year, you would be amazed at the difference. Sean May couldn't hold a candle to this guy in the post. Its an insult to Pittman to even mention his name in the same sentence. Pittman is a much better athlete than May. He's quicker and can jump higher, and I guarantee you, he's a lot stronger.

 

[Kingster]

I've done a lot of background research on this guy, and everything I've read on him tells me that he's dedicated to becoming a very good player. If you had seen him play in his freshman year, you would be amazed at the difference. Sean May couldn't hold a candle to this guy in the post. Its an insult to Pittman to even mention his name in the same sentence. Pittman is a much better athlete than May. He's quicker and can jump higher, and I guarantee you, he's a lot stronger.

What cracks me up is that after writing that initial post, I heard the TV commentor said that the NC head coach was questioning the manhood of his players when it came to boxing out the Texas guys. I'm sure Pittman had a lot to do with that.

If this kid could lose a few more pounds, get his stamina to where he could play a complete game all-out, he'd give Wall a run for his money for the #1 pick, imo. I only saw one time all game where a NC player actually scored on him. ONCE. That's amazing. He wasn't playing against chicken liver out there.

 

[bajaden]

What cracks me up is that after writing that initial post, I heard the TV commentor said that the NC head coach was questioning the manhood of his players when it came to boxing out the Texas guys. I'm sure Pittman had a lot to do with that.

If this kid could lose a few more pounds, get his stamina to where he could play a complete game all-out, he'd give Wall a run for his money for the #1 pick, imo. I only saw one time all game where a NC player actually scored on him. ONCE. That's amazing. He wasn't playing against chicken liver out there.

As excited as I'am over him. He does have some flaws to his game. However Shaq had some of the same flaws. I'm not comparing him to Shaq, but at this point his game is very similar. He has no face up game to speak of, and at the present, he not a very good passer. He also has touble putting the ball on the floor, and has the same bad habit that Alabi has of bringing the ball down to his waist. In his case he gets away with it because he's so dammed strong.

When Shaq came into the league he had no face up game. One could argue that he still doesn't. He also wasn't a very good passer. But one thing is for sure. And its been consistant in every game I've watched this year. You get him the ball in the low post under the basket, and he's almost unstopable. When he was in highschool, he weighed 400 pounds. So he has come a long way. He loses another 15 or 20 pounds and wow, he could really be something.

 

[Gilles]

When Durant was there I remember reading that Texas has the best weight program among elite basketball schools so at this point I think him being at 290 after 4 years there is probably as low as he's gonna get. Maybe 275-280 with max effort. Conditioning in this high-paced game looked like a serious problem. Don't forget how methodical was Barnes using Pittman: 2-3 mins of game - 1-2 mins of rest. So any talks about high lottery is absolutely ridiculous.
Now when you look in the nba where his possible place-role could be I believe he can absolutely do what Blair does right now minus a few rebounds and Pittman's bigger and I think longer so he can be your center which means he won't have to defend that much of P&R which is gonna be his main d-weakness. Carolina's bigs are either his length and weaker like Thompson or much weaker than him so that explains a bit his rebounding prowess in this game cause kenpom.com lists him as below average d-rebounder at 17.8 DR%(lack of mobility) and very good o-rebounder.
Right now I think he's backup center who can score in bunches, play physical D and grab some boards. Selection in 20s is about right for him. Now if he manages to get down to 270 and drastically improve conditioning we can talk about late lottery.

 

[bench_blob]

Liked this guy last year. Like him more now. Last year, Griffin couldn't do squat when the guy played him. This year, the NC frontcourt can't do squat either. In fact, they want no part of him. Davis and Thompson are running away from this guy... Thompson and Davis are taking turns guarding him - "No, you take him Thompson" "No, Davis, you take him." Biggest? is how much does he love basketball vs. food. His weight is down, but still doesn't have the stamina. He's definitely on a downward progression in weight though and by TV account is seriously into a nutritional program, taking care of his body. Still needs to lose maybe 40 lbs. NOBODY is moving this guy out of the post. Excellent finisher. Very good touch. Very good on free throws. Good hands. He's darn quick for a guy that is this big. This guy is an excellent athlete and basketball player in a fat person's body.

Definitely a player for Geoff to keep his eye on:

23 points and 15 rebs against Tar Heels is impressive.

And if he continues to mold his body, he can be a force. I haven't seen him much, but a few highlights. But he looks like a natural athlete for his size, and the exact type of player we DON'T have on our roster:

An athletic big who can be a formidable anchor in the post.

Main concern with a guy like this is how does he play away from the basket. Teams will pick and roll him to death if he can't move his feet.

 

[bajaden]

When Durant was there I remember reading that Texas has the best weight program among elite basketball schools so at this point I think him being at 290 after 4 years there is probably as low as he's gonna get. Maybe 275-280 with max effort. Conditioning in this high-paced game looked like a serious problem. Don't forget how methodical was Barnes using Pittman: 2-3 mins of game - 1-2 mins of rest. So any talks about high lottery is absolutely ridiculous.
Now when you look in the nba where his possible place-role could be I believe he can absolutely do what Blair does right now minus a few rebounds and Pittman's bigger and I think longer so he can be your center which means he won't have to defend that much of P&R which is gonna be his main d-weakness. Carolina's bigs are either his length and weaker like Thompson or much weaker than him so that explains a bit his rebounding prowess in this game cause kenpom.com lists him as below average d-rebounder at 17.8 DR%(lack of mobility) and very good o-rebounder.
Right now I think he's backup center who can score in bunches, play physical D and grab some boards. Selection in 20s is about right for him. Now if he manages to get down to 270 and drastically improve conditioning we can talk about late lottery.

Right now he's projected as a second round pick. I think that he'll eventually be picked in the lower third of the first round. I agree that if he can lose another 15 to 20 pounds, he'll become more explosive around the basket, and his agility and quickness will improve even more. If he can develop any kind of face up game at all his stock will jump even more..

 

[bajaden]

Definitely a player for Geoff to keep his eye on:

23 points and 15 rebs against Tar Heels is impressive.

And if he continues to mold his body, he can be a force. I haven't seen him much, but a few highlights. But he looks like a natural athlete for his size, and the exact type of player we DON'T have on our roster:

An athletic big who can be a formidable anchor in the post.

Main concern with a guy like this is how does he play away from the basket. Teams will pick and roll him to death if he can't move his feet.

Good observation! At the moment he doesn't play away from the basket unless he has too. He has pretty good lateral movement for a guy of his size and weight. But I'm not sure if pretty good, is good enough at the next level. Thats why losing more weight would be imperative for him. He's a unique sort of talent, and my gut tells me he's going to suceed at the next level. He's a pretty good free throw shooter, so there's no reason to believe that he can't develop a short face up game. His biggest weakness is ball handling.

 

[Chupacabra]

At this point the characteristics im most interested in a future Kings bigman having is defense and rebounding. Pittman look like hes got the rebounding part down. I dont see Pittman as an intimidating defensive presence though. That being said im not too interested in seeing the Kings draft him.

 

[bajaden]

At this point the characteristics im most interested in a future Kings bigman having is defense and rebounding. Pittman look like hes got the rebounding part down. I dont see Pittman as an intimidating defensive presence though. That being said im not too interested in seeing the Kings draft him.

Actually his man defense in the post is pretty good. He's hard to move when you post him up. And he's pretty good at denying position. Hard to say how that relates to the next level. He also gets his share of blocked shots at the college level. I wouldn't write him off so easily..