Who to draft if we didn't have the chance at Griffin or Rubio?

[Mad D]

Kevin Durant is by far a superstar...

Skipped the allstar step, but it doesn't matter. Your definition of a super star is feeling loose with that one, but I agree on one thing that Roy is a leader and has potential to become one given a couple years.

A superstar is a player [healthy] that has a major consistent impact in the outcome of a game. What Chris Paul did against the Spurs big 3 without 2 Hornet starters and a 6th man. What Wade has been doing all year since his Olympic rejuvenation. How Yao is able to be the anchor of team with a constantly injured rotating roster in his limited minutes.

 

[rainmaker]

Durant is a great offensive player but is not a superstar yet, although I think he will be in 3-4 years. Durant can be a force in a game, but can not dominate a game yet. When I think superstar, you have to be able to win games for your team. There aren't any superstars which aren't headed for the playoffs.

 

[bajaden]

Bandon Roy??????? is one of the top 10 best SKILLED players in the NBA..which means SUPERSTAR.

Lebron
Kobe
Peirce
Garnett
Dwight
Roy
Wade
CP3
Duncan
Arenas

First of all, let me say that I hate the term superstar. Mainly because its used way too loosely. But, to be a superstar in my opinion, you have to have played at a level that other earthlings just can't match, and you have to have done it over a fairly long period of time. No one and done's. No flash in the pans. You have to be unique. One of a kind.

Putting Peirce and Arenas on this list is ridiculous. Perce is a very good player, but no superstar. Arenas is an insult to the rest of the players on the list. I love Brandon Roy, but to me, he's just on notch below superstar status, and, he hasn't done it long enough for me to include him. CP3 will probably be on my list of superstars eventually, but he still has to do what he does for a couple of more years to convince me. My problem with him is that when he loses a key peice of his team he doesn't as yet rise to the occasion quite enough.

To me LeBron, Kobe, Wade, and Duncan are the only one's that I would call sure fire superstars in the present time. Garnett, in my opinion is no longer playing at the superstar level, but will certainly go down in history as one of the greats. Howard is on the bubble with me, only because he hasn't developed all the skills to become a complete player. But he's young and could certainly make the list in a few years.

I know I'll get some flack over this, but ask youself. Who would you rather have on your team? Peirce or LeBron? Easy answer right. And if the answer is that easy, then Peirce doesn't deserve to be on the same list with LeBron. Who would you rather have? LeBron or Kobe? A little harder to answer isn't it. These guys are the standard bearers for superstar, and if your not able to be mentioned in the same breath with them, then you don't deserve to be there.

 

[hammystyle]

First of all, let me say that I hate the term superstar. Mainly because its used way too loosely. But, to be a superstar in my opinion, you have to have played at a level that other earthlings just can't match, and you have to have done it over a fairly long period of time. No one and done's. No flash in the pans. You have to be unique. One of a kind.

Putting Peirce and Arenas on this list is ridiculous. Perce is a very good player, but no superstar. Arenas is an insult to the rest of the players on the list. I love Brandon Roy, but to me, he's just on notch below superstar status, and, he hasn't done it long enough for me to include him. CP3 will probably be on my list of superstars eventually, but he still has to do what he does for a couple of more years to convince me. My problem with him is that when he loses a key peice of his team he doesn't as yet rise to the occasion quite enough.

To me LeBron, Kobe, Wade, and Duncan are the only one's that I would call sure fire superstars in the present time. Garnett, in my opinion is no longer playing at the superstar level, but will certainly go down in history as one of the greats. Howard is on the bubble with me, only because he hasn't developed all the skills to become a complete player. But he's young and could certainly make the list in a few years.

I know I'll get some flack over this, but ask youself. Who would you rather have on your team? Peirce or LeBron? Easy answer right. And if the answer is that easy, then Peirce doesn't deserve to be on the same list with LeBron. Who would you rather have? LeBron or Kobe? A little harder to answer isn't it. These guys are the standard bearers for superstar, and if your not able to be mentioned in the same breath with them, then you don't deserve to be there.

That's pretty fair...So maybe Superstar = Future HoFer in his prime. That would seem like a very good definition. Maybe Superstar = Guy you can win a championship with as your best player (minus the Detroit Pistons anomaly).

I think Howard and Paul are no-doubt superstars though, by any definition. They are right there with D-Wade, Kobe and Duncan as the best players other than LeBron.

Roy, may not have 100% proved it. But he's doing the right things. Either way I just kind of took issue with

 

[KF8]

Aside from Griffin and maybe Rubio (though I see him more of an all-star than a superstar), I don't really see any other prospects that have the potential to become a superstar. If we didn't have the chance at Griffin and Rubio, we'll be lucky to get an all-star type player much less a superstar. Many people say that Griffin isn't what the Kings need and that he doesn't fill any holes that the Kings have. To me if Griffin can become an all-star/superstar that is all u need to fill any holes. You can never have enough all-stars/superstars on a team.

 

[CruzDude]

According to a Euro source this morning, it appears Rubio might wait one or TWO years to come over. He is great but Euro great and PG is the toughest job on an NBA team. I don't think he comes this year plus his buyout would only be offset if he was #1 or #1 otherwise the $500k limit on NBA teams contribution to Euro buyouts kills the deal.

Thebeet is 7-3. He blocks a lot of college shots. But in two recent games he was all but shut down by really good college bigs. He is skinny, has no real offensive game. He is a risk. Somehow I just don't see him as a GP type guy.

My bet says, if they don't get Griffin, they trade down to get a really good PG who can step right in. Rodriguez or Hernandez in Portland come to mind. Plus they would get another decent first round pick to go along with the 25th from Houston.

Harden's stock dropped in playoffs with his poor play. Jennings I just don't like and only one year of Euro play. Rubio has 2 or 3 years already and his is a year or two away.

Stephen Curry (PG/SG) is on the rise as is Tyreke Evans a true PG.

Nope, I see a trade if not Griffin.

 

[Vlade4GM]

According to a Euro source this morning, it appears Rubio might wait one or TWO years to come over. He is great but Euro great and PG is the toughest job on an NBA team. I don't think he comes this year plus his buyout would only be offset if he was #1 or #1 otherwise the $500k limit on NBA teams contribution to Euro buyouts kills the deal.

Thebeet is 7-3. He blocks a lot of college shots. But in two recent games he was all but shut down by really good college bigs. He is skinny, has no real offensive game. He is a risk. Somehow I just don't see him as a GP type guy.

My bet says, if they don't get Griffin, they trade down to get a really good PG who can step right in. Rodriguez or Hernandez in Portland come to mind. Plus they would get another decent first round pick to go along with the 25th from Houston.

Harden's stock dropped in playoffs with his poor play. Jennings I just don't like and only one year of Euro play. Rubio has 2 or 3 years already and his is a year or two away.

Stephen Curry (PG/SG) is on the rise as is Tyreke Evans a true PG.

Nope, I see a trade if not Griffin.

Care to share your source/link?

 

[Dime Dropper]

According to a Euro source this morning, it appears Rubio might wait one or TWO years to come over. He is great but Euro great and PG is the toughest job on an NBA team. I don't think he comes this year plus his buyout would only be offset if he was #1 or #1 otherwise the $500k limit on NBA teams contribution to Euro buyouts kills the deal.

Thebeet is 7-3. He blocks a lot of college shots. But in two recent games he was all but shut down by really good college bigs. He is skinny, has no real offensive game. He is a risk. Somehow I just don't see him as a GP type guy.

My bet says, if they don't get Griffin, they trade down to get a really good PG who can step right in. Rodriguez or Hernandez in Portland come to mind. Plus they would get another decent first round pick to go along with the 25th from Houston.

Harden's stock dropped in playoffs with his poor play. Jennings I just don't like and only one year of Euro play. Rubio has 2 or 3 years already and his is a year or two away.

Stephen Curry (PG/SG) is on the rise as is Tyreke Evans a true PG.

Nope, I see a trade if not Griffin.

Don't mean this in a bad way, but what's the source? Have you got a link? I don't think it was ever certain that Rubio was going to come out this year so I guess it wouldn't be a surprise. If he's not, though, this draft will have gotten even weaker.

 

[KF8]

I wouldn't mind if Rubio didn't enter this years draft if we ended up with the #1 draft spot. It wouldn't affect us so much because it is highly likely that we'll get Griffin with the number 1 pick anyways. Griffin this year and maybe Rubio next year? . With that said if we ended up getting the 2nd draft spot then lets all pray he enters this years draft.

 

[bajaden]

Aside from Griffin and maybe Rubio (though I see him more of an all-star than a superstar), I don't really see any other prospects that have the potential to become a superstar. If we didn't have the chance at Griffin and Rubio, we'll be lucky to get an all-star type player much less a superstar. Many people say that Griffin isn't what the Kings need and that he doesn't fill any holes that the Kings have. To me if Griffin can become an all-star/superstar that is all u need to fill any holes. You can never have enough all-stars/superstars on a team.

The thing is, that its hard to predict whose going to be a superstar and whose not. There are some no brainers, such as LeBron. I think just about everyone was convinced he was special. But lets remember back to Dwayne Wade. I don't think that many people were predicting superstardom for him. There were those that really liked him and there were those that brought up the old arguement of his not being a true pt guard. That he was another of those tweeners, not skilled enough for the point and not big enough for the two.

How many people thought that Kobe was going to be a superstar besides West and Kobe himself. I suspect he would have been the first player taken in the draft if everyone had known how good he was going to be. Would Karl Malone have been drafted that low if everyone knew he was going to be as good as he was?

As I pointed out in an earlier post, that some college players talents are hidden by the system they play in. Jordan wasn't near the scorer in college that he was in the NBA, because he played within the system. He also had to share the ball with Worthy and Perkins.

So, there could be a superstar in this years draft, and we just don't know who it is yet. This is where a GM earns his money and his reputation, the latter of which can go south with the next draft.

 

[Gary]

IF we didn't have a top 2 pick I would have to go with; (in no particular order)


Not sure if all of these guys will declare

BJ Mullens
Hasheem Thabeet
Brandon Jennings
Greg Monroe
Jordan Hill
Demar DeRozan

So basically we got to go BIG or small. None of this in between crap unless you get DeRozan (if we dropped to 7th or so)

 

[bajaden]

According to a Euro source this morning, it appears Rubio might wait one or TWO years to come over. He is great but Euro great and PG is the toughest job on an NBA team. I don't think he comes this year plus his buyout would only be offset if he was #1 or #1 otherwise the $500k limit on NBA teams contribution to Euro buyouts kills the deal.

Thebeet is 7-3. He blocks a lot of college shots. But in two recent games he was all but shut down by really good college bigs. He is skinny, has no real offensive game. He is a risk. Somehow I just don't see him as a GP type guy.

My bet says, if they don't get Griffin, they trade down to get a really good PG who can step right in. Rodriguez or Hernandez in Portland come to mind. Plus they would get another decent first round pick to go along with the 25th from Houston.

Harden's stock dropped in playoffs with his poor play. Jennings I just don't like and only one year of Euro play. Rubio has 2 or 3 years already and his is a year or two away.

Stephen Curry (PG/SG) is on the rise as is Tyreke Evans a true PG.

Nope, I see a trade if not Griffin.

I can't really argue with anything you said. I was a big Harden fan, but I was disappointed like everyone else with his performance in the tourney. I won't throw away everything he's done in college because of it, but it does give me pause for thought.

I'm hopeful that we make a run at Ramon Sessions in the off season. He's a free agent and is having a terrific second half of the season. I liked him at Nevada and he's actually played better than I thought he would.

If we trade the pick and we think we need another big, I would try and snag Brackins. I like Curry, and I realize a decision would have to be made on him before we could even pursue Sessions, so thats a tough call for me.

I do agree though, that if Rubio doesn't come out, then its probably Griffin or a trade down. As much as I see a need for a player like Thabeet on the team, I just see Petrie looking at him the same way.

 

[rainmaker]

If we pick 3-5, I would take Monroe or Thabeet, assuming they are there. Thabeet would be a great addition to this team, but is limited talent-wise. I really like Monroe, and think he has more of an upside than anyone in this draft besides Griffin or Rubio.

With Thabeet, you pretty much know what your getting, and you would assume as his career goes on he would become more intimidating on defense each year he is in the league. Offensively, I don't see him developing much more. With Monroe, you are drafting more on potential, but I think this guy has a HUGE upside. If he stayed in college another year or two, he would be the top big man coming out. But Thabeet would contribute sooner, where as with Monroe I don't think you will know what your getting for another 2-3 years at the earliest.

 

[bajaden]

If we pick 3-5, I would take Monroe or Thabeet, assuming they are there. Thabeet would be a great addition to this team, but is limited talent-wise. I really like Monroe, and think he has more of an upside than anyone in this draft besides Griffin or Rubio.

With Thabeet, you pretty much know what your getting, and you would assume as his career goes on he would become more intimidating on defense each year he is in the league. Offensively, I don't see him developing much more. With Monroe, you are drafting more on potential, but I think this guy has a HUGE upside. If he stayed in college another year or two, he would be the top big man coming out. But Thabeet would contribute sooner, where as with Monroe I don't think you will know what your getting for another 2-3 years at the earliest.

I'm going to disagree with you a little bit. Back when players were drafted when they were seniors, the rule of thumb was that it took three years for a for a big man to reach his potential. Considering that Thabeet is a sophmore and has only played basketball for five years, I think its a bit premature to say he's reached his peak offensively. I've been as hard on him as anyone. But I do believe we need to cut the guy some slack. He has improved this year, and for the first time, to my eyes, he looked confident out there.

Having said that. If Petrie's only choice is between Monroe and Thabeet, I would put my money on Monroe. Petrie's always been a skill guy, and Monroe obviously has more skills than Thabeet. Here's the thing about Thabeet. Every once in a while you'll watch a player struggle to find his nitch. To figure out who he is, and then suddenly one day, its as if a light goes off in his head and he's a different player. Everything slows down and he finally gets it. There's that old saying that you can't teach size. Well size isn't everything, but it certainly a good start when combined with athleticism seldom seen in a player of his size. So the question about Thabeet really isn't about his physcial ability. Its really about whats between his ears. I don't have that answer..

 

[Henkel]

I'm going to disagree with you a little bit. Back when players were drafted when they were seniors, the rule of thumb was that it took three years for a for a big man to reach his potential. Considering that Thabeet is a sophmore and has only played basketball for five years, I think its a bit premature to say he's reached his peak offensively. I've been as hard on him as anyone. But I do believe we need to cut the guy some slack. He has improved this year, and for the first time, to my eyes, he looked confident out there.

Having said that. If Petrie's only choice is between Monroe and Thabeet, I would put my money on Monroe. Petrie's always been a skill guy, and Monroe obviously has more skills than Thabeet. Here's the thing about Thabeet. Every once in a while you'll watch a player struggle to find his nitch. To figure out who he is, and then suddenly one day, its as if a light goes off in his head and he's a different player. Everything slows down and he finally gets it. There's that old saying that you can't teach size. Well size isn't everything, but it certainly a good start when combined with athleticism seldom seen in a player of his size. So the question about Thabeet really isn't about his physcial ability. Its really about whats between his ears. I don't have that answer..

Not trying to nitpick, but Thabeet is a junior. Your point is still valid considering his limited timing playing basketball he isn't a finished product.

Thabeet is going to be nitch player for sure. Part of it is on him to find his role, but the team thats drafts him needs to understand this and find a way to use him effectively. The wrong type of system/coach could really hurt a player like Thabeet.

 

[=LarryLegend=]

Petrie's always been a skill guy

He did add Keon Clark remember...........just saying he does take risks.

 

[HighTopKicks]

Not trying to nitpick, but Thabeet is a junior. Your point is still valid considering his limited timing playing basketball he isn't a finished product.

Thabeet is going to be nitch player for sure. Part of it is on him to find his role, but the team thats drafts him needs to understand this and find a way to use him effectively. The wrong type of system/coach could really hurt a player like Thabeet.

Monroe showed some skills but he's not a great rebounder. The Kings need Rebounding, and that is the one area that elevates Griffin over Rubio. They both supply the Kings a need rebounding or playmaking, but there are other playmakers but there are very few rebounders/scorers.

Thabeet will bring rebounding but only only at the expense of scoring. My first choice would be to trade Minni for their first 2 choices assuming one is in the top 10 and the other in the top 20. Maybe our 1st & our 2nd for their first 2. Then we have 3 1st, and a chance to pick up a rebounding PF, a playmaking PG, & another big or wing.

If we can't trade with Minni, Thabeet.

 

[rainmaker]

I'm going to disagree with you a little bit. Back when players were drafted when they were seniors, the rule of thumb was that it took three years for a for a big man to reach his potential. Considering that Thabeet is a sophmore and has only played basketball for five years, I think its a bit premature to say he's reached his peak offensively. I've been as hard on him as anyone. But I do believe we need to cut the guy some slack. He has improved this year, and for the first time, to my eyes, he looked confident out there.

Having said that. If Petrie's only choice is between Monroe and Thabeet, I would put my money on Monroe. Petrie's always been a skill guy, and Monroe obviously has more skills than Thabeet. Here's the thing about Thabeet. Every once in a while you'll watch a player struggle to find his nitch. To figure out who he is, and then suddenly one day, its as if a light goes off in his head and he's a different player. Everything slows down and he finally gets it. There's that old saying that you can't teach size. Well size isn't everything, but it certainly a good start when combined with athleticism seldom seen in a player of his size. So the question about Thabeet really isn't about his physcial ability. Its really about whats between his ears. I don't have that answer..

I could see Thabeet improving offensively. Your right, he is young, and could really improve with more time on the court. I think he could anchor a defense one day. He could be an all-nba defender at some point down the road. But offensively, I don't think he will ever be a guy you can dump the ball into. He'll get most of his points off hustle and putbacks. I could be wrong, but he just looks real uncomfortable when he's asked to score.

 

[Rayfa]

The KINGs will see with in 3 years

That they made a 7 foot 3 mistake if they don't take the big Tanzanian. So much upside. Griff is a great college player, but just another tweener in the pros. A taller better shooting Corliss. He was a great college player too. Thabeet will be a dominent man in the middle for years to come. Day one an intiminating def force, and if you've watched him improve on the O side from the time he arrived in storrs, he's far from topped out. Take Thabeet, order independent or continue down our current road. Rough to say the least.

 

[bajaden]

Not trying to nitpick, but Thabeet is a junior. Your point is still valid considering his limited timing playing basketball he isn't a finished product.

Thabeet is going to be nitch player for sure. Part of it is on him to find his role, but the team thats drafts him needs to understand this and find a way to use him effectively. The wrong type of system/coach could really hurt a player like Thabeet.

Correction noted. I have to cut down on the cervesa's.

 

[bajaden]

He did add Keon Clark remember...........just saying he does take risks.

Probably a good reason he won't do it again. By the way, is a Jason Thompson supporter more comfortable than the regular athletic supporter?

 

[Spike]

Probably a good reason he won't do it again. By the way, is a Jason Thompson supporter more comfortable than the regular athletic supporter?

It's probably easier to be a Jason Thompson supporter because your role is more specific, where as a regular athletic supporter would have to um, mold to fit a variety of needs.

Back to the point, I do agree that Petrie tends to value Bball IQ over raw athletic ability, and I'm pretty sure that he's doing his research on Thabeet. Is he coachable, is he capable of learning complex systems, etc? Olajuwon was no dummy, so it seems to me that if Thabeet has the BBall IQ that Petrie would not pass him up. To me, it seems as though Thabeet's game is still evolving, and if he wants to put in the hard work to become a better offensive player, all the better. That being said, I don't know how he'd fit in a Princeton style offense, if not for just being aware of what's going on around him.

 

[beb0p]

Considering that Thabeet is a sophmore and has only played basketball for five years, I think its a bit premature to say he's reached his peak offensively. I've been as hard on him as anyone. But I do believe we need to cut the guy some slack. He has improved this year, and for the first time, to my eyes, he looked confident out there.

Thabeet is 22; older than most senior. I agree he has improved a lot in college, but I hink he is nearing his ceiling as an offensive player, and there's nothing wrong with that. I just can't think of any big man who significantly increases his offensive arsenal after the turn of 22. He is what he is, a defensive force with limited scoring and he's still a top 5 pick in my book.

I tend to ignore the class designation like fresh, or soph because it doesn't mean anything. The player's age is the true indicator. Which brings us to James Harden. Few people realize how young he is (19), he really should've been a freshman; yet Harden's game is light years ahead of guys in his age group. He has perfected skill that someone hope Jennings/Derozan/Tyreke can do some day. By the time Harden is 24/25, he's going to be scary good. Even after his last two college games, I'm convinced he's a top 5 talent. The big knock is that he is more of a great sidekick than the main hero, but still a big time talent.

Having said that. If Petrie's only choice is between Monroe and Thabeet, I would put my money on Monroe.

I'd put my money on neither. What scares me about Petrie is that he does use the draft to plug holes rather than stockpile talent.

But yeah, if Thabeet and Monroe is the only choice like you said then I'm sure Petrie would go for Thabeet. Our GM likes skill... in a guard. For big man he has always has a soft spot for the blue collar guys. And if the blue collar big man has skill (Jason Thompson) that just makes Petrie wet his pants. I just don't think GP is going to mess with his dream pairing of Hawes/JT even if a potentially better big is available (including Griffin, but I hope I'm wrong).

For similar reason I knew that there is no way Diogu is coming back next season. Ike is exactly the type of PF that Petrie despised.

Btw, Brian Grant, Michael Smith, Scott Pollard, Chris Dudley, Frank Brickowski, Brian Skinner, Kenny Thomas, Mikki Moore...

They all have two things in common. The other being, they're not skill player.

 

[beb0p]

I've uploaded game clips of Brandon Jennings' Euro League game against Unicaja. The game was a blowout so Jennings got a lot of burn in the 2nd half as a PG (last time I checked he usually played SG for Roma because of positional need and he doesn't get a lot of mins). So this two quarters is a rare glimpse on Jennings as a PG in extended mins. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euK3wgP3fmo

 

[nbrans]

Wow, Jennings looks a lot like Teague, both good and bad.

 

[bajaden]

Btw, Brian Grant, Michael Smith, Scott Pollard, Chris Dudley, Frank Brickowski, Brian Skinner, Kenny Thomas, Mikki Moore...

They all have two things in common. The other being, they're not skill player.

I would say that Brian Grant and, God forgive me, Kenny Thomas had skills. The others had a skill, as opposed to skills. They could either block shots or they could rebound, or both. Opp's, I just saw Mikkie there. OK, one of them had no skill at all.

As you know I've been a big Harden fan from the get go. I have to admit that I was disappointed in his play in the tourney, but there's no denying that he's a talented guy. And yes, your right, he's still very young. He just needs to be more aggressive at the next level.

I listened to an interview with a couple of NBA scouts on XM radio the other day. I'm sorry, I don't remember which channel, and I didn't hear it all because I came in late. No mention of Rubio or Jennings. They were very high on Griffin and oddly talked about his great length. Now as much as I have defended the idea of waiting for the real measurements, I will admit that on television, at least, he doesn't appear to have great length. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Not as high on Thabeet. Now these were their comments, not mine. They said that he didn't have very good lateral movement and that he didn't have very good hands. They said he had very good instincts on blocking shots, especially man on man. They said he still needed work on help defense and that at times still looks lost.

Oddly enough, they said that his greatest improvement was on offense. He seemed to know where to be and he had developed a little jump hook shot to go along with a little mid range jumper. Having said that, they then said that he would probably never be a good offensive player and would have to carve out his nitch on the defensive side of the ball. However, they did say that he's one of the few players in the draft that can actually impact a game all by himself, and because of that, they thought he would be drafted somewhere in the top five.

 

[bajaden]

Wow, Jennings looks a lot like Teague, both good and bad.

Well, he looked quick, I'll give him that. He also appeared to have decent passing skills. His outside shot looks like it needs a little work, but his form didn't look that bad. Really hard to get a good read from just this one game, but definitely looks to have talent.

 

[Jaylee209]

Thabeet
Jennings
Teague
Monroe
Harden

 

[beb0p]

As you know I've been a big Harden fan from the get go. I have to admit that I was disappointed in his play in the tourney, but there's no denying that he's a talented guy. And yes, your right, he's still very young. He just needs to be more aggressive at the next level.

I listened to an interview with a couple of NBA scouts on XM radio the other day. I'm sorry, I don't remember which channel, and I didn't hear it all because I came in late. No mention of Rubio or Jennings. They were very high on Griffin and oddly talked about his great length. Now as much as I have defended the idea of waiting for the real measurements, I will admit that on television, at least, he doesn't appear to have great length. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Not as high on Thabeet. Now these were their comments, not mine. They said that he didn't have very good lateral movement and that he didn't have very good hands. They said he had very good instincts on blocking shots, especially man on man. They said he still needed work on help defense and that at times still looks lost.

I mostly agree with the scouts. Regarding Thabeet's hands, he has good hands and he also has bad hands, it really depends on how the ball is thrown to him. He's very good at catching balls at chest height or above, but anything waist or below he tends to fumble. It's not a biggie, imo. I do think his athleticism has been exaggerated just a bit on this board. He's certainly athletic for a big guy, but he aint' no David Robinson, Shaq, or Ewing. I saw a Georgetown game on ESPN classic. Ewing immediately stood out as ridiculously athletic for a 7 footer. He was beating the guards down the court! Thabeet is not at that level and I think he is about the same height (no more than an inch taller in bare feet) as those guys. His lateral movement is not outstanding but I'm sure some GM thinks his long reach makes up for it.

Agree on Harden, it serves him well to be more agressive and I think he will; in spurts at least. He's just too much of a team player.

Griffin's size remains a question. If he can jump with the elbow at rim level then either he has great athleticism or great length, or both. Maybe it's both? I guess we'll find out.

 

[FakeInjury]

Thabeet and Rubio are projects and the NBA draft is moving away from projects over the past couple of years in favor of more NBA ready talents like Blair, Griffin, Harden, Evans. I dont expect Rubio to be picked earlier than 5th because he just isn't going to be there defensively, so basically if you draft Rubio your only drafting 3/4th of a player because coaches who like their job won't play him in the 4th quarter! Hasheem has the height and the length and the hands and the history and the blocks; but for some reason, he hasn't shaken his detractors. Why is that? And that will hurt his stock? I am not entirely against drafting Thabeet, but he is awfully raw, and in this economic environment, its just not fair to expect the fans to be patient, and when that patience pays off and thabeet is 5 years in and looking like a 90 million dollar player, we re-sign him and he breaks leg, WTH do we do with that? Its much nicer to be able to evaluate a player today rather than evaluate a player based on his projected abilities. Drafting thabeet would be like doubling down on blackjack when you have blackjack.