Speculation: Harden could slip

GuyverADL · Post #21 » by **GuyverADL** » Mon Mar 9, 2009 7:07 pm

R-DAWG wrote:Personally, i'd perfer Willie Warren over Harden. And with a big tournry, Willie could end up in the top 5.

What I really like about the kid is he steped up when Griffin was injured, and he has hit big shots throughout the season. At 6-4/6-5 and 210lbs, he has the strength and athleticism to make up for his little lack of height and has all the tools to be a great defender. I think he could be as good as Jason Terry with a downside of Deaquan Cook. Harden, I'm not really sure. A lot of sites have compared him to Ginobili, and Manu is a great 3rd option. I think Harden will be drafted as high as he is because he is a low risk prospect. I thought the same about Brandon Roy and I was wrong so who knows. I think Harden would be a great fit for OKC. Put him next to Westbrook in the backcourt and you have one of the better young, defensive backcourts in the league. Plus he can be a great 2nd option with Durant. For them, the choice is between him and Thabeet.

This is why I say Harden can slip. He is a highly skilled play with average athleticism.

Oh and Brandon Roy is way more athletic than Harden. :lol:

GuyverADL · Post #22 » by **GuyverADL** » Mon Mar 9, 2009 7:08 pm

Flaming Mo wrote:So is Brandon Roy an elite level athlete or anything special in that regard on the NBA level?!? Now I'm not comparing him to Harden by any means but people have to remember we are still talking about the game of basketball here and Harden is as advanced and fundamentally sound a ballplayer as there is in the draft. Now how far that will get him, we'll see. But just because he's not an athletic freak like Jennings or Teague doesn't make him a bust to begin with... just saying...

The guy wont be a bust but he isn't a guaranteed top 3 pick either.

Synciere · Post #23 » by **Synciere** » Mon Mar 9, 2009 7:25 pm

Harden could drop, but not past #5.

Big men always have a chance of going a few spots too high, and based on the tournament for many, Mullens, Hill, Thabeet and Monroe all have top 5 ability. Monroe may drop. His team may not even make the tournament. I think Jennings at #2 is a little high, but also not impossible once workouts start. What makes Harden a top 3 prospect is his ability to do all the other stuff. He's a good passer, plays D, no ego, plays within a system well and is coachable, general BBIQ make him the prospect he is now. He seems like the guy that ALWAYS makes the right play.

Post #24 » by **Flaming Mo** » Mon Mar 9, 2009 7:48 pm

optimusADL wrote:
Flaming Mo wrote:So is Brandon Roy an elite level athlete or anything special in that regard on the NBA level?!? Now I'm not comparing him to Harden by any means but people have to remember we are still talking about the game of basketball here and Harden is as advanced and fundamentally sound a ballplayer as there is in the draft. Now how far that will get him, we'll see. But just because he's not an athletic freak like Jennings or Teague doesn't make him a bust to begin with... just saying...

The guy wont be a bust but he isn't a guaranteed top 3 pick either.

Of course he's not... but I always thought that most mocks had him in the 5-10 range...

Ralphie96 · Post #25 » by **Ralphie96** » Mon Mar 9, 2009 7:56 pm

blueNorange wrote:correction, jennings is a shooting guard with the ability to pass.

jennings cannot shoot tho..

Jcrawford11 · Post #26 » by **Jcrawford11** » Mon Mar 9, 2009 8:08 pm

jennings shoots good enough

blueNorange · Post #27 » by **blueNorange** » Mon Mar 9, 2009 8:14 pm

Jcrawford11 wrote:jennings shoots good enough

38% isn't good enough let alone good.

method · Post #28 » by **method** » Mon Mar 9, 2009 8:45 pm

We need a Greg Monroe.

DDV · Post #29 » by **DDV** » Mon Mar 9, 2009 8:51 pm

I agree that him not being a freak athlete shouldnt be a hinderance but ive heard from some people that he may only be about 6'3 if thast true then his lack of explosiveness could hurt him in the pros if hes an undersized 2..

passthedutchman · Post #30 » by **passthedutchman** » Mon Mar 9, 2009 9:31 pm

jennings has jumped to #5 on both nbadraft and draftexpress. I think that has to be partially due to a recent good game in the euroleague where he scored 17 points with 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.

I like Harden but his lack of athleticism plus possibly being undersized for a SG would make me a bit worried.

GuyverADL · Post #31 » by **GuyverADL** » Mon Mar 9, 2009 9:47 pm

passthedutchman wrote:jennings has jumped to #5 on both nbadraft and draftexpress. I think that has to be partially due to a recent good game in the euroleague where he scored 17 points with 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.

I like Harden but his lack of athleticism plus possibly being undersized for a SG would make me a bit worried.

I didnt even bring up the height issue because Mayo is likely the same height and he blows faces off. :lol:

Brandon Roy is a LEGIT 6' 6" while Harden is MAYBE 6' 4"

blueNorange · Post #32 » by **blueNorange** » Mon Mar 9, 2009 9:48 pm

passthedutchman wrote:17 points with 2 assists

i lawl'd

Johnny Hoops · Post #33 » by **Johnny Hoops** » Mon Mar 9, 2009 10:34 pm

Not a Harden fan myself -- hope someone gobbles him up before us.

cgf · Post #34 » by **cgf** » Mon Mar 9, 2009 11:15 pm

I don't understand why people got so psyched up about measureables in a skills game like basketball. He's a good NBA athlete, see Roy, Brandon, and has easily the best skillset in this draft class, barring rubio coming out, and has probably the highest BBall IQ. He's like the black SG sized gallo this year.

Rasho Brezec · Post #35 » by **Rasho Brezec** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 12:45 am

blueNorange wrote:
Jcrawford11 wrote:jennings shoots good enough

38% isn't good enough let alone good.

He's judging him by Crawful's standards, that's why he said he's shooting good enough.

Mecca · Post #36 » by **Mecca** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 12:49 am

Its so hard to judge Jennings, I only saw him in the All-American game, and he played like an a-hole.

Paeds · Post #37 » by **Paeds** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 1:50 am

I have yet to see from Jennings this insane passing ability you talk about ... At this point, he's just a taller Nate Robinson.

That would be D. Wade

blueNorange · Post #38 » by **blueNorange** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 1:59 am

Paeds wrote:
I have yet to see from Jennings this insane passing ability you talk about ... At this point, he's just a taller Nate Robinson.

That would be D. Wade

wade plays defense, passes the ball, and has a high ball iq ... nate doesn't play defense, nate doesn't pass the ball, and nate has the ball iq of a rock.

R-DAWG · Post #39 » by **R-DAWG** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 2:23 am

cgf wrote:I don't understand why people got so psyched up about measureables in a skills game like basketball. He's a good NBA athlete, see Roy, Brandon, and has easily the best skillset in this draft class, barring rubio coming out, and has probably the highest BBall IQ. He's like the black SG sized gallo this year.

He lacks explosiveness, something that a 6-4 guard needs and a 6-6 guard can get away with not having. He is not a great ball handler, so he will not be able to play PG, and will be undersized for a SG (6-5 with shoes, where as Roy is almost 6-7 with shoes). Roy is also a much better ball handler than Harden. He will be a very solid NBA player, just not a special player. And I feel the same way about every other player in this draft not named Blake Griffin (and Rubio if he declares). Listen, I was wrong about Roy, so I could be wrong about Harden, and he does do a lot of things that winning players do, he just isnt a guy I would build a team around.

As far as him falling, it all depends on how he and other guys play in the tounry. If Willie Warren has an outstanding tourny and his team goes to the final four and Harden has a solid but not spectacular tourny, Warren could shoot up the draft charts. Same goes for Thabeet, Jordan Hill, Jeff Teague, and Gerald Henderson. The good thing about this draft is the drop in talent from 2-15 is not very large (if Rubio declares than 3-16).

ezmoney707 · Post #40 » by **ezmoney707** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 2:35 am

R-DAWG wrote:
cgf wrote:I don't understand why people got so psyched up about measureables in a skills game like basketball. He's a good NBA athlete, see Roy, Brandon, and has easily the best skillset in this draft class, barring rubio coming out, and has probably the highest BBall IQ. He's like the black SG sized gallo this year.

He lacks explosiveness, something that a 6-4 guard needs and a 6-6 guard can get away with not having. He is not a great ball handler, so he will not be able to play PG, and will be undersized for a SG (6-5 with shoes, where as Roy is almost 6-7 with shoes). Roy is also a much better ball handler than Harden. He will be a very solid NBA player, just not a special player. And I feel the same way about every other player in this draft not named Blake Griffin (and Rubio if he declares). Listen, I was wrong about Roy, so I could be wrong about Harden, and he does do a lot of things that winning players do, he just isnt a guy I would build a team around.

As far as him falling, it all depends on how he and other guys play in the tounry. If Willie Warren has an outstanding tourny and his team goes to the final four and Harden has a solid but not spectacular tourny, Warren could shoot up the draft charts. Same goes for Thabeet, Jordan Hill, Jeff Teague, and Gerald Henderson. The good thing about this draft is the drop in talent from 2-15 is not very large (if Rubio declares than 3-16).

R-Dawg i have quick question for you. What player do you compare Willie Warren to in the league right now? I really can't put my finger on it. What worries me about this cat is that he looks good right now playing with the best player in the country, but what would he do by himself. Griffin opens up so much for his team that it is hard to evaluate a guy like that.