Joel Embiid

[Tave]

He was a massive human being with a ton of athleticism but his moving parts werent smooth like Embiid. They literally had the term "Hack A Shaq" because he had no jump shot what so ever. He couldnt develop one his entire career. Shaq doesnt compare one bit to the skills Embiid has the potential to develop. Like I said though guys like Shaq and Robinson might be able to run faster and jump higher but the smoothness to all movements Embiid can make they dont possess. Saying he moves like a guard doesnt even due him justice.

Shaq had incredible footwork and was exceptionally graceful for his size. Yes, his jumpshot was awful, but that has nothing to do with how smooth he moved around the court.

Yes it does. Its about all his moving parts. He couldnt coordinate his body into making any semblance of a jump shot. There is nothing Embiid cant coordinate his body into doing because of the way he is able to move. Extremely rare for anyone of any size.

I can't tell if you're trolling me or not, it sounds like you''re talking about Stretch Armstrong.

[reignfire]

Shaq had incredible footwork and was exceptionally graceful for his size. Yes, his jumpshot was awful, but that has nothing to do with how smooth he moved around the court.

Yes it does. Its about all his moving parts. He couldnt coordinate his body into making any semblance of a jump shot. There is nothing Embiid cant coordinate his body into doing because of the way he is able to move. Extremely rare for anyone of any size.

I can't tell if you're trolling me or not, it sounds like you''re talking about Stretch Armstrong.

Tave, you should stop posting on this section since you have no evaluation skills whatsoever. All you have are snarky comments.

More reading, no posting, please

[Tave]

Embiid's high school coach talking about his back issue.

[NO-KG-AI]

There's nothing Embiid can't do with his body, except he can't avoid fouls and turnovers.

[TheHottestHand]

I don't understand all the talk about wanting him to stay another year in college. I'd like to see him declare for the draft and with his new team (literally) work his back side off strengthening his core and taking advantage of all the other NBA-only benefits to minimize his injury problems. A strong core is absolutely everything when it comes to back problems, especially when you're 7 feet.

Of course, this is not taking into account any of his educational aspirations, which would no doubt be understandable if he chose to stay for. I'm just talking physically, there's no better place for him to develop than the NBA.

[Tave]

Hibbert is as fluid as Embiid. Check out how Embiid-y he looks at times in this clip of him as a freshman http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWqS2_phBqA Hibbert is strange because the post skillset looks there to be a much better offensive player. May be a headcase thing knowing his history

I'm not seeing the same fluidity in that clip. Hibbert appears to be very slow and lumbering about the court, and his post moves look very deliberate and simple. Realistically, Hibbert has one post move: that short-range jump hook he can use over either shoulder. It's an effective move, and the Pacers could do a lot more to take advantage of it, but Hibbert gets it off based solely on his size/length. He loves to back into it using multiple shoulder fakes, but honestly he'd be much better off just catching and releasing. Almost no one can block that shot and holding onto the ball invites the double.

[Bubstubbler]

Embiid declared today:
http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/23 ... -NBA-Draft
http://espn.go.com/nba/draft2014/story/ ... -nba-draft

I think he's still the heavy favorite to go 1st overall, but the stress fracture in his back is certainly an issue. Teams are going to have to decide how confident they are in their medical staffs to create a program to manage/prevent the issue going forward.

1) Embiid
2) Wiggins
*gap*
3) ?

[Bubstubbler]

Hibbert is as fluid as Embiid. Check out how Embiid-y he looks at times in this clip of him as a freshman http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWqS2_phBqA

Thanks for sharing that clip, I agree that he looks Embiid-y. Definite similarities in gait, and I really enjoyed seeing some of the nice passing that is another hallmark of Embiid.

I don't think Hibbert's as fluid/coordinated/athletic as Embiid, though. Watching them on live TV, I remember thinking of Hibbert as somewhat of a stiff in college (never did I think, "Holy crap that guy's got elite fluidity/coordination!"), whereas Embiid shocked me with his fluidity and coordination from day 1. Literally the first time I watched Embiid play I thought, "Holy crap that guy's got elite fluidity/coordination; combined with his size, great attitude, and high intelligence, that guy's going to be the #1 pick in the draft!" Bill Self had a similar opinion the first time he saw Embiid play, whereas nobody thought/said that about freshman Hibbert.

I do like the Hibbert comparison, though, and have been using it for a long time myself. I often describe Embiid as a mix of Hibbert/Hakeem/MGasol (with some Tim Duncan and Bill Walton thrown in for good measure).

[cuyankees]

JE has Greg Oden written all over him.

Bust city due to his recurring back injuries.

[crazy_me_87]

JE has Greg Oden written all over him.

Bust city due to his recurring back injuries.

could we please wait at least a year to say something like that?

we dont know if it is truly recurring.. he had almost no proper NBA level muscle Training until now.. maybe it will stop as his training programm gets better

[cuyankees]

JE has Greg Oden written all over him.

Bust city due to his recurring back injuries.

could we please wait at least a year to say something like that?

we dont know if it is truly recurring.. he had almost no proper NBA level muscle Training until now.. maybe it will stop as his training programm gets better

He's had back issues in HS so that's recurring to me.

Let's hope core training fixes his back.

[black bart]

I feel like he is locked first pick

[black bart]

News could come out today

[ImHeisenberg]

Shaq had incredible footwork and was exceptionally graceful for his size. Yes, his jumpshot was awful, but that has nothing to do with how smooth he moved around the court.

Yes it does. Its about all his moving parts. He couldnt coordinate his body into making any semblance of a jump shot. There is nothing Embiid cant coordinate his body into doing because of the way he is able to move. Extremely rare for anyone of any size.

I can't tell if you're trolling me or not, it sounds like you''re talking about Stretch Armstrong.

He just doesn't know what he's talking about and likely is a 15 year old that never saw Shaq in his prime.

Shaq was a marriage of grace and power. A true force of nature on the basketball court.

[ImHeisenberg]

I feel like he is locked first pick

His back is the only thing that would make him drop. Otherwise, you have to take him first overall. He's the best bet to get a blue chipper out of this draft. Wiggins and Parker (if he declares) look like they could be great players, but nothing is guaranteed.

[crazy_me_87]

where he will go will depend on his evaluation... if the docs grant him a full recovery and a good outlook... he will go no 1 for sure if not... still likley top 5... too much talent ... some Team will take a risk as soon as Wiggins,Parker, and maybe Exum are gone

and i think Parker staying or going Pro will impact this alot

if he stays there is suddenly no "ultra safe pick" anymore out there... if he comes you can say "well if we are not feeling risky at draft night with no 1 pick at hand... we still can take Jabari and get a guy who can give us 18ppg or more right away"

if he stays... all picks who have enough potential to be no 1 are quiet riskier

Wiggins: will he be a Jordan or a Pippen Character/Role wise (Alpha dog or no 2 option)

Embiid: any Health issues are scary with bigs ... ok its not as bad as the chronic knee thing Oden had... but still

Exum: amazing Potential but quite a mystery... SHOULD probably go No 1 based on pure Talent.. but will fall due to "unkown"-factor

[Young_Buc]

I'd be super scared to take him over Wiggins and maybe even Parker with any health issue. Even without it, He's still mostly (awesome) potential. It's a home run swing in a draft that has 2 guys at the top that look like surefire all stars.

[webc5]

Joel Embiid will get a gm fired.

[TheSuzerain]

I'd be super scared to take him over Wiggins and maybe even Parker with any health issue. Even without it, He's still mostly (awesome) potential. It's a home run swing in a draft that has 2 guys at the top that look like surefire all stars.

He was more dominant than Wiggins was when on the court.

He's got some physical development to do, but the skillset is there already.

[Notanoob]

Assuming his back checks out, I'd take Embiid over anyone else in this draft 10 times out of 10. He has fantastic potential and looked a lot better than anyone else in this draft down the stretch before he got hurt.