Is Thomas Robinson a complete bust?

[Rondo2Hondo]

They need to trade Gordon and have Rivers at his natural position.

I agree. I'd like to see (like countless others) a Granger for Gordon deal. It makes too much sense for each team.

Indiana
Positives:
Gordon is a natural SG an area of need
Pacers move George to SF, his natural position
Gordon is hometown kid
He is the kind of scorer they need
Younger than Granger, room for growth
Gordon is another ball-handler and can play point guard in a pinch

Negatives:
Injury prone - out for the next 4-6 weeks
Short for a shooting guard
Hasn't proven that he is more than a flash in the pan

New Orleans
Positives:
They have a gaping whole at SF
Rivers is playing out of position
Granger is from Louisiana
He's out for the next 3 months (that helps the ping-pong balls grow!)
Gordon doesn't seem committed to the team
He brings experience and toughness to the team - he would be their leader

Negatives:
He's out for the next 3 months
He's getting injured more and more often
He's older than Gordon
How will he react to being on a rebuilding team?

The positives for either team far out-weigh the negatives.

[Tumakapac713]

This thread is a complete bust.

[Rondo2Hondo]

If you watch the Hornets, and I wouldn't recommend it, you'll see he's playing SG next to Vasquez the majority of the time he's in.

By my statistics so far:

Rivers spent approximately 5 of his 29 minutes vs the Jazz at point guard.
Rivers spent approximately 10 of his 24 minutes vs the Spurs at point guard, and was twice directly subbed for Vasquez.

They are subbing Vasquez out usually with 2-3 minutes left in a quarter for Rivers to get some experience running the point. For the most part, yes, he is playing at the two, but the long-term goal is for him to be a point guard. They are still tinkering with the experiment, and I think they will continue all year long.

So in other words what I said was perfectly accurate and his struggles cannot be ascribed to playing PG since most of the time, he isnt?

The problem isn't position. The problem is that he currently sucks.

Vs Spurs: 42% of his time at point guard
Vs Jazz: 17% of his time at point guard

I think the position-less nature of his predicament could be the problem. He has no clear cut role right now. For a rookie to be successful right out of the gate they need to be given a few areas to focus on, areas of strength. That's why we see guys like Faried excelling (rebounding, energy), MKG (defense, hustle), Leuer (shooting, rebounding). These guys were given their regular positions to play. Rivers is being asked to be a shooting guard and play off the ball, but then when Vasquez goes out they are asking him to run the offense, a position very new to him. On top of this, he is high profile, and awfully confident. He's a marked man, and NBA defenders are humbling him. If he landed on a team as their first reserve guard, with the role of Jason Terry or current Jamal Crawford, we would be seeing better results - the shooting may not be there yet, still, but we wouldn't see so many turnovers from him trying to do too much).

For all the negatives attached to Rivers so far, I can highlight just as many positives. Rivers has an elite ability to get to the basket - he just turns it over once he gets there, or he looks for contact and then can't finish. His shooting stroke looks good, he just needs more game reps and practice.

So far, this draft class looks pretty tight to me (other than Ross and Marshall). I'm not bummed by any rookies at all.

[Rondo2Hondo]

I forgot to mention, Monty Williams needs to have Rivers focus on getting to the rim and creating opportunities for himself and others. He needs to focus on scoring opportunities for himself (this will be his calling card in the NBA) and not getting beat on defense.

A successful game for Rivers will be posting a positive +/-, and out-playing his man. He should not be burdened with learning to play point guard and running the offense yet, that takes away from what he does best.

[moocow007]

just checked his elbow move on youtube... artest 2.0... what are those guys even thinking? smh.

Are you saying that you think he is Artest 2.0, or that he isn't?

i'm sayin his elbow move was as bad as artest's.

If Robinson can become anything like Artest then the Kings got themselves a great pick. Chances are not good of that happening.

[BBgun]

Is this thread a complete overreaction?

Give the man more than one week to develop into an NBA player.

[Ziggy Stardust]

I liked that he went to sacremento because I thought he would be one of the guys the kings couldn't ruin, but i'm not going to blame them.

People need to chill out. I still think he was a solid pick at 5, but I've kinda lowered my expectations. He is not a "tweener" like Derrick Williams, he is a pure big man. He is a lot like Thompson in that way, except he is a lot more polished offensively, and has a much better iq on that side, but he lacks Thompsons defensive iq and some of his physical potential. Like Thompson he struggle's finishing inside with the size, it's just more pronounced because thats a bigger part of his game. He just needs to adjust his game and get used to the size and physicality.

[TheCage4]

Let's also keep in mind that Robinson is playing for the Kings.

They've almost ruined Tyreke Evans; playing him at PG, then SG, then SF.

Robinson turned heads in the preseason at PF, then SAC decides to try him at SF.

They (SAC coaches & management) have no idea what they are doing, & it's going to negatively effect players like Robinson.

He's not a bust, the Kings are.

[boogie-reke]

No need to go that far, we just had JJ Hickson who looked like he doesn't belong to the NBA in our uniforms - and the moment we trade him he looks like a solid starter and a close to double double guy in Portland.

T-rob isn't as skilled as him right now imo tbh, but the point stands that we're regressing and holding back players on a pretty consistent basis.

[reignfire]

I think his issue is he doesn't have a position in the NBA. He can't play PF and he can't guard SFs. His ceiling seems to be a big off the bench.

Edit: I haven't seen him play but if he can guard SFs, that's his position.

[Rondo2Hondo]

I think his issue is he doesn't have a position in the NBA. He can't play PF and he can't guard SFs. His ceiling seems to be a big off the bench.

Edit: I haven't seen him play but if he can guard SFs, that's his position.

You obviously haven't seen him play. He's a prototype power forward.

[Shaqattack32]

Better question is, is Bradley Beal a bust?

[Rondo2Hondo]

Better question is, is Bradley Beal a bust?

No, not yet.

You guys are all nuts. Calling rookies in their first week busts. It takes time for these guys to adjust to the NBA. They all need reps and a good situation.

[reignfire]

I think his issue is he doesn't have a position in the NBA. He can't play PF and he can't guard SFs. His ceiling seems to be a big off the bench.

Edit: I haven't seen him play but if he can guard SFs, that's his position.

You obviously haven't seen him play. He's a prototype power forward.

Unless you're looking at the Heat as a model for what prototypical positioning is, no he is not.

[[RCG]]

Thomas Robinson was considered one of the most "pro-ready" prospects. He has maxed out his body already so he has a lower ceiling that others and should've had a higher floor.

He needs to start producing soon.

[Rondo2Hondo]

I think his issue is he doesn't have a position in the NBA. He can't play PF and he can't guard SFs. His ceiling seems to be a big off the bench.

Edit: I haven't seen him play but if he can guard SFs, that's his position.

You obviously haven't seen him play. He's a prototype power forward.

Unless you're looking at the Heat as a model for what prototypical positioning is, no he is not.

It's not the 80's or 90's anymore.

Thomas Robinson:
Height in shoes - 6' 8.75"
Wingspan - 7' 3.25"
Weight: 244 lbs

Elton Brand:
Height in shoes - 6' 9.5"
Wingspan - 7' 5.5"
Weight: 260 lbs

Karl Malone:
Height in shoes at the 1992 Olympic Games - 6 '8"
Wingspan - 7 '2"
Weight: 250 lbs

Brandon Bass, Paul Millsap, Carl Landry, David Lee, Tyrus Thomas, Tristan Thompson, Kenneth Faried, Jason Maxiell, Royce White, David West, Zach Randolph, Darrell Arthur, Reggie Evans, Glen Davis, J.J. Hickson, Chuck Hayes, Dejuan Blair. Those are guys off the top of my head who are at Robinson's height or under. There are numerous guys like Blake Griffin who are an inch taller than Robinson. Robinson makes up for the inch with absurdly long arms, a large vertical, and considerable strength.

What is your prototypical PF? Kevin Garnett? Charles Barkley? Pfft.

[Rondo2Hondo]

Thomas Robinson was considered one of the most "pro-ready" prospects. He has maxed out his body already so he has a lower ceiling that others and should've had a higher floor.

He needs to start producing soon.

He's a rookie in his first week playing for one of the worst organizations in professional sports. He maxed out his body? This thread is getting ridiculous. If I was a mod, I'd be banning you trolls left and right.

[KF10]

Come on now.

A bust...after 1 week?

[LakerLegend]

He's a little under 6-9 in shoes, why the heck is he listed at 6-10?

[Rondo2Hondo]

He's a little under 6-9 in shoes, why the heck is he listed at 6-10?

Same reason multiple players currently and in the past have the wrong heights listed. Dwight is 6'11"? Yeah right. Michael Jordan 6'6"? Charles Barkley 6'6"? They screw around with numbers all the time. Hakeem was not 7'0"

The fact that Robinson is a shade under 6'9" means jack. The posters in here claiming otherwise are absolutely moronic. Robinson ended up at 5 because the Bobcats chose MKG over him. Picks 3 and 4 were always going to be between Beal, Barnes, and Waiters. They were both looking for outside help. T-Rob is basically a top 3 pick on talent. He'll get there guys. Give the kid some time, he's basically a kid that has been thrown into a very adult world.... lost family members, having to be in a law suit for custody of his kid sister etc. His NBA fit will be more apparent by season end, or beginning year 2. Jason Thompson won't hold him back for too long.