Piecake wrote:I dont think Rodney Williams will turn into a good pro at all. He cant dribble, cant shoot, and basically uses his superior athleticism to score points in the paint. That wont work in the pros. Basically, he will be a worse Wes Johnson
I agree that we should definitely go after a wing. Either by drafting or trading the pick+assets to pick up a proven player.
Cant say I know much about the prospects in the mid first round since its a bit early, but Lebryan Nash sounds awesome. Combination of lebron + Bryant + Nash? Sign me up!
I think Rodney is going to be a steal. Yes i'm a Gopher homer and I fell for the Wes Johnson hype too, but Rodney is not the same player that Wes was. Rodney, first of all, is not afraid of contact and is MUCH more aggressive getting to the rim than Wes. Also, Rodney is a much more polished player on the defensive side and on the boards. Wes was attractive in part due to his nice shooting stats, but he was not the defensive stud many expected he'd be. Turns out that Syracuse's infamous zone defense did veil Wes' average fundamentals and elementary understanding of angles and help defense. Tubby has made Rodney his pet project over the last four years he has gotten a little better each year. Now he looks like one of the most versatile and useful players in the entire nation and the (Top 20) Gophers are officially his team.
Similarly, I think Rodney can shoot just as well as Wes (not saying much I know) has in the NBA and brings a much better mentality and attitude than timid old Wes J. Also worth noting is that Wes was a full two years older than Rodney is now when drafted and while that may seem trivial, it is a substantial difference from a developmental standpoint. Rodney also has embraced the role of glue guy and do-it-all freak which is something Wes never has done either in the NBA or college.
I think Rodney's best comparison is Jeff Taylor of Charlotte. Like Williams, Taylor was a senior wing with great athleticism and defensive skills. His four years at Vanderbilt saw him prove he was a very valuable two-way player who if anything lacked offensive upside. Rodney is very similar to Taylor but is a much more explosive athlete and is more comfortable playing inside than Taylor ever was.
Conclusion: Rodney Williams will be a consensus first-round pick by season's end, and if he isn't it will be either due to seriously bad play between then and now (always possible, especially for a Gopher) or because NBA teams, like with Taylor last summer, overlook the proven commodity in favor of the unknown upside pick. Rodney will make one NBA franchise very happy in the near future. Personally, I think learning from AK47 would be a blessing and might help Rodney finally start to make good on the seriously rare physical gifts he has. As an underclassmen, he was overrated as a prospect to the point where he is now criminally under-recognized and under-appreciated when it comes to his NBA potential. Hope Kahn scoops him up and lets Adelman turn him into the defensive freak we need behind AK on the wing.