The 2009 NBA Draft Thread

[fienX420]

Sorry - didn't mean to say McRoberts was a better outside shooter. He's better at operating on the perimeter - not necessarily shooting. Both players need to work on their range.

[Grang33r]

Just saw the press conference, and really, just when i got a giddy feeling about the kid that maybe i can respect it, i lost it again.

JOB said "Tyler is the guy you build championship teams around"... UMM.. he is?? You build championship guys over backup players? Riiiight.... and how would JOB know about championship teams anyways?

Then Bird says "Tyler WILL score in this league".... It's like the Pacers are just in as much denial then i am in. Holy cow.

[fienX420]

Not saying that Hansbrough is the next Bird. But another Larry Bird will come around eventually. When he does, he'll look a lot like Tyler Hansbrough. You really just got to throw a kid into the league and see what happens.

[basketballwacko2]

You said it yourself. He prefers to play the high post. Hansbrough prefers to play the low post.


Obviously, they're not the same players. That's where this started.

Scoot do you think McBob can play the SF a little I can see this big white lineup of Muprhy at C, Tyler at PF, McBob at SF, Dunleavy at SG and Diener at PG. Can you imagine that?

[basketballwacko2]

Not saying that Hansbrough is the next Bird. But another Larry Bird will come around eventually. When he does, he'll look a lot like Tyler Hansbrough. You really just got to throw a kid into the league and see what happens.

There's already a new Larry his name is Dirk!

[PR07]

You said it yourself. He prefers to play the high post. Hansbrough prefers to play the low post.


Obviously, they're not the same players. That's where this started.

Show me where I said they were the same players. I said they were similar players. Similar in that they are both energy big men off the bench, who can do a lot of little things, but nothing extraordinarily well. Never said they were the same player, if that's what this little debate has been about.

In fact the paragraph you argued with on how McRoberts was misused I even said this:

McRoberts plays much more of a guard's game. I think he was a guard who kind of grew into being a big man once he got taller and filled out of his frame. It's why he's so good passing and handling, and much more comfortable operating out of the high post.

To further justify my misused point:

One of the problems is that McRoberts isn't the usual Duke big man. I think someone said earlier that he doesn't have a "back to the basket" game, and they're right. Former big men at Duke who have done well have been big guys that can push you around like Elton Brand, Carlos Boozer, Sheldon Williams. People like Shavlik Randolph, who had a lot of skill coming out of high school, realized that their type of game wasn't going to fit in the Duke style, so he left, which is what McRoberts needs to do if he wants to have a career in the NBA. Otherwise he's going to be forced to put on weight by the coaching staff and then have to lose it once he leaves, like Elton Brand did to improve his game at that level. So its not really that they have only one, its that their only one isn't the normal type.

This is from some random Duke fan: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_blo ... -duke.html

Confirming what I said, in that McRoberts, often times was forced to be a player and perform a role that simply wasn't him.

[fj20]

i hate how larry picked TH b/c he saw himself in him...yea larry you were one of the best to ever play the game...but look at your style vs his in today's game which has changed dramatically over time!! TH back then woulda been a top 5 pick...he does not deserve to be a top 20 pick

[Miller4ever]

^^I'm going to have to disagree and say that Bird would still be a triple-double machine destroyer today. Defense has gotten way less physical. Maybe he'd be diminished statistically because of the slower pace, but I think he'd be just as effective. Bird was the first player to get a perfect score in the 3-point shootout, which not very many people can do TODAY. He shot the lights out from the stripe as well.

Larry also based this pick on seeing Tyler develop since high school, so that definitely played a part.

[fienX420]

Agreed - Bird would still dominate in the modern era.

Also, does anybody know... I think I am misremembering, but did Hansbrough play LeBron James in a high school game?

[fj20]

Agreed - Bird would still dominate in the modern era.

Also, does anybody know... I think I am misremembering, but did Hansbrough play LeBron James in a high school game?

no but he did play oden at hinkle i believe his sr year...odens jr year