Official Welcome Roy Hibbert Thread

[PR07]

Here's welcoming our 7'2 272 Lb. Center.

What I expect Roy to give us a sheer interior presence due to his size. I think he can do a lot of the things Rik Smits did for us offensively, although I expect him to me much more of a defensive presence. Even if he doesn't become the same shot blocker he was in college, he's still going to alter a lot of shots. Offensively, he has soft touch from mid-range, and is a good passer particularly in the high post. Roy may not be an every possession low post presence like Jermaine was at his peak, but I do expect him to be a guy we can count on quite a bit to score in the low post. I am a little interested to see if he can play in an uptempo system, but obviously the powers that be do, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see. He should be able to come in and contribute immediately as a rotational player.

So not to leave him hanging, Roy Hibbert..

[bravesatl]

did we really draft roy freaking hibbert or am i still in a bad dream?

[PR07]

Honestly, keep the negativity in the post-draft thread. This is positive.

[IndyPacers67]

I'm pumped for Hibbert, he has become the most underrated player in this draft. He takes up a lot of space and plays well on both ends.

We'll be able to use lineups like Ford/B-Rush/Dunleavy/Granger/Hibbert and that will give us a lot of offensive versatility. Hibbert is an excellent screen setter and Rush and Dunleavy both play extremely well off the ball, and Granger was starting to improve that part of his game.

Everyone always says he isn't a good enough rebounder for his size, but he is the type of player that makes it easier for everyone to rebound. He uses his size very well blocking out. He would have at least 2 or 3 rebounds a game taken away from him by his teammates after he sealed off their man and his.

[m23uza1hem36]

I thought he was taken too high, I also think he's going to be a good rebounder, not solid, just a guy that can come off the bench that over 7 foot who can help out for small defensive stretches. I really wanted him for my team (Detroit; #29), he didn't fall

[Ballings7]

Hibbert's going to be a good, smart complementary player in this league, nice pick, guys. I'm a Hibbert supporter.

I think all the talk about his speed is overblown, and it's not like the center is a key factor in transition. Just in secondary breaks.

[cdash]

Hibbert is a subpar rebounder. Thats what scares me about him. His rebounding numbers in four years of college left something to be desired, especially for someone who towers over everyone else on the court. If you had asked me 6 months ago if I would be happy with Hibbert, I would have had a coronary. As I look at it more, I am happy with the pick. You know what he is going to give you. Its not an all or nothing, hit or miss situation like it would have been had we drafted someone like DeAndre Jordan or JaVale McGee. So welcome aboard Hibbert!

[Gremz]

At the very least i hope he can be a long term defensive anchor, still have high hopes for his offense. With his size could become a force in th paint at both ends. Welcome Roy

[IndyDave02]

In case you missed this.... here a a good article about Hibbert:

http://www.topix.net/nba/indiana-pacers ... in-indiana

Hibbert Is Happy To Land in Indiana
By Camille Powell

The Washington Post

June 27, 2008

Original The Washington Post article: Hibbert Is Happy To Land in Indiana
There were a few nervous moments for Roy Hibbert as he watched the NBA draft last night, particularly when the Toronto Raptors were on the clock with the 17th pick. From all indications, that was when Commissioner David Stern was going to call the name of the Georgetown center.

So when that happened, and Hibbert was officially a part of the NBA, there was joy and also a little bit of relief. When he finally suits up, however, it will likely be in an Indiana Pacers uniform. Multiple media outlets reported on Wednesday night that the Pacers agreed to send forward Jermaine O'Neal to Toronto in return for guard T.J. Ford, center Rasho Nesterovic and the 17th pick.

"I'm happy," Hibbert said. "People said I was going to parachute, that I was going to go late in the draft. But I ended up with a good organization. . . . I think Indiana is a good fit for me. I mix well with the guys in the front office and mesh well with guys on the team."

Hibbert is the 11th Hoya to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft, and the second in two years. Former teammate Jeff Green was the fifth overall pick last year before being traded to Seattle, where he was named to the NBA all-rookie first team.

Please see link above for complete article.

In order to avoid copyright infringement issues, we ask that you refrain from posting the entire text of long articles like this...thanks...count55

[HMFFL]

I wish Roy the best and hope he dominates the 5 for Indiana. It's going to be a very difficult task for him to accomplish this and the road is long, but I feel he can do it with hard work, and the future now looking bright for this team that's on a youth movement. Cheers.

[Scoot McGroot]

I like Hibbert. A lot. I think he's one of those throwback centers that every team would love to have, and he's a hard worker who will make sure that he contributes something in this league. If he can even come close to replacing half of what JO did for us in the defensive paint, he'll be totally worth the pick.

[Grang33r]

I can't wait for his hook shot. It's incredible. I'm a Big East fan living in Rochester (Syracuse country) and trust me, Hibbert was one of the most feared players to play against. His past season was a disappointment as many expected him to dominated but he pretty much played the same way as he did his previous year with little development, but i think it was mostly due to him being bored of the level of play. When his game was on, he dominated. There were stretches in many games where he just took games over. He has a nice shot too.

One thing we will love about him is, his basketball IQ. The guy is a genius on the court and off it. But he won't make a mistake late in the game that we are like WTF! He's smart. He understands basketball. Reason why i bring this up is because many (although not here on pacers board) compare him to Mike Sweetney. Difference is, Sweetney, much shorter and very talented player but dumb as a rock. Hibbert is very smart.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

I really like this guy. I can see him becoming a Theo Ratliff like guy with more offense.

[Indy07]

I think hes the best part of the Toronto trade...I absolutely love him..I wonder what his conditioning peak is...30-35 minutes a game?

[dixava]

Why he always wears a t-shirt below his uniform?
Can he does the same in NBA?

[jarrettjackfan]

I don't think you can wear a t-shirt underneath in the NBA.

[Bucky O'Hare]

Hibbert looks to me like a career NBA starter. With his size and strength and basketball IQ, I can't see how he wont be given how weak today's crop of centers are. I also wouldn't be surprised if he's starting for us by the All-Star break.

Rookie predictions...

11 ppg
6 rpg
1.5 bpg
25 mpg

I think eventually he can become a 17/9 2 blocks type center. Not a star, but every bit as good as someone like Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

[DannyGranger]

Hes not going to fit in JOB's system. Hibbert is big and slow. Hes just a big lugg. I could see him fouling out a lot of games and getting caught with the 3 -seconds in the key rule. I wish we picked up DeAndre Jordan instead

[count55]

Hes not going to fit in JOB's system. Hibbert is big and slow. Hes just a big lugg. I could see him fouling out a lot of games and getting caught with the 3 -seconds in the key rule. I wish we picked up DeAndre Jordan instead

Sass Jordan is going to be a better NBA player than DeAndre.

[KennerLeaguer]

Hes not going to fit in JOB's system. Hibbert is big and slow. Hes just a big lugg. I could see him fouling out a lot of games and getting caught with the 3 -seconds in the key rule. I wish we picked up DeAndre Jordan instead

Hibbert may have personally sent Jordan to the second round. Not only did Roy come across
much better with how he presented himself off the court in interviews (he was intelligent,
engaging and wore a suit while Jordan showed up in t-shirts and shorts) he also crushed
Jordan (and guys like McGee) in the workouts with the Pacers and Bobcats. That's why
Larry Brown got that second first round draft pick and why Bird outdid Brown by getting
an even higher second round draft pick. Both made the move to get Hibbert. Bird told
Hibbert (after beating up on Jordan and McGee in the workouts nd in the
one-on-one games) that he treated those guys like "children". Brown went on and on
about how Hibbert was so coachable and so fundamentally sound. Both felt Hibbert
could play and contribute from day one. Meanwhile everyone who had any inside
info on Jordan's workouts pointed out one important thing: Jordan did not know
how to play. Couldn't pass, didn't have good footwork, didn't know how to defend,
couldn't shoot, didn't know what to do out there on the court. What he could do was
dunk. Big whoop. The fact that fans and scouts get excited about that and think that
automatically indicates a player has "upside" is a sign that less and less people understand
what basketball is all about. Skill and understanding of the game is (or should be) just
as important, or more important, than athletic ability. Its one thing to not want Hibbert.
But to pine for DeAndre Jordan who was so unimpressive he went from a possible top 4
pick to a mid second round pick in the span of a month? That's crazy.

Hibbert is not very fast or very athletic but he is quicker and more athletic than people
give him credit for. By the way from reports from both draftexpress and Chad Ford he did
beat the younger guys up and down the court in the workouts. That's inexcusable if guys
like Jordan are that much quicker and more athletic. But really how much does it matter?
The best fast breaking team I ever saw was the Showtime Lakers which had a Jabbar in his
late 30s who often didn't even get past halfcourt by the time the Lakers had scored on the
other end. The Portland Trailblazers of the late 90s and early 2000s ran very well to even with
a true lug like Sabonis bringing up the rear. You see in the end, especially when it matters,
basketball becomes a halfcourt game and you need guys that can thrive in the halfcourt.
Hibbert can post up and score with either hand, face up and take jump shots or even drive
to the basket (did it numerous times at Georgetown). He can pass extremely well for a big
man and doesn't turn the ball over much. And he has an astounding basketball IQ. Plus he
is so tall and so skilled that he can get his teammates open looks because defenses will have
to legitimately cover him. Sure he will have to adjust to O'Brien's system (Hibbert and Bird
have admitted that themsleves) but he's up to the challenge. Hibbert's agent, David Falk,
would have never agreed to workouts with Indiana if he and Hibert did not think he was
capable of fitting in O'Brien's offense.


Last of all Bird had made it clear from interviews as far back as a year ago that he wanted to
draft juniors and seniors because those were guys who tend to know how to play. He also
wanted to draft high character guys and Hibbert is off the charts on that front. Meanwhile
you hear from Texas A&M is scuttlebutt about players and coaches being happy that Jordan
left for the NBA and happy that they don't have to deal with him anymore. What does that
tell you?