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I am from Australia and dont get to see much nba on tv, but I got to see the last 2 pacers pre season games and was amazed how good Roy Hibbert played! I am just wondering why there is no major hype surrounding this guy? Why is this guy not the main man in Indiana? Why is he not the definate starter? He reminded me of Ewing and Olajuwon with his play! He looks like a real building block a future all star if not this year!

Whats the story with this guy?

Too long a story to go over. Let me just say I've been following Roy back since his days in high school. He has come such a long way, If you had seen how awful he looked in summer league games at that level you would have never thought he could get to where he is now. This guy was being laughed at by people in the stands but he didn't let it get to him. He just worked his tail off to improve each year. He accepts coaching and has no ego. He is truly a team oriented guy. He still has a lot to work on but he'll get better and better because that's been the pattern for him. As his college coach likes to say he still has his best years ahead of him and is not nearly as good as he eventually will be. He is never going to be the most graceful guy on the court or the quickest. But his height and his hands and epecially his work ethic help make up for some of the things he lacks.

darbstar wrote:I am from Australia and dont get to see much nba on tv, but I got to see the last 2 pacers pre season games and was amazed how good Roy Hibbert played! I am just wondering why there is no major hype surrounding this guy? Why is this guy not the main man in Indiana? Why is he not the definate starter? He reminded me of Ewing and Olajuwon with his play! He looks like a real building block a future all star if not this year!

Whats the story with this guy?

The Pacers, and their fans, are just taking it slow with him.


Not a lot of people put stock into preseason games. Is Carmelo Anthony going to average 60 points a game this year? Nope. Just because he put up 45 points in only 25 minutes or so doesn't mean he's going to do that in actual games that count. Much like Hibbert's huge games. They're good signs, but don't prove anything yet.

He's got a great work ethic, and he's continually getting there. There's immensely better feelings and "hunch's" about Hibbert getting to be a valuable contributor than there ever were for guys like David Harrison. So that's a good thing.

I will admit to my eyes bugging out of my head last night, while watching Roy in the first half. He was absolutely dominate. He was dropping the hook-shot with the left and right hand, hitting mid-range shots, knocking down FT's and his positioning on the court looked leaps and bounds better than last season. I definitely expect much more out of Roy this year, but I'm keeping my expectations in check.

I see no reason why he isn't the starter at this point, and I fully expect him to put up numbers in the range of 10-13 points, 5-8 rebounds, and 2-3 blocks per game (all of that hinging on staying healthy and out of foul trouble).

KennerLeaguer wrote:Too long a story to go over. Let me just say I've been following Roy back since his days in high school. He has come such a long way, If you had seen how awful he looked in summer league games at that level you would have never thought he could get to where he is now. This guy was being laughed at by people in the stands but he didn't let it get to him. He just worked his tail off to improve each year. He accepts coaching and has no ego. He is truly a team oriented guy. He still has a lot to work on but he'll get better and better because that's been the pattern for him. As his college coach likes to say he still has his best years ahead of him and is not nearly as good as he eventually will be. He is never going to be the most graceful guy on the court or the quickest. But his height and his hands and epecially his work ethic help make up for some of the things he lacks.

Thanks for the insight. This dispels any fears that Hibbert is Hulk 2.0. He's got better physicality and much better work ethic, it seems.

As a pacers fan I love Roy; it's not just the Hungry Hungry Hibbert moniker from the summer league.

The pacers are giving Roy time, hands on coaching, as well as game time minutes to develop. To the OP, Roy had foul trouble last year, he played good in flashes, often had reasonable statlines that gave me hope for what he could do with more time and fewer fouls.

I think the problem last year was two things: an adjustment for Roy to the speed of the game with regards to the restricted area, and rookie whistles..By rookie whistles I mean refs tend to hand out a few more fouls to rookies at least it looks like that to me. So Hibbs often played in foul trouble, a bit hesitant and not quite at full speed.

I'm hopeful that he can turn into our cornerstone in the paint, a 20-10 interior guy with our outside shooting would be a ticket to an improvement over last season, maybe a playoff birth. At the very least I know against Denver Hibbert could be a factor when we play them in the regular season.

20/10 this year? Are you expecting that over the course of the year or maybe a few weeks here and there?


I'd be happy if he can put up 12/7. That'd be a nice start. If Hibbert can go for 20/10, then we're likely a top 5 seed in the playoffs, if not a solid 2nd round candidate. 20/10 from Hibbert to go with Murphy, Granger, Rush, and the rest of the assorted contributors would be a huge step up. 20/10 is monumental. Only 5 or so guys a year do it.

Roy's never going to be a 20/10 guy.

count55 wrote:Roy's never going to be a 20/10 guy.

I'd be ecstatic if he's a Zydrunas Ilgauskas like 14/8 over his career. That'd be pretty darned nice. Rik Smits put up 15/6 over his career. Either one of those is pretty darned nice, and would be great for the Pacers.

Let's get a steady 24 minutes and fewer than 8 fouls per 36 minutes out of him first.

count55 wrote:Let's get a steady 24 minutes and fewer than 8 fouls per 36 minutes out of him first.

Small steps, we should aim for 22mpg.

Could I get a sky hook, a dream shake, and some Chocolate Thunder to go with that 20/10?

I think its a little too early to say what he is or isnt capable of, not saying he is going to put up 20-10 but I certainly wouldnt say its out of the realm of possibility.

He might average close to 20-10-3 one year, but I've put numbers out of my head for Rush and Hibbert this season. I plan on watching the games and my eyes will be on them on defense.

so will he be 'dominate' this season?

Man I might have to drop Tyson Chandler from my Fantasy Team to Pickup Mr Hibbert, his preseason stats look very promising.

Never mind roy 'dominating' this season. I'll be exstatic as long as he stays relatively foul free and contributes. If he logs descent minutes i have no doubt he will put up very respectable stats

ITGM wrote:Man I might have to drop Tyson Chandler from my Fantasy Team to Pickup Mr Hibbert, his preseason stats look very promising.

Perhaps, but there's still the fact that Roy needs to stay out of foul trouble, and even though Chandler is no longer playing with CP3, Diaw might be able to help a little on the offensive end. It is the Bobcats though.