Prospect Watch Thread

Krapinsky · Post #1161 » by **Krapinsky** » Wed May 4, 2011 4:24 pm

chadfordinsider Chad Ford
Patience. GMs just want a closer look. I bet after Chicago he's top 3. RT @mhaubs: Surprised Biyombo behind Kemba/BKnight

moss_is_1 · Post #1162 » by **moss_is_1** » Wed May 4, 2011 4:31 pm

I would agree, everyone else just seems like they'll be an alright player, but Biyombo could be a game changer on defense and with rebounds.

AQuintus · Post #1163 » by **AQuintus** » Wed May 4, 2011 4:47 pm

Krapinsky wrote:chadfordinsider Chad Ford
Patience. GMs just want a closer look. I bet after Chicago he's top 3. RT @mhaubs: Surprised Biyombo behind Kemba/BKnight

Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if he absolutely wows GMs in the athletic tests and interviews.

Krapinsky · Post #1164 » by **Krapinsky** » Thu May 5, 2011 2:50 pm

http://video-embed.oregonlive.com/servi ... 9404403001

Has anyone posted this one?

eyeteeth · Post #1165 » by **eyeteeth** » Thu May 5, 2011 8:40 pm

Krapinsky wrote:http://video-embed.oregonlive.com/services/player/bcpid634637905001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAPmbRFdk~,-M7WdMAfPDp6IiDevQndhF6ZztJPMgEn&bctid=899404403001

Has anyone posted this one?

I like the comment, "I do what I think might be the right thing to do... if I don't know it, I don't do it." For a player with so much to develop in his overall offensive game this is very promising.

shangrila · Post #1166 » by **shangrila** » Thu May 5, 2011 11:36 pm

If his intangibles check out then he'll be a monster

shangrila · Post #1167 » by **shangrila** » Sat May 7, 2011 4:03 pm

I'm a little surprised by the amount of players outside of Ford's top 60 I thought would at least be drafted.

Jacob Pullen
David Lighty
Kalin Lucas
Terrence Jennings
Xavier Silas
LaceDarius Dunn

Plenty of guys projected as 1st/2nd round picks during the year.

Krapinsky · Post #1168 » by **Krapinsky** » Tue May 10, 2011 4:38 pm

shangrila wrote:If his intangibles check out then he'll be a monster

His intangibles are pretty much what people are raving about.

brookswagg · Post #1169 » by **brookswagg** » Wed May 11, 2011 2:30 am

Everybody seems to have a chubby over BB. Personally I would much rather have Enes Kanter over BB and I might even take him over Williams.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YzbhAQGPqk

brookswagg · Post #1170 » by **brookswagg** » Wed May 11, 2011 2:40 am

brookswagg wrote:Everybody seems to have a chubby over BB. Personally I would much rather have Enes Kanter over BB and I might even take him over Williams.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YzbhAQGPqk

If that last video didn't get you, this one definitely will!! With a showing like that, he should be the shoe in for #1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zt7jbRh ... re=related

AQuintus · Post #1171 » by **AQuintus** » Wed May 11, 2011 2:42 am

brookswagg wrote:Everybody seems to have a chubby over BB. Personally I would much rather have Enes Kanter over BB and I might even take him over Williams.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YzbhAQGPqk

After seeing more footage of him, Kanter has grown on me, but I'd still rather have Biyombo due to his athleticism, defense, and higher ceiling (albeit much lower floor).

shangrila · Post #1172 » by **shangrila** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:52 pm

He's another unathletic big, I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO tired of drafting those.

Post #1173 » by **Klomp** » Wed May 11, 2011 4:57 pm

shangrila wrote:He's another unathletic big, I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO tired of drafting those.

Bingo!

Post #1174 » by **Worm Guts** » Wed May 11, 2011 5:08 pm

Why? The last one we drafted turned out pretty good.

Kumar · Post #1175 » by **Kumar** » Wed May 11, 2011 5:49 pm

brookswagg wrote:
brookswagg wrote:Everybody seems to have a chubby over BB. Personally I would much rather have Enes Kanter over BB and I might even take him over Williams.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YzbhAQGPqk

If that last video didn't get you, this one definitely will!! With a showing like that, he should be the shoe in for #1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zt7jbRh ... re=related

Not impressed.

Players who wear t-shirts under their jerseys are either not very muscular and weak or have very bad taste in fashion.

Also, this is video game footage.

Krapinsky · Post #1176 » by **Krapinsky** » Wed May 11, 2011 6:51 pm

Kanter has to be #4 on our board I would think. He'd be the next best upgrade for us and is probably the best player available at that point. He's 6'10 and 260 which is a little larger than Al Horford to whom he's been compared. He's not overly athletic, but he can stretch the floor and play the pick and pop (which is something Al Jeff couldn't do). He's not Marc Gasol big -- but the Grizzlies are an example of a team that can get by without an athletic front court. We'd still have Randolph to mix in when we need athleticism and Darko when we need size.

Post #1177 » by **Klomp** » Thu May 12, 2011 1:42 am

Worm Guts wrote:Why? The last one we drafted turned out pretty good.

Right, and management has already made it clear that two of them won't work together. If we wanted a short and slow unathletic big next to Kevlar, we would've kept Al.

Post #1178 » by **Klomp** » Thu May 12, 2011 2:05 am

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzNugzv7_Uo[/youtube]

Standing 6-6 ½ when he arrived in Vilnius in February of 2007, Valanciunas has grown at least four inches since (I'm now 210 centimeters [almost 6-11] without shoes,” he informed us) and has slowly grown into his excellent frame. He's retained all of the quickness he had earlier on in his career and still sports a mammoth 7-6 wingspan, (again according to him.)

“I have very long arms,” Valanciunas says modestly, with a smile. “It helps a lot.”

All the physical tools in the world wouldn't mean anything if he didn't have the will to use them, though. Fortunately for Valanciunas, he's an incredibly intense competitor, a boundlessly energetic player who never stops working for a moment and whose presence is constantly felt on the court.

He runs the floor extremely well, is quick off his feet and has no qualms whatsoever about throwing his body around in the paint. Not one to just stand around and wait for opportunities to come to him, Valanciunas wants to be productive all the time, which is a big reason he's been able to earn playing time in such a demanding environment this season, despite his obvious immaturity.

“I don't have very good skills right now, many good moves, so I have to fight,” he tells us.

Essentially an afterthought in Lietuvos Rytas' offense, Valanciunas satisfies his hunger for touches through his work on the offensive glass. The largest portion of his offense (27%) comes from this area according to Synergy Sports Technology, a testament to his length, quickness, timing, hands, activity level and instincts. He pulls down over five offensive rebounds for every 40 minutes he's on the floor, and watching him play, it's not difficult to tell why.

As attractive a skill as his offensive rebounding might be, Valanciunas' most important source of scoring comes from his ability to finish plays created for him by teammates around the basket. He takes special pride in his ability to operate as a pick-and-roll finisher -- “That's my basketball,” he said. This is a skill that should translate to the NBA immediately.

Valanciunas does a good job setting screens and then rolling to the basket with pinpoint timing, arms high in the air, vigorously pleading for the ensuing pass. He has extremely soft hands and attacks the rim with real purpose, elevating above the rim and finishing strong, with a dunk if possible – and preferably an emphatic one at that.

He realizes he's not going to be able to back his man down at this stage in his development (“My points are not from playing on the low post”, he admits) and thus does his best to put himself in position to receive the ball and convert these plays as effectively as he can.

It seems to be working. According to Synergy Sports Technology, Valanciunas has had 52 possessions thus far this season deemed as pick-and-rolls or cuts to the basket, and has scored or drawn a foul on 42 of them. When unable to finish with a dunk, he shows very nice touch around the basket, often using the glass softly.

While Valanciunas' length and athleticism clearly play a big role in his success here, it's his toughness and fearlessness that really stand out the most. He's not afraid to challenge opponents, even if that means taking a nasty spill to the floor and tasting the hardwood.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jon ... z1M6FJ6zLY

shangrila · Post #1179 » by **shangrila** » Thu May 12, 2011 2:06 am

Worm Guts wrote:Why? The last one we drafted turned out pretty good.

And what about the one before that? Or the one before that? Or even the one before that? It's not like unathletic bigs have a great track record.

Krapinsky wrote:Kanter has to be #4 on our board I would think. He'd be the next best upgrade for us and is probably the best player available at that point. He's 6'10 and 260 which is a little larger than Al Horford to whom he's been compared. He's not overly athletic, but he can stretch the floor and play the pick and pop (which is something Al Jeff couldn't do). He's not Marc Gasol big -- but the Grizzlies are an example of a team that can get by without an athletic front court. We'd still have Randolph to mix in when we need athleticism and Darko when we need size.

There's a difference with Memphis though. They have a BIG frontcourt, with the 7 foot Gasol and Randolph has fairly long arms, and they play elite perimeter defence to cover everything else. Kanter and Love wouldn't have that advantage and this team sure as hell doesn't play elite defence.

I'm not saying I would be upset with Kanter but the fit just doesn't seem to be there. Unless he checks out defensively I don't think he's the ideal player you want next to Love.

eyeteeth · Post #1180 » by **eyeteeth** » Thu May 12, 2011 2:37 am

Yes, Valenciunas >> Kanter. Probably Valenciunas > Biyombo, but it's a tough call. Biyombo is such a wildcard. With both available and time running down I would take Biyombo, especially if after working him out I thought he could learn an offense. This is in particular true because of how important defense is to this team.

Either way, if we get either Valenciunas or Biyombo and Rubio comes over, we would just need a legit slashing/passing guard and we would have something to talk about.

Rubio/Ridnour
Iggy/Ellington/Webster
Beasley/Webster
Love/Tolliver
Biyombo/Darko