Aaron Gordon --- Where He Go?

[G-Heel]

I watched a few of his Arizona games.....he reminds me of another Dennis Rodman, a rebounding beast.

How's he a rebounding beast with 8 rebs in 31+ min? Serious question because, admittedly I don't watch him much.

Remember, Rodman was short but he has huge wingspan.. that isn't the case for Gordon.

[G-Heel]

He has an extremely high ceiling and an extremely low floor. If we draft him at 4, I will be surprised, terrified, and excited.

IMO, he has low ceiling and OK floor. He'll be a decent player because he works hard and athletic. But I don't think he'll improve his shooting or FT much. His height and wingspan will always be a problem when guarding PF/C, they'll shoot over him no problem. So I don't see this defensive beast you guys talking about that can guard 5 positions. Again, I don't watch much of him and just basing my opinions on his highlight, stat, and measurement.

[Skin]

He reminds me of Kawhi Leonard. Both guys were/are knocked for shooting (as prospects) while defense and athleticism were/are top notch. Also you kind of wish they would give a more consistent/aggressive effort offensively, but they are both high IQ guys who pass really well and are very team oriented and play unselfish.

[Skin]

He has an extremely high ceiling and an extremely low floor. If we draft him at 4, I will be surprised, terrified, and excited.

IMO, he has low ceiling and OK floor. He'll be a decent player because he works hard and athletic. But I don't think he'll improve his shooting or FT much. His height and wingspan will always be a problem when guarding PF/C, they'll shoot over him no problem. So I don't see this defensive beast you guys talking about that can guard 5 positions. Again, I don't watch much of him and just basing my opinions on his highlight, stat, and measurement.

Low ceiling does not describe him. He's not Derrick Williams/Anthony Bennett. Neither of those guys could play defense or handle the ball like Gordon. Neither match his explosion either. I think he'll be a nightmare when his body matures into full bloom manhood.

[ChosenSavior]

He reminds me of Kawhi Leonard. Both guys were/are knocked for shooting (as prospects) while defense and athleticism were/are top notch. Also you kind of wish they would give a more consistent/aggressive effort offensively, but they are both high IQ guys who pass really well and are very team oriented and play unselfish.

That's who he reminds me of as well. Great comparison.

[Skin]

Billy Donovan on coaching Gordon at u19.

"A lot of guys are really talented and athletic," Donovan said Thursday. "What makes him so different is his effort, his energy. … There are things he's got to get better on – he doesn't necessarily have this great scoring skill, in terms of a low-post game yet or he's not this great 3-point shooter.

"I think he's got such an incredible ceiling because the things I'm talking about, he can get better at those things. What you can't teach, and I think is so important, is an incredible motor. He really has an incredible motor."

Donovan paused before launching into a rather flattering comparison.

"I don't mean to say he's the same kind of player, but in terms of coaching him, he reminds me in a lot of ways of Joakim Noah (a two-time NCAA champion and 2007 lottery pick)," Donovan said. "He's got that energy and that kind of passion."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ba ... n/2491021/

High praise from someone who wasn't his college coach and can give an unbiased answer.

[MellowRose]

Man, I've been sleeping on this dude. Blown away. Does have legitimate concerns, though, but his floor is awesome.

[OrlChamps2030]

I agree with a lot of the stuff that Skin said. Gordon is very raw in some parts of his game offensively and has some tweener traits. But he has shown that he understands the game and he can handle the ball. He works very hard too. I could see him being a all around star stuffer like Marion/Leonard/Kirlenko.

I'm not sure there is a clear front runner out of the 3 PFs but I am really leaning toward Gordon right now. I wouldn't be surprised to see him end up in Utah or Boston to be honest

[Skin]

Man, I've been sleeping on this dude. Blown away. Does have legitimate concerns, though, but his floor is awesome.

Not really an option at 4 or 12. Plus, he's currently a SF where we don't have a huge need for. Maybe he turns into a PF down the line, but that's a projection you have to take a wait and see approach on.

If we really are interested in him, I wonder if Henny has a trick up his sleeve in making a play for a PF like Love using some combination of AA/Tobias/Harkless/12?

Maybe after we draft Embiid, he trades for #6 or #7 with BOS or LAL by giving up Vucevic.

#4 --> Embiid
Vucevic --> #6 or 7 --> Gordon
AA --> to Bulls (16 + 49 + SAC pick)
Tobias/Nicholson/16 --> Love
#12 - Elfrid Payton
#49 - Patric Young
RFA --> Max offer --> Eric Bledsoe
UFA --> Thabo Sefolosha

PG Bledsoe / Payton
SG Oladipo / Sefolosha
SF Gordon / Harkless
PF Love / O'Quinn
C Embiid / Young

* Day dreaming at it's finest!

[eyriq]

Doesn't strike me as an all-star level player, but certainly a very good starter. I like Smart and Embiid better. Plus, we have Harris, who seems pretty similar. All that said, he does seem like a Hennigan kind of guy.

[JF5]

Doesn't strike me as an all-star level player, but certainly a very good starter. I like Smart and Embiid better. Plus, we have Harris, who seems pretty similar. All that said, he does seem like a Hennigan kind of guy.

He'll be good... I think him being paired up next to Tobias and Vucevic is a pretty good fit. He's a glue guy. Has a high basketball IQ, can pass, defend, and can jump out of the gym. Plus, I think he'll grow a few inches and become 6'10, or 6'11.

The only thing he NEEDS to do this off-season AND through this season is to focus on his jumpshot. Does that, sky's the limit to what he can do...

[ChiefWiggumz]

Might as well just make a thread like this for every top 10 prospect. -_-

[Orlwillbeback]

he can jump and is half white half black so that proves he is blake griffin clone. Draft him.

[MellowRose]

Might as well just make a thread like this for every top 10 prospect. -_-

Good idea. You should start with McDermott.

[londoncollin]

Did we work him out?

[ChiefWiggumz]

But in all seriousness, without giving up too much, maybe AA+12 to get him, would be doable in my opinion.

He has a lot of upside and would fit a need for us. I have Vonleh in front of him, but I like Gordon over Randle, most of the time lol. It's pretty close.

Exum or Smart and, assuming Vonleh is off the board, Gordon or Randle, is my prototypical draft.

Exum or Smart/Jameer
Oladipo
Harris/Harkless
Gordon or Randle/KOQ
Vuc/Dedmon

That's a pretty good core to go forward with. Still some picks in the future, and cap room to see how things would pan out over the next year or two.

[magic22s]

I hope we draft him and Payton.

You can read Henny's mind. If Philly took Exum, Gordon would be a no-brainer for most of us.

Time will tell if we make the right choices. It's going to be a lob city that is fun to watch.

[Skin]

Nice thread bump. Forgot about this. Predraft Gordon fans raise the roof!

[Nyce_1]

Billy Donovan on coaching Gordon at u19.

"A lot of guys are really talented and athletic," Donovan said Thursday. "What makes him so different is his effort, his energy. … There are things he's got to get better on – he doesn't necessarily have this great scoring skill, in terms of a low-post game yet or he's not this great 3-point shooter.

"I think he's got such an incredible ceiling because the things I'm talking about, he can get better at those things. What you can't teach, and I think is so important, is an incredible motor. He really has an incredible motor."

Donovan paused before launching into a rather flattering comparison.

"I don't mean to say he's the same kind of player, but in terms of coaching him, he reminds me in a lot of ways of Joakim Noah (a two-time NCAA champion and 2007 lottery pick)," Donovan said. "He's got that energy and that kind of passion."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ba ... n/2491021/

High praise from someone who wasn't his college coach and can give an unbiased answer.

I totally see the Joakim Noah comparisons. Great minds coach, great minds.

[Smooth_E]

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but would anyone else agree with me that (if played at SF) his skill set is SIMILAR to young, 76ers, Andre Iguodala if he were on the wing, and young, Phoenix Suns, Amare Stoudemire at the PF spot?

When I think of Iguodala, I think of:

Handles: Based on highlights, Gordon is a little more than decent handling the ball one on one.
Defense: Saw a quote that Gordon could guard virtually any position last season at Arizona.
Athleticism: Even better than Iguodala if you ask me.
Ball-movement: Willingness to pass/make the extra pass, good at finding the open man (again, based on YouTube)
Poor shooting: Iguodala wasn't always a decent shooter, and neither is Gordon.
Maturity: Iguodala was said to be a mature, vocal player in his early seasons in Philadelphia. Willing to let his team mates shine. We've all seen how humble, and mature Gordon is from his presser yesterday.

I hate to use his high-school senior year highlights, but he didn't have the chance to handle the ball much at Arizona last season.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7tkhuLEJig[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI_9omfvxfU[/youtube]