Hassan slid in draft because of ADD??

[YC42Balla]

Hey guys, I just got done reading this artical (by Sam Amick ) on Hassan whiteside, and why he might have fallen at 33... I found it Interesting and thought I would share it with the forum.

In what may have been the most surprising slide of the NBA Draft, Whiteside was shockingly there for Sacramento's taking at No. 33 for a number of reasons.

He is a raw talent, albeit a potentially dynamic one. He played in Conference USA, although he dominated the lower-level competition and was named the conference's top freshman and Defensive Player of the Year after leading the NCAA in blocked shots.



Share61 Yet his agent, Andre Buck, confirmed what a league scout told FanHouse, that questions about the 21-year-old's maturity and his struggles with Attention Deficit Disorder appear to have scared some teams into passing on him.

Buck said Whiteside's ADD was diagnosed during his one season at Marshall, where he began to take medication to help with his focus but stopped doing so midway through the season.

thoughts??
http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/06/25/questions-about-maturity-add-cause-whiteside-to-fall-from-first/

[DickVitale]

I think he is what he is, "raw talent" - He could become a dominant inside defender - with the ability to lead the league in blocks, and the potential to develop a consistent and dependable Inside game. And lets be honest here, ADD? I mean come on you can learn to deal with that and play through it easily - I mean hell, look at USA's Goalie Tim Howard, he was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome in the 6th grade and yet he was able to over come that and be one of the best Goalies in the world.

Another thing is that Whiteside did not all of the sudden get ADD, he has most likely had it his whole like and it just went un-diagnosed - To me the fact that he was able to deal with it while it was un-diagnosed and still have success during his high-school/college years gives me even more hope for him - just think the kings can do with him when they know what the problem is and can help him through it?

As for whiteside - I will be completely honest, when I seen his pre-draft work out interview, I was not impressed at all - he said "omm" a million times - And I know that its what he does on the court that matters most - but still, I was nervous that the kings would trade down for him. Also when I started to hear how awful he was doing with his pre-draft work outs else where it just confirmed my belief that picking him early on would be a mistake for us. But with that said, we got him with the 33rd pick overall, and you can't go wrong with that at all. I think think the reason he did not do well could have been because he does not do well under pressure, he was probably nervous going from team to team - maybe he was just to mentally tired at that point? That toppled with the fact that he has ADD... I think that he is going to be the type of player who will do well once he is settled in with his team and feels comfortable with the support system around him - I also think he is the type of player who will want to stay with the kings until he retires. This is just my opinion but anyways - I hope it all works out for him - He really does seem like a nice kid.

[wiltchamberlain]

I heard about this the day after the draft on the rise guys. It doesn't worry me one bit, plenty of people have ADD in the "real" world and are fine. Hassan is going to have a crack team of doctors looking after him, and I'm sure they'll find the right medication or combination of medications to keep him cool. Plenty of successful people have lived very productive lives with ADD, in fact I find it somewhat shocking that it would scare teams away from a guy with his talent.

[YC42Balla]

^^ yeah that's true...

I also found it interesting that whiteside, chose the #33.. for his jersey # for motivational superposes (he was drafted at 33).

Both him and DMC, are taking serious steps to overcoming "bad press" and the "Media" who says they are risky/Immature picks.

[dozencousins]

I was at the KINGS DRAFT PARTY when they announced that !
The KINGS knew of his ADD before even drafting him !
His ADD will have nothing to do with wheather he can block shots , score , rebound etc.

I would not even remotely be concerned about this if i were any of you I have know many people with ADD & all have struggles at times but all people with ADD just about have difficulty learning in some area but they excel in other areas & WHITESIDE excels with basketball so from a basketball fan standpoint as far as can he play , will he play , is he good dont worry .

Besides WHITESIDE'S role on the KINGS wont be that huge his 1st year & maybe not for at least 2 years he will play behind COUSINS & DALAMBERT right now !

[dub010]

whatever the reason he slid, Im glad to have him as a king.

BTW Chris Kaman has ADD we all know what a terrible player he is, lol