Shabazz is being under valued.

[Brapman]

Ford just posted an Insider Article that was very favorable to Shabazz:

- a few highlights: he's the fastest jumper at his position. Fast jumping is more important than how high you can jump.

- his body has the neurology that allows him to improve his athleticism a lot. Many players don't have this trait.

- super hard worker.

- GM's and scouts aren't worried about his age thing or about him having on or off the court problems.

- He's working with P3 on his agility and with a coach on his right hand dribble and shooting off the dribble. And he's working super hard.

This was an impressive article, and if GM's are seeing the same thing, I think it's likely that his stock will go up. I'm NOT a Shabazz fan, but this has me rethinking my negativity about him.

[fredericklove]

Has anyone ever seen Bazz using any jabstep moves? Right now he's more of a catch and shoot, catch and drive aggressively, or a turn around jumper and cuts type of player. If he's able to add in that jabstep fake and good pivot moves/pivot fakes, that will help him in the long run. Look at Barnes, he's not the best dribbler out there but he utilizes that jab so well that it deceives defenders really well, that's something to add in if you don't have a great handle.

Butler is a bad comparison because Butler has an all around skill. Does anyone see a bit of Jalen Rose in his game? A stronger athletic version but less ball skills however the way they like to operate around inside the 3 point line w/ that mid range game, it's similar right, no?

[MikeM]

He looks like James Harden minus the playmaking ability in terms of ball handling, PnR, ISO from beyond the line.

He has that sneaky athleticism and very quick feet. And I think his athleticism will improve just like Harden's did after entering the NBA.

[Reckless]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iWUEanKA6g[/youtube]

one-dimensional. relies heavily on jump shots. doesn't have play making ability. poor defender.

[miltk]

Every year there is a player that the media tries to ride into the ground and once it starts everyone jumps on the hate bandwagon.

exactly so,,,especially when there's so much drama to write about.

but here's something interesting... http://www.bruinzone.com/b12/messages/93751.shtml

[ImHeisenberg]

Every year there is a player that the media tries to ride into the ground and once it starts everyone jumps on the hate bandwagon.

exactly so,,,especially when there's so much drama to write about.

but here's something interesting... http://www.bruinzone.com/b12/messages/93751.shtml

Thanks for posting that, I've only read snippets of that article, as I don't have Insider.

I'm really interested to see where Muhammad falls. I'm hoping the Pistons pick him up, but there's no guarantee.

[Ruzious]

Ford just posted an Insider Article that was very favorable to Shabazz:

- a few highlights: he's the fastest jumper at his position. Fast jumping is more important than how high you can jump.

- his body has the neurology that allows him to improve his athleticism a lot. Many players don't have this trait.

- super hard worker.

- GM's and scouts aren't worried about his age thing or about him having on or off the court problems.

- He's working with P3 on his agility and with a coach on his right hand dribble and shooting off the dribble. And he's working super hard.

This was an impressive article, and if GM's are seeing the same thing, I think it's likely that his stock will go up. I'm NOT a Shabazz fan, but this has me rethinking my negativity about him.

Everyone can improve, but he's full grown, and athletic improvement is more than likely going to be marginal. It's not like he was out of shape when he played mediocre ball towards the end of the season. The fact is - he hasn't done anything on the court to show he's a top prospect. He's a capable scorer who gives you below average numbers in everything other than scoring. That's not good. If he wasn't such a highly heralded player out of HS, NOBODY would be saying he's a top prospect. His supporters claim he's an extremely hard worker. If that's the case, why does he show so little other than good (not great) scoring skills? Is it because he's a very limited player? If that's the case, then why should teams be interested in him?

[Golabki]

Ford just posted an Insider Article that was very favorable to Shabazz:

- a few highlights: he's the fastest jumper at his position. Fast jumping is more important than how high you can jump.

- his body has the neurology that allows him to improve his athleticism a lot. Many players don't have this trait.

- super hard worker.

- GM's and scouts aren't worried about his age thing or about him having on or off the court problems.

- He's working with P3 on his agility and with a coach on his right hand dribble and shooting off the dribble. And he's working super hard.

This was an impressive article, and if GM's are seeing the same thing, I think it's likely that his stock will go up. I'm NOT a Shabazz fan, but this has me rethinking my negativity about him.

This sounds like a total fluff piece. He's the best athlete and he's working so hard he going to become more athletic!!!

What does this even mean? "his body has the neurology that allows him to improve his athleticism a lot."

His age should be a concern, the same way it is for McLemore (you have to factor in the extra year of development he's had).

But the big concern is that he was a decent volume scorer and pretty mediocre at everything else.

[DeBlazerRiddem]

This sounds like a total fluff piece. He's the best athlete and he's working so hard he going to become more athletic!!!

What does this even mean? "his body has the neurology that allows him to improve his athleticism a lot."

Agreed on the fluff comment and that line bothered me as well. Someone is trying to sound smart and pulling crap out of their colon.

[Charsace]

I don't see Caron at all. Butler is a better ball handler and slasher than Shabazz.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

I don't see a guy playing at full speed either. I see a guy who's playing his one year of college out so that he can get to the pros. He made a business decision every single time he stepped on the floor in college. He played but he didn't risk injury. Obviously he's got some skills, and I agree with the knocks on his game but I also agree that the media does like to beat a guy down pretty hard every year before the draft. Most recent guys have been Brandon Jennings, Greg Monroe in 2010, Jared Sullinger last year, and now Muhammed. I'm willing to bet that Muhammed plays much better as a pro than he did in college.

[drosefreethrows]

I can't think of a better spot for him than the pistons.

[tidho]

I don't see a guy playing at full speed either. I see a guy who's playing his one year of college out so that he can get to the pros. He made a business decision every single time he stepped on the floor in college. He played but he didn't risk injury. Obviously he's got some skills, and I agree with the knocks on his game but I also agree that the media does like to beat a guy down pretty hard every year before the draft. Most recent guys have been Brandon Jennings, Greg Monroe in 2010, Jared Sullinger last year, and now Muhammed. I'm willing to bet that Muhammed plays much better as a pro than he did in college.

If what you're describing truely is his mentality, then I don't see how that translates itno him not milking it until his contract year.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

^^ He's got the same attitude going for him that Brandon Jennings has...They think they are greater than they really are but both have the potential to be incredible players.

[dolphinatik]

let him fall, someone will get a steal.

[theBigLip]

He's outside the top 10 for sure. Most posters here are still mesmerized by his once lofting mock draft positions and thinking he is a steal at 6 or 8. He had all the hype, but under scrutiny, he isn't that great, and will be lucky to become an NBA starter.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

^^Agree, he's a steal for some team.

[noobcake]

Shabazz is this year's Harrison Barnes.

Except Shabazz is actually a better college player.

[MagicFan32]

he doesn't pass, doesn't defend, and throws temper tantrums if he doesn't get the ball.
not overly athletic either, oh and he's actually a year older than everyone thought, which means he was held back a year in school or his parents were trying to manipulate the system

[Notanoob]

How can anyone want a player who pouted when his teammate hit the game-winning shot because he didn't get to take that shot? I find it hard to believe he could be so selfish, or so stupid to let that show on national television.

He has an insanely low number of assists, although that can be partially explained by the fact that the offensive system was designed basically to give him shots. Still that basically says that unlike in the past, his ability was being maximized in college, and chances are slim that he's getting the same kind of offense around him in the pros.

His defense was remarkably bad considering his supposedly great athletic ability.

Also, typically a guy who has superior athleticism has a lot of rebounds, blocks and steals, but he really didn't have great numbers in those categories.

He's big, but his size isn't special for an NBA shooting guard. Also, seriously, for such a hard worker, why does he have such a high body fat %?

He didn't do a ton of shot-creation by himself it seems.

I really don't see him as that great a prospect. But especially not for the Pistons. We need a wing who can hit 3's, pass the ball to the bigs, and defend the perimeter well. He gives the Pistons none of those things. He didn't take enough 3's to have a really good sample size, so I've got nothing there, but he apparently shot awful at the combine. He didn't pass at all in college, and if his reaction to his teammates game-winning shot is any indication, he's selfish and won't pass much in the NBA either. Finally, his defense was not that good in college. So he'd be an awful pick for them.