Where would Serge Ibaka go in the draft

[eagleye]

Where would Serge Ibaka go in the draft if he was in the 2010 draft, do you think he will be a top 10 pick, I think I would put him in the top 10

[ManualRam]

he'd be selected higher than derrick favors

[vincecarter4pres]

he'd be selected higher than derrick favors

[ManualRam]

he'd be selected higher than derrick favors

im not kidding. he's got better size, better length, better touch, better skill, he's more athletic and has a better motor.
ibaka>> favors

ibaka will be a double double, shot blocking machine when he's done developing

per 36 13-11 3blks
54% from the floor
D-rating of 101
46% eFG on jumpers
15.2 PER as a 20 y/o rookie

folks better pay attention.

[Draft Master J]

Mid-to-late lottery.

[gswhoops]

I'd probably rate him behind Cousins, Favors and Monroe but ahead of guys like Aldrich, Davis and Udoh so I guess he'd go somewhere in the 8-15 range.

[ManualRam]

I'd probably rate him behind Cousins, Favors and Monroe but ahead of guys like Aldrich, Davis and Udoh so I guess he'd go somewhere in the 8-15 range.

just curious, what makes favors or monroe a better prospect than ibaka going forward ?

[ThunderPoke]

I had this argument prior to this season when it was apparent how good this kid was going to be, and people panned me but I was correct nonetheless.

If Ibaka had gone to college instead of playing Euroleague ball, he would have absolutely dominated with his size, strength, and athleticism. He had great numbers in limited minutes playing at the high professional level. He would have been a Top 5 pick last season had he not already been pro.

Now, with this additional year under his belt, he'd probably go somewhere in the top 3 in this draft. He has as much or more potential than anyone in the NBA right now. His ceiling is nearly unlimited.

6'10" with a 48" vertical, and he can actually shoot decently.

[ManualRam]

I had this argument prior to this season when it was apparent how good this kid was going to be, and people panned me but I was correct nonetheless.

If Ibaka had gone to college instead of playing Euroleague ball, he would have absolutely dominated with his size, strength, and athleticism. He had great numbers in limited minutes playing at the high professional level. He would have been a Top 5 pick last season had he not already been pro.

Now, with this additional year under his belt, he'd probably go somewhere in the top 3 in this draft. He has as much or more potential than anyone in the NBA right now. His ceiling is nearly unlimited.

6'10" with a 48" vertical, and he can actually shoot decently.

i doubt the 48" vertical. otherwise he'd be able to "make change" with his height and length.

he is a sick athlete though. people talk derrick favors being an amazing athlete...no, hes not. ibaka is a freak by comparison.
just watch how he moves laterally and how he runs the floor...then watch favors.

[mattg]

if Ibaka had a 48 inch vertical he would be the single most athletic player to ever play the game of basketball. 48 inch vert is ludicrous for anybody. To put that in perspective, Baron Davis at 6'2'' has a 35 inch vert, and he has thrown down some sick dunks on people. Now imagine if he could jump over a foot higher AND was 7 inches taller.

Obviously, that 48 in vert is embellished but nonetheless, Ibaka is very very athletic. Amare-esque athleticism for sure.

[ponder276]

He has as much or more potential than anyone in the NBA right now. His ceiling is nearly unlimited.

6'10" with a 48" vertical, and he can actually shoot decently.

Ibaka is indeed very athletic, but him having a 48" vertical is one of the most ridiclous things I've ever heard. It is also a complete and utter lie. All of his combine stats were measured at the 2008 Eurocamp:

http://www.nbadraft.net/node/1113

- 33" max vert
- 6' 10.25" height (with shoes)
- 7' 3" wingspan
- 9' 3" standing reach (with shoes)
- 228 lbs

He has fantastic length and a nice vert for a big man. He also had one of the best half court sprints of anyone from that camp, impressive for someone with his size. But 48" vert? HAHAHAAHAHA! Nate Robinson has the best vert in the NBA, and it's 43.5". Josh Smith is one of the highest jumping big men I've ever seen, much more athletic than Ibaka, and his vert is 39.5". Dwyane Wade, when drafted had a 35.0" vert. All those verts are official, verifiable measurements from the draft combine, and were taken when these players were drafted, in their absolute athletic primes (I doubt Wade's vert is still 35" today, for example).

If Ibaka had a 48" vert, he'd be able to touch 13' 3", and not a single NBA player has EVER been able to actually touch the top of the backboard, which is 13' high.

Also, "he has as much or more potential than anyone in the NBA right now." I don't even know what to say. Wow, just . . . wow.

[gswhoops]

I'd probably rate him behind Cousins, Favors and Monroe but ahead of guys like Aldrich, Davis and Udoh so I guess he'd go somewhere in the 8-15 range.

just curious, what makes favors or monroe a better prospect than ibaka going forward ?

Favors is bigger (6' 10" 250 vs. 6' 10" 220) and still just as freakish an athlete. Shows more post offensive potential and will probably be an elite defender given his combination of height/weight/athleticism.

Monroe has shown excellent polish for a 19 y/o, especially in terms of his offensive game. Excellent footwork and passing from the post. Big men with his level of offensive talent are very rare.

That's why I'd have him as the 4th best big in this draft.

[ManualRam]

I'd probably rate him behind Cousins, Favors and Monroe but ahead of guys like Aldrich, Davis and Udoh so I guess he'd go somewhere in the 8-15 range.

just curious, what makes favors or monroe a better prospect than ibaka going forward ?

Favors is bigger (6' 10" 250 vs. 6' 10" 220) and still just as freakish an athlete. Shows more post offensive potential and will probably be an elite defender given his combination of height/weight/athleticism.

Monroe has shown excellent polish for a 19 y/o, especially in terms of his offensive game. Excellent footwork and passing from the post. Big men with his level of offensive talent are very rare.

That's why I'd have him as the 4th best big in this draft.

i dont think favors will measure 6'10 in shoes
ibaka's a legit 6'10 in shoes and closer to 240 than 220. the dude is shredded already and looks like he can add a good 15 lbs to that frame.
i disagree that favors is as athletic as ibaka. like i said, watch how ibaka covers ground compared to favors. end to end ibaka's already one of the best sprinters among big men and his lateral quickness is much better than favors'. he's springier than favors as well. ibaka appears to jump higher and is quicker with his 2nd and 3rd jumps. favors when leaping is a "gatherer."

i disagree that favors shows more offensive potential. i dunno what you couldve seen from favors at GT to make you think he has great or even good offensive potential in the post. he showed bad hands, no variety in post moves, an inability to hold his position, robotic footwork, poor passer out of the post, etc.
i think favors will be a solid man defender but in space and moving laterally he doesnt look that athletic at all. i think he'll have problems with quick face up 4's, which is also why i think he'll see a lot of time at the 5.

ibaka might not be a post threat in the future, in fact i dont think he'll be a post player at all. i think he'll be a pick n roll player, face up jump shooter, with mid post blow-by ability, who'll be one of the better offensive rebounders in the league given his athleticism and high energy level.
i just dont think favors will be as good of a post threat to give him the significant advantage over ibaka offensively. i think favors will be more along the lines of okafor/horford in the post.

i'll save my thoughts on monroe for a future post, but for starters, i wouldnt take him with a top 10 pick.

[longfellow44]

He would go side by side with Ekpe Udoh. I'm guessing around 10.

[ponder276]

he'd be selected higher than derrick favors

Do you think whoever ends up drafting Favors would trade him for Ibaka? They're both young, athletic, raw, defense first PF/Cs, so fit should not be an issue as they play very similar roles. I think the answer is fairly clearly "no," which should put to rest who would be drafted higher.

I like Ibaka too, he's got nice physical tools, plays good d, and has some offensive upside, but I don't think he's the "top 4 in the draft" kind of guy you're hyping him as.

He would go side by side with Ekpe Udoh. I'm guessing around 10.

I agree.

[ManualRam]

he'd be selected higher than derrick favors

Do you think whoever ends up drafting Favors would trade him for Ibaka? They're both young, athletic, raw, defense first PF/Cs, so fit should not be an issue as they play very similar roles. I think the answer is fairly clearly "no," which should put to rest who would be drafted higher.

I like Ibaka too, he's got nice physical tools, plays good d, and has some offensive upside, but I don't think he's the "top 4 in the draft" kind of guy you're hyping him as.

i agree that a favors would probably not be traded for favors, but i think that would be a byproduct of a prep-hype vs a player who's already been drafted late in the first round.
if ibaka's not a top 4 in the draft type talent (in this particular draft knowing what we know about him now), then neither is favors. i didnt think favors was a top 4 talent to begin with.

it really wasnt too long ago that people on this board were shtting on favors' game during conference play. he didnt show me enough the rest of the season to change my opinion of him.

[Gilles]

I have one stat for you: 10 assists in 73 games. Compare him to Tyrus Thomas as a rookie and then tell me that Ibaka is clearly better than Thomas. Can you?

[ponder276]

People always sh*t on guys when they're not as good as advertised, Favors was hyped as a #1 pick but it became apparent pretty quickly that he wasn't on that level. I'm really not particularly high on Favors, I definitely don't think he's going to become some kind of franchise player, but neither is Ibaka. Favors is bulkier/stronger, and a better finisher inside and down low in general, it's not hard to see him becoming an Al Horford type of player, which would be a pretty excellent outcome for Ibaka. I don't think they're super far off as prospects (well, I guess Ibaka is technically an NBA player, not a prospect, but you get what I'm saying), but I do think most NBA decision makers would prefer Favors, and I don't think that's just cause he was such a beast in HS.

I have one stat for you: 10 assists in 73 games. Compare him to Tyrus Thomas as a rookie and then tell me that Ibaka is clearly better than Thomas. Can you?

Ibaka is 2 inches taller, with a 3" higher standing reach, appears to be on a steep part of his learning curve, and is not a hot head like Tyrus. Rookie Ibaka is indeed no better than rookie Tyrus, but Tyrus was a 4th overall pick who had a solid rookie season, who has basically not developed at all since being drafted. If this happens to Ibaka, he won't be much, but most players DO develop, and with his superior size, newness to the game, and better head on his shoulders it seems like there's a good chance he'll improve and turn into a solid rotation big with time, maybe even a solid starter.

[Gilles]

I actully like Horford as a basic comparison for Favors too.
Talking about Ibaka I'm just saying while possesing excellent defensive potential which is on display already he's very raw on the other end. Favors is just unpolished.

[Joel Embust]

Third pick overall.