Serge Ibaka?

[theTHIEF]

thoughts/info about this kid?

i watched some youtube stuff, he seems like a real machine...but i watched some other footage of him the other day and he was just a freak, blocking 3 shots in a row and scoring points of all 3 blocks and 2 from the 3...i was like man, the competition must suck...or hes just sick...

[FNQ]

Depends what footage you have... if you are going based only on the footage of him dominating what looks like high school games, then its a combination of both... I've seem some workout footage.. kid's AMAZING

I get all my footage from the UC Berk archives, but there's nothing on Ibaka there... I'm dependent on DX to give good analysis, but I havent seen anything on Serge since December.

The guy is a FREAK athletically, and has basketball talent... what he needs is high level experience to really prove himself. Everytime I see him I wind up picking my jaw off the floor... if he goes later than #10 in any draft, including this one, that team got a steal.

[WillC]

http://www5.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic ... 21&start=0

http://www5.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=737865

http://www5.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=733750

[theTHIEF]

thanks Will...

interesting prospect, i disagree with this Shawn Kemp comparison though...NBADraft.net always has the worst comparison IMO...

[moocow007]

Yeah in THE clip on Ibaka (the one that most people have seen) Ibaka looks great but it looks like he's playing with a bunch of short chubby guys that would have problems beating some of the local HS teams.

Without much else to go on and based on past trends I'd guess that there is at least some fluff that Ibaka's people have built around their client that is just not true. The unearthly athleticism? The videos really don't show it to that extent (partly because of the just piss poor competition he was shown playing with/against) so you are left to the opinions of the draft sites who have been wrong (sometimes seriously wrong) before.

[$*DIPSET BOI*$]

There are newer clips on Youtube for anybody that haven't seen them. He is very athletic, has a pretty good handle, and has a good touch all the way out to the 3 point line. He could be the Yi in this years draft.

[wtfbosh]

Is he even going to be in the draft though? DraftExpress has him off their draft board now, and he was #11 overall before. They're usually pretty good with knowing who is going to be in the draft or not.

[FNQ]

Odds are he is going to be in 09... where he'll almost definitely be a lotto, barring a meltdown in Europe..

As for the comparison to Yi... yuck...

This guy has a KG-esque ceiling... he could become a dominant player. Yi has a loooooooooong road for that, and honestly, even at his ceiling, wouldnt be that IMO.

Ibaka has no ceiling... he's atmospherical

[$*DIPSET BOI*$]

Reggae your post is very confusing when you say that Ibaka could be a dominant player but Yi has a "loooooooooong road for that"

It looks as if your implying that Ibaka is more developed which is untrue

And seriously how could I take you seriously since you completely despise Yi

I agree with you when you say that Ibaka has a KG-esque ceiling (That's who he admires) and unlimited potential but he also has very high bust potential

[FNQ]

How is it confusing? Ibaka has skills that will translate to every facet of the NBA game. He's a physical freak - he has a lot less to develop because of his natural abilities. Yi simply does not.

Meanwhile, Yi's been looming on the perimeter for the most part, plays marshmallow D, and his shot has tailed off because his body is not built to take hits and then go outside and take shots. He's never experienced anything like it. Scratch that - I Yi for nearly nailing every prediction I had for him.

How can I take you seriously when you've likely only see -ONE- clip of Ibaka? Ibaka's "bust potential" as you put it is to basically flatline as a player now, and he's still a rotational player.

[$*DIPSET BOI*$]

LOL How do you know how much footage I've seen from Ibaka?

"He's a physical freak - he has a lot less to develop because of his natural abilities."

So why is it common for so many other "physical freaks" in the past to be unsuccessful?

Serge has some skills and is very athletic but is not as developed as Yi and Yi is no slouch himself

So if Yi has a loooooooooong road to being a dominant player than Serge has a loooooooooonger road ahead of him

[FNQ]

LOL How do you know how much footage I've seen from Ibaka?

"He's a physical freak - he has a lot less to develop because of his natural abilities."

So why is it common for so many other "physical freaks" in the past to be unsuccessful?

Serge has some skills and is very athletic but is not as developed as Yi and Yi is no slouch himself

So if Yi has a loooooooooong road to being a dominant player than Serge has a loooooooooonger road ahead of him

Because I'm guessing you dont have the extended workout he did for CB before signing...

The reason why is that Ibaka actually knows how to use the tools. Yi does not. "Some skills" is massively underrating someone that (becoming clearer) you havent seen outside of youtube. Get over it.

Serge is a far better prospect than Yi... anyone who watches the two impartially can see that. But I guess I'm biased because 90% of the things I thought about Yi turned out to be true... get a clue clown.

Serge now is better than Yi now for the NBA game. For the Euro game... I'd probably take Yi. One matters more...

[IrishRainbow]

I've honestly never before heard the comp between the 2. I've seen a little of Ibaka...but again, that little is basically youtube and some prospect sites. I don't know if I see it...maybe one of you could enlighten me. I may be a little bias, but I think while Yi has a nice rep of athletic ability...he's more gazelle then puma like athletics. I think Yi could be classified as a fundamentals type....raw, but it's there...and yes, a long way from being a big contributer.

[$*DIPSET BOI*$]

Only Youtube? Here goes the assumptions again and it's getting old real fast

Just like you assumed that I think that Yi is a better prospect than Serge, which is false, all I ever mentioned was that Yi is more developed skill wise than him, which is true, so who's the real clown?

And yes, Serge does have some skills and depends on his athleticism a lot, he needs to work on putting everything together consistently

I have seen footage and read scouting reports on Ibaka to know enough

And Serge is not more ready for the NBA than Yi but hey your going to believe whatever you want to believe

This is my last reply to you because I have seen you in other threads go through pages of non-sense

Good day, sir

[FNQ]

"Yi's more develop skill wise" = Yi has a nicer jumpshot

I've learned to translate all the fools in ultrapro-Yi camp...

Shooting is the only thing Yi does better than Ibaka... other than that they play nothing alike, its a horrid comparison.

DTribbs - in his training videos available, you'll see him nail a 42" vert, show some incredibly impressive post moves, and just attack the basket once it comes off the rim. He's an explosive and quick leaper... think Antawn Jamison's reflexes, but with way more hops.

Kid is strong, can handle the ball a little, and can shoot out to 21+ ft somewhat consistently... at least in an empty arena If he learns how to pass, and overall be more part of the game when he doesn't have the ball, he's a bona fide stud... nowhere near this ridiculous comparison this guy is flashing at us.

Defensively, he's never been on a real defensive team so that will come with experience, but even now hes not a poor defender. I've only legitimately seen one full game of him, but DX has him at below average lateral quickness (if he had that... wow ) but his excessive length can ability to jump completely nullifies that in lower competition... it would be a much bigger problem in the NBA, but thats if he guards SFs.

And dude is strong... this kid is a monster.

[FNQ]

Only Youtube? Here goes the assumptions again and it's getting old real fast

I have seen footage and read scouting reports on Ibaka to know enough

Shenanigans... what footage have you seen that wasn't on YouTube?

[Nolan]

I'm not sold on him simply because he hasn't proven that he can play with high level competion. He's looks like he another Sene to me. He needs alot of work and I think he's would be a pretty big gamble.

[FNQ]

He is much farther along than Sene... Sene was completely raw and lacking any legitimate skills - all of his skills were a work in progress... Serge is much more refined and smooth... Serge can handle the ball and I'd even say his athleticism overshadow's Sene's...

I can't even think of a legitimate comparison to Serge right now.. wherever he goes, he needs a good coach in a fundamental offense, one that moves him around enough until he gets used to finding the open passing lanes w/o help..

Defensively you plug him in and watch him go, there will be coverage mistakes but he has a lot of tools to help him recover.

Cmon DX, give us more

[the_bruce]

I just ran across clips of this kid and I'm absolutely stunned. I think you'd have a hard time not picking this kid in the top 10 of any draft. Very high risk/reward but certainly worth it imo. I'd probably take him with a lotto pick in the 5-15 range in virtually any draft. Even in a league like the nba filled with superb athletes a 6'10 guy with a 40+ inch vertical is unheard of to my knowledge. Dwight probably has close to a 40 inch vert and he's the closest comparison athletically that I can think of in recent years. I'd really like to see this kid against decent comp the youtube mixes/games/etc are pretty telling that the competition was athleticly nowhere near his level, but much of what he did coudln't have been stopped by anyone regardless. Im interested in seeing his lateral quickness against some decent athletes.

[JoeT]

I just ran across clips of this kid and I'm absolutely stunned. I think you'd have a hard time not picking this kid in the top 10 of any draft. Very high risk/reward but certainly worth it imo. I'd probably take him with a lotto pick in the 5-15 range in virtually any draft. Even in a league like the nba filled with superb athletes a 6'10 guy with a 40+ inch vertical is unheard of to my knowledge. Dwight probably has close to a 40 inch vert and he's the closest comparison athletically that I can think of in recent years. I'd really like to see this kid against decent comp the youtube mixes/games/etc are pretty telling that the competition was athleticly nowhere near his level, but much of what he did coudln't have been stopped by anyone regardless. Im interested in seeing his lateral quickness against some decent athletes.

Ekene Ibekwe (never came close to the league) - 6'9, 39 inch vert
Joakim Noah - 7'0, 37.5 inch vert
Tyrus Thomas - 6'9, 39.5 inch vert
Solomon Jones (Hawks) - 6'10, 39 inch vert
Hakim Warrick - 6'9, 38 inch vert
Josh Smith - 6'9, 39.5 inch vert
Josh Powell - 6'10, 38 inch vert

Dwight Howard - 6'11, 35.5 inch vert

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-dra ... t=0&sort=9

That's only looking at the 2006 and 2007 drafts and the top 20 or so guys in the 2003-2005 drafts. No one quite meets the requirements, but Josh Powell, Ekene Ibekwe, and Solomon Jones all come ridiculously close (and they were professionally measured at the pre-draft camp; does anyone have a link to this 42" vert video?). Those guys (and the more viable players like Thomas/Warrick) all sound like closer athletic equivalents than Howard, and in quickly looking at the youtube clips, look like closer equivalents as well. If he indeed does have a 42" vert, then he'd be a hair better than some of the guys mentioned here, but players in his athletic range are not unheard of by any means.