Dat2U wrote:stevemcqueen1 wrote:jmrosenth wrote:Zeller seemed to be pressing yesterday. It wasn't his best game, obvs, but he still hut some clutch free throws and hit 'Dipo for the game-winning assist. Despite the concerns about his game, he's not going to be a realistic option for the Wizards where they are picking. We would be extremely lucky if he falls to us.
Agreed. I think he's a top five pick and I wouldn't be surprised if he went top three.
We keep winning and this class doesn't look that good. I think we just need to pick the BPA. The only position I'd lean away from is PG since I think the team needs a veteran in the backup role. But if the PG is the clear BPA, we probably have to go ahead and pick him. We just need to make sure the guy we pick can play and we can deal him later if need be.
With Zeller its all going to depend on his measurements. His brother measured 8'8" which is miserable for a PF, much less a C. There just aren't many examples of even PFs being successful with a standing reach of under 8'10". I wanna say Blake is the only exception mainly due to his freakish athleticism (but it really hurts him defensively).
So if Cody is similar to his brother's length I'm going to have major concerns. If it's at or just above the 8'10" threshold then he may need to transition to PF. For him to realistically play C he really needs to be in the 8'11 to 9'0 range and above. I think Al Horford & Nene are the only exceptions to this (8'10.5) an both of them would prefer to play the PF position.
Both of them have a superior first step as well, plus they are both considerably more powerful than Zeller. I think Nene will eventually have to make the transition over to a full time center, which isn't all too bad. The NBA is becoming a smaller league more oriented toward wing play, so Zeller's lack of true center strength may not be the worst thing imaginable. We also have to consider the future 4/5 players in the EC:
Drummond-probably will become the most dominant big man in the East
Monroe- He's like a better shooting version of Zeller with a bit more strength and better passing
Bosh-Built kind of like Zeller but is a way better shooter and quicker. Longer too, Zeller can't guard him.
Hibbert-He's far too big for Zeller to guard as a center. Fundamentals are good with him too. Zeller could have a chance if he took him off the dribble.
J. Val- Also considerably bigger, comparable athleticism. Already showing signs of a shooting touch.
Tristian Thompson- Already a great rebounder, very strong, he looks like z-bo light honestly. He's improved a lot since last year.
Orlando's bigs- Andrew looks like he could become a quality stretch 4, and Vucic..however you spell it, is a monster on the boards. I think they both project to be superior players.
Larry Sanders- He'd eat Zeller's lunch, lets be honest, he's going to be a defensive monster.
Horford- I've seen him abuse D-12, what chances does Zeller have in trying to play him (Horford at center has been surprisingly good for ATL).
Noah- He'll still be a defensive factor for another 3-4 years I think. He's long enough and a bit more powerful that he could still spell trouble for Zeller.
Bynum-Totally contingent on health but he'd easily manhandle Zeller
Lopez- Brook is underrated and has superior offensive game. His game isn't predicated on athleticism so I'd see him being superior to Zeller for years to come.
The only eastern conference teams that won't make Zeller a liability are the Celtics (who will be old as ****), the knicks (who will be injured as ****) and the Bobcats (who are just terrible as ****).
If you draft a big in top 5, I think he has to have the potential to be dominant in some capacity relative to his competition. Zeller's game isn't bad, I just don't see it becoming dominant. I'd err on the side of Noel, Gobert, Austin and maybe even Len over him based on their potential alone. I take "safe" players like Zeller after the top 10.
