JaVale McGee

[newslowsad]

Not sure if it has been posted, but here's a nice interview with JaVale:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP6iCn4EfuI

[queridiculo]

Blazers pre-draft workout:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8Q7-P_j2ME

[dobrojim]

not sure what to think about this kid

going back to last year, lots of people hated N1 and loved DMac
but when the season started, DMac was a disaster but N1 would
occasionally show glimmers of potential.

Bottom line - while I respect the guys on the board who do the research,
watch college games etc who HATED the pick with a passion, I think the others
who point out that NO ONE available at 18 was going to come in a play more than
very limited minutes. It might turn out to be a very good thing if McGee does
end up in the D-league for a year. He'll be all the hungrier when he arrives for
good.

Maybe the Walker sale will turn out to be so we could re-sign the hometown
guy RMjr, not so we could give Gil, (clearly a franchise player in terms of putting
butts in the seats and making us relevant) a MAX deal.

I think it's more than possible that all these teams that some have pointed to
saying they've passed us, will still be looking up at us next year. IF Gil comes
back near where he was when he left (2nd team all-nba). Which team, other than
MIA (Wade) is adding a player of similar caliber?

[RickRoll_inDC]

Blazers pre-draft workout:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8Q7-P_j2ME

He looked pretty good in the workout. I liked the turn around jumpers at about 10 feet over whoever that was.

[AgentOvechkin08]

Blazers pre-draft workout:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8Q7-P_j2ME

He looked pretty good in the workout. I liked the turn around jumpers at about 10 feet over whoever that was.

I'm pretty sure that "whoever that was" was the beloved richard hendrix of this board

[crackhed]

i dont get it.. why is this a bad pick? the kid looks talented.
he looks comfortable all around the half court on offense, his jumper looks good, he's obviously quite mobile, from all indications he's a good hardworking kid with no personal issues.. and he's 7ft (7',6'' span)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSh4w-UPUk4&NR=1

[LyricalRico]

I will say this - from the clips I've seen he looks athletic and aggressive. He's no stiff but if he can't defend I'd still rather have Haywood.

[doclinkin]

Alright. I've gotten over being pissed about the Bill Walker quick hook. For now. (Metas: shares a birthday with Juan Dixon...) If he starts killing in the league or proves able to guard LeBron then I'll resume the temper tantrum. But move on. I'm resilient. Hell I'm a Wizards fan:

Back to JvMcG.

I'll repeat and expand what I said in the draft thread. He's got a bit of a face-up game which means Eddie can play him as a back-up to Jamison. We have unmatched length if that's the case. Already we have the longest team in the league. At some point smallball becomes impossible. He's not a bad fit for the offense, we need a guy who can catch and finish in one fluid motion underneath without putting the ball on the floor.

And on D, next to Haywood JMcG's man-to-man defense may be less of a liability, he can close the gap on the weakside, the two are each a one-man zone by themselves-- and as for blocking or altering shots with his length and hops, he can block some shots that are impossible to touch for anyone else. He has a taller standing reach than anyone listed in the DX database, except pituitary freak Pavel Podkolzine. To top it off he has a 32" max vert, 2" better than your average center. That's really an ungodly combination of length and hops. Basically only the young Shaquille O'neal could reach as high at the apex. The man can block a rainbow jumper.

And for his size he's remarkably fluid, good hands, can dribble, runs the floor like he was bred to do it. He's got a great frame to add strength without adding bulk. Will catch and finish even in traffic. He reacts quickly whether or not he always makes the smart decision. Once again we add a catch-and-finish type on offense, and alley-oop threat. And finally we have a big who can consistently run the break fill a lane and slam it home. He runs the 3/4 sprint faster (3.25) than your average SF (3.26), about the same speed as a 2-guard (3.23) -- in the DX database nobody as tall as him has ever run the court as fast.

He really is a remarkable athlete for all that. And he's still improving, his in-game stats improved in every category this year. He has just started to put on muscle. He sat for a year behind Nick Fazekas, but Fazeke the freak is a smart savvy tall skilled player, who was putting up solid numbers night in and out in all categories, leading the country. No shame playing understudy as a raw freshman. And he clearly learned a little about the pick and pop from watching big Nick. NO doubt his game will improve further battling Haywood every day in practice.

So whatever questions about his bball IQ, some people are built to succeed in the game, can win almost by accident. He really supports the adage that you can't teach size, nor natural athleticism like this. Sometimes raw talent beats smarts without effort. Otherwise we'd all be pros on this board.

And the fact is, it is to his and the team's benefit that he doesn't have to carry the team. He can play here and there, show flashes, fill lanes, finish the alley oop. I suspect he'll become a favorite target of a pass off an offensive board by DMac some years down the line. Or Blatche. Or Both. Or Gil. Posters complained about Hibbert that he'd be too slow to run uptempo the way the way we like to. Well this guy will be leading the outlet break, and there's no way his man will be able to catch up. Provided we make a stop somehow, and get the rebound.

Ultimately it pays dividends to have assets you can showcase. His grace at that size is nothing you can hide. Someone will covet and offer trades for him or Blatche or whomever. That's the true benefit of depth. You have options, and a stocked shelf to sell to the highest bidder. He will definitely add to the team more than take away. I'll be curious to see how he plays next to Gil, though for defensive purposes I'm not sure I'd try him next to Jamison for a while. But who knows. On offense though the big kid will prove fun to watch.

[Mr. Grundle]

Been watching some of his highlights on youtube.

I like that he stays on the block on offense. He has the ability to shoot 3's, but he spends most of his time fighting for position on the low post. I also like that he keeps the ball high when he catches it and he tries to throw it down whenever possible. I didn't really see any weak layups. He also runs the floor hard, he can handle well, and he even made a few sweet passes. He's certainly more skilled offensively than a Brendan Haywood was as a sophomore in college.

He definitely needs to add bulk. 10 rebounds per 40 minutes isn't all that impressive for a guy his size against that competition. The scouting report says he's a horrible man defender. (Of course, you can't tell that from highlights.)

I'm not upset with the pick. McGee certainly has the potential to be a 10-year center in this league. You never really know until you see him against competition his size.

I also like the pick after watching his highlights. Comparing him to Blatche...he is more athletic and more aggressive. Better muscle definition as well...he could fill out nicely. Has nice touch around the rim, a nice little hook shot. Has nice hands, can shoot a little, pass a little, can run the floor and dunk over anyone....I don't see what's not to like. They say he is a late bloomer...so he should keep getting better if he has the mentality. He really does have super potential like everyone says...but isn't as raw as I imagined he would be.

[almost famous]

Nuggets fan here. I think you guys got yourself a solid pick. I'm interested to see how he turns out for you.

[Wiz99]

OMG. You guys need to calm down.

Who do you REALLY think was there at #18 who would be an impact player immediately? (looks at Arenas4Three)

Please don't say Kosta Koufas. Dude might be 7' but he barely averaged 6 boards per game. That's pitiful for a man that big. He's just another finesse Euro, and with even less experience than McGee playing against any kind of legit competition (though he rocked the Euro under 18 tourney, LOL).

Batum? We need another guy with a heart problem? I know his agent found some doc that gave him a clean bill of health, but fact is not one but TWO different NBA teams detected his weak heart during physicals. Wouldn't touch the guy with a 10' pole. And its not like he's the second coming of Caron Butler. He averaged 12 and 5 against french competition, and didn't start a single game of Le Mans' season.

Arthur? Just another tweener. And we already got one (Jamison) who gets abused on D whenever the opponent has a PF with any power.

Donte Green? Please. He's just as raw as McGee. But unlike JaVale, Greene has shown himself to be a shotjacking 3 (more than half of his shots from 3 land, and he's not a PF). We don't need another chucker on this team. We need a big. If you're going for raw talent, 7' McGee with a 7'6 wingspan fits our need MUCH better.

Go look at a few year's worth of drafts and you'll see that after the 10th pick, 90% of guys never make it in the league. If a guy has legit talent to come in and produce immediately, he goes in the first half of the lottery. At #18 you're looking for diamonds in the rough. That means (a) taking risks on guys who may be raw but have mad physical features and loads of potential, and (b) going for the position you need most, which for us is a big C or PF.

With those 2 criteria, McGee was the best pick at #18. Y'all are just bitchin' to be bitchin'. Get off Eddie's back.

[BruceO]

I like "the big secret" I've been harping on incessently about how we need big PF/C to anchor the team much like a Gasol, Duncan, Garnett or Rasheed. For us to get a guy at the 18th spot whos a fluid seven footer (he's not stiff) can run the floor fast for his size, dribble low, has the second highest standing reach in dx database, one of the longest wingspans, will be able to add more strength and weight and has a basketball pedigree (his parents played the game) is excellent.
his workouts have been intense, he looks like he has a good motor and with his blocking skills I mean imagine lineups with him and blatche in the game once they develop farther, both being fluid seven footers who can do different things.
IMagine summer league with three or four skilled seven footers on our roster who can play the SF position and up. I like the fact that even if he is a Tyson chandler thats good. They compare him to Brandan wright and Channing frye. He's got two inches on these guys, and maybe 6 inches on standing height. Plus these guys were all high picks. I'm really okay with this guy especially for his motor. The only big guy I know with that motor is KG

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/JaVale-McGee-1197/

[newslowsad]

After watching his reel, I don't think McGee warranted quite the amount of hatred that he's gotten here. If he was the worst defender in the draft (which I don't believe), then how did he make the defensive team in his conference? (Not a huge conference, but still) Hopefully seeing this kid come in will light a fire under Blatche, a guy that really needs to stop getting arrested and show us some consistency.

[NbdyBeatsTheWiz]

"2008 WAC All-Defensive Team"

I was here and there about the pick when it happenned, but that text flashed next to his name on ESPN made me feel a little bit better. It's only a shame we can't draft another 7 ft. McGee to park at the 3 point line to contest the shots nobody else will.

Face it, we're good enough now that we aren't in the lottery where picks are more of a sure thing. And I'm more than cool with that. He may not play right away but he's got serious potential. And as an athletic 7 footer he will likely always have value in a trade as long as he doesn't suck THAT bad.

[newslowsad]

And as an athletic 7 footer he will likely always have value in a trade as long as he doesn't suck THAT bad.

Does that mean we can get rid of Pech? Oh wait, you said athletic 7 footer...

[Donkey McDonkerton]

I like this pick a lot. I don't know much about the kid, but i've done some research on him now. We need size and youth. We weren't getting someone in this draft ready to contribute right away at #18, this looks solid.

[Soup's Uncle]

I agree with you all. After watching more videos on him, I am starting no only to think the pick is okay, I am starting to really like it.

Yeah, he'd be a great backup to BTH, but imagin having htem on the floor at the same time? Jesus H Christ, with him and BTH guarding the basket...I can only imagine.

One of you also said he looks like he can add some bulk. It really does look like that. Now, I also think that this guy needs as much PT as possible. They say this guy makes strides really quickly...he won't make these strides sitting on our bench. Hopefully our awful coach can squeeze in some minutes for him at the 5.

I also think with this pick that Pecherov is completely expendable now. We should package him and maybe a future pick for a point guard.

Think of the bigs we have now: BTH, Etan, Blatche, Pecherov, McGee, Songaila (Sad to say but he gets minutes at center).

Hopefully, we can dump Etan and it'll force EJ to play McGee some more minutes.

[Soup's Uncle]

Also, anyone know the situation with the summer league? I heard someone say you can only have 4 contracted players on the summer league squad...Blatche, Young, McGuire, Pech...How bout my boy McGee? I also think that this means maybe a certain 3 point jacking ukranians days are numbered.

[queridiculo]

After watching his reel, I don't think McGee warranted quite the amount of hatred that he's gotten here. If he was the worst defender in the draft (which I don't believe), then how did he make the defensive team in his conference? (Not a huge conference, but still) Hopefully seeing this kid come in will light a fire under Blatche, a guy that really needs to stop getting arrested and show us some consistency.

I didn't really sense much hatred here, more like confusion. I have no problem with the deal personally, but I still can't get over the Walker trade, that one has me pissed to no end.

[queridiculo]

Young is a lost cause at the point, his handle is way too weak.