Hawks trade for Usman Garuba and TyTy Washington

[jayu70]

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We get 2 recent 1st round picks, 2 seconds and cash for Alpha Kaba??? OK.

[Jamaaliver]

We get 2 recent 1st round picks, 2 seconds and cash for Alpha Kaba??? OK.

Clearly Houston needed to clear out some salary to overpay Fred Van Vleet on a bajillion dollar contract?


Add'l NOTE: Unconfirmed rumor that Capela is included in this deal?!?

[Jamaaliver]

I like Tyty's potential. A lot. That alone makes the trade a success. The 2nd rounders are a nice add on.

What can you buggers tell me of Garuba?

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[jayu70]

We get 2 recent 1st round picks, 2 seconds and cash for Alpha Kaba??? OK.

Clearly Houston needed to clear out some salary to overpay Fred Van Vleet on a bajillion dollar contract?


Add'l NOTE: Unconfirmed rumor that Capela is included in this deal?!?

Houston still had $27 million left after the FVV signing.
Haven't heard the Capela rumor, that's what I initially thought when I saw Houston/Atlanta trade.
Houston is signing Dillon Brookes though.

[jayu70]

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[Jamaaliver]

Spain's Usman Garuba, the best defender in the class, realizes two dreams at Tokyo Olympics

This potential lottery pick will be watching the 2021 NBA Draft from the Olympic Games

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The best defender in this year's NBA Draft class did not pose for photos at the top of the Empire State Building this week. He will not stride onstage in a garish, custom-made suit to shake Adam Silver's hand at Barclays Center on Thursday. He has been "waiting, calling every day out, marking my days" in anticipation of this moment, he says, but he'll have to watch it from almost 7,000 miles away.

When other prospects wake up on draft day, Usman Garuba will be in the middle of a game against Argentina, playing alongside the Gasol brothers and other Spanish national team legends. The time difference means it will be Friday morning in Tokyo when the draft begins. On the phone from his room in the Olympic Village in between practice and team dinner on Tuesday, Garuba says he expects his teammates to wake him up for the festivities. The plan is to "tune in as a team."

Garuba says he could have done the normal draft-preparation thing, crisscrossing the United States to conduct private workouts with potential employers. He understands that "my future is a little bit at risk because I could get injured," but insists he's not thinking about that. "I love playing for my country," he says, and "the atmosphere is something amazing," even with pandemic-specific restrictions in place.

Garuba is 19 years old, standing 6-foot-8 with a 7-2 wingspan. Part of his appeal is what he could become with a few years of NBA experience. That he's playing in these Olympics, though, speaks to the kind of player he is right now. Garuba might not be a household name in the United States, but he is one of the more accomplished prospects in the entire draft. At 17 years old, he became the youngest player to ever start a game for Real Madrid, a distinction that previously belonged to Luka Doncic. This season, he won the EuroLeague Rising Star award and the ACB's Best Young Player award, playing an integral role for the most storied franchise in the second-best league in the world.

Fortunately, Garuba always plays with intensity. Even when he isn't scoring, it's impossible not to notice him flying around the court, making the multiple-effort plays that coaches are always talking about. This is the mark of an energy guy, but that label sells him short. Garuba is a savvy passer, particularly in the short roll, and a timely cutter. He can take contact, finish at the rim and make plays in transition.

"Because of my defense, I think I'm very underrated on an offense," Garuba says.

"I watch a lot of Bam Adebayo, I like his play style. I watch a lot of Draymond (Green) also sometimes. I like when Giannis would grab the rebound and do the fast break, all that stuff. I watch a lot of players. Paul Millsap, when he was in Atlanta, I watch a lot of his films."

There is a common thread here: Players who "can pass the ball, that can make the right plays, you know? Score, defense. Guys with IQ. Guys that can play."

CBS Sports - 2021

[Geaux_Hawks]

Don't know a bunch about Garuba, but that analysis video shows a good glue guy, with a ceiling to be more if he works hard on his dribble and definitely shooting. Some much needed defense in the frontcourt coming off the bench. Strong rebounder. I'm curious as to why Houston gave up on him, and why add in 2nds along with Tyty Washington and cash for....Kaba?!

Tyty make sense as Houston has a glut of guards after they drafted Green, KPJ, and Amen and are signing FVV. I guess Garuba was going to get lost after a while with Smith, Eason, and Segun. We got a lot for a guy that we'll never see in the NBA I assume.

[Jamaaliver]

Usman Garuba's Draft Scouting Report

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Position: PF/C
Height: 6'8"
Pro Comparison: Serge Ibaka

Scouting Report: Defense and effort have helped Garuba earn minutes in Euroleague since he was 17 years old. He's limited offensively, but he can still add value as a finisher and passer while making the right rotations, playing physical and sliding with guards around the perimeter.

The 19-year-old from Spain has spent three years playing for Real Madrid. He appeared in all 74 games for the club between Liga ACB and EuroLeague during the 2020-21 season. Garuba was named the EuroLeague's Rising Star and Liga ACB Best Young Player that season. He averaged 5.6 points on 46.1 percent shooting and 5.3 rebounds per game in the ACB.

While still developing his offensive game, Garuba has the potential to be an impact player early in his career because of his size and length on defense. He has to become a more refined scorer to reach his full potential, but the upside is off the charts for the Rockets.

Bleacher Report - Post 2021 Draft

[jayu70]

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[dms269]

One of the funniest things is on the Rockets reddit they were convinced it was Capela.

Sent from my SM-G975U using RealGM Forums mobile app

[tbhawksfan1]

Something for nothing is always good and another million for Ressler

Looks like there will be a lot of competition for spots 12-15 on the roster and better depth in College Park

[jayu70]

Something for nothing is always good and another million for Ressler

Looks like there will be a lot of competition for spots 12-15 on the roster and better depth in College Park

Right now we have camp bodies, allowed 20 thru training camp.
I still think we'll make a 'real' trade just not sure what it'll be. Some of these guys will be traded and/or released.

[tbhawksfan1]

Very nice pre draft break down

https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2021/7/22/22580114/2021-nba-draft-scouting-report-usman-garuba-video-analysis-breakdown-fit-with-atlanta-hawks-spain

[Sane]

So, congratulations on these two acquisitions guys. The reason this was possible is because Brook Lopez gave us the verbal agreement he'd sign with us, we went about executing these trades in a rush whatever the cost and then Lopez just changed his mind. We could not reverse the trade. Very messed up. I don't know whether to blame Lopez or our front office, but it is what it is now.

It's great for you guys though. I'll give you guys some notes as a Rockets fan on what we know about these barely-tested players:

Garuba is a very very high IQ defensive player. He is strong, has a good wingspan, very good lateral speed. Loves to play defense. Whenever he would enter a game, you can feel a clear defensive energy infecting the team. Good rebounder and shotblocker for his size. Very likely to be an effective small ball C. Defensively speaking you're talking about a Draymond Green lite. Just one of those guys who seems to be able to outplay his height limitations.

Excellent as a passer out of the PnR - a huge key to Spain becoming European champions in 2022. Doesn't take risks and doesn't hold onto the ball - almost to a fault. Just quickly moves the ball to the best option without even checking if he's open. He was one of the youngest players drafted in his entire class, and while he plays more mature than his age sometimes his age can show on offense. The biggest knock on him was that he can neither post up nor shoot, however he shocked us by making over 40% of his 3pters thus far on a small volume. This is a fantastic sign for his future, because if he is a good shooter and a good PnR option, then his offense won't make his defense pointless.

One red flag with Usman is that he showed up overweight in his second season when there was a clear opportunity for him to cement a backup C role. At his age and at such a critical juncture in his career when his team needed him, it was very disappointing. If he corrects it this summer, maybe this becomes ancient history but still something to keep an eye on. A smaller red flag is that he would often get visibly frustrated/sulking due to not getting enough minutes or the team being a catastrophe. Personally I think that's normal because he has outplayed his peers and won championships at every level since he was 13 years old for both Real Madrid and Spain. He got promoted to playing with older players at every single age group until he finally became the youngest starter in Real Madrid senior team history - taking that record from Luka Doncic. Has always been seen as an highly gifted defender. He went from winning everything in his career to shamefully losing almost every game with the Rockets. At just 19-20 years old, perhaps he just mentally wasn't prepared for that.

Tyty is a different story. He was injured when he arrived. Took a while to rehab, get into game shape. Wasn't healthy for training camp. Then he went to the G-League and absolutely TORE IT UP. He destroyed everyone, seemed like a man among boys getting anything he wants any time he wants. In his few games with the Rockets and in his G League games, the skill that stood out most was an incredibly high assist to turnover ratio as well as being a poised hard worker. Seems to have the character you'd expect from a floor general. Always serious on the court. Always acting like an encouraging big brother. He never got decent minutes with us because the team insisted on playing Daishen Nix who was overweight, couldn't shoot and lacked the ability to stay with quick players. It very well could be we played Nix to get more losses. Rockets fans were optimistic about his future - moreso than Garuba I'd say - and it seems to me that if his 3pt shot stabilizes, he will at least be an excellent backup PG in this league.

Some good young pieces for you guys. Snyder is great at player development from what I hear, so it could be you've nabbed yourselves two rotation players while getting paid for them. Great job.

[Jamaaliver]

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[tbhawksfan1]

We were feeling kinda good to get two recent FRP for free...then we trade them for Mills in a cost cutting move...