Roy Hibbert and Brandon Rush

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

Since the forum has been dead lately, I figured we could all talk about what we think of Roy Hibbert and Brandon Rush.

Roy Hibbert has frustrated me a lot lately. On one hand, he is looking like a diamond in the rough. He could become great, I see so much potential in this guy, more potential than I even saw in Danny Granger his rookie year, and even then I was one of his biggest supporters. On the other hand, he can't seem to grasp defense. He could be a defensive force, but when hes in foul trouble, he still does the most ridiculous things. He doesn't lay off at all, which can be good, but hes trying to force his defense way too much.

As for Brandon Rush, this guy has really impressed me. I understand he has been off on offense, but he has shown signs of being a great scorer and a lock down defender. He seems like he could get to the rim at will, and once he learns how to finish, I think he could be a force. It also seems like most of his shots are in an out, they aren't like big misses or anything, I think he just needs more confidence and that this playing time he'll see for the next few weeks could help him with that. His defense has really impressed me though, has anyone actually payed attention to this guy every defensive possession? Even vets have a hard time getting away from him without the help of a few screens and he doesn't usually fall for ball fakes, though he has a few times. I can see him becoming a great part of our core for the future.

What are ya'lls thoughts?

[cdash]

Hibbert: I was one of those who had to be talked into Roy Hibbert. When he was in college, I never thought he would be much of an NBA player because he really didn't dominate the game like I thought a 7'3 guy should. His rebounding is really poor for a guy of his size. Alas, I talked myself into him on draft day. He has shown some promise thus far in his rookie season. Early on in the season, he was rushing into things on offense way too much. Lately, he has slowed down and really shown a nice touch around the basket. He reminds me a little of Rik Smits, although I don't think he will be as good as Rik was. He still moves pretty slow on just about everything, he fouls too much, and his defense isn't where it should be...but he's a rookie. He will learn, and I am optimistic about his future.

Rush: He has disappointed me quite a bit this year. I thought he would be more effective out of the gate. He has shown flashes of future ability, but right now, for a 23 year old rookie, he just hasn't impressed. His shot hasn't fallen, his confidence is and has been shaken all year, and sometimes he makes some questionable gambles on defense. In a roundabout way, I think the injuries to Granger and Dunleavy are a blessing for Rush, because now he knows he will get minutes. He isn't worried about O'Brien yanking him from the game if he messes up. He needs this playing time to get back on track. I think he has the potential to be a great defender and a very solid all around player, but like I said, he disappointed me out of the gate.

[Miller4ever]

Hibbert has enough offensive capability to be a serious contender for the starting spot two years down the road. Common opinion is right to question his rebounding skills. I do see a lot of potential, and he will be better than David Harrison, and at best Rik Smits.

Brandon Rush has raised a lot of question marks, and continues to disappoint. He could become an effective player worthy of his draft position if he found some confidence. I don't think he is a bust, because the flashes have been there. He has shown ability on both ends of the court, but he seems overwhelmed at times.

[Dunthreevy]

I think you guys have been pretty much spot on with your assessments of our boys, for the most part.

Roy has looked like he could become one of the smoothest post scorers we've ever had on some nights. His hookshot is near automatic most nights, and there's not much a defense can do with a guy that big in most cases. Then on the other rare occasions, he's looked completely lost in the sauce. Offensively I think he's headed in the right direction, and with some work on his hands (and that damn spin move in the post that he keeps getting called for traveling on), he's going to be one hell of an offensive presence. It's the defensive end that scares me. The fouls are the obvious thing. My buddy and I have had this talk several times and we've come to the conclusion that he just tries to overthink everything he does on defense. It's like he will make a decision to commit on defense then halfway into it, he's thinking "no I need to do this instead" and then the whistle blows. The game @ Minnesota was a perfect example. There was one play specifically where Foye was driving to the lane and Hibby came over to take the charge/block the shot. That's the problem. There is no take the charge/block the shot call in the officials rulebook, so naturally Roy gets called for the foul. When he learns to just go out and play defense without thinking himself to death, he's going to get rid of the foul problems he's had so far. I don't ever think that he'll be a dominate defensive player but just having his presence on the court for extended minutes without getting foul calls will be enough to keep me happy.

Now onto my boy Rush Hour 2. I think the kid is uber-talented, athletic, quick, and all sorts of other words used to describe a Shawn Marion type. Brandon was looking like a very solid young player in late November and into December and it seems like everyone here seems to forget that month. On the board here, It's almost as if those games never happened for him. He was shooting the ball well, playing good defense and most importantly he was learning the game. Then just 2 games after he had the best game of his young season, he was benched and didn't see meaningful minutes again until the start of this month. His defense has looked more than impressive on most nights. The kid "has that dog in him". He can get up and block/alter shots, his speed is pretty much only matched or beaten by one player on our team (Ford). I remember before the season at the Fan Fest, Danny said they had nicknamed him "wheels" because of how ridiculously fast he is. The biggest thing is, he plays defense intelligently for the most part. He rarely over-commits or makes just flat out dumb decisions on defense. He also has that thing about him, which is much like what McBob does, where he just has the ability to fly in out of nowhere and either grab the rebound or tip it away from the opposition. I'm surprised neither of them get called for fouls on that very much because it's almost as if they're just flying in without any fear of where they might land. All in all, I love the kid's game, and I feel that once he does get the mental part of it down he's going to be a major contributor for the blue & gold.

Overall, I love our 2 rookies and I hope they're with us for a long, long time.