Uconn fan here

[BRIGGS]

I've seen every single one of Hasheem's games since he came to Uconn--I've seen him play/pratice in summer league and pick up.

Hasheem is much better than people think. Not a superstar type but clearly capable of 14 points 11-12 rebounds and 4 block shots and several other alters in the NBA AND he will have his 20-20-5/6 games here and there when he WILL look like a star.

He is very good/excellent with space--not as good in a crowd--but the NBA offers space that the NCAA didnt on offense. His rebounding when up very well from freshmen year[when he could barely hold on to the ball and had terrible hands and] to his junior season was great. Remember he averaged 11 rebounds BUT he had to contend with other great rebounders from his own team--JeffAdrien avg 10+ and Robinson is a great rebounder

Hasheem has very good touch from 12-14 feet and has a nice jumphook inside--also he learned how to seal off his man and with good guard play getting HT the ball in a certain position is a massive shaq like slam dunk--thats why it's going to be important that the team continues this training with HT--hes very smart and eager--he loves basketball and wants to get better.

People focus on his block shots and believe me he will average better than 3 but its the ALTERS that
make a huge difference

One last thing but Im out of time--people who have not seen him play 90 games over 3 years see all of the negatives and tend to look past the multiple positives--remember he is going to test at over 7-3 in shoes--I can tell you how much taller Hasheem is than Okafor in person--it's like a mountain versus a big rock--maybe 5-6 inches taller

He's got to get stronger but hes working hard at it now and if you look at his body--he can pack on muscle up top because he has the frame[big arse and legs to handle 10-15 more pds without losing athletic ability--heck he may become more explosive.

All in all this guy is a great pick--like I said on another board--Hasheem really is the GUY in the draft who will help teams WIN games now--he might not be Griffin but he's an intangible guy like Sam Perkins but with bigger upside that teams need to win.

[slick_watts]

i think four blocks a game is a little unrealistic. since 1980 the only people who've averaged four blocks a game in a season are hakeem, david robinson, mutombo, mark eaton and manute bol. i do agree that thabeet, if he can manage to stay out of foul trouble, will alter a lot of shots and generally be a disturbance on defense. but i think 2bpg is more realistic for him, maybe 3bpg+ in his better years.

the question really is his toughness and strength. everyone saw how paul blair manhandled him inside. will thabeet be able to hold position against stronger players in the nba? even a guy like greg oden, who is much stronger and more athletic than thabeet, is having tremendous problems staying on the court.

[Rome]

I'm hopping if he is there at 3 that we nab him, true he's not going to be an all star in 2 years but i think he will help the team greatly by altering shots and Green and Durant grabing the boards.Lets be honest Yao had to learn the pace of the game too.

[mattle]

I hate to say it but if thabeet is worth the three pick you wouldn't be here trying to persuade us he is that good. I'm sure he is a great kid but he isn't a top flight player. Sorry but I don't want him on the team because I think he has maxwd out and will get bullied around by every pf and c in the league.

[Rome]

wow people are considering him a bust and he haven't even been drafted

[Rome]

you know they said the same thing about yao when he came in the league and he seems to make second round talent look good

[theokie]

I hate to say it but if thabeet is worth the three pick you wouldn't be here trying to persuade us he is that good. I'm sure he is a great kid but he isn't a top flight player. Sorry but I don't want him on the team because I think he has maxwd out and will get bullied around by every pf and c in the league.

So if Presti takes him at three, is he worth the #3 pick then?

[mattle]

you know they said the same thing about yao when he came in the league and he seems to make second round talent look good

And they said the same thing about 20 other 7'1+ players.

Yao was coveted by every team in the lottery in a strong draft. Thabeet is a project in the weakest draft I've ever seen. Sene was a bust @ 11 before he was drafted, same with thabeet.

If presti drafts him at 3 we will know in a year or so.

[wizkid27]

Although I very much understand the emotions with the whole picking a center thing, (to my knowledge) Swift, Petro and Sene had never even played basketball before being drafted by the Sonics (joking).

Thabeet is a guy who showed he can play against pretty good competition in arguably the best league in college bball. I followed all 3 of the drafts dealing with the 3 former Sonic 1st round center picks fairly closely... and I don't feel like Thabeet has the same vulnerabilities and lack of exposure that these hype-driven candidates showed.

As always, I will defer to fans with more history than myself however...

[pa7290]

i go to uconn so, ive seen hasheem play. he has made major strides from his earlier years up until now. do i think hes a superstar no, but is he a difference maker, absolutely. he has great timing on his blocks, and his offense can be improved by just working with the teams staff everyday. if you looked at dwight howard when he came out of high school, he was pretty raw offensively. so hasheem can be the same way. BUT i think james harden would be a better fit with the OKC Thunder.

[big L]

One of the big, if not biggest, pluses with Thabeet is the fact that he's improved so much over the past few years. That progress leads me to believe that he's worth a bit more than our past bust picks at center.

Still would prefer to move the pick, I have to say.

[wiff]

Thanks for the extra insight to Thabeet.

For me in a shallow draft like this why not swing for the fences on a guy like Thabeet?

To me he is the only guy with the exception of Griffin and Rubio (but I have my doubts on both) to be a game changer.

Yes it's true he has the word "bust" floating around him but the kid works his butt of and has improved greatly over the last few years.

Sure he gets pushed around by 6'8" brick **** houses with a lower center of gravity that play Center in college. But in the NBA most guys who play center are 6'10" or better with a a higher center of gravity.

When was the last time it hurt to be tall in the NBA? And over time he'll get stronger.

I guess you could take the safe pick and pick Harden. Of course he's the type of player that is available in any draft. And there will be a guy like him next year.

But it's been so long since this team has had a decent center.

Swing for the fences in this crappy draft. Worst case you are in the lottery next year and you can draft Harden 2.0 in a deeper draft