Wall > Rose?

[Dat2U]

Maybe I'm in the minority on this but I think Rondo gets by more on his freakish length & craftiness than pure speed. Plus he's got those massive hands of his. He's able to do things with the ball that others cannot. He's no doubt quick but he rarely appears to be going full speed. He's a very slick player.

Wall can absolutely dominate a game with his speed. It's very similar to Iverson although they are totally different in how they approach the game and Wall happens to be alot bigger. I see elements of the Kidd comparison in terms of length, defensive tenacity & leadership but Wall isn't close to rebounder Kidd was and Kidd wasn't an elite finisher around the basket. Wall will definitely be more of a scorer than Kidd.

[doclinkin]

Maybe I'm in the minority on this but I think Rondo gets by more on his freakish length & craftiness than pure speed. Plus he's got those massive hands of his. He's able to do things with the ball that others cannot. He's no doubt quick but he rarely appears to be going full speed. He's a very slick player.

Wall can absolutely dominate a game with his speed. It's very similar to Iverson although they are totally different in how they approach the game and Wall happens to be alot bigger. I see elements of the Kidd comparison in terms of length, defensive tenacity & leadership but Wall isn't close to rebounder Kidd was and Kidd wasn't an elite finisher around the basket. Wall will definitely be more of a scorer than Kidd.

No doubt, Rondo has a gear that John Wall hasn't explored, the slow-pitch. It's part of the reason why JWall is occasionally a little wild-- he goes full speed all the time, or else he goes faster. Rondo occasionally looks like he's playing at matrix speed, where everything slows down for him in bullet time. But he does break out the fastball as often as not, and blows past everybody driving to the lane. Still seems slower than that eyeblink because he's always under control. For my money he's my favorite PG in the game right now.

But it's those long arms and the body control that remind me of John Wall. Granted Rondo has mitts like Dr J on a 6-foot-nuttin body, whereas Wall has the cockroach speed that nobody else has right now, but what's more impressive to me is his ability to control his body at that speed, split the double between an opponent and his shadow and thread a wrap-around pass to a player who didn't yet know he was open. The game still hasn't slowed down for him yet, he plays all game at helter skelter pace, but clearly he can still make reads and control his action at that pace.

Basically in finishing ability at the hoop Wall compares well with Rose, in heads up style he compares favorably with Rondo, in that teleport-quick first step he resembles Iverson. Nice to be in the conversation with any of them, if he can live up to 80% of all that potential -- and gawds please: stay healthy-- then he'll be a remarkable player in this league.

The positive thing is that his current combination of humility and competitive attitude ought to lead him towards success. Kid just wants to get better. The most hopeful sign out of Summer ball was his ability to adjust. Postgame he could instantly assess and break down his own flaws, next game he would iron out his problems. Those turnovers dropped off the shelf, assists increased, rebounds increased, etc. He hasn't yet solved the NBA 3 line, but is working with Sammy on the midrange game first, etc. is patient that it will come in time.

His best asset: Mental speed. A southern kid, he doesn't talk a mile a minute, but watch how quickly he answers a question with a fully formed well considered answer, especially about all things basketball related. He seems to have perfect recall of the game, will break down a sequence and discuss the right way to do it, in restrospect. There's plenty of players with significant speed, but what makes a point guard is that intuitive understanding in the read & react.

Kid is gonna be pretty good.

[CarMalone]

I don't think Wall and Rose will be similar after 3 years. Rose was developed as a scorer as the Bulls lacked a reliable scorer and will be most similar to Dwyane Wade. I can see Wall being developed as a more versatile passer and facilitator.