Kevin Seraphin

[verbal8]

Had we not traded for Hinrich, we would have paid the same $17M to a worse backup PG with a longer contract.

You know what? Your right, I can't even argue against this type of logic.

Thank goodness we didn't give Chris Duhon all that money.

...or Josh Childress' 33/5 or Al Harrington's 34/5 or Drew Gooden's 32/5 or Luis Scola's 47/5 or Richard Jefferson's 39/4.

I think Hinrich's deal does not look bad compared to the money it would have taken to get him if he were a free agent. The only downside is no Hinrich may have made it possible to retain Livingston.

[hands11]

Just hearing the crickets as we wait for some news on the kid.

Last crumb we got was about McGee and team USA, then it's been a few days of nothing. I guess McGee and Yi will be the story line for now since they are playing.

If this kid is still putting in 5 hrs a day, I hope we get some news or video on him. I want to hear about the knee and how it is doing.

These are the dog days. In between the excitement of the draft and adding players and camp starting but we still have questions that need answered. One of the biggest questions that was out there was us signing this kid and him coming over this year. That is behind us. I think that was a huge one for us. McGee, Armstrong and Keven sounds a lot more solid then McGee and Armstrong.

But our ace in the whole is that we still have Dray who can defend the center if needed. I just don't want to rely on him doing that since I want to see him 90% at PF.

So what news could break next.

Health - Dray, Kevin, Howard and Gil to a lesser extent but I still things people wonder a little. This are probably our biggest questions that need answered. Seems to always come down to health to start the season with us.

I'll be happier when we start checking some of these players off the list. Kevin's injury wasn't supposed to be that bad. I wish someone would report that he is 100%

[Rafael122]

We're not going to hear anything until training camp. Michael Lee is not going to go out of his way and check up on the kid.

[Dat2U]

Had we not traded for Hinrich, we would have paid the same $17M to a worse backup PG with a longer contract.

You know what? Your right, I can't even argue against this type of logic.

Thank goodness we didn't give Chris Duhon all that money.

...or Josh Childress' 33/5 or Al Harrington's 34/5 or Drew Gooden's 32/5 or Luis Scola's 47/5 or Richard Jefferson's 39/4.

Ha! So I guess it was Hinrich or bust?

Yeah, we should praise EG for NOT making deals his owner WOULD'NT have approved of.

[montestewart]

(quote=JonathanJoseph "Had we not traded for Hinrich, we would have paid the same $17M to a worse backup PG with a longer contract.)

You know what? Your right, I can't even argue against this type of logic.

Thank goodness we didn't give Chris Duhon all that money.

...or Josh Childress' 33/5 or Al Harrington's 34/5 or Drew Gooden's 32/5 or Luis Scola's 47/5 or Richard Jefferson's 39/4.

Ha! So I guess it was Hinrich or bust?

Yeah, we should praise EG for NOT making deals his owner WOULD'NT have approved of.

Almost like it was the last chance for many teams to throw away huge chunks of money on (perhaps) ill-advised, long-term contracts for aging veterans before the new CBO changes the economic landscape of the game and perhaps takes away the ability to flush money down the drain like that.

Personally, I don't care if it was EG's or Leonsis' idea as much I'm glad it didn't happen.

PS: I think of Jefferson's as more a 3-year, $24 million extension (which is still a lot) in exchange for allowing the Spurs to restructure his salary.

[Wizardspride]

Kevin Seraphin interview.
http://www.bulletsforever.com/2010/8/18 ... #storyjump

Earlier today, Jerome Knoepffler published an interview with Kevin Seraphin for the French-language basketball site, USA Basketball. With the help of machine translation, I am bringing you the key pieces of his interview. Feel free to translate and read the full Knoepffler interview of Seraphin for yourself. (Note: I am staying away from direct quotes based on the imperfect nature of machine translation.)



•Knoepffler asked if Seraphin if he was happy with the Cholet season and Kevin said that he was partially satisfied. He was happy with the team's success - champions of France. However, he felt that he could have played better.

•Knoepffler asked Kevin Seraphin about his time working with Jim Bilba, a French basketball legend. Seraphin responded that he worked really well with Jim and that he gave him a lot of advice particularly on defense. Kevin also credited Jean-Francois Martin, who he worked with at the Cholet Basket Training center and Erman Kunter.

•Seraphin made the decision to enter the NBA draft following his performance at the Nike Hoop Summit in 2009.

•Knoepffler asked about his excitement during the NBA draft and with being on the stage with David Stern. Seraphin responded that the handshake with David Stern was huge! And that he even hugged him.

•Knoepffler asked if Seraphin was tempted to stay in Europe for another season or two before entering the NBA. Seraphin thought about staying in Europe for one more season. He was particularly tempted since his team would make the Euroleague. But he was presented with an opportunity to play in the NBA and with a team that is rebuilding which should provide the younger players an opportunity to play.

•A Cholet teammate, Mickael Gelabale, advised Seraphin on his decision to go to the NBA. Part of Gelabale's recommendation to go to the NBA was based in part on his belief that Seraphin would develop more quickly in the NBA.

•Knoepffler asked him about Wizard's drama the last season and Seraphin believes that this season would be calmer.

•Knoepffler asked Seraphin if the Wizards discussed the possibility of playing in the D-League. Seraphin's response, according to the translation, was "Absolutely not!" It appears that the Wizards were one of a few teams he met with pre-draft, which did not discuss with him the possibility of assigning him to the D-League. The goal appears to be for him to develop with the big team.

[queridiculo]

Pardon moi, my french is kind of flaky, but from what he said it actually appears that out of all the teams he interviewed with/for, the Wizards were to only ones not mentioning or suggesting the NBDL.

He even goes as far as saying that the deal was that if Washington was to pick him, they wouldn't put him in D-League.

Seraphin also mentions talking to the coach, and that they had a good conversation. He feels that with his background of working with some of most talented forwards in the game, Saunders will be able to aid his development.

[Ruzious]

Pardon moi, my french is kind of flaky, but from what he said it actually appears that out of all the teams he interviewed with/for, the Wizards were to only ones not mentioning or suggesting the NBDL.

He even goes as far as saying that the deal was that if Washington was to pick him, they wouldn't put him in D-League.

Seraphin also mentions talking to the coach, and that they had a good conversation. He feels that with his background of working with some of most talented forwards in the game, Saunders will be able to aid his development.

That's not exactly the same translation as the post above yours had - from Bulletsforever.com. Do you think their translation was off or incomplete?

[queridiculo]

That's not exactly the same translation as the post above yours had - from Bulletsforever.com. Do you think their translation was off or incomplete?

Just a poor translation that they took this from initially I'd guess. If you check bulletsforever now, they actually have an updated quote.

Did Washington talk to you about the NBDL (Dleague) ?
Absolutely not! The deal , if they were to take me, there would be no D-League. During the work-out, other teams talked to me about it (D-league) but not Washington. (Washington) definitely want to see mee on the playground so that I progress. Now we will see what will happen ...

[hands11]

Yeah. Much better when a GM uses ancient Jedi mind tricks to get his owner to not notice he is doing something totally different then he wants.

[closg00]

A new highlight mix has been posted on bulletsforever. I notice a some mid-range ability in these clips which is a plus. KS has a somewhat of slow release that looks potentially easy to block in the NBA so he will have to adjust. Love the soft touch around the basket.
http://www.bulletsforever.com/2010/8/20 ... light-film

[nate33]

A new highlight mix has been posted on bulletsforever. I notice a some mid-range ability in these clips which is a plus. KS has a somewhat of slow release that looks potentially easy to block in the NBA so he will have to adjust. Love the soft touch around the basket.
http://www.bulletsforever.com/2010/8/20 ... light-film

Wow! Some great footage here! I'm really, really excited about him now.

Seraphin seems to love contact. He does a real nice job of banging into the defender to get him off balance to set up that jump hook. I really like the extension of his hook shot and I was impressed to see extension in his jumper. He releases it from a real high point, and he actually jumps while shooting - uncommon for a big man. I just hope the jumper is accurate. There's a reason that very few big men actually jump when they shoot from the outside.

I'm still a little concerned that he doesn't appear to be that tall on video, but measurements don't lie. Seraphin has longer standing reach and wingspan than Horford and Noah. It may just be that he has such a big lower body that he looks short out there. Dude has a huge ass. Nobody is going to be able to dislodge him once he is set.

I'm going to put on my rose-colored glasses here and say that our frontcourt of the future is already here. I think Seraphin will ultimately be our starting center and he'll fit very well alongside Blatche. McGee will bring energy off the bench.

[Wizardspride]

I'm going to put on my rose-colored glasses here and say that our frontcourt of the future is already here. I think Seraphin will ultimately be our starting center and he'll fit very well alongside Blatche. McGee will bring energy off the bench.

If we already have our frontcourt of the future, then this changes everything.

[closg00]

A new highlight mix has been posted on bulletsforever. I notice a some mid-range ability in these clips which is a plus. KS has a somewhat of slow release that looks potentially easy to block in the NBA so he will have to adjust. Love the soft touch around the basket.
http://www.bulletsforever.com/2010/8/20 ... light-film

Wow! Some great footage here! I'm really, really excited about him now.


I'm going to put on my rose-colored glasses here and say that our frontcourt of the future is already here. I think Seraphin will ultimately be our starting center and he'll fit very well alongside Blatche. McGee will bring energy off the bench.

Really, starting Center in the Al Horford mold? ATL is giving-up on that Idea. I wonder where Flip will play him?

[WizarDynasty]

al horford 8'11 standing reach a 7'0 wingspan. Horford has smallforward length dimensions.

From what i hear seraphin is 9'1 standing reach with a 7'4 wingspan. That's definitely alot closer to a center dimensions than what Horford is working with.

[closg00]

al horford 8'11 witgh a 7'0 wingspan. Horford has smallforward length dimensions.

From what i hear seraphin is 9'1 with a 7'4 wingspan. That's definitely alot closer to a center dimensions than what Horford is working with.

Horford is listed as one inch taller than Seraphin (6"10 245), but lets just say they are comparable in size. Atlanta is moving Horford to PF, he has been playing out of position for years. lf KS is really 264LBS (doubtful), then he could probably hold his own in some Center match-ups, but not others.
Let's see where Flip plays him.

[WizarDynasty]

al horford 8'11 witgh a 7'0 wingspan. Horford has smallforward length dimensions.

From what i hear seraphin is 9'1 with a 7'4 wingspan. That's definitely alot closer to a center dimensions than what Horford is working with.

Horford is listed as one inch taller than Seraphin (6"10 245), but lets just say they are comparable in size. Atlanta is moving Horford to PF, he has been playing out of position for years. lf KS is really 264LBS (doubtful), then he could probably hold his own in some Center match-ups, but not others.
Let's see where Flip plays him.

again..its standing reach not really height that matters down in the post and having a powerful base with coordinated hands and feet. Seraphin is defintely a better shotblocker than Horford and i also think he has better touch around the basket. Horford has really short arms. *8'11 standing reach is pretty poor even for a powerforward and his wingspan of 7'0 isn't impressive at all, much closer to an optimal small forward's wingspan. Horford has short arms. Seraphin has ideal powerforward standing reach..and his 7'4 wingspan is close to average of most centers in the league.

[nate33]

FWIW, DX says that Seraphin has a 7-3 wingspan, not 7-4. His standing reach is indeed 9-1.

Here's a list of notable NBA players drafted in the first round over the past 5 years with a standing reach in the 8-10 to 9-2 range:

Code: Select all

Name            Year   Ht.        Wt.   Wngspn     Reach             
Andrea Bargna   2006   7' 1.25    249   -          9' 2             
LaMarcus Aldr   2006   6' 11.25   234   7' 4.75    9' 2             
Spencer Hawes   2007   7' 0.75    244   7' 0.5     9' 2             
Earl Clark      2009   6' 10.25   228   7' 2.5     9' 1.5           
Anthony Rando   2008   6' 10.25   197   7' 3       9' 1             
Charlie Villa   2005   6' 9.5     237   7' 0.25    9' 1             
Hilton Armstr   2006   6' 10.25   240   7' 4       9' 1             
Brandan Wrigh   2007   6' 10      200   7' 3.75    9' 0.5           
Cedric Simmon   2006   6' 9.5     223   7' 4.25    9' 0.5           
Jordan Hill     2009   6' 10.25   232   7' 1.5     9' 0             
Tyrus Thomas    2006   6' 8.25    217   7' 3       9' 0             
Al Horford      2007   6' 9.75    246   7' 0.75    8' 11             
David Lee       2005   6' 9       230   7' 0       8' 10.5           
Dejuan Blair    2009   6' 6.5     277   7' 2       8' 10.5           
Joakim Noah     2007   7' 0       223   7' 1.25    8' 10.5           
Jason Smith     2007   6' 11.5    233   6' 10.75   8' 10             
Kevin Love      2008   6' 9.5     255   6' 11.25   8' 10             
Tyler Hansbro   2009   6' 9.5     234   6' 11.5    8' 10             

Seraphin has the measurements of a natural PF but looks like he has the strength and jumping ability to play some minutes at center.

He appears to have the same dimensions as Hilton Armstrong, plus 20 pounds and more athleticism.

[closg00]

FWIW, DX says that Seraphin has a 7-3 wingspan, not 7-4. His standing reach is indeed 9-1.

Here's a list of notable NBA players drafted in the first round over the past 5 years with a standing reach in the 8-10 to 9-2 range:

Code: Select all

Name            Year   Ht.        Wt.   Wngspn     Reach             
Andrea Bargna   2006   7' 1.25    249   -          9' 2             
LaMarcus Aldr   2006   6' 11.25   234   7' 4.75    9' 2             
Spencer Hawes   2007   7' 0.75    244   7' 0.5     9' 2             
Earl Clark      2009   6' 10.25   228   7' 2.5     9' 1.5           
Anthony Rando   2008   6' 10.25   197   7' 3       9' 1             
Charlie Villa   2005   6' 9.5     237   7' 0.25    9' 1             
Hilton Armstr   2006   6' 10.25   240   7' 4       9' 1             
Brandan Wrigh   2007   6' 10      200   7' 3.75    9' 0.5           
Cedric Simmon   2006   6' 9.5     223   7' 4.25    9' 0.5           
Jordan Hill     2009   6' 10.25   232   7' 1.5     9' 0             
Tyrus Thomas    2006   6' 8.25    217   7' 3       9' 0             
Al Horford      2007   6' 9.75    246   7' 0.75    8' 11             
David Lee       2005   6' 9       230   7' 0       8' 10.5           
Dejuan Blair    2009   6' 6.5     277   7' 2       8' 10.5           
Joakim Noah     2007   7' 0       223   7' 1.25    8' 10.5           
Jason Smith     2007   6' 11.5    233   6' 10.75   8' 10             
Kevin Love      2008   6' 9.5     255   6' 11.25   8' 10             
Tyler Hansbro   2009   6' 9.5     234   6' 11.5    8' 10             

Seraphin has the measurements of a natural PF but looks like he has the strength and jumping ability to play some minutes at center.

He appears to have the same dimensions as Hilton Armstrong, plus 20 pounds and more athleticism.

BTW, what happened to Earl Clark, is he a bust?

WizD - On-the-money re: Seraphin's shot-blocking, I forget to mention that earlier. KS's shot-blocking skills are much better than McGee's (for now) Seraphin appears to have very good timing, I was very impressed.

[doclinkin]

Consider also that KSera has never yet hit a big league weight room. He figures to actually increase strength, stamina, even ups and finishing ability above the rim. This kdi has a frame that will soak in all the weight room work you can give it. I don't even want him putting on more mass (got to watch those lower body joints and bones) but increasing strength and stamina is a given.

Consider also that the relatively advanced back-to-basket game he showed in that video --(same clips as were linked to earlier if you use the search function on the french basket site, but edited all together)-- that advanced game is after only 5 years playing the game at any level. His instincts are great. After every made basket his first move is to bounce then sprint down the floor on defense. No celebration, no showboat. Happy to hustle.

His footwork is outstanding in the post. One quibble though, yes he has a large um foundation, but he doesn't use it much, plays on his tippytoes for quick reaction speed instead of setting into his stance for power and to take up space in the lane. He'll need better leverage there when he's faced against the Dwight Howards etc.

Again though in the discussion of PF vs C, it doesn't matter much if he's gonna be playing next to the 6'11" Dray. Blatche defends Centers competently at the one end while playing the skill-position forward at the other end. KSera can play the weakside defender and offball rebounder at the defensive end and the low-post no-frills guy at the other end. Still provides a positive mismatch for us, and good synergy between the two.