#12 pick in the draft ... who!

[miltk]

something you might find interesting on bazz. being a bruin, i think too many people are getting carried away with the bazz thing,,,he seems to be everyone's whipping boy of the month..

http://www.bruinzone.com/b12/messages/93751.shtml

The momentum of prospects always seems to move to extremes this part of the year. I think the important thing with Shabazz and this is a natural course for all prospects, is to disregard the rating coming out of high school which has historically been a poor barometer for a prospects success in the NBA and re-evaluate from the beginning.

From and OKC perspective we currently have two SG's on the roster that can be over-powered physically. This is an area that Presti has typically tried to ensure is a team strength. There are many who don't think Martin is a good long term fit, but ignore that Lamb has been evaluated as a younger Martin due to similar build and skill set.
This should leave an opening for a superior prospect. The question is whether Shabazz is that prospect? Presti has avoided adding the aggressive offensive player beyond Durant Westbrook and Harden by plan thus far, but might re-evaluate. I'm not concerned about the skill set of Shabazz or his fluctuating athleticism, but more on his mental approach. Is it going to be all about what he can do, or about how he fits with a team?

i'm actually kind of shocked at all the doubt regarding bazz's mental game. it started with his not celebrating with his teammates at drew's game winner, and people haven't let it go, partially imo, using that event to add ammo to his dropping stock. but i think the main genesis for all the dislike is he didn't turn out to be the guy everyone expected, at least athletically. there was a misperception that he was a very athletic player and since the nba prizes high flyers, it all went downhill from there. now, they're looking for reasons not to draft bazz, while in fact there are tons more reasons not to draft THE OTHER GUYS....like zeller/burke/noel?,,,seriously???

since everyone is saying they're looking for value, ie someone OUTSIDE the lottery, bazz in the middle round would become an ideal value pick, and he's the perfect foil to downgrade.

[sonictecture]

Shabazz played for himself at UCLA. Even if you erase the "celebration" incident, his assist rate versus usage rate was alarming. This isn't to say that he isn't willing to be more of a team player, I can only imagine the kind of pressure on him as the #1 rated player out of high school, but these are things you can only attempt to gather through the interview and background process.

The willingness to sacrifice for team is an important issue for Presti.