Nikola Mirotic Thread

[AAU Teammate]

Mirotic's shooting is the big attraction. The fact that he'll drag opposing bigs out to the three point line. He does have some ballhandling ability and does have crafty ways to score in the paint, and he'll be matchup hell against some guys. When I've seen him put the ball on the floor it is usually when the offense has granted him a little space to get a first step and do some damage. Granted I have only watched the last year or two of his NBATV appearances.

Now, if you are looking for a 6'10" athletic low post scoring machine, then you are looking in the wrong place.

[Pnjguy]

He'll be fine offensively because above all else, he can shoot and he's 6'11. He's not going to have trouble getting his shot off. And he's seems to be crafty in the post, kinda like Scola used to be, I like that. The big concern is going to be defensively. I don't see the lateral movement, but him being 6'11 with some gerth is going to a big plus on defense versus a guy like Boozer. I don't think he'll be as good of a defensive rebounder Boozer is though. If he can grab 5-6 boards a game, I think that should be enough.

[transplant]

But he can't jump. At all. He's even less impressive than Dirk, from a vertical point of view.

In general, the Nowitzki comparison is premature and unfair, but for pure leaping ability, I think it's fair game. And while watching highlight reels is no way to judge how good a player is, they can be instructive if you want to compare something like real, "functional athleticism" (athleticism displayed within the context of game action). So I just watched some highlight reels of Mirotic and a young Nowitzki. IMO, their functional athleticism is very damn similar.

[Magilla_Gorilla]

Who cares whether or not Mirotic can jump out of the gym? The fact is that Mirotic knows basketball, understands positioning and leverage, and is dominating the competition in the second highest level of basketball on earth.

And people are worried about his vertical?

[dafunky1]

Who gives 2 chits if Nikola is not athletic??? The cat does one thing the Bulls need,he can flat out shoot.

[molepharmer]

Who cares whether or not Mirotic can jump out of the gym? The fact is that Mirotic knows basketball, understands positioning and leverage,.....

To me this really is the most important. I've watch some of his play and find it unimpressive, kind of like two time All-Star Luol Deng. All he does is know where to be on the court and how to help the team win. He blends in seamlessly and does whats needed. At the end of the game somehow he ends up 14-20 pts and 4-6 rbds.

[AAU Teammate]

In some people's minds (and it annoys me) everyone in the NBA should be able to jump out of the gym. There's no changing them on this. They're back on the planet of yesteryear where the three point shot was a novelty.

It now defines offense. Getting it into the paint convincingly serves in importance for the very ability to kick it back out to get the highest reward shot from the guys who make it the most often.

I feel like these same people watch NFL and dream and hope that a running back means what he used to (as opposed to what he means now)

[kuly1990]

Who cares whether or not Mirotic can jump out of the gym? The fact is that Mirotic knows basketball, understands positioning and leverage,.....

To me this really is the most important. I've watch some of his play and find it unimpressive, kind of like two time All-Star Luol Deng. All he does is know where to be on the court and how to help the team win. He blends in seamlessly and does whats needed. At the end of the game somehow he ends up 14-20 pts and 4-6 rbds.

so you wouldnt like allstar pf for 5 mil per year?

[veji1]

Who cares whether or not Mirotic can jump out of the gym? The fact is that Mirotic knows basketball, understands positioning and leverage,.....

To me this really is the most important. I've watch some of his play and find it unimpressive, kind of like two time All-Star Luol Deng. All he does is know where to be on the court and how to help the team win. He blends in seamlessly and does whats needed. At the end of the game somehow he ends up 14-20 pts and 4-6 rbds.

Well done sir

Indeed some people here's obsession with physical tools leads them to overlooking of fundamental bball qualities.. Sure you can't teach size, but you can't teach a dimwit velociraptor (sorry Tyrus T...) to become a basketball player, whereas a greatly talented basketball player will maximise his strengths and minimize his weaknesses, in the physical department for example.

Some guys here are hilarious. The Bulls have the rights to the most talented and one of the 2/3 best players actually in Europe, still very young, and who can be a fantastic addition at a time when the team has low hopes of getting good players at reasonable cost... What gives ?!

[AAU Teammate]

http://elmundomadridista.com/index.php/ ... del-madrid

Real Madrid wants Vesely b/c they expect to lose Mirotic?

For those using Google Translator.... "más que hipotética" is being incorrectly translated as "highly hypothetical." You'll be glad to hear that should actually read "more than hypothetical"





Kelly Scaletta ‏@KellyScaletta 9m
Spanish writer wants Vesely on Real Madrid. Why should you care? Because they expect to lose Mirotic to the NBA! http://wapo.st/HMPJCi

[Saphir]

I guess it's time we start inundating Chad Ford's chats with "Where would Mirotic be drafted in the 2014 draft" questions, right?

[Bomba Navarro]

I don't know what some of you guys are talking about. I didn't see anybody overlooking Mirotic's skillset in this thread. Not in the last pages at least. Some of us say that he lacks elite athleticism, which may keep him from becoming a star. What's wrong with that? It's actually a compliment. It's probably the only negative thing you could say about him as a prospect.

[AAU Teammate]

What will basically happen to Mirotic is he'll be saddled with the senseless Dirk Nowitzki thing because of what the hype machine is and because of the build up and time spent as a stash pick.

Face it, if he was Dirk he'd have gone higher. Dirk is an all-time great, probably the most unique 7 footer in NBA superstar history.

Mirotic is a late first round pick who has become lottery talent, even without the focus on weight training (look at what Taj at 28 has JUST done in the weight room...JUST now). NM has been improving while on someone else's dime. It's been an excellent situation for us. He's 22 and learning the game, facing talent (on average) better than nearly every men's US college level team. If he's between Kukoc and Schrempf then that is phenomenal for a #23 pick. At a time when everyone had been clamoring for MarShon Brooks.

[hopp]

http://live.euroleague.net/gamesjs.aspx ... M54C37&z=0

Game live

real Madrid - Efes Istanbul

[sisibilio]

Sergio Rodriguez >>>> God

[BuffaloBull]

Looks like Mirotic is done for the day.

22 minutes, 14 points on 3-4 2pt 2-3 3pt 2-2 ft 6 boards (1 offensive) 2 steals 1 assist 2 blocks.

[Ralphb07]

Looks like Mirotic is done for the day.

22 minutes, 14 points on 3-4 2pt 2-3 3pt 2-2 ft 6 boards (1 offensive) 2 steals 1 assist 2 blocks.

I just can't wait to get him here.

[BullsFTW]

What will basically happen to Mirotic is he'll be saddled with the senseless Dirk Nowitzki thing because of what the hype machine is and because of the build up and time spent as a stash pick.

Face it, if he was Dirk he'd have gone higher. Dirk is an all-time great, probably the most unique 7 footer in NBA superstar history.

Mirotic is a late first round pick who has become lottery talent, even without the focus on weight training (look at what Taj at 28 has JUST done in the weight room...JUST now). NM has been improving while on someone else's dime. It's been an excellent situation for us. He's 22 and learning the game, facing talent (on average) better than nearly every men's US college level team. If he's between Kukoc and Schrempf then that is phenomenal for a #23 pick. At a time when everyone had been clamoring for MarShon Brooks.

The big reason why Mirotic fell to #23 in the 2011 NBA Draft was because teams knew he was not coming to the NBA right away. When Dirk was drafted, he went straight to play in the NBA. I remember reading that Mirotic would have gone in the Top 5 of the 2011 Draft had he able to come to the US right away.

[BullsFTW]

Looks like Mirotic is done for the day.

22 minutes, 14 points on 3-4 2pt 2-3 3pt 2-2 ft 6 boards (1 offensive) 2 steals 1 assist 2 blocks.

Another very efficient performance

[BullsFTW]

Looks like Real Madrid can beat multiple teams in the NBA