Z-Rex: The Cody Zeller Thread

[JDR720]

I still think a trade with Minnesota for a combination of Kelly Olynyk or Steven Adams at 9th overall, a shooter like Tim Hardaway Jr., Reggie Bullock, or Glen Rice Jr. at 26th overall, and Derrick Williams would've been better than drafting Cody Zeller at #4

I seriously doubt Minny would have done that trade

yea i dont think they would've done that, they wanted Oladipo and he wasn't there and this draft is to weak to trade 3 assets for #4 pick

[Eoghan]

11. & 12. MCW & Steven Adams - its possible these are the two best guys to come out of this draft, but who knew? Did anybody want them at 4?

I wanted Adams, I even started a thread about him because I felt he deserved to be mentioned in the same tier with all the white centers (Zeller, Olynyk, Plumlee) and Dieng. MCW I was leery on, I liked him better than Burke but I liked Kemba too much to really consider him.

Spot on about the picks so far though. I think it's going to be a few months until Bennett gets back to what he can be, just the nature of his ailments.

Back to Zeller, he's really not getting enough minutes or shots up for me to definitively say his shot sucks. He's been surprisingly productive in the minutes he's been given. He just plays so small for a 7 footer, that is one of my cardinal sins for bigs. He might be able to strengthen his lower body and resolve some of this but I think it's mostly a mindset thing, you either like contact or you don't. He's also a bit disadvantaged in that he doesn't have any shooters around him to pass to.

[catch20two]

My new nickname for Cody Zeller is Biggie Smalls.

[mrknowitall215]

I still think a trade with Minnesota for a combination of Kelly Olynyk or Steven Adams at 9th overall, a shooter like Tim Hardaway Jr., Reggie Bullock, or Glen Rice Jr. at 26th overall, and Derrick Williams would've been better than drafting Cody Zeller at #4

I seriously doubt Minny would have done that trade

Minnesota traded their #9 pick for the opportunity to move 'down' with the #14 & #21 picks. I strongly believe they would've traded their #9 pick for the chance to move 'up' to draft Ben McLemore and rid themselves of Derrick Williams even if it meant asking for Jeff Taylor from the Bobcats

[HornetJail]

1. Anthony Bennett - looks like his shape and asthma might ruin him. Hate his game. Didn't expect much out of him and it looks like my expectations of him being a career role player might be a tad optimistic.
2. Victor Olidipo - he's awesome, but was off the board. was wrong about him- he's been a lot better than i though
3. Otto Porter - is it his hip or is he just a bust? probably the injury- he'll be fine
4. Cody Zeller - healthy and contributing we'll bring him along slowly- Jefferson, Biz, and McBob are all playing very well (well Jefferson is when he plays), so it's not surprising that Zeller doesn't have much of a role yet
5. Alex Len - stress fractures keeping him off the court, that's scary in a big. that scared me off
6. Nerlens Noel -could CHA afford to take someone who wouldn't play for a season due to injury? My concerns were longer term: his legs are so spindly I don't see how he survives the rigors of NBA season without repeat injury, Great when he plays, but . . . Think Marcus Camby. the injuries scared me off completely, plus i'm not even sure his game will transfer over if he comes back and is still less than 210 pounds
7. Ben McLemore -it wasnt jut us, something was going on, if it was his entourage or agent. I don't know, then, did you see him in summer league? it looks like he's going to be good, but there were red flags. still doesn't strike me as anything more than an okay starter
8. Kantaimatus Cadwell Poop - did they really draft him 8? meh-heh-heh
9.Trey Burke - yet to play due to injury, Kemba's better. can't tell- i think he'll be solid, but that's solely based off his college career
10. CJ McCollum - not just injured, refractured same foot he broke last year. we'd all be sweating bullets over that. that worries me- i liked him, but there's no way he'd have fit here
11. & 12. MCW & Steven Adams - its possible these are the two best guys to come out of this draft, but who knew? Did anybody want them at 4?I wanted Adams, but only if we traded down. #4 would've been too high. MCW looks like he was on a tear early and has cooled off fast. don't be surprised if the rest of his season goes off like Kemba's rookie year
others: Antetokounmpo is soooo intriguing, as is Schroeder. both are projects but i like their chances of being really good

[Liver_Pooty]

Zeller will be fine as a player, he just needs a vigorous weight training program in the off season, and hes still adjusting to being a PF. It was rather unfair to him by being called a stretch 4 by Cho and Higgins when he has never played like that in his entire life. That would be like telling MKG to be a 2 guard and shoot 3s.

[Eoghan]

Zeller will be fine as a player, he just needs a vigorous weight training program in the off season, and hes still adjusting to being a PF. It was rather unfair to him by being called a stretch 4 by Cho and Higgins when he has never played like that in his entire life. That would be like telling MKG to be a 2 guard and shoot 3s.

Uh huh, sure. So much for all that "He only struggled at Indiana b/c they made him play in the post too much as a back to the basket C."

anyone want to paraphrase (not copy and paste of insider stuff) what ford had to say about zeller today?

That he's been working on his guard skills and looks very comfortable handling the ball and shooting 3s. Zeller said he often did these things in high school but the IND coach wanted him the post. He shot 72% from 3 and 80% from the corner. He's even better in the midrange. The article does mention that according to a source the Bobcats are not high on him (possible smokescreen?). Compares him to Bosh and Alridge and points out his wing span and standing reach are not as good but that he posted higher athletic numbers.
:sadtrombone:

EDIT - cant quote insider info. but thanks for the read - fats

[catch20two]

Zeller will be fine as a player, he just needs a vigorous weight training program in the off season, and hes still adjusting to being a PF. It was rather unfair to him by being called a stretch 4 by Cho and Higgins when he has never played like that in his entire life. That would be like telling MKG to be a 2 guard and shoot 3s.

I thought it was Cody and his camp that converted him into a stretch 4 and tried to sell teams on him being such during the predraft workouts?

You're right that he'll be just fine because I can't see him doing anything but improving on what has been a slight disappointment so far. I just hope he has a higher ceiling than it currently appears and that he'll start showing us flashes of what made him considered a top pick once upon a time.

[Liver_Pooty]

Zeller will be fine as a player, he just needs a vigorous weight training program in the off season, and hes still adjusting to being a PF. It was rather unfair to him by being called a stretch 4 by Cho and Higgins when he has never played like that in his entire life. That would be like telling MKG to be a 2 guard and shoot 3s.

I thought it was Cody and his camp that converted him into a stretch 4 and tried to sell teams on him being such during the predraft workouts?

You're right that he'll be just fine because I can't see him doing anything but improving on what has been a slight disappointment so far. I just hope he has a higher ceiling than it currently appears and that he'll start showing us flashes of what made him considered a top pick once upon a time.

His camp may have said that, I can't recall. He can shoot it pretty well, but he just seems a little gun shy, as if he is paranoid that he will get his crap jumped if he screws up. He will get over it eventually as he gets used to the NBA game.

[catch20two]

Zeller will be fine as a player, he just needs a vigorous weight training program in the off season, and hes still adjusting to being a PF. It was rather unfair to him by being called a stretch 4 by Cho and Higgins when he has never played like that in his entire life. That would be like telling MKG to be a 2 guard and shoot 3s.

I thought it was Cody and his camp that converted him into a stretch 4 and tried to sell teams on him being such during the predraft workouts?

You're right that he'll be just fine because I can't see him doing anything but improving on what has been a slight disappointment so far. I just hope he has a higher ceiling than it currently appears and that he'll start showing us flashes of what made him considered a top pick once upon a time.

His camp may have said that, I can't recall. He can shoot it pretty well, but he just seems a little gun shy, as if he is paranoid that he will get his crap jumped if he screws up. He will get over it eventually as he gets used to the NBA game.

BrotherDave just quoted it. It was Cody himself that said that he's a stretch 4, that he can hit the 3 at a 70% clip and that he's a even better midrange shooter. Somebody sold us cow dumplings.

[Liver_Pooty]

Zeller will be fine as a player, he just needs a vigorous weight training program in the off season, and hes still adjusting to being a PF. It was rather unfair to him by being called a stretch 4 by Cho and Higgins when he has never played like that in his entire life. That would be like telling MKG to be a 2 guard and shoot 3s.

Uh huh, sure. So much for all that "He only struggled at Indiana b/c they made him play in the post too much as a back to the basket C."

anyone want to paraphrase (not copy and paste of insider stuff) what ford had to say about zeller today?

That he's been working on his guard skills and looks very comfortable handling the ball and shooting 3s. Zeller said he often did these things in high school but the IND coach wanted him the post. He shot 72% from 3 and 80% from the corner. He's even better in the midrange. The article does mention that according to a source the Bobcats are not high on him (possible smokescreen?). Compares him to Bosh and Alridge and points out his wing span and standing reach are not as good but that he posted higher athletic numbers.
:sadtrombone:

EDIT - cant quote insider info. but thanks for the read - fats

Only Oladipo and MCW are playing well as rookies. Not sure why you hate Zeller so much.

[JDR720]

Zeller did say he can shoot during the combine but he has to get used to shooting in the NBA give him some time needs to get more arc on his shot but besides that his jumper is good

[mrknowitall215]

May 31, 2013

Zeller, for his part, claims that he has always had these skills. As a high school player, he regularly played on the perimeter and took 3s. He said he made three 3-pointers during one game his senior season. However, at Indiana, head coach Tom Crean wanted Zeller in the post and that's where he stayed. As a freshman he took just 27 percent of his shots outside the basket area. As a sophomore he upped it slightly to 34 percent.

What makes him think he can do it differently now?

Zeller told us at the NBA draft combine we'd be surprised by his shooting and he backed up that claim Thursday. I tracked his NBA 3-point shots and he shot 72 percent for the workout. That's terrific, especially for a 7-footer. His midrange jumper was even better. Zeller showed the ability to shoot off the bounce and with his feet set. He was especially effective in the corners, where he shot 80 percent from the field for the day.

Some scouts think so. Several scouts compare him to a young Chris Bosh. A few others to LaMarcus Aldridge. They are both interesting comparisons -- rail-thin college centers who made the transition to power forward in the pros.

I wish I had a reasonable explanation for how uncomfortable Cody Zeller has looked as a stretch 4 so far, but maybe he's just scared

[Diop]

he looks really gun shy a lot of the time.

It would be nice to have a rookie come straight out and impress, but I'm happy to wait.

[catch20two]

How is he a stretch 4 if he don't even shoot threes?!? I think every PF in the NBA shoot midrange jumpers.

[Liver_Pooty]

How is he a stretch 4 if he don't even shoot threes?!? I think every PF in the NBA shoot midrange jumpers.

Its been 10 games. Were always patient with every other rookie I don't see a reason why we can't be patient with him.

[catch20two]

How is he a stretch 4 if he don't even shoot threes?!? I think every PF in the NBA shoot midrange jumpers.

Its been 10 games. Were always patient with every other rookie I don't see a reason why we can't be patient with him.

I'm patient enough to believe that he'll become a serviceable starter maybe 2-3 years from now if not longer but he's yet another project pick. That's where my disgust is coming from. If we wanted to draft a project I would've much rather have drafted one with more upside and a higher ceiling.

[Liver_Pooty]

How is he a stretch 4 if he don't even shoot threes?!? I think every PF in the NBA shoot midrange jumpers.

Its been 10 games. Were always patient with every other rookie I don't see a reason why we can't be patient with him.

I'm patient enough to believe that he'll become a serviceable starter maybe 2-3 years from now if not longer but he's yet another project pick. That's where my disgust is coming from. If we wanted to draft a project I would've much rather have drafted one with more upside and a higher ceiling.

Most of the past years draft are looking like projects with the exception of Oladipo and MCW, unfortunately.

[catch20two]

Most of the past years draft are looking like projects with the exception of Oladipo and MCW, unfortunately.

But what's a project with limited upside?

[Liver_Pooty]

Most of the past years draft are looking like projects with the exception of Oladipo and MCW, unfortunately.

But what's a project with limited upside?

I think he has great upside. Very athletic with a high basketball IQ.