Ford Mock 6.0 #2 Embiid

[El Duderino]

As far as Jabari Parker goes, I can see the Pierce, Robinson and Anthony similarities. With Parker though, he is more explosive than Robinson was in my opinion. All four of those guys have very similar offensive games though. Silky shots, great post game and can handle the ball.

I think those are all reasonable comparisons for him too. I would lean more toward him being Robinson than I would Pierce at this point though... but I do agree he could be as good as Pierce.

The thing which has made Pierce so special is he could do pretty much everything well. He was a gifted scorer, passer, quality rebounder, and solid to good defensively.

[theFireBlanket]

After reading those scouting reports, rewatching some highlights and thinking it over a bit, I think my big board is now:

1. Embiid - total package, potential HOFer
2. Exum - polished all around talent, if he can play PG, he's a home run pick
3. Wiggins - has the unlimited potential but has to develop a number of skills yet
4. Parker - smooth scorer, but one dimensional and could turn into an inefficient, fat, chucker

I agree with all of this but I don't think that Jabari's going to get fat. Unless of course the Bucks drafted him and he took to Milwaukee like Mayo. Then again he wouldn't be far from his home in Chicago.

Anyway at 2 I wouldn't take Jabari unless he showed commitment to becoming a defender and put on a show when he came through for his workout at the Cousins Center.

[raysbookclub]

Yep, Big Dog looked amazing coming out of Purdue. I remember thinking he would be a more athletic Larry Bird. He could score, rebound, pass; he had great athleticism and savvy; he wanted to and did dominate; the team was a winning team even though no one else on the team was a pro-type player.

[Thunder Muscle]

Embiid is definitely the most polarizing player. It seems like people either have him as #1 or #4/do not touch. Not just here but with people outside this board too.

[mattg]

Honestly, there is a lot in common between Giannis' handle and wiggins. Which makes it funny that there's people who want Giannis playing PG yet think that wiggins can't dribble at all.

Not even close. Giannis has a far tighter handle despite being significantly longer. Wiggins can seemingly barely use his left hand. I don't even know where you got that from.

The best attribute both of them have is the amount of ground they cover with each dribble. Giannis' dribble is still high and not that tight as evidenced by him struggling to keep control when trying to turn the corner on ball screens or even when taking slight body bumps from defenders.

I do think Giannis' handle is stronger than wiggins because he's more ambidextrous and has giant hands, but his ball security isn't great at this stage. You need to not take it as me insulting Giannis since I said the characteristics of their handles have a lot in common with how they cover ground and that their weaknesses are similar.

[[MIKE C]]

As far as Jabari Parker goes, I can see the Pierce, Robinson and Anthony similarities. With Parker though, he is more explosive than Robinson was in my opinion. All four of those guys have very similar offensive games though. Silky shots, great post game and can handle the ball.

Agreed.

before big dogs ankles went to hell he was actually a pretty explosive player. Maybe I'm biased because I liked Glen since his college days but I think people underrate how good he was before he started having the leg problems.

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Robinson was an absolute beast at Purdue. He was a softer player in the NBA. A lot of people questioned his desire and intensity. I think part of it was that he knew he wouldn't be able to physically dominate the way he did in college so he modified his game a little in the NBA. He was still an amazing shooter and a guy who could drop 20 without blinking at the NBA level, but it was a shame we never got the player who dominated at Purdue.

[cheeztrain]

Cavs take Embiid I bet....

We take Wiggins, Exum would be ok

Nate
Wiggins or Exum
Giannis
Ersan
Larry

6-Knight
7-Middleton
8-Henson

Give all above the minutes, lottery again next year

Radu could get a few too

Develop the 2nd rounders

Just let Mayo/Delfino/Zaza expire or trade next year on expiring deals, Ersan can go same time as Mayo and zaza

Keep Hammond/morway for now

Drew has gotta go! Now. I think Hensons problems maybe via Larry Drew

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

Updates coming on the 2nd and 3rd tier guys. I never thought of Shawn Marion as a comparison for Gordon until Simmons brought it up, but I kind of like it.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/chadfordinsider/status/469932333445836800[/tweet]

[crkone]

After reading those scouting reports, rewatching some highlights and thinking it over a bit, I think my big board is now:

1. Embiid - total package, potential HOFer
2. Exum - polished all around talent, if he can play PG, he's a home run pick
3. Wiggins - has the unlimited potential but has to develop a number of skills yet
4. Parker - smooth scorer, but one dimensional and could turn into an inefficient, fat, chucker

To be fair, I'd also say Embiid has injury concerns and Exum has shooting/handle questions.

What is more likely, Parker refining his body or Wiggins developing his handle?

[WeekapaugGroove]

Updates coming on the 2nd and 3rd tier guys. I never thought of Shawn Marion as a comparison for Gordon until Simmons brought it up, but I kind of like it.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/chadfordinsider/status/469932333445836800[/tweet]

really? Not trying to be a dick but haven't people compared him to Marion all yr. I actually think he compares more to AK47 in his early Utah days. Marion has always looked awkward so I think people think he sucked on o but imo he was way ahead of gordon offensively even early in his career.

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[Max Green]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/draftexpress/status/469922769439039489[/tweet]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/draftexpress/status/469888817810669568[/tweet]

As best I could tell he definitely looks slimmer from the pic.

[El Duderino]

Robinson was an absolute beast at Purdue. He was a softer player in the NBA. A lot of people questioned his desire and intensity. I think part of it was that he knew he wouldn't be able to physically dominate the way he did in college so he modified his game a little in the NBA. He was still an amazing shooter and a guy who could drop 20 without blinking at the NBA level, but it was a shame we never got the player who dominated at Purdue.

Glenn did alter his game to be more of a mid-range/post up jump shooter, but another big reason why is he simply was very poor at handling the ball and with that high dribble, he constantly would turn it over when trying to get into the paint. In college he could get away with that, but not in the pros.

I still remember his rookie year, Dog was a turnover machine, averaging four of them a game. In fact, in his first four seasons, these were his turnover averages.

3.9
3.4
3.4
3.6

That's a ton for a non-PG. It was pretty crazy though compared to today's NBA when Glenn and Sammie were teammates in just how great both were at the mid-range jump shot. Now teams basically beg offenses to take mid-range jumpers, but with good reason because so few players today can consistently make them.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

After reading those scouting reports, rewatching some highlights and thinking it over a bit, I think my big board is now:

1. Embiid - total package, potential HOFer
2. Exum - polished all around talent, if he can play PG, he's a home run pick
3. Wiggins - has the unlimited potential but has to develop a number of skills yet
4. Parker - smooth scorer, but one dimensional and could turn into an inefficient, fat, chucker

To be fair, I'd also say Embiid has injury concerns and Exum has shooting/handle questions.

What is more likely, Parker refining his body or Wiggins developing his handle?

Yeah, if Embiid's back doesn't check out that's going to be a major issue, but I'm going to assume it's alright until it's not. By all reports today, seems like he is completely healed.

Exum may have some question marks, but I think they are a lot less worrisome than Wiggins and Parker. Exum's handles and shot appear to be much stronger than Wiggins and Parker's defense and athleticism might always keep him from becoming that franchise player we are all hoping for.

At the end of the day, if Embiid stays healthy he's at minimum a regular all-star and if Exum can prove he can handle PG in the NBA he's going to be as unique as Giannis. That is why I have them at 1 and 2 respectively.

[M-C-G]

After reading those scouting reports, rewatching some highlights and thinking it over a bit, I think my big board is now:

1. Embiid - total package, potential HOFer
2. Exum - polished all around talent, if he can play PG, he's a home run pick
3. Wiggins - has the unlimited potential but has to develop a number of skills yet
4. Parker - smooth scorer, but one dimensional and could turn into an inefficient, fat, chucker

Or another story line for each after a few years....

1. Chronic back problems, and didn't progress at the same rate as many expected
2. Weak shot, not enough PG skills to stick there, so moved to SG
3. Offensive game and handle didn't develop as hoped, still lock down defender that can guard 1-3
4. Got his body right and became average defensively, while being an efficient 20/10 guy

Anything is possible at this point

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

Updates coming on the 2nd and 3rd tier guys. I never thought of Shawn Marion as a comparison for Gordon until Simmons brought it up, but I kind of like it.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/chadfordinsider/status/469932333445836800[/tweet]

really? Not trying to be a dick but haven't people compared him to Marion all yr. I actually think he compares more to AK47 in his early Utah days. Marion has always looked awkward so I think people think he sucked on o but imo he was way ahead of gordon offensively even early in his career.

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I don't stay up late to watch Pac-12 games (wish I did though, I love Bill Walton) and really didn't pay any attention to Gordon until the NCAA tournament. So maybe that was a really common comparison, but I never heard it until recently. I think Gordon has a better shot than Marion. Marion had one of the ugliest shots in the history of the league, though to his credit, he made it work.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

After reading those scouting reports, rewatching some highlights and thinking it over a bit, I think my big board is now:

1. Embiid - total package, potential HOFer
2. Exum - polished all around talent, if he can play PG, he's a home run pick
3. Wiggins - has the unlimited potential but has to develop a number of skills yet
4. Parker - smooth scorer, but one dimensional and could turn into an inefficient, fat, chucker

Or another story line for each after a few years....

1. Chronic back problems, and didn't progress at the same rate as many expected
2. Weak shot, not enough PG skills to stick there, so moved to SG
3. Offensive game and handle didn't develop as hoped, still lock down defender that can guard 1-3
4. Got his body right and became average defensively, while being an efficient 20/10 guy

Anything is possible at this point

Obviously. I was just expressing where I'm leaning today.

[Thunder Muscle]

I'm not really worried about Parker's conditioning either. By all accounts he has a work ethic and is a good character guy. I don't think he just lets himself go once he gets paid. I believe his conditioning issue only came up when he was sidelined in high school I want to say. I think get him with professional training staffs that he'll be fine.

I'm more than okay with Parker. I think he fits the roster nicely and is a guy you can rely on to drop in 20/night. If Giannis ends up being a dynamic wing player I think those 2 could definitely be guys that lead a team to where you want to go and be good leaders.

[M-C-G]

After reading those scouting reports, rewatching some highlights and thinking it over a bit, I think my big board is now:

1. Embiid - total package, potential HOFer
2. Exum - polished all around talent, if he can play PG, he's a home run pick
3. Wiggins - has the unlimited potential but has to develop a number of skills yet
4. Parker - smooth scorer, but one dimensional and could turn into an inefficient, fat, chucker

Or another story line for each after a few years....

1. Chronic back problems, and didn't progress at the same rate as many expected
2. Weak shot, not enough PG skills to stick there, so moved to SG
3. Offensive game and handle didn't develop as hoped, still lock down defender that can guard 1-3
4. Got his body right and became average defensively, while being an efficient 20/10 guy

Anything is possible at this point

Obviously. I was just expressing where I'm leaning today.

Yeah, I hear you....at this point, we have all basically said everything that could be said about everyone...just trying to bide time until the actually draft.

Whoever we get is my new second favorite player behind Giannis.

[raysbookclub]

An article from a Canadian paper, from March, the angle is the question about Wiggins being too nice to be a superstar. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/b ... /?page=all

On Feb. 1, Wiggins played poorly in a loss to Texas and, afterward, an opponent called him scared.

Wiggins heard it, and remembered.

Three weeks later at Allen Fieldhouse against the same Texas team, he unleashed a highlight reel – blocking shots, nailing three-pointers, throwing down thunderous dunks, sending the blue-clad Kansas faithful into a frenzy. With three minutes left in the first half, the Jayhawks led 35-14, with Wiggins’s 15 points alone outscoring the visitors on the way to a decisive triumph.

The question of fire – the instinct to take a game and make it his own – remains. Wiggins is unconcerned. He knows he can do it.

“Lot of the time I don’t have to, you know?” he says. “I’m on a team where anyone can get their shot off at any time. I’m around a great team, with great scorers, great defenders. So a lot of things people want me to do, I don’t have to do.”

“When we think of fire,” says Roy Rana, Wiggins’s coach several summers on junior national Canadian teams, “we think of yelling and screaming. You have those quiet assassins who aren’t necessarily the most vocal, who don’t show their emotions. Andrew’s composed at all times. Sometimes people think that’s a lack of fire.”

Still, come March Madness, Wiggins watchers will look to No.22 to display greatness. If Kansas is to claim another championship in early April, Wiggins will have to shine.

“Andrew wants to be good,” Self says. “He’s just a mild-mannered, soft-spoken kid. Andrew, he’s like the star that doesn’t care if he’s a star. He just likes to hang out and be a kid. He’s one of the few that’s not in a hurry to grow up.”

Self pauses for a moment. “Even though he knows he’s going to have to pretty soon.”

He’s already proved he can. On the road at the regular season’s end, Kansas lost to underdog West Virginia, but Wiggins put on the singular performance of his season, taking charge in a failed comeback. His tally of 41 points, and a stellar show of defence including five steals and four blocks, was the sort of stunner everyone had waited to see.

“The kid Andrew Wiggins showed his heart today in a loss,” Los Angeles Lakers guard (and fellow Canadian) Steve Nash tweeted. “Watch out.”

[WeekapaugGroove]

Updates coming on the 2nd and 3rd tier guys. I never thought of Shawn Marion as a comparison for Gordon until Simmons brought it up, but I kind of like it.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/chadfordinsider/status/469932333445836800[/tweet]

really? Not trying to be a dick but haven't people compared him to Marion all yr. I actually think he compares more to AK47 in his early Utah days. Marion has always looked awkward so I think people think he sucked on o but imo he was way ahead of gordon offensively even early in his career.

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I don't stay up late to watch Pac-12 games (wish I did though, I love Bill Walton) and really didn't pay any attention to Gordon until the NCAA tournament. So maybe that was a really common comparison, but I never heard it until recently. I think Gordon has a better shot than Marion. Marion had one of the ugliest shots in the history of the league, though to his credit, he made it work.

right on dude. I live in Phoenix so obviously that comparison is beaten to death out here. Marions shot looks like a rabbit shooting a pumpkin out of of a manhole but has always been pretty effective. His floater was money too.

Gordon could develop a good jumper but it scares me that he's so bad at free throws. He's a super intriguing prospect because he plays so tremendously hard and seems to have good instincts. If he develops on o he's a multi yr all star imo.

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