Official Speculation Thread ‘18-19’: XX: Year of the Vuc

[BadHombre]

I wholeheartedly disagree with you. Strength is an issue for most NBA rookies but a lot of them still find ways to contribute in some way. A lot of his struggles are self inflicted in that he tends to coast through games and not be aggressive. Its why I kept saying "he does nothing good or bad" and it seems as though Cliff saw the same thing when he had to tell him to be aggressive, not to mention scouting reports pointed to his low motor, showing disinterest, lacking aggressiveness.



https://thefrontofficeeye.com/2018/04/10/mo-bamba-scouting-report/


https://theloopsports.com/2018/05/26/bulls-mo-bamba-scouting-report/


https://www.nbadraft.net/players/mohamed-bamba



http://www.nbascoutingreport.net/player-profiles-mo-bamba.html


I dont think strength has any correlation to improving motor. As stated before I really hope this isn't another Payton scenario where they had to ask him to be more aggressive because when he is aggressive he's effective on both sides. If you go to those sites I listed almost all of the talking points on "Strengths" refer to potential and "having the physical tools" to hopefully one day....

Vucevic was criticised for years about his effort, particularly on the defensive end. He’s looking good now though, at 28.

Of course we’d prefer it if Bamba had the aggressive motor of Bagley.

One thing to keep in mind is how much more engaged Bamba plays when things are clicking. There have been several games (including the season opener), where the lineups he’s been playing with have been clicking on both ends. His effort levels skyrocket then. Unfortunately for him, he’s mostly paired with a terrible unreliable supporting cast and he doesn’t seem to have the mentality to overcome that himself.

he was contributing way before this season though. Despite being “unathletic” vooch gets up and down the court and involved in plays. Bamba slowly jogs up the court despite having a “faster sprint than Westbrook”. When was the last time you saw Mo sprinting down court?

Vooch isn’t a guy who flys all over the court by any stretch but he’s involved in the game and contributing to say the least

I’m not saying Bamba is perfect by any stretch of the imagination, and I’m not criticising Vuc. I’m just saying that we’ve seen several years where Vucevic would skip a defensive rotation or not bother even trying to contest shots. Most of those, you could see from his body language, were emotional responses (frustration at others missing their assignments or not doing enough to keep opposing players out of the paint). This season, though, he’s in front of everyone and hustling on nearly every play.

I’m just saying, Bamba is young, he’s intelligent (so more likely to get in his own head), but he’s not beyond correcting. He’s engaged when things are clicking, but he just plays with a lineup that’s not talented enough to make things click all the time.

It’s certainly something to keep an eye on as he grows, but it’s not worth drawing conclusions over at this point.

[pepe1991]

I honestly don't think there is anything the front office can do to make us NOT have roughly a ~8% chance to get this guy:

Read on Twitter

Since Magic probably won't be able to draft him ... i'm not that high on him...
He is just grown ,overweight ( but athletic ) man among kids that can't match his physicallity at college.
He looks like compressed Wayman Tisdale there,who ,himself was undersized but heavy C.

Also don't want to throw shade at him, but that weight , yet vascularity and losing fat without really dropping much weight... not saying steroids but thinkng out loud- steroids. People simply don't have 280 pounds and vains naturally, especially not 18 years old kids.

And " young athletes don't use bla bla bla..:" there are steroids who are almost impossible to track down, aslo ncaa isn't really strict with testing and overall steroids are one of fastest raising drugs among teens in the world.

[rcklsscognition]

I honestly don't think there is anything the front office can do to make us NOT have roughly a ~8% chance to get this guy:

Read on Twitter

Since Magic probably won't be able to draft him ... i'm not that high on him...
He is just grown ,overweight ( but athletic ) man among kids that can't match his physicallity at college.
He looks like compressed Wayman Tisdale there,who ,himself was undersized but heavy C.

Also don't want to throw shade at him, but that weight , yet vascularity and losing fat without really dropping much weight... not saying steroids but thinkng out loud- steroids. People simply don't have 280 pounds and vains naturally, especially not 18 years old kids.

On that note, have we been any good since someone on our team used steroids? Did I just solve the rebuild?

[pepe1991]

I honestly don't think there is anything the front office can do to make us NOT have roughly a ~8% chance to get this guy:

Read on Twitter

Since Magic probably won't be able to draft him ... i'm not that high on him...
He is just grown ,overweight ( but athletic ) man among kids that can't match his physicallity at college.
He looks like compressed Wayman Tisdale there,who ,himself was undersized but heavy C.

Also don't want to throw shade at him, but that weight , yet vascularity and losing fat without really dropping much weight... not saying steroids but thinkng out loud- steroids. People simply don't have 280 pounds and vains naturally, especially not 18 years old kids.

On that note, have we been any good since someone on our team used steroids? Did I just solve the rebuild?

Pretty sure most of athletes use something...Especially when you see their "natty" transofmations within 8 weeks in offseason when nobody is testing them, and that gains ain't loyal
Lebron over one summer lost 20-25 pounds and gained them back within 4 weeks

Myles Turner,Simmons, Oladipo, Embiid,Mitchell are just some of people i can think off that during offseasons looked like bodybuilders, than during season all gains are gone.
Didn't Isaac allegedly added 15 pounds of muscles since April? Back at toothpick form now...

I know i know, they don't have time during season to recover to gain enough muscles, but still people don't just add 20 pounds of muscles over month and half naturally, body doesn't work like that.

[VFX]

There really isn't anyone in this draft that I think stands out as a "cant miss" prospect outside of Zion. He also doesn't fit at all with Isaac and Bamba. Not to mention this team needs outside scoring in the worst way possible. I'd love to have Zion even if its probably out of the realm of possibility. However, this roster is so terribly built with most valuable assets all being allocated into two positions that aren't really that valuable in the first place.

[PrimeThyme]

Its pretty sad when you consider that an organization like the Nets, who didn't even have their own 1st round draft pick for like 4 years is in a better place than we are today. We are just so fundamentally flawed as an organization from top to bottom. Another January collapse, where we will still end up winning just enough to pick outside the top 5. && best of all even if we were somehow to win the lottery it is a predominately forward heavy draft and one of Isaac or AG would have to be out the door for likely pennies on the dollar.

I don't really see an end in sight either. I have been a pretty vocal Alex Martin detractor since joining this board and I still think our problems start with him.

Ownership doesn’t want to lose, but I think it’s a gross mismanagement of talent evaluation. At some level, most of the people experienced enough around the league should know this roster was never capable of making the playoffs. Not only that, but that the team didn’t show enough growth to give the idea that the same roster was sufficient at all.

If management doesn’t blow this team up, teams like the Hawks, Nets, and Kings will (or already have) surpassed Orlando’s rebuild.

This team could desperately use a playmaker.

Pretty much. Meanwhile, teams like Dallas completely change the outlook of their franchise in one night by having the balls to move up and draft a generational talent like Luka. Honestly, the nerve of Weltman because he hit on one pick (Giannis) to say the draft flattened out when we could have had Hart or Kuzma is laughable to me. Weltman thinks he is so clever trading for a "diamond in the rough" player like Grant when (as I said the day the trade was made) he is a less efficient version of Shelvin Mack and a downgrade to him too.

Weltman continues to use the "evaluation" excuse as he misses on draft pick after draft pick, fails 2 years in to even have a semblance of a modern functioning NBA roster, and still doesn't have a starting level point guard for this team. Nothing close to a playmaker either. WeHam has shown me nothing, and I really don't trust them to draft the right playmaker for this team or to add the right one through free agency.

[tiderulz]

There really isn't anyone in this draft that I think stands out as a "cant miss" prospect outside of Zion. He also doesn't fit at all with Isaac and Bamba. Not to mention this team needs outside scoring in the worst way possible. I'd love to have Zion even if its probably out of the realm of possibility. However, this roster is so terribly built with most valuable assets all being allocated into two positions that aren't really that valuable in the first place.

if you get Zion, you move either Bamba or Isaac if they cant fit.

[NavalAviator94]

There really isn't anyone in this draft that I think stands out as a "cant miss" prospect outside of Zion. He also doesn't fit at all with Isaac and Bamba. Not to mention this team needs outside scoring in the worst way possible. I'd love to have Zion even if its probably out of the realm of possibility. However, this roster is so terribly built with most valuable assets all being allocated into two positions that aren't really that valuable in the first place.

if you get Zion, you move either Bamba or Isaac if they cant fit.

What position would Zion play in the NBA?

[rcklsscognition]

I had never seen Zion before today so I went to check out some highlight reels. He looks like Glen Davis got jacked and put in the original NBA Jam.

[NotACat]

There really isn't anyone in this draft that I think stands out as a "cant miss" prospect outside of Zion. He also doesn't fit at all with Isaac and Bamba. Not to mention this team needs outside scoring in the worst way possible. I'd love to have Zion even if its probably out of the realm of possibility. However, this roster is so terribly built with most valuable assets all being allocated into two positions that aren't really that valuable in the first place.

if you get Zion, you move either Bamba or Isaac if they cant fit.

What position would Zion play in the NBA?

Probably as a wing. He's a secondary ball handler with good vision, passing, shot blocking, driving, and finishing ability. Best off the ball, could guard 2-4.

[thelead]

I had never seen Zion before today so I went to check out some highlight reels. He looks like Glen Davis got jacked and put in the original NBA Jam.

He reminds me so much of Larry Johnson pre-injury... but more athletic

Watch on YouTube

[BadMofoPimp]

were they in the gym working out Hezonja when they didnt exercise his option year, then tried hard to recruit him to stay? lets not act like they are hitting on all cylinders, they are messing up on things many people called out prior to occurring. And many of us called out their draft picks as they happened, or just not making a pick at all and selling it instead of taking players that at worst would have improved our bench. (Kuzma, White, Hart, Bell) or projects in area of need, or packaging picks to move up a few for a need.

LOL. 31 other teams in the NBA are probably kicking themselves for not taking (Kuzma, White, Hart, Bell). Asking why any GM didn't take this or that player in the draft is ridiculous. Everyone is looking for Diamonds in the Rough, but it rarely happens so you can't blame one GM because they failed because some other team succeeded that one time. I am sure all GM's fail most of the time.

Our GMs FAIL EVERYTIME. That’s the difference between other GMs and ours

Sounds like a personal jaded opinion to me.

[NavalAviator94]

if you get Zion, you move either Bamba or Isaac if they cant fit.

What position would Zion play in the NBA?

Probably as a wing. He's a secondary ball handler with good vision, passing, shot blocking, driving, and finishing ability. Best off the ball, could guard 2-4.

Thanks, that's what I was thinking but honestly wasn't quite sure which seems to be the case among many in the media. I think I'm in awe of his 43.1 PER. Has any player had a PER that high coming out of college? WOW

Considering there is speculation on where he would play and how to use him, it makes you wonder if it's not out of the question of trading up for him. If there's risk there's opportunity, especially with a number of teams holding on to key assets for Anthony Davis.

[BadHombre]

I honestly don't think there is anything the front office can do to make us NOT have roughly a ~8% chance to get this guy:

Read on Twitter

Since Magic probably won't be able to draft him ... i'm not that high on him...
He is just grown ,overweight ( but athletic ) man among kids that can't match his physicallity at college.
He looks like compressed Wayman Tisdale there,who ,himself was undersized but heavy C.

Also don't want to throw shade at him, but that weight , yet vascularity and losing fat without really dropping much weight... not saying steroids but thinkng out loud- steroids. People simply don't have 280 pounds and vains naturally, especially not 18 years old kids.

And " young athletes don't use bla bla bla..:" there are steroids who are almost impossible to track down, aslo ncaa isn't really strict with testing and overall steroids are one of fastest raising drugs among teens in the world.

Interesting. I’ve never had any experience with steroids. If he’s built his body up with their help, will it hold as a base if he stops?

If we somehow lucked into a #1 pick, I’d gladly take him. You’re right that he’s a man amongst boys right now, but he’s got the weight and athleticism to be a man amongst men, too. Plus, he actually has skills, which this team is lacking.

I think he’ll be one of those “how does it even work?!” type freaks once he’s in the league. He can out muscle most, and those he can’t, he has the dexterity and handles to get separation from.

Him, RJ, Reddish, Morant all look like they could be of big help to the team. Hopefully we get one of them.

[MagicFan4Lyfe]

LOL. 31 other teams in the NBA are probably kicking themselves for not taking (Kuzma, White, Hart, Bell). Asking why any GM didn't take this or that player in the draft is ridiculous. Everyone is looking for Diamonds in the Rough, but it rarely happens so you can't blame one GM because they failed because some other team succeeded that one time. I am sure all GM's fail most of the time.

Our GMs FAIL EVERYTIME. That’s the difference between other GMs and ours

Sounds like a personal jaded opinion to me.

Yes. I am ANGRY and jaded.

[NotACat]

What position would Zion play in the NBA?

Probably as a wing. He's a secondary ball handler with good vision, passing, shot blocking, driving, and finishing ability. Best off the ball, could guard 2-4.

Thanks, that's what I was thinking but honestly wasn't quite sure which seems to be the case among many in the media. I think I'm in awe of his 43.1 PER. Has any player had a PER that high coming out of college? WOW

Considering there is speculation on where he would play and how to use him, it makes you wonder if it's not out of the question of trading up for him. If there's risk there's opportunity, especially with a number of teams holding on to key assets for Anthony Davis.

It'd be very interesting if we trade up. Would cost AG likely (or Isaac), but that defense would be wild

[EAS Law]

I had never seen Zion before today so I went to check out some highlight reels. He looks like Glen Davis got jacked and put in the original NBA Jam.

He reminds me so much of Larry Johnson pre-injury... but more athletic

Watch on YouTube

Perfect comparison in my opinion.

[basketballRob]

It's too bad that Johnson had a back injury before he hit his prime and lost some of his explosiveness.

Sent from my SM-G965U using RealGM mobile app

[VFX]

There really isn't anyone in this draft that I think stands out as a "cant miss" prospect outside of Zion. He also doesn't fit at all with Isaac and Bamba. Not to mention this team needs outside scoring in the worst way possible. I'd love to have Zion even if its probably out of the realm of possibility. However, this roster is so terribly built with most valuable assets all being allocated into two positions that aren't really that valuable in the first place.

if you get Zion, you move either Bamba or Isaac if they cant fit.

Yes of course. I guess what I’m saying is that we likely don’t get equal value regardless. Chances are they aren’t going to move enough needed pieces for it to make sense anyway.

[drsd]

Any update on Bamba's injury recovery?