Otto Porter

[Durins Baynes]

I don't care how good Otto is as a human being, only how well he plays basketball. Ultimately it's near impossible for fans to really know the character of a player anyway, as so much of what is presented to us is spin and PR. I think the personal demons of Jayson Williams, Kirk Snyder, Jason Kidd, etc, all came as quite a shock to fans for instance.

[Knighthonor]

I still feel like EG is hiding Porter from the eyes of players and fans the same way they did JV, because his lack of skill to make up for his draft position.

[Dark Faze]

I don't understand the doom and gloom. Porter was still second on my list of guys after Nerlens. I'm upset we passed on him, but realistically speaking perimeter players have been outperforming highly drafted bigs for a while now, and we're an Ariza or Webster injury away from being anemic there.

We're basing a lot our fear on one or two bad summer league games?

[Dat2U]

I don't understand the doom and gloom. Porter was still second on my list of guys after Nerlens. I'm upset we passed on him, but realistically speaking perimeter players have been outperforming highly drafted bigs for a while now, and we're an Ariza or Webster injury away from being anemic there.

We're basing a lot our fear on one or two bad summer league games?

The league is dominated by bigs. You've only got a handful of non PGs that are difference makers on the perimeter (especially since Melo & LeBron have transitioned into 4/3s).

[FAH1223]

I still feel like EG is hiding Porter from the eyes of players and fans the same way they did JV, because his lack of skill to make up for his draft position.

Porter has skill. The problem is he's not strong and he's injury prone thus far.

He does everything good, its just he isn't GREAT at one thing. He's certainly still very young and should keep improving.

[nuposse04]

I still feel like EG is hiding Porter from the eyes of players and fans the same way they did JV, because his lack of skill to make up for his draft position.

Porter may not be strong enough for the demands of a full NBA season yet but he is hardly lacking in skill. He shot the ball well and rebounded well. He really did carry that Hoyas team a lot. I think his first year will pay less scoring dividends than Beal's since Beal was fairly built coming in as a rookie but Porter's supposed future struggles shouldn't be cause there is a lack of skill.

[Dark Faze]

If Porter gets the minutes I expect him to have a better rookie campaign than Beal personally. I expect him to have more of an impact defensively, be stronger on the glass, do more dirty work, and to be as good of a scorer. He'll probably make more mistakes than Beal and won't be the shooter that he was, but I think he'll be excellent and have more of an impact on games than Beal did as a rook.

That's no statement about who will be the better player 5 years down the road--there's still much to be seen in order to make any comments about that.

[The Consiglieri]

I don't understand the doom and gloom. Porter was still second on my list of guys after Nerlens. I'm upset we passed on him, but realistically speaking perimeter players have been outperforming highly drafted bigs for a while now, and we're an Ariza or Webster injury away from being anemic there.

We're basing a lot our fear on one or two bad summer league games?

When you do nothing at an elite level, and lack athleticism, your ability to develop into a good to very good player at the NBA level is negligible. Elite length, strong rebounding ability, and a ridiculous motor are nice, but the negatives going into the draft were exactly what showed up in the summer league. Far too early to make any judgment, but for those deeply concerned about his prospects before we even drafted him, everything to this point has simply reinforced our concerns.

No final judgment should come until at least '15, but its very easier to understand the freak out. A strong minority around here always felt Porter had very limited upside, and was probably never going to more than an role player. You do not draft that #3 overall, and its infinitely worse to do that when a potential franchise center (or 2! or 3!), falls in your lap.

[mhd]

As I've stated numerous times, I was not a Porter fan. I was wrong about Zeller (Ruzious was totally right). If the goal was to win this year, then Zeller would have been the better pick. To me, Porter is not going to get any PT this year (his injuries coupled with Webster & Ariza). I'd consider trading him (ala what Cleveland did with Trent Richardson in the NFL).

[tontoz]

My stance right now on Porter is the same as Beal last year. I am not going to make any judgements on the first half of the season. I expect him to struggle.

Last year i was arguing that Beal should start the season on the bench behind Crawford until he got comfortable. He ended up starting and struggling, especially with his shot. Then suddenly one day out of the blue the light went on but not before he got trashed by a lot of posters.

i think we have to be careful not to judge a rookie too quickly.

[Jay81]

is he ever playing again?

[DCZards]

When you do nothing at an elite level, and lack athleticism, your ability to develop into a good to very good player at the NBA level is negligible. Elite length, strong rebounding ability, and a ridiculous motor are nice, but the negatives going into the draft were exactly what showed up in the summer league. Far too early to make any judgment, but for those deeply concerned about his prospects before we even drafted him, everything to this point has simply reinforced our concerns.

Don't worry Otto will do just fine with his less-than-elite talent. He's a hard worker from a special family background. He also has a great bball IQ and a diverse set of on court skills.

Below is what's been written about a former NBA player who, like Porter, and didn't do anything at an elite level, except maybe defend. But he had a great career and is one of my all-time favorites. Otto reminds me of this guy in a lot of ways. I'm talking about Sidney Moncrief.

"He never finished in the top 10 in scoring or the top five in assists or rebounds. His team never made it to the NBA Finals. And his name doesn't appear on the list of all-time statistical leaders. But ask anyone to name the top all-around players of the 1980s, and Sidney Moncrief will be on that list. The 6-4 Moncrief was both an offensive threat and a tenacious defender. In his 11 NBA seasons, primarily with Milwaukee, he demonstrated that he could shoot from the outside, post up, dunk over 7-foot centers, make the key pass, crash the boards and slash through the paint for a layup."

[nate33]

Sidney Moncrief was undoubtedly an exceptional basketball player, one of the most underrated players of all time. What exactly is it about Porter that reminds you of Moncrief? I see no real similarities at all. I still see Tayshawn Prince when I look at Porter.

[Ruzious]

Count me in as a HUGE fan of Sid Moncief. But I have to agree with nate - Prince is a better comp for Porter. Sid was a dynamic player and on-court leader. He was more in the Dwayne Wade mold - though Wade turned out even better. Otto's actually a better perimeter shooter - that was Sid's one weakness.

[DCZards]

You're right Ruz and Nate, not a lot of similarities between Moncrief and Otto. I just wanted to point out that you can be a great all around player, like Sidney was, without being elite at anything. However, I do think it's too easy to use Prince as a comp for Porter. I'm not sure I'm on that page because I see Otto as, potentially, a much better playmaker and facilitator than Prince and a better all around player.

[nuposse04]

I think the Prince comparison is easy as well but Porter's 2nd season at G-town IMO might be as good, if not better then Prince's 4th year at Kentucky. Developmentally, I think it reasonable to assume he will be better then Prince. He's already as stout as prince ever was. Although I think Prince might have been a better leaper.

[stevemcqueen1]

I don't understand the doom and gloom. Porter was still second on my list of guys after Nerlens. I'm upset we passed on him, but realistically speaking perimeter players have been outperforming highly drafted bigs for a while now, and we're an Ariza or Webster injury away from being anemic there.

We're basing a lot our fear on one or two bad summer league games?

The league is dominated by bigs. You've only got a handful of non PGs that are difference makers on the perimeter (especially since Melo & LeBron have transitioned into 4/3s).

You've got only a handful of difference makers in the league period, and almost all of them are perimeter players.

Melo and LeBron aren't bigs. They're natural SFs being used as small ball PFs because their teams know they can get away with playing them there precisely because the league is so small.

Bigs are still disproportionately valuable for defenses. I think they always will be. But as a whole, the big man has never been less involved on the offensive end in NBA history, and less crucial to team success than it has now. They just don't get the ball on offense like they used to. The Heat are the dominant team of the era and they lack a legit, traditional big man.

Offense is dominated by penetrating guards and forwards and perimeter shooters. Most of the bigs that score in volume shoot 3s or can at least pick and pop at a high level. It's overwhelmingly drive and kick and pick and roll now. To borrow from a friend of mine: the days of passing the ball to Charles Barkley in the post, having him lean back and go through the start of about 5 different moves, pause and wink at the pretty girl in the third row, pass the ball back to his guard, reset himself and get the ball back, then go through his move and get a shot off with 3 seconds of clock left are over.

The league is filled with Bigs who are role players. Scoring is down, usage is down, rebounding is down, minutes are down for bigs league-wide. What's up is bigs playing closer to the perimeter on offense: taking mid range jumpers, rolling from the top of the lane, facing up and driving from mid range, passing out of the high post and from the top of the key, and shooting threes.

I think do-it-all SFs that can shoot threes and defend several positions are certainly as valuable as big men. LeBron's, Durant's, and Melo's teams always win a ton of games. It's doubtful Porter will have their outsized value, he's just not the volume scorer they are. But he has a lot of the fundamental traits that make them so valuable. You need a PG. Or a forward so good he's your de facto PG. You need some kind of a big that can play D and rebound and protect the rim. And you need a well rounded forward to shoot 3s and who is versatile enough defensively cover up for the incomplete players you're probably having to play beside him. The Chicago Bulls led the league in winning % both years they had those elements.

[stevemcqueen1]

When you do nothing at an elite level, and lack athleticism, your ability to develop into a good to very good player at the NBA level is negligible. Elite length, strong rebounding ability, and a ridiculous motor are nice, but the negatives going into the draft were exactly what showed up in the summer league. Far too early to make any judgment, but for those deeply concerned about his prospects before we even drafted him, everything to this point has simply reinforced our concerns.

No final judgment should come until at least '15, but its very easier to understand the freak out. A strong minority around here always felt Porter had very limited upside, and was probably never going to more than an role player. You do not draft that #3 overall, and its infinitely worse to do that when a potential franchise center (or 2! or 3!), falls in your lap.

Porter anticipates the game at an elite level. He's got elite basketball instincts just like Beal. He gets to plays quicker than players who run faster because he's usually a step ahead of them. Beal isn't really an explosive athlete either. He's powerful, but he's smooth rather than explosive. Doesn't matter though because he makes plays based on his instincts.

There are a lot of guys who aren't special athletes but they still dominate the league. For every LeBron, Dwight, Wade, Rose, Wall, and Westbrook, there is a Durant, Harden, Curry, Melo, Paul, Pierce, Dirk, and Irving. And Porter does have a physical attribute that sets him apart--his height and his length. Sometimes that's all you need if you've got the skill and the head for the game.

Also, in hindsight, I think it might be exaggerating Noel's potential to consider it likely he ends up being a franchise center. There are serious and legitimate concerns about his body. Even if he didn't have a catastrophic knee injury, at this point his body is just not NBA quality. His thighs are somehow skinnier than his knees, and his hips, wrists, ankles, and shoulders are very slender. Nor is he a very useful offensive player at this point, and that's putting it diplomatically. If we're being honest, it was always somewhat of a leap in thinking to see how Noel could eventually have the offensive impact to be considered a franchise Center one day.

I was bullish on Zeller the whole season, and slow to warm up to Porter. But after watching a lot of both of them, I concluded that, while Zeller was good, Porter was just a better all around player. That alone was reason to take him over Zeller.

[Dark Faze]

Anthony Bennett looks awful

[DMVleGeND]

Anthony Bennett looks awful

He caught fire late though, scoring 14 points in the 4th qtr:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSDXqEbe3UI[/youtube]