I'm a bit pessimistic of his future, but I'm gonna go ahead and jump on the hype wagon just because I'm desperate for us to have a consistent dominant big again. Because they have more pressing matters to worry about. If they're too busy walking around the perimeter, who's gonna mop the paint and get rebounds?
I am impressed by the videos. This dude is a 7 footer and yet he runs like a small forward. The motion is very fluid and coordinated. He shoots using both hands around the basket and he shoots threes with good mechanics?! Add some weight, learn how to defend in the NBA and keep improving his skills and he would be a star center one day.
This 7 footer is going to end up like every other piece of euro trash that comes into the NBA. Dirk and Pau had the desire and the will to become great. Motiejunas is a lazy bum. He once missed a game in europe because he wanted to go to a party instead. He also said in a interview last year, which was conducted in Lithuanian, that he will not have to work hard in the NBA because he feels his skills and game are better then almost every player in the NBA. The interview aired on local TV in Panevėžys. He does not have the character of a true rocket.
That's my point. I don't understand people complaining about the 20th pick in the draft because we didn't pick the 7th pick instead -- it doesn't make sense.
Dirk? Pau? :grin: You guys are kidding, right? You're looking at Mehmet Okur v2.0, best case scenario.
The Kid is extremely talented, i love his post instincts, his basketball instincts in general. I don't know much about his personality but he looks more poised than Bargnani. I don't about comparing him to Dirk or Pau but I think he could end up as what Andrea Bargnani should've been which aint bad since he was the 1st pick. The best impact McHale could have on him is to add more grit more toughness to his personality other than that I think his post game is very very very matured, and I was surprised by how good his handles are. I wanted him at 14 but a 20 he is a big steal. Morey I don't know how you do it (if he got honeycutt I wouldve given him an A+)
I don't know why people keep harping on how he's skinny and weak. From that video, overall he's more bulky than Yao was when he first came into the league. Granted Yao still had tree trunks for legs, but after they put this kid through the NBA training regimn he'll be fine. He looks really fluid for a 7 footer. Good move by Morey.
Forget Yao coming into the league. Have you seen a picture of him at age 20 at the Sydney Olympics? The guy was a walking stick pole. But you had people like Walton rave about him because they can see how his future could project. If people just took a look at Yao at 20, they'd think he's a soft Chinese guy who'd get never make it off the bench in the NBA.
For those who don't see the 1560 thread about DM, Morey just said this on 1560 (Paraphrased) We have a good feel for this and it is absurd to say he doesn't love the game. Lithuanians live and breathe basketball over there. He will never be a plus defender or rebounder, but Rockets think he can be average at both. Highly skilled on offense. High risk high reward pick. He couldn't say when the kid would come over because of NBA rules preventing him from discussing which was weird and a funny moment.
Exactly! We will get defensive help in FA or a trade later on. We just need this guy to develop his shooting and scoring skills to become a matchup problem. Dirk and Pau are no top notch defenders either.
Exciting to think about it.. I hope everyone we drafted/traded for will be able to contribute right away in their given roles.
This guy is the younger, faster version of Brad Miller. Morey traded the old and slow Miller for him. :grin:
Monte is up to 240 lbs, having added 10-15 lbs of muscle. That is big enough for today's PF/C combination. Howard will kill him in the post, but he should be able to handle most 5's.
The guy clearly reminds me of a young Dirk. Dirk was really athletic when he was younger. [youtube]eo_7LUIFBzY[/youtube] Give him two years to get polished, he could be a 20 and 9 guy easy.
Motiejunas would have been the number one player taken in this draft if it was based purely on physical talent. Yes, he is considered a malcontent and his character and attitude are both concerns... but he is barely 20 years old, and the hope is that he matures. He did not go in the top 3 picks, but at the bottom half of the first round. Most likely you are right, and he joins Abdelnaby, Potapenko and Nestrovic in the euro trash brigade, but there is a chance he becomes an all star player, something worth gambling on.
