I didn't say Maker was proven. But to pretend Capela is proven is a farce. He cannot hold his own against perimeter drivers and also power bigs. If they go right at him he's in foul trouble and on the bench.
Thon got his first minutes in real game time only last night. A) He's much weaker than CC was as rookie. B) unfortunately rookie CC knows more what's going on around him. Maker is lost. C) CC as rookie knew much better how to use his length whereas Thon plays smaller than he really is. D) Maker is more quick and will be able to switch from small to big and cover space better than Capella. however Maker is a 10 times better shooter. But they don't even play the same position. The more I look at Thon the more I believe he will end up being a pf. That's why this comparison is out of place imo. Better to compare Clint to another young C like Noel or smth. For Maker to be a center he will have to grow at least 30 pounds and have a brain transplant to squeeze all the neccesary info into his scalp. Unless his improvement curve is extraordinary it won't happen imo.
I'm not comparing positions. We're talking about the draft, young players, and who is going to have a better career. Maker already has a multiple-skilled base to work from. He can shoot, dribble, and pass. It's simply a matter of whether he improves his skill base as to whether or not he winds up the better player. I'm confident he will. And I'd still trade Capela for him right now.
It's not a random trade thread if that's what you are saying. It's a bbhollic fake insider thread so it has legs
yes skills but he doesn't know how to play organised. It's like Lavine. He has skills like shooting and athleticism but he doesn't know how to play in a team and neither defensive rotations nor how to move in offence. AND he's 23. At least Capela who is 22 has understood his role and where to be. As I said unless his learning curve is out of the normal, he will be at most a roleplayer. Capela is already a starter.
I don't doubt that Maker looked lost and all, but it's not really a fair assessent to compare Capela's entire rookie season to Maker's first rotation minutes. What would make more sense, but still not be conclusive, is comparing Capela's first rotation minutes ever to Maker's first rotation minutes ever. Or, later on, Capela's rookie season vs Maker's rookie season. Anyhoo, I'm still going to stick with Capela. IMO it is a monumental mistake to undervalue young players who achieve material improvements in regular intervals based on hard work and attention to coaching early in their career. Reminds me of Tyson Chandler who many thought was a natural star when drafted, but then carved a career out of constant hard work and improvement. He was considered a total bonehead when him and Eddy Curry were drafted. It is a very uncommon occurrence from what I've seen of the NBA for players to do that. Most players are what they are very soon after they enter the NBA. Those who improve their fitness and make marked improvements to the game on both sides - however small - tend to flourish. We cannot under any circumstances ignore Capela's pushing the Rockets to come to the NBA sooner, his off court hard work, his tactical progression, his already excellent and functional rebounding and PnR skills, and his age. He is a proven commodity, he will be at least a top 30 C for the rest of his career without question and that is a proven commodity.
Lol unreal. Are you Kahn IRL? I keep remembering David Kahn every time I read your posts, this is probably the same logic Kahn used when he drafted two pgs in the draft but somehow missed the two good ones (Curry and Jennings). Maker can shoot dribble pass but I guess none of those are at an NBA level. If we're talking career Capela has way more of a future than him, at least at this point. Just on ball awareness alone Capela already gets it Maker is still lost and you don't know if he has the work ethic and ball IQ to make it in the NBA.
No, just a random thread. Pointless IMO. But, could be wrong so asked the man himself why he posted it. Reasonable question?
Yes it's random he posted it because he thinks his opinions are too important to be buried in a random trade thread. Good question though
The guy is averaging 12/8/2 on 64% shooting from the floor in 25 minutes a night with a 20.0 PER and a .165 WS/48 (both well above league average). No one is saying he's an elite defender, much less an elite big man overall. However, he's an excellent pick and roll player offensively, which makes him an ideal fit in the starting lineup with Harden. He doesn't play outside his strengths, he rebounds at an above average rate (18.1% TRB%) and he defends competently for a center in today's NBA. You can call it what you like, but I think most NBA fans at this point would say he's proven to be a solid rotational big man and a decent starting center. You're certainly welcome to disagree, but I think the numbers and the average fan would agree with me on this.
You are right, and my bad. Clint was the 25th pick of his draft. A low 1st round pick, but a 1st round pick, none the less. I should change my earlier post to reflect that, not that it changes my opinion. Thanks!