I don't give a damn to Sharks, whether it's the animals or a ball club or whatever. I hang out on my own team's board. I like to eat sharks fin though. I was a little curious and asked a question, if you don't want to give a straight answer then let's drop it. No big deal. BTW, it must have been a pretty exciting offseason in Utah talking about giving 6yr/40 to Okur and giving KMart the max deal. Right?
The difference is that Darko was believed to have talent that warranted a 1st round pick. 1st round picks have guaranteed contracts so you can’t just draft them and send the back to Europe for a couple of years like you can a 2nd round pick. Manu Genobli and AK-47 are two good examples of why you draft someone in the second round but give them a couple of years in a foreign league to refine their skills. No need to rush Malick because he could become very good getting extended playing time.
Thanks. I hope the Rockets will make the best choice for the team based on Malick's game and work ethic.
Andrei Kirilenko went in the first round. And if i recall correctly, he went two selections after we drafted Kenny Thomas.
Maybe this post is a touch naive, but, call me crazy, can't we just assume that the Rockets coaching staff is just a weeee bit better suited than us to determine whether Badman plays here or overseas? They're aware of the issues we're discussing. It's not about saving money or anything. They have far, far more information than we do about his skill-set, talent level, polish, etc., they've weighed the pros and cons, and they decided that it's better for him to stay in Germany. That's good enough for me. There are many times that I enjoy the role of Tuesday-morning quarterback, but this doesn't feel like one of them.
So what are you saying, we should all just become a bunch of cheerleaders and forget about discussing team issues with each other?
I must've missed it when the Rockets said Malick will stay in Germany. His German team signing him doesn't prevent him from joining the NBA this year.
LOL! Where's the fun in that? Sorry, Sane, I didn't state my perspective very clearly. No, I'm all for discussing team issues and second-guessing the coaches. It's at least half the fun. I guess what I'm trying to say is that in this case, the issues are pretty cut and dry: Badiane needs more development before he's ready to become a significant NBA contributor. The question is whether it's better for that development to come: 1) In Germany (in his current team) 2) In Germany (in some other league) 3) At the end of the Rockets bench; hopefully a couple of garbage time minutes here and there As fans, we're probably all biased towards #3, because we want to see first-hand what this dude has to offer. My point was just that the Rockets scouts, JVG, assistant coaches, etc., have a much, much better feel for where Badiane's at. If they want him to remain in Germany, there's a good reason for it. They know that we need a backup 5. They know that he would get some good experience in Rockets practices. If they want him to stay overseas, it's because they've evaluated his talent level and determined he is not yet ready. Given that they no doubt get reports from Germany, watch him play, etc., I trust their judgement over my blind speculation. That's why, in this case, I don't feel qualified to Tuesday morning quarterback. (Unlike many of the games, which we all clearly see for ourselves and have a strong opinion on).
Clarifaction -- what I meant is that if, hypothetically, they want him to stay in Germany, they probably have a good reason for it. Believe me, I hope he's made huge strides and is ready for this year! (but i'm not holding my breath)
Rasselas, The problem is that it's a judgement call. 1) We don't know if the Rockets are following Badiane more closely or not. Do they even care what he's been upto? Have they been monitoring his weightlifting? Watching game tape? It's very possible that our obssesion has caused us to gather more info than the Rockets themselves. 2) JVG may think Badiane is better off in Europe, CD may think otherwise, Les may not care. In the end, there is a personal judgement to make. We may be a little more open to sacrificing some develoment time than JVG would be. That's why we tend to argue against these decisions - because there is a difference in risk aversion. But I see what you're saying. They are more equipped to answer these questions. However, no one is perfectly sure of these decisions, which is why we will argue them. Because the Rockets, although more experienced, are liable, although less likely than us, to make a bad decision.
Do you really believe that? We've already had reports that he has recently been working out with Patrick Ewing (is o3gs the guy who's been giving us the inside track?) and a sighting at the T-Mac press conference. I would hope that any professional team that drafted a player, and still held his rights, would pay a little more attention to his progess than a bunch of people on a internet BBS, most of whom have never seen him play once.
Sane, Some good points. Maybe I'm giving the coaching staff too much credit. My assumption is that they're monitoring his progress and they know much more than we do. If that's not true, then, yeah, I guess our voice is as good as theirs. Something tells me, though, that they want Badiane to succeed just as much as we do. I really can't see Les and CD and JVG getting into a tiff over this. This is really a question of tactics, not strategy, so I see JVG doing whatever makes sense for Badiane's development. And we can debate his coaching style/decisions all we want, but surely he has more scouting-basketball-knowledge than we do, especially for a player that we have no ability to monitor. Unless, that is, we're really the only ones worried about this! Scary thought.
Sane.... The Rockets are following Malick very closely. Not only did they have a scout at about 1/3 of his regular season games in Germany, they had their top International Scout at most of his playoff games, and they are paying for his current visit to Houston where he is going through daily workouts with the team. No worries, they are VERY interested in what he is doing and how he is progressing. As I previously posted.....Malick will be in Houston for another week. He will then return to Senegal to play in the African Championships for two weeks. After that, he will return to the states at which time a decision will be made about his future. Honestly, I have no inclination at which way the team in leaning. They are working Malick very hard, and I am sure won't have a decision until late July once they see what free agents are available and have a chance to evaluate Malick some more.
