Good backup for Yao? Yes or no? It looks like he might be available by the time the Rockets have their pick. <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GVUJ4-uy1dk&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GVUJ4-uy1dk&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>
Not impressed by this guy at all but I might take him in the 2nd round. It would be better if Yao's backup was an experienced NBA player. There is a good chance Hibbert will be a 3rd string "project" his entire NBA career.
I like the guy. Big Strong and rebounds well. Yes he would be good behind Yao or next to him in a twin towers configuration. Do we have room for him though?
Considering where we're picking I would take him. I'm a huge Big East guy and I can tell you that i'm not all that impressed with him either. He's soft, disappears in games and quite frankly, never played as well as you would expect a complete monster of a 7'2" senior to play. His size won't stand out on the next level as much as it does in college but he'll still be a decent rotation player pretty much due to his height and length alone. If we essentially swapped him for Deke in our rotation I don't think that makes us any weaker at all. If not, better since he's young and fresh making him capable of playing more minutes thus cushioning Yao. Yeah, he'll be the guy everybody dunks on and gets laughed at on SportsCenter, but the likelihood of him being a solid contributor on the next level is there. Just don't expect him to be Ewing, Mourning or Deke.
I think you guys are seriously undervaluing Hibbert. Did you know he is an 80% Free Throw shooter? He even hit a buzzer beating 3 earlier in the year where he was left wide open. He's got the size we need, and I think he would be a great backup for Yao and eventually could step in and play big minutes if he was needed. I'd love to have him on this team.
He disappears because he fouls too much and ends up sitting. When he was in the game he was the focus of the offense for Georgetown. At least that's how it seemed to me. He's got a good body and some athleticism for his size. I think he's mature enough if you put him on a team with Deke and Yao, he would learn a lot and be ready to take over Deke's position after he retires.. which would be after next year. To be honest, looking at the big man possibilities he's one of the best bets for the end of the first round. If GT had gone farther in the tournament I think his stock would have risen and we would have had to trade up for him.
But hindsight is so easy for all of you. Last year, it looked like he'd go late-lottery.. if he had another year and post-season this year like he did last, he'd be top 5, maybe top 3. Instead, he regressed, he couldn't carry his team, and he's out early in the tourney. Very easily could have gone the other way though..
I think Hibbert is the type of player that can really improve. He works hard and over the course of his career with the exception of last year, he got better every year. He's a big man, has soft hands, can shoot the ball. If he can get some proper coaching from player development with the Rockets, he could go a long way. Perhaps another diamond in the rough like Landry.
His regression concerns me. Plus, he doesn't seem that talented and is only successful in college because of his size. His size won't be enough in the NBA.
I like Roy, I do. But I think he'd be a bad first-round choice. Todd Fuller averaged 21 and 10 as a senior in 1995-96. All-ACC first team, after leading conference in scoring. Strengths listed at draft time: size, hook shot, intelligence, work ethic, shooting touch. Weakness was foot speed and translation to NBA. Roy Hibbert averaged 13.4 and 6.4 as a senior this year. ... maybe the Warriors will draft him! How are you 7-2 and average 6.4 rebounds? If you are 7-2, rebounds probably hit you in the head 7 times a game if you don't raise your arms!
To be fair to Hibbert, Georgetown plays at such a low, low tempo that there aren't that many rebounds available. If you adjust things to be tempo-neutral his rebounding numbers look a lot better. Not as good a numbers as you'd like a 7'2" with good hands to have, but not too bad. If he's available at our pick we'd have to take him. Remember, baring something bizarre - our pick is going to be in the mid to high 20's. Getting a legit big guy with skills at that pick is an easy call.
that's very fair, puedlfor. I don't mean to be harsh on Roy, but I hope everyone has realistic expectations. I just worry that he basically is kind of stiff and not too athletic. But 7' 2" with some skills and a good head perhaps should always get snagged in the late first if available... Think he'll be better or the same as one of the Collins twins? (remember, from Stanford... we drafted one of the them I think and traded him to New Jersey back in the day for the super sad story).
I don't think anyone is heaping huge expectations on Hibbert. Assuming the Rockets drafted him... he'd be Yao's backup and play maybe 8 minutes a game. You bring him in and he's at the very least a presence with some skill who can block shots and get rebounds. Its not very high risk considering where he'd be taken.
yeah, I'd agree that he's not very athletic and a bit slow. I think that gets mistaken for being "soft" because that's an easy label to stick to a big guy like that who doesn't dominate as you'd expect. I think he'll be better than the Collins twins if for no other reason than he's bigger and taller than they were. Plus, I think he's got farther to go than the twins did - I think he's come relatively late to basketball - or at least late to basketball other than "be bigger than everyone else". He's really transformed himself from a useless lump to a good center in his time at Georgetown, even if he didn't progress year like expected. Jake Tsakalidis is a decent comparison, as far as expectations go. Both are really big, but kind of slow. Jake was a competent big man off the bench in the NBA for half a decade and a decent enough option to fill in as a spot starter if absolutely necessary.
I'll pass. We need an athletic center who will contrast Yao and will defend the middle. Hibbert is big and slow and is very similar to Yao. We've been killed when we insert our tiny lineup against teams with athletic big guys like KG and Amare. We need someone who can match up with them. Jason Thompson is intruiging because he's tall enough to play center and he's got some offensive skills similar to Yao. He's 6'10 245lbs, and with some weight training, he could easily get up to 255-260 and keep his athleticism because he's very long and lanky. His frame is a bit small though and his shoulders arent very broad. He's very athletic and runs the floor extremely well. He's not a great physical defender and isn't the shot blocker we need to defend the paint, but we play such good team defense that it shouldn't be a problem. He reminds me alot of Lamarcus Aldridge.
I dont think he will be ther when the rockets pick. I think a guy like Robin Lopez wold be a decent backup center