So hard to judge by watching a Euro game too I think. I don't know but I get the sense part of the reason he doesn't want to come here is that he'd go from being the man to just a role player.
But according to hoopshype and cyberx (and I know no one is infallible), he's getting an offer from / being pencilled in as starter by the Rockets. This summer. I think he will be a good NBA player and might just get some good minutes here. (Unless Morey has a diabolical plan to offer Llull's rights + the NO 1st + NYK 2nd + whatever in a bid to snag that NYK TOp 5 pick and draft Mudiay....but I digress. Llull wants to try his hand at the NBA and ain't getting any younger.
he plays the 2 guard spot a lot, and he is somewhat for that spot. He's more of a combo guard (whose improved his play making in recent years), a good fit alongside Harden because he has excellent off ball skills.
He runs like a soccer player, which typically doesn't translate well to the NBA. He does seem to have that Corey Brewer type motor though.
I have seen probably 20 of his games over the last 4-5 years. He is a far better prospect than Pap or Gentile and is the best we have had since VSpan/Scola. I wouldn't be shocked if he had a larger impact in the NBA than those two though. Sergio has improved a lot in the half court the last few years. He is exceptional in transition and his style of play mirrors the modern NBA. He isn't a great shooter, because he is inconsistent and takes some lower percentage shots. My concern is that he needs the ball in his hands to maximize his effectiveness. It may take some time for he and Harden to figure it out together. He would play very well with Brewer, Smith, Jones and McDaniel running the floor. He isn't as good as Ginobili was in Europe, but that is what his game is most similar too. He is stronger than Ginobili but not as good in the half court. If the Rockets are not going to get a player like Dragic or Knight, then he is a better risk/reward player than the other options.
Groin strain, right? It looks like it was a combination of a slippery floor and the crossover from hell
How it's been a mistake a minimum contract who has helped a top NBA team in not a few games? Like Papanikolaou, who was a worthy rotation guy while we were a top team, in his rookie year. Please, a little more discretion.
Oh my. I missed this. Maybe my favorite BB clip after "the" Vince Carter dunk. This is better than the Marbury cross over on Yao. (I love Yao but that was hysterical)
Steve Nash disagrees with you. Saying he runs like a soccer player means what exactly anyways? He has good lateral movement? Is he traveling when he dribbles? Obviously not so not sure why it is a concern. The things I'm concerned about: -can he defend NBA elite pg's -can he get to the rim and finish - can he hit the three and take pressure off of Harden If you look at his percentages at finishing around the rim it gives me some confidence but it's yet to be seen. He's also got great size and lateral quickness to defend. The main weakness I could see in his rookie year is being a consistent three point shooter. I could see that being a struggle to adjust to the difference in the NBA. Running like a soccer player hasn't really been something I've been or would worry about too much. Most important aspect will be getting to the rim and defending.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Ayon blocks and <a href="https://twitter.com/23Llull">@23Llull</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto">@RMBaloncesto</a> runs the entire court to finish with a dunk! <a href="http://t.co/WNusHD8aKj">http://t.co/WNusHD8aKj</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/SnappyTV">@snappytv</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Playoffs?src=hash">#Playoffs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RMBEFS?src=hash">#RMBEFS</a></p>— EuroleagueBasketball (@Euroleague) <a href="https://twitter.com/Euroleague/status/589120384169041920">April 17, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>.<a href="https://twitter.com/23Llull">@23Llull</a> closes the quarter with an incredible three and reduces the gap to only 3 points!<a href="http://t.co/8hkcNdcP9K">http://t.co/8hkcNdcP9K</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/SnappyTV">@snappytv</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RMBEFS?src=hash">#RMBEFS</a></p>— EuroleagueBasketball (@Euroleague) <a href="https://twitter.com/Euroleague/status/589136908011315200">April 17, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> I mustve seen a 100 of these clips by now, where Llull makes some crazy buzz-beater/ clutch 3 pointer.
Brewer isn't a problem to keep for next year as they have bird rights on him and can exceed the cap to sign him. I think its a no brainer they retain him. They don't have bird rights on Smith so he likely has to give a discount to stay they would only have the vet minimum or the MLE to offer him. As well as he's played , I really cant see him taking a vet min deal. He's a bargain on his current deal and a real luxury. Next year he's probably a luxury the Rockets cant afford if they want to upgrade the point. Not sure I want him at the expense of not being able to upgrade the point either when you have Dwight , Jones , DMo & Capela (and stuck with Dorsey unless you trade him). Certainly Llull is a gamble but like you say , if he was a proven NBA commodity the Rockets couldn't afford him. To me , looking at the cap situation , it boils down to Smith or Llull , one or the other while keeping the rest of the roster intact for the most part with the only real question being whether you match PatBev or not. I don't see how they could bring over both Llull & Gentile either ... unless they let Brewer , Smith , KPap , Terry & PatBev walk.
FYI: Read Madrid plays on NBATV at 2:30 if you want to check out Sergio play a full game. Its hard to have a objective opinion on a player just watching highlights. I recommend at least DVR'ing the game for later if you've never seen him play a full game.
