None taken, just a quick question, about the below passage in your previous post. He was the 3rd player chosen in the 1998 draft filled with Mike Bibby, Antwan Jamison, Vince Carter, Michael Dickerson, Cuttino Mobley, Rashard Lewis, Larry Hughes, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Jason Williams and so forth. Mihm could be selected anywhere from the 1st pick to the 4th pick in a draft that is not as talented as the 1998 draft. Being the 3rd pick doesn't neccessarily mean he's the 3rd best player of that draft. I don't see how where a player picked determines how good they'll be. Perhaps you can explain this to me. Kandi being selected number one in that talented 1998 draft doesn't help your point either. ------------------ Check out the new and improved Draftsource.net [This message has been edited by rocketsfan34 (edited May 28, 2000).]
Kenyon Martin - 23 ppg, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks ------------------ President of the Moochie Norris FAN CLUB
DaMan, using Mihm's old stats is just no longer relevant. That would be like using Kenyon Martin's junior numbers. Let's see here, Martin averaged 10.1 PPG 6.9 RPG his junior yr, thats INEXCUSABLE for the #1 overall pick, lets drop him off completely! Forget about the fact that he improved dramatically and how hard he worked on his game in the summer lets throw him out b/c his OLD stats were inexcusable. Sounds like a plan to me Chris Mihm like Kenyon Martin worked a lot on his game last summer and came back as a TOTALLY different player. Chris Mihm was a lot better player this season than he was last. Its a night and day difference. Do you realize how much he added to his game? Mihm added about 3-4 inches to his vertical leap, he added the 18-20 footer to his arsenal along with that consistent turnaround jumper from 15 ft away. I think he should be commended for his improvement. The guy was an 18-10 player with nearly 3 BPG on a Texas team that had terrible guard play. Let's see in your post you said LaFrentz plays like Olajuwon in the open court and David Robinson in the halfcourt. If the guy was really that, he would be getting a whole lot more shots in the Denver attack which seems to be your excuse as to why he is only 12-8. I've seen LaFrentz play plenty of times, and part of the reason I like Mihm better is b/c he is a more natural center. LaFrentz was considered a PF coming out of college then had to swing to center when McDyess arrived. Problem with that is, LaFrentz is way too perimeter oriented to play the 5 and does not have as effective a post game of a player like Mihm as you yourself stated. Mihm has a very good post game a LOT better than LaFrentz which is important for a center imho. Hate to break it to you, but the fact of the NBA today is that if a PF and C have equal production, the center is a whole lot more valuable due to the scarcity of them. If you dont want to compare LaFrentz and Mihm by their production at the end of Mihm's rookie yr and so forth then exactly what do you want to compare them by? Surely neither of us is able to convince the other on any other ways of determining it. ------------------ Check out the Best Source for Draft Info Draftsource.net [This message has been edited by MManal (edited May 28, 2000).]
Here is my whole take on the subject- Chris Mihm is better than DaMan thinks but not as good as MManal thinks. My personal opinion is that DaMan is really underappreciating him, though. The first thing to realize here is that looking at college stats is almost meaningless. Granted the good majority of good NBA players were good college players. However, you simply cant judge talent by looking at the college numbers. While you can see somewhat play under pressure type stats, unless youre a good scout or have worked out these players individually, I think it is hard to judge. I say this only because the zone defense in college makes all the difference in the worlds. Being a big man in college is simply hard work. If youve seen any of UT's games this past season you would know what I am referring to. UT's guard play was horrendous, and with the zone legal, Mihm was often triple teamed. That alone is excuse enough for me for his 44% fg percentage his junior year. Take LaFrenzt. The man came out of arguably the most recognizable college school these days (no longer Georgetown of the past) for producing big men (at least white big men) at Kansas. The majority of their whole offense schemes around post play, and has for some years now. Mihm, on the other hand, represents not only UT's best post player ever??, but their most realistic chance at a solid NBA player in as long as I can remember. It is certainyl conceivable that UT's game didnt suit Mihm's perfectly. Raef La Frenzt is a bust. The guy just blows. Granted most of the offense didnt run through him, but that is not a logical argument, because the offense didnt run through him because he sucks. To use DaMan's INEXCUSABLE arguments, IMHO 12 points and 8 boards a game sucks for a 7' number 3 pick (and contrary to rocketsfan34 opinion-call me crazy here if you want-I DO think draft position is closely related to how well the player should be). In my opinion, Mihm will put up much better numbers than LaFrenzt. Who cares if the guy is a little more athletic? That is not what you really want out of a 7' center. LaFrenzt certainly does NOT have Olajuwons athleticism or Robinson's post moves. He would than be one of the best players ever. I think Mihm would be a good pick for any of the first four teams really, although I wouldnt pick him first and, like Krause, I think he fits the best in Chicago. He will not be the next Shaq or Zo or Olajuwon, etc, but he should put up solid numbers (at least better than LaFrenzt and if you ask me much better than Doleac). Will he be a bust at the 4 pick if he puts up 18-10 numbers for his career. I doubt it! Is LaFrenzt a bust if he doesnt improve upon his 12-8 numbers at the number 3 pick. CERTAINLY ------------------ Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things!
My thought is that it is not fair to judge him soley on the LSU game because they were not even sure he was going to play. The guy looked like warmed over death and had no energy. He was not the same player I had seen earlier in the yr. That being said I would not spend a top 5 pick on him, unless I just needed a solid center to make my team a contender. ------------------
JayZ, that was excellent well thought out post, one of the best I've read in a while, could not have said it better myself. ------------------ Check out the Best Source for Draft Info Draftsource.net
