thanks for posting this. man i am really rooting for this kid it would be crazy if this kid just became serviceable as a rebounder and cleaned up his foul trouble rockets would really be trouble in the west
he did gain some weight that could be good yahoo has him listed at 267 the article says he is 282 with 3.5 percent body fat.
WTF? You do know that a lot of players go back to their colleges to work out, right? Strange post is strange. DD
While it is a long shot that Thabeet will pan out and live up to being the #2 pick of any draft, I understood the move. Every team is in search for an adequate true 5 big man in basketball. Like a Left-handed pitcher in baseball, most of them are overpaid and overhyped but if you land one that can actually play, you are way ahead of the majority of the league. If Hasheem works out, all Morey spent to get him was Battier. Yes, that is a significant cost for fans of Shane and for the Rockets' short term goals but it is better than having to trade half the roster to get the guy. If Hasheem never works out, Morey still got a first round pick for Shane. Shane wasn't going to return after last year so getting any first rounder for him was good. Not saying I would have done that exact trade but I can appreciate the thinking as to why it was done.
I'm very well aware of that, but I also know that the guy needs to be with a professional trainer and working against MEN that are better than he is, not kids who just got onto campus. Strange post is strange? Talk like an adult.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/c4_1zHT2Swg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> I can't stop watching this for some reason
Who is to say he does not have professional trainers? There was also an article saying he was working out with David Thorpe and Kmart during the lockout. He has been playing basketball for only 9 years, and he is 7'3" left handed and extremely athletic....if I were the Rockets I would be putting ALL of my efforts into developing him. But the lockout stopped that, I am just glad he was mature enough to be working out on his own, in college or not. DD
Talk about overreaction. We all know he's a long shot to pan out or even be a rotation player. Morey knows this too, it's not like we invested a ton to acquire him. So let's see him play before the hate train piles on. You all act like you can scout based on a newpaper article.
fwiw - - from email exchange with article's author: To: Duffy, Kevin Subject: Hometown (area) hype or reason to 'hope'? As a long term Rocket fan accustomed to great play at the '5' (Moses/Ralph/The Dream/Yao) here comes 'Thabust'. But is he that or may he develop into a reasonable NBA '5' *this year*? Thanks for your article. I personally like Hasheem alot as a person dating back to my days in college. Obviously, he's been a huge disappointment so far, but you can't teach 7-foot-3. And you can't teach his athleticism (for his size). I really do still believe he can develop into a dominant defender at the very least. Offensively, he'll never be a go-to guy, but neither was Dikembe Mutumbo. We'll see...this year should be telling for him. Kevin Duffy My reply: I'm a long time Rocket fan, longer NBAer. Just give me a legit D presence at the 5... Duffy, Kevin 1:37 PM (43 minutes ago) to me Didn't use the quote, but Drummond said it "sucks" to go up against Hasheem. I think Hasheem owns him defensively. Really, as raw as he is on offense, he's a tremendous shot blocker
For the sake of the Rockets, let's hope he is. I could be completely wrong and hope I am, but I just don't see the drive or fire to be great. Complacency occurs with a lot of athletes and he seems to be a prime example. There is plenty of potential there but no one can do it for him. While I agree it's good that he is working out, it's expected that a professional athlete take initiative and do that on his own. Also depends on what kind of work he's putting in, and there's no way to know until the season starts so I'll wait and see.
makman, I think what you are seeing is humility and lack of confidence from a guy that is not from this country and did not grow up playing basketball. I believe that once he gets the confidence, he will excel at least on defense, and that is more of what we need than anything else. Defense and rebouding.... DD
It is truly amazing that you can be 7-3/290lbs and an athletic freak, and still not be a rotation player in the NBA... I wish we would just play him all the minutes he can handle until he fouls out.
I think that is why McHale is here and Adelman is not........ McHale will play guys that need court time to develop, Adelman will play the guys that help him win that particular night. DD
Freak of nature... <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/HRFftJqL2xk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> You can't give up on that, can you?
Chuck Hayes did not become this good overnight. It took him several years to develop his game to where it's at today. I don't know about some of you guys, but I'm pretty excited that we got this guy. One, he's 7'3, and two, he's young and athletic. His physical stats alone put him at an advantage over other Centers. I think Hasheem just needs more people to believe in him and give him an honest chance. This kid may pan out to be a solid 12/10/4 player. Memphis gave up on him way too early but having Gasol might have something to do with that.
EXACTLY, and bigs take longer to develop than smalls. The guy has only played 9 years of ball, give him some playing time, let him get his confidence and watch that layup line come to a halt against the Rockets. DD
The thing that bothers me is his rebounding. He DOES NOT persue the ball, at ALL. He showed that last year with the Vipers. I am really worried that he doesn't have the motor or will neccesary. What annoys me the most though, is just how hard he played in college. I haven't seen that passion since. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1LbRuYjd55I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Just look at how nasty he is. The dude is going hard. Where did that go??? See how hard he runs the floor after a block? DAMN
Yeah, this kid has a high ceiling and they just don't know it. Is it a sure fire? No. But we'll never know unless we pull the trigger.
I agree and have noticed it too. But honestly, his stint thus far in the NBA has been small. I don't think Memphis gave him enough time or showed this kid that they genuinely wanted him to crack the rotation and be an important factor. With Houston, it was even worse. I mean, he was in there during garbage time, and just like Twill, these guys knew it. The drive he's missing might appear if he simply feels important and is given enough playing time to prove it on the NBA level. For all we know, he's probably still got the NBA jitters or scared to miss a shot.
