He is between 24 to 27. I think hes more on the high end because when he fled Sudan with no birth certificate the asylum employees give a lower age so that kids can enter elementary school.
I agree that the elbow thing is problematic and that his discoordination is not ideal, but i’d like to try him out. These are things that are less important in meaningless minutes and i would really like the depth (esp when it’s physical size that Is willing to run the court). Plus, i’d like him to run through Hakeem camp. Though my interest in thus kinda experiment might change depending on the trade price.
I mean, the chances he meets expectations are slim to none. The chances that a 21 year old with that physical profile can be responsibly developed into a 2nd or 3rd string C (over time) are usually good. For whatever reason that I myself used to vociferously deny, the Rockets seem to have an ability to develop big men better than other teams and it's not just linked to Hakeem. I think it has to do with big man knowledge passed down by CD + team's realistic view of what a C should be these days + Lucas' excellent work with Capela + replicated system in RGV + Hakeem's occasional mentoring. If they take a guaranteed contract off our hands - i.e. Nene - and don't want anything else in return then I would do it because I feel Faried and Hartenstein can reasonably cover us anyway. If I'm being honest though, it's more of a financial decision. One asset is almost shot and might be a dead salary next season, the other is slightly cheaper and is under team control after next season if it became beneficial to extend him. If the Bucks org is on board with the extreme assessment that this is actually a 27 year old who can't chew gum and play ball and will never fill out, then they would probably not require even a late 2nd for him. Will be interesting to see what they get offered.
How in the world could Hakeem improve his coordination? You're either coordinated or you are not. And it isn't as if Hakeem has experience being uncoordinated and knows how to develop it. Hakeem is one of the greatest athletes of all time. What's he going to tell him? "Just be an all-time great athlete like me and you'll be good."
Three separate threads for Thon D.Mo and Melo are offended On a side note, i don't really think we need to move any asset for this guy when we have Hartenstein dropping 40 and 20 at the certified age of 20 in the G-League. Let's develop him and use assets on other trades for players we actually need. If the Bucks need a better big man they can have Nene for Thon and a 2nd.
Right? You can take that natural athletic ability and refine things like footwork and balance, but you can't teach coordination any more than you can teach height.
He sucks, but I would probably trade Chriss 1-1 for him. Unlikely he sucks a lot more than Chriss, and Chriss is just really not very smart.
Hello, footwork? Understanding how plays develop? Have you never been through a summer training camp? They specifically teach you how to improve coordination. I imagine Thon has gotten by on his physical attributes to date. He’s never had a Hakeem. And if that’s your arg, why aren’t you knocking malakas’ defebse that KG was the gold standard for positional coaching?
Yea you can. Go through one summer training camp, and they will do catching, footwork (which is a part of coordination), and more.
If your arg is that he’s overall a loss, then youre not getting the point i’m making. For the right price, he’s a good gamble for backup mins. But then again, i originally doubted he’s get those and i’ve mentioned that the price has to be right. Unless there’s a decent arg that he won’t even be good in such a role or that he’ll hurt Harden, then why is this such a big statment to u guys?
I started to type out a response and then backspaced the whole damn thing because I realized that it would do no good. Okay. Sure. Let's have Hakeem train him. I can't wait to see him emerge as the league's premier center.
I’m not arguing that. You are assuming that. He could be decent depth, especially since we’re short of it right now. Youre not addressing any of the conditionals mentioned. It’s not a loss to type your position out. I’ll listen, but please understand the pt i’m making. I’m not advocating for his starting role or that he’ll be an all-star. Geez.
I just think he's a scrub that hasn't been able to cut it under multiple coaches. Not unlike our own Mr. Chriss. If Malakas says the kid can't play, I tend to believe her (I think I remember Malakas is a her anyway. apologies if I got that wrong). I also don't think we'd get the chance to really develop him because he's already played through the bulk of his contract. So even if he has room to grow, does he have time to grow with us before he wants to sign elsewhere? I just don't see it as a fit.
That’s a fair projection just like my own is a projection, fair or not. But the Bucks are not the Rox. Our organization has structure, brains, and a rich history of bigs. I’m hoping that and playing alongside our stars and stykle would also keep him here. But should that not work out, we just have to be sure we don’t py as much. How much do you think we’d have to trade? I would say it’s not much given his tenure thus far.
He wants to be traded for a larger role. What makes you think he'll be happy on the Rox who have Capela and Faried at the rotation, MDA who doesn't play rookies all that much and Hartenstein beasting in the G League?
That’s why at the onset i doubted he woukd get decent mins. But to olay in our system and on a team with a decent chance to dethrone gsw. That would interest me, even if i wanted big mins.
There's no point in trying to develop him his contract is expiring and the Rox are capped out meaning he will leave after his contract is done. He also won't get to play with the stars assuming everyone is healthy as Faried and Capela and Nene will get all the PT at the 5.
