Same thing I said in the other thread: He came out too early basketball-wise but from an NBA Draft stance he was wise to cash in on his soaring draft stock. That said, he's young and still has plenty of time to get it together. I would be more than happy to take this guy on my team even despite the injuries. If he pans out he has the potential to become essentially a Shawn Marion clone -- an athletic do-it-all type player that rebounds, gets garbage points, brings energy, etc. There's always a place in this league for that type of player and supposedly he's a gym rat to boot. Be patient.
Oh wow, a rookie looking and playing like a rookie. I guess that never happens. Using your same brilliant logic a player like Greg Oden is officially hopeless.
Have you ever had the misfortune of watching him play for the Bucks? It's a painful experience. At this point, he only belongs in the NBA as a 12th man. He should take his foreign language skills and go play in China. He might pan out and the Rockets might win the championship this year too. The point is that the odds are slim to none. Plus, we already have a better version of Alexander on this team. Does this mean I don't get some of what you're smoking?
Dude, he was a rookie. A rookie! There's no NBA rulebook that states a draft pick has to "get it" from Day 1. He's obviously a work in progress and he's only played for one coach. To suggest that he should be judged based off of one season, and one season only, simply isn't the way this league works.
I am still waiting for the teams that DM said he would plunder. Was Milwaukee one of those? So what is holding you back Morey?
Baller, as a sf, u have to be sudden and explosive in tight spaces with the ability to create space. Alexander is a straight lineathletic guy without natural basketb
Baller, as a sf in the nba, u need to have suddeness and explosion in tight quarters with ability to create space. If there were a contest in which everything was in a straightline filling the wing, alexander would be a beast. Unfortunately, the nba doesn't work like that. As a high lotto pick, that shouldve been a priority for the scouts when projecting alexander as a sf prospect,but it wasn't. They fell in love with the combine numbers and now they have a wasted pick.
Not quite sure what you're rambling about here, lee. Alexander has the type of range necessary to aid in spacing and spreading the floor out. I disagree that he's this limited athlete with just a nice vertical. He looked fairly decent when he attacked the basket last year. The speed and explosiveness appeared to be there while the shot selection and ability to draw fouls wasn't -- most of his drives were wild and out of control. That said, again, we're not talking about some 3rd or 4th year player that's demonstrating little ability to "get it". He was substandard for a rookie in 08-09, but by the same token you know enough about basketball to know how foolish it is to judge a player after only one season (and one coach). I'll be convinced that he's hopeless if I see one or two more years of this but I still maintain that he has the tools necessary to succeed. IMO, his problems are all just mental and about obtaining a good feel for the game (in particular, the speed differential between college vs. pro).
Picking Brandon Jennings more than makes up for Joe Alexander. Alternatively, the NBA should just move the Bucks to Vegas.
worzel, I believe that first rounders who don't have their team options picked up become UNrestricted free agents, so I don't think the Rockets would even need to trade for Alexander. At this point, I'd guess that the Rockets could either pick him up for the league minimum, or (if they keep the team together and re-sign T-Mac or otherwise renounce their cap space) perhaps for the LLE or a portion of the MLE. No restricted free agency to worry about.
Kwame, while you may very well be right about Alexander, I'm going to have to agree with baller4life on this one. It is WAYYY too early to close the book on him. Heck, it took Chauncey Billups about 4 or 5 years before he really started to "get it", and look at him now. You don't think the Celtics were kicking themselves that they gave up on him so early? Especially since it's looking like he'll be available this summer for dirt cheap, it would definitely be worth taking a flyer on a lottery pick talent. Similar to what the Celtics just did this offseason with Shelden Williams. Sometimes, the talent is just too good NOT to at least take a look, even if the guy doesn't seem like he's much of a player. With the proper coaching, sometimes guys just "get it" a little later than others. (No joke, I honestly think that whoever signs Adam Morrison next summer will actually get themselves a decent--albeit not great--player and will be pleasantly surprised.)
Can we agree that the Bucks not picking up Alexander's rookie option should light a fire in him? The guy is playing for his career now. At some point during the season, we should see a different player out there.
I think his main problem was he was basically self-taught. I remember reading his draft bio and its like he worked on his game alone until college. That might account for his lack of on-court awareness or defense-he probably had no one to play with. Practicing alone should give you a nice shot, and if all he does with the ball is dunk, then that might account for his hops.
He needs to use his athleticism to hustle his ass off, become a role player type instead of trying to become the next Michael Redd.
Yes, where is the plunder??!! Has Skiles been known for his patience, and ability to develop rookies? Joe Alexander needs to find JVG ... and head in the opposite direction. Not JVG, but Adelman, Nelson, or Sloan.
i remember the hype on him last year and everybody wanted to pick him, I called it that he was trash and the next Dan Langhi/Boki Nachbar.
When it comes to completely inexplicable hype on this forum, do we have another Ramon Sessions on our hands (where 3-4 members see something none of the rest of us do)? I'm gonna wait at least 10-15 games before starting a thread on Sessions and I want his hypemasters to be man enough to join in.
