That's just a list of guys picked after him. Some may turn out to be OK, but Cam Thomas, Jalen Johnson, BJ Boston, etc. have not done much to stand out.
Agree. I think he needs more G-League time before he steps foot on the NBA floor again. If he doesn't get in shape with that PT, then he won't get in shape with the little floor time he'd get in the NBA. In the meantime we have to look for a different backup. And while I'm excited for the direction the Rockets are heading, this could be another "growing" year and resulting with a good 2023 pick - not tanking though...
The folks who sold on Garuba early aren't looking too shabby. The fanatical Garubheads meanwhile are getting Rockets legend Michael Carter Williams rugpulled. HODL - you're all gonna make it.
I never expected anything from Garuba, but I'm not willing to completely count him out either. He wasn't good enough to be on an NBA court last year but I'm hoping by the end of the season he'll be okay enough to deserve some minutes as a backup big. If he fails at that, then I think we need to start questioning if he's going to make it at all.
europeans in general do not value fitness and training as much as americans. you can see it in top flight football where everyone thinks ronaldo is insane for his work ethic. *insert boris diaw story here*
That’s true. I think it’s just good to keep in perspective that we really shouldn’t expect much from guys taken in that range. Christopher’s performance last year only magnifies his shortcomings, but he was always a long shot.
I'm really not sure why people are so down on Garuba. He had some injuries, a large adjustment to the NBA, a team with zero interest in playing team defense (or team offense), and he was only 19. All in all he showed the last few weeks exactly why we drafted him, and the issues that caused him to fall to us. He's an active body that can guard multiple positions, help on the boards and doesn't bring much to the table offensively. As long as he continues to improve offensively to the point he's not a liability (particularly his 3 ball) he could be a hell of a player. I'm not salivating over him as a core member yet, but I certainly don't see the busty trash some of you do.
I've always thought of it being more about the "school of training on physical education". A lot of countries are really against weight training in the gym when doing youth sports. Whenever you compare U17s, U19s, US teams are mostly jacked and most of the other teams are really talented guys with no muscle definition eating burgers after games.
i mean just go travel to some major european cities. most of all the young 20 y/os are out there having a pack of cigarettes for breakfast. if you even lift a little bit you will be the most muscular person for miles. it's a major cultural difference. then travel to colorado and everyone is an ironman tri-athlete.
You can see the "half-full" aspect of the last few weeks but there's a fools gold angle as well; he was ok at best in a situation that was tailor-made to beast. Green went off for 30 ppg and was hitting career highs every night, for example, which is what you'd expect from a half-speed tank heavy last few games of the season. Before they decided to give his minutes to Garuba, Bruno Fernando was in the same situation and he was way better, particularly on offense as a roll man/clean up guy for the guards - if Garuba had games like Bruno did against Sacramento, people would be penciling him in as a starter. But since he was a salary dump rather than a vessel for people's hopes and dreams as a recernt late first roudn pick like Garuba, nobody really cared.
Fernando is a 23 year old in his 3rd year, I would hope he looked better than a 19 year old in his first regular NBA minutes. More than a slight exaggeration with this "hopes and dreams" BS. He's a guy, saw some signs he could be a a good guy, if the Rockets waived him tomorrow I wouldn't really give a s**t.
This is where I'm at as well. Capela looked terrible year 1 and developed into a nice rim protector/rebounding big. Big men take some time and he had a lot going on last year--transition to US/NBA, injury, etc. I'm not as concerned about a little baby fat, let's see how he plays tonight in a starter's role.
I was pumped for Garuba last year, but he looked awful when he played. This main and obvious thing is how he ballooned up in size from those Saltgrass Steakhouse chicken tenders, but he was also bad in just about every other aspect. He occasionally played some decent defense, but it wasn't anything great. Mostly, he looked overwhelmed, both mentally and physically; like he did not belong in the NBA. I watched him play for Spain before the draft and was really interested in him as a prospect; it has sucked for me to watch him disappoint. I hope he turns it around, of course, but Step 1 in that process is going to be getting in great shape, which he apparently still hasn't done. It's looking like he will be a G-Leaguer again this year.
I don't know, were people expecting washboard abs. The photo is not Zion bad in terms fat %. Let's see how things go.
There's no excuse for Garuba to let his body get that out of shape. Yao was no stranger to rehab and even with his foot in a boot he was more defined.
Not talking about you but other posters in this thread were talking up his Real Madrid/Spain credentials as if they actually were more relevant than the fact he looked way too slow and unathletic to even be a rotation player when he was out there (also neither of those teams is as good as they were 10-15 years ago, they have slipped dramatically relative to NBA/Gleague) As for the 19 v 23 thing, sure, i guess but there's a much higher chance, first round pick and all, that Garubas ceiling is closer to Bruno Fernando than Bruno Mars. If he were only 19 and had insane physical tools maybe it would be different but - this guy is looking pretty miss-ish like this thread says
im still all in on Destiny Garuba!!! I dont care how fat he is. you guys jumped at the chance to hate on him because there aren't many people to hate on -- on the team. dont get comfortable! Uzi coming! it is concerning the coaches haven't talked about him at all this off season.
