, We do need that superstar. But if there is not one available, we should not waste the 14 pick on a reach and pay a reach 3-4 years guaranteed money and "hope" he turns into something. High performance organizations, no matter what field they are in, do not waste valuable assets on "hope".
So the logic is... "Let's use a #14 pick to backup Kevin Martin and Courtney Lee. That way, we'll be competitive as soon as we turn our assets into a star." That's crap logic. And it will take just as many years to be really competitive as waiting on a player to develop. Freddette is at best case what Redick is. A situational one-dimensional role player on a playoff caliber team. Nothing more. But because $Ball overemphasizes the # of years played in college, you can bet the Rockets will pick Fredette if he's available. And again...it's the B($Ball)PA instead of need. We'll be having this same conversation next year as all you of "Daryl's Darlings" move the timeframe out another year to be a WC Finals competitor.
If you aren't a surefire superstar in waiting...you ARE hope. By that line of thinking, we will be limited to trading for a superstar. By now, you should know that it is easier to assemble 10 role players and complimentary pieces than it is to find ONE fulcrum. Swing the bat and go for a homer, if you can. If there is someone available with the potential and, yes, HOPE to be a stud, we have to take him. Otherwise, Jimmer, at 14, would be a bunt.
jimmer has embarrased kawai leonard for two years now, yet kawai is projected higher. Jimmer will be fine. He plays like lowry and shoots like AB used to.
The logic is...you take the best player available when you draft, irregardless of position. Gater, I think you agree with this. I never said Fredette would be the BPA on the board at 14. What I said is he will have a substantial career, a top 10 career for his draft class.
The Jimmer could become the next Kyle Korver with better handles and more fortitude driving to the basket. If so, that would be just fine with me. You can't have too many scorers.
Bingo, and honestly, I don't see how any intellectual, observational fan could see many similarities between Jimmer and Redick.
I dont see Fredette's game translating to the next level , I think at best he's a Kyle Krover in a smaller frame in the NBA - a shooter off the bench. Where do you play him , PG ? SG ? who does he defend ? Whoever you put in the back court with him better have some size.
They're both white and they can shoot. That's what the average fan sees. An above average fan sees these similiarities: 1. They can both shoot from anywhere 2. Neither player is super athletic or super fast. The dissimilarities are these: 1. J.J. played at a big time program with two other NBA players. Jimmer played at a smaller basketball program with a bunch of nobodies. 2. J.J. played mostly off the ball and was mostly catching the ball in a position to shoot after coming off multiple screens and pin downs. Jimmer handled the ball as the primary ball handler and got a lot of his shots off his own dribble.
Isn't this the same logic that said we should have taken Larry Sanders or Hassan Whiteside over Patterson? You take the best player. If Fredette is the best player at 14, then you take him. That's all there is to it.
Here's the crazy thinking I don't understand: People will hold out "hope" that some athletic freak with no discernable NBA skill will somehow morph into an NBA superstar but they won't hold out "hope" that a guy that can shoot 50% from halfcourt with a defender on him could possibly become a superstar just because he isn't an athletic freak of nature. These are the type of people that would draft Mychal Thompson over Larry Bird because Thompson was so much longer and more athletic and Bird was so slow. Go back two years and search out all the threads on Steph Curry. A few of us kept saying he was either the best or second best point guard in the draft. But most of you kept saying, he was too small and he couldn't see the floor well enough, blah, blah, blah. Then when I suggested that I would trade Brooks for Curry, a lot of people told me how stupid I was. But it was plain as the nose on your face. That boy had an NBA skillset. He could get that jumper off with multiple defenders glued onto him and he still shot it at a very efficient clip. The NBA simply opened up his game. Same thing again with Fredette. He's too slow. He can't/won't D up. Yack, yack, yack.....there's bigger faster point guards out there...yack, yack, yack. Just wait til Jimmer starts throwin those bombs out and then all of a sudden he turns into a 6-7 assist per game player because he has to be doubled to prevent him from shooting. I'll be telling you once again....I told you so.
One major difference between Redick and Fredette is their personalities. One is an alpha male who does anything it takes to win, the other is a role player who plays off others and writes poetry to express his feelings. Yes, they're both white and can shoot, but I think their personalities will determine their fates. Personally, I think Fredette can be a steal.
