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Biyombo + tutoring by Hakeem = !!!!! He sorta scares me with his hustle though. He may get injured early in his carreer.
It;s not as good as NBA or Euroleague, but "really weak" is a big exaggeration. Even in ACB, which is not known as a physical or good defense league in Europe, the defense is still much better than the NBA regular season and the level of physical play is still equal to the NBA regular season. Sure, ACB is definitely worse than Euroleague, but "really weak competition" is definitely wrong. It's far above NBA D-League level - not even close.
[rquoter] Exploring Bismack Biyombo's upside By David Thorpe What if I told you that there is a center who's been in this league four years, who stands just 6-foot-9, and can't shoot. He also has poor hands, one reason he really can't rebound either (except for balls that come right to him). Did I mention he can't score in the paint either? Well, he can't, averaging just 2.5 ppg for his career. Now, would you believe me when I told you this non-shooting, non-scoring, non-rebounding player started at center many times in the postseason? Oh, and his team is two wins away from winning a title. That's right, Joel Anthony is that guy, and he's an interesting player to evaluate because this draft features a player who's a lot like him -- Bismack Biyombo. At the very least, it appears Biyombo can be slightly more effective, meaning a team can find its future starting center in this draft. That's no easy feat considering the last two drafts have produced only two players that we know can be starting centers (DeMarcus Cousins and Greg Monroe). The thing is, any team that drafts Biyombo will need him to be far more effective than Anthony, because Anthony has the benefit of playing with two of the best players in the world on the Miami Heat. Biyombo won't have that luxury. Let's break down his game: To begin with, we need to talk about Biyombo's age. There are rumors that he is older than his listed age of 18. That may be true, but it might not matter all that much. For argument's sake, let's say he's as old as 24. Even at that age, he's younger than many of his opponents in the Spanish league, and he performed well for his playoff-qualifying team there. He may not have as many years to improve but he's ready to help a team, and don't forget that Anthony is 28. Any team drafting Biyombo hopes to be a serious contender in the next four years, and knowing it has a center who should be a better overall player than Anthony would be comforting, especially when he'll be on a rookie contract. If he's indeed 18, or just 20, and is a good rotation player for a good team in the second-best basketball league in the world, then he's even more enticing as a draft pick because his ceiling will appear much higher. What Biyombo brings to the game right now is exactly what you'd expect when you first see him. He has amazingly long arms, and he uses them as often as he can. That part is easy to see. But I like his nimbleness in defending ball screens and closing out shooters. Other than a few occasions when he stumbles, Biyombo has a smart and mature approach to the way he plays defense. He anticipates well and is not one of those shot-blockers who never wants to leave the paint. He has an advanced understanding of team defense, clearly coming from his experiences playing at such a high level. It would be fair to assume that his team in Spain would go undefeated in any major college conference in America, and that should give you some indication of the talent level there. Many Spanish teams run complicated offensive sets, full of multiple screens and off-ball actions, yet Biyombo pings from spot to spot as if he's part of a choreographed dance routine. It's the kind of instant recognition required in the NBA to defend great offenses, but is rarely seen in rookies. Biyombo's learning curve in this area will be small. Of course, everyone wants to see him block shots, and he will do that in the NBA. Because he's good at getting good defensive position, he's frequently in the right place to make a play on the shooter. To get a paint bucket on him will require a strong lift and finish, because he eats up anything soft. If within three years he anchors a team that is a top 10 defensive unit, I will not be surprised. This is not some skinny kid who's going to get pushed around. His strength and activity help him on the glass as well. He's a hungry rebounder who flows to the ball well. Biyombo does not project to be much of an impact guy on offense. His hook shot is flat (though that's easily improved) and his natural scoring instincts are not strong. But I saw something in him that will help him a great deal in the NBA: His second bounce is outstanding and quick. This will not impact his offensive game as much as it will help him on the offensive glass. With those arms and that bounce, Biyombo can be a terror cleaning up the missed shots of teammates. The biggest issue facing Biyombo is his weak passing. He looks to have major problems dealing with strong closeouts on a dead dribble, so I expect a lot of turnovers early on. This kind of problem can be coached up, as can the other big adjustment he'll have to make. He'll no longer be anywhere close to being the best athlete on the floor. That was often the case in Spain, and it allowed him to impact the game in ways that did not require any skill. In the NBA, though, he'll need to refine his game and build on it in order to play at a high level. A word of caution to Biyombo: Joel Anthony is a fan favorite because of the way he plays for a guy who went undrafted. More is expected of a top-10 pick, so even if Biyombo is as good as Anthony, that won't be enough in the eyes of most. [/rquoter]
David Thorpe called the ACB the second best basketball league in the world. In your eyes that makes the NBA third, right?
Interesting... He has very intelligent interviews, and he seems sincere. I hate to call out someone's integrity. Is there any proof at all that he is older than say 21? I will stay in Bismack's camp until proven otherwise.
this comparison does not make any sense at all, Joel vs Bismack? even in his highlights Bismack is more effective than Joel has been throughout this season...
He was mostly trying to point out the similarities in their height and weight and why he would be able to play center and not PF.
Could he 'fall' to #14? Read from bottom to top: Spoiler How bad would the backlash on here be if Biyombo was there at #14 and Morey went with somebody like Fredette? I think I'm secretly kinda rooting for it already.
Givony predicted Biyombo could be an All-Star, his credibility is on the line. <!-- http://twitter.com/#!/franfraschilla/status/79519127403900928 --> <style type='text/css'>.bbpBox79519127403900928 {background:url(http://a1.twimg.com/profile_background_images/109248295/ESPN_WWLS.jpg) #C0DEED;padding:20px;} p.bbpTweet{background:#fff;padding:10px 12px 10px 12px;margin:0;min-height:48px;color:#000;font-size:18px !important;line-height:22px;-moz-border-radius:5px;-webkit-border-radius:5px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata{display:block;width:100%;clear:both;margin-top:8px;padding-top:12px;height:40px;border-top:1px solid #fff;border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author{line-height:19px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author img{float:left;margin:0 7px 0 0px;width:38px;height:38px} p.bbpTweet a:hover{text-decoration:underline}p.bbpTweet span.timestamp{font-size:12px;display:block}</style> <div class='bbpBox79519127403900928'><p class='bbpTweet'>Bismack Biyambo just worked out at Adidas Eurocamp in front of most of the league. Really, really athletic but NOT Serge Ibaka. Raw skills.<span class='timestamp'><a title='Sat Jun 11 12:03:32 +0000 2011' href='http://twitter.com/#!/franfraschilla/status/79519127403900928'>less than a minute ago</a> via <a href="http://www.echofon.com/" rel="nofollow">Echofon</a> <a href='http://twitter.com/intent/favorite?tweet_id=79519127403900928'><img src='http://si0.twimg.com/images/dev/cms/intents/icons/favorite.png' /> Favorite</a> <a href='http://twitter.com/intent/retweet?tweet_id=79519127403900928'><img src='http://si0.twimg.com/images/dev/cms/intents/icons/retweet.png' /> Retweet</a> <a href='http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=79519127403900928'><img src='http://si0.twimg.com/images/dev/cms/intents/icons/reply.png' /> Reply</a></span><span class='metadata'><span class='author'><a href='http://twitter.com/franfraschilla'><img src='http://a2.twimg.com/profile_images/325876479/Fraschilla_Fran_normal.JPG' /></a><strong><a href='http://twitter.com/franfraschilla'>Fran Fraschilla</a></strong><br/>franfraschilla</span></span></p></div> <!-- end of tweet -->
Sorry, maybe I miss read what you wrote, but are you secretly rooting for us to draft Fredette? The guy can shoot and has decent handle. But he has poor court vision and despite athletic testing, doesn't seem fast enough to guard PG's in the NBA. He also doesn't get much elevation in his jumpshot, and he lacks any type of athleticism. So his gonna struggle to be able to finish plays at the rim at nights when his jumpshot is off. So no thanks on the most overrated player in this draft! As far as the Biyombo work out, he should have tested in a 5 on 5 setting. Where he can show his defensive prowess. He currently doesn't posses the skill level to be in a 1 on 0 work out setting. But I actually take this as good news in that at least this makes him more of a possibility at 14 then before.
Great news that The Bomb had a bad workout. This is similar to when the Kings worked out Rubio in a 1-on-0 and where disappointed. Hopefully it will lower his stock right into our hands.
Terrible hands, terrible free throw shooter.. comparisons to Joel Anthony.. suddenly I'm not so in love with this guy.
Bismack Biyombo re-measured at the Adidas 6'8 w/out shoes quarter of an inch higher then before. Wingspan measured an inch shorter at 7'6, standing reach measured an inch longer at 9'4
Draft him if available. Okay he's short, he can't score, he can't rebound. But he is still better than Thabeet.
