I'd say your man is correct on most of his points, but I don't think Pap can play PF in the NBA, mostly on defense. The speed disparity at the 3 won't be as big as the strength/size disparity at the 4. Then again, neither could Parsons, Delfino or Casspi, but we stuck them there for stretches anyway. Also, I agree that his athleticism is overstated because he's a good dunker and quick in transition, but the man's definitely above average in the Euroleague. I don't know which Euroleague your friend's been watching, but I think Pap's combination of transition speed, hustle, shot blocking and finishing above the rim is unique in the competition. Rudy Fernandez is a superior scorer, but not as good a defender. I feel like pointing out though, that "a very good TEAM defender, [...] a very good weak side defender, help defender, [that] can make great hustle plays on defense" is a damn good defender. The concept of one guy playing D and bailing out an entire team of ball-watchers doesn't exist in the Euroleague, so obviously Pap has no such experience or any such accolades, but it will be interesting to see how he fits in, considering that the most dangerous teams kill you with team play. You know who's a good man-to-man defender, but lacks all other qualities that your friend describes? Harden.
Damn. If his last name was written with a C instead of a K his perfect nickname would have been pap-smear. What a shame!
Well, he is a big unknown. Might be a Beverly like surprise, may be a VSpan like disappointment. At least he is something to get excited about before the season. There still is a big questionmark around our bench. Canaan, Johnson, Daniels, Papa, Moti and Dorsey are all pretty much unknowns. We have seen quite a bit of Moti, but the big question remains of if it finally clicks for him. So our starting 5 is pretty solid (with 2 minor question marks at PG and PF) but we basically have no idea what the other guys can do...
3 n' D You never know how a Euro will translate to the NBA. It's a culture shock and the speed of the game is different. But if Paps works, 3n'd off the bench behind Ariza, and we get 48 minutes of tie or better from the 3 spot every night, then this signing is golden. But if he Spanoulis'es out, you're out of the deal after 1 year. This a reasonable risk and reward move I think. How much of his contract money did he have to pay to get out his contract after the Rox paid their $600k? That could be some of the reason he required a big 1 year deal.
I feel a lot better about our SF position. Ariza/Kostas/Covington ...should be solid on both sides of the ball, plus some long range shooting. Now we need to add a PG and a 4
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/DxvaWVy0VyY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Don't be disappointed, his last name is exactly the same as the guy who came up with the procedure. The k/c are interchangeable when it's written in English. Maybe so, but that doesn't make it a qualified evaluation on your part. I could say it's gonna rain in 3 years, 8 months and 17 days from now. It might actually happen, it doesn't mean I was right to say it.
Who the hell do you want him to get for 4M a year? Charlie Villanueva? Dude is a low risk high reward pickup, you know, like the time we drafted Parsons in the 2nd round? Maybe he becomes a bust, but considering all we gave for him is 4M that's not really a big deal so I have no idea why you are having a break down over some random Euro pickup. I like the signing, Paps has a really high bball IQ and should be ready to go and take spot minutes as a backup SF behind Ariza. Parsons was also said to be too athletically slow to defend at the NBA level, but he turned out to be a good defender and used that to get PT.
Definitely an edge to him. I can't say for sure if he is mentally tougher than Vspan was but you have to think he has more mental toughness than most young euros. The confidence, motor, and work ethic all seem to be there. Should be a definite rotation role player and his success will depend on how well he defends 3's as well as 4's.
Plays with passion Perfect contract as trade asset One year deal essentially Option for 2nd if he blows up What's not to like? The high contract is to both allow for team option 2nd year and to get him enough $$ to come over. As for making it as a NBA player? That's up to him. Show up with great defense intensity and make some 3s and he will play. Heck, Chandler play for same reasons for McHale. Ball handling skills on this team over rated. Harden is the defacto PG and when he kick out you make the 3 and everyone is happy.
It too early to use the word ever but that does appear how this contract is structured...trade bait. But since there wasn't anyone left to spend the money on, it's like a "free" preview and with a bottom ceiling of trade bait. Hard to get too upset with that given our options at this point.
I assume with all those rep points that you've seen him play and know what you're talking about but the Matrix was an All-star and we're paying this guy more than Marion will probably sign for with his next team.
