I find it hard to believe that he can not be on the 15 man roster playing against real NBA competition now. Hopefully he will be playing in the NBDL this year with the new CBA agreement in place. DD
OK now, folks you can't have it both ways with this guy. IF he's not being developed correctly over there because his skills aren't suited to the Euro style of basketball, then why leave him there? If his physical skills, attitude, etc. are so great, why not bring him over here and let him work with Ewing, Yao and other guys schooled in the NBA style of basketball? Leaving him overseas for 3 years makes no sense and I have to agree that if a washed up Vin Baker can sit at the end of the bench collecting checks, then so can Badianne. On the OTHER hand, the fact that he's still over there not really tearing things up is in and of itself disturbing and may speak volumes about his true ability. The bottom line is that he either can play the PF position or he can't. If he's still "learning the game" after all of this time, then at best, he's nothing more than a longshot to ever make it in this league. By the time he actually makes it over here (if ever), he'll be so far behind Amare, Ben, Dwight and Emika, et. al, he may never catch up and those are the guys he'll be asked to match up against. One thing is certain, he's not going to be ready to help them next season so what he may or may not be able to do 3-5 years from now is a moot point AFAIK.
Euro game = lots of screens, and passes and back cuts, not a real power game. NBA game = lots of pyshical pounding, and much more posting up. Personally I think Malick is probably better suited to the NBA style of play, but, any play is better than sitting on the bench and getting no time at all. At least he is getting playing time over there, hopefully the new CBA will allow teams to send players in their first 3 years to the minors for seasoning with NBA coaching. That would benefit guys like Malick a ton, and NBA teams as well. DD
I think that is the question that is bugging the people who care about Malick. Why is managment leaving him over there. One possible answer is that he is 'free' to the rox as long as he is there. If he had been drafted in the first round he would have been here on the bench like so many others. But he wasn't, so we don't have to pay him to sit on the bench. Another possible reason is the guaranteed contracts, we have too many to fit him in even if we wanted to. Maybe we would have brought him already if we weren't full of Vins, Spoons, Taylors, Moochies, et al. Maybe we can rid ourselves of some people this summer or at the trade deadline, and then get him here.
Yesterday the Skyliners had their first semi-final game of the BBL playoffs against Berlin. Malick started the game and played 29 minutes. He finished with 11 points on 5/10 shooting from the field and 1/3 from the line. In the paint he shot 5/7, and he took a three pointer (I think it was his first overall in the BBL), which he missed. I didn't watch the game so I can't give you a scouting report, though. For those, who are interested, the Skyliners won the game in Berlin 80:64 and took the 1:0 lead in the series. Btw: Malicks stats in the playoffs are solid. 8.8 ppg (about 70% fg percentage, 41% ft percentage, though...) and 4.5 rpg in 22 mpg. I think the main problem with malick is that he is not a real pf. He plays Center over here and his lateral quickness, from what I've seen, is not good enough to keep up with the quickest 4's of the NBA. But he can compensate a lot with his length and his hustle. His body type is Kevin Garnett's, but he is not that explosive and quick. I think he has a shot at making the team, but probably not this year. We have to many players to give him a contract. But you'll never know about offseason trades...
Good stuff, GRF. Maybe we should bring him over here and let him be the second backup 5 and mop-up minutes at 4. Seems like he could glean a lot from listening to Deke and Ewing and van Gundy.
The description of Badiane's lateral quickness problem echos what DoD said about him in the summer leagues when Badiane got abused by Chris Bosh. Perhaps Badiane isnt going to be the PF we need in terms of being a good "quick" PF that can go out on the floor and cover the quicker PFs of the league. Perhaps (despite the lesser weight) he is going to be more of a Center who patrolls the paint. Maybe more of a Samuel Dalembert type player; atheltic, can rebound and block shots but in open space just can't hang with quick PFs. I think what you are going to see with Badiane and the Rockets is that they will resign Deke to a 2 year deal. And then when Deke retires in 2 years bring over Badiane to be our backup C. Someone that can come off the bench and change the game in terms of blocking shots and hustling. Badiane could surprise us, but chances are he might only be a solid backup C and not the long term PF we are looking for. GermanRoxFan, thanks for the update! Keep the updates coming!
GRF - thanks for the input. Would you talk a bit about the overall quality of the BBL. I have heard that it is a second tier league, is this true? As a rule, do players from BBL advance to to a better league? If so, what is that? Are there any other BBL players we have heard of? Anybody who has moved up to the NBA? Thanks again, I have enjoyed your posts.
I saw Badiane play yesterday in the semi-final of the German league. He started for his team and logged heavy minutes. He had 11 points on a 5 for 7 shooting and collected 5 rebounds. I saw him a couple of times last season and he has vastly improved. He is a defensive anchor for his team, but doesn't live on pure hussle and energy anymore as he did last season. He has really matured as a devensive player as evidenced by 0 personal fouls. Last season he got routinely received 3-4 calls on plain dumb fouls. On offensive ... well he remains challenged. But as his stat line shows he has improved on his offensive game as well. His teammates seem to trust him more as he is involved in many plays. At this point I would see him as a energy spark for the rockets coming from the bench, nut not much more. He needs to add some bulk and has to find a consistent go-to-move. Bottom line: I don't see him playing for the rockets nest season. But if he continues to improve at his current rate he might NBA-ready in one year. It would be nice to see him play for the Rockets summer league team, though.
Thanks for the update Steko. It's real hard to evaluate a player most of us have never seen play. It seems like he still isn't ready like you said, but hopefully he can continue to improve and can be added to the roster to backup Yao in the future.
thanks, steko. Would you say Badiane is more of a PF or a center? I always assumed he would be able to play PF, but a poster on RealGM who has also watched Badiane believes his lateral quickness is much too slow for him to adequately guard PFs. What do you think?
There are conflicting opions. NIKEstrad told me we hold his rights as long as he is playing pro ball anywhere while others have mentioned we have a 2 years option. If it is 2 years our option is up this year.
Thanks for the info. Ben Wallace didn't have much offense and was a perennial defensive all-pro. Sounds like we need him here now to cover Yao's back. That situation (playing beside Yao) alone will alter his game considerably, and he can only get that experience once he gets here, IMHO. Considering his competition he sounds better than anything behind JHo now or anything that we could draft at #24.
I think we have his rights in perpetuity, remember Sabonis? Portland had his rights for years until he finally came over. DD
Is it just me, or is there is something fishy about a bbs member who has been registered since 2002 and still only has 200ish posts having like 10-20 posts in this single thread - and being rude and insulting in each of them? Seems as though somebody made a second account to vent with. Either way, Ill-skillz doesn't belong here. He apparently doesn't even know how to feign respect for his fellow posters. Is this what the ESPN boards look like? I've only heard the horror stories.
It's just you! I wasn't rude to anyone who wasn't rude to me first. I have posted sporadically since 2002, big deal. Wrong! Says who? That's pretty damn rude of you to speak for everyone, pardner. I respect those who respect me. This Badiane worship nonsense is a waste of time. Thread after thread about a scrub, that if he overachieves, will be the 12th guy on the team. I wouldn't know, I don't post there.
