IMO, the Rockets biggest need is at the 5. Woods has a bad back, Haywood has a questionable attitude, Ken Johnson has a great attitude but limited offensive skills, Bradley or Murphy don't have the size for a WC Center, trading up is a very big if..... I've read that Hunter has a good attitude, has put on weight, played well at Moody and worked out well for teams. Can anyone add more? Is he a stretch at 18? I think he'll be gone by 23. ------------------ Raef to Rocks in '01-'02! [This message has been edited by GATER (edited June 25, 2001).]
I agree - Hunter looks like the one guy who would make the safest pick for a center- He could be decent but how far do you reach for him? Too high at 13 is obvious- would he be a good #18? Or would the Rockets get nervous and try for move down a couple of places? Does wnyone have a take on how interested the Rockets are in Hunter? ------------------
Seems like he might/won't be available at 18. Everyone is moving him UP their board. I've seen him at 12 and 15 in professional mocks. ------------------ "How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak. Because someday you will have been all of these."
He averaged 11.4 ppg and 5.6 rpg against CUSA competition. He's not an NBA center with those #'s. Don't want him. ------------------ President of the (the Rockets first pick in the draft) fan club.
So he's not an NBA center because of his numbers, but Wallace is an NBA forward because of his 9.8 pts, 6.0 reb, and 43.8 field goal percentage? Not everyone excels in college. Look at big men like Marc Jackson, and forwards like Vince Carter. College success doesn't translate into NBA success, and college failure doesn't translate into NBA failure. The games are different, and believe it or not, players can improve. ------------------ The Mo Taylor Fan Site "Basketball players win basketball games. Athletes win track meets."-- Shane Battier Draftsource.net-- the premier source for draft info. Profiles, rankings, mock drafts, and more! Cat's Mock Draft
Once again Cat you overlook the intangibles. Now I'm just guessing here, but I don't think Hunter can do a one handed windmill dunk, that automatically scratches him off of my list. !Viva Le 1 Handed Windmill Dunk! ------------------ This post contains no smilies, you must judge my seriousness on your own...
I've also read (I think it was Chris Monter) scouts mention that Hunter didn't look great in college b/c his team was poorly coached.
Here's a mention of Hunter from today's NBA Insider: DePaul's Steven Hunter, who has had two solid weeks of workouts, has impressed everywhere he's gone. Though talk about Hunter going as high as No. 9 to Detroit seem premature, he may end up in Seattle at No. 12. Hunter worked out in Boston and Seattle this weekend to yet more rave reviews, a league source told Insider. He'll be in Orlando today for one more encore performance. Orlando,which picks at No. 15, won't let him slide past there. Hunter has slipped ahead of big men Brendan Haywood and Loren Woods on almost every team's draft board. ------------------
I think that the comparisons of Randolph-Brand and Johnson-Ratliff can be considered legit. Although neither of the college players are as good as their comparison, they do have very similiar games and could each one day put up similiar stats. Had Randolph stayed for his soph. year, he would have been the go-to-guy and would have put up very nice #'s. He could possibly have been a Top 5 pick in next year's draft but we will never know. As for Ratliff, if I remember correctly, he didn't have an offensive game when he left Wyoming. He was a mid 1st rounder due to his shot blocking and defense, which is exactly what Johnson has. As for Lauren Woods, he has no heart and is too skinny, so comparing him to one of the best centers of all-time is crazy. Finally, Hunter seems to be moving up according to everyone around here. If he had a bad coach in college, that might help explain the stats. Plus, I don't think Woods or Haywood will ever be a good starter in this league, so maybe he's worth a pick, as long as it isn't in the lottery. ------------------ President of the (the Rockets first pick in the draft) fan club.
I got a chance to watch Hunter some during his freshman season at DePaul. I felt he had a world of potential but would need to develop some post moves and add to his body. At that time, Hunter was very frail. Hunter is a 7 foot big man with long arms that moves very well and runs the court like a guard. I liked the fact that he was very quick off the ground (pogo stick like jumping ability); this usually translates into a player being a good shot blocker in the NBA and being very active around the rim. His offense consisted predominantly of feeds and putbacks. I honestly cant remember if he had shooting range, but that isnt something that stuck out. I dont think you can expect an immediate contribution out of Hunter as he will require time to refine many parts of his game. Sure he runs, dunks and blocks, but the skill areas of his game need development. ------------------ Check out the Best Source for Draft Info Draftsource.net
Wallace played out of position his only year in college and will work hard to get a good jump shot, which he can already create with his athleticsm. And for the last time, I wasn't the one that said I was impressed by Wallace for his stupid dunk. That was someone else. If Wallace outrebounded Hunter, what does that say about Hunter's post game? The Rockets need somebody that can bang in the post and pick up rebounds. That's not Hunter's game at all. "This cat will be successful because of his amazing work ethic. Add that to a special talent and the sky's the limit. Country tough. Has an amazing combination of athleticism, quickness, and discipline to become a special talent. Has range on his jump shot, can soar over opponents and throw down monster dunks. Also out-competes the opposition. He wants it. Hustles at all times. Nicknamed "The Bird" because of his swoops to the bucket." - nbadraft.net profile of Wallace ------------------ President of the (the Rockets first pick in the draft) fan club.
Just because you have a work ethic doesn't mean your shot can be better. And don't even tell me what is and isn't Hunter's game, when all you're going by are the numbers. Also, I could really care less what NBAdraft.net has to say in their profiles. They exaggerate everyone greatly and make them all seem like future superstars. Earlier this year they had Loren Woods compared to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. They have Zach Randolph compared to Elton Brand. They had Ken Johnson compared to Theo Ratliff. You could make a case for any player in the draft being a star if you went by nbadraft.net analysis. ------------------ The Mo Taylor Fan Site "Basketball players win basketball games. Athletes win track meets."-- Shane Battier Draftsource.net-- the premier source for draft info. Profiles, rankings, mock drafts, and more! Cat's Mock Draft
