Joel Freeland

hooroo · Jun 25, 2006

Sleeper pick of the draft?

http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1370

Joel Freeland is this year’s international man of mystery. After enjoying little exposure playing in last year’s European Division B Junior Championship, a season in Gran Canaria Fadesa of the Spanish fourth division and the second division of the U-20 Circuit, he surprised everyone in Treviso by showcasing his excellent potential.

Freeland is an athletic big man, extremely quick and highly coordinated. Although he’s a bit too skinny right now and has a tendency to get pushed around, he enjoys an excellent frame to put the necessary weight on to make a living in the NBA.

Freeland has reportedly only been playing basketball for three years, but the game comes natural to him. He’s not a polished player, but he does a little bit of everything. Shooting is the department that he looks to be strongest at right now. He shows good mechanics and a quick release, enjoying range out to the international three-point line and already some nice accuracy, even being able to knock it down off the dribble. Indeed Joel can put the ball on the floor rather easily, although he rarely faces and attacks his matchup from the perimeter using his ball-handling skills. He’s more of a post guy when it comes to playing one on one, regardless of the fact that his movements down low are still pretty limited. However, given his excellent coordination and footspeed, he should be able to develop a very nice post game if he works hard enough.

Defensively he’s just as promising. He’s a smart and an intense player, which helps quite a bit. Joel shows good positioning and lateral quickness, and battles to keep his position in the low post. Not a bad rebounder at all, perhaps he could use a little extra effort in terms of boxing out.

At this point, Freeland is mostly about potential, but it’s highly realizable potential. He seems to have everything in place to become a very useful player: the physical foundations to end up with an NBA body; a raw, but wide skill set that will only get better thanks to his learning curve and excellent coordination, and the right hard-working attitude to be effective on the basketball court. He projects as a late first to early 2nd round pick.

*Yes we cheated, and yes this is called an American perspecitve on Europe. But unfortunately the only one who has seen Freeland play from DraftExpress is a European.
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Earlier article:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0622suns0622.html
-Suns are interested should Rockets also be?

Dubious · Jun 25, 2006

Sleeper? he may be stiff.

Anybody Draftexpress doesn't even have a picture of, in my guess, is probably not going to play in the NBA.

okierock · Jun 25, 2006

That is a 2-3 year project at a minimum before he even crosses the big water.

Jacquescas · Jun 25, 2006

in the second round i'd rather get someone who can contribute right away.

hooroo · Jun 26, 2006

I'm not too confident of getting immediate help in the 2nd especially with a few players projected as 1st rounders pulling out further weaking the draft.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0622suns0622.html

"I saw him during the season (and) it was, 'OK, good form, good athlete,' " said Marco Crespi, Suns international scouting director. "He improved a lot in the last three months. At Eurocamp last week (in Italy), he impressed everybody."
..."Joel's shooting stroke is as tight as any big man you'll see," said David Griffin, Suns vice president of basketball operations. "He changes ends like a deer. He can really run."
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If the rumour is true that Clips promised their 34th pick to him I'd be interested even more . Over the past ten years LAC have had a good draft record in terms of selecting players good enough to stay in the league. They're also being doing well recently in finding speculative talents like Quinton Ross and Bobby Simmons.

With Deke gone after this season drafting a guy who's year away wouldn't be such a bad option. At worst if he's successful he could be a Padgett type player that can fill PF/C and for a 2nd rounder that be great.

hooroo · Jun 26, 2006

Fran Fraschilla said:

"I mentioned a couple of names yesterday as far as being future NBA prospects. Joel Freeland, a 19-year-old, 6-10 forward from England, has easily been the surprise of the camp. He runs like a deer, has great hands and has a tremendous feel for the game. He is the youngest player in this year's draft and would easily be an early second-round pick if he stays in. The consensus among NBA people is that he is a year or two away from being a first-round pick, so he has a tough decision to make. If I were the GM of a team picking in the late first round -- and if I could afford to be patient -- I would draft Freeland and leave him overseas for a year or two of seasoning. He has some Andrei Kirilenko in him."
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http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2006/insider/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&id=2490076

Chad Ford said:

"Who says there aren't any secrets in scouting anymore? Freeland is definitely the sleeper of the camp -- maybe of the draft. Freeland's name wasn't even on the NBA's early entry list when it was released a few weeks ago. Apparently Freeland applied after the deadline, but was able to show the NBA that he intended to apply in time, so they granted an exception to his agent, Arn Tellem. Not sure exactly what that means, but that's the NBA's story.

What makes Freeland interesting is that almost everyone here believes the reason he snuck into the draft was because he's gotten a second-round promise. But from whom? Speculation centers on the Clippers, the Timberwolves and the Blazers. The Clips have two first-round picks and have been listening closely to their international scout Fabricio Besnati the past few years. The Wolves also have two first-round picks, and Reebok Eurocamp director Pete Philo also happens to be on the staff. The Blazers have picks No. 30 and No. 31 and are also said to be fans.

Why? The kid can play. I couldn't find more than one NBA scout who knew about him when I added him to our Top 100 three weeks ago. Now? They are all in love.

The 19-year-old, slender 6-10 forward from Aldershot, England played in the Spanish "B" league this year for Gran Canaria. He averaged 14.8 ppg and 7.8 rpg in 26 mpg this season.

Freeland reminds me a lot of the Knicks' David Lee. He's actually a little taller and a little longer but plays with the same energy and athleticism. He flies up and down the court and has excellent hops. He's very active defensively and has great shot-blocking timing.

Offensively he has skills. He's got a nice 12-foot jumper, and in drills, he was even sinking the international 3, though not consistently. He's got a pretty good handle and will put the ball on the floor and take his man off the dribble. He gets great elevation on his jump shot, though the form still needs a little work.

But a team is going to draft him for his motor, defense and athleticism. While most of the talk about him centers on the second round, I wouldn't be shocked to see him slip into the late first. A team could draft him and leave him overseas for a year or two to develop. A little more muscle and a little more polish and he could be a big prospect."
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hooroo · Jun 27, 2006

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/14908962.htm

Wolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale canceled a plan to attend a predraft workout Monday in Boston after English power forward Joel Freeland pulled out of his workout with the Celtics. Freeland is considered a late first-round pick or an early second-rounder.
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Baqui99 · Jun 27, 2006

Great, a 7-foot Englishman. This guy's not going to amount to a damn thing.

Jacquescas · Jun 27, 2006

i'd rather have Pittsnogle who will be able to compete longer, and be with this team for a while... or some other college player who is more NBA ready.

qwerty · Jun 27, 2006

Baqui99 said:

Great, a 7-foot Englishman. This guy's not going to amount to a damn thing.
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"Did someone say 7-foot Englishman?"

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