I've seen nothing but slanted highlights of Rubio. I may have seen him play in the Olympics, but I don't remember him. I will not begin to pretend to know whether he will be a good NBA player or not. I didn't think Morrision would be dominant...but I sure thought he'd be more effective than he has been. I think Griffin is just a flat out good player....I think he'll have real impact. I think Curry is actually a safe pick...at the very least, he can fill it up. There's a spot on teams for guys who can shoot like that.
Anyone else see the irony in this post? I wouldn't even use a 1st round pick on Rubio. The guy is a bust waiting to happen.
I don't see any irony. A lot of people have predicted Rubio to be a future star. I don't think anyone with a brain picked Redick to be a future hall of famer.
The thing with Rubio is that he possess natural skills that don't need to be learned. His court vision, his "vista" is something that every PG dream of. He can improve his shot, his jumper and will certainly gain body muscle. But most importantly, he has something that cannot be learned, he has the true attribute of a PG and thats why the Kings where disapointed when they had a one-on-none tryout with him, the dude makes people around him better. And thats probably what Morey see's in him. He see's a guy that can come in and contribute right away to help create opportunities for Yao and the other guys.
My thoughts: Not trying to be 'that guy', but I was extremely down on Morrison's pro prospects when he was at Gonzaga. HATED his game - throwing himself into traffic to take a messy jumper - and could not see it translating in a league filled with uberathletic swingmen with reach guarding him. I'm like anyone else and miss plenty - I was surprised at how well Love did as a rookie - thought he was too slow. I think Rubio is boom or bust, no in between, and I'm rooting for him but wary of him. Sarunas Jasikevicius was at least as hyped when he came over, and his lack of explosiveness killed him. Marko Jaric was supposed to be an unguardable point guard until the Clips and Wolves realized he was no where near quick enough to play at the position. If his sick passing is the only thing he has going for him, doesn't that make him the second coming of Jason White Chocolate Williams? The silver lining here is that Nash can't jump over a coffee mug himself. That said, I'm even more down on young shooting points guards. The combo guard explosion that Allen Iverson brought about is the NBA's junk food. They go down three paths: a) back up shoot em up guard: Jason Terry, Barbosa, House b) allowed to man the point since the offense goes through a different position or the triangle: Vujacic, Boobie Gibson c) abject failure: Luther Head (okay, that was maybe too harsh) Point (cough) being, these guys are dime a dozen and are best served as 15 to 20 min instant offense guys off the bench. They're usually defensive liabilities, selfish players, and add extremely little if they aren't hitting on a given night. OJ Mayo did great last year (mainly because they were smart enough to keep him at the 2), but do you think anyone in Memphis enjoys playing with him? There's alot of PGs out there this year, but I don't know that I'd draft and try to start (at the 1): Evans, Curry, Holiday, Teague. Run them off the bench and pray you got the next Eric or Ben Gordon. Come to thnk of it, double check to see if there's a combo guard in the draft with the last name of Gordon, too. I like Harden, but I'm not saying his name in the same breath as Brandon Roy. I was extremely high on Roy when he was coming out, but I think Harden is going to need a little more transition time and has a little less ceiling. I still think Harden and Hill are FAR better shots to be players than Thebeet. I think Hasheem the bad dream is going to blow. Bigs that don't have any clue what they're doing on the court tend to suck. If he came out last year, I don't know who I'd value less between him and Roy Hibbert. I was joking on Tyler Hansbrough his entire UNC career....but I'm starting to wonder if he might have a shot at being a contributor in the league after all. No way does he start on a good team. But I think he probably can hold his own against the Varejo's, Lopez's, Lee's, Love's, and Scola's of the NBA. So maybe 20 mins a night as a back up 4 isn't out of the question. I really like Ty Lawson, if only as a back up. I'm intrigued by Eric Maynor. I like Brandon Jennings more than I probably should, but I think he could step in and start for most teams - it's just a matter of him getting his head straight as a floor leader as opposed to trying to be a one man show. Too many 3/4 Tweeners in this draft for my liking. I'm not calling this draft the weakest ever....but it's stuffed with players unlikely to have a ceiling higher than bench rotation.
I'm really intrigued by/wary of Rubio too. I think on the defensive end he has the size (as I posted in another thread he measure 6foot5 with shoes, and 6foot8 wingspan at the Kings workout) to make up for his foot speed, and the handles/agility to make up for it on the offensive end. The biggest red flag I see is the total lack of elevation on his jump shots and layups. I've seen vids of him dunking, so he doesn't exactly have zero vertical athleticism, so maybe that's an area he could eventually improve on. However, I'm curious why you see no middle ground for him. Couldn't he end up something like what we see of Alston today? A good ball handling, good defensive PG who can't shoot or finish at the rim. It would be a disappointment if that is he ceiling, but not a complete bust, and good enough to start on a team that goes to the finals.
I actually think Rubio's a relatively safe pick. What's the worst possible scenario? That he becomes the next Andre Miller? He's 18 and already possess good size and NBA level passing ability. Even if never develops a shot, he can still be a starting PG. Just not a star PG. He can't be compared to Euro busts like Darko or VSpan or that Denver center whose name I'd never be able to spell. They all lack the basic skills necessary to be a role player for their positions. VSpan can't run a team despite being asked to play PG. And Euro-trash centers are so soft they can't play in the paint. At least Rubio, at the very least, can run a team.
At the PG position in today's NBA, size and length have little to do with compensating for lack of foot speed. Quicker players will still leave him in the dust. Not only that, he strikes me as lacking strength. It's easy to say he will grow out of this but we really don't know that. On offense, I think Rubio will be OK if he develops a decent jumper and forces defenses to guard him. His floor vision and passing ability are spectacular. The bottom line for me is I see this guy getting roasted and toasted on defense in the worst way. It will be child abuse. I can't see him staying in front of anybody. His first couple of years in the NBA could severely disappoint.
JJ was, and is STILL better than Luther Head. 2. and 3. will be busts. Actually I should fear for Rubio because he's on your list. But hey what does Rubio not have in common with Morrison and JJ? You never saw Morey say a thing about those two guys until after they got drafted--then he mentioned that they were overrated. If Morey says Rubio will be special, and Feigen agrees with him..well there aren't too many situations when that happens but that means both the prescient (Morey) and the safe (Feigen) heads are thinking alike. He will be the next great passer in this league, a better passer and defender than Nash but worse shooter. And if it's any solace, Feigen also seems to value Brooks very highly, much higher than Landry. So you can probably bet that the management feels the same way.
I really wish you would stop lying, it is quite unecessary. Uh, it is not a list of whom I like the most.....it is just a list of 4 guys I like..... Griffin I like the best...the other 3 are pretty much a wash. Personally, I think you are infatuated with me, it's cool, one day you will understand the game of basketball like a man does too. DD
I was thinking along the lines of Battier style defence at the PG position, size can help him stay back a little more to prevent getting blown by, but still have the ability to challenge a shot with his length. The guy at 18 won the defensive player of the year in Spain and led the league in steals. At the very least could he be an average defender on SGs when he bulks up? With the abundance of midget SGs in PG bodies (like Brooks) in the league, that type of skillset (PG skills but defends SGs) could be useful.
Why would I lie about something like that???? Yeah, and I'm totally infatuated with you and your little videos with that hair! OMG THAT HAIR! One day I will understand the game of basketball like a man does too, huh? Well if it's like that, then you wouldn't be a man, you would be a big baby.
See, you follow me around like a lost puppy.........hey, when you have something cool to say, or the stones to make a video, I look forward to seeing it. But first, you need to get out of your parents house, and get out on your own, learn to be a man, and not an annoying little kid... Kids....SHEESH ! DD
Morrison was an nonathletic* chucker in college... he was drafted way too high for his abilities. That being said, yes, even I thought he'd be better in the nba. (I thought he'd at least see time during blowouts/back end of the B team.) Morrison doesn't outscore what he gives up on the defensive side. *nba, college, and "average joe" are 3 different worlds
We all have our colossal misses. I will never let myself off the hook for thinking Michael Olawakandi was the second coming of Hakeem. You have to look at the will, the skill, the coaching the player will get and the fit with the drafting team, mentors , playing time, match-up of playing style etc. But you can never project injury.
Lol. Doubt it. I'm just smart enough to spot a blatant flame when I see it. DD fan club member? Get a life. Hes just another member on the board.
Rubio=less athletic Kenny Anderson. When Kenny came out of GA Tech, many people talked about him being the next big thing at PG. Turns out, he was just another PG who had 1 or 2 fabulous years.
