Thabo Sefolosha! http://www.newsok.com/thabo-sefolos...article/3414144?custom_click=lead_story_title Reminds you of somebody?
This would explain why JVG said Thabo was the guy the Rockets were going to draft if they didn't trade for Battier.
Having never watched him, I always wondered why he played so many minutes for the Thunder. Watching him tonight, I can see why.
He just locked Kobe Down! I have never payed attention to this guy but damn 4 steals against the lakers. That just shows Kobe can never underestimate a good defender
The Thunder are good this year... but those petty mistakes that they made (miscommunication, mismanagement of shot clock, inexcusable ballhandling in clutch situations) have cost them this game.
I take that back. Lol, I switched off the TV when the Lakers started that final push to win the game. I thought they were going to end up winning, but it's tied at 90!
Sefolosha was the next guy the Rockets wanted after Roy. After Portland had stolen Roy, they traded the pick away for Battier. If the trade did not get through, they would have drafted Thabo. Battier and Thabo are similar players, both JVG would love to have. Battier, of course, was the sure bet while Thabo was just a potential. So the trade, from the Rocekts' point of view, was basically, Sefolosha + Swift for Battier. Actually, seeing how Thabo develops makes me appreciate Morey even more. Whether you believe Gay is better than Battier is irrelevant. The fact that he and his scouts foresaw foresaw what kind of player Thabo would become shows how good their talent evaluation is.
His +/- was at -19 for the game! I admit I didn't watch the game but that doesn't look good; especially when Kobe's +/- is only +5. My conclusion from this data is that Sefolosha probably did his job in trying to contain Kobe (9/22 FG for 31pts), but he certainly didn't make his teammates better in the process as Shane does for us...
That's the key. Every guy Morey reportedly was interested in has panned out, from Roy (obviously), to Rudy, to Thabo, to Courtney Lee.
His main problem was that he couldn't shoot,and that he was a rookie coming from Europe.I liked his athleticism and he appeared to be tough, but 8 seemed too high for him even in a weak draft.
Then I'm confused why didn't they just draft Sefolosha? Were they really that desperate to dump Swift or were they super high on Battier?
I understand they would never draft Rajon Rondo or Kyle Lowry at that time with a lotto pick, but how about Rudy Gay or Ronnie Brewer? Rudy Gay was considered a top 3 talent and he's clearly the best player behind Roy, Aldridge and Rondo as it turns out.
Probably both. Besides, Thabo at the 8th pick is a reach. He's not a reach talent wise, but as far as draft position and hype goes we'd be wasting the 8th pick to get him. More importantly, Battier has been the better player since the draft, and will probably be the better player for the next two-three years. I'm happy with the trade, we got good mileage off of that pick
