As soon as we got Hill, I read a lot of stuff form New York fans calling him a a bust. If there's one thing Morey and Adelman have proven, is that they can polish players. Since he's being reunited with his Arizona teammate, he will probably feel more comfortable here too.
I agree. Given in NY's situation, how they can even label anybody is a bust is beyond me. The team that Isiah built is beyond shambles. The fact that it has taken this much out of Walsh to rebuild is indicative enough to tell you how bad the situation is. Great players don't equate to great executives... It has been proven time and time again. It's usually the sidekicks of those great players that flourish in these roles.
Adelman is a players' coach. Players want to play for him. D'Antoni is not (see: disgruntled Hughes and Robinson). This could be just the motivation Jordan Hill needs. Not only that, but his ol' teammate Budinger is there to egg him on.
Good Article about CBud and Hill from the Tuscon Citizen http://tucsoncitizen.com/wildcatrep...uld-be-good-for-first-round-bust-jordan-hill/ AG's Wildcat ReportDispatches on the Wildcats, from Anthony Gimino by Anthony Gimino on Feb.18, 2010, under Sports Trade could be good for first-round ‘bust’ Jordan Hill Jordan Hill takes a shot (with Chase Budinger on far right) against Stanford last season/Tucson Citizen photo Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill, who both left Arizona last year after their junior seasons, have been reunited with the Houston Rockets. Hill, the eighth pick in the NBA Draft, never found his footing with the New York Knicks — was that his fault or the fault of a poorly-run franchise? — and was part of a three-team, eight-player trade at the trade deadline on Thursday. Hill will go to the Rockets, who nabbed Budinger in the middle of the second round with the 44th overall pick. Hill and Budinger were in Tucson last weekend during the break for the NBA All-Star weekend, hanging out with their former teammates. “I think it’s great,” UA junior forward Jamelle Horne said of the trade. “I think they’re going to have a great time. They are truly blessed to be together in the NBA at the next level. I think they will be good together. … Or they could be really bad together.” That last part was a little joke — perhaps a reference to too much partying? — but the early change of scenery should be good for Hill. He played in only 24 games with New York, averaging 4.0 points and 2.5 rebounds. He already has garnered the “bust” label from Knicks fans, who would have liked point guard Brandon Jennings (or a few other players) at the No. 8 spot in the draft. With his relative lack of basketball experience, Hill still has lots of upside, and playing time should be more available with the Rockets. It took him a while to adjust to Arizona; his learning curve could be similar in the NBA. Budinger, who slid further in the draft than everyone expected, has been more than solid as a rookie, considering where he ended up in the second round. As a bench player, he is averaging 8.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and is hitting 34.4 percent of his 3-pointers. He has scored in double figures in five of the past seven games. Now, he has his ol’ UA buddy with him. The Arizona Wildcats have sent so many players to the pros in the past 20 years or so that it’s not usual when there is more than one Wildcat on an NBA roster. The question is, how many players have been teammates at UA and in the NBA? Our sports partner, WildAboutAZCats.com, lists three previous cases: –Steve Kerr and Jud Buechler (Chicago Bulls, 1994-98). –Steve Kerr and Sean Elliott (San Antonio Spurs, 1998-2001). –Mike Bibby and Michael Dickerson (Vancouver Grizzlies, 1999-2001)
He was a huge upside pick... their coaching staff should have realized that he would take much care, grooming, and most importantly, playing time to develop. To think he was going to jump into games and start showing flashes of brilliance right away was asinine. This article is just damage control.
I agree whole-heartedly with your comments on giving rookies time. It wasn't long ago, I guess pre-season 2008 when I was still thinking AB was a bust. Didn't show he had a knack for anything except turning over the ball. Immediately at the Rafer trade, I recall feeling this team was completely doomed, but sure enough--- Brooks emerged as a gun-slinging guard, who isn't going to back down to anyone in the league.
Hill may improve but he will never have the athleticism of Landry or evn Dorsey. He may not be a bust but he doesn't appear to be very bright. What he looks like to me is a good combine player with not much heart and passion for the game. He can jump he can run and he has heigh and length. All of this is why New York drafted him. but he lacks basketball quickness doesn't seem to have a passion for the game and doesn't seem to all that bright. Perhaps he will change that but it would a new direction for him that he hasn't shown before.
After watching the footage available online, I don't think athleticism is a problem for Hill. He can run and jump with the best of them. He's already got a decent jumper, which is more than Dorsey ever mastered. Right now, though, he appears to have very little feel for the game. I think he's an ideal D-league candidate, and if he improves, he's got the size and speed to play in the NBA.
But Carl is a driven and smart kid. It's probably too unfair to judge him from a few clips, but in those clips what I paid my most attention was the interviews and they didn't strike me that he is all that intelligent.
He has a clean slate with the Rockets, a fresh start. Hope he makes the most of it. The youth and potential are still there.
While ideally we would like Hill to be starter quality, especially for this season and early next season he needs to learn the game from good coaching. With him what you want to see is development of basketball IQ improvement and confidence. For now his role with the team is to be a rebounding specialist and run the floor. Anything else is gravy.
He's a much better and much bigger athlete than you may think. Max vertical of 35inches at combine is nothing to scoff at. The kid averaged over 18pts and 11 boards at Arizona in one of the toughest conferences in the nation.
Please don't expect Hill to justify his draft position or even to be the next Landry. There's a reason the Knicks were willing to toss him our way. Let's just hope that his troubles in NY had more to do with being late to take up basketball rather than with partying or just being stupid. The latter two problems are borderline incurable. But the former is encouraging. Insufficient coaching, practice, and playing time are the easiest deficiencies to fix.
I hate to compare the two directly because they are very different players but this gives you an idea of what each guy brings to the table physically/athletically. Carl is obviously stronger and I assume a bit quicker with his dribble but each guy's vertical leap is practically the same with Hill having a nearly a 6 inch standing reach advantage over Carl. Carl Landry Height (w/shoes): 6' 8.5" Weight: 248 Wingspan: 6' 11" Standing reach: 8' 6.5" Max Vertical: 36.5 Bench press (reps of 285): 21 Lane agility: 11.35 3/4 court spring: 3.29 Jordan Hill Height (w/shoes): 6' 10.25" Weight: 232 Wingspan: 7' 1.5" Standing reach: 9' 0" Max vertical: 35.0 Bench press (reps of 185): 11 Lane agility: 12.23 3/4 court sprint: 3.30 http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jordan-Hill-1222/ http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Carl-Landry-461/
They did NOT want to trade him. They only reason they did is cuz they wanted to get rid of Jefferies' contract to clear up enough to sign TWO max FAs. Morey said "i'll take jefferies so you can sign 2 max FAs...but you need to gimme HILL and 1st round picks!" This is why the deal didnt go through the first time around.. which is why the Rockets got the Kings involved...It showed the Knicks that Morey isnt scared to make a deal with someone else.
That 6 inch standing reach makes a huge difference, Hill practically touched 12"0 on his max jump, very impressive.
well, most people knew kwame and darko were busts midway through their rookie season. i was never impressed with hill in arizona, but hey hopefully a new environment will motivate him to prove doubters wrong, and he has a lot of them.
Kwame was a highschooler that MJ broke down. Darko was just a Euro Jeff George. Hill at least played on a winning team in college so he's got an understanding of US organized BBall.
