Lots of people talked about Nene in the other thread, so I figured I would start a conversation here, where it would be on topic.
Yea, I like his game too! I like the Nuggets this year, they won't make the playy-offs but got two good ones out of Nene Hilario and Nikoloz Tskitishvili. Man Nikoloz Tskitishvili can shoot! Hilario and Tskitishvili are going to be a good tamdom if they stay together.
yeah...i just expected a little more content on the first post the simply: go nene. but yeah, nene has a bright future...he's looked pretty solid so far.
Is Hilario a PF or a center? I believe he's 6'11" and about 240 or 250. That's great size for an athletic big man. He definitely looks good. Why wouldn't the lowly Nuggz start their two highly touted rookies (Tskitishivili and Hilario) for the majority of the season? They haven't a chance at any playoff contention, they need to get these guys some serious learning time on the hardwood, and if I'm correct, they are one of the frontrunners to go full out tank-mode in order to get a better chance to draft you-know-who.
Nene is not 6-11 though. I say more like 6-8 or 6-9. He was a few inches shorter than Collier, so he is not 6-11. He is very athletic big man about the sixe of Malone. I am liking Nikoloz Tskitishvili right now, if he take more shots he is going to light it up.
Nuggets4, while the topic's hot, please provide some more info if you can. i.e. stats in Brazil, stories, adjustment to the u.s., language barriers, potential, etc. (see my last post). thanks...
How is Hilario's shooting touch, Nuggets4? I had heard before the draft that he couldn't hit water from a boat, shooting-wise, but when the Rockets played the Nuggets his touch looked pretty solid on his free throws. Is that something you think he will improve upon?
I had the chance to see Nene play the other night when the Nuggets were hosting the Rockets. The kid has MAJOR potential. Skitishvilli also has a major upside. The only problem is the team that the players are on. Both should be starting, but then again, this is Denver we're talking about. Once Hillario and Skittle start and get much more playing time, the Nuggets will be on their way to a playoff team. This will take a few years, but Kiki(i had the chance to talk to him before the game when he was walking around the Pepsi Center) has the management to do it. Cod
I'm most surprised at Nene's skill level, he's not nearly as raw as the 'experts' claim. If Denver can find some perimeter help (PG, anyone?), they have a chance to be pretty solid in a couple of years. I'm not bashing the Knicks for making the McDyess trade (it looked good at the time, and still looks good if Dice can come back), but they have to be kicking themselves.
I'd say that's accurate. I think the 6'11" part was a little overblown. I think he's around 6'10". The thing is, he plays bigger than his size, mainly because he has the same wingspan as Yao (7'6")!!! Plus he apparently has balls the size of basketballs because he's not afraid of anyone. He was taking it right at Yao as you guys saw, and reportedly was going pretty strong against Rasheed. Surprisingly good. He has a nice little touch. His free throws are better than I thought they would be. Honestly, I'm not sure he's ever going to be the jump shooting big man like someone like Dream was, but he has a nice enough touch that you have to at least watch him. I wish they were getting more PT too. I think the main problem, especially in Nene's case, is conditioning/fouls right now. It's the same thing you guys experience with Yao, getting used to the NBA rules and up to NBA endurance level. Remember, Nene had an injury that kept him out of the world's. The Nugs are going shopping at Clippers.com probably. We have room for two max players. Look for those two to be Michael Olowokandi and possibly Andre Miller. I'm fairly certain of the Kandi man, he did have dinner with Kiki right before he signed the tender the Clips offered him. Plus, we have a gaping hole at center. We get those two, and we have a line-up of: C - Kandi Man PF - Nene SF - Skita SG - LeBron James/James White/Draft Pick PG - Andre Miller Add a bench of Bowen, Andersen, Blount, Harrington and a few other key pieces, and it's a nice little line-up. Unfortunately, I can't find the article that was in the Denver Post a while ago on Nene. You might want to check out the Nugs board at DenverPost.com though because that's where a lot of us hang out. Just be a little prepared for some wierd conversations.
Nuggetsfans, i sincerely hope that Skita would be given more time at SF and play as a starter. Maybe, the hot hand James Posey would like to change scenery, and play for the Spurs then, rather rooting in the bench watching a rookie steal his seat. Cutting off Posey would free more cap room to land both Dre and KandiAss, right. Posey is a natural SF with a nice size, rebound habit, and decent range. That's just the kind of player we'd like to attain next summer, or earlier.
Nuggets4, The Nugs would give Kandi a Maximum Contract? They dismantled the previous squad just to rid themselves of NVE & his contract and it would be amusing to see them use their cap space to Max out Kandi.
I agree. I don't think Kiki would be stupid enough to max out Kandi. He'd defintely be a player worth getting, but not worth the max. That would set back pretty much everything he's done to rebuild the team. I think they shoud be patient. Don't just throw out the max to any two players who are asking for it after this season.
I don't think Kiki will max out Kandi, but he's gonna get a nice chunk of change. He's slowly becoming one of the best center's in the NBA. And with NENE! (you can't say it any other way) in the lineup, we just need someone who can bang down low and score 15 ppg. NENE! is more than capible of being the man down low. By the way, tomorrow night NENE! is on national TV! Catch NENE! in action!