Sorry it's hard to get excited with a 2nd round pick whoever he's. Historically nearly 50% of 2nd round picks don't make the 12-men rosters and 90% will be gone in the league in 2-3 years.
Question for Clutch and Crew.... Why is the front page article about the drafting of Badiane accompanied by a picture of Sleepy Floyd?
man..this guy sounds too good to be true...getting a mention in the same breathe with amare's athletism is impressive in itself...also with that wingspan..wow! now we need to strap some of them rubber bands on to yao and get him training in sand
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/photo?slug=1056685281.nba_draft_badiane_xmsg123&prov=ap Someone post this photo. This is a picture of our guy shaking hands on stage when he was drafted. For all of you hat lovers, what hat is he wearing and why is he wearing a red hat when Tim said that the Rockets draft caps were blue? Something to ponder.
NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik, left, congratulates Malick Badiane, of Germany, after he was the 44th pick of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets, Thursday, June 26, 2003, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) Here's a Hawk tryout quote... http://www.nba.com/hawks/news/As_Draft_Approaches_Badiane_-78715-33.html
Malick Badiane: "I don't know if I will enter the draft in 2004 yet" by Kris Santiago / April 1, 2003 There was an NBA scout in the game against Ulm and you had a great performance. What are your plans for the future? Do you consider entering the NBA Draft in 2004? Malick Badiane: I don't know it yet. I'll talk to my agent and we will decide what's best. I played in the States last year at the Global Games in Texas and at the ABCD Camp and I might go to the States again once the season here [in Germany] is over. Where do you see your strengths and weaknesses on the court? MB: I really like rebounding and blocking shots -- that's where I'm good at. But I need to gain more experience in my game. Everything is still new to me, as I came from Senegal just a year ago. Who is you favorite NBA player and which is your favorite NBA team? MB: My favorite player is Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves, but my favorite team is Dallas. I liked the Lakers last year, but this year Dallas is my favorite team. Why did you choose to play in Germany instead of going to a high school or a college in the States? MB: I visited some colleges in the U.S., but the [Frankfurt] Skyliners gave me the chance to practice with big men like Mario Kasun [41st overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft] and Robert Maras, and I learn from them. And the Skyliners really take care of me. They really help me to be a better player. What are your plans regarding the Senegalese national team? MB: We want to go to the Olympics, so we have to qualify for the African Championships in Egypt. That's why I will join the team in Senegal, where we will try to win the qualifying tournament for Egypt and then for the Olympics. Who do you think is the best talent out of Senegal who could become a great player, but is still in Senegal? MB: I saw Souleymane Camara last year playing at the African Championships and he's a great player. He's playing for Kentucky and he will go to the NBA, I heard. A good player in Senegal right now is Muhammadou Kadir Pene of US Goree. He's playing the two and the three spot and he's very talented but still in Senegal.
OK, I'm going out on a limb here. This pick is a gamble for sure. IF he's coachable and willing to learn, then JVG will make him into a good player. IF he can step up to the next level MENTALLY, then he may turn into a very productive player in 2 years. IF he can develop some offensive skills, then we'll have two 7 footers that can play on the front line which is what you really need to compete against the likes of Dallas, LA, Sac, Phoenix et.al Only time will tell. He'll help our defense and rebounding but he won't be much of a scoring threat. But he's a good worker bee and that one thing every team can't have enough of.
This guy is reminding me more and more of Keon Clark type player. http://cbs.sportsline.com/nba/players/draft/399185
Its a slow night, sorry. So if this is the draft cap, what cap is he wearing then? Since there are multiple photographers at the draft, I'm sure there is a close-up frontal photo shot of him with the cap on somewhere. It may be in some African basketball site, Senegal newspaper, German newspaper.....
I bet Badiane never plays a regular season minute for us. I would like to believe otherwise, but the Rockets have shown the same thing time and time again. Zwikker, Turkan, Burditt, etc........
This looks like a draft pick for the future type pick to me. He'll most likely continue his play in Germany and the Rockets will continue to look at his development. If he develops some game, then the Rockets dug gold and will retain rights to him. If he doesn't develop, then they just leave him there and lose nothing. What else can you expect from a 44th 2nd round pick. I like the prospect reports put up here, but reality says that there are tons of athletic guys out there, but the golden question is "do they have GAME?!?!
More Flavor? International players strike again. Malick Badiane a PF out of Senegal had an unbelievable workout Thursday in front of NBA teams. "Blew 'em away" as one scout put it. He has played himself into the first round with a strong workout and some scouts were raving about him saying he could be taken as high as the late teens. Badiane brought the exact attitude missing from Villanueva, Ebi workout. Badiane has been compared to Keon Clark because of his combination of quickness and long sleek frame. But Badiane is more of a post player. And unlike the lanky Clark who is a wonderful athlete, Badiane appears to have the ability to put some more weight on and become more of an inside force. Most refreshing about Badiane is his attitude. He has the willingness to be coached and really wants to improve and work on his game. A bit of a mystery player having impressed many scouts at ABCD camp last year, Badiane had a strong year in low level league in Germany. Badiane also impressed scouts at last years Global Games. With great "body strength", Badiane has the frame to add weight without seeing it hinder his agility. This is often a big problem for players with less natural body strength like Brian Cook, and Rick Rickert. Badiane has put on 14 pounds in the past year and his movements have remained very quick and fluid. Not to get too far ahead of ourselves and contribute to the hype machine, but we could be looking at a future top 10 center in the league in a few years. According to Babacar Sy who knows Badiane well, he's a supreme talent, it's just a matter of getting his mental approach together. If Thursday's workout is any indication it appears Badiane has been putting things together. Nene Hilario ended up as the second best athlete in the Athleticism test that the NBA gave players at the draft camp last year. Badiane would likely have similar results in this test as he has developed his strength to go along with his considerable athleticism. Badiane may have more natural explosiveness but less strength than Nene Hilario. Last years top athlete according to the agility test was JR Bremer, a player who ended up going undrafted but became a starter at point guard for the Boston Celtics.
He sounds like a pretty good prospect. I was sort of hoping we could get Korver, but I'm fine with this guy. It's better than Tito freaking Maddox. Also, 17 lbs of muscle in 5 weeks is impossible without steroids--period.
Having been involved with health and fitness for over half my life, I concur with your assessment. Sounds like over-hype if you ask me.
Most likley because the authors of that site tried to use cc.net's BBS as an advertisement board. Clutch doesn't like that.
Any time you can get an athletic 6'11" guy in the second round who likes to play defense then you can't complain. He sounds like what we wish EG would become.
First off, let me say that I love the pick! I think that Malick will be a stud. But, my view on the selection is this. I think that the Rox were thinking, so what if he still plays in Germany, this is too good of an oppertunity to pass up. Much like the Texans did with Henson. The chances of finding an impact player with the 44th pick are not all that great, so I don't blame the Rockets jumping on this possible future gem.
