Didn't we have a PF for a while just like Mal Badiane? Wasn't his name Ike Nwando or something like that? Whatever happened to him? He had a big, muscular frame but skinny legs.
Van Gundy told us he wanted tough. That's exactly what we got. So if you are going to see a move in the future. That's what you should be thinking about heavily. That's the direction this team is going to be taking.
I am not a coach, but I look at the 2nd round as non-existent. We are not supposed to get anyone that can contribute on a consistent basis in the NBA in the second round.(Don't blast me, just the way I look at it.) So I for one think we got a good pick. If he turns out good, then great we got a bonus like we did with Cat. If he turns out to be worthless, oh well, no harm done. The second round is not made to bring impact players all the time. With that being said, I am happy about this pick.
I'm not sure why I'm putting this in this thread, I guess cause he was also a second rounder, but I just read this quote in the cc.net draft archives and fell out of my chair laughing:
What does that have to do with Tyrone's footwork? I'm not talking about low post footwork (ie bball fundamentals...which non of these guys have). I'm trying to focus on just the ability to move around the court. I'm saying there is a wide spectrum of 6'11 guys who can jump, rebound, and block shots. The difference seems to be dorkiness vs fluidity of movement...jumping (often called "athletic") and coordination does not go hand in hand. Langhi could jump. But did Langhi ever look as coordinated as Nowitzki at any age?
This pick is a great one since he's very athletic and knows how to dunk. C'mon he'll be better than DesegaNo diop of cleveland. We could put him on garbage time next year for him to entertain the crowd after yao and franchise done the job for the W. This guy will be the replacement for the all hype little show eddie griffin or the all hype no show Boki after he's learned some moves from the Yao. next year's starting lineup PG THE FRANCHISE ) SG THE CAT | SF THE BADiane > Championship/playoff material PF THE MO MONEY | C THE DYNASTY )
really...those don't look long arms accounting for a 7'4 wingspan. My arms go that far down my side and I'm 1:1 wingspan to height.
The connection to Dallas might be the couple of weeks he spent there last year at the Global Games playing ball.
In defense of the Langhi pick: Langhi probably shot the ball better in college than in the NBA. In fact, from looking at his games with the Rockets and games in college, you could easlily make the argument that he got worse. If Langhi could shoot 45% consistently in the NBA like he did in college, he would probably be a solid backup SF for us ala Terence Morris. As for Malick Badiane, I think people aren't taking his age discrepency seriously enough. Believe it or not, the difference between 19 and 22 is actually HUGE when it comes to basketball. That period is probably the most crucial time for a player to develope. With that said.... If he's 19 like he says, and was really born on January 1st, than I think he's a steal, especially at 44. He could maybe grow to 7'0", and maybe have a slightly larger wingspan in a couple of years. He still needs to develope his game, and atleast play one year in the German "Major Leagues". If he gets some good coaching and works hard, he could be an Otis Thorpe type player, which is extremely good for #44. If not, he'll probably be a Carlos Rogers at best. Outstanding pick, don't know why anyone else took him. If he's 22, I can see why he dropped to the #44. He needs to start playing for the Rockets THIS year. Hopefully, his wingspan and rebounding instincts as well as size/athleticism will get him through this year. Hopefully, he's a late bloomer as far as skill developement, but he'll need to be focused if he wants to make the team. If he doesn't we'll probably only get a sniff at him by the time he's 24 or so. Even then, he probably won't break the regular rotation until he's in his late 20's, and by then he'll be picked up by another team, if anyone even wants a "prospect" in his late-20's by then. Age, mental toughness, and lack of post moves/footwork made him slip, for those of you in shock as to why he "slipped."
This comment or rather statistic is completly irrelevant. What do past NBA years have to do with NOW? Twenty years ago they would not have thought international players would have the impact on the NBA that they have. The league is growing throughout the world and thus the talent pool is also growing. With all that talent, the first round can only hold so many. There will be talent that spills over into the second round. Possibly, in the future, into the third and fouth rounds, as the NBA continues to grow! The NBA already has tried to formulate a small minor league system in the NBDL. The Euro-leagues major teams, as well, have farm type systems. The combination of the Euro-leagues and NBDL will eventually become the NBA's farm system as basketball continues to grow throughout the world. Soon after, teams will have scouts that cover the globe! This is undoubtedly the goal of the NBA and it's globalization. So as it stands right now, with the influx of more talent, the chances of a second round pick making it are increasing every year. NOT EVERYONE is going to make in this league as well as any other league. There is no guaranteed success!!! Not even for first rounders. Chris Mihm #7 overall.............. Jason Collier #15 overall in the 2000 NBA draft......... What the hell happened? The Rox drafted Bryce Drew in the first round of the 1998 draft. Again, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED? So with that I will leave you with some second round picks throughout the years 1997 Stephen Jackson (world champion role player), Alvin Williams, Pedrag Drobnjak 1998 Ruben Patterson, Rashard Lewis, Cuttino Mobley 1999 Wang Zhi Zhi, Gordon Giricek, Todd MacCulloch, Emanuel Ginobili (world champion role player and one hell of a defensive playmaker and energy guy) 2000 Marko Jaric, Jake Voskuhl, Eduardo Najera, Michael Redd 2001 Gilbert Arenas, Terrence Morris, Mehmet Okur Each year the talent seems to get deeper and better. With some players yet to be seen. Giricek and Ginobili, both whom were drafted in '99, became impact players this year as rookies. Some three years later!!!! Also some food for thought..........Two-Time Defending NBA Defensive MVP BEN WALLACE went UNDRAFTED!!!
Nice research egn....but, of the 17 decent players (i'll give you the benefit of the doubt that Wang ZhiZhi and Terrence Morris count as decent players) that came out of Round 2 in the past few years, 150 players were drafted. Doing the math, that means that roughly 12% or so of all second round draftees become somebody someday. Unfortunately, that means there's an 88% chance that they won't. So that's why people are pessimistic.
found a link of the "draft day hats" I dont know if someone didnt already post this but here it is. http://store.nba.com/product.aspx?keywords=draft+day&asin=B00009YP4P&available=true
I'm not questioning the pessimism, but stating due to the growth of the NBA, the overall talent is getting better each year. And like I said, "Success is not guaranteed!" Not even for the 35% to 50% of first rounders, as well, that do not succeed.
