Luis Scola never once "dominated" the Euroleague. He was considered a top 3 PF at his peak. He was never ever considered a "dominant" player in Euroleague by anyone. Biyombo does NOT play in the Euroleague. You cannot "dominate" a league that you do not actually play in.
Scola never dominated Euroleague. He was a 14/5 player in Euroleague. Never won an MVP. Never won a championship. I don't think that is considered "domination" in any way, shape, or form.
Aren't a lot of the stats very low in the Euroleague because of the ridiculously slow pace and shorter game time? Distinguishing which leagues are better in Europe is like picking the tallest midget. At the end of the day, NBA is the 7ft tall man.
2000 Spanish League Rookie of the Year 2005 Spanish Supercup MVP 2× Spanish League MVP 2005, 2007 All-Euroleague Second Team 2005 2× All-Euroleague First Team 2006, 2007 1 Spanish Championship (2002) 3 Spanish Cups (2002, 2004, 2006) 3 Spanish Supercups (2005, 2006, 2007)
I read the entire thread before I posted my comment. Still think he has way too much risk to give up an entire draft + Patterson/Lee, and I still think that the chances of him becoming Ibaka are far less than him flaming out, and if he goes in the top half of the lottery, the pressure on him to produce immediately is going to really hurt his development. Again, I still hold up most of these picks to Thabeet, who had great per minute stats at the college level as a freshman, and quite a few eyepopping games. Everyone is seemingly talking about him as a sure-thing, gut the team to get him guy, and there are very few prospects that are worth that kind of investment.
Hi Hi Mana -- you asked a valid question and I want to give you my answer. You asked -- what separates him from someone like Thabeet (who is basically worthless on the court)? For all these people (including myself) who think this guy is going to have a great and impactfull career in the league, this is a question that must be answered -- we can NOT afford to be stuck with another Thabeet on the roster. For me, when I watch this guy, he moves completely different from Thabeet or other athletic unheard-of's from Africa. Thabeet plays and runs stiff, is slow to jump and does not jump high, plays with little to no power, and is always a moment slow to make a play. Bismack on the other hand plays ferociously and fluidly, he jumps higher and quicker than one expects and hunts the ball like an animal. They always say, one of the most important things in rebounding and defending the paint is not just how high you jump, but how quickly you can jump the 2nd time -- Bismack is very fast in that regard - Thabeet looks like the shuttle launching. Also, Bismack is an intense leader and dedicated practice player (read the article previously posted in this thread from the Nike Summit) -- 2 things that Thabeet is not. Now, I would not personally gut the team to get him -- that is a bit much. I may trade Patterson and the picks to get him, I may throw in Buddinger -- but 1) that is not gutting this team, that is trading some of the many non-essential assets they have and 2) I also may not make such a decision. In order to make such a decision I would need to have a LOT more film and information on the kid -- but, luckily, Morey and the scouting department have those resources and I trust them to make the right decision (or else...)
I heard a rumor that Biyombo was actually a 36yr old housewife from Tucson. And no Thabeet was not a stiff in college. He dominated most every game I saw of him at UConn except one: it's hard to believe that, in just a single game, Dejuan Blair could have bent him over and spanked all the experience out of him. In one spank even. Go home. Hide yo kids, hide yo wife. And tell 'em not to get spanked or they might end up like Thabeet.
6'9" 240lb 18 year olds can turn into 6'11" 260lb 20 year olds. I would take the kid in a heartbeat and have him spend the summer with CD and Dream.
Just to clarify, I at least was not saying he was a stiff in college -- I was saying he has always played stiff -- as in, even in college his movements, jumping, and running has always been stiff, awkward and lacking power. Now, you can get away with that in college- but in the NBA players are faster and stronger, and this has rendered Thabeet completely useless. Also, I think you are underestimating the power of a good spanking...
What impress' me the most is that this kid is a HARD-WORKER and is a relentless "hustler" on the court. Kind of reminds me of Carl Landry (play as if your life depended on it), and with that kind of body, and that kind of shot-blocking ability+18 years old+Work Ethic & Hustle, I don't see how he couldn't be a contributor in the NBA. IMO what differentiates solid NBA players from the "scrubs" is there will to work on there game and improve rather than rely on the god-given skills and just be content to have "made the NBA". I love some gym-rats and The Bomb looks like one...
A Monroe and Biyombo front court, would be sick. Both compliment each other well. Monroe, an extremely skilled big who lacks athletic physical attributes, and Biyombo, an athletic and physical beast, who lacks in the skills department. I think that frontcourt could be the new Ben & Rasheed Wallace 2.0..
He is all legs and arms. His feet seem to stay under him and he always seems balanced. I say package Scola and our 1st for this guy and team him with PPat in the front court and watch our defense suddenly look a lot better. Let him spend the summer working with CD and Dream with a little Yao for good measure. This kid is going to be a beast... or am I just seeing visions of Hakeem dancing in my head?
Right, distinguishing between the NBA and D-League is also meaningless. The Euroleague does not have a "ridiculously slow pace" either. The Spanish league has nothing to do with the Euroleague. Why would you list awards from a DIFFERENT league? You do realize that the Spanish League is a separate and much lower level league from the Euroleague right? Scola never came remotely close to "dominating" Euroleague at any time in his life.
But the NBA is SOOOOO much better than DLeague, Euroleague, NCAA basketball, compared to the NBA, the difference between any of those leagues is irrelevant. Hence my midgets to 7ft tall man analogy.
