Capela is crazy athletic, and I understand why we took him in the first round. My prediction is that he will be an immediate backup and by seasons end will be the starting PF. Defense wins over offense any day. Pat/Harden/Ariza/Capela/Howard as the starting 5 is a solid defensive team you can get, with still scoring ability. Bring in Tjones for a spark off the bench, along with Kostas, Nick, Troy and then Dorsey to balance off the defense I know a lot of people are saying we haven't done anything and the off season sucks, but I like it because we will have and IDENTITY and it's called Defense.
The kid has excellent speed, lateral quickness as well as a smoothness in the way he moves. That tells me he has a better chance to develop an offensive game than someone like Dwight who is naturally very stiff and mechanical in his movement. I can see him being a weak side shot blocker from hell right out of the gate when he is on the court. He is mobile and seems aggressive enough to really disrupt the opponents interior offense. But can he do it consistently? He is raw, even for a twenty year old but maybe he is one of those guys who has never had someone spend time with him to work on his game. If that is the case, we should see loads of improvement from him in his first season. If not, he will be just another big guy with athleticism who falls into NBA obscurity before age 25.
I like the kid, too. maybe not starting PF, but I do believe he'll beat Dorsey for the backup C by the time playoffs start...
I'm kind of with ya. At 6'11, with long arms, he measures up very well as a C. His frame is far too light this year, but give him time and surely he will add a few pounds and become 'something' as legit big man in the middle. Mobility will always give him that option of sliding between the PF and C spots - but he'll need to be more than just a rebounder, shot blocker, and finisher to play the PF spot. I expect nothing from the kid this season, will be surprised if he plays more than 'victory cigar' minutes. But if he develops, expecting positive things from him next year.
Something is certainly wrong with you no argument from me. Not sure how you make it through the day with your constant negativity. Morey is not done building this roster, and even if was, we still have Howard and Harden. Why so much despair?
Look at Drew or say Morey, just spewing BS all kinds hype (offseason). Then deliver a dud. Drew is catching alot of heat why can't Morey?
No. He is about as bad a shooter as you will find in the NBA. He is a 40% free throw shooter. He shot 18% outside the lane.
He is extremely raw. He has played both PF and C. He has extremely good lateral quickness and active hands. He wasn't a lottery pick because unless he develops an outside shot, he is at best a garbage man on offense. He has very good hands and finishes well on put backs and passes within 2 feet of the basket. He has the physical skills to be a good player. However THIS year any contribution he makes will be rebounding and defense. Right now his biggest issue isn't even his lack of a jumper, it is his lack of lower body strength. Still a decent prospect because he moves well, has excellent size (7'4" wingspan) and with even mediocre development he should be able to get minutes rebounding and defending the paint.
I just saw some of his highlights in the Russia/Swiss game on youtube. Frankly speaking, I was disappointed and discouraged. His defense awareness and rotations were very bad. I thought he would be a decent pick and roll defender from his previous draft express highlights, but I didn't see that here. He hasn't learned the game. If he does work hard and gets physically stronger, he may improve. His timing on shot blocking was excellent, and his dunk on the break was good. I think coming to the NBA may accelerate his growth. He is very raw. At the most, he will get some garbage minutes this season.
I honestly believe he will be in the d-league nearly all season, and will rejoin the team late in the season or if we have any injuries, as Daniels did last season. It's better for his development to play consistent minutes in the d-league than to sit on the bench at the NBA level with nothing but inconsequential garbage time minutes. What he needs in order to learn the game is experience, which he will not get at the NBA level this upcoming season. I also think that he has a very good chance to develop into at minimum a very good backup center/PF, but he definitely has the potential to be an impact starter if he can improve his FT% to a respectable rate (60% or so for him would be a good goal considering he shot about 40% before he was drafted).
I totally agree with you that he should develop in the D-League. I didn't mean to imply in my previous post that he should be spending time on the Rockets bench. He needs to learn the game, and develop a solid work ethic. If he does that, he can become a good backup PF/C in the league.
