[David Aldridge] Grizzlies Open to Dealing Thabeet

mayo is what i want not thabeet...

memphis fans say him and the coach dont get along which is why he has been moved to the second unit off the bench.

 

Wow what did Thabeet do to you A3PO? Seems like he borrowed a couple grand and never paid it back

I already said it in my post but its quite hard for Thabeet to get playing time when he's buried beneath Marc Gasol and baby Shaq. Again, he's playing for a piss poor franchise like Memphis which probably don't have the resources to train him properly. Lack of PT+no good coach=stagnation. Anybody will struggle in those kinds of conditions. You might bring up marc Gasol, however MG has been playing professionally for a long time now, and he got training from his time in the Euroleague and the camps he has with the Spain national team.

As to your "right situation" comment that usually applies to big men who have mental problems-whether its their hot temper, immaturity or poor work ethic (in Cousins' case all three I suppose). I have read nothing indicating that Thabeet has those problems.

Finally, who wouldn't want a long, tall athletic center who can block shots? Yes, Thabeet is a bust for the 2nd over all pick, it was obvious to most people he will never live up to the hype. However Thabeet can still be a very useful man in the middle, esp. if he gets the right coaching.

 

Theebeet over Miller

 

LOL!

Lack of resources to train him? This is lame Kool-Aid. Of course the Grizzlies franchise is pathetic, so it's convenient to blame them instead of this player with "so much potential". I definitely won't bring up Marc Gasol. The problem with some of the discussion here is people keeping bringing up guys who have little resemblance to Thabeet.

Thabeet doesn't have any mental problems that I know of.

The bolded part above is your opinion. Mine is different. In 3-4 interviews I saw of Thabeet after the draft, he came across as someone who had reached his lifelong goal and was ready to chill, not dedicate his life to basketball. He kept looking backward, not forward. Thabeet has come a long way in life and that's far enough for him. Really, there is nothing wrong with that because human nature works that way for most people. But when you are an unskilled player trying to succeed in the NBA, it's a career-killer. Is there a spark, an intense drive somewhere inside him? If so, it is well-hidden.

 

...for what it's worth, Thabeet and Ibaka's draft express profiles are very very similar. You can make the case that the organization is mismanaging Thabeet.

I always thought Thabeet was drafted waaaayyy too high so I'm not saying the guy is ever going to live up to high lottery potential, but I think as a raw big man project, he does make some sense as an acquisition for just about any team needing size inside(Houston, OKC, Miami, Cleveland, etc). $5mil is a lot of money so at this point you would want Memphis to compensate you for taking him so high because his real value is more in the late draft pick realm. I'm having a hard time seeing anyone offering anything substantial for Thabeet but if Memphis is willing to lose something(even if it's just cash) for someone to take on Thabeet, I think it's a good risk.

 

Similar draft profiles don't mean they are actually similar to each other. They are very different players so whatever draft profile you looked at was junk. Also, Ibaka has developed himself since last season while Thabeet has done nothing.

Ibaka is another very bad comparison.

Of course one can make the case this is the Grizzlies fault. You can also say most (or all) of it falls on Thabeet. I guess once they dump him, we'll see.

 

when AB and... yes i'll say it... Yao finally get healthy, we'll get an idea of whether we will be competing in the playoffs this year. If we are, then we might be better served to trade for more of a "missing piece" player (a la iguodala) with our knicks picks and expirings.

if, however, this team doesn't get it together soon (i don't know when the cutoff should happen), then using those same assets for players like Randolph and Thabeet is a solid step toward rebuilding. Add those two to Hill and Patterson, let the cream rise to the top, and discard the non-producers.

 

Uhhh.. not once did I mention Ibaka's offensive game? You must feel the need to argue your anti-Thabeet stance just for kicks because I didn't bring up any of the arguments you're trying to "rebute." All I said was that Thabeet could have a DEFENSIVE impact in the middle much like Ibaka has. Why you bring up mid-range jumpers is beyond me.

Again, your vendetta is clear. Immediately after I brought up JO, I said that their skill levels were not comparable. I brought up JO as an example of somebody who flourished going into a different situation, as someone asked -- not to compare their games. Beasley fits that mold too, but I'm sure just by saying this you'll think I'm saying Beasley's skills = Thabeets.

And big men developing into their third year is a widely held opinion by people that are a lot smarter than either you or me. The only thing you're arguing is, "LOL HE CAN'T GET ON THE COURT; HE SUCKS; HE HASN'T IMPROVED; HE DOESN'T WANT TO IMPROVE, HE JUST LIKES GETTING PAID!" Those are weak arguments -- they're 100% your speculation with the only proof to back them up a lack of stats.

When you actually make a logical argument, I'll listen. Until then, continue on blindly hating, despite the fact that Grizzlies fans are not even giving up on him. Nevermind what they think, you definitely know more than them by looking at empty box scores -- "LOL!"

 

Yes Please!! This guy is a shotblocking fool!!

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I think he has a better skillset than people give him credit for...
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Token denial...

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/dec/13/griz-officials-say-no-deals-are-imminent-despite-r/

 

He can run the court rebound , alter and block shots. What he has you cant teach, height and athleticism. If we can pick him up while only giving up modes assets I say do it. We have a trade exception large enough to absorb his salary. We would just need to give up at pick. I would be willing to part with the Knicks 2012 pick. Its pretty obvious that they are not going to be in the lottery with the team they have now.

 

...I don't know if that is the video I would use to convinces anyone of Thabeet's offensive skillset. He brings the ball down way too low on the first offensive possession and his jumper form looks like it starts at his waist which is not efficient, doesn't even attempt to block out his man on the first defensive position, and his other moves show suspect footwork against otherwise uninterested defenders not to mention he doesn't seem to be reading the defensive player so much as going to a rehearsed "move". The fact those shots went in were just a coincidence.

 

...oh I see - so "whatever draft profile I looked at"(which I clearly stated by the way) is junk because it doesn't prove your point? I think you are missing the point of what I was saying. Clearly they are different players. What I was saying is that scouts rated them similarly coming into the draft and I imagine most draft profiles you look at not just the draftexpress.com ones I looked at would have defined the two similarly. Both raw big men with exceptional length and low Bball IQ, great shot blocking instincts but rough fundamental skills, good work ethic, poor rebounders for their size. My point is though they obviously weren't the same, Ibaka has overcome his limitations through more hands on coaching first in Spain(he played in Europe after getting drafted) and now in OKC. Thabeet was making too much money as a #2 pick to get the valuable experience Ibaka did in Europe. My point is that Thabeet hasn't received the same quantity(only one year without much PT vs two years for Ibaka) or quality(I suspect Scott Brooks develops talent better than Lionel Hollins) of development that Ibaka has.

It's irrelevant who the better talent overall is for my point. My point is you can make the case for taking a flyer on Thabeet(especially if he were making Ibaka type money) based on Ibaka's success under what is presumably a better development regime....and don't give me the NBADL crap for Thabeet because I think most would say the NBA developmental league is not a true minors system in the same way as professional baseball.

 

Son, "blindly hating"?. You don't read much around here I guess. I have no more "hatred" for Thabeet than for Stromile Swift when I repeatedly blasted the notion of signing him. Wonder how that turned out.

glimmertwins, I think Thabeet is owed about $10 million for this season and next. I wouldn't take that for free. If taking a flyer on him means giving up anything of value, he's too expensive. If they waive him over the summer, guaranteeing him a year at a cheap salary would work.

 

He is what we need as a backup center...

 

Thabeet has a skill set we need. How badly we need it will not be clear till February. Hopefully by then we will have had Yao play for a solid month. Players with Thabeets's skill set make 5 mil and up a year, Amir Johnson, Drew Gooden, Zaza , Gortat, Chandler, Haywood.

He has more upside then all the Bigs above. If Yao is still in and out of the line up by February I think picking him up would be a good idea even at 5 a year. His deal would be a expiring contract next year anyway.

 

Yeah but we have courtney Lee and the move would only slightly make us better. I mean martin and him cant be a 2 and 3 combo. I really do like Mayo though

Plus thabeet with proper training and hardwork could be a deadly twin towers with Yao or just play the other 28 minutes Yao doesnt

 

Thabeet is garbage and it's not going to change. This was fairly obvious to most while he was still in school. Teams just can't help but take a swing at guys over 7 foot.

When you're drafted #2 overall, the team is pressing to get you into the lineup, not burying you on the depth chart. That they sent him down to the D-league, knowing the ridicule they were going to get for it, lets you know just how inept he is on the court.

I'd take Darko over him any day of the week without thinking twice.

 

Darko's doing ok this year actually. In the case of Roy Hibbert and Kaman, if you give these bug guys a chance, motivate em and train em they can be potent