Malick had another decent game today as the Opel Skyliners beat Bonn 76-63. Malick played 25 minutes, scoring 10 (3-5 FG, 4-6 FT) and grabbed 4 rebounds. The finals start on Sunday versus Bamberg. I spoke with Malick last night and he said the Rockets were going to have a scout at today's game and also at any games in the finals if they advanced. He is excited to get to Houston once his season is over in Germany. I will have more on Sunday after game 1.
played 25 minutes, ... and grabbed 4 rebounds. My head swims with the possibilities of Malick in the NBA.
Where's Jim Peterson when you need him? Young Hakeem's offensive game grew by leaps and bounds during the countless hours of one on one with Pete. A few pick up gmes with ol' Moses could help too. Really though, a summer of pick-up ball in Houston against NBA players would probably serve Malick well. Even though they play in that pssy air-conditioned gym.
Malick will return to Houston to prepare for the Summer Pro League in Long Beach. Patrick Ewing has taken Malick under his wing as his personal project and will be spending a lot of time working with him one-on-one. The Rockets have indicated they are going to sign Malick following the SPL. Remember, last summer Malick came to Cleveland to prepare for the draft. While working out in Cleveland (both in the weight room and on the court with a personal trainer) he gained nearly 30 pounds of muscle. Unfortunately, the weight training program with the Skyliners is not as intense as the one he went through last summer. It is possible he will return to Cleveland in-between the SPL and training camp to bulk up some more.
Damn, With such a great Center legacy in Houston, we give him to Ewwwing. There goes another tall long prospect wasted.
One thing you can't worry about Malick....his wingspan....approximately 7'4" finger-tip to finger-tip.
This is simply impossible. You hear stuff like this all the time, but no one can put on 30 pounds of muscle in a period of 2-3 months. Simply impossible. 30 pounds of bulk(Combo of Muscle and fat) is possible, but you can't just throw on 30 pounds of muscle.
Yep! He's a long armed shot blocker! I just wish he would develope that 12 foot jumper. He'd be just what the doctor ordered for our team.
Seriously, when can we get rid of Ewing? Got tired of him after this season... come on, go be the head coach somewhere, king kong wing!
I know very little about this guy. But, I keep seeing posts over him. So, what's all the talk about? Is he a good shot blocker? Is he athletic? Fundamentally sound? Or is he known for his scoring? Well, any information over him, atleast the basics, position etc Would be very welcomed.
Hit the nail on the head. Last summer he was all hustle. He is really raw but his energy is contagious. I hope he comes in this year and gives us a few minutes off the bench.
There is nobody on this team that hustles like he does with the exception of maybe Steve Francis, but I think Malick hustles even more. He plays like he wants a win and his life depends on it. Is he the next Tim Duncan or Hakeem Olajuwon? Hell no. Is he even the next Rasheed? Probably not. But he is somebody every team and fan needs on the team - a hard-working guy who can contribute minutes and gives a damn. Regarding his skills - very raw. I saw him hit a couple of mid-range shots in games. He's a good rebounder but his rebounding ability doesn't seem to be dictated by his "knowledge of the game" as much as sheer tenacity. In other words, it's not because he's blocking anybody out he'll get a rebound. He showed some sick hops last summer in terms of how fast he can get up for blocks and put-back dunks. His lateral quickness and reaction time could use some help against smaller, quicker 4's. I say this because he played as if he had never seen the explosiveness and quickness of a Chris Bosh in Senegal or Germany . He could also use some bulking up (from what I saw last summer anyway). His aggressiveness I think will cause him to get into foul trouble. Offensively he's really raw. Defensively, I'm sure he'll blow assignments. The good part is the kid is only something like 19 or 20 years old. I wouldn't get my hopes up about the guy being any kind of impact player or getting more than a few minutes at most in his first season if he makes the team, but at the same time, NBA scouts had drooled over this kid and his (ugh --->) potential. From watching several games in the SPL last season where he played, I noticed the Rockets were serious about him from the way Patrick immediately latched onto him. He was his "project" from the looks of it. Patrick always had something to tell him during timeouts, warmups, practice, etc. He's fun to watch hustle out there. I hope he makes it - I don't know the guy, but just from focusing on him for one SPL season, he deserves good things happening to him.
