Who are you to say that I don't look at the other players!? Look at my top 10 on my sig, neither Rivers nor Leonard are at the top of my list and the guys that are behind them are not far behind in my opinion. Now you can disagree with me if you want but don't start throwing out accusations saying that I don't do my research. Do we need a Center? Yes. Does Meyers Leonard have potential to be quality Center? I think so and there are plenty of NBA scouts that agree with me. In fact I've seen multiple reviews that say he can be a all star quality Center. Same goes for Rivers. He has potential to be an all star, something we desperately need. If both those guys are availible when we pick, considering guys like Beal and PJIII are off the board (which they should be). I don't see what's wrong with taking a shot at them. Will they come in and make us contenders right away? No, but they will give us something to hope for, which we don't have much of right now!
He is the next big man bust. If you are 7 ft 3' and can not dominate a college basketball game with rebounding and defense. Then how the hell are you supposed to dominate an NBA game. He is weak and tries to play outside. Be a man a take over the game with physicallity like the best big man in the NBA and NCAA do.
You make good points with all those players. I just think you are understating him. Obviously he is no Dwight Howard, not even when Dwight was his age. But the kid is only 20 years old. As long as he puts the work in he will get stronger, he will become a better shooter, and he will improve his defense. Quality 7 footers are hard to come by now days. When there's one that is raw enough to fall to #14, but could be as good as guys in the top 10, I think you gotta take a serious look at him.
Anthony Davis DEFINITELY NEEDS TO GAIN WEIGHT. THIS IS A MUST. I think the thing Davis has that no one else has is that he was a guard on his varsity team as a sophmore in HS. He had a major growth spurt and only recently started playing PF
If the Rockets were to take Meyers at 14, i wouldn't be upset. The guy has been consistent. I would much rather draft a more defensive oriented center.
I'm not sure what this analysis is based on, but I've seen Meyers Leonard play a few times and athleticism is definitely not one of his weaknesses. Does he play to his athletic ability? No. But I assure you, being able to run and jump is NOT Leonard's weakness. While he does have some skill and CAN play hard when he puts his mind to it, he is still incredibly RAW. Perhaps, Leonard's most glaring weakness is the state of his mind. Does he have that killer instinct? How is he going to handle criticism when it is dealt. In a way, his upbringing is very similar to Perry Jones's (though completely different players), but his mental fragility is definitely a huge question mark. If he bulks up, his athleticism will serve him well on the defensive side of the ball as he has shown that he can be a decent shot-blocker. While he has the physical tools to be a Tyson-Chandler type player, his mental fragility and raw skill-set has him closer to a Robert Swift.
I know right! I Saw a post earlier about white guys not being good centers... I'm guessing this nonsense about Leonard not being athletic is coming from the kids skin color and not the way he plays...
I wouldn't mind taking a chance on M. Leonard at #14 but I wouldn't trade up to get him. Also I believe A. Rivers is over-hyped but at #16 it's worth the gamble. - What are your thoughts on T. Ross a SG/SF? - To sign Dragic, do you think it's best to trade Lowry + other assets to get an impact player? - Do you think MKG's stock may slide a bit like K. Leonard's did last year?
No. Completely disagree... Fab Melo doesn't posses the lateral quickness, explosion nor the overall fludity of a young Marcus Camby. Not to mention Camby only weighed in at 223 when he first came into the league.. hence closer comparison's would be Davis and Henson.. However Fab Melo still is still an interesting prospect in his own right. I see his ceiling as a more mobile Roy Hibbert... given his 250lb, 7'0 frame, to go along with raw skills to develop a post game..
Don't think MKG will go further than #4, he's been projected #1-#3 for like three years now and didn't disappoint. He got the whole package and the right work ethic.
Athleticism is used differently with Guards and Centers in my opinion. I also said he was deceptively unathletic and it has nothing to do with the guys skin color. - They guy isn't a stomper like Love was considered in college, but he doesn't run up the court as fast and fluidly as natural big men guys that get up and down the court. (Please do not look at a highlight reel to confirm this. You have to watch him throughout a course of a game) - How fast is his footwork and help on weakside defenses? His footwork in the post is not what I am talking about. THat can be taught and falls under coordination. I am talking about lateral movement and ability to make up for slow movement at incoming guards on the weak side. He doesn't do that as well. The only reason he blocks shots on weakside is that guards are slower in the NCAA and he is a giant so he reaches their with length. This is the #1 reason Thabeet was so highly regarded in college. - His vertical for rebounding is also terrible. You will see him at 7'1 just tipping the ball up and grabbing it instead of bringing it down himself. This kind of pisses me off about him the most.
I didn't include explosion to the rim since I don't expect any coach to ask him to dribble-drive to the rim and Illinois didn't ask him to handle the ball like Anthony Davis does.
Dude....honestly you can't compare Leonard to Aldrich version in the NBA. You just can't. Aldrich was a bust for his pick. These two guys play exactly the same way in college and were utilized exactly the same way except Leonard would dish to shooters in the post. Aldrich would just back up and take the shots. If anything Aldrich was a better prospect coming out from an NBA ready standpoint. Leonard just has more potential due to his hieght
Every excuse your giving is countered with his production/numbers. You obviously don't like the him and that's fine, but to say he's not athletic goes against against not only what scouts say but also his production. Your just nitpicking him because you don't like him.
The more I read your posts the more its clear you do not know what you are talking about. Meyers Leonard is big and athletic and young. If he stayed in school he would probably improve to a type 5 pick. Yes that is an opinion but it is an opinion based on what you can see that he already has now and how he has improved already. The reason he is not going earlier in the draft now is because he has some unknowns still. But the things that are known are good to very good. He has good hands around the basket. He has decent handles for a big man. He blocks shots. He is a good passer has a good outside shot and shoots free throws at a decent clip. The same quality you rave about Anthony Davis that makes him special is the exact same situation for Leonard. He played guard his early years in high school until he had a growth spurt in his sophomore year. Leonard is late bloomer and new to the game of playing big. But in addition Meyers had more adversity than almost anyone in the draft this year. Going into college he had to deal with his brother going to Aghanistan. His father dead and his mother struggling with Chronic severe backpain so she could not work anymore. This absolutely affected his game. He struggled to do anything his freshman year but his sophomore year he realized he had to step up his game. He had to get drafted to help out his family. And he did most of that on his own while playing on a team that under-performed with a coach he knew he was out the door and wouldn’t be back Yes Leonard didn’t put up monster stats. But he definitely has the athleticism and physical ability to do better. Yeah it would be great to see him with those skills fully honed and polished already. But if that was the case he would be a top five player. That’s why you take a shot at someone like Leonard, because he could be something special. I admit there is a chance he won’t be. But to say he won’t with the athleticism he displays already and some of the skillset he does have is just a guess at best based on nothing more than your negative opinion. Leonard has said himself he wishes he could stay a kid longer. He wishes he could finish school. He wishes he didn’t have to grow up so fast. But he has too. His family needs him too. So he enters the draft this year when he surely could go higher if he just stayed in school. That might have a negative impact on high he could go in the draft but that could be a blessing for the Rockets. We might have a shot at a center that could easily turn into our starting center for many years to come. There is no question he is not the immediate impact player that we could use in Morey’s win now mode. He needs to play bigger. But how else are we going to get a legitimate NBA center with the 14th pick. Yes it is a bit of a dice roll and he may never turn into a starter big man in the NBA but nothing you have said indicates that to be true. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/maVbQvqJmQ8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
