MIHM'S NOT BLOODY BRITISH!!

Dakota raises a point left unsaid in my post: Mihm's a junior. Right now, I wouldn't favor using a Top 5 pick on him. Too much of his development is still incomplete, which makes him an Olowakandi-sized gamble.

I like Mihm a lot. When I referred to him as a "role player", I meant that in the sense that Otis Thorpe or Jeff Hornacek are role players. Both of those guys have had solid careers and fit their roles perfectly... but I hope we'd be able to acquire a player who's more likely to become a star.

Honestly, my objection is more about the philosophy of high-lottery drafting than it is about Mihm. If you have the 12th pick, take Mihm, by all means. If we have the fifth pick, though... I don't know. I just think that the reach of his potential isn't high enough to justify the risk of a Top-5 pick.

BK

 

Would you be suggesting trading a top 5 pick for proven talent? You bring up a good point. If so, what year of talent? I would think that it would be hard to find talent and $$ that would give any team what Mihm could offer. The type of player that I would trade a top 5 pick for would have to be a pretty proven player. Those usually aren't cheap. Trying to remember the rookie pay structure, I think he could offer what a more expensive vet could.

 

"Mihm would never play PF. You don't waste that heigth and talent at PF."

Whether a player plays PF or center is almost kind of arbitrary. Front court players are interchangeable for the most part. The only difference is on the defensive end on whether the player can guard the quicker PF's or the bigger C's. With that said, Mihm just doesn't the the lateral movement to keep up with NBA PF's. Some scouts love Mihm. That rave about his ability to run the floor and finish. The like his defensive presence and his penchant for hitting the boards. And the feel he has a very polished low post game and can occasionally hit the perimeter shots. But I on the other hand am not a big Mihm fan and I go to UT.

On the offensive end, he does have a turn around and some nice up and under moves. His biggest problem is that he has trouble establishing good low post position against players who have comparable size. The way he scores now is more of a testament to his height than it is to his game. The one good thing about Olowakandi is that he has good athleticism and you can see that explosiveness at times. Mihm on the other hand is a very average athlete. Lacks explosiveness. His low post moves are rather mechanical and slow. He does a good job of filling lanes and beating his man down court. But his side to side quickness is lacking very much so. He does have range just within the 3 point stripe.

On the defensive end, he knows how to use his size very well. He's a very long 7 footer and who does good job of boxing on the boards. Good interior defender. At the NBA level, a lot of centers are going to be able to use their quickness to get around Mihm. His perimeter defense is below average.

At best, he's going to be an upgrade from Travis Knight, who he reminds me a lot of. He needs to bulk up some to consistently bang down low. More than likely, I see him as a solid contributor to a championship caliber team. But I just don't see the ability to be a franchise type player.

And I honestly believe he's going to declare hardship for the NBA draft. He's getting a lot of feelers right now that he's a guaranteed top5 pick and most players don't ever pass that up.

Also, I like to comment on a subject that is off the topic somewhat. I have been pleasantly surprised by how well Raef Lafrentz has played the center position in the pros. I thought he was the classic PF coming out of college. But he's been very, very good at the 5 spot. 13.7 ppg, 8 rpg, and 2.2 bpg. I still think the PF spot is his best position but of course McDyess is occupying that spot. He's hitting a very good 36% from 3 point land while heaving up 96 attempts. Compare that to Mobley who hits at a 31 % clip. LaFrentz was the 3rd player picked in the 98 draft. If I were to compare Mihm's ability and LaFrentz, I would take LaFrentz by a wide margin. The NBA is so desperate for centers that people like Mihm and Olowakandi are top 5 picks. I hope the Rockets pass on Mihm and focus more on the Forward positions which i think they will.

 

What if a guy like LaFrentz could be had in a trade by drafting Mihm and trading him? As was said, the NBA is so desparate for centers. There is no telling what we might be able to get if we draft Mihm and are willing to deal him. We could get someone with a higher price tag by including someone like Walt in the deal. If a team wants Mihm bad enough they have to be willing to take one some excess baggage in order to get him.

 

Well it wasn't very hard for me to compare the two. I'm not sure where you came up with the fact that Mihm has considerably more bulk than Knight. Mihm is all what..240, 245 right now, which is right about where Knight is. They both are pretty soft players. Above average shot blockers. Both have good touch outside. They can get up and down the floor well. Mihm has the better low post game and is a better rebounder. But other than that, they remind me a lot of each other. I do think Mihm has a considerably better future than night, that why I called him an upgrade from Travis Knight.