I don't think you need to wait three years, if the guy has not made measurable improvement in his post game and fundamentals by next year I would label him a bust. Send him to the D-League, recruit CD or Sikma and give this kid a crash course on how to play the 4 in this league.
Lets remember what he can do is there, what is embedded into harder work, more effort and staying in shape and mentally focused will probably make him a good player. Its not the first time players left the Knicks and became good some where else. They are impatient and dont have time for development and is ready to slap players together and even spend alot to do so i think. Back to doing what got them no where the last 10 years. If Hill really works and really works and Adelman will know it in practice. Once he sees how much dedication and determination to see more playing time, Adelman will give him the time. I think his trade out of NY is really his wake up call which will make him want to see more minutes to prove everybody wrong.
When I was watching Hill's highlight video, he kind of reminded me of Scola. He has similar (if much less polished) footwork/up and under moves. Hope he can take some pointers from Luis.
from The Knick Blog, posted way back in December (so it wasn't smoke to BS the Rockets fans): [rquoter] Sunday Thoughts: Bender’s Impact on Jordan Hill By Tommy Dee - Dec 20, 2009 11:25 am ... How long will it be before Bender’s legs get NBA strong enough to get to the rim? I don’t know, but in the immediate future what Bender does NOT help the team with is the ability to beat his man off the bounce. But with his stroke, he may not have to. Secondly, I’ve heard a lot of groans that somehow Mike D’Antoni playing Bender is a knock on the abilities of Jordan Hill. Along the likes of “if they play a guy who’s been out of the NBA for this long, they must be REALLY be down on Hill.” False. The fact that Bender is here actually REMINDS Walsh how to handle big men. A source close to the GM’s thinking told me that Bender’s injury is one of Walsh’s pet peeves. Sometimes it takes time for young NBA bigs to gain the necessary leg strength to play sustainable minutes. In other words, a year of strength and conditioning and the pounding that comes from practice can do wonders for a player like Hill. That makes them that much more physically ready to come in next season when the opportunity is there. As it stands now, with the team needing to showcase Eddy Curry and Jared Jeffries, it makes little sense for Hill to get spotty minutes. I would hurt more than it will help. Fans think actual game minutes are the most effective way for a young player to gain experience. Yes it helps, but it can be a deterrent if the leg strength isn’t there yet. [/rquoter] Here's how I break it down: Hill has the measurables - height, length, quickness, jumping. He is currently not as strong as he should be. But in most cases strength can be addressed. In some cases people have metabolisms that mean that can't (see Manute Bol) but I see no indication that this is true here. When people base analysis on "potential" is is usually a death knell for a player's career. I've seen it for many, many years, and I've thought about why. To the best of my ability to tell, most often when fans talk about potential, they fail to take into accounts what is inside the player. A player has to be a hard worker. They have to be driven enough to want to develop into something more than an just another guy. And a player also has to be humble enough to accept coaching. When you look around the NBA, the guys who are big-time all have the drive, the work ethic, and all work on various aspects of their game. The primary example that comes to mind is Hakeem. Every off season Hakeem would work on a different aspect of his game - passing, dribbling, a mid range shot. Compare that with a loser like Stromile Swift - last to practice and first to leave, and half the time too lazy to put forth effort on the court. Obviously I don't know Hill personally, so I can't say for sure. But from what I have seen, in interviews with Hill and those around him, he does work hard and he will be the first to tell you that he needs to be coached. So that's all well and good. Sometimes, a player has the measurables. Then you look a little closer and see he has the right attitude and worth ethic. But in the real world for some unknown reason it never clicks. And usually if you look at their game, you can tell with a simple before/after. If, in fact, they play exactly the same way today as they played four years ago, chances are four years from now, they will still be the same. But one of tne of the first episodes you will hear in the Jordan Hill story, is the tale of how he blew away even his coaches with how much he improved for his Junior year. So Hill has shown that he can improve and do so in spades. So to summarize: He has the tools. He has the right attitude. and He has shown in the past that he can improve. Obviously nothing in life is a sure thing. He absolutely could turn out to be a bust. But as the favorite oracle of my youth would say when asked whether Hill will turn into a player: I'd put his odds of being a real solid player in the NBA at about 10x that of someone like Tyrus Thomas, who probably has more measurables, but has proven lazy and is still the exact same player he was in his first year at LSU. If anybody can point out a young guy with tons of talent, a great work ethic, and that improved his game in college, who subsequently failed in the NBA, I'd love to know who. I don't think you can, unless you want to look at guys who had injury issues.
Carl is also 26 or so which makes a huge difference. I will wait and see, but gm's have made mistakes before and given up on players.
Absolutely, and he came in out of shape too. Carl himself said he never really got completely serious until after the shooting. I'm not to worried about Hill just yet. Hopefully he works hard and gets a chance to show us something this year
So we just have to hope the right conditions occur so that Hill gets capped in his calf before he gets motivation to improve his game? Sweet.
Remember how everyone here, including the great DD him/her self, was doubtful of Chase before he ever put the Rockets red uniform on? I think me and Egghead were the only ones who had faith in him and knew he was he could be a solid contributer in our system and that he was a very good athlete despite everyone's ignorant belief that he was just another Novak. Well, I'm here to say to the doubters of Hill this time that he WILL make an impact. No, he won't be fed the ball offensively like Landry did or produce big numbers offensively; however you guys will be come to love his athleticism, quickness, size, hustle and defense-and finallly some of you will definitely be surprised by his footwork and offensive game. He's not the most polished post player, but as someone who witnessed his DRAMATIC improvement after his sophomore year, I have no doubt that he can, and will, improve before our eyes and surprise a lot of people along the way. Lets not forget that Landry was doubted a lot too when he was first drafted. He was just an average athlete and undersized but somehow improved his athleticism and quickness and his game after his first years. Hill already has great tools to work with and is a much more fluid and explosive athlete than Landry was when he first got here and while he is still average in terms of muscle mass, he is wiry strong and does not shy away from contact downlow.
My only concern with Hill is his willingness to work hard. If he is willing to work hard, the sky is the limit for him. But the comment about him showing up in Las Vegas out of shape, and being a partier, even if these are only somewhat true, he could be stuck at this level.
Seems Morey was targeting him all along. That really makes me excited about having him. I wonder if right off the bat he's going to get minutes like Chase did. Throw him right in there! We don't have anything to lose this year.
I think this is NYC just unwilling to let him go. A lot of them didn't want him to be traded. His college history IMO proves he is a hard worker, with all of the coaching changes and how quick he has improved his game. I don't think Morey would draft a slacker. THERE IS ALWAYS that chance that Morey makes a mistake...but if he targeted the guy i'm sure the first thing he make sure of is if Hill is dedicated...
I also remember reading that ever sense morey said he wanted hill for tmac.hill started to get more minutes. :grin:
The 285 has got to be a typo. Thats NFL combine type freak results. Jordan Hill can get more boards and blocks than Landry over time. If he's does that and becomes half the scorer Landry is, he'll be a good contributor.
After seeing his workout video I don't have much hope for him. I doubt he sees any significant minutes this year. The only positive I can see is that he hasn't been playing bball that long and he has the size. Im hoping for a good summer league showing and then package him in a s/t.
From what I've seen, good players are good players from their rookie season onward. Sure there are exceptions but not many. I hope I'm wrong about Hill but I don't expect him to bring much. In comparing him though, the real comparison is not Hill and Landry....it's Hill and Dorsey. The Rox traded Landry for Martin. That opened a spot for a BIG. So the question for the Rox became, 'Would you rather have Hill or Dorsey in that spot?' I think Hill has MUCH more up-side than Dorsey so it seems to me like a good swap. Basically betting on the guy with more up-side.
My main concern with Hill is what's between his ears. Some scout reports say he's doesn't have great BB IQ. That's not something you can teach and can keep your ceiling low, no matter your physical tools. Welcome comments from people who followed him at Arizona.
