What does Paul George's injury mean for basketball?
If you are a sports fan and do not live under a rock, you have either seen or to some extent know what happened to Paul George's leg in the USA scrimmage in Las Vegas Friday night. A routine hustle play turned the basketball world upside down.
I cannot imagine the pain this guy is in
Before I get any incensitive backlash on this, I will take a moment and give George his due moment of silence....
....
....
Alright, the more I think about this injury, the more and more I see the implications of this "fracture" having a ripple effect throughout the backetball world. Oh, you want me to explain? I thought you would never ask! How about I start small and work toward the big picture? That works! Awesome. Saddle up!
What it means for the World Cup:
I might be alone in this, but I think these two in the back court would be more than enough to carry this team
No, not that World Cup. The FIBA World Cup, or whatever the hell they are calling it now. By most opinions, George was projected to start at the small forward spot for this team. He provides scoring, leadership, length, and as evident from his final play, hustle. The move opens up playing time for guys like Kyle Korver, Gordon Hayward, and if they play big, DeMarcus Cousins. While the staff is not thinking about who will take the roster spot right now, this could make room for a guy like Mason Plumlee, who is really impressing the staff. While George was intended to be a large part of this team's success, this should not cause much of a bump in the road on the way to a World Cup victory.
What it means for the career of Paul George:
Remember me...
This is a huge set back. George, in my mind, was a top 5 player in the NBA this season. Had Indiana finished with a better record, the MVP in my opinion. He has an athletic gift few possess and tops it off with a killer instinct and hustle. George was becoming quite the nemesis to LeBron in the East and would make a strong case for Hall of Fame consideration when it is all said and done. First reports are good as far as recovery ability on this, but next season is all but out of the question at this point. Missing an entire season as your career is hitting the peak is devastating to a player. Will he be timid coming back from this? Will he have recurring leg issues? We will have to wait and see, but those are not questions I want to be asking about a player with his game at his age. A tough blow.
What does this mean for the Indiana Pacers:
How much is Lance Stephenson worth now? This coming season, the team that won the East last year now has this lineup:
PG-George Hill (who will now be asked to run the offense and be a major scorer)
SG-CJ Miles (who lead the Cavs last season to a strong....oh wait)
SF-Chris Copeland (who could be mistaken for Brittany Griner)
PF-David West (the team's best player, an out of shape pick and pop big guy)
C-Roy Hibbert (who fell out of favor after a terrible postseason, and may not turn it around)
Not exactly the team you want going into the season, especially with LeBron is your division now. The can take out insurance on the max deal they owe George and may be able to get some extra guys to fill the void for now, but this season's selection of available players is down to...ummmmm...Shawn Marion?
Did someone say Matrix?
What this means for the future of USA Basketball:
This is the biggest blow of them all. Remember when USA basketball used college players? Remember when we got embarrassed in the Olympics? Yeah, that may be coming back. Mark Cuban said before this all started that there should be some protection on each player for the NBA team, just for this reason. Yes, this injury could have happened in a pick up game anywhere, or in camp. The fact is, though, it happened here. I can foresee player contracts including clauses keeping them from playing for their national teams, players opting to not play, like Kevin Love did, or college players to become more popular to use. This could be the beginning of a depression in USA national basketball for quite some time.
A combination of high profile and under the radar moves have put Charlotte in a position to contend in the East.
Hear that sound coming from Charlotte? That would be BUZZ.
Last season ended in a a playoff sweep, but that doesn't tell the whole story. First, just finishing over .500 and making the playoffs for a team this historically terrible is a feat in and of itself. Second, if the Bobcats drew ANY other team in the first round, they would have taken at least one game. If Al Jefferson doesn't get plantar facitis in the first quarter of the first game of the Heat series, the Bobcats would have taken one game. What's more, they basically did this with defense, team basketball and only two players who can score.
The Charlotte Hornets have since rebranded, and re-entered the league with a flurry of off-season moves and are poised to be contenders in the Eastern Conference. As you can tell we are excited about the Hornets returning to Charlotte. The artist formerly known as the Bobcats henceforth will reclaim it's birth right, hopefully ascending to the Iron Throne.
We've already done this, but how freaking sweet are these?
Further, I've said it before, but this is the exact moment I became a Hornets fan for life.
These two first round picks are the highest profile moves made during the draft, but the biggest off season move happened behind the scenes, with the firing of Rod Higgins as general manager and replacing him with Rich Cho. Cho has made a few very savvy other moves during the draft and otherwise that went largely unnoticed, but still ultimately ended up helping the team
The Hornets originally owned the 24th pick in the draft (dates way back to the Gerald Wallace trade). They used this pick to draft Shabazz Napier who they immediately traded to the Heat, who had hopes that such a move would entice LeBron to resign (oops.) Trading this pick netted the 26th and 55th picks this year plus a future second round selection for the Hornets. Odds are they were going to select Hairston at 24, so why not pick up some assets and do so anyway two picks later?
The Hornets also began the draft with the 45th overall pick, they used this selection on NAME DOESN'T MATTER.
Whoever we picked was traded to Cleveland, along with Brendan Haywood for nothing. Why make this kind of move? Haywood didn't play a single game in two years for the Bobcats and was still owed $2 million next season. Cleveland basically agreed to take on this $2 million in exchange for the 45th pick.
3. Remember that 55th pick we traded for? Yeah we picked another guy named... Highlights below.
I'm having way too much fun with this
Just as you would take your crops to market, your oddly knitted sweaters to ETSY or your perverted original Disney movie covers to EBay, we straight up sold this guy as well to the OKC Thunder.
Featuring the um. "Tower" erected in the middle of the castle.
Uncomfortable with the idea of selling another person? THIS IS THE NBA BABY. Anyway if you're keeping score at home, the Hornets wanted Hairston, swapped picks for him and sold their consolation for cash. Build for now, build for the future.
Free Agency: all part of the plan?
The Hornets swung and missed on Gordon Hayward, offering a max contract to a restricted free agent that was eventually matched by his original team, the Utah Jazz. Honestly this is not that bad a thing, as they were going to have to pay Hayward $16 million a year for his services. This is a lot of money for a guy who is only OK at a lot of things on the court. Journey with me down the rabbit hole for a second though, I believe just MAKING the max offer to Hayward helped the Hornets in a couple ways even if they didn't actually sign him.
You know I love my conspiracy theories, even more so I love Lex Luthor-ian kind of thinking. I.E. "You fell exactly into my trap, Mwaa Ha Ha." kind of thing. This is obscure but I also loved the Legend of Zelda trade sequence, where start with one thing and get another thing and another thing...until eventually you land a sweet ass boomerang. This is one of my crowning achievements as a child.
All that to say this: more savvy moves by Rich Cho.
Maybe Cho knew Hayward was going to receive a match from Utah, there were certainly enough reports out there that stated as such. Maybe we made a max offer in hopes that the Jazz Flutes would match it, thereby wrecking their salary cap space enough that they would have no money to re-sign Marvin Williams, who we snagged and will likely start the year at power forward for us. Williams, a UNC product, is labeled a bust because he was drafted ahead of Chris Paul, and he's not going to come here and suddenly become THAT guy, but he has carved out a decent NBA career as a stretch 4. This signing also provides an umbrella under which the last two lottery picks Cody Zeller and Noah Vonleh can develop with less pressure.
And once reunited with 2005 national championship teammate Sean May, Williams will...no wait. Move along, nothing to see here.
Further, making such a large offer to Hayward showed the Hornets are making a push for the playoffs, and are willing to spend money in free agency. This type of thinking had to catch the attention of a certain mercurial, but vastly talented Lance Stephenson.
LAAAAANCE
The Hornets, with cap space and a starting position in tow, eventually signed Lance for 3 years and $27 million. Again if you're keeping score at home, the Hornets offered Hayward $16 million a season, and get similar production (not to mention a higher ceiling) out of Lance for $9 million a season. Using my superior mathematical brain, I realized $9 million is less than $16 million.
Which pile of money is bigger? Go on. You can do it.
Is Lance a character risk? Sure. He does weird stuff like blowing in LeBron's ear, or trying, not so sneakily trying to infiltrate the other team's huddle. On a serious note he also has some particularly nasty domestic violence arrests in his background.
Just talk about your game plans like you can't see me. Wait a second. Maybe I'm invisible right now.
But Lance also scored 14 ppg last year as the third option on the Pacers, grabbed almost 8 rebounds per game, the highest number for a guard in the league, and dished out over 4 assists per game as well. This guy can shoot, rebound, defend and create for himself and others.
LAAAANCE!
Mostly Lance gives the Hornets a sorely needed third scorer, and for a guy looking to become a star, a young playoff team with some already established players is the perfect launching platform. For better or for worse Lance is also a tough, gritty, "Swagger" kind of guy. Charlotte might be a lot of things next year, soft is not going to be one of them. Not to mention this move weakens a team in the Eastern Conference.
Pictured: Signing Lance Stephenson. Ok I'll stop.
Another sneaky good move by the Hornets was signing back up PG Brian Roberts away from the New Orleans Pelicans. Heady young point guard, can dish and knock down the 3.
If you can find Brian Roberts highlights on Youtube, you can truly find anything.
Right now the starting lineup looks like: PG Kemba Walker, SG Lance Stephenson, SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrest, PF Marvin Williams and C Al Jefferson. For the first time in their recent history, the Hornets also will have depth and talent on the bench with guards Gerald Henderson, PJ Hairston, Gary Neal and Roberts, along with young developing forwards Zeller and Vonleh. Dare I say the future looks bright?
Besides no matter what happens the Hornets will be interesting this season. Best case? Eastern Conference finals. Worst case? PJ Hairston and Lance start wearing women's clothing and robbing banks in Charlotte, get arrested and average 60 ppg in the North Carolina Prison League. This could be a TV show. And we could call it, are you ready for this?
Prison Guards.
I can honestly picture either scenario. Either way this shakes out, it's going to be must see TV. Tune in with us this fall for more Hornets coverage!
Stay Tuned to See Whose Name Will Be On Top This Year
What to Watch For:
How will the golf course play?
In 2006 Royal Liverpool most recently play host to golf's oldest major. That year, Tiger Woods ravaged a bone dry golf course that played hard and fast. Tiger famously only hit driver one time that week. He was able to pick apart the golf course with precision iron play from tee to green.
The early reports from Liverpool suggest that we'll see a different course this time around. The course appears much greener and softer this time around. I don't think you'll see the Masters break out, but golf balls probably won't be bouncing like they've just landed on a parking lot this year.
What this means for the players is that I think you will be forced to hit a few drivers this time around. Hoylake is not a bomber's golf course. So, some strategy will still come into play off the tee, but the players will be pressed into trying to find some fairways with the big stick.
Royal Liverpool
How will the big names fair?
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are the two names in golf that move the needle and generate large scale interest. Thankfully, both players are in the field in a major for the first time since last year's PGA Championship. Unfortunately, neither player has seen inspiring play leading up to the Open that would lead us to believe a win is in the cards for either player. If anyone can come out of nowhere to win, though, it's these guys. A win for Phil would give him back to back Claret Jugs and a win for Tiger would reignite his chase to surpass Jack Nicklaus' total of 18 career major wins.
Phil is hoping to make this face again this year
Can you set the alarm early enough?
ESPN does a phenomenal job of covering the Open, and they have this year's coverage for all four rounds. They have a great crew of golf analysts and unfortunately just broadcast a few tournaments a year. The United Kingdom is five hours ahead of the east coast and the first players will begin teeing off at before 2 AM east coast time. The first two days ESPN is basically wall to wall from 4 AM to 3 PM. They kick off a little later on the weekend, but make sure to drink plenty of coffee if you plan on making it through your day.
Predictions:
Dark Horses:
Miguel Angel Jimenez- The 50 year old Spaniard may be familiar to American golf fans by now. Like the fine wine Miguel frequently enjoys, he seems to get better with age. He's won twice on the 2013-14 European Tour and seems to pop up on major championship leaderboards often. Don't be surprised to see him in the mix on the weekend.
Tom Watson- A member of the 60+ crowd, Tom Watson does not show his age. He nearly won the Open at age 59 before ultimately giving way to Stewart Cink. Tom recently showed the young pups a thing or two by making the cut at the Greenbrier Classic on the PGA Tour two weeks ago. I don't expect Watson to threaten to win, but I would not be shocked to see him make the weekend rounds.
Tom Watson with the best set of Jugs I've ever seen
Contenders:
Graeme McDowell- Graeme would love to have a British Open on his resume to go along with the US version he has already won. Graeme won two weeks ago in France coming from behind on Sunday and displaying some of his best form of the year. I expect him to fair well on this shot maker's golf course.
It appears Graeme has already won the trophy
Lee Westwood- It seems like Westwood is a name we hear brought up before every major, and his game certainly warrants it. Westwood is an impeccable ball striker and should contend this week. However, Westwood will come up just short, again.
Lee really wants a major
Zach Johnson- Zach held the first round lead at last year's event and is coming off a second place finish last week on Tour. He seems to be figuring out links golf and is hitting the ball well at the moment. His game should work well this week.
Zach would love to carry around the Claret Jug wearing his Green Jacket
Matt Kuchar- Matt is a threat to win every time he tees it up. He is arguably the most consistently good player on the PGA Tour. He has two straight top 15s at the Open after previously enjoying very little success. You have to grow into links golf and Matt is doing that. A top 10 this week should be easy for this fan favorite.
Screwdrivers out of the Claret Jug!
Justin Rose- Rose has won his last two events that he's teed it up in. It is awfully hard to win consecutive tournaments, let alone three in a row. Even though I expect him to carry over his good play to this week, a valiant effort will fall short of victory.
The face of determination
Adam Scott- It's not necessarily original to pick the number 1 player in the world for this list, but it is hard to ignore him. He has played well a number of times this season and arguably should have won the Open each of the last two years. I expect another good finish this week.
Come on Aussie!
Winner:
Henrik Stenson- Stenson was in contention nearly every time he teed it in the second half of last season. After a slow start this year, he has quietly played well of late. Stenson was in contention late into last year's tournament. Stenson is an unbelievable ball striker and should be able to hole just enough putts with week to get him over the top.
This week, Henrik will do better than just look at the trophy
As you can tell, we have mixed opinions on 9th overall pick Noah Vonleh. Here is the war room talk about P.J. Hairston, former UNC SG by way of the NBA D-League, drafted 26th overall by the Charlotte Hornets. Matt: A great talent who, like many players before him, is not going to stay out of trouble Of all the players who have come into the draft with character issues, the fact that PJ went as high as he did speaks volumes about his skill level. But is he worth the risk? Grade:C-
Before I go any further, I need a moment...
"I'm a Tar Heel born, I'm a Tar Heel bred, and when I die I'll be a Tar Heel dead.
So it's ra ra Carolina-lina, ra ra Carolina-lina, ra ra Carolina-lina GO TO HELL DUKE!"
Ok, now I can begin. To evaluate this guy effectively, I am going to look at this the same way an NBA scout would. First, his skill set. If you listed the needs of the Hornets 1-10, numbers 1-5 would be shooting. 6 would be depth at the PG position, 7 would be depth inside, and 8-10 would be shooting again. PJ can shoot the ball. At 6'6", he is a good size for the 2 guard and has a muscular body that can finish through contact. He needs to work on his handle and his shot selection, but this guy can score from anywhere on the floor. The potential is there to be a starting SG on a good NBA team. I am sure Joel will show you video below of PJ's game, so here is a game I compare him to...
Offensively, PJ has many of the same skills and tendencies as Aaron Afflalo. Afflalo can, however, find the open man a little better and plays much stronger defense. Coach Clifford will teach him how to play D to the level his body should allow him to, and this team is one that will share the ball, so his passing has to get better. In looking for a shooter, you get a guy who can score from anywhere on the floor, a good find at this point. But is it worth the risk?
Let me lay out some name for you. Sean May, Adam Morrison, Alexis Ajinca, DJ Augustin, Brandan Wright. What do all these players have in common? Bust picks for the Hornets/Bobcats. Our history has been shaky in the draft. Where have we drafted well? I use this phrase loosley, as our best draft pick in franchise history has been Kemba Walker. What did he have that other players didn't? Heart.
Kemba Walker has heart. Miles and miles of heart
I am not sure what the opposite of heaving heart is (other than not having heart obviously) but that is PJ. My boy was given chance after chance after chance and kept screwing it up! Let me sum up what he did. He had drugs, and guns, in cars that were not his, while taking money from people he should not have taken it from. I will leave his grades out of this one. While his teammates were playing ball and getting better, this is what PJ was doing:
Being this close to the crew that got him in the trouble he is today is not good for a young man. PJ is going to need some serious help to keep his head on straight. When one thing goes wrong for this guy, 10 things will. Keep this guy by your side MKG!
How could the Hornets get a better grade from me? There are 3 players who would have gotten better grades than PJ. For fun, here they are in countdown form, because that is more suspenseful.
3) CJ Wilcox
Not only can this guy light it up from deep, but he plays extremely hard. That is what we need in Charlotte.
2) Cleanthony Early
Early should have gone much higher than he did. He is a versatile forward who can score inside and out. His 3-point shot is much better. Like Hairston, he is a tough, physical guy who can rebound with ease
1) Shabazz Napier
All he does is win. The last time we picked a guy like this, it turned out pretty good for us in Kemba Walker. Pick guys that are willing to do whatever it takes to get better, make his team better, and win. There is a reason Lebron wanted this guy on his team
Joel: If Hairston stays out of trouble, he is the best player available and the best fit for the Hornets at 26 Charlotte gets a shooter, and a guy who wants to play for the Hornets. Getting Hairston this late in the draft is a major steal, has starter potential at 26 overall.
Grade: A
There's two parts of this you have to go into whenever you talk about P.J. Hairston: the basketball player and the guy with off the court troubles. Lets start with the BBall player.
Yes this is the picture I chose to use. Because, the internet.
First and foremost, Hairston is shooter with great size. The guy has a pure stroke with terrific, consistent mechanics. Anywhere in the half court he's a threat to pull up from three, and makes them at a good clip. At UNC he averaged 15 ppg his sophomore year on nearly 40% shooting form deep. Playing in the D-league after he was um, removed, from UNC, he upped those numbers considerably to 21 ppg, though at a slightly lower 35% from three point range. Now a player with those kind of numbers at UNC would have been a top 10 draft pick. As ALL Carolina fans will tell you (literally every single one), adding Hairston's 21 ppg to the team may have brought the Tar Heels into competition for a national championship.
Carolina fans ^^^ were devastated after hearing P.J. Hairston lost his eligibility. Pictured: ^^^ what this sounded like to the rest of us.
Matt sees the world through light blue colored glasses, and he believes P.J. can be more than just a shooter. I don't see it. He's not particularly quick, can't (doesn't?) pass, and there's not much mid range to his game (though I am intrigued by that floater, looks decent). Basically his game involves getting himself open for shots as soon as he gets the ball, but if he's just a shooter at 40% from three, he really doesn't need to have much else. Ever seen Ray Allen's crossover? Didn't think so. (I feel like I've used this joke too many times in recent blog posts. Noted) Learn how to pass and pump fake and that's a career. He is built like a truck, which could lend to being a good defensive player, but make no mistake Hairston is not currently a good defensive player.
P.J. Hairston's judgement off the court is undoubtedly the reason he fell as far as he did during the draft, and it needs to be mentioned as part of the player you are getting. Hairston was basically primed to be a star at the highest profile college basketball program in the country, and for lack of a better word, royally F@#$ed that one up. Within a month of the offseason Hairston was on the news every week. In no particular order: marijuana possession (charges dropped), impermissible benefits in the form of rental cars (several times), a handgun outside the car on a stop (no charges were filed), and speeding several times of at least 30 mph over the speed limit. Any one of these offenses by itself is not that bad, but the flipside to the high profile programs is when you're in the news every week the country is going to take notice. Eventually the impermissible benefits got Hairston banned for life from college athletics.
P.J. Hairston, who's shooting ability will either land him in the All-Star game or in jail. DEEEYAMMMN
Hairston seemed to clean his act up in the D-League, but on a personal level I believe North Carolina is probably the worst place he could have landed. You could say "He's closer to family, so he won't get in that kind of trouble again." But being close to family did little to prevent all that trouble after his high profile summer.
I'll let Kendrick Lamar explain.
It's cuz the homies.
Look, Wells and I are local Carolina boys who grew up in or around Greensboro where Hairston is from. All that to say we at least knew people who knew Hairston. Everybody says he's not a bad guy, he was just niave and maybe a little dumb about the people he associated with, and the things he would let them talk him into. We also know where he came from, Greensboro's no Detroit, but Hairston definitely grew up hard. You have to worry about the kid being around the same crowd that got him in trouble, and hopefully he can leave that all behind.
Because we clearly need more Kendrick on the blog
Andy: Hairston addresses a glaring hole in Charlotte's roster If PJ can stay on the straight and narrow, he should start right away and enjoy a nice career. Grade: A-
I had the privilege of watching PJ Hairston play at Dudley High School in Greensboro. The Dudley PA guy referred to PJ as "The Pearl." With a nickname like that, he was destined for greatness it seemed.
The Pearl in action
Hairston's bumpy road to the NBA has been well documented, and its not worth it to recite the details here. Putting the past behind him will be key for PJ to fulfill his potential. He could not have asked for a better situation to come into in the NBA. Hairston should be given an opportunity to start at the 2 for Charlotte right away. He is going to be surrounded by fans who (mostly) still like him. Carolina fans will probably be quicker to forgive his transgressions than a fan base like, say New York. It should be a real asset for him to be around another Carolina great, Michael Jordan, on a day to day basis. Charlotte has also been in desperate need of an outside scorer and Hairston should give them that presence from the get go.
His Airness
In my opinion, Hairston will need to do three things to become the player he is capable of being and the player Charlotte envisions.
Become a more complete scorer: At this point, I don't think Hairston is capable of driving and scoring in the lane on a consistent basis. I believe he can add this dimension to his game given his good size and athleticism.
2. Excel on the defensive end: Hairston was a pretty good perimeter defender in college, and he
needs to bring great effort on that end of the floor night in and night out.
3. Avoid temptation: While I do think Charlotte is a great fit for PJ, I worry about a few things.
Charlotte is not far from his childhood home and from his stomping grounds where he was
getting in trouble around Chapel Hill. He needs to keep the bad influences out of his life.
No more of this PJ
At worst, Charlotte is getting a good outside shooter. I believe there is always a spot on NBA rosters for good shooters. At best, Charlotte is getting their starting shooting guard for the foreseeable future who can be their reliable scoring threat and a complete player. I tend to lean slightly towards the latter. If PJ can develop the areas of his game he needs to, and, more importantly stay out of trouble, he has the tools necessary to be a very good NBA player and certainly a great value for the Hornets at 26.
Matt: What a steal! Great pick for the new-look Hornets Depending on who we bring back in free agency, this was not really our biggest need. You cannot pass up a steal though!
Grade: B+
Straight from Chad Ford himself, "He can shoot, run the floor and play in the post, but questions about his motor and toughness and conditioning caused him to slide a bit." If the questions surrounding this guy are motor, toughness, and conditioning, Charlotte will be a great fit for this guy. I may disagree a little on the pick with another writer for this blog, but you can read his argument for yourself. Here is the justification on this pick.
Someone looks happy to be a Hornet
Take a look at these two stat lines from two players during their time spend in college. Seem pretty similar, right? Stats are Per. 40 minutes.
FG
FGA
FG%
2P
2PA
2P%
3P
3PA
3P%
FT
FTA
FT%
TRB
AST
STL
BLK
TOV
PF
PTS
A)
5.7
10.9
.523
4.9
9.2
.530
0.8
1.7
.485
4.8
6.8
.716
13.6
0.9
1.3
2.1
3.2
4.1
17.0
B)
7.0
12.5
.560
6.1
10.6
.575
0.9
1.9
.478
5.3
7.3
.730
11.6
1.6
1.3
2.8
3.0
3.0
20.2
Well, stat line A is Noah Vonleh. Stat line B is Chris Bosh. For a guy who was rated as high as Vonleh, getting him at 9 is a steal. I have always heard you cannot coach size, so you have to take it when it comes. Vonleh is 6'10", weights 247 lbs, has a 7'5" wingspan, and a 37" vertical, one of the best for a big man. Those things you cannot coach. Worried about his motor? The leadership in that locker room will motivate him. Worried about his toughness? Line him up every day in practice against Jefferson see what happens. Think conditioning is an issue? IT IS JUNE!!! Coach Clifford will have him whipped into shape. The coaching staff with Ewing and Clifford will, without a doubt, maximize this kids "potential" (a term my colleague below talks about a lot).
What the Hornets need is a stretch 4 man who can allow Jefferson to work alone in the middle and knock down a jumper when he gets doubled. Vonleh can be that guy. My man shot near 50% from deep in college, he will be fine. The Hornets needed front court depth and skill and this pick gives them that.
Look at a player like Derrick Favors. Here is a 1-year college guy who some believe is a bust. Last season in Utah he averaged 13.3 points and 8.7 rebounds a game. Pair those numbers with Jefferson and you have a dominate, not good, inside game. Vonleh, in my opinion, has a better handle on the ball and a much better stroke on his shot. Is he as fast, no. When you are his size though, I don't really give a damn how fast you are.
Will Vonleh be a perennial All-Star like several of his fellow draftees are expected to be? Probably not. Will be be a great compliment to a team like the Hornets? You bet your ass he will! I would have been fine taking Vonleh over any PF other than Gordan. Coming in with the value at #9, Hornets nation can rejoice in this pick!
Also had the biggest hands of almost any player to ever get measured at the combine, Jay Bilas lost his mind
Joel: I really, really hate this pick. Good rebounder, not particularly skilled in any other area, being packaged as having skills he did not show on the court.
Grade: D
Vonleh is a beast. Vonleh is a grown ass man, strong as an
ox. In fact I once saw him lift a truck off the ground using nothing but his
bare hands. I’m pretty sure he dunked the truck, windmill style. Jordan
takes off from the free throw line? Vonleh takes off from the three point line. Sometimes basketballs explode through the sheer force of his biceps when he grabs a rebound. He's big. Like so Big. Great wall of China Big, grand canyon Big. It's like a small mountain is standing under the basket.
I may have embellished that, but not too far off from other draft-speak leading up the NBA draft that has nothing to do with basketball.
Pretty sure Vonleh was the green one last season at Indiana. BTW has any youtube video ever more proved the internet is a very strange place? Dub death metal over your childhood memories, go on, fill that void.
All postives about Vonleh, of course, are gleaned from workouts where he’s alone
in the gym, not anything you saw him do on a basketball court. Here’s the thing: if
you don’t start talking about a player as one of the best in the country until
after the season, then he should not be in that conversation once you see him
work out. Yes the dude looks like a young Shaq, and size is his obvious selling point in the NBA, but with all that size he should have
been dominating in college. He didn’t. 11 ppg on a not particularly talented
team is none too impressive.
Which one of these passes the eyeball test as a basketball player? Vonleh. Problem is this goatish looking guy from Notre Dame dominated him all night.
Get ready for a HIP HOP STYLE MIX TAPE.Sorry, with our mock draft I watched way too many of these.
Above is Vonleh’s highlight tape, and I use the term
loosely. Putback dunks, slow release 3 pointers (he made all of 16 this season,
suddenly he’s billed as Chris Bosh), Hansbrough-esque post moves (below the rim,
off balance push shots. Ask Hansbrough how well those work in the NBA), below
the rim defense. If you see anything else in that video, or if my perspective
is off please tell me. Looks like he does have some nice handle, but thing that's like the least important skill for a big man (ever seen Tim Duncan's crossover?)
What I’ll never understand about the NBA draft is the
ever over-rated, ever-escalating “POTENTIAL.” This means a guy who MIGHT possess
skills one day is rated higher than a guy who already has those skills. Best case
scenario for Vonleh in three years? He might be Adrien Payne right now. For
example: current Hornet MKG, a former number 2 overall pick, MIGHT still be a
great player IF he develops an offensive game. Isn’t that kind of a major hole
in someone’s game? You know, not being able to score? Oh by the way MKG was a much better college
scorer than Vonleh. What I hear when you say potential is a guy who needs to improve in a major way before he can contribute. Voleh seems like a guy who needs to improve his game in almost every area to be a contributor in the NBA.
One more nugget on POTENTIAL. How many of these “high
potential” big guys turn into something other than a big body? Name three. I’ll
wait.
Pictured: NBA ready size. Don't worry, they will DEVELOP into scorers
Which leads us to my biggest problem with Vonleh, he in no
way helps the Hornets this season. What’s the Hornets biggest weakness?
Scoring. After that? Scoring, scoring,
and scoring. You get the picture. Vonleh is YET ANOTHER offensively deficient
player we are hoping to develop into something of a serviceable forward. If you’re
counting at home that list now includes Bismack Biymobo, MKG, Cody Zeller, and Vonleh.
We still have the problem we’ve always had: when Al or Kemba goes to the bench,
who scores?
Vonleh is a good rebounder, but most of his rebounds come from jumping over guys. As any coach will tell you rebounding is about positioning, not athleticism, so it remains to be seen how effective he will be at this at the next level. And don't be fooled, this is a big kid, but not necessarily a leaper. Really rebounding is likely going to be his only impact this year. And I expect more from the 9th pick.
I believe this pick should have been Doug McDermott out of
Creighton. McDermott was born to score the basketball and would have been
fantastic coming off the bench to be the primary option of our second team. Even
it wasn’t McDermott, the Hornets passed on an awful lot of talent to take
Vonleh. In no particular order: Payne, McDermott, TJ Warren, Gary Harris, Elfrid Payton and Tyler
Ennis all look like better fits for the Hornets and better pros to me.
I would love to be wrong, but this guy’s got Kwame Brown
written all over him, and we may be looking at another Bizmack situation in
three years. What was he supposed to be good at again?
From Kwame Brown's 2001 scouting report: Versatile player has the ability to shoot the ball inside and out ... Super athletic runs the floor, jumps out the gym, and has very good quickness ... Good rebounder due in part to his quick leaping ability and long wingspan can handle the basketball very well like a guard, and can even lead the fast break. He also has a good-looking stroke from 15-to-17 feet.
Andy: At least we don't draft like Philadelphia
Vonleh can as least get on the floor this year and contribute something.
Grade: C
I fall somewhere in the middle of my esteamed colleagues on Charlotte's first pick. The general consensus on Vonleh is that he is something of a project. For a team like Charlotte, that I feel is just a couple of pieces away from being a solid playoff contender, I'm not sure a project is what they needed at this point. Charlotte doesn't have the best history of developing unpolished bigs (see: Biyambo, Bismack). I think Vonleh is a little better than the Biz and I'm not sure he's a great comparison here, but he is a recent example of a Hornets/Bobcats project. However, I do see the potential in Vonleh and if he can develop, I think Charlotte will be incredibly happy with this pick.
Hard to believe this guy's 18, imagine what he'll look like after a couple years in an NBA weight room
I'm down on this pick becasue of what was available around him. I think the afformentioned Dougy McBuckets would have been a really nice player for Charlotte or even a player like James Young, who went quite a bit later. Charlotte got a perimeter scorer later on in PJ Hairston, but I feel like they could have gotten a more complete wing at this stage of the draft. Vonleh does not bring a skillset to the table at this stage that greatly helps the Hornets right now. About all we know about him right now is that he will be ready to step in right away as a rebounder. Charlotte was a middle of the road rebounding team this past year. So, I don't think Steve Clifford is necessarily ecstatic to upgrade in that department this early in the draft.
Of course, not really sure Clifford has 'ecstatic' in his emotional repertoire anyway. I am smiling.
I'm high on this pick because of the potential. Generally, I hate picks made simply on potential, but this is one guy where I can actually see flashes of what the future might hold. Vonleh only shot 33 three pointers last year, but he did knock them down at a respectable 48% clip. He needs to be able to release the ball quicker and create his own shot, but I don't think you are building a shooter from the ground up here. He can't simply rely on garbage buckets to account for a majority of scoring at this level. I think ideally he becomes a nice shooter with his face to the basket, a guy that can score off the offensive glass, and someone who uses his athleticism to get out on the break. I keep hearing positive comparisons to LaMarcus Aldridge. He has a ways to go to reach that level, but Charlotte would be thrilled if he did.
While he is clearly not a finished product at this point, he should be able to rebound, defend and chip in a couple buckets a night for the Hornets. Obviously, I'd like someone who was a better fit for the team and could help this team win in the playoffs RIGHT NOW. However, Charlotte could have done worse with this pick. Just be thankful we don't draft like the 76ers or, even worse, Toronto (Bruno Caboclo? Yikes!).
