Noah Vonleh, 9th overall to the Charlotte Hornets, Boom or Bust?

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 9^th 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!).