Who would you draft? Roy Hibbert, Hasheem Thabeet or DeAndre Jordan?

[VCMVP1551]

Assuming all 3 enter the draft this year who would you take? I notice Deandre Jordan being considered a top 5 pick by almost all the draft sites and while he has that potential he is too far away from it to be picked that high right now. He is so raw and really need a year or 2 more in college atleast. Hasheem Thabeet is a great shot blocker and he seems like he'll be able to score fairly well. I would take Hibbert though because he has a very polished set a low post moves and he is an excellent passer plus he is a smart defender who can block shots. He seems like the most complete center in college to me.

[GOBB]

Roy Hibbert is slow...so you can exploit him easily. Matchup problem. He's probably the one who would contribute right away. The other two are complete projects that need to be made into ball players. You take either its based on the "p" word. Same "p" word Amare stoudamire had but also Kwame Brown.

I'd go odd ball and take Brook Lopez.

[TJ4'D]

I haven't followed college ball all that much this season so take my post with a grain of salt.

I think it all depends on what your team needs are as all three players bring something different to the table.

Roy Hibbert you take if you are looking to improve immediately in my opinion as he seems to be the most NBA ready out of the three. He has good size and from what I have seen he is a pretty solid defender. That will also improve as he gains experience at the pro level. I think that he may be able to become a very good defender. Offensively, he isn't going to be anything special in my mind. He will probably be able to get you around 14 points but I don't expect too much from him offensively, at least from what I have seen. He is the most NBA ready though, that is for sure and he will make your team better immediately. He has the most limited potential between the three though.

DeAndre Jordan you take if you are a team that has a long term rebuilding plan. He has the most potential of the three that is for sure. He is an athletic big that can run the floor. He is though, like you said, very raw. He will definitely take a lot of time to develop. He needs to improve in pretty much every aspect of his game. He is very talented though, there is no denying that. He has a lot of raw and natural talent, and if he can put that all together with his athletic ability he can become a very scary player. He is the biggest question mark of the three. He is a high risk, high reward type player. I think he will either be great, or he will fall into obscurity (sp?).

I don't know enough about Thabeet to comment so I won't even try to. I probably made quite a few errors on the other two anyways. I'll let the posters that actually know a lot about college ball comment.

[fatboy11]

Not Hibbert.

Me, personally, I would go with Hasheem Thabeet. He's shown more than Jordan, but Jordan has what it takes athletically. I think Jordan needs another year (at least) of college ball.

I really like Thabeet. I think he can contribute immediately.

[GOBB]

Not Hibbert.

Me, personally, I would go with Hasheem Thabeet. He's shown more than Jordan, but Jordan has what it takes athletically. I think Jordan needs another year (at least) of college ball.

I really like Thabeet. I think he can contribute immediately.

Thabeet contribute immediately? Wishful thinking. But I like him more than Jordan. Guy is all hype...and its not his fault either.

[fatboy11]

Thabeet contribute immediately? Wishful thinking. But I like him more than Jordan. Guy is all hype...and its not his fault either.Thabeet has "God-given" shot blocking ability.

[VCMVP1551]

I don't think Hibbert is as slow as people say. If you think about how many players who were actually 7'1"-7'2" or taller and could play in recent years I can think of only Shaq, Mutombo, Yao, Sabonis, Rik Smits, Andrew Bynum and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. I think he will be much more effective in the NBA and it is good to see a big man go to college 4 years and really develop his low post game.

[Da KO King]

I do not (any longer) believe in drafting for potential so I'd select Roy Hibbert.

[GOBB]

Thabeet has "God-given" shot blocking ability.

:roll:


I don't think Hibbert is as slow as people say

He's slow. And now we're not talkin he takes 10 seconds to get across half court. But a lot of players today are athletic, mobile, fast...a lot of Centers are PFs, Pfs are SFs and so on. You also got big men who are perimeter oriented. And whats the one key when going up against Roy Hibberts? Yank they ass out of the paint, use them on pick n rolls and prosper.

Hate to be hard on the guy...he should be a solid NBA player. He held his own vs #1 pick Greg Oden. But he has flaws, weaknesses. Just saying.

[VCMVP1551]

:roll:



He's slow. And now we're not talkin he takes 10 seconds to get across half court. But a lot of players today are athletic, mobile, fast...a lot of Centers are PFs, Pfs are SFs and so on. You also got big men who are perimeter oriented. And whats the one key when going up against Roy Hibberts? Yank they ass out of the paint, use them on pick n rolls and prosper.

Hate to be hard on the guy...he should be a solid NBA player. He held his own vs #1 pick Greg Oden. But he has flaws, weaknesses. Just saying.

Yeah I'm not saying he is without flaws and I'm not saying he will be a franchise player I am just saying everything he gives up in speed and athletisism he makes up and then some in size, basketball IQ and low post skills. One of the reasons I like Hibbert a lot is that I think he can play well against athletic NBA quality big men because he played well against Oden and he usually plays well against Thabeet. While he may struggle against some of the more perimeter type big men he has very good footwork and I have been surprised at how well he has defended some of those types of players. Now if Hibbert was as slow as Ilgauskas or Yao Ming then he might struggle more.

[dak121]

Hibbert. Potential gets GMs fired more often than not.

And DeAndre Jordan = Kwame 2.0

Condolences to the fans of the team that drafts him. If Paxson takes that guy someone needs to put a hit out on his head.

[Tips4]

:roll:



He's slow. And now we're not talkin he takes 10 seconds to get across half court. But a lot of players today are athletic, mobile, fast...a lot of Centers are PFs, Pfs are SFs and so on. You also got big men who are perimeter oriented. And whats the one key when going up against Roy Hibberts? Yank they ass out of the paint, use them on pick n rolls and prosper.

Hate to be hard on the guy...he should be a solid NBA player. He held his own vs #1 pick Greg Oden. But he has flaws, weaknesses. Just saying.

here goes Gobb hating on Hasheem Thabeet, lol you are even hating on his shot blocking ability which is clearly there. Hahaha it doesnt matter, you have a bad track record of judging talent when it comes to the draft anyways soo maybe it time to leave the draft threads alone and go hate somewhere else.

[fatboy11]

:roll: Tell me what is so funny about that statement?

Have you seen the kid play? Is over 4 blocks a game in the Big East not impressive to you?

We're not talking about a kid who is blocking shots because he is big and tall like Yao Ming. We're talking about a kid who knows how to block shots. I believe that will translate immediately.

[GOBB]

here goes Gobb hating on Hasheem Thabeet, lol you are even hating on his shot blocking ability which is clearly there. Hahaha it doesnt matter, you have a bad track record of judging talent when it comes to the draft anyways soo maybe it time to leave the draft threads alone and go hate somewhere else.

Where did i hate on Thabeet?
Where did i say he wasnt a shotblocker?
Why are you entering threads waving your I'm really from Africa banner playing rescuer for Thabeet?


I laughed at the usage of "god given" ability because it sounds like something AI often says when he talks about his game. That literally made me laugh.

Bad track record? Like what? Telling your stupid ass Rudy Gay should have been the pick instead of Bargnani? Oh ok. :oldlol: Until you expose what I've judged poorly I'll chalk your reply up to nothing more than a bitter baby. You're entire breakdown of Thabeet was "Its way cool to see someone come from the same place I did and play bball. Awesome!". F*cking wackjob :rolleyes:

[fatboy11]

God-given = born with a special talent/knack that most are not born with.

Thabeet has "God-given" shot blocking ability. He's been playing basketball for a very short period of time and knows how to block shots better than NBA veterans who have been playing the game for God knows how long.

If you think that is just so funny then whatever.

[fatboy11]

Bytch I've seen him play his entire college career. F*ck from out of my face.Alright, Ice Cube.....

[steve]

Thabeet has "God-given" shot blocking ability.
So does Saer Sene.

[AtTheDriveIn]

So does Saer Sene.

And he's a phenomenal player, he just doesn't know it yet.


It all depends on your position in the draft as well when selecting one of these guys. Hibbert could go anywhere from 8-22, Jordan could go inside the top 5 to just before the lottery finished and Thabeet could go anywhere in the first round. I've seen mocks having Thabeet as #26 and then others having him at #6/7.

I'm a kind of guy who believes that a player could be made into a dominant foce through work ethic. From what I've been reading of Thabeet, last season he didn't have the work ethic because the game was all new to him, but this season, he's been doing 6am sessions every day to improve, he's been going to trainings, not questioning the coach and doing what's asked of him. His improvement from last season to this season has really shown in games. He looks more active on the offensive end and the defensive end will always be a big plus for him, even in the NBA. Plus, given his 7'3 260lbs body, He seems the most intriguing prospect out of the 3. I'd go with Thabeet based on what he has now, and what he can become in the future.

[kentatm]

I have seen DeAndre Jordan play quite a few games and while the kid has a ton of untapped talent he is way too raw to enter the draft. He can do pretty much everything but does not dominate at anything yet. His shot blocking is terrible for his size as he doesn't really know how to use his body yet. I doubt he will leave this year but if he does it will be a mistake.

I also think him as Kwame part 2 is completely misguided and wrong. He'll be a player for sure if he stays a year or two and develops.

[fatboy11]

So does Saer Sene..........and your little shot fails because Sene never proved his worth against good competition while Thabeet is the best defensive player in the college basketball.

[steve]

.........and your little shot fails because Sene never proved his worth against good competition while Thabeet is the best defensive player in the college basketball.
He may be the best shot blocker in college basketball, but he's far from the best defensive player. Don't confuse the two. Who ever drafts Thabeet is going to have a project on their hands that's going to take a few years to develop, at best. A good microcosm of how he'd play in the pros is his game against Georgetown (playing against a decent NBA center prospect). He had a good game as far as shot blocking goes, but useless every where else. By the way, how often do center projects work out in the NBA?

[kidachi]

Thabeet or Jordan. coin toss...

[fatboy11]

He may be the best shot blocker in college basketball, but he's far from the best defensive player. Don't confuse the two. Who ever drafts Thabeet is going to have a project on their hands that's going to take a few years to develop, at best. A good microcosm of how he'd play in the pros is his game against Georgetown (playing against a decent NBA center prospect). He had a good game as far as shot blocking goes, but useless every where else. By the way, how often do center projects work out in the NBA?Who is the best defensive player in college basketball then?

Thabeet is the best pure shot blocker and the best defensive post presence in all of the college basketball. There isn't a perimeter player that can match his presence on defense, IMO. That makes him the best defensive player in college basketball. By your logic, Mutombo never should have won DPOY.

I can't answer your question about center prospects because I'm not keeping count nor will I do research on the matter. Quit being lazy and do it yourself.

[lowblok]

I'll take any 7ft SHOTBLOCKING centre that falls to the Jazz.

[new noise]

I'll take any 7ft SHOTBLOCKING centre that falls to the Jazz.

If Thabeet fell to the Raptors' range (17-22ish), I'd definitely take him, but there's absolutely no question he's a three or four year project.

Same goes for DeAndre, although I've heard some whispers that he's got a borderline attitude problem.

[Shepseskaf]

I do not (any longer) believe in drafting for potential so I'd select Roy Hibbert.
I second that. Hibbert will be a solid pro for a long time. Not sure that can be said about the other two with any certainty.

[Da KO King]

......By the way, how often do center projects work out in the NBA?
:bowdown: Somebody gets it.

Dwight Howard is the last "project" I can think of who actually panned out; and he wasn't a full on project like Thabeet or Jordan because he came to the NBA with the ready-made ability to rebound.

Thabeet (shot blocking) is closer to having a ready-made skill than Jordan but right now a good deal of Thabeet's shot blocking is his natural tools coupled with UConn's defensive philosophy.

[VCMVP1551]

:bowdown: Somebody gets it.

Dwight Howard is the last "project" I can think of who actually panned out; and he wasn't a full on project like Thabeet or Jordan because he came to the NBA with the ready-made ability to rebound.

Andrew Bynum seems to be developing and he was just a project. However not many players will get the chance to work with Kareem.

[GOBB]

Andrew Bynum seems to be developing and he was just a project. However not many players will get the chance to work with Kareem.

Lots of big men get and have the chance. Doesnt mean they will pan out. Bynum isnt the only player Kareem has ever worked with.

[fatboy11]

I don't view Thabeet as a full-on project, though. I guess that is where my opinion differs on him.

On the offensive side of the ball, he is a huge work in progress. On the defensive side, he'll change the game immediately, I think. Teams will find that they won't be able to score on him.

Will he be a huge force in year one, no. But few rookies, regardless of if they are a "project" or not, do. I don't think a players potential inability to not contribute greatly in year one should earn them the lable of "project".

And Roy Hibbert's upside is non-existent. I don't really think he's any better than Thabeet right now. So why not go with Thabeet? Hibbert hasn't improved since his sophomore year. He hasn't gotten any worse and he's still a decent college player, but he probably isn't going to get much better, if any better, than he is now, IMO.

Jordan has shown next to nothing, IMO.

[GOBB]

Roy Hibbert has improved each year in college. To say he didnt improve since his sophmore year just exposes you 1. didnt watch him during his college career enough or at all and 2. you're going just on stats

Stop it.

[fatboy11]

Roy Hibbert has improved each year in college. To say he didnt improve since his sophmore year just exposes you 1. didnt watch him during his college career enough or at all and 2. you're going just on stats

Stop it.What has he improved on?

[Da KO King]

And Roy Hibbert's upside is non-existent. I don't really think he's any better than Thabeet right now. So why not go with Thabeet? Hibbert hasn't improved since his sophomore year. He hasn't gotten any worse and he's still a decent college player, but he probably isn't going to get much better, if any better, than he is now, IMO.
I have to disagree.

Hibbert is far better than Thabeet right now. Outside of shot block and rebound numbers Hibbert is the better player in every facet of the game. Offensively and defensive, physical skill and mental understanding Hibbert is far more advanced than Thabeet.

Also, Hibbert has improved EVERY year. Only difference is the improvement between this season and last is not as dramatic as previous years. This year most of Hibbert's improvement has been refinement of certain things.

I will concede that Hibbert's upside is limited but it's not non-existent. If Hibbert makes the "average" physical improvements that most NBA newjacks do he's a 15 points 7 boards 1+ block career center on the right team.

[GOBB]

I have to disagree.

Hibbert is far better than Thabeet right now. Outside of shot block and rebound numbers Hibbert is the better player in every facet of the game. Offensively and defensive, physical skill and mental understanding Hibbert is far more advanced than Thabeet.

Also, Hibbert has improved EVERY year. Only difference is the improvement between this season and last is not as dramatic as previous years. This year most of Hibbert's improvement has been refinement of certain things.

I will concede that Hibbert's upside is limited but it's not non-existent. If Hibbert makes the "average" physical improvements that most NBA newjacks do he's a 15 points 7 boards 1+ block career center on the right team.

What he said.

[fatboy11]

I have to disagree.

Hibbert is far better than Thabeet right now. Outside of shot block and rebound numbers Hibbert is the better player in every facet of the game. Offensively and defensive, physical skill and mental understanding Hibbert is far more advanced than Thabeet.

Also, Hibbert has improved EVERY year. Only difference is the improvement between this season and last is not as dramatic as previous years. This year most of Hibbert's improvement has been refinement of certain things.

I will concede that Hibbert's upside is limited but it's not non-existent. If Hibbert makes the "average" physical improvements that most NBA newjacks do he's a 15 points 7 boards 1+ block career center on the right team.I don't see that potential. I really don't.

I'm not high on Hibbert. I guess like you guys aren't high on Thabeet. We're just opposites.

I see the same Hibbert this year that I saw last year. He even seemed a little better to me last year.

[fatboy11]

What he said.To me, his improvement was dramatic from freshman to sophomore. I'll give you an average improvement from sophomore to junior. There is no improvement from junior to senior, though.

The improvement from sophomore to senior has been minimal and just an average improvement. Certainly not what people were thinking. Not what I was expecting, anyway.

Thabeet is the better prospect and will have the better career. Worse case: I'm wrong. So what? That happens a lot.

[GOBB]

Thabeet is the better prospect and will have the better career. Worse case: I'm wrong. So what? That happens a lot.

Yea...so its not that big of a deal. I was high on Mike Dunleavy Jr and thought Adam Morrison would be a white Rip. Still time for that but neither are doing what I predicted. :confusedshrug:

Roy Hibbert got to Gtown just a tall student. He couldnt even dribble a basketball let alone known what to do with it. His improvement each year has been great considering he came from rock bottom (in terms of game).

Thabeet could be on the same path if he were to stay 4, but with NBA scouts, GMs drafting kids on upside, potential he doesnt have to stay. He just has a lot to learn about the game of basketball.

I really wouldnt know who i would be happy with if the Sixers were faced with just Roy or Thabeet. I'd probably lean towards Thabeet.

[fatboy11]

Yea...so its not that big of a deal. I was high on Mike Dunleavy Jr and thought Adam Morrison would be a white Rip. Still time for that but neither are doing what I predicted. :confusedshrug:

Roy Hibbert got to Gtown just a tall student. He couldnt even dribble a basketball let alone known what to do with it. His improvement each year has been great considering he came from rock bottom (in terms of game).

Thabeet could be on the same path if he were to stay 4, but with NBA scouts, GMs drafting kids on upside, potential he doesnt have to stay. He just has a lot to learn about the game of basketball.

I really wouldnt know who i would be happy with if the Sixers were faced with just Roy or Thabeet. I'd probably lean towards Thabeet.I'd take Hibbert on the Rockets. Thabeet won't fall to us, but we have to get a center because Yao is going to miss at least 20 games a season.

[GOBB]

Thats funny you take Roy and I take Thabeet. hahaaaa

[fatboy11]

Thats funny you take Roy and I take Thabeet. hahaaaaThat's just because I know we won't be drafting high enough for Thabeet. Hibbert might be gone, too.

But that is pretty funny.

[steve]

I can't answer your question about center prospects because I'm not keeping count nor will I do research on the matter. Quit being lazy and do it yourself.
It's a rhetorical question, I didn't expect you to answer.

[Da KO King]

I don't see that potential. I really don't.

I'm not high on Hibbert. I guess like you guys aren't high on Thabeet. We're just opposites.

I see the same Hibbert this year that I saw last year. He even seemed a little better to me last year.If Zydrunas Ilgauskas was playing today I'd make a smartass comment about turning to ABC to see why Hibbert can succeed. :oldlol: Why exactly don't you see that type of production from Hibbert?

Hibbert has a just short of unblockable hook across the lane, a dependable drop step counter, and can knock down static jumpers out to 14 feet.

[fatboy11]

If Zydrunas Ilgauskas was playing today I'd make a smartass comment about turning to ABC to see why Hibbert can succeed. :oldlol: Why exactly don't you see that type of production from Hibbert?

Hibbert has a just short of unblockable hook across the lane, a dependable drop step counter, and can knock down static jumpers out to 14 feet.I'm sure he could get 15 and 7 in one game. I just don't think he can average that over the course of a season, let alone a number of years.

He'll average something like 8 and 6. That's just the impression that I get. I'm not overly high on him.

[egokiller]

Not Hibbert.

Me, personally, I would go with Hasheem Thabeet. He's shown more than Jordan, but Jordan has what it takes athletically. I think Jordan needs another year (at least) of college ball.

I really like Thabeet. I think he can contribute immediately.

^^^

:roll:

[bobopenguin]

Thabeet has "God-given" shot blocking ability.
lol:lol

His entire NBA career blk average = 0.8