Bobcats draft special

[spectre]

My biggest fear is that next year around draft time our FO will go "this guys is NOT Scottie Pippen" and fall in love with the next media darling/winner/guy with most swag that doesn't necessarily fit the rebuild.

Cho sure seemed to imply that having Biz was a detriment to drafting Drummond, so the above quote might not be that big a worry. That being said I've always been for drafting the best talent no matter what. Wasn't Portland's rationale for passing on Jordan that they had Clyde?

[QC Kat]

I really feel that we were too afraid to take Drummond who clearly has the biggest upside. When you have the worst record in NBA history and miss out on the # 1 pick, I think you shoot for the stars. We will wish we had Drummond a few years from now.

[Chef]

Eh I don't think I can see where anybody could guess Drummond has top 3 player in the league potential other than those being a little biased.


Realistically speaking, I haven't see anything from Drrummond to expect a player much better than DeAndre Jordan or JaVale McGee. From MKG, I can see anything from Crash to Deng to Iguodala.

6'11", 275 lb uber athletic true center. if he hit his ceiling he is dwight howard at the minimum. howard is a top 3 player when healthy. but i do agree with your comparison to jordan and mcgee.

[SWedd523]

6'11", 275 lb uber athletic true center. if he hit his ceiling he is dwight howard at the minimum. howard is a top 3 player when healthy. but i do agree with your comparison to jordan and mcgee.

[CampNightmare8]

Still mad we didn't take Drummond. Oh well I still love the MKG pick. I feel like we'll def get a better player in the draft than MKG.. MKG is like the stone to our team IMO as far as not being he best player but doing everything else and changing the attitude of the team. Hopefully we get a top 3 pick next year.

[CampNightmare8]

6'11", 275 lb uber athletic true center. if he hit his ceiling he is dwight howard at the minimum. howard is a top 3 player when healthy. but i do agree with your comparison to jordan and mcgee.

Dunno if he can be as good as D12, but Drummond will be a force

[DashGlobal]

Drummond didnt show half of what he can do at Uconn.

He is insanely skilled for someone his size. Im not sure what the issue is with him. Maybe its conditioning or maybe its effort/hustle/desire.

If he ever channels all those things look out. I think he will be a top 3 big in 2-4 years. Fug we shouldnt have been scared and drafted this guy.

With his coordination and skill he will have no problem developing a nice post game. On the flip sized someone like Biz who is not coordinated will struggle to build a nice array of post moves and will primarily be used as a rebounder and shot blocker. With Drummond you get the whole package on a nice NBA C frame.

[SJackson1]

very good watch !

[Toocool]

Guys...it's pre-season.
Come on now.

[QC Thundercats]

Here's my theory on Drummond (not that anyone asked):

I think he has all the tools you need to be an elite player - he's huge, athletic, coordinated, agile, and demonstrates an advanced skill set for his size. The potential to be great is there, but its not the physical that will hold him back.

What I think it is, is that he's always had a huge advantage his entire life playing against his peers. His presence alone probably altered 75% of the games he played in, and his physical dominance overwhelmed 99% of his opponents. Because he's always been so much better, faster, stronger than everyone, he probably hasn't faced any adversity athletically, where he's had to fight to prove himself. I'm sure he's "worked hard," that is, enough for him to maintain his advantage. But I don't know if he ever felt it necessary to wake up at 5 in the morning to run sprints, or to hit the weight room a little harder for fear that his opponent is getting stronger. Because of these circumstances, I don't think its possible to develop that killer instinct, to become a bulldog, to have that chip on his shoulder as someone who was overlooked and had to overcome adversity, and won't be denied no matter the circumstances.

Going to the Big East, he finally came up against physical specimens who were closer to him in strength and athleticism, and he didn't quite pick up as quickly or know how to take advantage of his own physical gifts. That and his more deferential personality, where he didn't want to step on anyone's toes, contributed to his surprisingly lackluster play. Since he's not an alpha, he never got in anyone's face and demanded the ball, he just accepted his position and went with the flow.

So ultimately, I think he'll be a very good player, with a good chance to be a multiple all star (which is great). But the circumstances I described above remind me of Chris Webber - someone who is so gifted physically and skill wise, that they never learned how to outwork anyone, didn't learn to get in anyone's face, and thus never developed the intangibles and understanding on what it takes to be a winner. And as you saw, Webber had a fantastic career, but when a game came on the line, he couldn't step up in big moments. He didn't have the intestinal fortitude or never learned how to dig deep and come up big, and therefore he was never able to become a winner.

I see Drummond in the same mold.