I agree with most of this. It's a delicate time frame NO is working with and balance will be key. I do disagree that Harkless and Williams are similar players when it comes to spacing. Harkless is a career 31% 3 pt shooter and Williams is a career 35% 3 pt shooter. Williams has three straight years of shooting 35% or over and in that span shot 40% one of those years. In comparison that is better then Dame has shot from three in all three of those years. Obviously 3 pt shooting isn't the only factor when considering spacing but it's a major part of it. I think I've gave my 2 cents. I'll quit before people start thinking I have a raging clue for Marvin Williams.
I was advocating for Williams quite a bit in the off-season, so I wouldn't worry about focusing too much on a player! Just to clarify: I wasn't saying that Harkless should be considered as reliable a shooter as Williams, just that Williams' shooting should be kept in perspective a bit. Last year's performance was a-ways over his established level and, this year, he's actually a bit behind Harkless. To be fair, Harkless' performance this year is well above his established level (and used to be even higher before a hellacious slump in January) so it could be a fluke year for him. On the other other hand, Harkless is a lot younger, so there is the chance that he's simply improving. That said, I trust Williams as a shooter more, but I'm a little cooler on him now that his gains of last year don't appear to have been consolidated. But he's still a solid shooter, solid defender and solid rebounder and fits very nicely into a lot of different lineup types.
Out of all those 'highlights', there was only one clip that impressed me (the dibble drive from the left wing into the paint). He's a terrible rebounder & gets blocked by guys 6-8 inches shorter than him.
Looks far from NBA ready... Which is something that I think will be a big factor in determining who we draft. Hartenstein looks more NBA ready, plus he was born in Eugene so we wouldn't have to worry about Stoudamires law.
Here's what we need, a PF that... Can Shoot Can Rebound Can defend the paint Can Guard players out on the perimeter Doesn't make much. Tough/Impossible to get everything, but the last is pretty important because of our salary situation. That's why there's a lot of interest in rookies.
Not enamored with Bam. Think he is projected to go too high. Has a Vonleh body but with less agility, reach and skill. Perhaps has a better motor than Noah, but he wont be able to rely on out-muscling opponents in the NBA.
Why not? I have a feeling his combine strength numbers are going to be insane. He reminds me of a young Ben Wallace. Then again, PF is such a tough position to translate to the NBA. A lot of people, myself included, thought Thomas Robinson was going to be a beast.
When he puts on more muscle I could see him dominating the glass like Dwight Howard light. Could very well be the best big in the draft, and I think he should end up being a top 5 pick.
I just mean - he seems to rely on out-muscling in college, hasn't really shown too much skill IMO. Everyone in the NBA is strong and athletic - so I don't think his advantage in college will transfer as well as a skilled player. Could be worth a flyer in second half of first round - but I see him as Biyombo 2.0 more so than Howard-Lite.
What I want, and what the team needs. So, yeah, reality is going to be a compromise - but it can't be a compromise on the last point, the contract must be small. For example, Manimal, though I don't like him, would be better than anyone we have now. But, he's making $15 mil per year, and we can't afford to add a guy like that.
"All" those highlights? That's just one game. And hey, you KNOW he's the kind of player Olshey likes. Think of him as Meyers with a brain. Re: bounds - he's in double figures per 40. Not great, admittedly, but probably better than Brook Lopez. If you want a real highlights package, where he's playing people his age:
