The News Tribune <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Seattle SuperSonics coach Bob Weiss was asked Thursday if he has had any trouble communicating with 7-foot rookie center Johan Petro, who is French. ?Not as long as I don?t speak French,? Weiss said, cracking a broad smile. Luckily, Weiss doesn?t have to. It?s difficult to tell what has advanced quicker for Petro ? his grasp of the English language or his grip of the team?s offense and defense. ?Johan has been terrific,? Weiss said after practice Thursday. ?He really runs the floor well and is a physical player. He knows he belongs out there.? That means expect to see more of the 19-year-old ? the team?s first-round pick (25th overall) ? when the Sonics travel to Phoenix tonight for an exhibition game against the Suns. Petro impressed Weiss for the second time this week during Wednesday?s 99-93 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. He didn?t score but had three rebounds and blocked two shots in 18 minutes off the bench. More than anything, Weiss noted just how well Petro played on defense. ?He?s picked up our defensive concepts, and he listens and executes well,? Weiss said. ?He?s doing a great job.? In a 93-85 loss to Houston on Monday, Petro started at center and had five rebounds and four points in 21 minutes. Petro also pinned a dunk attempt by Dikembe Mutombo against the glass. ?I feel good. ... I think this is the best opportunity for me,? said Petro, who is still learning English. ?Now I need to prove what I can do.? With center Vitaly Potapenko (strained hamstring) still sidelined and 7-foot second-year center Robert Swift ineffective thus far, Weiss hinted that he might give Petro more minutes, starting against the Suns. Weiss wouldn?t confirm that Petro has passed Swift on the depth chart, but that appears to have happened. ?It?s still early,? Weiss said. ?But he?s played really well.?</div> Source
I'm loving all of this talk about Petro's quick learning and ability to improve. We all knew when Petro was drafted that he was a near 7'0 mass of talent that would need sculpting...and it's great that he, unlike Robert Swift, is showing great strides in his first season. I'm really hoping that Johan gets a bit of playing time this year, because if he's learning as quick as everyone is reporting... then he should have no problem becoming a key member off of the bench by the end of the season.
Wouldn't it be nice if he turns out to be the steal of the draft? When is the last time we got the steal of the draft? Gotta be '89 right? We're due.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting odde23:</div><div class="quote_post">Wouldn't it be nice if he turns out to be the steal of the draft? When is the last time we got the steal of the draft? Gotta be '89 right? We're due.</div> I thnk we got a pretty good steal in Rashard back in the 98 draft. Especially since we picked him up in the 2nd round. I really hope Petro turns out to be the center we have been lacking for a long time now. Hopefully he will keep up his good progress so far.
Lewis was a steal, but its a much bigger deal to pass up a talented power forward or center than a small forward and I think that is what Odde is referring too. Not that the front office shouldn't be given credit for the Lewis pick, it was obviously a great move - but looking back knowing we could have drafted Magloire instead of Mason or Dalembert instead of Radman stings abit. Not saying those two weren't solid picks, but a talented center is just so much harder to come by than swing players. Would be nice if 3 years down the road teams were wondering how an athletic, solid defensive center with a decent offensive game could ever slipped so far. His seemingly rapid development has me glad he was a first rounder knowing we have him locked up for the next 4.
"Highlight: Toward the end of the scrimmage, 6-foot-9 rookie forward Noel Felix received a pass on the left wing and backed 7-foot center Robert Swift down to the lane before spinning off Swift?s right hip and kissing the ball off the glass for a basket." ouch...swift keeps getting embarrassed (same article as above)
When opposing players start going on the record singing the praises of Petro I'll start to believe some of the print I've been reading. Interesting to note that I've never heard any of our own players sing the praises of Bobby Swift. I don't think the guys have much confidence in him and its pretty obvious that he doesn't have much confidence in himself right now. Hopefully he can put together something in the remaining preseason games otherwise I think he may be lost for the season. If Petro can give us 10 minutes of high energy defensive work a game than we got much more than we bargained for him this season. I'm not surprised that he isn't intimidated b/c he played on the top team in France last year and in the Euroleague. That is a pressure filled environment that will toughen a player up quick. Instead of sending players to the D-League I wish that we could drop one of our young players into a country where he had to play well and win in order to get paid--in a hostile environment, playing against the locals best, all without being able to speak the language. That's pressure that can make or break a young player quick--win/play well or go home. Instead of a pay check you get a plane ticket. *Starting at Center for Unicaja Malaga, at 2.12 meters, American native, Robert Swift* *Boo*
