Okay, call me flop-flipper. I didn't know O'Bryant weighs 260 lbs. For some reason my intel report had him much lighter. I've been harping on simply getting a big, thinck body to stick in the paint to bang and be physical. In light of the fact that O'Bryant is 7'0 and weighs 260 (that's 15 pounds more than Biedrins) -- I suddenly don't mind this pick as much. My initial aversion to this pick was due to my ignorance of O'Bryant's real weight -- I thought "oh great we get another skinny project big-man who'll take years to get going." But if he's 260+ I suddenly don't mind. Look what Taft was able to do with his 260 -- come in right away and move people around. I still have questions about O'Bryant's "killer instinct." Sure he had a few good games in the tourney. But so did alot of players. Based on his demeanor, attitude, interviews, and overall "vibe," he just strikes me as ineffectual. I can't see him getting angry and taking over a game. However, he likens himself to Tim Duncan in this regard -- doesn't like to show emotion or "showboat." But Duncan has the killer instinct. To take the heart out of a team. We'll see about O'Bryant. Nonetheless, he's 260. That goes along way for me. I suddenly don't mind this pick as much. At least I don't hate it anymore. But I'm still not ready to say he'll be a good player in the NBA.
muscle weighs more than fat. the kid bulked up. he was a lot cunkier in high school, so i gues he hit the weights hard.
Actually he was down to 250 around the time of the Orlando pre-draft camp. I think he dropped some of he baby fat he had when he was working out and conditioning himself after his college season. http://draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1348 But still, thats decent weight for a center and his frame is huge, he could easily get up to 270-280 and not lose much athleticism. His body looks alot like Tim Duncan and their length and athleticism is probably similar as well.
Knee jerk alert Be patient, AO, even the Clippers made the playoffs eventually. Their formula? Veteran all-star inside presence, a decent center, a veteran backcourt that can shoot, multiple guys that can pass/handle the ball and take a guy off the dribble, a total of two all-stars and a seasoned coach. They even had Elton Brand in the years before, but nobody on that freakin' team could run the offense (They just did not have a good point guard and Andre Miller/Shaun Livingston were all kinda young and a bit overrated at the very beginning). The combo of Maggette/Qrich would not pass the ball, Lamar Odom kind of struggled with injuries... Wasn't a good fit... Too many young guys trying to be developed all at once with nothing to truly build around Elton Brand. The Warriors should be finding a similar formula as well, but keeping in mind that Jrich is a power guard rather than a shooting guard. With our recent drafts, our frontline is looking better and better. Now finding the small forward to complement Baron/Jrich/Ike is next in line. Those are the guys we should be building around while also keeping an eye on POB, Ellis, and Biedrins. Eventually, I would like Baron gone, but not now. Jrich is worth keeping until the prototype two guard shows up that can score like Ray Allen and defend at least as well as Kobe Bryant. But all this is wishing for a lot... If Monty can prove he can win a Clippers like roster, then I think he can coach in the NBA.
Plus, Warriors fans should rejoice now that we should be able to win the opening tip with Biedrins/POB in the middle. Adonal Foyle has not won one opening tip this year, it seems. Can anybody verify this? I'm pretty sure being 6'9-6'10 and maximum vertical leap of two inches can't even beat out Speedy Claxton for a tipoff or jumpball.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">Knee jerk alert </div> My inital rant about POB wasn't a knee jerk reaction. It was based on what I'd seen of his play, the scouting reports, the interviews, and draft analysis. My intial evaluation included the fact that I thought he was light for his size (like 235 instead of 260+). If Mullin was going to get a big man, I wanted a big man. We all know I harped on "sheer size" all last year. I made several posts about getting Cletius Sebastiao from Brazil simply because he was like 7'0" 300 lbs. or something, and was called the "Shaq Stopper" because, while he could never make a jumper, he could very well put Shaq in the hospital. So when we took POB, I thought "oh great, another weak big man to get shoved around in the paint. We alread have 4 or 5 of those." I didn't know he was 260. I was misinformed, but I didn't make a knee jerk reaction. I still would have drafted Marcus Williams, JJ Redick, or Ronnie Brewer, just to add depth to the guard core in case JRich or Baron gets hurt, and to make it easier to package Fisher with Pietrus. As far as POB, my mindset is much different now that I am corrected about his weight. Still, I am in no way convinced he'll be anymore than a long term back-up, given his demeanor. And at #9, IMO you eventually want a decent starter, not a back-up. So, unless he asserts himself, shows some killer instinct, gets stronger "muscle wise," and challenges for a starting role like Diogu has done, I won't be impressed. And he still looks like Popeye Jones and Brian Cook.
Patrick O'Bryant reminds me a lot of Dan Gadzuric, but with better footwork in the post. He runs the floor well, and can finish with either hand. He might not be the intimidating shotblocker the Warriors need, but his size will alter a lot of shots. At worst he's a tradeable piece for this team.
