09 Draft: Backup PF answer?

Dejuan Blair is only 6'7" (270 lbs) but the guy is a monster. He is currently putting up 15 ppg and 13 rpg. NBA comparison: Paul Milsap/Anthony Mason.

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That picture isn't Blair by the way. It's Pitt's point guard, his name just slipped out of my mind. Blair is number 45 I think.

 

Guys that size will always have trouble making the transition to the NBA at the power forward spot.

 

Charles Barkley?

 

Carl Landy, Paul Millsap, Leon Powe...etc. etc.

Seems undersized power forwards are turning out quite well.

 

Oh yeah... cause Barkley is the norm...

 

I didn't say undersized. I said his size. Millsap and Powe are 6'8 and about 30 lbs lighter, Landy is 6'9. Powe is averaging 6.8 points and 4.1 rebounds. Not exactly staggering.

 

Here's another guy his size who put up good numbers in college

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/robert_traylor/

 

we're talking about a backup PF, 6.8 points and 4.1 rebounds would be pretty good.

also, Millsap in his last season had 15.5 rebounds (40 min, pace adjusted), Blair at the moment is averaging 20.4. That's pretty impressive.

 

Yeah, but my point is, the guy is 6'7 270. He's short and fat for a big man. He can push around college level big men, but NBA bigs would eat him alive.

 

My point exactly. I'm not saying he's not going to be good, I've never seen the guy play, but the odds are seriously stacked against him.

 

I'm not going to argue you there, neither of us have even seen him play, and scouting is the only way to predict how well a player with mediocre athleticism will make the transition from college to NBA. Still, there is a precedent of "undersized" big men with a great wingspan having successful NBA careers. If nothing else, a poor showing at the pre-draft measurements could drop him into the 2nd round, perfect for the Blazers.

I think the most important lesson here is that solid backup PFs are cheaply available in the bottom half of the draft, we'll just have to wait and see if Blair turns into this type of player or not.

 

Yeah, don't get me wrong. I would love to have a scrappy power forward who can rebound, play d, and score. I'm just skeptical of guys that size.

 

Jason Maxiell
6'5" w/o shoes
6'6.25" w/shoes​

Paul Milsap is 6'6.25" also. If you can play, you can play.

 

And you're totally ignoring my point. It's not just his height. It's his height/weight ratio. The guy weighs 270+ lbs and he's listed at 6'7.

 

If were looking for a backup PF who can bring energy off the bench, collect rebounds and play tough we should look at Taj Gibson from USC. Another ideal player, but probably more of a starter guy is Patrick Patterson from Kentucky, about as good of a rebounder at his size as you can find. He kinda reminds me of Rodman, with an offensive game. Blair is a great hustle guy as well, he works really hard. But, as people have brought up in this thread he definitely is undersized.

 

patterson is mocked to go in the lotto right now. surprised you didnt say heytvelt!

 

Heytvelt won't have a successful NBA career unless he learns to play better in the post. I can't think of a better outside shooting big man in college right now though. He shows flashes of his athleticism, but nullifies it by playing so far away from the basket. He'll be a 2nd round pick.