You are the guy suggesting racism when people are bringing up basketball reasons to not draft him. Maybe you were too young in 2006, but this is verbatim what quite a few folks in this community and other forums/ radio shows brought up about drafting Morrison. speaking of gaslighting....
Irony: Posting this immediately after saying one hasn't been triggered. Bones, you know basketball and you have a lot to add to most discussions, but you clearly can't put personal feelings aside to any degree when discussing Holmgren. If it bothers you that much that people can illustrate exactly why they disagree with your evaluation of the kid, then, yeah, maybe you need to take a break for a few days and do something that put you in a good frame of mind and clears your head. Stressing to this point over something like this where you can't even acknowledge the validity of other data-supported cases will drive you nuts, and it really isn't worth it.
I think most people have Smith. Ivey, and Banchero in the top 3. Some draft sites also have Chet in the top 3 as well. I think Bones also has stated several times he would not choose him 1st or 2nd. So my question is how for all of you questioning his talent would you let him fall before you take him? 10, 20, 2nd round? As a biased Duck fan, I looked at Bol Bol and wanted no part of him in the first round. His skill set did not suggest NBA to me at all. But Chet is no Bol Bol. Equally as skinny but he has way more skill. I get the concern but I would definitely take him with the New Orleans pick, and probably the 6th pick. I like him as a spread 4 . Every player in the draft has questions except maybe the top 2 or 3. So how far would he have to slip before you all would draft him?
I've posted several times I have him in the top five. In which spot I'd pick him depended on what I had on my team. I have Jabari Smith No. 1. I'd probably go Ivey 2. I kind of go back and forth in the order. Maybe Banchero 3, Holmgren 4, Sharpe 5 at this very moment.
I'M not the one suggesting racism. There's people in this forum that have been adamant about not drafting "White American Born Bigs". I've had multiple people tell me they don't want Chet for that reason. I've seen multiple people say that. Do you think I'm lying about that? I hear from many Blazer fans outside this forum because I have a platform, and I'm not accusing you or PCMor of saying those things. But I've heard enough people say it... Then when people come in here and their basketball reasons for criticizing him is stuff that is cherry-picked and not consistently held against other prospects or reasons that our (arguably) two best players have proven as irrelevant, or something as outlandish as Robert Covington would have success posting him up, then yeah I'm going to argue against that. But then that apparently means I have "personal feelings" if I argue that which is crap to me. I'm a Gonzaga fan, yes. I wouldn't draft Drew Timme with the last pick in the draft. I love the guy but he didn't improve upon anything he needed to after coming back his junior year. So no, I'm not biased. This is a bit of an exaggeration, but it's like if someone came in this forum and said Dame couldn't shoot, then tried to claim that you had "personal feelings", "needed a break", and were "emotional" if you exclaimed how outlandish that was. I'm arguing a bunch of BS. Would be the same way with any outlandish takes for any players that played anywhere that I had watched enough to know weren't true.
I would roll the dice on him if we had to keep our pick and he was available when we picked but Jabari and Paolo had been taken. So for me it's as high as third but I would do everything in my power to find a team that values Chet the way that @BonesJones does (which I'm sure there are some) and get a player that has shown what they can do in the NBA at PF that has that high value that some put on Chet. Chet just has high bust potential but I know I could be dead wrong about him being too slow and in that case he could have all star potential. For our team I'd like to stay away from high bust potential guys or guys that need a season or three before they'll meaningfully contribute to playoff wins.
I get it that RoCo rarely if ever posts someone up and that was my point but please break down for me why he wouldn't be able to do it to Chet. You make money breaking shit like this down, so enlighten me. It's my belief that RoCo is stronger than Chet, is that not something that we agree on? I also know RoCo has a much lower center of gravity than Chet. Again correct me if I'm wrong but if you're stronger than another player you can usually back them down and having a lower center of gravity helps you in that process. So why couldn't a guy that almost never posts up like RoCo back Chet down under the rim and then use the rim to protect their shot and put in a layup. I realize that there's help defense but if Chet needs help defense when a guy as unlikely as RoCo starts to back him down, that would make him a major liability wouldn't it? If this comes off as me being condescending, I'm not, I really want to know why you think it's so ridiculous because that's all you keep saying about the criticisms about Chet is that they're wrong but not why they're wrong... if you have a breakdown from your website or youtube channel that explain this, you can just post the link and I'll click on it and see what you have to say but you might want to give at least a brief explanation with the link so those in here who won't click on it can understand where you're coming from instead of just being told they're wrong without any explanation that isn't extremely hyperbolic.
Do you guys think Christian Koloko will be available when we pick in the early 2nd? If he is, I think you have to take a look at him, especially if you don’t look at Duren in the lotto.
I think this draft has guys like Koloko all over the place but yeah, a bunch of mocks have him available at 37 and I would definitely take him if he was still there. I would rather have Orlando Robinson if he enters the draft and drops that far.
If people say "he gets blown by a lot" how do I explain why that's wrong? Someone implied that he fouled out all the time and I said he fouled out 3 times all year. When people say he's too skinny all I can say is "remember the last time we thought someone was too skinny?". I think it's reasonable to expect that he'll get stronger and put on weight. Here's why people are wrong about smaller guys posting up Chet. Even if a guy like Crowder or RoCo backed Chet all the way under the rim, they still have to shoot over him! Duren backed down Chet all the way in the Memphis-Gonzaga game and Chet blocked him both times. If RoCo is one foot away from the basket with Chet guarding him, I'm taking Chet in that matchup 100% of the time. I can't breakdown footage because I've decided not to mess with stuff that gets copyright-claimed. That's why I do so much graphically to try to make up for that in terms of presentation. But there's other guys out there that do a great job breaking down footage. My favorite is Hoop Intellect who just dropped a video on Chet recently. He looked at Chet guarding on the perimeter starting at 2:13 in that video.
Thanks, I still don't know how his speed will translate in the NBA but you make some really great points. Like I said if we can't get a trade that makes more sense than he does and he's available, he's the third guy on my board after Jabari and Paolo but picking him would make me really nervous. I do think when you say stuff like it makes you seem pretty biased but maybe the smiley face meant that was a jocular exaggeration. Also I don't think a cross between Rudy and Joker could play well next to Nurk.
There seems to be a myth that there are no big problems with Jabari Smith. Jabari Smith is 6 foot 10 and has a two-point shooting percentage of 43.5%. Jabari Smith is not good at creating his own shot. It's easy to see the bust potential here, either as an overall bust (he can't shoot a high 3-point percentage in the NBA) or a relative bust (compared to the other top picks).
Good chance. Like Kor said, too, there are a lot of players similar to him that even if he worked out well and won someone over to pick him late in the first, there should be several other options still there in the second who are of similar quality.
I think the theory is that he is a tenacious defender, who attacks the basket on offense when set up in cutting situations and he's the best shooter at the top of the draft. Him not being able to put the ball on the floor makes him a guy that can't take over a game without someone playing with him that can facilitate the offense. That being said, his floor is a difference maker from three, on the defensive end and as a cutter... the guy is going to be really really good if he doesn't learn how to handle the rock and all of his coordination and other skills signify that he should be able to learn how to handle the rock. So yeah, if a first pick has to be an all star he could be a potential relative bust and if you want the guy who will almost definitely be an all star you should pick Paolo but Jabari is going to make very meaningful impacts on both ends of the floor and you can't say that for sure about Paolo. I grapple with it, I lean towards Jabari but it's not easy because Paolo has his moments on defense but are we just going to be waiting for him to pop defensively his whole early career before giving up on that like Melo or will he put in the work on both ends? Jabari's motor not being a question mark is what makes me believe he'll get better at creating for himself on offense.
His handle and shot-creating ability are absolutely valid questions marks. I don't think they are bust-causing issues, though; I think how his handle develops will be the difference between him being a good player and a great player. Here's my reasoning: 1. His shot tool is fantastic. Mechanically, it's a terrific-looking and, more importantly, it goes in. His 3-point % is great for a player of any size; it's fantastic for a guy 6-10. His FT% indicates he should be a good shooter. And, he gets his shot off quickly with elevation. 2. When you have a 4 that can shoot with that range consistently, it's a huge asset in spacing the floor. 3. Almost half his shots are 3s. 4. I suspect his 2-pt shooting numbers go down when he plays with his back to the basket, which isn't the necessity for a 4 that it used to be. 5. Handling the ball at the 4 spot is a luxury, not a necessity. 6. He's an above-average defensive player in every respect ... defensive win shares, steals, blocks, defensive rebounds, defensive box plus-minus. Top length and agility. 7. While not a great dribbler, he is a tremendous passer. 8. He accomplished all this while playing against other players who are going to be drafted, in NBA camps and in the NBA. And he did that as a 19-year-old. Considering all that, unless he completely doesn't get it, his down-side is Robert Horry or Rashard Lewis. That might not be great for a No. 1 overall pick, but that's a very useful player on a championship-level team. If he either gets better with his back-to-the bucket or finds a way to play around the weakness, his ceiling is Chris Bosh-like. Or a Michael Porter Jr. who is better on the defensive end.
