Oh no you dint. Zeller is not Joel. Zeller scored 16pts/game on a talented team shooting 55% from the field and 81% from the line. Joel couldn't dream of numbers like that. Zeller also has nice touch around the basket. Anyone want to argue that Joel has good hands around the basket (on offense that is)?
He does not have low IQ though, that is just plain wrong...in fact many analysts have said the exact opposite (he has very good bball IQ)....
MM may have posted and I just missed it: David Locke: Just had a NBA Scout say Damian Lillard is comparale to Jrue Holliday, Michael Conely, Jeff Teague and Darren Collison about 28 minutes ago
so 2nd? 3rd tier NBA PG... I think POR can get a better player than that with the 6th pick in this draft....
Do those players compare to each other? Maybe Holliday, but I don't see the Collison comparison. Lillard is much bigger and much better at penetrating and finishing. Having said that, those are some pretty decent young PGs.
I think it is more about immaturity than low IQ. The kid is young, and he is immature for his age (not uncommon). He needs time for his maturity to catch up with the rest of his body. Remember he was pushed into college a year early (skipped his Sr. year of H.S. somehow). My biggest concern other than him just not developing, is that his development timeline seems to be that he would start to peak just after his rookie contract expires. So, you would be in the Bynum situation where you have to match a max contract offered by some other team in search of a center, just to see if he can reach his potential.
Chad Ford @chadfordinsider Per @ESPNAndyKatz, Jared Sullinger wasn't invited to the NBA Green Room. NBA usually invites top 10-15 prospects.
Yeah, I agree he is going to take some time and may develop a little slower than other prospects...but even if it takes 4 years, and I don't think it will (it didn't take DeAndre Jordan that long and he was more raw than Drummond is IMO)...Drummond would still only be 22 years old....that is Lillard's age right now...
Either way, he is the second youngest player in the top of the draft, right? And if he was held back, it was before H.S.
I'm not sure how I feel about taking him at 11, but he is going to make some teams regret passing on him. He has limitations, but he is tough and he is a winner.
Assuming Robinson doesn't drop, I think the choice comes down to Lillard or Drummond, and it is a tough one. I have been kind of anti-Drummond, but Jim Calhoun came out with some pretty nice things to say about Drummond. It will just take time and commitment.