5/31/2005 Insider - Fry's stock soaring, Taft's falling

[elindholm]

LOL

 

[George O'Brien]

I expect Taft and Villanueva to be long gone before the Suns pick, simply because somebody will think they can turn them around.

If you have a team that is the lottery, you cannot afford to take a "safe" pick with limited upside. A team with five "good" players might make the playoffs, but that's about it. Free agency is great for adding to the team, but it is hard to go from zero to great through free agency. Just ask the Hawks. That means they have little choice but gamble on a guy who "might" be great someday.

For an already very good team, adding guys who can help but lack huge upside is not a bad strategy. Sometimes these "low upside" guys turn out to be very good, but they don't have to become stars if they can just contribute.

My guess is that one of the three undersized PF's will be available: Ike, Simeon, and May; because none of them look like future stars. None of them look like Suns type players, which might be to their advantage.

 

[HooverDam]

Free agency is great for adding to the team, but it is hard to go from zero to great through free agency.

Well the Suns seemed to do it. Albeit its rare such a quality free agent class is available.

 

[George O'Brien]

The Suns already had their emerging superstar in Amare and a former All Star in Marion before hitting the free agency market. In fact, the Miami Heat writers complained that the Suns tanked last season deliberately, so the Suns turnaround wasn't as big as it appeared. Seriously, if Amare had remained healthy last season, the Suns would have 10 games better.

The real key for the Suns was to draft well, free agency just added to an already promising team.

 

[Diamondback Jay]

He sounds like Oliver Miller without the weight problem and passing skills. Unmotivated big men are everywhere, has one ever panned out?

Miller's not a bad comparison. I think Ollie had much more potential than he ever displayed. Another name that I think of when I compare Taft is Michael Olawakandi.

 

[George O'Brien]

Here is a writeup about a player taken in 2001:

"Strengths: Super run jump athlete. Has scary athleticism, maybe tops among centers in college... Very dominant shot blocker. Alters the offensive game of oposing teams with his shot blocking abilities... Potential is immense, just a matter of him putting it together.

Weaknesses: Offensive game needs polishing... Needs to get alot stronger to withstand the banging of the NBA big boys... still figuring out the game... "

Would you take him? He fell to 26th. Centers taken ahead of him included:

K Brown
Tyson Chandler
Eddy Curry
Sagana Diop
Steven Hunter
Michael Bradley
Jason Collins

The answer is Samuel Dalembert. All he offered was athleticism. He didn't show much in his first two seasons, but has emerged as a hot prospect in the last two years. I'm not sure what it proves except that the draft is a crap shoot.

 

[lancelet's cousin]

Here is a writeup about a player taken in 2001:

"Strengths: Super run jump athlete. Has scary athleticism, maybe tops among centers in college... Very dominant shot blocker. Alters the offensive game of oposing teams with his shot blocking abilities... Potential is immense, just a matter of him putting it together.

Weaknesses: Offensive game needs polishing... Needs to get alot stronger to withstand the banging of the NBA big boys... still figuring out the game... "

That sounds like Dalembert now.
I guess he did get bigger. But he has hands of stone. He reminds me of a bigger Hunter, except Hunter can blame his small hands.

 

[PhxGametime]

When I think about a raw-potential Pick at F/C (although he's 6'10)... I'd pick Pops Mensah-Bonsu from George Washington and the Suns worked him out. He's probably a 2nd Rounder, because he's not quite as tall but he can jump and run... Jarmereo Davidson C Alabama, has some ability but is more like Hunter than Dalembert.

 

[Joe Mama]

That sounds like Dalembert now.
I guess he did get bigger. But he has hands of stone. He reminds me of a bigger Hunter, except Hunter can blame his small hands.

The biggest difference between Dalembert and Hunter is on the boards. Dalembert it is a very good rebounder. Hunter really isn't. He is OK, but he should be much better. Even though he's not great, Dalembert to still probably better than Hunter on the offensive end of the floor as well.

I really don't think Hunter has hands of stone. He's no Amare Stoudemire, but I remember thinking earlier in the season that he actually had very good hands. To me it looked more like he just wasn't ready for Steve Nash's passes a lot of the time. When I think about hands of stone I think about Big Jake.

Joe Mama

 

[George O'Brien]

The biggest difference between Dalembert and Hunter is on the boards. Dalembert it is a very good rebounder. Hunter really isn't. He is OK, but he should be much better. Even though he's not great, Dalembert to still probably better than Hunter on the offensive end of the floor as well.

I really don't think Hunter has hands of stone. He's no Amare Stoudemire, but I remember thinking earlier in the season that he actually had very good hands. To me it looked more like he just wasn't ready for Steve Nash's passes a lot of the time. When I think about hands of stone I think about Big Jake.

Joe Mama

Little Jake's hands aren't much better. Actually, Hunter has big hands. The problem is that he has not been trained to catch the ball, because in Orlando no one ever threw it to him.

Learning to catch the ball is not a skill that gets the attention that it should. In football, wide receivers spend a tremendous amount of time learning to go with the ball rather than creating a static target where the ball just bounces out. Yet basketball players have to catch a lot more balls than a wide receiver (and are just as likely to get hit).

The problem isn't so much turnovers as bobbles. A bobbled ball gives the defense an extra second to react and get into position - and turns an easy shot into a miss.

 

[Diamondback Jay]

The answer is Samuel Dalembert. All he offered was athleticism. He didn't show much in his first two seasons, but has emerged as a hot prospect in the last two years. I'm not sure what it proves except that the draft is a crap shoot.

What Dalembert needs is stability. This guy has had four coaches in the last four years (Brown, Ayers, Ford and O'Brien) each of whom seemed to want something different out of Dalembert.

I think if he's paired up with a stable organization and a dominant big man (i/e Amare) he can be a good ball player. He's still raw, but he has definately shown improvement enough to merit a look.

 

[George O'Brien]

I haven't met a fan that doesn't like Dalembert, but most of us think he is not worth the price it would take to get him. The Sixers clearly aren't going to let him go for an MLE and most the trades either make no sense for the Sixers or simply end up giving up far too much for a guy who is not an ideal fit for the Suns.