Introducing: Gani Lawal and Dwayne Collins

[Southpaw]

IMHO Dwayne Collins sucks. He is a stiff. I have watched this guy, on and off for 4 years at Miami. He might get a chance to play in some offshore league. Sorry for the dis, but he is what he is. Being touted as the 2nd best player on a really bad team ( Miami ) is not actually an endorsement.

 

[Mulli]

These picks seem like the same picks the Suns make more often than not, tweeners.

 

[slinslin]

These picks seem like the same picks the Suns make more often than not, tweeners.

Neither is a tweener they are just undersized.

Griffin how can you give us an A-.

The Suns were very profitable this year again but in a draft where they did not have a first round pick yet again they failed to buy a pick although picks like #31 were available for just cash and could have netted them Whiteside who filled a need.

 

[Mulli]

Neither is a tweener they are just undersized.

Griffin how can you give us an A-.

The Suns were very profitable this year again but in a draft where they did not have a first round pick yet again they failed to buy a pick although picks like #31 were available for just cash and could have netted them Whiteside who filled a need.

Undersized=tweener.

 

[slinslin]

Undersized=tweener.

No. Tweener= Doesn't have a true position.

Lawal is a PF just undersized. Even Collins isn't really a tweener, just a very small center.

 

[elindholm]

How can someone's comparison be "Ben Wallace/Shelden Williams" when those two players have nothing in common with one another?

 

[slinslin]

They are both undersized centers with no offensive game to speak of and have a strong sturdy body.

 

[Mulli]

No. Tweener= Doesn't have a true position.

Lawal is a PF just undersized. Even Collins isn't really a tweener, just a very small center.

No.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Hmmm. I liked Alton Ford. I wish he had gotten more of a shot. He was like a poor man's Turiaf or Etan

Nah, despite his perfect NBA build, he never had a chance. He looked like his hands were attached to his elbows. He had the arm length of a 3rd grader. He had to hire people to scratch his belly button. He wore his pants chest high like Urkel so he could reach his belt buckle. Etc.

Steve

 

[Folster]

IMO, a classic tweener is a player who isn't strong enough to play the 4 and isn't quick enough to play the 3. Lawal is most definitely strong enough to play the 4 and is only an inch shorter than the ideal height for a pf. Fortunately, he has the length to compensate for it.

 

[AzStevenCal]

IMO, a classic tweener is a player who isn't strong enough to play the 4 and isn't quick enough to play the 3. Lawal is most definitely strong enough to play the 4 and is only an inch shorter than the ideal height for a pf. Fortunately, he has the length to compensate for it.

Agreed, although I would change "Fortunately" to "Hopefully".

Steve

 

[slinslin]

IMO, a classic tweener is a player who isn't strong enough to play the 4 and isn't quick enough to play the 3. Lawal is most definitely strong enough to play the 4 and is only an inch shorter than the ideal height for a pf. Fortunately, he has the length to compensate for it.

LOL

I can't believe how everyone buys the media spin.

Lawal's wingspan at best is average for a PF. A 7' wingspan is nothing special and 6'10 most definately isn't the ideal height for a PF. Amare is at least an inch taller than Lawal and has about more than an inch on wingspan on him too and Amare is at best average from a size standpoint.

Ideal would be 7' maybe but definately not 6'10.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Collins' dimensions (wing span to height ratio) is exactly what Oliver Miller was. It allows a player to play much taller. He is 6-8 but is effectively about 6-11. He should be a good shot blocker because his length is deceptive.

He is Oliver Miller without the girth or skills.

 

[Mainstreet]

Collins' dimensions (wing span to height ratio) is exactly what Oliver Miller was. It allows a player to play much taller. He is 6-8 but is effectively about 6-11. He should be a good shot blocker because his length is deceptive.

He is Oliver Miller without the girth or skills.

I agree the 6'8" height doesn't mean much in the case of Collins because he has a massive NBA body, long arms, has hops and huge hands. I don't know if he will develop into a good role playing PF but he has all the tools to play inside.

 

[slinslin]

His range extends to 1 foot that's a problem.

 

[Chaz]

Big bodies with long reach. Reportedly both have a strong work ethic and want to improve.

Hopefully they can put in the work and find a way to stick.


Considering where they were drafting I say good job.

 

[Griffin]

Griffin how can you give us an A-.

The Suns were very profitable this year again but in a draft where they did not have a first round pick yet again they failed to buy a pick although picks like #31 were available for just cash and could have netted them Whiteside who filled a need.

Again, that grade was based only on where we were picking, and I think Lawal is a good pick at #46. This is a guy who could have been a first rounder last year, and with Favors gone, he might have been a first rounder next year had he stayed. Yeah we need a center more, but imo you can't draft based on need late in the second round. Players drafted this late are generally busts anyway. I don't even consider the Collins pick, because I can't remember the last time the last pick in the draft made it in the league.

And I would have loved to see Sarver buy a higher pick too, but we aren't one of the teams that buys picks like Portland or Dallas so I wasn't expecting that anyway.

 

[elindholm]

Ideal would be 7' maybe but definately not 6'10.

That's not realistic. How many 7-foot PFs are in the league, two? I know nothing about this particular player, but 6' 9" is adequate height for a PF, especially one whose ceiling is to be an 8th or 9th man. Come on, we're talking about the 46th pick. Blair is 6' 7" and has been effective enough.

 

[slinslin]

That's not realistic. How many 7-foot PFs are in the league, two? I know nothing about this particular player, but 6' 9" is adequate height for a PF, especially one whose ceiling is to be an 8th or 9th man. Come on, we're talking about the 46th pick. Blair is 6' 7" and has been effective enough.

Camby, Gasol, Nowitzki, Garnett..

Bosh, Duncan, Aldridge come close at least.

 

[Mainstreet]

Camby, Gasol, Nowitzki, Garnett..

Bosh, Duncan, Aldridge come close at least.

You are putting Collins with some very elite company in saying what you want in a PF. I'd be very happy if the Suns drafted a Milsap type player yesterday.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Camby, Gasol, Nowitzki, Garnett..

Bosh, Duncan, Aldridge come close at least.

Dang, why didn't we draft one of those guys at 46???

Steve

 

[Sunburn]

Ideal would be 7' maybe but definately not 6'10.

Since when was 6' 10" not an ideal height for a PF? What's an ideal height for center then in your estimation?

 

[elindholm]

Camby, Gasol, Nowitzki, Garnett..

Gasol and Nowitzki were the two I was thinking of. Camby and Garnett are listed at 6' 11", and Camby is a C anyway. You're doing the same thing George Irish does by rounding down the height of every Suns player and rounding up everyone else's in order to make your point.

 

[Irish]

Gasol and Nowitzki were the two I was thinking of. Camby and Garnett are listed at 6' 11", and Camby is a C anyway. You're doing the same thing George Irish does by rounding down the height of every Suns player and rounding up everyone else's in order to make your point.

Actually, the "rounding" you refer to is my preference for "without" shoes measure. Sometime I think guys show up in platform shoes to add a bunch to their measured height.

Sadly, some stats always appear to be with shoes such as standing reach. I hate the way reporters list height as being the main measure since reach is vastly more valuable.

 

[Mainstreet]

I like the idea that Dwayne Collins is a space eater with long arms. Of course as mentioned before he has the huge hands and some leaping ability. Maybe he cannot hit an outside shot but I don't see opposing players taking the ball away from him and on video he has some nice inside moves. I just can't get over him being such a physical specimen. Some have called him a monster around the basket. I wouldn't disagree. The Suns just need to figure out how to use him.

Anyway, since the Suns always seem to have small players on the court, it would just be nice to be able to show him off once and awhile.