Lets start some draft talk!

slinslin

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The draft isn't far away anymore and the Suns are already working out guys. Too bad we again get no coverage which pretty much sucks for us draft nerds, why don't we get workout reports and stuff like that like when we didn't make the playoffs!

Here is my favorite guy for one of our picks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzeAcPik4_s&search=james white
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICX7q1ejEns&search=james white
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrI-SEyvfvM&search=james white
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZtyZWmOLOQ&search=james white
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEG8rpaXpQY&search=james white


We need a young shooting guard behind Bell. Barbosa is an undersized tweener and probably will be traded before his contract runs out.

White would be perfect for the Suns style. Good defender, all around skills that are not particularly well develloped yet but he can do a bit of everything. Most importantly though he is an amazing athlete in fact he is also a world class track and field athlete in long jump and 200m.
 
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Gaddabout

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If the Suns could find a young combo guard who can pull some credible minutes at the point while providing some scoring and defense, a la JJ1, that would be ideal. Trade up for Brandon Roy?
 

carey

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I don't know about the rest of his game, but dayam can he dunk.
 

Russ Smith

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slinslin said:
White would be perfect for the Suns style. Good defender, all around skills that are not particularly well develloped yet but he can do a bit of everything. Most importantly though he is an amazing athlete in fact he is also a world class track and field athlete in long jump and 200m.


Just a nitpick because I'm seeing this world class track comment next to james white everywhere this year. White has highjumped 7 foot reportedly and has passed 25 feet in the longjump. He did some track at Florida and again at Cincy but he is not even close to a world class track athlete, he hasn't run the 200 in college. he was Cincy's best longjumper, and he can really sky, but NBA.draftnet put in their scouting report that he's a world class track athlete and it keeps getting repeated.

White failed to make a single height in high jump the only time he was in the NCAA meet. He made a regional in both highjump and triple jump while at Cincy but this is a classic case of one source exaggerating and everyone just assuming it's true.

Great athlete without question, bit of a headcase. Left Florida because he wasn't happy with his PT and felt the system was stifling him, then went to Cincy where he played pretty well but then flunked out of school with the team in the middle of the NIT. He was suspended twice at Florida and was essentially asked to leave by Billy Donovan. When you hear people talk about how Florida improved by removing talented players who weren't team players, White is at the top of that list. But he's a hell of an athlete.
 

HooverDam

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The Suns HAVE to draft Steve Novak, basically because thats my dads name and I think it would be cool. I also want to be able to buy a "Novak" jersey. This reasoning is completely rational and obviously shows I would make a wonderful GM
 

Gaddabout

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The Suns really wowed Sergio Rodriguez on his visit here. I get the impression the Suns really, really, really like "Sergio Nash." The guy's the exact same size as Nash and has a very similar game.
 

sunsfn

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Gaddabout said:
The Suns really wowed Sergio Rodriguez on his visit here. I get the impression the Suns really, really, really like "Sergio Nash." The guy's the exact same size as Nash and has a very similar game.

Did you mean to say the Suns "were really wowed by" Sergio?
 

Gaddabout

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sunsfn said:
Did you mean to say the Suns "were really wowed by" Sergio?

No, I'm saying the Suns went far out of their way to impress Sergio, and Sergio told his hometown paper it was like a fantasy. He idolizes Steve Nash and apparently got to spend some personal time with him.
 

panfolk

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Does Sergio speak English? And why is what he wants important in a draft? I understand being nice and all but it's just a bit odd.
 
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sunsfn

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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Name:Sergio Rodríguez
Height:6' 3"
Weight:170 pounds
Current Team:Adecco Estudiantes , International

NBA Position:PG
Date of Birth:6/12/1986 (19 Years Old)
High School:
Hometown:Tenerife, Spain
Earliest Draft Class:2005
Current Position:PG
Possible Positions:PG
Best Case Scenario:Steve Nash
Worst Case Scenario:Rafer Alston
Profile Written By:Luis Fernández


Last Updated:5/24/2006[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
You must be registered for see images
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=+1]Strengths:[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Sergio Rodríguez is an off-the-charts basketball talent; one of just a few players capable of surprising even the most knowledgeable minds in the game with his moves. A very creative playmaker, he has a superb ability to generate offense, whether for himself or for his teammates, based on an outstanding skill set.

Not a superb athlete, nor a physical freak, Sergio fills the bill for the basic tools required to carry his game to the next level. At 6-3, he has good size to handle the position while showing a nice enough frame for a point guard. Even if there’s still significant work to do, his body development in the past few years has been noticeable, particularly during the previous season. He won’t blow anybody with his athleticism, but he’s a fairly quick guy and he let’s his skills do the rest.

As you can see, there is nothing particularly special regarding his physical profile; what really sets him apart from virtually every other youngster is his skill set. To start with, Sergio is a terrific ball-handler. More in the line to what we usually see in American playmakers, he dominates the ball. High dribble, low dribble, crossover, behind-the-back dribble, he’s mastered every single variant at a young age with both hands. But he’s not an exhibitionist; it’s only a matter of gaining advantages through this skill. He’s really quick driving the ball, and creative in order to get to where he wants.

With these credentials, it’s very hard to stop him whenever to decides to step into the lane. He’s a great one-on-one player. Even if he’s not that explosive, he has a nice first step, terrific footwork, and the ability to easily change gears. Predictable is not a word in Sergio’s dictionary, although it’s true that he tends to go right looking the way for the basket. One of his patented moves is, once in motion, faking going right and then crossing the ball and slashing the other way right by his defender, a move that is very difficult to contest. Sergio also shows nice ability finishing his slashing moves. Although he might have his shot blocked from time to time, particularly when he’s trying to drive past too many rivals, he usually finds the way to leave the layup, using the glass if necessary. He also has an effective short off-the-dribble jumpshot that he can release even over players that are significantly taller than him.

Perhaps the most spectacular among his skills, Sergio is a consummate passer. Enjoying outstanding court vision, it’s in those slashing situations where he probably shines the most. Whenever he forces a defensive rotation, he has the ability to find the open man, intelligently seeing the floor and utilizing the opposite side of the floor for a quick reverse to get the defense off-balance. He’s automatic in pick and roll plays, showing perfect timing to distribute the ball, or finishing himself if the defenders opt not to switch. It’s needless to say how helpful this will be in the NBA, where there’s more emphasis on individual defenses rather than team defenses. When Sergio is on the court, it’s not rare to see a wing cutting by the baseline while the pick and roll takes all the attention, and to be perfectly fed by Rodríguez.

Sergio is not only a drive and dish player; he can distribute from the perimeter, rewarding strong off the ball movement, not only for the players going outside looking for an open look from the three-point line, but also being able to deliver difficult entry passes on sharp cuts to the basket. Like we’ve said, he’s not an exhibitionist, and you won’t see him performing a fancy pass just for the sake of doing it. He does like to give the ball up with a no-look pass, but on one hand it helps to create confusion for the defense, and on the other, for him it’s as easy and natural as breathing. He can use both hands or just one in the delivery (usually the right), while he elegantly takes advantage of the bounce pass when he finds the opportunity. Behind-the-back passes or other things of that nature is not the most common thing to see him do; only when the situation requires it. He’s perhaps even a better passer in transition. He never gives up the chance of a full-court pass if it will create an advantage for his team. If he takes the ball up-court on a fastbreak, he shows excellent decision making looking for the best option, whether feeding the running wings, the trailer coming behind him or finishing himself.

Despite his tremendous passing ability, Sergio is not necessarily a pure pass-first point guard, even if his shooting struggles this season have sometimes driven him that way. He likes to score as much as the next guy. Besides his ability to score while slashing to the basket, he’s not a bad off the dribble shooter at all, even with International three-point range. He shows nice confidence and quick mechanics releasing his jumpers, and can get very hot at times from the perimeter, although he hasn’t done it regularly this season. He also shows a remarkable ability shooting in front of bigger rivals near the basket, managing to stay in the air and release the ball over them.

Sergio is a player that loves the up-tempo pace. He rarely wastes a chance to score two quick and easy points. While this tendency might result (indeed, frequently results) in excessively rushing, he’s learning to control the rhythm of the game better. Still running whenever he thinks it can benefit his team, he’s now more aware of when the team needs to take a break, run down the shot-clock and involve other players in major creating roles. He’s a player who tends to absorb a huge chunk of the offensive game, a troubling issue for a youngster playing pros; but he’s now more comfortable sharing the ball, and more confident making decisions. He keeps taking risks, but shows better timing doing it.

Sergio might sometimes produce the wrong impression, the feeling that he’s out of control, and that he’s not that smart on the court. But he’s a highly intelligent player who only needs to find confidence and his rhythm playing the game in order to be effective. He’s absolutely nuts about basketball, which is easy to tell watching him play. Indeed he’s a guy who loves big games, the decisive moments, and who never hides when the ball burns for other players in clutch situations. He’s a winner who already has an impressive resume for a player so young, having enjoyed starting status in the Euroleague and ACB League with Adecco Estudiantes, being called up to the Spanish National Team, or earning MVP honors in the European Junior Championships while leading Spain to the gold. That’s valuable experience at the most demanding settings of international basketball.

At this point, we’re just starting to scratch the surface on what Sergio can become as a player. He has still a lot of potential left to be fulfilled, showing flaws that he should be able to fix as he matures and keeps working on his game.

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(April 2004, Juan Antonio Hinojo)

He's a point guard of, officially, 6 feet 3 inches tall, although he might actually be an inch shorter. He played for 3 years in the Federación Siglo XXI center; an academy in the mold of the French ones where Tony Parker was brought up. This year he signed with Estudiantes, and he doesn't play with the junior team, where he should be playing according to his age, although he will be playing in the Spanish Junior Championships. He also plays in the EBA team. The EBA is a sort of a fourth division league in Spain, where veteran and young players play. The level is not too good, but for a kid still 18 years old is not bad. Gasol and many other Spanish prospects played there before joining the ACB (Spanish first division) teams. On this EBA team he plays along with other Spanish prospects such as Jan Martín, Josep Mestres and Adrián García.

He's an absolutely spectacular player to watch. He has many of the characteristics of Raul López, handles the ball better than anybody in the ACB, with both hands as well, and he's very flexible and agile. His one advantage over Raul López, who I followed quite a bit when he was Sergio's age: he's much more of a scorer. Just so you have some context, as a Junior player Raul was actually considered a better player than Tony Parker, and along with Juan Carlos Navarro led the Spanish Junior Team to the gold medal in the World Championships and the European Championships. I've read in some places about comparisons being made with Navarro, to me he only resembles him in his fearlessness and pentration ability. Like Navarro he has the willingness to practically create his own shot going 1 on 5. But other then that his technical level is superior to Navarro's, especially his handles and passing ability. He's a pure point: he gets a lot of assists and controls the team around him. Navarro's assists also used to come more from dishing the ball off after or while penetrating, which is not bad at all, he is just not as pure of a point.

Rodríguez has very good shooting mechanics coupled with great quickness, but for whatever reason his shooting percentages are not very high from the perimeter. When he shoots the ball you think he will hit it, simply because of how smooth his form is, but then you see that his percentages are not exactly sharpshooter-esque. Other then that, he's reliable from the mid-range area, and I think he will eventually be a good shooter, like Raul López turned out to be. Physically he's very fast and explosive, like Raul López, but taller and with slightly superior leaping ability.

His physical characteristics, especially his agility, make him an ideal point guard. The combination he possesses of physical tools combined with his unbelievable handles, superior even to Lopez's, along with his enormous repertoire of technical skills to finish in the most difficult of situations, go a long way in confirming that. His penetrations to the basket, ability to change gears in the blink of an eye, and fantastic creativity make a tremendous scorer out of him. His passing game is also on par with the rest of his game: he has good execution and the technical ability to perfect a large array of passes, both from a static position and in transition. I think his court vision is superior to Lopez's (I always use Raul as a comparison to Sergio because of their position on the court and the fact that Lopez is the only Spanish perimeter player in the NBA). Rodríguez is probably the best Spanish passer I've seen at the youth level. I say Spanish because Panchi Barrera, from Uruguay, is the best passer I've seen at this level.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=+1]Weaknesses:[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Sergio suffers a few very significant weaknesses that seriously question his ability to crack into many NBA-team rotations in the short-term future.

Defense has never been one of his virtues, but he has at least made significant strides in the last few years. The competition level he’s facing in the ACB League has forced him to improve his effort: two years ago in the L’Hospitalet Tournament he was defending only with by anticipating, and now you can see the willingness of putting in the effort to do a decent job. Since arriving in the top Spanish league last season, he has showed a nice attitude denying the ball to his matchup, but he has particularly improved defending on the ball. Still, he isn’t a reliable defender in Europe, let alone for NBA standards.

Indeed he will never be a great defender for two main reasons. First, although he will work not to become a serious defensive liability for his team in the future, he doesn’t have a defensive mentality. His efforts are calculated, and he rarely goes beyond the essentials, lacking a bit of aggressiveness. As an example, he very quickly gives up chasing a rival on the fastbreak. Second, he’s not that gifted physically, not enjoying the most exuberant legs. His lateral quickness is average at this point, although it’s currently improving. As is usual with players his age, he suffers getting through screens, and he also isn’t always focused on his defensive work. On the other hand, he reads the passing lanes quite well and is a smart guy who comes away with a few steals on some occasions.

Sergio has also raised serious concerns about his shooting. He has never been very consistent, but he could frequently get streaky with his jumper (let’s remember that he led Spain to the European Junior Championships in 2004 by shooting at a 50% clip). Curiously, he has always felt much more comfortable (and shown better accuracy) shooting off the dribble rather than in static fashion, even when it comes to firing from the three-point line. Anyway, his general inconsistency knocking down his perimeter shots has made him reluctant to try for a bigger role from behind the arc this season. It seems that his improved decision making at some point of the campaign came along with more careful shot selection, indeed probably too careful, resulting in a certain lack of confidence that was feeding his inconsistency.

Still, Sergio has lately caught up in this department, apparently having found his confidence again and his willingness to fire from all over the court. We will likely see him struggling again at some degree sooner or later, though. But these episodes should tend to disappear as he grows as a player. He doesn’t have the most polished mechanics, but they are not terrible either. He likely won’t make a living as a pure shooter from behind the NBA 3-point line, but once his confidence is back and he adds polish in practice, he should be fine.

The third big concern about Sergio is his decision making, his ability to effectively run the team’s offense. He’s a player who takes significantly more risks than your average point guard, while absorbing a huge share of the offensive flow. He also loves the up-tempo playing style, which can eventually increase the turnover figures and make the team lose control of the game. Indeed, Sergio commits too many turnovers while running the point.

Nevertheless, this shouldn’t be considered a big problem for Sergio’s game in the mid term. We’re talking about a smart player who is still adapting to top-level basketball. Indeed he has made noticeable improvements during this season. He’s learning to share the ball better, to be a little bit more patient, letting the game come to him instead of permanently settling for abusing his skills. For Sergio, basketball is so easy that he has problems recognizing when he should stop looking actively for a basket or the definitive pass, and letting his teammates take some decisions instead. This is no junior stage where he’s substantially better than any of his teammates; Estudiantes is a playoff-caliber team in the top European domestic league and features quality players who also want to have a share of the ball. Not to mention what he will face in a NBA team. Sergio needs to involve his teammates in the offensive game beyond dominating in a way that inflates his assists. So it’s good news to see him doing it more actively at this point, and feeling rather comfortable in the process.

However, chances are he will always be a relatively high-turnover producer. His eagerness for playing at a fast pace and looking for assists will cost him in the form of throwing away possessions. But this isn’t necessarily bad for the team. It’s a calculated risk where the reward comes in the form of easy baskets, and probably easier to put in practice in the NBA, with more spaces, better athletes, the defensive three second rule and a different kind of pressure coming from the audience.

Beyond these three areas, there’s not much more to say about him. Perhaps just to mention that he rarely uses his left hand finishing around the basket. And while it’s always a limitation not to use both hands, in Sergio’s case it barely comes back to haunt him. He’s very skilled using his right in different situations, with awesome coordination to use his footwork in different ways while going towards the basket and leave the layup, so he’s not giving more chances to get it blocked than he would using his left.

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(April 2004, Juan Antonio Hinojo)

The main one is his defense. In the L'Hospitalet tournament he didn't defend anything, even showing some pure apathy sometimes. But that didn't stop him from coming up with 7 steals against the Junior Barcelona team. Those were offensive steals, though, the kind that once you get you are guaranteed of scoring two points, and I think that's what motivated him. In Siglo XXI (the youth academy) he did defend at a good level, which leads me to believe that he has the tools to be a good defender, with his good lateral defensive movement and his ability to avoid screens.

As noted above, Rodríguez needs to become a better outside shooter if he is to make it in the NBA. A Spanish ACB fan recently pointed out to me that he almost always puts the ball on the floor before shooting, and I think that's absolutely true: he never really receives and shoots, he always dribbles first. That's both an advantage and a disadvantage: to create your shot off the dribble is much more difficult as it requires a lot more skill, and he has perfected this technique. But there are times when if you have the space, you must square up your shoulders and shoot as quickly as possible. So he might be complicating things more then necessary. But this is a fixable weakness, and I think its cause is closer to an unconscious movement (he's very used to create his own shot) than to a technical defect, because the second kind of shot (the stationary one) is much easier and it's also the more conventional one.
Something that might be holding him back is the fact that he's so far superior to the rest of the Spanish point guards his age, I sometimes think he needs a great rival to motivate him. I've seen Rudy Fernandez in a lot in youth competitions, and because he was always the best shooting guard on the floor he had to force things against some rivals and it wasn't impossible to stop him, or better said, to contain him more or less. But the difference Sergio has is vast, it's just humiliating how easily he beats his rivals, he just does with them whatever he wants. Every rival player looks down after facing him; you can feel that they just want to finish the nightmare of defending him as soon as possible.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=+1]Competition:[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Sergio Rodríguez was one of the recruits of the eventually frustrated project called Siglo XXI, a basketball school promoted by the Spanish Federation and some Spanish regions in the mold of the very successful French INSEP, which allow kids to combine studies and intense basketball practice. A controversial project, some people consider them the best talent developers in the last years (our collaborator Juan Antonio Hinojo among them), while other voices blame them for spoiling talented kids. A number of reasons, including competition with ACB teams to recruit youngsters or disagreements between different public organizations put an end to it. Sergio spent three seasons there, from 2000 to 2003, years for which he always has good words.

Rodríguez signed with Adecco Estudiantes in 2003, spending his first season there playing for the second team in the EBA League (fourth Spanish division), averaging 13.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.6 turnovers in 25 minutes per game. He also had time to shine in the L’Hospitalet Tournament, having the chance to play against Josh Smith and Rajon Rondo’s Oak Hill Academy. He had 15 points and 5 assists there, although his impact on the game went far beyond those stats, being an incredibly creative force in the offense for his team. He also played in the 2004 Hoop Summit as Roko-Leni Ukic’s backup (5 points and 1 assist in 14 minutes), and the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Mannheim, leading Spain to third place while averaging 15 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5 assists and 4.4 turnovers. He even made his debut in the ACB League at the end of that season, in the fifth and last game of the Finals, although everything was decided by then. He only played a couple of minutes, but he had time to score a basket in transition.

Sergio’s name started to sound familiar around that time, especially on DraftExpress, but it wasn’t until the European Junior Championships in Zaragoza in the summer of 2004 where he made a huge splash on the basketball scene with an incredible performance that took Spain to an unexpected gold medal. He averaged 19 points, 4.6 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 2.1 steals and 6.3 turnovers, while shooting 50% from the three-point line. Of course, he earned MVP honors for his efforts.

Sergio went from playing in fourth division to splitting minutes with starter Nacho Azofra in the Euroleague during the 2004/05 season. In his debut season in the top league in the world outside the NBA, he averaged 6.4 points, 2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 turnovers. In the domestic ACB League, he settled for 8.5 points, 3.2 assists and 2.1 turnovers. It was a good rookie season, finished in strong fashion, as he was a key factor in his team’s quarterfinal victory over FC Barcelona. Indeed, he earned a spot in the senior Spanish National Team for the 2005 Eurobasket.

Right before that, Sergio played in the U-20 European Championships, although it wasn’t a good experience for him. Arriving a few days before the competition started, he couldn’t mesh with his teammates, and Spain finished a disappointing ninth. Sergio averaged 11.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 6 turnovers. Things didn’t go better with the vets, as Sergio barely entered the court in the Eurobasket.

The bad streak followed during the beginning of the 2005/06 season in the ACB League, with Sergio showing painful inconsistency and Adecco Estudiantes collapsing with consecutive losses. Sophomore seasons are always difficult for young players who impress in their debut. Expectations are high and they start feeling the pressure. That bad start affected their performance in the ULEB Cup, failing to advance past the regular season, where Sergio only averaged 5.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.1 turnovers in almost 20 minutes per game.

However, somewhere during the season, first the team and then Sergio, they went back to their old selves, sneaking into the ACB playoffs with a very strong final rush. Rodríguez has just finished the regular season, averaging 9.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 3.1 turnovers in 23 minutes per game. In the last 10 games, he improved to 12.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 3.6 turnovers in almost 28 minutes per game, completely taking over the point guard position. He also impressed mightily in the first round of the ACB playoffs.

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(April 2004, Juan Antonio Hinojo)

I saw the game against Oak Hill (Josh Smith's school amongst many many others- the #1 high school in America) and he absolutely held his own. Rajon Rondo scored 55 points, but Sergio was never defending him. He was defending KC Rivers, who was playing as a SG [Rivers scored 22 points on 7/13 from the field, 6/9 for 3's]. Rajon Rondo did defend Sergio, and the Spaniard beat him one on one every time. This game was to me a confirmation of Sergio's status as a young superstar. No one from his team (Estudiantes) was capable of beating his defender one on one. The Americans quick hands were just too tough for them, and they were afraid to dribble. At best, they dribbled a little just to take a couple of steps but never shaking loose of their defender. They never broke the defense to force rotations and create open shots for others. So from the fifth minute of the game, Estudiantes' coach understood that it was impossible for the rest of the players to beat thier defenders with their static offense, and decided that every Estudiantes play should start with Sergio beating his defender (not with the typical pass to a wing player). The result: he had to play an unbelieveable amount of one on one basketball, perhaps 80 times, and he almost always succeeded. To me, just the simple fact of thinking about the mental and physical challenge of having the duty to break and create on every single play is exhausting in itself. The boy played 40 minutes and he did it on almost every possession. From that point (5th minute), Estudiantes held it's own against Oak Hill: Sergio started splitting the defense and passing the ball wonderfully. The passes would sometimes be to a perimeter player, who then had a good amount of space from his defender who was recovering his position from rotating. In these situations it was possible for the Estudiantes players to beat their matchups by attacking the basket when they were unbalanced coming back from the help, so they could force more helps from other players. Sergio wreaked havoc, and could have dished out about 20 assists to the paint players. The problem was: Estudiantes' big men are all under 6-7, and very unpolished, so they got blocked every time they went up because they were trying to pump-fake and just generally shooting with fear. Had his teammates been better, capable of dunking from a static position under the rim if they received the ball alone (like Josh Smith was doing) he would have got 20 or 25 assists, and I'm not exaggerating. Everything Estudiantes did started with him. The few plays that (in order to get some rest) he passed the ball without breaking the defense, ended with a turnover, a block or an airball. Estudianes, with Sergio and Carlos Suárez aside, is a pretty poor team. Somehow they managed to get to halftime down by just 2 points, after actually leading after the first quarter. They were only down by 12 after the third, but ended up losing by 36. For Oak Hill this was their only game in Spain that they actually had to break a sweat to win. Estudiantes with Sergio Rodríguez was the only team that played them to win, not to lose by as few points as possible. The entire game Rodríguez was playing with a huge amount of flair- behind the back passes, using screens to throw split passes between two defenders (ala Ginobili), dribbling between his legs and then taking the ball with the same hand and then behind the back... Rodríguez wanted to prove to Josh Smith, Rajon Rondo and the rest of the fantastic Oak Hill team that he was one of them.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=+1]Outlook:[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In an unexpected move, Sergio declared himself eligible for the 2006 draft. He might be only testing the waters, but there’s a scarcity of point guards this year, and this anyway doesn’t seem to be the strongest draft class around. Sergio himself is impressing with his play as of late, so he might decide to stay in in the end. His buyout is reportedly affordable.

Despite probably not being ready to make the jump to the NBA, he’s such a great talent that there’s no way he could fall out of the first round did he decide to stay. Depending on how strong he finishes the season in the ACB playoffs and/or private workouts, he could finish in the mid-late first round or even sneak into the late lottery. He would need to put on a real show to go higher than that.
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=+1]Comments:[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]No European player has come into the NBA featuring such an outstanding talent level (physical gifts aside) for a long time. Sergio is a very special player who draws affection, but although sometimes disdain too. Not everybody is happy putting up with bold moves and risky decisions on the court. However, his spectacular style puts fans in the seats. We shouldn’t reduce what Sergio is as a player to a flashy act, though; he’s a great player who should bring wins with him when/if he manages to adapt to the NBA game and fulfill his potential.

Reportedly a very serious kid, it’s not clear whether he might be rushing things a little bit by declaring this year. He has still a lot of work to do, and he’s in an excellent position to keep improving while playing at high level in Estudiantes, a playoff-caliber team in the ACB League. In a hypothetical NBA scenario, Sergio could suffer having to share the ball with his team’s stars while being asked to get the job done on defense and hitting his open shots regularly.

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(April 2004, Juan Antonio Hinojo)

Well, this is Sergio Rodríguez. A genious of a player, really. I think that if things go as they should and he gets the minutes Navarro or Raul got in the ACB when they were 19 or 20 years old, his future is the NBA. Several coaches consider him him the best junior point guard in Europe. Let's see if he can confirm that at the European Junior Championships this summer. As you can probably tell by now, I love this kid. I'll tell you something: the way he plays is a lot more suited for the NBA then it is for the ACB. He is a great point guard and is very capable of controlling the game. But that ability to play one on one is more characteristic of the American guards. Let's see if he can do it, because he plays a position where there are many American players with similar abilities in regards to his handles and speed. Hopefully his[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=+1]Facts:[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]2004-2005 ACB Revelation player of the year (Top youth player in Spain).

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Gaddabout

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panfolk said:
Does Sergio speak English? And why is what he wants important in a draft? I understand being nice and all but it's just a bit odd.

I have no idea if he speaks English, but NBA teams treat foreign players like recruits because they don't have to play if they're drafted. If they don't like the team or draft position, they could just stay in Europe until their rights are traded or more money is offered.
 

SunsTzu

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slinslin said:
Unfortunately Rodgriguez ist a dribble happy PG and much more like Jason Williams.


Intrestingly Williams was compared to Nash when entering the league. I think a 19 year old Jason Williams would be a good canidate to be Nash's protege.
 

Gaddabout

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SunsTzu said:
Intrestingly Williams was compared to Nash when entering the league. I think a 19 year old Jason Williams would be a good canidate to be Nash's protege.
Williams' problems have always been mental. He's a jackass showoff and the NBA trailer trash poster boy, which has severely affected his decision-making abilities: behind the back passes for turnovers, 30-foot three point attempts with 15 seconds on the shot clock, etc. Take away that side of him and he's an above average offensive point guard with some defensive shortcomings. Watching him in Miami has been strange. It appears rejection has tempered that part of him somewhat, and he's learned how to be a role player. Never would've pegged him for that career trajectory.
 

Russ Smith

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Gaddabout said:
Williams' problems have always been mental. He's a jackass showoff and the NBA trailer trash poster boy, which has severely affected his decision-making abilities: behind the back passes for turnovers, 30-foot three point attempts with 15 seconds on the shot clock, etc. Take away that side of him and he's an above average offensive point guard with some defensive shortcomings. Watching him in Miami has been strange. It appears rejection has tempered that part of him somewhat, and he's learned how to be a role player. Never would've pegged him for that career trajectory.


Williams IMHO is the worst defensive starting guard in the NBA since the days of Mahmoud Abdul Rauf(ex Chris Jackson). When the Warriors played Denver in the Rauf days they would isolate Hardaway on Rauf until Denver took him off Timmy or out of the game, he'd just score at will on him. Williams is a little better than that but not much, everyone has to help him because he can't stay in front of his own man.

He's a very creative ball handler and passer but has no conscience and as you said he's the epitome of the Woody Harrelson line "you'd rather look good and lose than look bad and win." He's all about showing off, he's And 1 mixtape in the NBA.

FWIW I've read that the Warriors love Sergio too although I suspect they pick a bit too early to pick him it'd be a reach to take him that high.
 

George O'Brien

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As interesting as Rodriguez sounds on offense, I'd really really like a point guard who can defend on the ball.
 

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Russ Smith said:
Just a nitpick because I'm seeing this world class track comment next to james white everywhere this year. White has highjumped 7 foot reportedly and has passed 25 feet in the longjump. He did some track at Florida and again at Cincy but he is not even close to a world class track athlete, he hasn't run the 200 in college. he was Cincy's best longjumper, and he can really sky, but NBA.draftnet put in their scouting report that he's a world class track athlete and it keeps getting repeated.

White failed to make a single height in high jump the only time he was in the NCAA meet. He made a regional in both highjump and triple jump while at Cincy but this is a classic case of one source exaggerating and everyone just assuming it's true.

Great athlete without question, bit of a headcase. Left Florida because he wasn't happy with his PT and felt the system was stifling him, then went to Cincy where he played pretty well but then flunked out of school with the team in the middle of the NIT. He was suspended twice at Florida and was essentially asked to leave by Billy Donovan. When you hear people talk about how Florida improved by removing talented players who weren't team players, White is at the top of that list. But he's a hell of an athlete.

I did my Master's in Cinci starting 2003-the same year Jame White started playing for the Bearcats and when he left UC this year he was my favorite player. So its hard to resist responding to posts on him.

1. Yes. Even I was surpised by the 'world class athlete' description. It definitely is a stretch. He was well known for his zeal to excel in track and he did really well at it.
His favorite exhibition move was taking off from the FT line to throw in a dunk.
I know he left Florida for lack of PT. Didn't know he clashed with Billy Donovan. White was widely comoparfed to Vince Carter coming out of high school and that probably got to his head early.

But the player I watched from the stands in our arena was FAR from a headcase. The guy played under Huggins for 2 years without a single incident and he was never in trouble. He hated the weight room and that was one reason he stayed skinny till his senior year.

Another reason he didn't rise to prominence as expected was because Huggins never got a decent PG and had White play the point most of the time. He prefers playing as a swingman. He did well though and and led the team in assists coming into his Sr yr.

He also hit the weights before his final season and became really tough. With wunderkid frosh Downey as our PG, James got to play the wing and flourished form the get-go. Also playing under Andy Kennedy in the final yr helped because of teh freedom he gave the team on offense.

A very unselfish player, often criticised for passing up shot opportunities, he was a brilliant team player. He also cut his colorful 10ft dunks out to be more efficient. More than once, he made game winning 3 pointers or steals and considering we're in the BEast thats not mean feat.
He received BEast honors repeatedly in the season.
Only weakness is his ability to finish strong while driving to the hoop. He draws fouls at will though.

Did I say he was a tenacious defender - best in the team and held Francisco Garcia of Louisville to 4 pts (Garcia averaged 20 in games against us because of teh rivarly) and made Rodney Carney of Memphis piss in his pants by hounding him non-stop.

Top 10 FT % in BEast.

White decided to focus hard on the NBA draft early on and completely stopped going to classes in the Winter quarter. He was getting better and better adn was part of the UC 'feel good story' team that was undermanned, lost 2 asst. coaches and 3-4 players in the season and yet was doing really well in the BEast. Things went wrong when teh NCAA dubiously denied UC entry into the Dance in spite of a good record and strength of schedule-5 in the nation.
On the eve of teh NIT semis, the winter qtr grades came out and the NCAA pounced on him and stopped him from playing the next day because he hadn't attended classes.

So just to clear the misunderstanding, he's not a headcase. Just misunderstood. He plays like his life depends on it and whines like he's going to die when called for a foul. A very emotional player, tough as nails and doesn't give up till the final buzzer.

FLIGHT WHITE rocks!
 

cly2tw

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So, White seems to be exactly what we want in a SG, unselfish, tenacious defender, good shooter, very good athlet. A little thin, but so is Prince.
 

PhxGametime

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I really like White, I liked Armein Kirkland as well from Cincinnati (I think he got hurt this year though?) although he's not considered a 1st Round talent but two long athletes, that can handle and create. That's good White added some muscle, not sure I watched them this year... I only taped 28 tapes worth lol and really only started watching late in Season.


The good thing is the combo guards are moving up Draft board and White isn't getting much love... Marion was a sleeper, and other than fans here, most were suprised by that selection (the experts had him pegged in Mid-Round).


I'm hoping I have film for his Senior year, if he is indeed selected. He doesn't seem to be getting the same kind of respect for having Point like skills at his height, although Mardy Collins is dropping - Roy is awfully high but he's ready to play, the guy I really like is Ronnie Brewer (not sure he'll drop) but last year I really liked Danny Granger and he almost dropped to the Suns so...


The Suns stated they are looking for a pure PG though, so if White can drop to #27, and pick up one of the Rondo's, Farmar's, Lowry's, etc. - that would be sweet (as a solid PG probably won't drop to #27 and Teams are always craving bigman high in Draft)...


BTW, is anybody going to start the Mock Draft that we've did the last 2 years? I did it last year and saved my votes for tie-breakers, so I'd be nice to able to vote this year... the Draft is around 25-28 days away?
 

Ouchie-Z-Clown

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BbaLL_31 said:
I really like White, I liked Armein Kirkland as well from Cincinnati (I think he got hurt this year though?) although he's not considered a 1st Round talent but two long athletes, that can handle and create. That's good White added some muscle, not sure I watched them this year... I only taped 28 tapes worth lol and really only started watching late in Season.


The good thing is the combo guards are moving up Draft board and White isn't getting much love... Marion was a sleeper, and other than fans here, most were suprised by that selection (the experts had him pegged in Mid-Round).


I'm hoping I have film for his Senior year, if he is indeed selected. He doesn't seem to be getting the same kind of respect for having Point like skills at his height, although Mardy Collins is dropping - Roy is awfully high but he's ready to play, the guy I really like is Ronnie Brewer (not sure he'll drop) but last year I really liked Danny Granger and he almost dropped to the Suns so...


The Suns stated they are looking for a pure PG though, so if White can drop to #27, and pick up one of the Rondo's, Farmar's, Lowry's, etc. - that would be sweet (as a solid PG probably won't drop to #27 and Teams are always craving bigman high in Draft)...


BTW, is anybody going to start the Mock Draft that we've did the last 2 years? I did it last year and saved my votes for tie-breakers, so I'd be nice to able to vote this year... the Draft is around 25-28 days away?


if we could pick up rondo and white with the 21 and 27 i'd jump through the roof. that's talking two tremendous athletes with ball skills and defensive tenacity!
 

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Ouchie-Z-Clown said:
if we could pick up rondo and white with the 21 and 27 i'd jump through the roof. that's talking two tremendous athletes with ball skills and defensive tenacity!

yeah, Rondo and White seem like good choices for the Suns this year. Not so much Armein Kirkland. He too is from UC and I watched him through his last 3 years. He's quite a talented swingman at 6'8 but has very serious ego problems. He's got a head the size of a basketball.

When Huggins left UC just before Armein's Sr. year , he actually made comments in the press that his offsensive skills had been stifled by Huggins and that he was going to flourish under Andy Kennedy, that he had the mind of a coach and thought very much like them, making his presence on the floor very different from that other players and stuff like that.

The reason he came to UC though he had calls from the likes of UConn was because he himself realized he needed a tough ass coach who'd whip him into a champion-someone like Knight is who he was looking for and Huggins was the closest. But he never got along with his teammates as a college athlete would. He has a major superiority complex. (Interesting facts: he had an SAT of 1200! his bro goes to UC med school - a top med school. His bro was an active participant in our school basketball forum till Armein went down with his injury).

A skilled ball handler who was known for his poor game-time decisions. His D is good though but often you see him not hustling, purely out of laziness. He won't crash the boards in spite of his height because of the physicality involved - but is strong enough to be bench press among the highest in the team.

He underperformed most of his career until our first game against UConn in the BEast. Just the previous game against Marquette, he performed really well in all aspects of the game in a victory for UC. UConn was a road game and he came out playing like a madman, scoring 14 of the team's 18 points in 12 mins. The teams were pretty even then, when he tore his ACL (knee) while driving to the hoop. It turned out to be a season ending injury for him. Man , I never felt worse for the kid.. he was beginning to peak and looking to make it into the NBA but what timing for the injury! As bad as his reputation was, we all felt real sorry for him.

He is recovering from the injury now and is practising to get ready for the Orlando pre-draft camp. Probably will be a FA later this year according to him, if he doesnt recover fully.

He doesn't fit the Suns' need - in attitude and what he brings to the table o/w.

White though cannot be used as a PG. He was decent enough at the college level but will be better off as a SG.
If his stock doesn't rise - though I hear its been rocketing - we should try to get an early second round pick to draft him. No.27 could then be used for something else. Part a trade package maybe.
 

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YOu think it's wise to draft two short players?

I like the idea of getting Rondo (but he'll be gone by the time we draft IMO), but a PG and a SG? I'd rather try to get a big man somehow. Boris can't be a center forever.
 
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