nixluva wrote:

TheSage wrote:anyone have any idea how he compares to Jeremy Tyler

From footage I saw of Tyler, he is RAW as hell. Tyler is a beast athlete, but I don't believe he's ready for a role as an NBA starter. Also from a mental perspective either. Tyler is still immature. Vucevic would be a much safer pick and his skill level and BB IQ would fit perfectly with the Knicks. You can't put low IQ players on this team!

This is absolutely true. You will never get off the bench if you don't have bball smarts.

nixluva wrote:

NYKBocker wrote:

nixluva wrote:

TheSage wrote:anyone have any idea how he compares to Jeremy Tyler

From footage I saw of Tyler, he is RAW as hell. Tyler is a beast athlete, but I don't believe he's ready for a role as an NBA starter. Also from a mental perspective either. Tyler is still immature. Vucevic would be a much safer pick and his skill level and BB IQ would fit perfectly with the Knicks. You can't put low IQ players on this team!

This is absolutely true. You will never get off the bench if you don't have bball smarts.

This is the one big lesson everyone should get by now. Mike's teams have generally been very high IQ and skilled teams. If you can get a kid like Vucevic that has a good grasp of the game and real NBA skills to go with his size, you'll do much better. You need players that can execute the motion and read and react to what is happening on the floor. If you can get that along with a player that has the size, strength and physical ability then you have the best of both worlds.

We've all been hoping that the Knicks could get a big and a PG in this draft and it seems to me that it could be possible given the predicted spot that this kid is expected to be drafted at. We just need to get that 2nd pick.

You assume Mike will be here long term.

nixluva wrote:

NYKBocker wrote:

nixluva wrote:

TheSage wrote:anyone have any idea how he compares to Jeremy Tyler

From footage I saw of Tyler, he is RAW as hell. Tyler is a beast athlete, but I don't believe he's ready for a role as an NBA starter. Also from a mental perspective either. Tyler is still immature. Vucevic would be a much safer pick and his skill level and BB IQ would fit perfectly with the Knicks. You can't put low IQ players on this team!

This is absolutely true. You will never get off the bench if you don't have bball smarts.

This is the one big lesson everyone should get by now. Mike's teams have generally been very high IQ and skilled teams. If you can get a kid like Vucevic that has a good grasp of the game and real NBA skills to go with his size, you'll do much better. You need players that can execute the motion and read and react to what is happening on the floor. If you can get that along with a player that has the size, strength and physical ability then you have the best of both worlds.

We've all been hoping that the Knicks could get a big and a PG in this draft and it seems to me that it could be possible given the predicted spot that this kid is expected to be drafted at. We just need to get that 2nd pick.

His combine numbers in terms of athleticism are not impressive, and I doubt if he will be any kind on intimidator in the NBA, which is something the Knicks really need at this position. I wish the video has shown him trying to defend in the post.nFrom the DX article:

Displaying a solid fundamental base and effort level to go along with terrific length, and good positioning and timing as a shot blocker, Vucevic does a decent job overall, but is prone to being outmuscled in the post and outquicked on the perimeter by bigger, stronger athletes. His length helps compensate for this somewhat, though, as he can contest shots very effectively with his long wingspan.

Sounds like he has some skills as a defender, but you would think it is his biggest limitation at the NBA level.

He looks slick offensively, and his jumper looks pretty good. His release point should not an issue from what I saw- and he has a nice follow-through with a quick release. You also saw some step back or lean back Dirk type jumpers. Hell, we even saw a classic style left handed hook shot from the guy, and the video made a point of showing his footwork, which looked solid.

He is only 20 (turns 21 in late October), and the DX article commented on how he came to USC as a skinny kid. He should fill out a bit and gain even more strength over the next few years, so perhaps the criticism about being outmuscled in the post will be a non-issue a few years down the road.

From his words I have the sense that he understands what he has to do to be a better player, which is always a good thing. Hopefully, if we were to get him, he will follow the DLee model and improve certain aspects of his game each year.

Anybody know if the Knicks are going to work him out, or if he has been mentioned by the team as someone they are looking at?

I think he is a legit candidate for us at 17, especially if we can pick up some backcourt help by purchasing a late 1 or a couple of 2s.

Had to add one more thing... from the article in crzymdups' post and his pedigree comment- Vucevic's dad played professional ball, too. That is always a selling point for me- the idea that he grew up around the game and had a first hand look at what it takes to be a professional- it also tells you he probably has a more mature understanding of the game and its fundamentals.

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- If the Knicks make their first-round draft pick based upon on genealogy and/or projected longevity, they may have found their man on Tuesday.

Center Nikola Vucevic of Southern Cal was in the house, giving the Knicks a firsthand look at the player who measured taller than any other player (6-foot-11 3/4) at the NBA pre-draft camp in Chicago -- a 260-pound college junior who averaged a double-double (17.1 points, 10.3 rebounds) last season in the Pac-10, the same league the Knicks looked to in the second round a year ago when they plucked Landry Fields out of Stanford with the 39th pick.

Vucevic was born in Switzerland and raised in Belgium before he moved to his father's homeland, Montenegro, at age 13, before leaving four years later to spend his senior year of high school in Simi Valley, Calif. At USC, he played for former NBA head coach Kevin O'Neill and was teammates with DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors and Taj Gibson of the Chicago Bulls.

Vucevic's father, Borislav, was a teammate of Drazen Petrovic on the 1985 Yugoslavian national team and spent 24 years -- yes, 24, or three years more than Robert Parish's NBA career -- playing professionally in Europe.

And do you know how many games the elder Vucevic missed during those 24 years?

Zero.

"He really took care of his body, but I don't know how he did that," Vucevic told ESPNNewYork.com. "He ate healthy -- I remember that, because when you're a kid you don't like all those healthy foods, and me and my sister complained about it. A lot of vegetables and different stuff. He also rested a lot, iced his body, he did a lot of stretching and paid attention to warming up. As he got older he learned a lot about how to take care of his body."

The elder Vucevic played until he was 44, and Vucevic's mother, Ljiljana, played for the Sarajevo club Zeljeznicar as well as the Yugoslavian national team.

Vucevic was especially impressive in an earlier workout for the Charlotte Bobcats, dunking the ball in rapid succession -- using two balls, dunking first with the left hand, then with the right -- 100 consecutive times. Vucevic said he was disappointed with the way he shot the ball in his workout for the Knicks, who are still deciding whether they want to address their glaring need at center through the draft or through free agency.

Vucevic is ranked third among centers and is currently projected to be picked 25th overall by ESPN draft guru Chad Ford, whose Mock Draft 4.0 will be published on Wednesday. ("He is rising," Ford told me in a text message.) Vucevic is also slated to hold workouts for the 76ers and Nets, continuing a whirlwind tour in which scouts are trying to establish exactly what differentiates Vucevic from Turkish center Enes Kanter, who is projected as a top-5 pick. (One difference is their vertical leaps, with Kanter's at 28 inches and Vucevic's at 25 inches).

Among Vucevic's best skills are his inside-out game. Two of his more eye-opening measurements were his wingspan (7-foot-4 1/2) and his body fat percentage (6.1). The biggest knock against him is whether he has the toughness to compete against NBA centers.

He said when he was a teenager he tried to pattern his game after legendary Yugoslavian small forward Dejan Bodiroga, and since coming to America four years ago he has tried to emulate Tim Duncan.

"Coming here and making the change from European-style to American-style [basketball] helped me a lot and made me a lot better," Vucevic said. "I think if I was playing in Europe I never would have achieved the level I achieved playing college basketball. It was good for me because I kind of got a mix of both -- so I leaned to play tough, aggressive and hard all the time, play fast on defense, and I think if I put together my skill level and my aggressiveness and build on them each year, I could be pretty good."

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/knicks/post/_/id/5287/meet-knicks-draft-prospect-nikola-vucevic

So I'd say Lopez scored more, while Vucevic scored more efficiently. Lopez was the better help defender while Vucevic was the better rebounder.

Vucevic is good value at 17 - especially if you factor in the fact that he's a center. In some ways, he makes me think of a taller David Lee.