doesn't mean he can't be a competent PG, but he has not shown it yet.

I don't watch college ball either, so this is just off of watch I have read and seen clips of.

Bad coaching, poor teammates. I want to say they had Iman switch from PG to SG to PG over the course of 3 years (or something like that) and that is not easy.

College teams need structure and discipline (and talent), that's how the best of them thrive.

martin wrote:^ but I also believe that if he were a true pass-first PG, his teams would have been better.

doesn't mean he can't be a competent PG, but he has not shown it yet.

I don't watch college ball either, so this is just off of watch I have read and seen clips of.

Bad coaching, poor teammates. I want to say they had Iman switch from PG to SG to PG over the course of 3 years (or something like that) and that is not easy.

College teams need structure and discipline (and talent), that's how the best of them thrive.

and let's be real, if we was truly a can't-miss top-flight prospect, he wouldn't have been picked at 17 in a weak draft. again, i still think that fit and teammates can have a major impact. hence my comparison to the rondo situation. similarly, rondo was drafted in the bottom third of the first round. similarly, he was afforded the benefit of a team with 3 vets. i've always believed that had rondo found himself on almost any other team, he wouldn't be who he is. who knows? maybe something goes right for us for a change and we get a kid who is optimized by our situation. fans can dream.

martin wrote:I think Iman is a blend of Andre Iguodala and Tyreke Evans. Got to figure out his position and focus.

i see why you'd say that. but only from watching highlights. which is all i've seen. which i believe is probably the least reliable method of getting a read on a guy. i look forward to seeing him play games. at least many of his highlights involved defense.

shumpert may have spree level athleticism... but so do at least 20-30 other guards and wings in the league. athleticism is one thing, using it smartly at the guard position is another. heck, nate robinson had off the charts athleticism. never able to put it together though.

that said, i have high hopes for shumpert. i read he's going to work out with chauncey billups in florida this summer. i think that's a good idea and a good sign. here's hoping melo shows up for a few of those workouts...

jimimou wrote:the guy hasnt even played 1 nba game and he is getting compared to rondo, spree, westbrook? some of you guys live in fantasyland. the expectation for this kid should be to sniff some positive court action in his first year and be content with that.

knickstorrents wrote:Why the hate on Fields? He stayed with his man and rebounded great. He couldn't really score once Melo came but I don't think that's entirely his fault.

Anyway I like the Shumpert pick. Comes from a good family and if he can keep a good head, the sky's the limit for him.

channing frye comes from a great family too..how did that work out for us

alau53 wrote:

knickstorrents wrote:Why the hate on Fields? He stayed with his man and rebounded great. He couldn't really score once Melo came but I don't think that's entirely his fault.

Anyway I like the Shumpert pick. Comes from a good family and if he can keep a good head, the sky's the limit for him.

channing frye comes from a great family too..how did that work out for us

Family background usually influences work ethic and lifestyle choice issues, not necessarily success on the court. I look at draftees who have fathers who were BB pros- both NBA or Euro- as having some advantages in terms of understanding the game and what it takes to be a pro. You look at Douglas, who has a brother in the NFL I think, and Fields, whose dad played basketball at a high level, and you know that they were both influenced by these bloodlines. They may never be great, but you know that they will not fail due to lack of effort or letting their private lives interfere with their pro careers.

From what I have seen/heard so far, Shumpert has said all the right things, and even made the right responses when given a chance to be brash. I think he was asked about guarding the Rose, Wade, James type players and did not say anything stupid, like the foolish bravado we heard from Morris about Anthony (although his crack about Anthony's D was probably correct.).

Whether any of this translates into success on the court will have to be seen, but you can't be unhappy with the little we have know of him so far, and you figure that a good family support system will benefit him in the long run.

Iman has to find a groove where he fits in doing a basic NBA role, much like Fields was able to do. Iman has to defend, move the ball and learn to make the right choice of when to go and when to pass. Not the easiest, but certainly not impossible either. The 1st step is to get the PnR down. If he can do that he's already won half the battle, cuz that's what stumped CB and TD and took Felton a while to learn. To me the trick is that you have to show strong and go attack like you're going all the way to the basket. That makes you a threat that the defense has to react to and then you will see the slot open up for the pass. You can't force it. This means you have to sell that your looking to score at every opportunity, all the while looking for the dump off to an open teammate. This is how the best PG's do it. Attack the basket aggressively or make the hard stop for the short jumper, but either way you have to convince the D that your a real threat. IMO I think Iman can do this. From a talent perspective he's already a player that has the physical tools to get that done. It's all going to be mental for him.

Just saw a great tribute video to Jorts.

Knicks’ second-round pick Josh Harrellson says he will be protecting Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire this season. The Knicks tweeted that "I'm gonna protect our star players. Amare, Melo, and everyone. I will be there and have their back."

In an interview on the Ruocco and Lundberg show on 1050 ESPN, Harrellson compares himself to Charles Oakley. Harrellson plans on “outworking every person I play against” and promises that he is “not going to give up any easy buckets.”

I think this has been my favorite comment on him:

seth_rosenthal Seth Rosenthal
My early impression of Josh Harrellson is that I would despise him if he was on a different team, which is excellent.