blkexec wrote:

anrst wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:

anrst wrote:i drain shots all day in my backyard. absolutely drain them. but when i play for my work team im lucky to score double figures in a game.

Im sure you're also 19 years old 7-1 220 with a 7-6 wingspan and a 37 inch vertical and while the C on your team resembles George Constanza he is actually playing against other high quality 7 footers.

ha. true. i'm just saying, while i was also enamored with the video when it surfaced earlier in the week, i couldn't help but think this weekend as i was dominating my game of 1 on zero how dicieving it can be.

not an original thought, i know.

You know whats funny...In my prime, if you watched me shoot around....during my 1-0 defensive shooting drills, you would think I'm not a good shooter. But when the games start, I would hit like 4 straight jumpers.....It's something about game time and defense that actually makes me play better.

On the flip side....I've seen guys drain all kinds of jumpers, during warmups....Then when I'm picking teams, I pick this dude up.....Im like he can really shoot. He turns out to be the worst player I could've selected. It's very hard to judge a players impact on a basketball game based on his shooting drills.

Now at 40 plus, if you see me draining jumpers in shooting drills.....You better pick me up, because I will hit just about any open shot I get. But everybody is different. I still shoot better when somebody is guarding me, than if I was wide open. Makes you concentrate more.

So with that said, I had to search and find some real time games where Porzingis was playing in. He's not the same player you see in those video's......Could be why he only did one workout video. Might be a way to increase his draft stock. He has the tools to be a great player.....He's also has the greatest bust potential. Basketball is mostly mental, filled with confidence. If he comes in and realizes the league is more physical than he thought, and starts to lose confidence, his career will fall fast. Thats what happens to most of the Euro guys that come over. High risk....Extremely high reward. I'm ok with him at 4, because of his up side. But he still has the same down side as a bust.

I agree about improved shooting during game time, but I don't believe it's just improved concentration. If anything, it's that you have less time, so instead of aiming your shot, or "trying" to get it in the hoop, you rely on your natural coordination and just trust your shooting instincts.

"I think he's going to be the perfect prototype forward that's come into existence now," Scott Roth, his coach at Sevilla for six months this season, said. "He's 7-1, maybe when he's 25 or 26 he'll be a center, can shoot the 3, mobile, and can post up -- he's really good down there because he can hold his position. At the end of the day, he's a classic space-the-floor guy with some more versatility than to just shoot the basketball and stand at the 3-point line."

Roth is one of those guys that you should listen to whenever discussing European prospects translating to the NBA. He was on the Dallas Mavericks staff from 1996-2000, the exact time period where the Mavericks scouted, drafted and then developed Dirk Nowitzki. Then, he moved on to Memphis, where he was a part of Pau Gasol's first NBA coaching staff. In 2012-13, he was on Jonas Valanciunas' first coaching staff as well. Those three are all different players, but Roth does clearly know what it takes to help shepherd a highly-regarded prospect adjusting to a different life.

"I don't have any concerns (with Porzingis) because his hunger to play, his love of the game, his passion to play will separate him from many, many others," Roth said. "The great ones love to play basketball. They don't play for money, they don't play for anything other than the love of the game. This is a kid that at 7-1 has it, and I don't say that about a lot of guys. He has it."

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25213402/the-top-5-prospect-you-may-not-know-latvian-7-footer-kristaps-porzingis

smackeddog wrote:

"I think he's going to be the perfect prototype forward that's come into existence now," Scott Roth, his coach at Sevilla for six months this season, said. "He's 7-1, maybe when he's 25 or 26 he'll be a center, can shoot the 3, mobile, and can post up -- he's really good down there because he can hold his position. At the end of the day, he's a classic space-the-floor guy with some more versatility than to just shoot the basketball and stand at the 3-point line."

Roth is one of those guys that you should listen to whenever discussing European prospects translating to the NBA. He was on the Dallas Mavericks staff from 1996-2000, the exact time period where the Mavericks scouted, drafted and then developed Dirk Nowitzki. Then, he moved on to Memphis, where he was a part of Pau Gasol's first NBA coaching staff. In 2012-13, he was on Jonas Valanciunas' first coaching staff as well. Those three are all different players, but Roth does clearly know what it takes to help shepherd a highly-regarded prospect adjusting to a different life.

"I don't have any concerns (with Porzingis) because his hunger to play, his love of the game, his passion to play will separate him from many, many others," Roth said. "The great ones love to play basketball. They don't play for money, they don't play for anything other than the love of the game. This is a kid that at 7-1 has it, and I don't say that about a lot of guys. He has it."

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25213402/the-top-5-prospect-you-may-not-know-latvian-7-footer-kristaps-porzingis

The top 5 prospect you may not know: Latvian 7-footer Kristaps Porzingis

By Sam Vecenie | CBSSports.com

June 15, 2015 12:19 pm ET

LAS VEGAS -- As Kristaps Porzingis slunk his oversized, yet oft-questioned frame into an undersized metal fold-out chair, you would have never known that he just completed what was undoubtedly the most important workout of his life.

There wasn't really a reason for concern -- after all, the workout was designed to make him look good by showcasing his natural fluid athleticism and gorgeous shot. And yet still, for most it would be nerve-racking to know that this was his only chance to prove himself in front of NBA executives -- including Flip Saunders, Mitch Kupchak, Sam Hinkie and Phil Jackson, the key decision-makers for the teams with the top-four picks in the NBA Draft.

But there was Porzingis, in what had to be the world's most uncomfortable chair for a 7-foot-1 human, cool as a cucumber and having barely broken a mental sweat after his "coming out party" -- as his agent Andy Miller put it.

"He's always so calm," Porzingis' 32-year-old brother Janis, a former all-star level player in Europe himself, said about him after the workout. "Think about this. He played like 50 games last season in ACB at 19-years-old, and played like five bad games. I couldn't do that at 25-years-old, let alone 19."

While the level-headed Porzingis has been on the NBA draft and front office radars for a long time -- since at least 2013 U18 European Championships as a top prospect in his age group -- his name has always been somewhat shrouded in mystery to the casual NBA fan that doesn't religiously watch the ACB League in Spain. Some know him only by name, and even less might be able to pick him out by his headshot. Fewer yet than that have seen the grainy highlight tape of this gangly prospect with long arms and a smooth perimeter shot.

That's all going to change on June 25th though, as Porzingis will likely be a top-five pick in the NBA Draft and catapult his name into the living rooms of even the most leisurely NBA fans. And on that date is when the questions about his game will begin in earnest, fairly or unfairly. Because despite the fact that his current game isn't a "mystery" to NBA teams, he's also not a sure all-star by any stretch of the imagination.

Porzingis with his brother Janis after his pro day. (Jeff Zanik, ASM Sports) Quite a few fans got to rush the floor today across the country. (Jeff Zanik, ASM Sports)

The Latvian Porzingis grew up Liepaja, a place referred to throughout the country as "the city where the wind is born" due to the continuous breeze engulfing the city. His father was a bus driver in the city, and generally it was a very blue-collar family in a country where the average annual income is something around $13,000 American dollars.

"We were kind of poor until my brother starting playing professionally and making money," Porzingis said. "Well, I don't know that I would say poor, but we were a normal family without too much money to spend. But my life was good, I don't remember too many bad moments throughout my childhood. My parents are unbelievable. They raised me the right way, and I always had my big brothers to take care of me so I had a great childhood."

Throughout that time, almost subconsciously training himself for a life that was destined to end up America, Porzingis continually picked up the English language that he speaks as well as someone who has lived in the United States for years.

"I watched a lot of movies (in English) when I was really young because we didn't have a lot of movies in Latvian," Porzingis said.

Things changed a little bit when Janis became a professional basketball player, and they changed even more when Kris began to exhibit the signs of having a basketball future as well, signing a professional contract in Seville at only 15-years-old.

After playing a couple of years in their youth team, Porzingis broke out in the 2013 U18 Euro championships, helping to lead Latvia to a fourth-place finish while being named to the All-Tournament team. Then, after a season as a solid role player in Spain at 18, Porzingis stepped up in a big way on the club stage this season. Porzingis averaged 11 points, five rebounds and a block per game in the second-best league in the world last season, extremely impressive marks for a guy his age playing against men. On top of that, his game fits the modern NBA to a T as a 7-footer that can protect the rim, move in space fluidly, and stretch the floor with his beautiful stroke.

It's a tantalizing package of skills, especially given what seems to have been something of a paradigm shift over the course of this season. Over the past few years, talk of the "modern NBA" with floor-spacing fives and positionless offensive basketball has happened. However, this season seems to have been the first one where it became a part of the general lexicon.

"I think he's going to be the perfect prototype forward that's come into existence now," Scott Roth, his coach at Sevilla for six months this season, said. "He's 7-1, maybe when he's 25 or 26 he'll be a center, can shoot the 3, mobile, and can post up -- he's really good down there because he can hold his position. At the end of the day, he's a classic space-the-floor guy with some more versatility than to just shoot the basketball and stand at the 3-point line."

Roth is one of those guys that you should listen to whenever discussing European prospects translating to the NBA. He was on the Dallas Mavericks staff from 1996-2000, the exact time period where the Mavericks scouted, drafted and then developed Dirk Nowitzki. Then, he moved on to Memphis, where he was a part of Pau Gasol's first NBA coaching staff. In 2012-13, he was on Jonas Valanciunas' first coaching staff as well. Those three are all different players, but Roth does clearly know what it takes to help shepherd a highly-regarded prospect adjusting to a different life.

"I don't have any concerns (with Porzingis) because his hunger to play, his love of the game, his passion to play will separate him from many, many others," Roth said. "The great ones love to play basketball. They don't play for money, they don't play for anything other than the love of the game. This is a kid that at 7-1 has it, and I don't say that about a lot of guys. He has it."

Porzingis goes up for an alley-oop at his pro day. (Jeff Zanik, ASM Sports) Porzingis goes up for an alley oop at his pro day. (Jeff Zanik, ASM Sports)

The many strengths of Porzingis' game outweigh the weaknesses certainly. But there is one problem that many think could derail his all-star potential.

Porzingis is skinny. Almost eerily so in his upper body. His lower body is strong, but one only has to get a single look at him with his shirt off to get concerned about how he will take the physical grind and punishment of the NBA. There just aren't many guys in the NBA with his mix of easy, explosive athleticism in conjunction with a frail upper body, and that likely leads to some questioning how his body will hold up.

"It doesn't worry me, but I know (my body) is something I need to work on," Porzingis said when I asked about the physical nature of the NBA game. "Guys are very strong out there, so I'm going to be in the weight room every day lifting hard and getting stronger to make sure I can fight with those guys.

Despite the skinny frame, Porzingis does have strength that shows in different aspects of his movement, particularly in his torso and legs. Instead of working on making him look physically stronger in his upper body -- something that will naturally just come along as he fills out and ages -- physical trainer Larry Sanders (formerly with the Detroit Pistons for three years) and the team at Sevilla started from the ground up and made him work on his balance and coordination at his size. The team wanted to make sure he had a strong base with which to work with. In fact, they had to slow him down from lifting and working out during the season so that the strides he made with his body were healthy and sustainable.

"When you grow (as fast Kris has), your body has a whole new neural field, basically," Sanders said. "Your body doesn't really know where it is in space, so it's really hard to take contact or deliver contact when your body doesn't really know where you are. So for him, we had to get him used to his body before we could work on getting him stronger. Any kind of excess weight is just not functional. You try to make the body as efficient a machine as possible."

In that regard, the athletic fluidity that he shows makes a lot sense. He's an incredibly laterally quick athlete that can also explode toward the rim in a variety of ways.

"If you notice, he jumps really well off of both his right and left legs independently," Sanders said. "That's not by accident. His core is unbelievable. At the begining of the season, I could get leverage on him and all of that. But toward the end of the season, he learned how to absorb contact and not only hold his ground, but also hold his ground to where he could change direction."

Sustainable weight gain in addition to the strength is something Porzingis has also been doing well throughout the past year that bodes well for his future. Back when he was 15, he was diagnosed anemic, and the remnants of that time frame still show through. However, they're rapidly disappearing. He began the 2014-15 season around the 215-pound mark, but ended it between 230-235. According to Sanders, he was putting on about one kilogram per month when most players typically lose weight throughout the season. Sanders would be surprised if he dropped below that weight again. To illustrate why he believes Porzingis' skinny frame will be able to sustain and add more weight rather easily, Sanders compared him to another extremely skinny prospect that entered the draft three years ago.

"When I was with the Pistons, we were doing pre-draft workouts and looking into John Henson," Sanders said. "With him, his ratio of shoulder-to-hip is smaller than his hips. He didn't have much room to grow. With Kris, it's opposite. He has track legs and has a built lower body to go with broader shoulders."

But still, none of this is a sure thing, and Porzingis is likely going to struggle early on with the rigors of dealing with the NBA's physicality. While Porzingis body and work ethic portends well in regard to this weakness, the questions will persist until he is drafted into a new situation and it happens. And with those concerns come the idea of fit. Where would Porzingis be best taken care of in the NBA?

That is what makes him more mysterious than other prospects. It's not that he hasn't been seen before. On the contrary, it's rather easy for teams to get tape of ACB games, and all of the top teams have probably seen as many games as they can possibly handle. The mystery simply revolves around the fact that he's still not nearly as finished a product as the other prospects, and will be relying upon the team that takes him to continue developing his body into something that will handle the rigors of an 82 game season in the best league in the world.

Porzingis showed off his terrific jumper at his pro day. (Jeff Zanik, ASM Sports) Porzingis showed off his terrific jumper at his pro day. (Jeff Zanik, ASM Sports)

Fit is incredibly important for every potential NBA draftee. But it's going to be even more important for Porzingis, given the need to continue to develop his body and his desire to come over the NBA next season.

"I would love to come (to the NBA) next season," Porzingis said. "My dream is to play in the NBA, so hopefully it happens this season. But it depends on the team of course. Maybe they want me to stay one more year in Europe. I don't know. But obviously it's my dream to play and I'm ready to come over to the States."

That dream to play in the NBA is exactly why he ended up not staying in the draft last season, despite being a projected lottery pick.

"I knew I wanted to stay one more year in Europe, so that was kind of an easy decision," Porzingis said. "Declaring for the draft for me was just to draw some interest from NBA teams, and looking back I think it was the right decision. This year I'm ready to come over."

Culturally, he's ready. He speaks English as well as any European player, calls Drake his favorite recording artist, Friday one of his favorite movies, and already apparently uses American slang terms that no one else on Sevilla knew, according to Sanders. Mentally and emotionally, he's ready. He's been living on his own since he was 15-years-old, and is extremely mature for his age.

It's all about organizational fit. He needs to find a team that will understand he's a few years away from being what he will be, but is willing to take him on the roster now. A team that will work on his frame and strength, but continue to do it incrementally so that he can retain his explosive athleticism and sustain his health. And a team that will let him work through his issues and gain experience even if it means playing him over better options.

If those go right, there's a pretty good chance he'll become an NBA all-star. If they don't, anything is really in play as far as his development.

Good luck, NBA general managers.

smackeddog wrote:

"I think he's going to be the perfect prototype forward that's come into existence now," Scott Roth, his coach at Sevilla for six months this season, said. "He's 7-1, maybe when he's 25 or 26 he'll be a center, can shoot the 3, mobile, and can post up -- he's really good down there because he can hold his position. At the end of the day, he's a classic space-the-floor guy with some more versatility than to just shoot the basketball and stand at the 3-point line."

Roth is one of those guys that you should listen to whenever discussing European prospects translating to the NBA. He was on the Dallas Mavericks staff from 1996-2000, the exact time period where the Mavericks scouted, drafted and then developed Dirk Nowitzki. Then, he moved on to Memphis, where he was a part of Pau Gasol's first NBA coaching staff. In 2012-13, he was on Jonas Valanciunas' first coaching staff as well. Those three are all different players, but Roth does clearly know what it takes to help shepherd a highly-regarded prospect adjusting to a different life.

"I don't have any concerns (with Porzingis) because his hunger to play, his love of the game, his passion to play will separate him from many, many others," Roth said. "The great ones love to play basketball. They don't play for money, they don't play for anything other than the love of the game. This is a kid that at 7-1 has it, and I don't say that about a lot of guys. He has it."

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25213402/the-top-5-prospect-you-may-not-know-latvian-7-footer-kristaps-porzingis

Nice article. Always good to read the personal story stuff- that is why teams take these guys out for dinner- I'm sure they talk more than just basketball.

OK4 has a compelling life story too. Death of his mom at a very early age, and I think he was there when it happened. Would be happy if he fell to us, although he is a lifelong Laker fan, I think. I think he is driven, and dropping to 4 and being in NY could be a great motivation for him.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Janis-Porzingis-37943/stats/
Kristap's brother. Never amounted to much at all, but if you look at the dates he played, it tells you a lot about a love of the game. Tend to think that it rubbed off on the little brother, too.

fishmike wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:

smackeddog wrote:

"I think he's going to be the perfect prototype forward that's come into existence now," Scott Roth, his coach at Sevilla for six months this season, said. "He's 7-1, maybe when he's 25 or 26 he'll be a center, can shoot the 3, mobile, and can post up -- he's really good down there because he can hold his position. At the end of the day, he's a classic space-the-floor guy with some more versatility than to just shoot the basketball and stand at the 3-point line."

Roth is one of those guys that you should listen to whenever discussing European prospects translating to the NBA. He was on the Dallas Mavericks staff from 1996-2000, the exact time period where the Mavericks scouted, drafted and then developed Dirk Nowitzki. Then, he moved on to Memphis, where he was a part of Pau Gasol's first NBA coaching staff. In 2012-13, he was on Jonas Valanciunas' first coaching staff as well. Those three are all different players, but Roth does clearly know what it takes to help shepherd a highly-regarded prospect adjusting to a different life.

"I don't have any concerns (with Porzingis) because his hunger to play, his love of the game, his passion to play will separate him from many, many others," Roth said. "The great ones love to play basketball. They don't play for money, they don't play for anything other than the love of the game. This is a kid that at 7-1 has it, and I don't say that about a lot of guys. He has it."

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25213402/the-top-5-prospect-you-may-not-know-latvian-7-footer-kristaps-porzingis

Nice article. Always good to read the personal story stuff- that is why teams take these guys out for dinner- I'm sure they talk more than just basketball.

OK4 has a compelling life story too. Death of his mom at a very early age, and I think he was there when it happened. Would be happy if he fell to us, although he is a lifelong Laker fan, I think. I think he is driven, and dropping to 4 and being in NY could be a great motivation for him.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Janis-Porzingis-37943/stats/
Kristap's brother. Never amounted to much at all, but if you look at the dates he played, it tells you a lot about a love of the game. Tend to think that it rubbed off on the little brother, too.

good post. I dont like the *idea* of taking a skinny euro project with our only lottery pick, but he may not be much of a project at all. He played a solid role and played well last year with the men. Depending on who we have around him this could be a nice fit.

At this point Im open to whoever they pick. Im assuming Kat/OK4/Russell are off the board so after that its BPA in my opinion. Hopefully they pick the right guy.

Still have a feeling that he's sneaking into the top 3, though, and then people around here can have no reason to complain with who we get.

Tweet was deleted or there was problem with the URL:

https://twitter.com/TommyBeer/status/610835497469014016

Tweet was deleted or there was problem with the URL:

https://twitter.com/TommyBeer/status/610835166337081345

WaltLongmire wrote:

smackeddog wrote:

Tweet was deleted or there was problem with the URL:

https://twitter.com/TommyBeer/status/610835497469014016

Tweet was deleted or there was problem with the URL:

https://twitter.com/TommyBeer/status/610835166337081345

Interesting stuff- the Tweets show our interest, but also lets other teams see that interest, and we can use it in a trade down if he's there but we don't think he is a fit for us.

Said this before, and now again...

We are in good shape at #4:

-If you love Porzingis, and he's there, you roll the dice and take him.

-Someone 1-3 likes him or trades out to a team which likes him (My bet is Orlando), we get either Russell or OK4.

-Somebody beneath us likes him, but we don't, we trade down. I'm going with Orlando here again, and would want their unprotected 2016 and and 2016 2nd, and this year's 5th pick and their second pick. Maybe we make a separate deal for someone they have using a trade exception (I don't know their roster well at this point.

I would almost say that we are in a can't lose/Win Win situation...but then again, I was expecting to have the second pick in this draft.

Still- things look much better now than 2 weeks ago.

Porzingis, whether you like him or not, could really have turned this draft around for us. Still to early to tell, but hopefully his rising stock has given us more options.