Posted by fishmike:

your right... watching him get pushed around by a guy thats 6'7 and works out alot is what did it for me. Maybe he's the next cant miss Marcus Williams?

Am I bashing Thabeet?

Can he pass? Dribble? Can he catch the ball? Does he get pushed around in the post by anyone with size? Can he guard other bigs? Does he have any footwork at all?

Why dont you tell me what inserting Thabeet would do? Maybe I am watching the wrong UConn games? Because everytime I tune in he looks like a guy that plays well in a system and has a boat load of weaknesses that are covered by that system.


The fact that there are only 2-3 guys I would take before him shows how weak this draft is (much like last years)

Posted by BRIGGS:

Posted by fishmike:

he gets pushed around when he's defending his man. He gets pushed off the boards quite a bit as well. His offensive game is being tall and throw the ball at the basket. Being 7'2 with long arms and shooting from point blank produces good FG% but he's got no offensive game.

He will go top 4-5 for sure, but mostly because this draft is terrible

any why would a great defensive player have to be passive to stay out of FT?

He played passively today because they emphasized to him to stay out of FT. I feel bad he had a shtty second half--no excuse there but that doesnt discount what he did in the first half. he is playing with a slight shoulder separation as well. OH yeah Blair 8 points 8 rebounds 4-9 forgot about that. And guess what Blair is stronger than 98% of current NBA players.

Posted by Paladin55:

I have to say first that this guy was on my short list for the Knicks if they had a chance to draft him. You can�t teach height, and he has seemingly improved his game. However I had only seen him play a minimal number of times and never an entire game. Not today, though. Saw the whole game, and then saw the first half again.

After watching him against Pitt I have come to believe that we may have a chance for this guy, because if the teams ahead of us have any scouts worth their salt, they are not going to advise their team to take Thabeet. Needless to say that I would not want him on my team based on watching the entire game and concentrating on him the entire time.

Yes, I know that this was only one game, but it was a statement game for the guy after Blair manhandled him the last time they played, and it was a big game for seeding purposes. This was a chance for him to carry his team to a victory on foreign soil in front of rabid Pitt fans. It was a time for him to play with intensity and fire. Unfortunately he failed. Maybe he was sick or injured- I don�t know. I do know that he seemed totally clueless at times and played with a lack of intensity that stunned me.

Yeah, he outscored and outrebounded Blair, and had 5 blocks, but he was invisible in the second half, andif he had really put any effort into the game at all he would have doubled these numbers. My observations:

1) Does the guy ever set a pick? Without the ball he seems to wander around in some kind of daze, rarely trying to set a pick. And forget about passing. He had trouble making simple passes from the post.

2) If he was on my team I would have taken him out of the game the 2nd or 3rd time I saw him trot down the floor in transition. It did not seem as if he really cared about getting back on D (I saw one �burst� of speed to get back on transition the entire game.), and, as an announcer noted, he did the same thing on a UConn fast break at one point. I was stunned by his indifference at getting down the court. He makes Eddied Curry seem like a sprinter in comparison.

3) He let a number of people get to the basket without making any effort to block their shot. If he is in the area and he can raise his hands he may block a shot, but he is slow to react, and if he is not standing under the basket, he will probably not block your shot.

4) He is slow, slow, slow! He moves in slow motion.

5) Very limited offensive game. Shooting form is not terrible on the J, but he did not make a single jumper as far as I remember. He has some sort of hook shot/layup move, but the release point is low, and I am not sure he can get it off against guys his size. He also has to be on a certain part of the floor to make the shot- it has none of the versatility of a sky-hook.

6) He has a well cut body (Actually reminds me of a young D. Howard).but seems to have little strength. The guy looks to have a mature physique, but gets pushed around easily, and seemingly does not have the strength to fight for position. Of course he has no clue about boxing out and its relationship to rebounding, and this may be why he gets pushed around so easily. When he does box out he seems to put his body in position, but doesn�t realize he might actually have to exert himself to remain in position. By this point in his college career this should not be a problem!

7) I don�t know how many rebounds got through his hands or how many times he was pushed under the basket and was unable to go up for the ball with authorithy.

8. Please read number 2 again, very very carefully. Does the guy actually know how to run up the floor?? I have read numerous reports him being able to get down the floor and establish position. Did not see anything resembling this in today�s game. Is he lazy or lame?

9) Guy has no fire in him. The only time he got angry was when Blair pulled him down with his legs. I wanted to see something like determination or anger in his face, but his demeanor rarely changed, and you never sensed that he could take control of the game and dominate. The announcers said Jim Calhoun says he has a regal way of carrying himself, but I want a gladiator fighting for his life, not someone who carries himself like royalty. BB is a game played in the pits, not a ballroom floor.

10) The guy has zero BB instincts from what I can see. He is 22 (??) now. Does anyone really think that he is going to develop instincts at this point. He has the instincts of a kid pulled off the volleyball team to play BB.

I really wanted to see him rise to the occasion in this game, and I was rooting for UConn and Thabeet (I wanted to see him send a message to Blair and Pitt), but he did not seem to care at times. There is something missing in this kids game, and it is called heart. Add to that some sub-par BB skills and a BB IQ comparable to some of the repeater kids I have to teach in HS, and you have a major project in terms of development.

This is not the guy for us, even if he is available.

Posted by Pharzeone:

Forget it Briggs, these guys want their bigs playing out past the 3 point line.