Briggs is thinking D Blair lite...

I would dump Mason for this guy in a Rio Grande second.

Any talk about the Knicks showing an interest?

January 18, 2011
Jonathan Givony

Jeff Adrien made the Golden State Warriors opening day roster and even lasted for 15 games, seeing a good amount of playing time and rebounding prolifically, but was eventually released when the team decided to sign guard Acie Law.

Adrien has since been taking his frustrations out on every team in the D-League, establishing himself as arguably the most productive player in the league since being traded to Rio Grande Valley. He ranks as the best rebounder in the league and one of the top-10 scorers, doing so extremely efficiently and in turn leading the league in PER.

Adrien has expanded his game quite a bit since college, noticeably improving his basketball IQ and becoming a much more polished player. It's clear that the lone year he spent playing in Spain helped a great deal, as he seeing the floor better and forcing the issue less than he did in the past. He's become a much better passer and ball-handler, has improved his free throw shooting, and looks significantly more aggressive offensively than he was at UConn.

Mostly a post player in the past, Adrien is doing a very good job facing the basket, utilizing his strong first step from the high post to make his way to the basket and score around the rim. While not overly consistent with his jumper, he looks to be working on this part of his game quite a bit, something that could reap benefits down the road. Very athletic and aggressive around the basket, Adrien doesn't waste the scoring opportunities he's presented with in the paint, usually finishing in emphatic fashion.

The bread and butter of Adrien's game, and his main virtue as an NBA prospect remains his rebounding ability. Although undersized at 6-5 ¼ without shoes, he possesses a mammoth 7-2 wingspan which helps him out tremendously, especially when you consider his He-Man like frame. He's constantly lurking trying to make things happen on the offensive glass, and plays with an excellent intensity level that is surely winning him fans at the NBA level.

Defensively, Adrien lacks height but doesn't save any effort, bringing the same hard-nosed mentality he does on the glass when being posted up inside. Somewhat limited trying to stay in front of aggressive ball-handling power forwards on the perimeter, Adrien must improve his lateral quickness and feel for the game on this end of the floor if he wants to stick on an NBA roster.

Adrien did not look out of place in the 15 games he played with the Warriors in the NBA to start this season, something that definitely

bodes well for him looking forward. He saw some solid rotation minutes in competitive situations and emerged as one of the best rebounders in the league in the admittedly small sample size. With the way undersized, high-energy power forwards are performing these days in the NBA, teams won't be as hesitant to give him a call-up as they might have been in the past.

Considering the way he's producing, it's likely only a matter of time until Adrien is signed by someone. If given an opportunity to play, there's a pretty good chance he will stick around based on what we've seen and heard.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jeff-Adrien-1086/#ixzz1Bo72Gr3k
http://www.draftexpress.com

Finestrg wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:Jeff is playing at a whole different level and he was prety good in college. His body is stronger and he is a very tough kid. He would give us that toughness that Blair gives SA and he does have a mid range shot. the main thing is he can play physical rough and efficient--hes used to uptempo and we need another guy who can rebound. Id take Adrien out of the D league and dump mason--we need a boost. I cant believe D walsh will sit on his arse here--we need a guy to give us some energy and production

Adrien was actually a guy TMS was calling for going back several weeks now..Very good call--I think he'd do well here..If we can duplicate at least some of what Blair does for Duncan and the Spurs, hey why not right? I just don't understand the concept of letting Roger Mason Jr. stick around here. For what purpose??? I guess the thinking has to do with keeping him around to include his small expiring contract in a trade but I don't see it---just kick in the cash (we can go up to $3M cash to balance out any deal, right?). Letting Mason go shouldn't interfere with anything we decided to do from now until the deadline; not in the slightest..And if it's 2G depth they're worried about, I'd rather dust off Rautins and give him a shot, God forbid anything ever happened to Landry..Plus we have Chandler who we can slide over anyway and Walker can play 2..Mason needs to go for the good of the team and we need to fill that spot with a capable D-League player or cost-effective FA, whoever they think would be the best choice --- originally I thought 6'11" Courtney Sims could be the man. Big guy that's shown he can score the ball & rebound--his numbers are usually very impressive game after game, but after catching him live several times over the last two years, I just don't feel he has the energy to play in the NBA unfortunately, let alone MDA fast-paced basketball..Dude's questionable energy level has got to be the reason he hasn't gotten a serious look in the NBA yet because his numbers are sound--watching him play is a completely different story though...Dakota C Chris Johnson is just as tall with superior athleticism and seems to plays hard yet he's pretty thin and a little underdeveloped. I'm not sure if he's NBA material either to be honest (1 game I saw Johnson looked a little out of control offensively, forcing shots etc..Maybe he just had an off night)..Adrien is the better choice. Until we can come up with a legit NBA 5 somehow just let STAT continue at the 5 & go get Adrien with a 10-day contract. If he didn't work out (I think he would--he's an effort player who can come in an do some dirty work for us), you cut him and go a different direction. What's the drawback?

ah well, at least BRIGGS got more than 1 response on his thread about him... i agree, we should definitely give this kid a look... he'd be our next JYD

http://www.ultimateknicks.com/forum/topic.asp?t=37501

Bippity10 wrote:TMS: I love Adrien and think he'd be a solid addition to our bench. I will say that the biggest knock against him so far is that he struggles against bigger defenders in the post. That's why he's struggling to get a look a this point. Teams do not doubt his toughness or rebounding or developing post game, it's his post defense(despite the effort he gives)

i think his size will be the main factor, but it doesn't seem to stop DeJuan Blair from being effective in the low post guarding bigger guys... he's obviously not as physically imposing as Blair is, but he can bench 315 & already has a good rep for being a hard worker & his coach loved him... when u get a guy like Calhoun making it a point to say something like this to u, i think it means something

“Jeff,” said Calhoun, recalling the conversation, “I call you the rock for a reason. We are 40 minutes away from Detroit (and the Final Four) and you’re going to be the guy that gets us there.

i like the fact he's got that toughness & soldier's attitude that u want in a bench player, & he's got that pissed off Tracy Morgan face.