BRIGGS wrote:Let me say this
First off I did not want Mitchell because I didn't think he could shoot and I just felt the nba was going in that direction
Forget smith
What I saw out of Mitchell
He's a smaller Lebron. He's physically and athletically imposing and plays way bigger than 6-3. He has shown he can not only shoot it but w extended range. He has the power athletiscm overmatch-- he's not going to be stoppable. Hey we missed on him so did 10 other teams but he's the best player in the last draft-- always continue to learn.

He's way above frank but he's pretty much above everyone else to. Hrs the star of this draft

I also have the feeling he's going to be a star. He has all the attributes, his attitude seems spot on, he looks like a level headed young man with the desire to get better. No tattoos, not gangsta wannabe postures. And he grew up a Knicks fan too

One can be both supportive of Frank and appreciative of other talents in his draft class.

IRC, blkexec has discussed that he has a heavy affiliation with AAU basketball ( Amateur Athletic Union) I'm not going to sweep this with a broad brush completely, but nothing about what Frank Ntilikina has to offer is going to vibe with someone with the average AAU mindset ( Heavy volume of games, stacked talent teams, emphasis for the players on getting noticed by scouts, team handlers looking for cash kickbacks, "jobs" with either the brands or a college program and just riding athleticism to get as many wins as possible to keep the various shoe brands happy. There is very little emphasis on team play and team defense, I'd wager some teams do, but it would appear to be the exception rather than the rule.
blkexec is right in one way, Ntilikina might not pan out. But he's right for the wrong reason, i.e. almost everything blkexec says comes from a guy who appears to apply AAU methodology onto the actual NBA. It's nowhere near the same. But it requires letting go of one's own ego to get to that point. You can win in the AAU just be feeding the ball to a kid who just overpowers everyone else because he's more athletic or more developed than them. To be totally fair, college ball is just as exploitative as the worst elements in AAU. And lots of kids would not get a college scholarship otherwise, without the AAU. And playing against better competition has it's benefits. But what Ntilikina brings is really not going to sell hard to the typical AAU brand jockey.
There's no money in great footwork. There's no money in fundamental play. You don't get a shoe deal for being a solid glue guy. You get the full bore swag and attention from dunking over a car. From beating the living **** out of your Disney pop star princess girlfriend. From shooting up a nightclub with an Uzi and getting on TMZ. There's also no money in time. AAU is ready now/win now/get now kind of methodology. Actually waiting for Ntilikina to get 2-3 seasons under his belt to see what he might be is just waiting too long for the typical AAU brand jockey.

Juliano wrote:

NardDogNation wrote:You mean like guys like LeBron James? Tim Duncan had ****ing tattoos along with most of the league, dude.

Well that's actually kind of my point. For a young lad who wants to be a pro baller it would be easy to jump on the tattoo bandwagon, wear them like some kind of uniform. Not doing so shows character, a kind of quiet self confidence imo.

He's also French. I can't think of a tatted French player so it just might he a cultural thing instead of some kind of statement.

Nalod wrote:TripleThreat wrote this in a different thread. Speaks well here also.

IRC, blkexec has discussed that he has a heavy affiliation with AAU basketball ( Amateur Athletic Union) I'm not going to sweep this with a broad brush completely, but nothing about what Frank Ntilikina has to offer is going to vibe with someone with the average AAU mindset ( Heavy volume of games, stacked talent teams, emphasis for the players on getting noticed by scouts, team handlers looking for cash kickbacks, "jobs" with either the brands or a college program and just riding athleticism to get as many wins as possible to keep the various shoe brands happy. There is very little emphasis on team play and team defense, I'd wager some teams do, but it would appear to be the exception rather than the rule.
blkexec is right in one way, Ntilikina might not pan out. But he's right for the wrong reason, i.e. almost everything blkexec says comes from a guy who appears to apply AAU methodology onto the actual NBA. It's nowhere near the same. But it requires letting go of one's own ego to get to that point. You can win in the AAU just be feeding the ball to a kid who just overpowers everyone else because he's more athletic or more developed than them. To be totally fair, college ball is just as exploitative as the worst elements in AAU. And lots of kids would not get a college scholarship otherwise, without the AAU. And playing against better competition has it's benefits. But what Ntilikina brings is really not going to sell hard to the typical AAU brand jockey.
There's no money in great footwork. There's no money in fundamental play. You don't get a shoe deal for being a solid glue guy. You get the full bore swag and attention from dunking over a car. From beating the living **** out of your Disney pop star princess girlfriend. From shooting up a nightclub with an Uzi and getting on TMZ. There's also no money in time. AAU is ready now/win now/get now kind of methodology. Actually waiting for Ntilikina to get 2-3 seasons under his belt to see what he might be is just waiting too long for the typical AAU brand jockey.

CrushAlot wrote:

Nalod wrote:We should rename this the “Official every time a draft pick after frank has a better game lament thread”.
Today Frank will never imporove, and Mitchell is Dwade.
So we move from Smith to Mitchell.
Fair enough, until Frank becomes who he is this will go on.

Mitchell is already top 3 in this class and that is with Simmons and Tatum. He looks like he will be a very good player for a long time. It isn't about him having a good game. He just is a very good player and has been playing that way.

DOnt kid yourself, its about the fan having the benefit of hindsight and thinking the are smarter.
20 games in. Let’s talk after 200? By then Briggs will have fallen in love 200 times.
I care only about Frank and his development, not second guessing. BTW there will always be someone u which we would have picked. Every year. Always.

Nalod wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:Frank had a nice shooting game today. Was more aggressive. More willing to look for his own shot. Eventually the defense is going to have to respect Frank's jumper, which should make it easier for Frank to get to the rim. Just has to take advantage of those opportunities.

“He just has to.......”

Yes, he just has to develop. Kid is doing just fine. Future is uncertain. Embrace the possibilities not life’s uncertainty.

Did I take a wrong turn into "UltimateHallmark"? Lol.

GustavBahler wrote:

Nalod wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:Frank had a nice shooting game today. Was more aggressive. More willing to look for his own shot. Eventually the defense is going to have to respect Frank's jumper, which should make it easier for Frank to get to the rim. Just has to take advantage of those opportunities.

“He just has to.......”

Yes, he just has to develop. Kid is doing just fine. Future is uncertain. Embrace the possibilities not life’s uncertainty.

Did I take a wrong turn into "UltimateHallmark"? Lol.

Yes, and don't forget motivational coffee cup positive affirmations!!

Nalod wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

Nalod wrote:We should rename this the “Official every time a draft pick after frank has a better game lament thread”.
Today Frank will never imporove, and Mitchell is Dwade.
So we move from Smith to Mitchell.
Fair enough, until Frank becomes who he is this will go on.

Mitchell is already top 3 in this class and that is with Simmons and Tatum. He looks like he will be a very good player for a long time. It isn't about him having a good game. He just is a very good player and has been playing that way.

DOnt kid yourself, its about the fan having the benefit of hindsight and thinking the are smarter.
20 games in. Let’s talk after 200? By then Briggs will have fallen in love 200 times.
I care only about Frank and his development, not second guessing. BTW there will always be someone u which we would have picked. Every year. Always.