Comments on: Tuesday Bolts – 6.16.09

By: Kyle

Kyle — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:22:17 +0000

@J.G.
Another voice of reason. Thank you for seeing the light with me. Be patient and wait for a stronger draft when more than 2 centers will be drafted in the first round…

Deandre Jordan was drafted in the 2nd round last year. His standing reach and wingspan are the same and Thabeets, and he is much better offensively and super young. Just goes to show with our scouting we can find someoen that will mature into a nice big like Jordan has the possibility to. I really wish we would have gotten him last year when he was sliding. I like DJ White alot, but we have too many PF’s and could have used a true center and I really think he is going to be pretty good.

By: J.G.

J.G. — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:57:42 +0000

@Steve H
Thabeet is not the best center prospect the draft will offer in the coming years.

Next year’s draft will have 5-6 legit center prospects with more complete games, from Cole Aldrich to Greg Monroe to Solomon Alabi to even Jerome Jordan, AJ Ogilvy and even Duke signee Mason Plumlee, all are 6’11 or higher and possess both an offensive and defensive game.

Impatience in the rebuilding effort is what typically makes team mire in mediocrity. When was the last time the Bucks completely overhauled their roster, traded away their biggest assets and followed a serious plan towards rebuilding for 3-4 years, because that’s what it will take to go from mediocre to awful to serious contender in the modern NBA.

Unless you get handed a gift (Pau Gasol) or you can acquire two All-Star pieces to compliment another All-Star player from two teams who are looking to implode their teams and start over (Boston).

But no, Thabeet is not even close to being the best center prospect the draft will have in the next 2 years, let alone 3 to 5.

By: GAP

GAP — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:12:40 +0000

I’ll just reserve the Thabeet is a bust tag until atleast Summer League.

By: Kev

Kev — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:00:26 +0000

Stevem we have to agree to disagree –

we need offense, and Thabeet provides NONE of that – plus , I have seen nothing that indicates that he has a strong work ethic, so that means that he may never improve offensively – you can’t draft a project at #5 unless you KNOW he’s going to work and work . . .

I think he’s headed for bust city . . .

By: Chas

Chas — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:46:38 +0000

If he’s truly a bust than 5 years (!) can be very expensive. And, not all big men signings are injury prone. Your urgency is really what we don’t need and causes irrational decisions.

By: Steve H

Steve H — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:19:26 +0000

@Kev By the way- I'm not a particularly big fan of Thabeet- and would never consider taking him ahead of Harden or Curry. I do think that he is the best center prospect we are likely to have a chance of landing in the draft in the coming years of anticipated mid-level picks. Gortat could be solid, but would likely cost us 6mill or more per, and that would actually be a cheap price to pay for a descent center. Kamen? Camby? Okur? Those guys all run at least 10 mill a year, and invariably come with the health issues that come with being an "experienced" big man. That list of Sonic "big men busts" consists of three guys who never played college ball in the US- much less three years at UConn. Thabeet has been injury free as far as I know, and barring injury, is guaranteed to block and alter a lot of shots in the paint. We could really, really use that, and for what a #5 pick makes his first five years in the league, sounds like a bargain to me.

By: Kev

Kev — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:16:32 +0000

good point – signing Durant is key – he’s not going to stick around if we only win 46 games in the next two years . . .

By: GAP

GAP — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:07:55 +0000

Im not saying to draft Thabeet, but everything else Steven said I agree with. Who cares if we don’t draft a center in THIS draft anyway we could always get one thru FA or trade so that to me isn’t even the issue.

I’m saying with more assets we could actually use some of them in trade to get us a veteran. It isn’t lost on me that this is a rebuilding team, but just like with Lebron, Presti has to build a contender sooner rather than later so we can have a chance at resigning Durant……not only to resign Durant but to entice other FA’s to start to give OKC a look when signing a FA contract.

By: Steve H

Steve H — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:42:36 +0000

@Kyle But from here on out, we will be looking at mid-level draft picks, and less and less available cash for free agents as we re-sign our core players. That sounds like a recipe for mediocrity to me- something like the perpetual cycle the Bucks find themselves in. Like most everybody else around here, I have great faith in Presti's judgment. Let's just see what he does in the coming months- my guess is big things.

By: Kev

Kev — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:05:37 +0000

Kyle :Sorry but not to me. No way you can swing it that makes me believe Thabeet is the answer for us… Something that seems to leave all Thunder fans and news outlets… This is a rebuilding process, and yes I know what you are saying steve, it doesn’t have to be SEVERAL years. But what the celtics did, turn it around in one year, just doesn’t happen. If Thabeet isn’t the answer, don’t force the issue. There will be more centers in next years class and free agency. I say we get the best players to make us better this year, and get a center over the next year. I’m tired of people just looking at need and not talent. It doesn’t matter if you have a need for center if you fill it with someone that wont fill that need… Look at the sonics of years past, every year they needed a center. You know what they did? They kept forcing the issue (Swift, Sene, Petro… sound familiar now?) Every year they were left with the hole because they tried taking a center instead of realizing it wouldn’t help them if he wasn’t good at all.

the voice of reason . . . thank you . . .