ESPN 5-on-5: Rudy Gay most Overrated Small Forward.

[p00ka]

I agree, I think Drummond has a long way to go before he can full fill his potential. He's not nearly as good as many people claim, but his raw athletecism combined with size gives him a huge advantage even in his current level.

I have to disagree though that he and JV couldn't be on the floor at the same time. Look how effective the Perkings/Ibaka combo was when Perkins arrived from Boston. Both guys were Centres prior to that and I would argue that Ibaka doesn't posess much of any PF skills.

I would love to see JV paired up with another imposing big. Haven't seen that in Toronto since Davis/Oakley. God, I miss watching those two rough up opposing bigs.

lmao,,,,, me too,,,, ahhhh the good old days. Maybe I related more because that was my style, as I wasn't particularly skilled, but could bang with anybody twice my size, haha. One of those jocks that was pretty damn good at many sports and never focused enough on one to be skilled enough at later levels to excel. Put put me in a rugby match, or a basketball game called very loosely and I was a beast that nobody wanted to f*&^ with!!! lol I digress. I miss that too.

[golden]

I don't believe in Drummond at all.. and you are right that there is only one other center like him.. but he needs to improve a lot and he had motivation issues coming out of college so will he? Alabi had a lot of potential but he's out of the league. 3+D players are not as common as you think they are. Guy can shoot or play D but not both generally... and when they can they are huge commodities since they can be put in any situation (as a starter/on the bench/or in crunch time). Plus they are gold in the playoffs.



Gasol changed his game but that was more a testament to Phil and his system. Gasol last year played poorly with Howard and was coming off the bench for D'Antoni. If you had the right system it could work, but then JV would be playing forward instead of center.. and I would rather have JV as center.



There is no proof that Ross (or Lamb if they wanted a SG) could have been had at 14. I'm sure BC was on the phone before making that pick (although it was BC and he doesn't really work a draft in terms of moving up/down). I'm not sure I agree that Ross was picked because of Nash either. I think Ross was picked because they liked him both as a person and as a player. BC is a 'character' guy.. and Ross fits that mold.

JV shows all the signs of being able to develop into a player that can switch betweenr PF or C, like a Pau Gasol or Tim Duncan (who are both less athletic than JV).

On defense, he has the speed, length and quickness to guard PFs and will eventually have a strength advantage. On offense, he is already a .400% shooter from just outside of 15ft, with excellent shooting mechanics (0.789 FT%). Again, no reason why he can't develop into a PF that can consistently hit the 18ft jump shot at .400 - .450 clip. He will also nail a few 3s this year too.

So yeah, Drummond and JV could have been an awesome front court of the future.... sigh.

[Xixak]

JV shows all the signs of being able to develop into a player that can switch betweenr PF or C, like a Pau Gasol or Tim Duncan (who are both less athletic than JV).

On defense, he has the speed, length and quickness to guard PFs and will eventually have a strength advantage. On offense, he is already a .400% shooter from just outside of 15ft, with excellent shooting mechanics (0.789 FT%). Again, no reason why he can't develop into a PF that can consistently hit the 18ft jump shot at .400 - .450 clip. He will also nail a few 3s this year too.

So yeah, Drummond and JV could have been an awesome front court of the future.... sigh.

This, I'm really not sure why people think Drummond+JV couldn't have worked. Not only couldn't it have worked, it could've been the best frontcourt in the league since Robinson and Duncan.

[Nilanka]

This, I'm really not sure why people think Drummond+JV couldn't have worked. Not only couldn't it have worked, it could've been the best frontcourt in the league since Robinson and Duncan.

Remember when folks here was calling the Bosh-Villenueva combo the next "Twin Towers"?

[Xixak]

Remember when folks here was calling the Bosh-Villenueva combo the next "Twin Towers"?

He was the Jennings before Jennings. That 48 point game late in his rookie year had him getting huge, unwarranted hype.

[stretch]

Drummond is awesome right now. Coach Frank not playing him much probably helped get him fired. Andre has a good shot for a team USA roster spot next year.

[golden]

I agree, I think Drummond has a long way to go before he can full fill his potential. He's not nearly as good as many people claim, but his raw athletecism combined with size gives him a huge advantage even in his current level.

I have to disagree though that he and JV couldn't be on the floor at the same time. Look how effective the Perkings/Ibaka combo was when Perkins arrived from Boston. Both guys were Centres prior to that and I would argue that Ibaka doesn't posess much of any PF skills.

I would love to see JV paired up with another imposing big. Haven't seen that in Toronto since Davis/Oakley. God, I miss watching those two rough up opposing bigs.

Yes, that's exactly the appeal of Drummond. If he can put up a 21.6 PER as a 19-yr old rookie, based on size and athleticism alone, then imagine what could happen if he actually 'develops'? Scary potential.

But still, you don't have to like or dis-like Drummond to buy into him. Just look at the numbers.

http://bkref.com/tiny/iqN9o

Only 13 centers have ever recorded a PER > 20 as a rookie in the history of the NBA. Drummond is #8 on the list and is by far the youngest. All but one guy (Ray Felix, who I never heard of), is a Hall-of-Famer, or future HoFer. So the probability is that Drummond will at least be a very, very, very good player.

[Mediumcore]

I'm on the Drummond side of the debate when it comes to Ross vs. Drummond, so I'm a fan of the kid.

I'm not a huge statistics guy, so I can't look at the PER he posted last season and put him in the same category as most of the other players that posted those type of numbers. For me it's an example why people shouldn't rely solely on stats when making decsions about players value.

[Rapstor4Life]

Isnt Drummond injury prone? but then again so is Ross so pick your poison I guess.

[stretch]

I'm on the Drummond side of the debate when it comes to Ross vs. Drummond, so I'm a fan of the kid.

I'm not a huge statistics guy, so I can't look at the PER he posted last season and put him in the same category as most of the other players that posted those type of numbers. For me it's an example why people shouldn't rely solely on stats when making decsions about players value.

OK, then, based on his performance last season, summer league this year, and the USA basketball camp recently done, Drummond is awesome, especially considering he just turned 20 this week.

[mcHAPPY]

Isnt Drummond injury prone? but then again so is Ross so pick your poison I guess.

That is the only thing keeping me from routinely going in to a depressive state over the pick.

I am weary of a young man who has been so big/athletic/explosive at an early age. They usually don't last very long. The fractured vertebrae has to be a little worrying for Detroit I would think.

[Nilanka]

Isnt Drummond injury prone? but then again so is Ross so pick your poison I guess.

Is Ross injury-prone? He only missed 9 games last season.

Drummond, on the other hand, missed 22.

[NoPropsneeded]

That is the only thing keeping me from routinely going in to a depressive state over the pick.

I am weary of a young man who has been so big/athletic/explosive at an early age. They usually don't last very long. The fractured vertebrae has to be a little worrying for Detroit I would think.

Doesn't Drummond weigh like 275 or something?

[mcHAPPY]

Is Ross injury-prone? He only missed 9 games last season.

Drummond, on the other hand, missed 22.

I know he tweaked his ankle towards end of season but a lot of those 9 games were DNP-CD weren't they?

Then there were another 14 games with single digit minutes.

[mcHAPPY]

Doesn't Drummond weigh like 275 or something?

Yes.

Since he was 8 years old.