What's new
By:

Questions on Harden, Lillard and other random topics

Gyp Rosetti

Gyp Rosetti

Banned
1) Some have mentioned signing Harden next summer to play the 3. Can he? His measurements don't scream out 3. But watching him play, he looks a lot taller and longer than his measurements to me. He looks 6'7" and fairly long. Can someone help me out here?

2) Lillard. Why are people so high on him at the point? He had only around 4.5 assists this year if I remember correctly. Help me out. Does he have great explosiveness that helps him get into the paint on just about any defender? I know he can shoot but...

3) Would the #8 pick and Jefferson net us the 4th pick? I mention this because I saw MKG at #4 in a recent mock. And if he's there, I think we have to strongly pursue him. Lockdown defense (he'd be scary with Favors), a passion that rivals Noah's, an ability to finish at the rim like no other. I know we know shooters but I see him becoming respectable enough. Not sure. His personality and how it could positively affect a team reminds me of Noah so much.

4) Millsap. I watched all the playoff games but really forget or didn't notice. How was Millsap defensively in the Spurs series? Does his lack of length seem to be an issue still?
 
1) IMO, Harden's a 2. If we get Harden, Hayward would be the 3. Either that or Hayward or Burks traded? Seems like we'd have too many twos if we have Harden, Hayward, and Burks.
2) ...
3) Tough to say. Depends on who's at 4 and whether they need Jefferson or not. If you have a real good defensive big, Jefferson would be good to have. I don't think MKG will be there at 4, I think he'll be 2 or 3.
4) Meh. The guys Milsap was guarding weren't a major part of the Spurs offense (Diaw, Blair). Bonner beat Milsap a lot, but I didn't think Bonner was every an X factor in the series.
 
1) Based on pre-draft measurements, Harden has better length (8'7.5'' v. 8'7'') and strength (17 bench press reps v. 10) than Hayward. According to 82games.com, Harden played about 45% of his minutes at the 3 this season, and produced much better from that spot on both sides of the ball. In short, he can play the 3 (dude's strong and crafty).

2) People are high on Lillard because he can stroke it. 4.0 assists to 2.3 turnovers is pretty decent for a scorer as well (early in the season, he led all guard prospects in turnover % per DX). Dude can play on both sides of the ball well (and can hit shots from many spots on the floor both off the dribble and off the ball).

3) ??

4) Millsap is a pro. He gets out in transition, works hard in a variety of situations, and understands pace and teamwork as well as any player on the Jazz. He's a lot like AK. With that said, he has physical limitations, and Boris Diaw is crafty. In the first game or two, Diaw burned him badly a couple times.
 
GVC said:
1) Based on pre-draft measurements, Harden has better length (8'7.5'' v. 8'7'') and strength (17 bench press reps v. 10) than Hayward. According to 82games.com, Harden played about 45% of his minutes at the 3 this season, and produced much better from that spot on both sides of the ball. In short, he can play the 3 (dude's strong and crafty).

2) People are high on Lillard because he can stroke it. 4.0 assists to 2.3 turnovers is pretty decent for a scorer as well (early in the season, he led all guard prospects in turnover % per DX). Dude can play on both sides of the ball well (and can hit shots from many spots on the floor both off the dribble and off the ball).

3) ??

4) Millsap is a pro. He gets out in transition, works hard in a variety of situations, and understands pace and teamwork as well as any player on the Jazz. He's a lot like AK. With that said, he has physical limitations, and Boris Diaw is crafty. In the first game or two, Diaw burned him badly a couple times.
Click to expand...

Thanks...

2) But how good is he at running the point and creating? Who would you compare him to in the league now?
3) What?
 
Wes Mantooth said:
1) Some have mentioned signing Harden next summer to play the 3. Can he? His measurements don't scream out 3. But watching him play, he looks a lot taller and longer than his measurements to me. He looks 6'7" and fairly long. Can someone help me out here?
Click to expand...

watching the thunder in the playoffs this season tells me he can play 1-3 pretty effectively. thats about all ive watched him however. dude is strong, long, crafty, and very smart. we'd be fools to not covet his game.



2) Lillard. Why are people so high on him at the point? He had only around 4.5 assists this year if I remember correctly. Help me out. Does he have great explosiveness that helps him get into the paint on just about any defender? I know he can shoot but...
Click to expand...

he is deceptively athletic and can shoot. from the couple games i watched of his (weber student), he definitely has the ability to create. I think he can be an effective triple threat (drive, jumper, pass)
2 issues kept his numbers pretty low however.

1. his teammates couldn't finish particularly well.
2. he was asked to shoot shoot shoot because of #1



3) Would the #8 pick and Jefferson net us the 4th pick? I mention this because I saw MKG at #4 in a recent mock. And if he's there, I think we have to strongly pursue him. Lockdown defense (he'd be scary with Favors), a passion that rivals Noah's, an ability to finish at the rim like no other. I know we know shooters but I see him becoming respectable enough. Not sure. His personality and how it could positively affect a team reminds me of Noah so much.
Click to expand...

I really have no idea, but if i were a GM, i wouldnt do it.

4) Millsap. I watched all the playoff games but really forget or didn't notice. How was Millsap defensively in the Spurs series? Does his lack of length seem to be an issue still?
Click to expand...

Im still convinced that millsap is not much better than jefferson defensively.
 
As an avid Lillard supporter I can say that I wouldn't look at his assist numbers alone as the lone stat that decides if he can run a team. Even being double and sometimes triple teamed he was still the best option.

That's the double edged sword of being on a team like that. People question your competition but not your teammates. As was mentioned before, his turnover to usage percentage was great and that bodes very well for someone running a team. His Bball I.Q. is also very high.

I'm not saying he most certainly can run a team at the NBA level, but he has almost all the tools needed to do so, along with a fully matured inside/outside game (kid can literally create from anywhere on the court) and is a hard worker and good character guy to boot. Oh......and very athletic.

I love him. Yes, literally.
 
Wes Mantooth said:
2) But how good is he at running the point and creating? Who would you compare him to in the league now?
Click to expand...
I think the worry is that he's going to be a poor man's Ben Gordon, i.e. not a Point Guard. The upside is he could turn into Chauncey Billups 2.0 if he learns to play the point at an NBA level.
 
I just don't like shipping out Sap and then using a pick to reach. If we give up a top asset, we need to go BPA all the way.
 
1) He obviously has played the 3 this year. I know that when I have mentioned picking him up it is to play the point. As of right now Harden plays the point better than any player on our current roster, and he has a better shot then any of the PG's on our current roster.

2)I am not as high on Lillard as others. If we could get him with a late pick then I am all for it. In the lottery it makes me nervous.

3) I think that the Jazz will need to either include cash or a second rounder on top of the Jefferson and #8. I would love MKG. Imagine a player that has a motor like Carroll, but he is better athletically, defensively, at the rim and rebounding the ball. I think that sums it up. He would make this team elite defensively.

4)I still love Millsap. I am really starting to wonder if he should be traded as well as Jefferson. It is not instead of Jefferson, I think they both might need to be moved. He will get us the most back. He could probably land us an extra pick in the lottery without giving anything else up. I am worried that he will not take kindly to this team being turned over to Favors and Hayward. His stock is as high as it is ever going to be and this is the best draft as far as talent at the top is concerned. I would easily trade him if I knew that we could get MKG, Robinson or a couple of late first rounders that we could turn into a shooter and a PF off the bench.
 
PKM said:
Which part? Seems like you largely said the same thing. emmiwrong?
Click to expand...

I don't want to trade Millsap but I think now is the best time possible. I not for reaching either and I thought that my post could be interpreted that way. Take BPA. If the Jazz can get a pick in the top 5 for Millsap and cash or a 2nd rounder then we really have this team seat up for the future. We could possibly take Beal, MKG, Robinson or even Drummond.

If it was Drummond then I would hope that KOC would look to move him for a haul from a team that is desperate for bigs.
 
1)I would say no to him playing the 3 on a consistent basis. He is a 2, and can even run the point at times as OKC has utilized him at the 1 on a few occasions. He can obviously play the 3 depending on the match up. Would be an amazing to have if teams tried to run small on us. I'm all for making a run at him next year, but I won't be getting my hopes up quite yet.

2)I'm with Bodhi on this. I'm so high on this kid. 4.5 assists is amazing when you consider he was playing at Weber. I was also surprised to see how well he could switch modes. During the Big Sky title game against Montana, he was getting triple teamed and did an amazing job pulling three defenders out of position while feeding it inside. Too bad his teammates had an extremely hard time finishing.

The only knock I have on this kid is his low release point when he shoots. It's quick enough that I think he'll be fine, but it could be a concern against longer defenders.

I think the best and most realistic comparison is Andre Miller and maybe even Billups. Just a solid all around PG with the serious potential to score. Kid is a gym rat that has a great mixture of talent, but not gifted enough where he was able to coast to make it where he's at. By far the most complete PG in this draft. I've been able to follow both pretty well and I'd take him any day over Marshall.

3) I'd be really happy with pursuing MKG. I'd be willing to give Jefferson and the #8 pick (25% chance for someone to jump over GSW doesn't bode well for Utah's history in the lottery. Maybe the lottery gods will be kind to us again 2 years in a row)

4) I'm a huge Millsap fan, but his defense this year was a huge step backwards. I don't think I'd be as disappointed as I am, but I saw how well he could stay in front of much larger 4's in his first few years here. Yes, he led the team in steals, but that stat is so deceiving when you're trying to judge how good a person is on defense. He defends the pick n' roll horribly and when you pair him with Al, it's no wonder we couldn't stop the Spurs. Favors looks like the biggest stud in the world every time he steps on the floor because of how poorly Paul has regressed on the defense end.
 
Whatever position Harden plays is irrelevant. He's better than any wing player we have by a mile. If he wants to sign, you take him and figure out what to do between Hayward and Burks when you have to.
 
billyshelby said:
Whatever position Harden plays is irrelevant. He's better than any wing player we have by a mile. If he wants to sign, you take him and figure out what to do between Hayward and Burks when you have to.
Click to expand...

Well .. yeah. That sums it up nicely.
 
PKM said:
Well .. yeah. That sums it up nicely.
Click to expand...

I see no reason why any combination of Harden/Hayward/Burks cannot run the floor together.

Edit: Want to add to this for clarity. I would like all 3 on the team. Burks is a 2 while Hayward and Harden can play the 2 and the 3. This would allow something like Harden starting at the 3, Hayward starting at the 2 and Burks a major rotation guy. Anytime Harden or Hayward need to come out you plug Burks in and Hayward/Harden play the 3.
 
I may be the only person in the world who feels this way, but MKG can't shoot. This team needs shooters. I would pass on him until we have shooter. Once we have our shooting woes taken care of, then look for guys like MKG.
 
green said:
I may be the only person in the world who feels this way, but MKG can't shoot. This team needs shooters. I would pass on him until we have shooter. Once we have our shooting woes taken care of, then look for guys like MKG.
Click to expand...

I've said roughly the same.
Only thing is ... he is such an elite defender that you can put him on the other team's best 1 thru 3 and disrupt things. Add to that that he is a supreme locker room guy and I wouldn't be upset with MKG on my team. Yes, we need shooters, that much is a given.
 
green said:
I may be the only person in the world who feels this way, but MKG can't shoot. This team needs shooters. I would pass on him until we have shooter. Once we have our shooting woes taken care of, then look for guys like MKG.
Click to expand...

Well what is easier to find? Shooters or guys like MKG?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page
Back
Top