What's new
By:
Filters

Jazz Pre-Draft Camps and Workouts

I think we all know what jaw dropping means in relation to Whiteside. But I'm curious to hear what he actually said.
 
I went to nba.com/jazz and it lists the people working out which days, and the ones that already have. The thing that bugs me is that they have this posted on the Day 4 workouts and it says: "Video of the workouts will be available here on utahjazz.com." Do you really think they will post them, or do you think we'll just keep getting interviews after the fact. To me that's not "Video of the workouts".
 
1-Jazzfan said:
I went to nba.com/jazz and it lists the people working out which days, and the ones that already have. The thing that bugs me is that they have this posted on the Day 4 workouts and it says: "Video of the workouts will be available here on utahjazz.com." Do you really think they will post them, or do you think we'll just keep getting interviews after the fact. To me that's not "Video of the workouts".
Click to expand...

No, it's just interviews.

Hassan Whiteside Interview (Link)

Cole Aldrich Interview (Link)

Walt Perrin (Jazz scout) Interview (Link)
 
Yikes! I can see why they were saying the Whiteside interview was jaw dropping. I was not impressed. He had no confidence at all and if we drafted him, I think Sloan's style would absolutely crush his spirit.
 
That was a hell of an interview. That kid is a deer in the headlights. I almost feel bad for him. I would not be surprised to see him fall out of the first round altogether. The good news is someone will take him. What he needs is for someone to carefully explain that, at worst, he will make one million dollars for the next 2 years while some team tries to develop him, and he could make as much as 4 million over the next 3. During that time, he should buy a used Chevy Malibu and live at a Motel 6, because those paychecks won't keep coming.
 
I do feel bad for Hassan. He was almost crying. A boy amongst men, IMO. I doubt he had any idea how hard the transition was going to be. Definitely should have remained in college another year or two. After watching Perrin's interview I feel pretty confident the Jazz won't draft Aldrich.
 
GlassEater said:
I do feel bad for Hassan. He was almost crying. A boy amongst men, IMO. I doubt he had any idea how hard the transition was going to be. Definitely should have remained in college another year or two. After watching Perrin's interview I feel pretty confident the Jazz won't draft Aldrich.
Click to expand...

I just hope the Jazz don't take Whiteside so IGS can't complain about him not being developed properly.
 
I still like Whiteside. You can see he's added some weight and added some moves. He's very smooth and pretty well coordinated. He's going to be able to get his shot off anytime he wants due to his length. The question is whether he'll play physical, how hard he'll run the floor and his ability to add strength to help his rebounding and explosion. If he can put the ball on the floor and step into the lane, he can make the defense collapse on him. He did average 9 boards per game in college as a freshman, which ranks on par with Udoh and Aldrich, but it was a lesser conference. He definitely has a defensive presence and can alter shots. He's young and not used to the spotlight, but he looks like a good kid. He looks like he'll need a mentor/big brother-type on whatever team he goes to.

I think Udoh is going to be an energy player in the league. Not sure he's a sure-fire starter, but a Carl Landry-type player who works hard, has a good 15-ft. jumper, and makes a few big defensive plays. I don't think he's big or strong enough to impose his will. I'd rather have Babbit than Udoh.

Cole Aldrich is what he is--a guy who can average 11/8/2, with an occasional 15-reb. game. His movement is a bit mechanical and his shot is slow to deliver. I see him getting most of his pts on put-backs and set ups near the basket. He's tough, but he's not long enough to get his shot off over a good defensive center. He's the kind of guy tha could pick up quite a few fouls because athletes will challenge him. He also takes the ball so far back on his jumper and is so slow in doing so that he's going to have to worry about guards blocking it from behind--not just blocking the ball, but taking it. He runs okay and elevates a bit, but I don't really see him filling the lane too often.
 
You could kick a field goal between Aldrich's missing front tooth. At least he is in touch with Ostertag. Maybe Ostertag will teach him how to be a Hall of Fame Center......
 
Darkwing Duck said:
I just hope the Jazz don't take Whiteside so IGS can't complain about him not being developed properly.
Click to expand...
But Sloan is so good about developing players, giving them the minutes that they need to progress, and giving them the confidence that they need to maximize their potential.

/sarcasm
 
GlassEater said:
I do feel bad for Hassan. He was almost crying. A boy amongst men, IMO. I doubt he had any idea how hard the transition was going to be. Definitely should have remained in college another year or two. After watching Perrin's interview I feel pretty confident the Jazz won't draft Aldrich.
Click to expand...

I didn't see that at all. He said he was comfortable with what he brings because they have three years of tape on him. He said the same about Udoh. Whiteside on the other hand...

Perrin's not the one who makes the final decision anyways, so I wouldn't try to read into him too much.
 
A sort of positive article on Whiteside

I'm posting this for some reason. I don't know about Whiteside. He appears like he's gonna need the kind of encouragement Sloan isn't likely to give. I'm not comfortable saying the Jazz should draft him. But I came across this article and thought I'd post it. See what everyone thinks.

https://www.dailymail.com/Sports/MUSports/201006040023?page=2&build=cache


Friday June 4, 2010
Agent, Jones say Whiteside deserving of spot in NBA
Both call recent criticism of the former Marshall center unfair
by Chuck McGill
Daily Mail sports writer


CHARLESTON, W.Va. - As a sports agent, it is Andre Buck's job to accentuate the positive and refute or spin the negative in the best interests of his client.

Buck, who represents former Marshall basketball star Hassan Whiteside, finds the first task a simple one, primarily because Buck is genuine when calling his possible NBA Draft lottery pick "humorous and fun-loving; he's a great kid."

But the negative press has hounded Whiteside as of late.

He showed up for measurements at Chicago's NBA Scouting Combine in flip-flops - and consequently measured slightly shorter than he would have in basketball shoes. Then, in interviews with team officials and various media, he compared himself to NBA great Hakeem Olajuwon, with whom Whiteside has worked out, and Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett.

At the combine, Whiteside was quoted as saying "I'm looking to be a Hall of Famer."

That's prompted the likes of ESPN.com NBA writer Chad Ford to question Whiteside's maturity and readiness for the league, while writing that the player "projected a confidence that bordered on naive arrogance."

Buck's reaction to that?

"Don't we all want to be great?" he said Thursday in a phone interview with the Daily Mail. "I mean, don't call it arrogance because he wants to be great."

Whiteside has made a rapid ascent in basketball - from an unheralded high schooler to record-setting shot-blocker at Marshall to possible lottery pick later this month. Buck said that being in the lottery mix likely led to evaluators, both NBA and media, having more questions about Whiteside's background.

"I've been around this business for a long time," Buck said. "I've been around crazy teammates and malicious people, but this kid is a good kid. He is what he is in terms of worldliness, but I don't think he should be taking the shots that he's taking because he's inexperienced in the world."

That's what has happened in recent weeks. When NBA Draft hopefuls were measured at the scouting combine, Whiteside showed up in flip-flops and measured 6 feet 11 1/2 inches in them - and 1 inch shorter without.

"People are making a big deal out of that, but if you look at it from the other perspective - and I know this is spinning it our way - but barefoot is the only measurement that really counts," Buck said. "Some kids went up a half-inch with their shoes on, others went up nearly 2 inches."

Whiteside, 20, encountered more problems during team interviews, which Ford reported as "rocky."

"The negative comments about his personality in the media have led that same media to stating that he has 'character issues,'" Buck said. "Yet they are talking about his personality. It is amazing that having a sense of humor, enjoying the process, being confident and have high aspirations is negative."

Whiteside worked out with the Indiana Pacers, holders of the No. 10 pick, on Tuesday, along with big men like Baylor's Ekpe Udoh, UTEP's Derrick Caracter and Kentucky's Daniel Orton.

Whiteside has eight more workouts scheduled with teams picking in the top 20.

According to Bob Hill, a former NBA coach with the Knicks, Spurs, Pacers and Sonics, Whiteside should go off the draft board sooner rather than later.

"I've worked with a lot of quality big men in my career so my frame of reference for post players is pretty good," said Hill, who worked with Whiteside for five weeks. "From a talent standpoint he is head and shoulders above most people. There's nothing he can't do and that's a big statement to make.

"One day he missed a block with his right hand and blocked it with his left hand, which I've never seen before. His talent is special. But he's like these other young guys that are coming out of college after one year - when their maturity level meets their talent, they are going to be special."

How special? Well, Hill was quick to squelch the Marcus Camby comparisons.

"He's Kevin Garnett, not Marcus Camby," Hill said. "He can be Camby in his sleep. But when I say all this it's important that he understands he needs to mature. A lot of these guys are mature and they are waiting for their skill level to grow; it's the opposite with Hassan. He's very, very skilled. He just has to figure it all out. That's all on him. Once he does, off he'll go."

Whiteside's NBA career - successes or failures - is undetermined, but he's a relative lock to receive the guaranteed multiyear, multimillion dollar contract that comes with being selected in the draft's first round on June 24.

UCF Coach Donnie Jones, who recruited Whiteside to Marshall, said that imminent accomplishment by Whiteside - and his Herd hoops records - combined with his trouble-free off-the-court record make the recent criticism all the more puzzling.

"I'm proud of Hassan because he was able to help put Marshall on the map," Jones said. "Sometimes we focus on what we thought he should have done rather than what he did. He's a kid with an incredible future, and I'm proud of how he represented Marshall. It's disappointing how some don't realize what he did in his short time there.

"You are talking about a great player with no tattoos who doesn't drink or party. He's just a good kid."

Buck also doesn't have a tattoo, but said his reasoning - fear of his father's reaction - is different than Whiteside's lack of body ink. Buck said that Whiteside had a more mature rationalization.

"He told me, 'I like the way God made my body,'" Buck said. "Isn't that something? He doesn't do anything bad off the court; he doesn't have any tattoos or earrings; he doesn't drink or chase women, but he has questionable character?"

Buck, who played at the University of Delaware in the early 1990s, has kept his client base small, and he carefully chooses only a couple of players to represent in the draft each year.

Buck said, unlike Whiteside, he didn't have the length or athleticism or upside that his client has, but that didn't stop him from dreaming big.

That's why Buck embraces Whiteside's attitude.

"I want him to have high aspirations," Buck said. "As a kid growing up in Philadelphia in the '70s and '80s, I didn't want to be Jamaal Wilkes, with all due respect. I didn't even want to be Moses Malone. I wanted to be Julius Erving.

"I didn't grow to 6-6, I couldn't jump to the moon or palm the world, but that's who I wanted to be. Why? Because he was the greatest."

Contact sportswriter Chuck McGill at chuck.mcg...@dailymail.com or 304-348-1712. His blog is at https://blogs.dailymail.com/marshall.
 
I don't think he'll last past Houston's pick at 14, and he's probably gone by then. Why would someone pick Udoh, who's basically going to be Udonis Haslem, over a guy who can create a mismatch in the post, block shots and run the floor as well as Whiteside does?
 
Catchall said:
I still like Whiteside. You can see he's added some weight and added some moves. He's very smooth and pretty well coordinated. He's going to be able to get his shot off anytime he wants due to his length. The question is whether he'll play physical, how hard he'll run the floor and his ability to add strength to help his rebounding and explosion. If he can put the ball on the floor and step into the lane, he can make the defense collapse on him. He did average 9 boards per game in college as a freshman, which ranks on par with Udoh and Aldrich, but it was a lesser conference. He definitely has a defensive presence and can alter shots. He's young and not used to the spotlight, but he looks like a good kid. He looks like he'll need a mentor/big brother-type on whatever team he goes to.

I think Udoh is going to be an energy player in the league. Not sure he's a sure-fire starter, but a Carl Landry-type player who works hard, has a good 15-ft. jumper, and makes a few big defensive plays. I don't think he's big or strong enough to impose his will. I'd rather have Babbit than Udoh.

Cole Aldrich is what he is--a guy who can average 11/8/2, with an occasional 15-reb. game. His movement is a bit mechanical and his shot is slow to deliver. I see him getting most of his pts on put-backs and set ups near the basket. He's tough, but he's not long enough to get his shot off over a good defensive center. He's the kind of guy tha could pick up quite a few fouls because athletes will challenge him. also takes the ball so far back on his jumper and is so slow in doing so that he's going to have to worry about guards blocking it from behind--not just blocking the ball, but taking it. He runs okay and elevates a bit, but I don't really see him filling the lane too often.
Click to expand...

Whiteside is intriguing, from a physical standpoint (that wingspan is freakish), but he has "bust" and "long term project" written all over him. He's the type of guy that at the end of his rookie contract you will have a lengthy discussion about if he is really worth the big bucks (appx $8m a year) even though he still has a lot of development left to do. He is not going to be ready to handle of lot of minutes now. Some team is going to draft him and spend years developing him before becoming frustrated and unloading him. Do you want the Jazz to be that team?

If Aldich had 'Tag's size I would draft him. But he doesn't. He's wing span is also impressive, but he will be either an undersized center or a slow power-forward out on the court. That's exactly what you don't want--a guy that sucks at either position. At least Tag was a true NBA center. Also a turnoff, he has the Tag-like "false bravado." Uggggghhh.
 
afrojazz said:
He's wing span is also impressive, but he will be either an undersized center or a slow power-forward out on the court.
Click to expand...
9'3.5'' standing reach does not constitute an undersized center (you don't defend with the top of your head, after all). Aldrich has all the size he needs to be a true 5 in the NBA.
 
The kid is young. But his understanding of the game is far greater than he's being credited for.

From what I've seen, he has a post game that is just as evolved if not better evolved than Aldrich or Udoh. He understands the offense, just looking at the video posted above he moves around, can score in a variety of ways, etc. He doesn't just stand under the basket and wait for a rebound (like Thabeet). Defensively, I was impressed. He showed good discipline.

Now true, I would like to see a full game on this kid. But the flashes I've seen I think make him a good gamble to take @ #9. If for no other reason than he's 7 feet tall and athletic. That alone makes him better than Kosta (who sucks) and Fess (who is big but isn't very athletic at all).

I think some of you are expecting a veteran Larry Bird or Magic Johnson like player in the way they interview or carry themselves from a 21 year old. You aren't going to find too many 21 year olds comfortable with the media or with fully evolved games.

Just look at the top players from each draft...

Cousins, Wall, and Whiteside aren't exactly the cleanest most sharpest tools in the shed.

Neither was Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, OJ Mayo, Brandon Jennings, or Tyreke Evans (who killed us last year). Anyone want to translate for me?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g3QUi4eFlM

Does anyone really think that Whiteside won't be at least as good as Serge Ibaka? That alone is probably worth this #9 pick. Some length to disrupt the Lakers and to compete with some of the best and biggest teams (Celtics, Magic, etc) would be worth this #9 pick rather than waste it on someone like Hayward.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top