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| A Few
Days |
June 27, 2010
By Ron
Richards
I've had a few days to think about
the Gordon Hayward pick, and I'm not
depressed any longer. In fact, I'm actually
getting stoked to see the kid play.
I think the comparisons to John Stockton
being booed are right on.
One, because I think this kid will be a lot
better than some of the bigger guys we
wanted that were available.
Two, because just like John Stockton, this
kid hasn't reached his ceiling. I think his
ceiling will surprise a lot of folks.
I remember watching Butler play during the
tournament, and watching the skinny kid
simply carry his team with his outstanding
all around play. One play in particular,
don't remember what game, Hayward got the
ball off a long offensive rebound, turned
around and in one spectacular leap, stuffed
it home from at least eight feet out. It was
the kind of play I'd expect from LeBron, not
Opie from Mayberry.
This draft will be analyzed for years to
come, and I think what happened in the
Jazz's draft room was this.
There was one big guy the Jazz really liked
they thought might be available, and that
was Monroe. Great upside, perfect fit in the
Jazz's system. Monroe has flaws, he's not a
great athlete, but he's very skilled and
that lack of athleticism would be minimized
with the Jazz.
When he was gone, the Jazz took what they
perceived as the best pick left on the
board.
Let's talk a little about Hayward. I'll
admit freely I didn't study the kid like I
should have, for a number of reasons.
Mainly, I thought he was simply the hot
commodity with his play in the NCAA tourney,
and failed to look at Hayward the basketball
player.
What does Hayward the basketball player have
to offer?
One, he's a winner who can put a team on his
back and carry them. Do you have any idea
how few those kind of players are? It's
different in the NBA than in the NCAA, you
say. Some players have carried teams in the
NCAA and not done well in the NBA. That's
because when the level of talent rises in
the NBA, the would be dragon slayers don't
have the tools necessary to carry a team.
Speed, athleticism, size, skills....
Hayward has all of these.
Don't let the Opie thing scare you off. He's
not a stiff, he's surprisingly athletic. I
listened to his college coach on the radio
the other day, and he said the one thing we
would be really surprised at was how good an
athlete the kid really is. Remember that
freakish slam I mentioned earlier? There
simply aren't many NBA players who could
make that same play.
He's also a terrific defensive player with
the speed and quickness to guard NBA wings,
including shooting guards.
I'm not worried about the drop off in his
shooting percentage during his sophomore
season, his stroke is flawless, he's got
great range and shoots the ball quickly.
He's skinny, but he's strong as hell. Reggie
Miller looked like a coat hanger for most of
his career, but he got the job done. So will
this skinny kid.
I don't know how good this kid can be, not
yet. It's far too soon to make predictions
without seeing him play NBA quality players.
We'll have a far better idea in a couple of
weeks in the summer leagues.
I think he'll do very, very well....In the
summer leagues and in the NBA.
The Jazz had a very, very tough decision to
make in the draft this year. There were
players who filled a need that would have
been good picks for the Jazz. Aldrich,
Patterson....
But the problem I see with them is that they
would never have been the kind of players to
elevate the team to another level, not to
mention getting past the Lakers. Hayward
could be the kind of player that makes his
teammates better, makes the team better,
could be the difference maker.
We'll see. There are some needs that have to
be addressed with the Jazz, but the answers
might already be on the team. I still think,
though I know I'm almost alone, that Kouf
could be a serious contributor on this Jazz
team, giving us some of that length that
this team seriously needs.
A good example of what I'm not talking about
is Rudy Gay. Prototypical NBA player, great
size, speed, athleticism, has all the tools
necessary to be a great NBA player, except
one. He's not a winner. He doesn't make a
team better.
Remember, the Jazz saw all the SF's they
were looking at play in a workout for the
Jazz. Hayward is the one they chose.
I say give the kid a chance to prove us
wrong. I'm beginning to think he will.
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