This topic contains 26 replies, has 12 voices, and was last updated by rileymcshea3 10 years, 2 months ago.
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- Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 10:33am #53505
snackface1ParticipantI’m sure I’ll get hammered for this but…
I was (and still am to some extent) a huge Wiggins fan. However, the other night I was watching Gerald Green play and wasnt sure if anyone, at this point, can really say Wiggins will be any better than him. Same body, same athleticism, more slasher than creater. Obviously Wiggins is younger and will in all likelyhood be much better, but I cant say that there is much evidence that that is true yet. GG is probably a top 10% type athelete in the league now… it goes to show that you can have all the athleticism in the world but it doesnt make you a all star by any stretch.
Fire away!
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 10:55am #864094
redone1ParticipantNot trying to defend Wiggins too much but one of the reasons Green is an nba journeyman is because Wiggins probably already is a better defender than Green is right now.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 10:55am #864197
redone1ParticipantNot trying to defend Wiggins too much but one of the reasons Green is an nba journeyman is because Wiggins probably already is a better defender than Green is right now.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 11:00am #864096
wildpfingParticipantFrom what I remember of Gerald Green’s past, his lack of playing time was more because of his immaturity off the court than his talent on it. He was extremely athletic and could shoot the ball well but seemed to be out of position a lot and never had a coach that trusted him with more than spot minutes. When GM’s look at Wiggins, they see an ultra-marketable athletic freak who has his head screwed on straight and is willing to learn. He’s already immensely talented but he’s still coachable. Having said that, it’s possible Wiggins turns out to be a very similar player to Green. It would be wildly disappointing, and I think unexpected, but crazier things have happened.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 11:00am #864199
wildpfingParticipantFrom what I remember of Gerald Green’s past, his lack of playing time was more because of his immaturity off the court than his talent on it. He was extremely athletic and could shoot the ball well but seemed to be out of position a lot and never had a coach that trusted him with more than spot minutes. When GM’s look at Wiggins, they see an ultra-marketable athletic freak who has his head screwed on straight and is willing to learn. He’s already immensely talented but he’s still coachable. Having said that, it’s possible Wiggins turns out to be a very similar player to Green. It would be wildly disappointing, and I think unexpected, but crazier things have happened.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 12:03pm #864105
surveParticipantgreat post. I think Wiggins may be a lil more coachable. He seems so level headed and almost like he shuns the spotlight. Green was heavily hyped HSer and went straight to the league. That may be where the gap is. I am sure Wiggins is getting a great education on and off the floor in Lawrence. Self is one of our top coaches. He is teaching Wiggins a lot about offense and defense.
Its been said many times in the past…by his former coaches at that…that Green has always had a low BBIQ. Seems like he is a guy who was just immensely talented but maybe didnt have the best coaching growing up, while Wiggins has had good coaching and comes from an NBA pedigree.
0- Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 7:59pm #864353
rileymcshea3ParticipantGerald Green wasn’t on the highschool basketball team his freshmen year, while Wiggins on the other hand was YouTube famous in 6th grade and getting invites to camps where they teach a lot of stuff that improve basketball IQ. He also attended Huntington Prep which is not your average highschool basketball program. I don’t doubt Wiggins IQ at all. I could see Wiggins becoming the type of player Green is right now, being able to play both wing position but he is way more versatile. Green only averages 3 RPGs a game, while Wiggins had a 19 rebound game. Andrew is more then just a athlete, he is a legit basketball player that know hospital to play the game the right way.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 7:59pm #864251
rileymcshea3ParticipantGerald Green wasn’t on the highschool basketball team his freshmen year, while Wiggins on the other hand was YouTube famous in 6th grade and getting invites to camps where they teach a lot of stuff that improve basketball IQ. He also attended Huntington Prep which is not your average highschool basketball program. I don’t doubt Wiggins IQ at all. I could see Wiggins becoming the type of player Green is right now, being able to play both wing position but he is way more versatile. Green only averages 3 RPGs a game, while Wiggins had a 19 rebound game. Andrew is more then just a athlete, he is a legit basketball player that know hospital to play the game the right way.
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- Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 12:03pm #864207
surveParticipantgreat post. I think Wiggins may be a lil more coachable. He seems so level headed and almost like he shuns the spotlight. Green was heavily hyped HSer and went straight to the league. That may be where the gap is. I am sure Wiggins is getting a great education on and off the floor in Lawrence. Self is one of our top coaches. He is teaching Wiggins a lot about offense and defense.
Its been said many times in the past…by his former coaches at that…that Green has always had a low BBIQ. Seems like he is a guy who was just immensely talented but maybe didnt have the best coaching growing up, while Wiggins has had good coaching and comes from an NBA pedigree.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 12:06pm #864107
Tongue-Out-Like-23ParticipantI think Wiggins will be a terrific defender in the L. He may never be a superstar but he can end up being an Andre Iguodala type of player. Never the best player on a good team but a very good glue guy that does a little bit of everything.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 12:06pm #864209
Tongue-Out-Like-23ParticipantI think Wiggins will be a terrific defender in the L. He may never be a superstar but he can end up being an Andre Iguodala type of player. Never the best player on a good team but a very good glue guy that does a little bit of everything.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 12:27pm #864113
Robb_CParticipantGerald Green coming into the league from HS had zero basketball IQ.. He made the leap to the league purely off being an amazing athlete which says something about how gifted he truly is. It took a lot of grooming by multiple teams to get this guy into a solid rotation ball player..
with that said, Wiggins does have a solid basketball IQ for his age, the knock on Wiggins has been the same as Derrick Rose back when Rose was in HS and somewhat at Memphis.. they both can take over games easy but the tend to try and involve their teammates almost to a fault.. the more confident Wiggins becomes the more he will start using his superior athleticism and natural gifts to take over games..
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 12:27pm #864215
Robb_CParticipantGerald Green coming into the league from HS had zero basketball IQ.. He made the leap to the league purely off being an amazing athlete which says something about how gifted he truly is. It took a lot of grooming by multiple teams to get this guy into a solid rotation ball player..
with that said, Wiggins does have a solid basketball IQ for his age, the knock on Wiggins has been the same as Derrick Rose back when Rose was in HS and somewhat at Memphis.. they both can take over games easy but the tend to try and involve their teammates almost to a fault.. the more confident Wiggins becomes the more he will start using his superior athleticism and natural gifts to take over games..
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 12:45pm #864123
snackface1ParticipantI very much share many of your opinions, it was a just an observation after watching GG play. I can’t really imagine he ends up being a just a solid rotation player.
Everyone has already said they are concerned that he doesnt have the motor, killer instinct, etc. I (most people) like players who play f*ck U basketball.(I’m not letting you win, I’m carrying my team on my back, get the f out of my way)… and I dont know that he has that. Everything else he likely will develop. I dont remember many great great players who didnt have the FU.
All that said…still top 5 🙂
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 12:45pm #864225
snackface1ParticipantI very much share many of your opinions, it was a just an observation after watching GG play. I can’t really imagine he ends up being a just a solid rotation player.
Everyone has already said they are concerned that he doesnt have the motor, killer instinct, etc. I (most people) like players who play f*ck U basketball.(I’m not letting you win, I’m carrying my team on my back, get the f out of my way)… and I dont know that he has that. Everything else he likely will develop. I dont remember many great great players who didnt have the FU.
All that said…still top 5 🙂
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 12:52pm #864131
TarHeelRavenParticipantGood post. I think what Geral Green proves is that you need MUCH more than ridiculous athleticism to succeed in the NBA. He might have played for about 27 teams, but the man can jump and blow out a candle on a cupcake placed on the back of the rim.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 12:52pm #864232
TarHeelRavenParticipantGood post. I think what Geral Green proves is that you need MUCH more than ridiculous athleticism to succeed in the NBA. He might have played for about 27 teams, but the man can jump and blow out a candle on a cupcake placed on the back of the rim.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 12:54pm #864133
Chilbert arenasParticipantI actually said this exact thing to my friend a couple weeks back but like you was hesitant to make that comparison on this site . Wiggins will be almost as good as Gerald is now in his rookie year, it took Gerald near a decade to get where his is now and Wiggins BBIQ, defensive prowess, and maturity will get him where Green could have gone.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 12:54pm #864234
Chilbert arenasParticipantI actually said this exact thing to my friend a couple weeks back but like you was hesitant to make that comparison on this site . Wiggins will be almost as good as Gerald is now in his rookie year, it took Gerald near a decade to get where his is now and Wiggins BBIQ, defensive prowess, and maturity will get him where Green could have gone.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 1:20pm #864145
cargathusParticipantWatching Gerald Green for several seasons on the celtics when he first came into the league taught me several things which still hold true today (mostly)…he is ridiculously athletic, in fact I believe hes one of the most athletic wingmen to play the game today. But as elite as his athleticism is, his basketball IQ is just as bad. When the celtics were terrible, he still couldn’t get consistent playing time due to looking lost on the court everytime he got out there. I remember the coaches told him to crash the boards and he started playing a little better as he would use his hops to secure offensive boards but then his man would just run down the court for a quick freebie if he didn’t get the rebound. He has been able to flourish on the suns because of their offensive style (quick trigger, running the court) but his many discrepencies from way back when are still evident today.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 1:20pm #864246
cargathusParticipantWatching Gerald Green for several seasons on the celtics when he first came into the league taught me several things which still hold true today (mostly)…he is ridiculously athletic, in fact I believe hes one of the most athletic wingmen to play the game today. But as elite as his athleticism is, his basketball IQ is just as bad. When the celtics were terrible, he still couldn’t get consistent playing time due to looking lost on the court everytime he got out there. I remember the coaches told him to crash the boards and he started playing a little better as he would use his hops to secure offensive boards but then his man would just run down the court for a quick freebie if he didn’t get the rebound. He has been able to flourish on the suns because of their offensive style (quick trigger, running the court) but his many discrepencies from way back when are still evident today.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 1:47pm #864149
Chilbert arenasParticipantLet’s make this clear, Gerald is one of the best leapers in NBA history, but I would say baseline to baseline Wiggins is faster.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 1:47pm #864250
Chilbert arenasParticipantLet’s make this clear, Gerald is one of the best leapers in NBA history, but I would say baseline to baseline Wiggins is faster.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 4:31pm #864293
AmiableBaller34ParticipantThe first basketball game I ever went to just happened to be Gerald Green’s first game as a pro with the Celtics, and I remember watching the first couple seasons of his career very well.
Gerald Green was never a player that excited me. I remember when the Celtics drafted him, I was pumped, but then I saw his draft interview a few seconds later. I will always remember the words he said when the reporter asked him what he thought about being drafted by the Boston Celtics, one of the most historic teams in the NBA. His response? "I thought I would go higher."
Gerald Green was a good prospect, but I don’t think you can compare him to Wiggins. Wiggins might float in and out of games, but theres no doubt in my mind that he already has a superior mental game than Green has had for most of his career. Gerald came out of high school, and wasn’t mentaly ready for the NBA lifestyle or game.
One of the telling differences to me between the two is defense. I still have nightmares of Tommy Heinsohn telling me Green would be a good defender because he plays on the "balls of his feet." He told me this for two years, and never once did Green ever play anything other than mediocre D. Wiggins on the other hand, is a great defender, and is already a better defender than Green was at this point. A player might not be the greatest, but if they can play defense, than that is a very telling sign, and Wiggins has that. Green is all offense, at worst Wiggins will be a three and D guy.
I understand why some people don’t like Wiggins and think he will bust, but comparing him to Gerald Green is a little insulting.
Just for fun btw, here’s the first game I went to, which was also Gerald Green’s first game too. Interesting to see some of the names! Elton Brand was a boss that year:http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200602030BOS.html
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 4:31pm #864190
AmiableBaller34ParticipantThe first basketball game I ever went to just happened to be Gerald Green’s first game as a pro with the Celtics, and I remember watching the first couple seasons of his career very well.
Gerald Green was never a player that excited me. I remember when the Celtics drafted him, I was pumped, but then I saw his draft interview a few seconds later. I will always remember the words he said when the reporter asked him what he thought about being drafted by the Boston Celtics, one of the most historic teams in the NBA. His response? "I thought I would go higher."
Gerald Green was a good prospect, but I don’t think you can compare him to Wiggins. Wiggins might float in and out of games, but theres no doubt in my mind that he already has a superior mental game than Green has had for most of his career. Gerald came out of high school, and wasn’t mentaly ready for the NBA lifestyle or game.
One of the telling differences to me between the two is defense. I still have nightmares of Tommy Heinsohn telling me Green would be a good defender because he plays on the "balls of his feet." He told me this for two years, and never once did Green ever play anything other than mediocre D. Wiggins on the other hand, is a great defender, and is already a better defender than Green was at this point. A player might not be the greatest, but if they can play defense, than that is a very telling sign, and Wiggins has that. Green is all offense, at worst Wiggins will be a three and D guy.
I understand why some people don’t like Wiggins and think he will bust, but comparing him to Gerald Green is a little insulting.
Just for fun btw, here’s the first game I went to, which was also Gerald Green’s first game too. Interesting to see some of the names! Elton Brand was a boss that year:http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200602030BOS.html
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 5:16pm #864319
Sewok15ParticipantGerald Green has been in the league for 7+ seasons and he is finally having his best one at age 27. His natural gifts aren’t any great than they were as an 18 year old but you can clearly see his head is together and now the results are coming. This year he is averaging career highs in minutes, points, steals, blocks and assists. He has 2.5 win shares this year already which is equal to his last two seasons combined.
Green certainly took a while to find his niche in the league but now it is finally paying divedends. Wiggins is likely to improve at a much faster rate because he has his head on straight by all accounts. There is a reason Green was only picked 18th not in the top 5 like his talent should have dictated.
0 - Posted on: Wed, 01/22/2014 - 5:16pm #864216
Sewok15ParticipantGerald Green has been in the league for 7+ seasons and he is finally having his best one at age 27. His natural gifts aren’t any great than they were as an 18 year old but you can clearly see his head is together and now the results are coming. This year he is averaging career highs in minutes, points, steals, blocks and assists. He has 2.5 win shares this year already which is equal to his last two seasons combined.
Green certainly took a while to find his niche in the league but now it is finally paying divedends. Wiggins is likely to improve at a much faster rate because he has his head on straight by all accounts. There is a reason Green was only picked 18th not in the top 5 like his talent should have dictated.
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