[IknoBall12Participant]

 Can somebody tell me why the Louisville big man gets so much publicity? I mean I’ve seen him play some and to me the guy just isn’t good. Besides him trying to be intimidating he doesn’t have any touch or just offensive skills that I’ve seen. He’s a decent rebounder but when I saw him play against Kentucky i def saw someone who was afraid of the moment and looked like he wanted to be anywhere other than playing against those men in blue. If there is a fan of his or anyone who can help tell me what makes this guy a good player. Why was he even considering leaving school last year?

[TRC1991Participant]

Montrezl is exactly what you’d expect: a tough, bruising, physically intimidating, strong, muscle-bound, undersized 4 man with 0 offensive skill besides the tomahawk pack and putback from an o-reb.

Quite a few guys in the NBA with similar skillsets have succeeded with Kenneth Faried being the most successful one of the group…Montrezl might not have the leaping ability of the Manimal, but he’ll find a role as a guy who can come off the pine and bang.

Top 15 pick? No…But he’s a guy who you can get value out of in the 20’s

 

 

 

[TRC1991Participant]

Montrezl is exactly what you’d expect: a tough, bruising, physically intimidating, strong, muscle-bound, undersized 4 man with 0 offensive skill besides the tomahawk pack and putback from an o-reb.

Quite a few guys in the NBA with similar skillsets have succeeded with Kenneth Faried being the most successful one of the group…Montrezl might not have the leaping ability of the Manimal, but he’ll find a role as a guy who can come off the pine and bang.

Top 15 pick? No…But he’s a guy who you can get value out of in the 20’s

 

 

 

[SnowtaParticipant]

 I’m not sure how good of an NBA player he’ll be. He can rebound and that will translate and I think his offense will depend on the system he’s in. He should be an above average defender though. I would say it’s hard to judge a big off of how they played against Kentucky. I mean how often is it in the NBA even that a PF is guarded by a 7′. Turner and Alexander both struggled quite a bit against Kentucky too.

[SnowtaParticipant]

 I’m not sure how good of an NBA player he’ll be. He can rebound and that will translate and I think his offense will depend on the system he’s in. He should be an above average defender though. I would say it’s hard to judge a big off of how they played against Kentucky. I mean how often is it in the NBA even that a PF is guarded by a 7′. Turner and Alexander both struggled quite a bit against Kentucky too.

[CU.LIONSParticipant]

I think M Harrell will be a poor-mans Ben Wallace. There are definitely some teams that could used his toughness though. At least with him you know what your getting.

[CU.LIONSParticipant]

I think M Harrell will be a poor-mans Ben Wallace. There are definitely some teams that could used his toughness though. At least with him you know what your getting.

[knicksfreakParticipant]

 Thomas Robinson 2.0

[losnopesosParticipant]

 This is the correct answer.  He relies too much on intimidation in the college game to succeed at the next level.  Plus, Rick Pitino, while a great college coach he is, has not produced a player that has transitioned into a successful pro since Francisco Garcia.  He has no real skill game and is only 6’8 who relies solely on hustle.  Won’t get it done in the long run. 

[losnopesosParticipant]

 This is the correct answer.  He relies too much on intimidation in the college game to succeed at the next level.  Plus, Rick Pitino, while a great college coach he is, has not produced a player that has transitioned into a successful pro since Francisco Garcia.  He has no real skill game and is only 6’8 who relies solely on hustle.  Won’t get it done in the long run. 

[knicksfreakParticipant]

 Thomas Robinson 2.0

[DolanCareParticipant]

I’m a fan of Montrezel. Don’t give me wrong, I understand the Montrezel skepticism. But you have to realize that players with his defensive versatility are not common. Jared Jeffries was a coveted asset in his day (obviously grossly overpaid, but coveted) because of what he could do on the defensive side. Montrezel isn’t the perimeter defender that Jeffries was but he is a far better rim protector. 

I predict he’ll be a combination of Tyson Chandler and Kenneth Faried in the NBA: A fastbreak threat, finishes through contact, alley opp target and solid defender…. But ultimately a bench player for a contender.

 

[DolanCareParticipant]

I’m a fan of Montrezel. Don’t give me wrong, I understand the Montrezel skepticism. But you have to realize that players with his defensive versatility are not common. Jared Jeffries was a coveted asset in his day (obviously grossly overpaid, but coveted) because of what he could do on the defensive side. Montrezel isn’t the perimeter defender that Jeffries was but he is a far better rim protector. 

I predict he’ll be a combination of Tyson Chandler and Kenneth Faried in the NBA: A fastbreak threat, finishes through contact, alley opp target and solid defender…. But ultimately a bench player for a contender.

 

[HobbyOGParticipant]

 He plays with a lot of energy, passion, and leaves it all on the floor. That’s the hype about him, great for college basketball.But as an NBA prospect, nah. He will be a good rotation player off the bench, giving solid minutes. 

[HobbyOGParticipant]

 He plays with a lot of energy, passion, and leaves it all on the floor. That’s the hype about him, great for college basketball.But as an NBA prospect, nah. He will be a good rotation player off the bench, giving solid minutes. 

[joecheck88Participant]

 I think you guys are selling him short a bit. I love his motor. He will rebound and protect the rim. He can step out and defend guards if need be. I think he will develop a decent jumpshot too(he will hit an open college 3 now). Plus he has a desire to bang down low. Could be Taj Gibson 2.0 but more intense. Taj wasn’t the most reliable shooter coming into the league and he was 24. Harrell is 20 and I think just as good if not better than Taj when he came into the league. I wouldn’t take him top 5 but if I need a 4 I’m looking at Harrell. 

[joecheck88Participant]

 I think you guys are selling him short a bit. I love his motor. He will rebound and protect the rim. He can step out and defend guards if need be. I think he will develop a decent jumpshot too(he will hit an open college 3 now). Plus he has a desire to bang down low. Could be Taj Gibson 2.0 but more intense. Taj wasn’t the most reliable shooter coming into the league and he was 24. Harrell is 20 and I think just as good if not better than Taj when he came into the league. I wouldn’t take him top 5 but if I need a 4 I’m looking at Harrell. 

[cozmojimParticipant]

 Harrell realy reminds me of Kenyon Martin. Great Motor and Intinsity. Similar imposing attitude decent rebounder with a limited offensive game, but guys who realy makes an Impact defensively. I don’t think anybody will make the same mistake as the Nets did and take Harrell number one, but he’ll have a long solid NBA career.

[cozmojimParticipant]

 Harrell realy reminds me of Kenyon Martin. Great Motor and Intinsity. Similar imposing attitude decent rebounder with a limited offensive game, but guys who realy makes an Impact defensively. I don’t think anybody will make the same mistake as the Nets did and take Harrell number one, but he’ll have a long solid NBA career.

[JoeWolf1]

 I’m with joecheck. You’re underselling him as a stereotype grinder while overlooking some elements of his game he’s really improved upon.

For instance, he’s a 38.3% shooter on his 2 point jumpers. He’s actually got that 10 footer down pretty well, and it’s something I first noticed last year as a big jump from his freshman season. He’s taken it up another couple points from his 36% clip last year. 

Compare him to other highly touted forwards in the draft and you see Karl Towns shooting 34.2% on his 2 point jumpers. Kevin Looney 31.4, Chris McCullough – 33.3%, Sam Dekker – 33.3%

I’m sure most people would have predicted Harrell to be last among that bunch when in fact he’s significantly better.

Now, I bring all this up to say, I feel like a lot of you guys are just lazily stereotyping him because in a lot of ways he fits that mold of an undersized dunker with no polish. I don’t see Montrezl going Dirk on his mid-range game, but he has more appeal in the pick and roll, and pick and pop game than one would initially think because of his continued growth as a 10-15 foot jump shooter.

When the site had him at #6, I thought it was a tad high, but no way there will be 15-20 guys in this draft better than Harrell when all is said and done.

[JoeWolf1]

 I’m with joecheck. You’re underselling him as a stereotype grinder while overlooking some elements of his game he’s really improved upon.

For instance, he’s a 38.3% shooter on his 2 point jumpers. He’s actually got that 10 footer down pretty well, and it’s something I first noticed last year as a big jump from his freshman season. He’s taken it up another couple points from his 36% clip last year. 

Compare him to other highly touted forwards in the draft and you see Karl Towns shooting 34.2% on his 2 point jumpers. Kevin Looney 31.4, Chris McCullough – 33.3%, Sam Dekker – 33.3%

I’m sure most people would have predicted Harrell to be last among that bunch when in fact he’s significantly better.

Now, I bring all this up to say, I feel like a lot of you guys are just lazily stereotyping him because in a lot of ways he fits that mold of an undersized dunker with no polish. I don’t see Montrezl going Dirk on his mid-range game, but he has more appeal in the pick and roll, and pick and pop game than one would initially think because of his continued growth as a 10-15 foot jump shooter.

When the site had him at #6, I thought it was a tad high, but no way there will be 15-20 guys in this draft better than Harrell when all is said and done.

[Author]

Posts