[YoungBlackGifted11Participant]

Is it just me or does Hasheem Thabeet remind anybody of a certain someone from the 1984 NBA draft. This someone I am thinking of was the second overall pick (Thabeet projected 2nd as well) just ahead of Michael Jordan. This same someone averaged 12 points and 8 rebounds as a freshman at UK (Thabeet 6 pts. 6 rebs. at UConn) and although he sat out his sophmore and junior years in college he managed to still average 10.5 pts, 9 rebs. and 3.0 blcks as a senior. Now I know Thabeet is only a junior but still his numbers are earily similiar with 13 ppg, 10 rebs. and 4 blcks. If you don’t already know by now I am talking about the greatest bust of all-time Sam Bowie. And with all the hype surrounding Thabeet (ala Bowie) I can’t help but wonder is Thabeet nothing more than the second coming of Bowie, being picked just ahead of James Harden (I’m not comparing Hardin to Jordan) and entering the NBA as a overhyped big man with nothing to offer but a block and rebound here and there to go along with wear and tear of a NBA center that is constantly bullied (remember 6’7 Dejuan Blair who threw around Thabeet) by big-men like Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnet, Kendrick Perkins, Andres Biedrins, Amare Stoudemire, Tim Duncan, Yao Ming, Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Eric Dampier, and Andruw Bynum (who are all 6’11 or taller) among others. I’m sorry but I just can’t see Thabeet competing at the NBA level with these bigs night in and night out.

[A. Stock]

How In The World Is Thabeet Like Bowie? Yes, They Are Both Big Centers..But Thats IT! You CANNOT Compare Stats And Say That ANY Two Players Are Alike. It Just Doesn’t Work That Way. Bowie Was An Injury Nightmare, Even In College. Thabeet Hasn’t Been Injured Yet. Bad Comparison There. However, I Do Agree With The Point You Made About Thabeet Being Dominated By Many Of The Bigs In The NBA. He Won’t Be Able To Score 10 Points Per Game For A Few Years. But Defensively, His Presence Will Be Felt Immediately.

[A. Stock]

And Bowie Had 3 Pretty Successful Years. But The Rest Of His Career Was Spent In A Body Cast, Haha.

[BigBadBoogieParticipant]

who ever youngblackandgifted is white and needs to finish setting up the middle school dance. How can you compare the two completely different. Thabeets 3 inches taller, twice as athletic and has a butt load of more potential. You made me feel stupid reading that ass clown.

[James-Harden-13Participant]

you took my middle school dance joke i have been using on here but you ruined it, by being racist. i highly doubt ybg is white, and even if he was that has nothing to do with anything.

[j19lennon63]

you ractist fucking asshole…racism is not cool now a days…honestly

[BigBadBoogieParticipant]

I got to school with him, comon the kids name Fran im not a racist, I know the guy hes 5 9 and white. YBG is tatted on McCants neck aka one of his favorite players. Not being a racist just making fun of his user name chill chill. He tried to compare Thabeet to Bowie he needed some kicks to the groin

[YoungBlackGifted11Participant]

BigBadBoogie what do you mean Thabeet has more potential than Bowie had? Sam Bowie was one of the most highly recruited players if not the highest recruited ever out of highschool. He averaged 28 and 18 so could you explain how Thabeet has more potential. There stats are nearly identical and Thabeet is probably going to be picked in the same spot as Bowie. Also how can you say Thabeet is more athletic when you have nothing to back it. Bowie was considered one of the most athletic centers to ever come out of highschool. He was recruited for his “quickness” (among other things obviously) so you really have no argument here. P.s. Thabeet is 2 inches taller with the same wingspan. And to you A stock, I disagree with the statement that his D will be felt immediately. Guys in the NBA will jump through and over anyone. They do not try and avoid contact like in college I mean look at lebron, kobe, NATE ROBINSON, and even a Anthony Randolph of golden state. And those arent even the guys he’ll be guarding. I doubt Thabeet is going to alter any of the big mens shots i mentioned above.

[BigBadBoogieParticipant]

Ok so you typed Sam Bowie into wikipedia and got all that information congrats!!! You never saw Bowie play ever, you were not alive. They are different players, Thabeets athleticism is off the charts and he is not at all prone to injury, but on the other hand Bowie, the man whose bones were made out of plastic, injuries marred his career. It’s a different league these days and I believe that Thabeet will most deffinatly make an impact for any team in the NBA. All because Thabeet is averaging close to what Bowie did in college and is expected to go 2nd in the draft does not mean that they are similar at all. I could understand the comparison, but I would see Tyler Zellar maybe ending up like Bowie, hahaha, cheap shot.

[redford4threeParticipant]

I am going to have to side with YBG because Bowie was VERY highly touted.
And Boogie, If he was not as hyped as Thabeet then I have a question.
Why would Bowie have been picked over Michael Jordan?
If Thabeet is getting dominated by an undersized power forward (Blair) than how is he going to be that good in the NBA.
I have seen your other posts. You have said that Thabeet is a franchise player. There is no way he will be able to go into the NBA, be a franchise player if he cannot dominate the college level.
I will give it to you, he does have alot of potential and he has only been playing basketball for a few years, but he is not as good as you think he is and the Bowie comparison is not as bad as you think.
And I think that a smart NBA team will see this and they will pick Harden over him.
An exceptional trainer in the NBA can transform him into an all star but until then, he is going to have to work on his jumpshot because he is too dang soft to go into someone on offense. And on defense, I agree with you YBG, is LBJ, Wade, Kobe, Troy Murphy, are they really going to try to go around Thabeet?
NOOOO–they will all take a lesson from Blair and go right through him!!

[eprizzle14Participant]

Man YBG is haaaaaaaating on Thabeet. Dudes been playing basketball for 4 years and you dont think hes gonna be a different player after a few years of NBA coaching? Yeaa hes skinny, yeaa he probably wont be able to put on much weight, but this guy has length like few others. With him on the floor any shot taken in the key or restricted area for that matter is going to see some long sticks flyin at him. (meaning Thabeets Arms, Hands) Offensively this guy will be a Biedrins at Worst. My Comparison is Tyson Chandler

[A. Stock]

You Are Stupid. Sorry, I Had To Come Out And Say It. Any Person Who Simply Compares Stats And Draft Positions And Then Labels Players As “Alike” Gets No Respect From Me. GUYS In The NBA Don’t Jump Through And Over Anyone, A SELECT FEW Do. Your Arguments Are Much Too Vague To Actually Carry And Validity. Thabeet Will Alter Tons Of Shots In The NBA, And Block Quite A Few Shots As Well. He Can Be One Of The Top 5 Shotblockers In The League If He Can Stay On The Floor And Not Foul……..

One More Thing…. When You Are 7’3 And Have A Seven And A Half Foot Wingspan, Altering Shots Is Your Middle Name. Anyone That Big Is Going To Alter Shots Simply Because Of Size. It’s Practically An Impossibility For A Player Of That Stature To NOT Alter Shots.

[YoungBlackGifted11Participant]

Ok so I still am not seeing how there athleticism is at all in Thabeets favor your just saying it is to sound good. You have nothing to show he’s more athletic and my point exactly is that the league is different. The big men now a days are a lot more physical. This would be a disadvantage to Thabeet because he relies on his height to block shots and score. The only “physical” opponent he’s played this year knocked him around, flipped him over his back, and grabbed 20 and 20. So could someone (besides BigBadBoogie who has no supporting evidence in any arguments except saying “I believe” this and that) tell me how an Andrum Bynum or Eric Dampier (to say the least) won’t completely obliterate Thabeet in the low block.

[A. Stock]

Star? No. Defensive Juggernaut? Yes.

[A. Stock]

For Dampier To Obliterate Thabeet On The Low Block, He Will First Have To Learn How To Post Up. Dampier Doesn’t Play Offense. Never Has, And Never Will. He Only Scores Off Of Tips And Garbage, Much Like Thabeet. YGB, I Don’t Know… But It Seems Like You Underestimate How Much Impact Size And Length Can Have In A Game. Thabeet Doesn’t Jump For Pumpfakes, So Going Through Him Would Result In An Offensive Foul… What Else Would You Like To Argue About? I’ll Argue With You All You Want.

[YoungBlackGifted11Participant]

A. Stock your only argument is that he is tall. I’m not saying he wont block and few shots here and there but numbers are the only thing we have to go by now. And b.c of the numbers this is a legit comparision. Dwight Howard leads the league with 2 blocks a game. Maybe Thabeet will get his 2 blocks a game but I guarantee he is not going to put up Dwight Howard offensive numbers even with a few developmental years.

[A. Stock]

Howard 2 Block A Game? LOL. You Are Even Dumber Than I Thought…

[deuce4off]

ignorance at it’s peak with this comparison….

[YoungBlackGifted11Participant]

Is 2 to 3 Blocks w. an OCCASIONAL double-double really worth the high pick to you? A.Stock

[A. Stock]

When Did I Argue About Thabeet Being Tall? You Said He Wouldn’t Alter Any Shots A While Ago… Looks Like Whatever I Said Worked. Hahaha.

[A. Stock]

I Never Said I Would Draft Thabeet. I’m Just Arguing With You Because I Like Proving You Wrong.

[YoungBlackGifted11Participant]

Sorry 2.9 Big difference 1 block in an entire game. And i believe you said “When You Are 7’3 And Have A Seven And A Half Foot Wingspan, Altering Shots Is Your Middle Name.” Im pretty sure thats an argument in favor og height.

[A. Stock]

Well Get You Shlt Straight Before You Start Typing.

[YoungBlackGifted11Participant]

Yeah except You didn’t. But thank you what you just said about not taking him high is all I really wanted to hear.

[A. Stock]

Yes, I Did Say That. That Was My Rebuddle To You Saying That Thabeet Wouldn’t Alter ANY Shots IN The NBA. So I Proved You Wrong.

[A. Stock]

When Did I Not Have My Shlt Straight?

[TheWordOfWallParticipant]

Just because your are an obvious Duke fan does not mean u compare a UNC player to a bust. You have never seen Zeller play and i know that because you do not go that deep into high school rankings and he has been injured since he broke his wrist on a dunk early in the year. That is your only comparison, Zeller has one injury so now all of a sudden he is Sam Bowie. He is 7-0, 220 and has the fram to put on weight, but he is an athletic center that can shoot the ball and run the floor and has a big upside. If we want to talk about potential busts all signs point to Kyle Singler. He apparently put on 10 or 15 lbs of muscle over the offseason and though his rebounding has gone up, the majority of his points are not from post ups. If he is going to play in the NBA there is no way he can play in the paint, and his range and handles have a ways to go because he will be playing against players that are bigger and more athletic, unlike college where the opposing teams PF is matched up against him. Another weakness of his is that for his career he has a 1-1.3 assist to turn over ratio which will get you nowhere. I just do not see any upside to his game. I compare Singler to a Steve Novak who had a good all around game and shot well from three. He had a great college career and got picked 32nd overall, but was sent down to D League then traded in his first two years.

[YoungBlackGifted11Participant]

Dont contradict yourself and ull have a valid argument possibly

[A. Stock]

When Did I Contradict Myself? Tell Me, Please.

[YoungBlackGifted11Participant]

I said he’d alter a shot hear and there buddy. Your losing it

[YoungBlackGifted11Participant]

When you said you werent arguing about his height. And “Thabeet being Tall.”

[A. Stock]

” I doubt Thabeet is going to alter any of the big mens shots i mentioned above.” Oh, You Did? Hahahaha.

[A. Stock]

I Wasn’t Arguing ABout His Height, I Was Arguing About How Height Alone Is All A Player Needs To Alter Shots. Proving You Wrong When You Said Thabeet Won’t Alter Any.

[YoungBlackGifted11Participant]

Hey A.Stock buddy take the night off. You lost in the argument. It is not a big deal you win some you lose some. Thabeet will block some. Bowie Blocked some. No need to dwell on this im sure well be feuding about another topic very soon.

[deuce4off]

youngblackstupid

[A. Stock]

But You Said Thabeet Won’t Alter Any Shots… How Did I Lose The Argument? In My Opinion, Someone Who Deems Themselves A Winner Of An Argument Has Nothing Left To Back Themselves Up….

[A. Stock]

And You Flip-Flopped And Then Said Thabeet Will Alter Some. That Was AFTER I Started To Argue With You. So I Lost?

[A. Stock]

duece4off Seems To Disaggree With You.. Hahaha.

[TheWordOfWallParticipant]

A. Stock just take the night off you are not arguing about anything you are just trying to get under peoples skin and it has not seemed to work except with levance and clutchlevance(Redfordfor3) so go argue with him? by the way what do u think of my last post about singler the true bust

[A. Stock]

But Now I Have To Go Watch The Celtics Play The Jazz. Feel Free To Type A Really Long Message Trying To Make Yourself Sound Less Dumb Than You Already Seem. Good Debate, YGB.

[YoungBlackGifted11Participant]

Re-read I said he’d alter a few here and there I believe multiple times I said it actually. Ha darn. But yes I did say I doubt he’d alter MANY shots I do not believe he will. But good for him if he gets 3 blocks a game. And good for you for trying to keep a dead argument alive when ud clearly lost.

[eprizzle14Participant]

Here is why Thabeet will be succesful in the league: Smaller players who penatrate to score will not be able to finish around the rim while this guy is on the floor unless hes drawn out by the other teams C because he will just swat the ball out of the air like a volleyball. NBA coaches will teach him how to not let these big man youre so fond of like, Erik I havent had a good season since my free agency year at Golden State DAMPIER, get in the low post where they are effective. Thabeet is going to have his share of posterizations but that comes with protecting the rim. Only players that finish strong around the rim will be able to flush it with him in the paint thus altering the whole game.

[redford4threeParticipant]

He is right A. Stock. Your argument is weak. Even if he does block 3 shots a game, big deal. Does it really matter if he blocks that many shots because as of now he cannot score. He is primarily a rebound/block shot guy. That is really what the NBA needs another Ben Wallace. And NO I am not comparing Thabeet to Ben Wallace because I have more talent on offense than Wallace. But he can do what Wallace does and block shots and what does Wallace get for that. O yeah nice he gets to sit on the bench and get his occasional minutes.

[A. Stock]

He Starts For The Cavs, Clutchlevance. But Nice Try.

[A. Stock]

And Not To Mention Wallace Is A 4 Time Defensive Player Of The Year. He Sure Is Useless, Isn’t He Clutchlevance?

[canesboy6Participant]

Thabust wont block as many shots in the pro’s because of defensive 3 seconds. If anybody actually watched UCONN play, rather than just look at stats like the bunch of geeks we all probably are for arguing bout this, you would see that he just sets up camp under that rim. College Centers cant shoot or dribble so he has no insentive to leave. Nobdy get’s physical with him. He isn’t much taller than Chandler, a whole lot less mobile and athletic, and Chandler was a bust at the second pick so he would have to realllly improve to be anything but a bust at the second pick. DeJuan Blair made him look stupid, STUPID. All 6’7 of him. His offense is nowhere near ready for the NBA post, and all the things he contributes will be exponentially harder for him at the next level. The fact that he’s only been playing for 4 or 5 years pisses me off because it doesn’t mean he has great potential, it means he can’t play basketball. He is too far behind to catch up offensively, and not athletic enough to be the same Defensive presence in the league that he is now. I’m not sayin he wont block some shots and contribute, but im saying he isn’t gonna make anybody happy long term with the second overall pick.

[canesboy6Participant]

i chose to not even comment on judging a kid who hasn’t played yet as a bust because it was obviously by a dook fan, and there suffering enough. Tyler Zeller is a player, he has never had injury concerns, and his injury this year isn’t a chronic knee or foot or ankle injury, He broke his wrist when he was flagrantly fouled. Dont be an idiot. Watch him contribute off the bench on a NC team, and suck coach rat’s little dookie dick all day, even though you guys haven’t been contenders in FOREVER and are bringing in more soft big men in 2009 to do the same next year. It’s hillarious.

[jorrye24]

Thabeet to me looks like a high lottery pick that will spend lots of time in the d league in his 1st 2 years then be on the end of a rotation 4 the rest of his career.he may alter SOME shots but it won’t be enough to keep him on the floor because he lacks so much offensive game.

[Pistol Pete. The PelicanParticipant]

the likes of andris biedrins, eric dampier, dirk nowitzki and yes YAO MING will not dominate Thabeet on the block, they are not post players, they’re just tall guys mainy, YAO is the only actually really big one, and anyone can push him off the block ala a 6’8 258 pound carlos boozer . Thabeet is not going to be a bowie. Bowies main problem was injuries which may because he was only like 235 pounds at 7’1…thabeet is 7’3 265. People tend to forget that bowie averaged 11 points and 9 rebounds 2 blocks and was good for an occasional three pointer here and there. He wouldn’t have been the biggest bust ever if michael jordan was behind him, people knew jordan was good but, i don’t think people thought he would go on to be the greatest player ever. He was good at unc but not great. if jordan was in another draft would they have said bowie was a bust over john stockton or charles barkley?

[redford4threeParticipant]

Ben Wallace averages about 24 minutes a game this year and for that I consider him on the bench most of the game.
And ok Wallace gets a ton of rebounds and blocks a lot of shots, and if Thabeet wants to get defensive player of the year every year thats fine but that will not consider him a good player. MAny NBA bigs are starting to develop mid range jumpers and for Thabeet to be a good player he will have to develop that. What he has now will not cut it in the NBA because he will get eaten alive by beasts like Shaq, Dwight, Amare, Duncan, and many more…
The good defensive bigs in the NBA will be able to muscle Thabeet up and keep him out the paint where he shoots a low percentage. But if he so happens to develop a jumper from around the free throw line than I will change my opinion of him. If he can hit that shot he will have a nice future ahead of him, with many All-Star games.

[TsedreytParticipant]

“and if Thabeet wants to get defensive player of the year every year thats fine but that will not consider him a good player.”

Are you serious? That is one of the most ridiculous comments I have ever heard. Defense is not importnat? Thats why the Suns win the championship every year, right? Look at successful teams. The Spurs, Celtics, Lakers, Cavs. Yes, they score, but ALL OF THEM PLAY DEFENSE. Its people like you who look at points per game to measure a player’s stats. Take a look deeper, watch a game, or even just look at defensive efficiency. Plenty of people can put the ball in the bucket, a lot less can/will play solid D.

[gberg23]

I’m not picking a side here because I don’t know how he will do, but doesn’t Blair have like 15 pounds on him and is one of the most aggressive players in college? Yeah he is short but he throws his body around well and that would work against any tall skinny guy. Let Thabeet gain some weight and play another few years and then you can all argue over who was right.

[A. Stock]

Thabeet Needs To Work On His Body A Little Bit. Strength Will Be One Of The Factors That Will Determine Whether Or Not He Will Be Successful.

[mrslowpokeParticipant]

Look I’m huge UCONN fan but I think Thabeet is over hyped big time. I never seen Thabeet flat out just dominant a game, I don’t think he’s NBA ready. If goes i don’t think he will see much minutes period, an if I was in his inner circle I would advise him to go back to school. Because it doesn’t make no sense for him to go early and become a bust. What I don’t understand is how, he is projected as a number 2 overall and he wasn’t even the best player on his team. He is going to be good, but he needs to work on his game before he decides to go pro.

[Author]

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