[slepchorParticipant]

Sooooo here I am talking about Hasheem Thabeet, whom I watched in the dls vs hawks game the other day.. Lets state the usual stuff to begin with. Huge bust. No way he played like a number 2 pick at any point of his mediocre career. Very awkward due to his terrible footwork. Slow, too.. Couldn’t hit a hook shot to save his life. Everyone happy? 

I was just looking at the rosters for the upcoming year, and I couldn’t help but noticing names like Greg Stiemsma, Joel Anthony, Cole Aldrich, Gorgui Dieng and many more.. Players that I can not think of as being superior than Thabeet in any way.. The guy is at least 7 ft 2 inches tall, can block a ton of shots and is more than a decent rebounder.. I agree that he lacks any natural feel for the game whatsoever, but come on, how bad can it be? He averaged roughly 9p-6r-2blk in the d-league this season, do you guys think he could hurt teams by being in the rotation for 10 minutes a game, defending the rim? I certainly don’t.. In fact teams like the hawks or the mavericks could def use him imo.. So my big question goes like this : It’s allright and fun to talk about the draft, how it elevates a player’s life, the hype, the steals, everything.. Has anyone thought of how the draft actually can destroy and deminish a player’s future? Some executive or GM makes a bad decision, and some guy gets mocked and laughed at for his entire career.. I really think that if Thabeet had been selected with the 32nd pick instead of the second, 6 years ago, he would still be in the league, with guaranteed contracts, competing against guys like Koufos or Ajinca for a reserve big-man contract. Any thoughts?

 

[SmooveKRYPTParticipant]

Coaches and personnel departments see these guys in practice nearly every day. If a guy can’t get off the bench & crack a rotation for any period of time, there’s usually a reason. Most times it’s a lack of consistent focus and/or energy that prevents coaches from trusting these guys with rotation minutes.

& Gorgui Dieng is significantly better than him.

[SmooveKRYPTParticipant]

Coaches and personnel departments see these guys in practice nearly every day. If a guy can’t get off the bench & crack a rotation for any period of time, there’s usually a reason. Most times it’s a lack of consistent focus and/or energy that prevents coaches from trusting these guys with rotation minutes.

& Gorgui Dieng is significantly better than him.

[ilike.panochasParticipant]

Thabeet is soft, and lacks any basketball instict. I remeber his match up against Dejuan Blair (UConn vs Pitt) where Blair abused him and was throwing him around like a rag doll, 6’7 vs 7’2. At that point thats where I raised the red flag on Thabeet, the guy just has no guts and it doesnt matter how tall you are, this league will eat you up if they see fear.

[ilike.panochasParticipant]

Thabeet is soft, and lacks any basketball instict. I remeber his match up against Dejuan Blair (UConn vs Pitt) where Blair abused him and was throwing him around like a rag doll, 6’7 vs 7’2. At that point thats where I raised the red flag on Thabeet, the guy just has no guts and it doesnt matter how tall you are, this league will eat you up if they see fear.

[GBeeParticipant]

 Every single player named in the OP is better than Thabeet.  He has no redeeming quality as an NBA player.  He’s a defensive specialist who’s not even good defensively because of his poor instincts, low IQ, slow reactions and lack of toughness.

I don’t buy that GMs hold him being a failed #2 pick against him.  That is irrelevant now because he is no longer being paid like a #2 pick.  He has already busted and there are no longer any high expectations when it comes to him.  He is a minimum player and as such has zero risk attached to him.  He just sucks.  Look at a guy like Kwame who eventually lasted 12 seasons in his league, latching on late because he actually became a solid defender.

And 9/6 in the DLeague is awful. 

 

 

 

[GBeeParticipant]

 Every single player named in the OP is better than Thabeet.  He has no redeeming quality as an NBA player.  He’s a defensive specialist who’s not even good defensively because of his poor instincts, low IQ, slow reactions and lack of toughness.

I don’t buy that GMs hold him being a failed #2 pick against him.  That is irrelevant now because he is no longer being paid like a #2 pick.  He has already busted and there are no longer any high expectations when it comes to him.  He is a minimum player and as such has zero risk attached to him.  He just sucks.  Look at a guy like Kwame who eventually lasted 12 seasons in his league, latching on late because he actually became a solid defender.

And 9/6 in the DLeague is awful. 

 

 

 

[kazamParticipant]

 I don’t think Hasheem’s lack of an NBA contract has much if anything to do with what position he was drafted at. Hasheem is a great guy from all accounts, but he just isn’t made for today’s NBA. He doesn’t rebound particularly well defensively or offensively. He blocks shots, but more often than not just because he is 7’2 or 7’3. He’s not an elite athlete- thus limiting his ability to be a rim runner out of the PNR. If Sheem can consistently defend at a high level-even without blocking a ton of shots then maybe he can get a roster spot at the end of a bench. 

[kazamParticipant]

 I don’t think Hasheem’s lack of an NBA contract has much if anything to do with what position he was drafted at. Hasheem is a great guy from all accounts, but he just isn’t made for today’s NBA. He doesn’t rebound particularly well defensively or offensively. He blocks shots, but more often than not just because he is 7’2 or 7’3. He’s not an elite athlete- thus limiting his ability to be a rim runner out of the PNR. If Sheem can consistently defend at a high level-even without blocking a ton of shots then maybe he can get a roster spot at the end of a bench. 

[bennydabullParticipant]

 dude got ejected from a summer league game i think that says it all

[bennydabullParticipant]

 dude got ejected from a summer league game i think that says it all

[TWILL123Participant]

 I can’t believe Gorgui Dieng was just lumped into a category with Hasheem Thabeet, Joel Anthony, and Greg Stiemsma…

[TWILL123Participant]

 I can’t believe Gorgui Dieng was just lumped into a category with Hasheem Thabeet, Joel Anthony, and Greg Stiemsma…

[trombonematrix43Participant]

But remember when James Harden went right after him? I’ve gotta ask, did anyone see Thabeet being this much of a bust back in 2009 when he was drafted? I remember vaguely that he was supposed to be the next defensive stalwart center but I don’t recall being that impressed with him. What was the deal, how did he get taken so high?  

[trombonematrix43Participant]

But remember when James Harden went right after him? I’ve gotta ask, did anyone see Thabeet being this much of a bust back in 2009 when he was drafted? I remember vaguely that he was supposed to be the next defensive stalwart center but I don’t recall being that impressed with him. What was the deal, how did he get taken so high?  

[KerouacJackParticipant]

 Blake Griffin was the only good post player from that draft. It was just insanely thin for post players. Thabeet was considered a lottery pick after his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons so I think some former hype helped him out. Jim Calhoun also called him one of the greatest players in college history. Just another big who dominated college due to his sheer size and without actual skills. 

Another little fun flub was the twolves picking Rubio AND Flynn before Stephen Curry was.

[KerouacJackParticipant]

 Blake Griffin was the only good post player from that draft. It was just insanely thin for post players. Thabeet was considered a lottery pick after his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons so I think some former hype helped him out. Jim Calhoun also called him one of the greatest players in college history. Just another big who dominated college due to his sheer size and without actual skills. 

Another little fun flub was the twolves picking Rubio AND Flynn before Stephen Curry was.

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