[cavairo7Participant]

I know that Thomas Robinson is undersized at the PF position but that doesnt worry me too much. There are a lot of undersized PFs like Paul Millsap, Brandon Bass and recently Kenneth Faried who have found success in the league. It has more to do with the track record of frontcourt players that Bill Self has groomed to play in the NBA. Here is a quick list of these players

Julian Wright

Darrell Arthur

Darnell Jackson

Cole Aldrich

The Morris brothers

Wright and Jackson are no longer in the league. Arthur showed promise before his injury. Aldrich hasnt seen any playing time with the Thunder. Neither did Marcus Morris with the Rockets. Markieff Morris had a pretty decent rookie campaign but struggled after the all star break.

The bottom line is that all of these Kansas players have struggled adjusting to the NBA. My opinion is that Robinson will follow in their footsteps. Don’t get me wrong all of these guys were great college players and I’m not blaming Bill Self for why none of these players have had success in the NBA. If anything he maximized them by playing each to their strengths and not exposing their weaknesses. Maybe Thomas Robinson will prove me wrong but as of right now, history is not on his side.

[For_Never_EverParticipant]

I would love to have Julian Wright and Darrell Arthur on my team. Both aren’t starters. Arthur is a great back up 4. Wright I didn’t undertsand why he hasn’t worked out, but he has the ability to become a James Posey type of a role player.

[SeattleSuperChronicsParticipant]

 If Jordan picks Robinson at 2 the bobcats have no hope.

I’d rather see Barnes at 2 and give him the reigns or go big and get Drummond.

Honestly…give me sully over t-rob all day

[RICO 1981Participant]

The bobcats shouldn’t get T-rob at @ 2, I would go Barnes also.  I have Robinson going to Golden State. 

[eyefortalentParticipant]

 Let’s see. Barnes is a good, not great athlete. Not that good at breaking guys down, doesn’t make other players better, and for a guy who is supposed to have such a sweet stroke, he shot just 42% from the field and 75% from the line.

And I have to laugh at the constant referral to Robinson as more of just a high motor guy, and don’t mention that he’s very athletic, has very quick feet, and is an excellent rebounder. And how about the intangibles that he is always in attack mode and plays with a lot of confidence.

[surveParticipant]

 I agree, I prefer Sully too.  I think Sully has become undervalued and Robinson a little overated.  Dont get me wrong, I like Robinson’s game, but I wouldnt select him before MKG, Barnes, and Drummond.  To me he is a #5 pick at best and more of a Kenyon Martin type ability.  Nothing wrong with that.

[JoeWolf1]

You can’t really lump different players from the same school into groups like that.  People were saying the same thing about Duke in the 1990’s and then Elton Brand came along and put up 20/10 as a rookie.  

Each player is an individual and despite those other KU forwards you mentioned…none were 1st team All-American’s like Thomas Robinson.  None had as dominant of seasons as Robinson did as a junior.  

I’m a KU fan and I know this may look a little biased, but I’m only doing it because I’ve seen all these guys play most of their games in college and I personally think Robinson is the best pro prospect since Drew Gooden ( who would have ever figured he’d get fat, lol, he was so skinny in college) None were very similar to Robinson except for the team name accross their chest. 

Julian Wright –  was a super athletic tweener who only averaged 12 ppg, but was wanted for his potentail.  Scouts saw his passing and ball handling ability and invisioned Boris Diaw with a 40” vertical leap…In reality, Julian didn’t have good shooting range, or a nitch in the NBA…Watch out Royce White fans, there are a lot of similarities.

Darnell Jackson – Really? you’re going to lump a defensive specialist 2nd round pick in to reasoning why Robinson won’t pan out?  Jackson wasn’t viewed as an NBA prospect until his senior year when he emerged as a strong, yet not very athletic lane enforcer.  His senior year bought him 3 years in the NBA which was awesome for him, but he has never been in the same stratosphere as Thomas Robinson.

Darrell Arthur – Arthur is another guy who wasn’t as productive in college but still was carving out a nice career in the NBA.  After dropping 20/10 in the title game he left and would have been a lottery pick if not a false rumor about him having a kidney problem. He played behind Z-Bo who is one of the best power forwards in the game and when replacing him during stints of injury he was a 12 ppg 7 rpg player as a 29 mpg starter.

Cole Aldrich – He’s a center, but despite what some may view as a bias, he will be replacing Nazr Mohammed for backup center minutes next year.  OKC has been bringing him along very slowly, and this season he’s improved vastly, not fouling as much, and showing great promise as a rebounder/shot blocker who can hit free throws at a 90% clip.  He’s also playing with another KU player who has had great success and has defended Dirk better than anyone in the league the last two years….Nick Collison

The Morris twins – Many rookies have difficult seasons and since they have only played one year, I think it’s too easy to lump them into failure.  Markeiff played in the rookie sophomore game and Marcus never got enough minutes to show he was good or bad.

All that being said, I think Robinson is a reach at #2, and maybe #3, but he does make some sense for Washington’s lineup. 3-6 is where he should go, IMO. He’ll be a guy who can grab 8-10 rebounds per game as a rookie and get you probably the same amount of points.  He’s also a 67% FT shooter, which isn’t great, but it’s a nice foundation and proves he’s not completely hapless shooting the ball.  I think his ceiling is a 18 ppg 11 rpg NBA power forward and his floor is a 8 ppg 8 rpg 2nd unit rebounder.  I really think he’s one of the safer picks in the top 5 or 6.  He’s a guy who faced head/head all the top PF prospects this year and put up good numbers and impressive plays against all of them, including John Henson, Sullinger, and Anthony Davis/Terrance Jones in consecutive games in the NCAA tourney(18 ppg 11rpg during that stretch)…he wasn’t just a stat padder against mid-majors.

[delfamParticipant]

 I agree, I don’t like Robinson at all as a prospect. Maybe it’s just me but he is what he is, a high motor tough interior player that is going to give 100%, I just don’t feel he’s naturally talented enough to be anymore than a 3rd or 4th option on a championship team.

Best case scenario for Robinson is Luis Scola but that is best case, I have him being more like a slightly better Taj Gibson.

[omphalosParticipant]

I like Robinson, but I don’t like him in the top-4. He’d be a great fit in Sacramento or Detroit, but Cavs, Wizards, Bobcats and Hornets can all do better and need better.

[JoeWolf1]

 ^I think Detroit would be his best fit.  I think he’d be great next to Monroe to do the dirty work and since both players are good interior passers it’d make for a great tandom.

I think a lot of his measurement questions will be answered today.  He’s not huge, but he’s the same height as Markieff Morris if you look at pictures and Morris measured 6’9.25” in shoes. 

The thing I like most about him from an athletic standpoint is his 2nd, 3rd and 4th jumps.  He’s not a 40” leaper, but his jump endurance is great, which allows him to be so relentless.  His max vert will probably be around 35” or so, but I think he could probably get you 4 or 5 jumps in a row around his max.

All of your concerns are valid, though, I have a hard time envisioning him as a 2nd option on a deep playoff team, but I guess I think his 10-11 rebounds 1 block 1 steal and 2 assists will make up for his lack of a sure fire 2nd option’s offensive game.

 

[delfamParticipant]

 ^ that’s the thing, he’s a good role player but at the 2nd pick or even a top 5 pick aren’t you looking for atleast a 2nd option kind of guy? 

[JoeWolf1]

 Anthony Davis isn’t a 2nd option type guy, neither is MKG.  I don’t think you have to feel obligated to pick a future 20 ppg scorer with a top 5 pick as long as you’re getting the best guy to help your team.

[JoeWolf1]

 His bad games he still would put up line of 10 and 10 or 12 and 8 or something like that.  He produced no matter what, no matter who he played against and unlike some other top prospects he never disappeared and had a 4 or 5 point game all season.  

He’d struggle with double/triple teams ( things he won’t really face in the NBA which will free him up ) and he’d still help his team by hitting 5 or 6 free throws and pulling down 12 rebounds.  The fact he just doesn’t quit always puts him in the best place to succeed.

His worst game all season stat wise was against a DII team because they sat him the entire 2nd half.  He’d always find a way to help the team, he’s always get you double digit rebounds, in two games against Kentucky and the #1 pick in the draft he averaged 14.5 rebounds per game.

[sammybuckeye13Participant]

Thomas Robinson is just way better than all those players from Kansas you mentioned. He was dominant.

[The8thDeadlySinParticipant]

 I am the only person around here that says this, probably because I am way off, but I see Robinson being Amare..  Both are 6’9 and have great bodies.  Great jumpers and fantastic pick and roll guys.  However, Robinson goes so hard all the time while Amare doesnt.  

[JoeWolf1]

 ^ I see Robinson now as a similar player as Amare as a rookie. I think they’ll have really similar rookie seasons, but Amare took his jumper to the next level really early into his NBA career.  I don’t know if Robinson will ever do that, and I think Robinson will be a better rebounder deeper into his career.

I do see similarities to a rookie Amare, not Amare in his 7th or 8th year.

 

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