[Tim49461Participant]

 I’m sorry guys but I’m seriously struggling to see what everyone else saw with this kid.  He is hyper athletic sure but his offense looks like it will be 3-4 years away from even mentioning. 

 

I know you should never put stock in the summer league but I was expecting a lot more rebounding out of him. And some signs of scoring other than tip dunks.

 

I don’t think he will be worthy of a #4 pick. 

 

 

 

 

[jaymenParticipant]

 he going be a  bust in orlando we should have gotten noah or randle then we should  have gotten payton 

[jaymenParticipant]

 he going be a  bust in orlando we should have gotten noah or randle then we should  have gotten payton 

[ConezdParticipant]

 Not to pile on as I can see you have a ton of negs to your credit but, after the first day of Vegas summer league play, (since we all love to judge these guys way,way too soon like doofus’s) how about those performances from Vonleh and Randle, huh?! Randle a DNP and Noah Vonleh looking like he’s a better prospect than Gordon too with his huge game!! 0 for 13 from the field and racking up the boards with 6 big ones. You were right. Based on these absolutely non important games just 2 weeks after they were drafted we do get an idea of who’s the busts and who are the top notch prospects. Good call. 

[ConezdParticipant]

 Not to pile on as I can see you have a ton of negs to your credit but, after the first day of Vegas summer league play, (since we all love to judge these guys way,way too soon like doofus’s) how about those performances from Vonleh and Randle, huh?! Randle a DNP and Noah Vonleh looking like he’s a better prospect than Gordon too with his huge game!! 0 for 13 from the field and racking up the boards with 6 big ones. You were right. Based on these absolutely non important games just 2 weeks after they were drafted we do get an idea of who’s the busts and who are the top notch prospects. Good call. 

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

He’s only what? 18 years old? Give him time. 

I really like his physical tools. I could see him developing into a Shawn Marion type. Not a tweener. More of a combo forward who’s very active at both ends. 

 

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

He’s only what? 18 years old? Give him time. 

I really like his physical tools. I could see him developing into a Shawn Marion type. Not a tweener. More of a combo forward who’s very active at both ends. 

 

[Lotto StudParticipant]

This scenario ring bells right now. All the Gordon talk is very similar to what MKG is enduring since he’s been in the league. People forget how young these guys are who have that "it" factor in a certain category coming out of college, whether they have elite athleticism or stand out in any other skill exceptionally well.

I can imagine the tide taking a turn if Gordon or MKG held themselves back a grade to play with kids their age. We would never hear the end of how dominant they are.

 

[Lotto StudParticipant]

This scenario ring bells right now. All the Gordon talk is very similar to what MKG is enduring since he’s been in the league. People forget how young these guys are who have that "it" factor in a certain category coming out of college, whether they have elite athleticism or stand out in any other skill exceptionally well.

I can imagine the tide taking a turn if Gordon or MKG held themselves back a grade to play with kids their age. We would never hear the end of how dominant they are.

 

[natevalParticipant]

Celtics were in love with Gordon I dont see it, he has the potential to be a really good role player but in a deep draft that high of a pick has to have the potential of being special  

[natevalParticipant]

Celtics were in love with Gordon I dont see it, he has the potential to be a really good role player but in a deep draft that high of a pick has to have the potential of being special  

[treytalkssports.comParticipant]

In Danny we trust. Maybe the Celtics did really like him, OR maybe they liked Marcus Smart all along, but they were afraid that if Exum went in the top three, Orlando would think about taking Smart at four. Orlando like Smart a lot last year and all during this season. Its not inconceivable that they would take Smart at four, let Embiid continue to slide, and then get a shooter with their last pick. Instead, though, they figured they could get an ultra-athletic forward and wait to get their point guard of the future. I still think they got good value with their picks. 

 Instead, the Celtics inflated Gordon’s stock as an ultra-athletic forward so that Smart would fall to them. 

[treytalkssports.comParticipant]

In Danny we trust. Maybe the Celtics did really like him, OR maybe they liked Marcus Smart all along, but they were afraid that if Exum went in the top three, Orlando would think about taking Smart at four. Orlando like Smart a lot last year and all during this season. Its not inconceivable that they would take Smart at four, let Embiid continue to slide, and then get a shooter with their last pick. Instead, though, they figured they could get an ultra-athletic forward and wait to get their point guard of the future. I still think they got good value with their picks. 

 Instead, the Celtics inflated Gordon’s stock as an ultra-athletic forward so that Smart would fall to them. 

[JoeWolf1]

Gordon is still only 18, and after 3 days of practice he’s doing pretty well. For a young post player, the fact he’s not fouling the crap out of everybody is a nice sign ( only 2.5 per game ). He’s active, hustles, and tries to fit in with Orlando’s SL team….No, he’s not dropping 20/10 or anything, but his production is not abysmal…

He has 12 points 4 rebounds and 3 assists with about 8 minutes left in the game going on now….

[JoeWolf1]

Gordon is still only 18, and after 3 days of practice he’s doing pretty well. For a young post player, the fact he’s not fouling the crap out of everybody is a nice sign ( only 2.5 per game ). He’s active, hustles, and tries to fit in with Orlando’s SL team….No, he’s not dropping 20/10 or anything, but his production is not abysmal…

He has 12 points 4 rebounds and 3 assists with about 8 minutes left in the game going on now….

[Tim49461Participant]

Again the offense was expected to be low but rebounding should be all about hustle and wanting it more. I’m watching these games thinking there is no way hebaverages 8 rebounds a game anytime soon. And for someone labeled a hustle player he needs to live up to it.

Elfrid Payton 6’3″ is out rebounding him. Just saying, I understand scoring but rebounding is no excuse

[Tim49461Participant]

Again the offense was expected to be low but rebounding should be all about hustle and wanting it more. I’m watching these games thinking there is no way hebaverages 8 rebounds a game anytime soon. And for someone labeled a hustle player he needs to live up to it.

Elfrid Payton 6’3″ is out rebounding him. Just saying, I understand scoring but rebounding is no excuse

[JoeWolf1]

You have to take into account the pace of summer league games, and how generally sloppy they are.

Andre Drummond and Joakim Noah both averaged 5.4 boards per game before their rookie seasons…they’re among the best in the league.

[JoeWolf1]

You have to take into account the pace of summer league games, and how generally sloppy they are.

Andre Drummond and Joakim Noah both averaged 5.4 boards per game before their rookie seasons…they’re among the best in the league.

[Tim49461Participant]

 Andrew’s numbers are skewed due to his 17 mins first game only getting 2 rebounds which he followed it up with a 8 to 9. 

 

Andre also had a nagging injury that summer league I forgot what it was but a pistons follower they announcers would say wait until he is healthy.

 

Miles plumlee averaged 9.5. Jonas Val. 10 and Andre in his second year nearly 15. 

Again just saying I’m expecting more out of a guy labeled a hustle rebounder /defender who is insanely athletic.

 

Outside of Westbrook, your point guard should never consistently out rebound your bigs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tim49461Participant]

 Andrew’s numbers are skewed due to his 17 mins first game only getting 2 rebounds which he followed it up with a 8 to 9. 

 

Andre also had a nagging injury that summer league I forgot what it was but a pistons follower they announcers would say wait until he is healthy.

 

Miles plumlee averaged 9.5. Jonas Val. 10 and Andre in his second year nearly 15. 

Again just saying I’m expecting more out of a guy labeled a hustle rebounder /defender who is insanely athletic.

 

Outside of Westbrook, your point guard should never consistently out rebound your bigs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JoeWolf1]

Yeah, Dre had a bad game…So did Gordon. He had 0 in 22 minutes between 7 and 8. I don’t see how that is any different than Drummond getting 2 before rattling off 8 and 9.

Not saying Gordon will be as good of a rebounder as Dre, but it’s freaking summer league. You have every right to be disappointed, especially if you though Gordon to come in and haul down 10 boards a game, but year in and year out I see people freak out over summer league prodcution for no reason.

I’m just trying to say that, SL production means very little…7.8 ppg and 5 rpg for an 18 year old in his first taste of pro basketball isn’t enough for me to take it as any more than his starting point to look back on when pre-season starts and see to what degree he has improved.

 

[JoeWolf1]

Yeah, Dre had a bad game…So did Gordon. He had 0 in 22 minutes between 7 and 8. I don’t see how that is any different than Drummond getting 2 before rattling off 8 and 9.

Not saying Gordon will be as good of a rebounder as Dre, but it’s freaking summer league. You have every right to be disappointed, especially if you though Gordon to come in and haul down 10 boards a game, but year in and year out I see people freak out over summer league prodcution for no reason.

I’m just trying to say that, SL production means very little…7.8 ppg and 5 rpg for an 18 year old in his first taste of pro basketball isn’t enough for me to take it as any more than his starting point to look back on when pre-season starts and see to what degree he has improved.

 

[mcbaileyParticipant]

 You can’t say "you should never put stock in the summer league" and then proceed to put stock in the summer league. 

[mcbaileyParticipant]

 You can’t say "you should never put stock in the summer league" and then proceed to put stock in the summer league. 

[Tim49461Participant]

 I said I know you shouldn’t,meaning I’m doing it anyway. He is young it is the summer league. But you can watch games and understand that stats are not the best indicator of success but if you watch him play he isn’t even in contention for these rebounds. He isn’t boxing out and grabbing these boards over people. The rebounds are ones that just come to him.  

 

Honestly if you can rewatch the games, go back and watch.  The reason dre Noah and all these guys are great rebounders are not only their size but their ability to get others away from rebounding.

 

What it comes down to is not if he is a great player or not but him being worthy of a #4 selection.  He may be a stud in 5 years but there is so much for him to learn that others are already better at.

 

 

 

 

[Tim49461Participant]

 I said I know you shouldn’t,meaning I’m doing it anyway. He is young it is the summer league. But you can watch games and understand that stats are not the best indicator of success but if you watch him play he isn’t even in contention for these rebounds. He isn’t boxing out and grabbing these boards over people. The rebounds are ones that just come to him.  

 

Honestly if you can rewatch the games, go back and watch.  The reason dre Noah and all these guys are great rebounders are not only their size but their ability to get others away from rebounding.

 

What it comes down to is not if he is a great player or not but him being worthy of a #4 selection.  He may be a stud in 5 years but there is so much for him to learn that others are already better at.

 

 

 

 

[druneave3Participant]

 Did you see the catch-block? 

Like everyone said, he is only 18 with great character. Their games are completely different but there is a reason why he is/was being compared to Blake Griffin. As seen in the catch-block, kid has crazy, crazy athleticism that will allow him to things on the court that no one else can do. He flashed that in other ways with some nice quick post spin moves, chase downs, and overall on the defensive end where he is very active. 

You must realize this is SL and he is trying/doing things that he will not be asked to do in the regular season. Yes, he his game as several flaws but he has time to grow and get better. Orlando took a chance on him but it could pan out and provide them with a team that could be a defensive nightmare with Payton, Oladipo, Harkless, and Gordon. 

 

 

[druneave3Participant]

 Did you see the catch-block? 

Like everyone said, he is only 18 with great character. Their games are completely different but there is a reason why he is/was being compared to Blake Griffin. As seen in the catch-block, kid has crazy, crazy athleticism that will allow him to things on the court that no one else can do. He flashed that in other ways with some nice quick post spin moves, chase downs, and overall on the defensive end where he is very active. 

You must realize this is SL and he is trying/doing things that he will not be asked to do in the regular season. Yes, he his game as several flaws but he has time to grow and get better. Orlando took a chance on him but it could pan out and provide them with a team that could be a defensive nightmare with Payton, Oladipo, Harkless, and Gordon. 

 

 

[juves4783Participant]

i disagree.  he’ll be a good player but the magic really didn’t do him any favors.  making him #4, set the expectations pretty high.  adding a defensive minded pg like payton, puts more pressure on gordon to develop his offensive game faster.  yes, this team has all the makings of a nuggets 2012-2013 team with a lot of forced turnovers and running but they need some shooters and i don’t think channing frye and ben gordon are the answers.

[juves4783Participant]

i disagree.  he’ll be a good player but the magic really didn’t do him any favors.  making him #4, set the expectations pretty high.  adding a defensive minded pg like payton, puts more pressure on gordon to develop his offensive game faster.  yes, this team has all the makings of a nuggets 2012-2013 team with a lot of forced turnovers and running but they need some shooters and i don’t think channing frye and ben gordon are the answers.

[TRC1991Participant]

Speaking of Magic rookies, I think they have a freakin gem in Elfrid Payton 

[TRC1991Participant]

Speaking of Magic rookies, I think they have a freakin gem in Elfrid Payton 

[wildpfingParticipant]

I remember when the Pacers took Paul George and people said they weren’t sure if he would pan out. His first few seasons he put up small numbers and looked like an athletic role player at best. These kids are so young, they need time to develop. I fully believe Gordon will be a solid piece for us in the future, whether it be at the 3 or the 4. Will he dominate his rookie year? Of course not. But Hennigan is good about looking at the big picture, and figuring out what we want our team to look like a few years from now.

[wildpfingParticipant]

I remember when the Pacers took Paul George and people said they weren’t sure if he would pan out. His first few seasons he put up small numbers and looked like an athletic role player at best. These kids are so young, they need time to develop. I fully believe Gordon will be a solid piece for us in the future, whether it be at the 3 or the 4. Will he dominate his rookie year? Of course not. But Hennigan is good about looking at the big picture, and figuring out what we want our team to look like a few years from now.

[marcusfizer21Participant]

 I like Aaron Gordon… His out-of-this-world athletic ability does remind me of Blake Griffin but I don’t think Gordon is ever going to be a 20/10 guy… 

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

nice to see my boy marcusfizer making a rare appearance …que paso man?

[marcusfizer21Participant]

 ‘sup Rudeboy… Thanks for the love…lol

[marcusfizer21Participant]

 ‘sup Rudeboy… Thanks for the love…lol

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

nice to see my boy marcusfizer making a rare appearance …que paso man?

[marcusfizer21Participant]

 I like Aaron Gordon… His out-of-this-world athletic ability does remind me of Blake Griffin but I don’t think Gordon is ever going to be a 20/10 guy… 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

Well, Smart hasn’t been that great either.  Napier has been up and down (looking at shooting stats, don’t know what he looks like actually watching him). 

Let’s see what the other rookies do.

There could have been a big drop off after the Top Three. 

Lots of these guys look like rotation guys anyway.  Who knows?

The Grizzlies picks have done well.  Jordan Adams can score, shoot, and get his.  Jarnell Stokes is playing solidly too. 

To me, Stokes was in that Gordon, Randle, Vonleh range, so that is not really surprising that Stokes is putting up solid stats and AG might not be all the way there. 

I thought Smart and Napier would be really good, so far I have been wrong there.  Not sure what Payton would do, so how does he look?

Let’s compare Aaron Gordon to the other rookies after the Las Vegas Summer League.

One of MY takeaways from seeing KCP impress on the Pistons and Nerlens Noel being a revelation is that last year’s class could turn out to be pretty good. 

Last year you had Oladipo, MCW, and Nerlens Noel.  This year you have Wiggins, Parker, and Embiid.  Will there be THAT big of a difference?  Last year also had KCP, Ben McLemore, Gorgui Dieng, Mason Plumlee, and Olynyk.  Then you think that at least a couple of guys will show us something: Anthony Bennett, Otto Porter, Alex Len, and Cody Zeller.  Giannis and Trey Burke are showing some signs too. 

I don’t see a HUGE difference between the past two draft classes.  If anything, the 2013 class could actually be better with bigs and point guards. 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

Well, Smart hasn’t been that great either.  Napier has been up and down (looking at shooting stats, don’t know what he looks like actually watching him). 

Let’s see what the other rookies do.

There could have been a big drop off after the Top Three. 

Lots of these guys look like rotation guys anyway.  Who knows?

The Grizzlies picks have done well.  Jordan Adams can score, shoot, and get his.  Jarnell Stokes is playing solidly too. 

To me, Stokes was in that Gordon, Randle, Vonleh range, so that is not really surprising that Stokes is putting up solid stats and AG might not be all the way there. 

I thought Smart and Napier would be really good, so far I have been wrong there.  Not sure what Payton would do, so how does he look?

Let’s compare Aaron Gordon to the other rookies after the Las Vegas Summer League.

One of MY takeaways from seeing KCP impress on the Pistons and Nerlens Noel being a revelation is that last year’s class could turn out to be pretty good. 

Last year you had Oladipo, MCW, and Nerlens Noel.  This year you have Wiggins, Parker, and Embiid.  Will there be THAT big of a difference?  Last year also had KCP, Ben McLemore, Gorgui Dieng, Mason Plumlee, and Olynyk.  Then you think that at least a couple of guys will show us something: Anthony Bennett, Otto Porter, Alex Len, and Cody Zeller.  Giannis and Trey Burke are showing some signs too. 

I don’t see a HUGE difference between the past two draft classes.  If anything, the 2013 class could actually be better with bigs and point guards. 

[ConezdParticipant]

 Aaron Gordon is the youngest guy in the NBA. And he’s had flashes in summer league. If you’ve watched, his defense is still really good. His handle and his passing is above average for his  age and size.  We were knocking Nerlins Noel  after day 1 because he only had 3 rebounds in his first game. This is the same thing, Gordon will figure it out. He’s too smart and athletic to not end up being a good rebounder. I don’t know why we jump on these dudes so early. He’s played 4-5 games in summer league and people are on here proclaiming he’s a bust. With conviction. Just chill out. 

[ConezdParticipant]

 Aaron Gordon is the youngest guy in the NBA. And he’s had flashes in summer league. If you’ve watched, his defense is still really good. His handle and his passing is above average for his  age and size.  We were knocking Nerlins Noel  after day 1 because he only had 3 rebounds in his first game. This is the same thing, Gordon will figure it out. He’s too smart and athletic to not end up being a good rebounder. I don’t know why we jump on these dudes so early. He’s played 4-5 games in summer league and people are on here proclaiming he’s a bust. With conviction. Just chill out. 

[HitsterParticipant]

 Personally I thought that Aaron Gordon was a bit of a reach at 4 especially with Exum available and I had both Noah Vonleh and Randle ahead of him in my mock. But several expert mocks had him going top 5 so he was probably much more in the mix to go top 5 than we thought on here.

I’m not going to judge a guy on about an hour’s play in the summer league. We know he’s super athletic guy but he’s also raw, he’s only 18 so he won’t be anywhere near the finished product yet.

But as said above Rod Hennigan is building long term in Orlando shaping a roster, they have future picks due so he was able to seamlessly move up and take Payton. He’ll have draft flexability for maybe the next few years so can look at the big picture as his roster develops.

Jacque Vaughn knows the team will likely be lottery for another couple of years and his job is to let the young players at their oewn pace, some will come along quicker than others. He had several years under Coach Poppovich so his coaching pedigree as fairly good and he will need time to figure out what his best line up is as he and Rod Hennigan refine the roster to try and put the Magic back in the play offs.

 

 

 

[HitsterParticipant]

 Personally I thought that Aaron Gordon was a bit of a reach at 4 especially with Exum available and I had both Noah Vonleh and Randle ahead of him in my mock. But several expert mocks had him going top 5 so he was probably much more in the mix to go top 5 than we thought on here.

I’m not going to judge a guy on about an hour’s play in the summer league. We know he’s super athletic guy but he’s also raw, he’s only 18 so he won’t be anywhere near the finished product yet.

But as said above Rod Hennigan is building long term in Orlando shaping a roster, they have future picks due so he was able to seamlessly move up and take Payton. He’ll have draft flexability for maybe the next few years so can look at the big picture as his roster develops.

Jacque Vaughn knows the team will likely be lottery for another couple of years and his job is to let the young players at their oewn pace, some will come along quicker than others. He had several years under Coach Poppovich so his coaching pedigree as fairly good and he will need time to figure out what his best line up is as he and Rod Hennigan refine the roster to try and put the Magic back in the play offs.

 

 

 

[Author]

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