He dropped from a projected lottery pick to a second-rounder because of concerns about his work ethic and BBIQ, concerns which seemed to prove true. Has playing pro ball in China and Lebanon fixed his attitude? Some rumors say that his draft stock slid because of a severe case of ADD which he stopped taking medication for halfway through his freshman year in college. Is this really a problem and, if so, has it been addressed?
If I were a GM, his athletic ability and D-League stats would not interest me in taking a shot on Whiteside unless I thought the mental aspects of his game have been fixed.
I understand this, but we're not going to invest a ton on him as a flier, "see what we can get" type of signing, and we can get a diamond in the rough. If those issues are not yet fixed then all will probably gamble is a veteran minimum contract.
There's still a ton of defensive upside on this kid to not get an NBA shot. Might as well be us giving it.
At this point, I am convinced that there is more to be gained by passing over athletically gifted guys who didn't succeed in the NBA because of work ethic and inability to learn how to play at the higher levels in favor of skilled players who work hard but have only average NBA athleticism.
Jay Bilas pegged Whiteside right when he said, "He could be Patrick O'Bryant". Unless there is evidence of an improvement in attitude and maturity, I'd rather find the next guy who went undrafted like Greg Smith or Greg Stiemsma.
Define 'average athleticism.' Are we talking KO's athletic ability, which I think we can all agree is below average lol, or better? I completely agree with your inclination to take skill over athleticism, but I do think that Whiteside has some skill. He's also only played a combined 111 minutes over 21 games at the pro level, so I wouldn't exactly call that a legitimate chance to do, well, anything
. I say go for it - we have absolutely nothing to lose, imo. In a game with the Grizzlies against the Mavericks in the preseason, he scored 9 points, had 7 rebounds (3 of which were offensive), and blocked 3 shots - in 10 minutes
. Yes, it was only the preseason, but at least he was going up against actual NBA talent (for the most part). If he turns out to be Fab Melo, that would be disappointing, but I don't think that that would be the case. Get him a great big man coach and let's see what he has to offer, because as bad as we're going to be by the end of this season, we're never going to get any of the elite big men in the draft because we always get screwed, so taking a flyer on him might be our best bet, at the moment, to try and rectify the severe shot blocking deficiency. Cut Fav. Who cares?
. By and large (no pun intended), big guys usually take longer to develop, and I'd hate to miss out on a guy who could turn into a pretty good player for a long time. Besides, dat wingspan, doe
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Edit - in spite of what I've said, it should be noted that James Michael McAdoo had 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 blocks the other day, so...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPVBC8sDRRs