Ziller talks up Hibbert

The more I think about it, the more I'd be very happy with him at 18.

almost 4 years ago Mike Prada 6 comments 1 recs |

Comments

Wow, not only does Ziller make an excellent defense of Hibbert, but he thinks he’d be a good pick for the Kings at 12! Everyone who thinks Hibbert is just a stiff that doesn’t rebound well ought to read this post.

What’s hilarious is this comment from sactoreg:

the fact that you said he’s actually a very good rebounder and shot blocker, yet does not blow anyone away with his athleticism makes me think of poor man’s tim duncan;

Ha! Compare that to this post from our very own DarrellWalkerFan:

on that note, i woke up this morning thinking roy hibbert is a poor man’s calvin booth.

So there you go. Roy Hibbert has officially gone from being a poor man’s Calvin Booth (is that even possible? who can’t afford Calvin Booth?) to a poor man’s Tim Duncan.

"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier

by cuppettcj on Jun 20, 2008 8:19 AM EDT reply actions

since i got called out

i’ll point out the guy who wrote that article and suggested drafting hibbert at 12 is:

“an unabashed Georgetown fan as a Catholic (1) from suburban Maryland (2) who loves the Princeton offense (3).”

doesn’t seem too objective.

i don’t like disagreeing with prada – as its his site – but another poster over there pretty much hit on my initial thoughts:

“I’ve seen a lot written about him thriving on a team (like Utah) that favors the half-court set, so maybe you cannot simply write off his low numbers due to the pace of play in Georgetown, but rather understand that he simply is built for that type of pace.”

how many big, lumbering centers are there in the nba these days? 2? Yao and Z? i would not be excited to watch the wiz slow it down to incorporate the big guy, nor do i think he’d be dominant enough to justify doing that. i think there is a good reason why this guy isn’t widely projected to be a lottery pick anymore.

i’ll say again that when i look at hibbert, i see more calvin booth and john paul ramos than haywood, divac, or miller.

by DarrellWalkerFan on Jun 20, 2008 9:35 AM EDT reply actions

Please, Don't Take Offense

I really wasn’t trying to call you out. I respect your opinion and acknowledge that you might be right. I just found the range of opinion on Hibbert to be fascinating and little bit humorous. You’re certainly not alone in thinking that Hibbert will be a bust, which is why his stock has fallen so much over the past year. And sactoreg is certainly no more of an expert on player evaluations than you are. I’m just surprised that nobody thought much about him when he was first brought up as a possible pick for the Wizards, and now so many people lately are coming to his defense. He appears to have strengths in many fundamental areas, and his weaknesses all seem to be things that can be improved upon with age and coaching. He also would fill a big need for the Wizards if he develops right.

And remember, it was only the season before last that we employed a certain Calvin Booth. So if that’s the worst case scenario, it wouldn’t be that bad for an 18th overall pick.

"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier

by cuppettcj on Jun 20, 2008 9:58 AM EDT up reply actions

no worries

it is funny.

and we’ll see whether hibbert turns out to be more duncan-esque or more booth-esque.

i will say though, that while i like calvin booth a lot, i wouldn’t consider it a success if ernie drafts someone who has the overall impact on the team that calvin booth did.

but history repeats itself, right? maybe the wiz draft hibbert, and then seattle throws out a mcilvaine/booth like contract at roy a year or two later. well, i guess that could only happen if hibbert went in the second round, and if seattle still has an nba team. anyway…

by DarrellWalkerFan on Jun 20, 2008 10:24 AM EDT up reply actions

I guess my position is

We could do better, but we could also do a lot worse. My guess is that Hibbert is somewhere between Booth and Duncan, but closer to Booth. Someone like Chris Mihm comes to mind (I’m talking pre-injury Mihm).

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Mike Prada on Jun 20, 2008 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions