Jason Zengerle lets us know that Sacramento Kings draft pick Spencer Hawes is a global warming denialist. Hawes is also, I think, a solid candidate for bust status in light of his poor rebound rate and TS%, especially since the overrated white collegian is a well-known draft phenomenon (which makes how low Nick Fazekas went in light of his stats even more puzzling).
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Hot Prospects
02 Jul 2007 09:44 am
Comments (23)
Couple months ago one of the Oregon papers profiled this guy and his comment on Dubya was "What's not to like?"
Maybe he should notice the half-mast flags around here again, for a guy younger than Hawes who came back in a flag-draped coffin yesterday.
And presumably once he's in the NBA he won't get quite so many offensive foul inside baskets.
I'm not going to defend his politics, but I actually think Hawes is underrated as a player. He's 7 feet tall, solidly built, and he's an excellent low-post scorer (he can score easily with both hands in the paint) and perimeter shooter (shoots threes). He's also a smart player with excellent passing skills and court awareness. And he's only 19 years old.
He wasn't as good in his freshman season as some had hoped, but he was also recovering from an injury and not at 100%. I think he'll have a long and productive NBA career.
1983. Pacers flip a coin with Houston for #1. Lose flip. Take Steve Stipanovich at #2. Nuff said.
Houston didn't exactly hit the jackpot that year either, at least in the long run.
That said, yes, non-European white guys should always be avoided at all costs.
Sounds like Bill Laimbeer.
Oddly enough I've read that Hawes and Kevin Durant are good friends.
As for his politics, clearly Hawes is a moron.
Stipo wasn't the worst draft choice the Pacers made in the early '80s. He at least put in 4 or 5 solid years as a slightly-below-average NBA starter before his knees gave out.
I'm wondering if either Fazekas or McRoberts turns out to be the big American white guy who finally turns out to be underrated in the draft. It's bound to happen eventually.
McRoberts? The guy even dookies loathe for his near-total lack of work ethic? Let's put it this way: Laettner (also despised at duke) was at least clutch and good at the college level, but went on to a mediocre NBA career despite being a 7-footer. What makes you think that McRoberts, who underwhelmed for the duration of his college career, would actually be able to turn that around in the crucible of the NBA?
Scott Haskin, Indiana Pacers 1st round (14th overall) of the 1993 NBA Draft. Haskin played only one year in the NBA for the Pacers, appearing in 27 games and averaging 2.0 ppg.
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The Pacers have a knack for effing up 1st round draft choices.
Without guessing too much about their NBA production I'll say that McRoberts is practically Jordan in terms of athleticism compared to Hawes.
When are teams going to learn that speed kills in the league? Tony Parker was NBA Finals MVP at 5' 11". Hawes will only have a good NBA career if he plays on losing teams -- the better a team he is on, the less playing time he will get.
Hawes will only have a good NBA career if he plays on losing teams -- the better a team he is on, the less playing time he will get.
I don't know about that. I think Hawes might well end up being a player like Vlade Divac or Rik Smits, both of whom had decent NBA careers and who, in their primes, were key contributors to successful playoff teams.
And Hawes supposed lack of athleticism has been overstated I think. He's no Todd McCullough. He's strong and runs the court well. He's also an excellent outside shooter already, and that will only improve, which will make it harder for defenders to sit back and interfere with his low post game.
Mark my words. He'll be good. Probably not a hall of famer, but a solid starter.
I don't see how a center succeeds in today's NBA when he's slow AND doesn't rebound. If someone's going to drag *ss up the court and stand flat-footed while being dunked on, he should at least make up for it by serving as a physical presence on the glass.
I think he was probably a reach at 10, but then again I'm not sure I buy that this draft was particularly deep. There were 3 sure things (Oden, Durant, Horford), one other guy who looks like a likely All-Star (Conley), a few big guys with bigger question marks (B Wright, Noah, Hawes, Yi), and the usual assortment of small forwards and combo guards. Certainly a better crop than the last couple years, but I'd be surprised if it pans out as well as '03 in terms of depth.
McRoberts = Boris Diaw more or less.
And Tony Parker is 6'2 ish, not 5'11.
And Jake H., Corey Brewer?
As a Pac-10 fan (I go to Stanford), I wouldn't be shocked if Hawes ends up as a Brad Miller/Divac type. What no one mentions is the weird disease that caused him to lose 20 lbs in the middle of the season.
On the other hand, he is quite slow and lumbering. Who knows whether he'll be good?
A.L.,
I admint to not having seen anything more than a slew of clips of Hawes but I assume they were highlights of his abilities. Based on that I can categorically say that he is nowhere near the athleticism of Vlade or Smits when they came in the league (you might remember Vlade from his later Laker years). The flying Dutchman was also 7' 4" and Divac was a great passer.
Hawes looks to me like a shorter Ilgauskis. I don't mean that in a good way. Sorry.
I stand corrected on TP's height. Maybe he gets a few inches since he landed Eva?
Scott Haskin, Indiana Pacers 1st round (14th overall) of the 1993 NBA Draft. Haskin played only one year in the NBA for the Pacers, appearing in 27 games and averaging 2.0 ppg.
And I rang up his groceries once, I believe during the summer of 1994. I'm afraid he might be there today ringing up everyone else's groceries.
McRoberts went from Carmel High School to Duke. This may make him the most white bread player in the history of the NBA. But he's far more athletic than Laettner ever was. I certainly wouldn't have dropped a first-round pick on him, but there's definitely some raw talent there for anyone who wants to invest in a project.
Mark my words. He'll be good. Probably not a hall of famer, but a solid starter.
I'll definitely mark "probably."
This may not be the right forum, but did I miss Mike Conley Jr. dominating the national title game? Did Ohio State lose because Greg Oden couldn't compete with Horford and Noah? Green dominated Conley in both games they played but Conley is the next Tony Parker, I just don't get it. Am I alone in thinking that quickness and a limited range on your jump shot doesn't make everyone a future all-star and playoff MVP?
Eddy Curry is also an excellent lowpost scorer who can't rebound his way out of a paper bag. He was like that in high school, and nothing has changed in the NBA. Why would Spencer Hawes be any different? His game is floorbound (and honestly, so is Glenn "Big Baby" Davis') and the thought of a 7 foot center who can't get as many as 7 rebounds a game is appalling.
I admint to not having seen anything more than a slew of clips of Hawes but I assume they were highlights of his abilities. Based on that I can categorically say that he is nowhere near the athleticism of Vlade or Smits.
Hawes was one of the most highly recruited players out of high school last year, probably second only to Oden. Had it not been for the new rules, he probably would have gone straight into the draft and been drafted higher than he was this year. People are down on him because he wasn't as dominant in his one year in college as people thought he would be. But as someone else pointed out, he was sick much of the year (dropped 20 pounds mysteriously).
But the fact remains, he's not your typical clumsy-oaf white guy center. He's strong, can dribble and shoot well, and can score in the low post with both hands. He's also an excellent passer.
His rebound numbers were lower than expected largely because he played alongside John Brockman, who is a freakishly good rebounder.
In terms of current (as opposed to someday) scoring ability, only Kevin Durant was better. If Hawes bulks up a little and plays more aggressively, he'll be a very good NBA player.
Green dominated Conley in both games they played
If by Taurean Green you meant to say "Corey Brewer" "Lee Humphrey" and "Chris Richard" then I guess I agree with you. Conley is the truth, sir.
Agree with the newly sober Pooh, not the one who compared Diaw and McRoberts.
A good ball-handling, no scoring, reasonably athletic front court player who much prefers a second (or fifth) banana roll. Yes, Diaw is probably a fair bit quicker, but McRoberts is a fair bit bigger. I loved, LOVED that pick by the Blazers.
Comments closed July 16, 2007.
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Heads in the Sand
1983. Pacers flip a coin with Houston for #1. Lose flip. Take Steve Stipanovich at #2. Nuff said.
Posted by steve duncan | July 2, 2007 10:00 AM