All aboard the Alex Len bandwagon.

[TANTRIC-NINJA]

I get confused when I read I dont like him at 4.

The Hornets pick at 4.

Trade down situations rarely work so if that is your guy..and a need you take him. If its Len and Noel at 4 you take Len 10 out of 10 times..waiting on Bismack to teach Noel offensive moves is not a great option Coupled with a huge weight/Strength issue(DJ Augustin almost outweighs Noel)

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

Just for reference, I'm updating my above post as I find out new info just so I don't spam the entire thread.

[koolkatluke]

Here is draftexpresses video for Len to accompany the above article.  draft express, imo, is more accurate and of higher quality than nbadraft.net...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Fbn5U7aI2Ng

 

 

 

After watching this how can you not want him at 4.

 

1. He has a better offensive game then Hibbert coming out and better defensively then Lopez coming out.  Plus he's younger then both when they came out. So that means he is further along in his development then they were.

 

2. Unlike some people here (who don't know poo about basketball) think. He is no where near a big stiff. He's athletic can run the floor and put the ball on the deck. Not to mention he likes to finish above the rim.

 

3. Most of his weakness is due to youth and bad coaching. Let Pat Ewing get his hands on this kid and see what happens.

 

4. He has the potential to be a very good pick and pop player as well as a post threat. That is a rare skillset in the NBA.

 

5. Having a 7' footer who is a threat  in the NBA is like having a elite QB in football. They are rare they cause mismatches most nights and they give you a chance to compete for a playoff spot every year.

[koolkatluke]

And for Carpanfan Len has way more upside then Noel.

[koolkatluke]

Just a few tidbits from the article/video

 

- Len is an amazing finisher at the rim as he finished 65% of his shots (non post-up) at the rim (one of the best rates in the draft)

- Great pick and roll player which is something that Clifford might try to incorporate here in Charlotte (similar to what L.A. ran before D'Antoni turned  the Lakers into a circus).

- 85.7 field goal percentage in transition buckets (however, it only made up 4% of his offensive game)

- 41% of Len's offense came with his back to the basket (great post-up player)

- Per 40 he averaged 17.5 points per game (possibly what he could average in a 48 minute NBA game)

- Per 40 he averaged 11.5 rebounds per game (see above parenthesis)

- Per 40 he averaged 3 blocks per game (which ranks him top 10 in this category in the draft, 7th among 100 centers)

- He's really young and doesn't turn 20 until mid-June (to put this in perspective I finished my Sophomore year of college this year, like Len; and turned 20 in September)

- Great offensive rebounder, 4.3 per 40 which ranked 6th in DX's 100 centers (offensive put backs made up 19% of Len's offense)

- Great rim defender (opponents only shot 29% [8-28] at the rim against Len)

- Decent pick and pop player from mid-range possibly up to 18 feet, very similar to Tim Duncan (shot 36.4% from catch and shoot position)

- Great post passer, especially out of the double team (Maryland averaged a point per possession every time Len was doubled)

- Len says his goal for the summer is to gain an extra 10 pounds (he wants to be around 260/265, think Dwight Howard type frame)

 

I'm pretty much on the Len bandwagon at this point (unless McLemore falls, I'd also be okay with Anthony Bennett), but we really would need to try and sign a power forward with an offensive game to accompany Len. DraftExpress pointed out that Maryland usually played with an offensively challenged forward beside Len which allowed teams to focus on/double team Len in the post. If the Hornets started Biz next to Len in the post, NBA teams would essentially do to Len what teams did to him in college. A combination of Jefferson/Millsap next to Len would be pretty special for the Hornets future.

 

 

Nice to see you've come around young one.

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

Nice to see you've come around young one.

 

We all make mistakes, some are just to foolish to admit when they're wrong.

 

I admit, I was wrong.

[carolina-chuck]

I would not mind Len, but I'm still not convinced that he is worthy of the no.4 pick. This draft is such a poo that I really dont care who we select, bc everyone is on the same ground. If the goal is that we need a big man on the front court then you take him without hesitation, but if you want someone close to being a franchise player I'd go with Bennett even though he's 6'7. Bennett is better offensively, defensively, and a nastier rebounder than Len. There's more to like for Bennett than Len. If Bennett was 6'9, he'd easily be the 1st guy off the board in three weeks. I dont care if Len weigh the same amount of weight as Howard, or if you think he's coming out better offensively than Hibbert and Lopez. It's hard to compare him to those guys at this point. Hopefully his potential is Lopez and not Andrea Bargnani. 

 

If Noel, McLemore, and Bennett goes 1, 2, and 3 than you gotta take Len at 4 or trade the pick and take him lower. There will be teams that would love to move up for Porter or Oladipo. I would much rather have Len than Oladipo, I think.

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

I would not mind Len, but I'm still not convinced that he is worthy of the no.4 pick. This draft is such a poo that I really dont care who we select, bc everyone is on the same ground. If the goal is that we need a big man on the front court then you take him without hesitation, but if you want someone close to being a franchise player I'd go with Bennett even though he's 6'7. Bennett is better offensively, defensively, and a nastier rebounder than Len. There's more to like for Bennett than Len. If Bennett was 6'9, he'd easily be the 1st guy off the board in three weeks. I dont care if he weigh the same amount of weight as Howard, or if you think he's coming out better offensively than Hibbert and Lopez. It's hard to compare him to those guys at this point. Hopefully his potential is Lopez and not Andrea Bargnani. 

 

The problem with Bennet is that besides LBJ, there are not many great SF/PF tweeners in the NBA. Recently we have seen a bunch fail... 

 

2000: Marcus Fizer

2001: Rodney White

2003: Michael Sweetney

2008: Michael Beasley

2010: Al-Farouq Aminu

2011: Derrick Williams

 

All of these guys were top ten picks and Beasley and Williams were highly touted players (more so than Bennett) coming into the NBA Draft.

 

Bennett is literally my last option behind McLemore and Len.

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

Fuggin DP 

 

[TANTRIC-NINJA]

Exactly what Bennett is: Marcus Fizer...although he is an explosive guy.

I think Derrick Williams is a good NBA guy but still the tweeners are inconsistant at best.

The logic that this draft is pooh is the exact reason to draft Len at 4. Do not give into draft ranking "peer-media pressure"

Anyone hi-fiving after drafting a Noel is really disconnected from reality. Too many things have to fall in place for that guy to succeed at a Marcus Camby level.

[rippadonn]

It's funny how GM's think they are smarter than all the fans, media folk and former players combined. I was one of the people on the Andre Drummond bandwagon last year and look what he did for Detroit. I'm also one of the people who cried about the Panthers not having one first round guy at DT for over eight years now. Their new GM comes in and what does he do?! Quite refreshing IMO! I can't be more excited for the franchise and the defense.

So why buy a sports car if what you need is a truck, and everybody knows it?

[rippadonn]

The two most valuable positions in the NBA are PG and C. You have those two and you can go very far. Miami wishes they had a dominant C. The Spurs have got those positions covered.

[TANTRIC-NINJA]

It's funny how GM's think they are smarter than all the fans, media folk and former players combined. I was one of the people on the Andre Drummond bandwagon last year and look what he did for Detroit. I'm also one of the people who cried about the Panthers not having one first round guy at DT for over eight years now. Their new GM comes in and what does he do?! Quite refreshing IMO! I can't be more excited for the franchise and the defense.

So why buy a sports car if what you need is a truck, and everybody knows it?

I thought Drummond had the size skillset to be the pick last season. For a team that needed size and three point shooting I thought MKG was a curious pick(a good one) but "the motor" was a question with Drummond but what big guy does not have that as their question?

Roy Hibbert had that.

Lens a truck... We need to haul a ton of stuff.

Noel is an ambulance with a flat tire.

[teeray]

I am a big fan of Len. People say he disappeared at time but it seemed to me that the offense disappeared him because they would not feed him the ball for long stretches.

I think he can be a legit starting center in the NBA. Maybe not a franchise guy but those guys are rare anyway.