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A Closer Look at Robert Upshaw

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Seiklis

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So since Douglar only did two of these thus far, I figured I'd make one on a possible center target in the draft

Robert Upshaw ~from NBA combine
6' 10.75" w/o shoes
7' 0" shoes
258 weight
7' 5.5" wingspan
9' 5" standing reach
12.5 body fat


Draft Express has him going #25, Gary Parrish of CBSsports at #27 and Chad Ford has him (I think, haven't seen the full mock yet) at #28

Jeff Givony. Draft Express said:
Standing 7-0, with a 7-4 wingspan and a 264 pound frame, Upshaw has good mobility for a player his size. He runs the floor well when he wants to, can cover ground fluidly inside the arc, and plays above the rim with relative ease. Although not a freakish athlete, he's very agile.

Upshaw's best attribute from a NBA standpoint is undoubtedly his ability to protect the basket. His terrific length, mobility and instincts helped him emerge as a terrific weakside presence, blocking an outstanding 7 shots per-40 minutes in his 19 games at Washington, which ranks #1 in all of college basketball by a good margin. Look no further than the drop-off the Huskies suffered once he was booted off the squad to understand what his presence meant to them defensively. Washington was 0.07 points per possession better (0.97 compared with 1.04) with him on the floor this season, while opposing teams shot 38.5% from 2-point range with him patrolling the lane, and 49.7% when he wasn't on the court.

Upshaw's strength gives him good potential as a post defender as well, even if he doesn't always make the most of it at the moment. He tends to let opponents establish deep post position on him at times, just thinking his length and timing will bail him out, which it often did at the college level. Similarly, his mobility gives him some potential as a pick and roll defender, but his poor fundamentals and average intensity caused him to look like somewhat of a fish out of water when stepping outside of the paint.

Upshaw rebounded at an excellent clip this season—with his 13.4 rebounds per-40 minutes ranking fifth best among college prospects in our Top-100 rankings. He has very good potential here thanks to his long arms, strong frame, soft hands and solid instincts, even if he doesn't always take advantage of this as much as he should due to his average motor and occasionally poor focus.

Offensively, Upshaw showed some flashes on occasion this past season, scoring nearly 18 points per-40 on an excellent 60% shooting from the field. He was one of the best finishers in college basketball, converting a scintillating 75% of his attempts around the basket thanks to his solid hands, quick vertical jump and long arms. His post-game is a work in progress, though, as while he has the strength to back down weaker opponents, and decent footwork and touch, he shows nothing resembling an off-hand or counter moves if his right-handed jump-hook shot is taken away, and is a poor passer as well. He generated an assist on just 4% of his possessions, or one for every 53 minutes he's on the court.

Upshaw gets to the free throw line at a solid rate (7 times per-40), but is largely hopeless once there—converting just 43% of his attempts from the charity stripe on the season. He doesn't have any range outside of the paint, as you'd probably glean from his poor free throw percentage.

From DraftExpress.com

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He has a ton of red flags, but he also is a talent that just isn't seen very often as late as the #24th pick. As shallow as the Cavs are at center behind Moz, I just don't see a better fit in this draft if Upshaw makes it to #24
 
Interview from about a week ago

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He has been kicked out of two college programs mid-season, back to back. He has mentioned bad choices with drugs and alcohol. Supposedly, Bill Walton has become his "life coach."

I don't need to watch the film on him, I know what he can do on the floor. Nobody, including Upshaw, knows what will happen off the floor. I really don't have any faith that he is done with his partying. This guy scares the crap out of me.
 
So torn on this kid.

But part of me says, that at 24 its such crapshoot and this is the type of kid you take a chance on because the upside is so high.

The risk is a blown pick. But our lockerroom is so solid that its not the same risk you'd take drafting this guy onto a young team.

But still, substance and personal accountability issues are hard to overcome and often take multiple failures at the highest level before things click.

I mean, AFAIK, it wasn't a substance issue, but Whiteside was drafted in 2010 and took this long and so many failures to get his act together. Can we provide the environment for Upshaw to somehow conquer his demons on the fly and make an impact on THIS team, not just in his NBA career somewhere down the line.
 
He scares the crap out of me, but he also intrigues the crap out of me. If he can get his act together, it'll be with a team that has a stabilizing force like LeBron. I'd take a flier on him at #24 if he's still there, but I can't see the Cavs doing it.
 
High risk, high reward. At worst, you blew a late first round pick. At best, you picked up an absolute gem and made 29 other GMs across the league look like shit.
 
If RHJ is off the board, I hope the Cavs take him. Yes, his attitude/personal issues scare me, but obviously he has incredible upside, so it might be worth taking a chance on him considering that late first round picks are basically a complete crapshoot and it's more likely the guy you pick will be out of the league in 4 years than it is that he'll be a valuable contributor on a good team.

Plus, we have LeBron, and we've seen what he's been able to do with guys who have bad attitudes...
 
I was so big into Cavs grabbing Rudy Gobert a few years ago, now by watching his progression this season was good TV. He effected the game every minute on the floor. To think Upshaw may have the same effect has me all giddy again to grab a guy with a 7'5 wingspan.

Love, TT, Mozzy, Varejao, its safe to say Upshaw would be developing in the D-League from the jump, but he's an awesome depth move when a guy goes down.

Just by watching his film, Larry Sanders comes to mind, on and off the court issues, but he's lanky, averaged 7 blocks per 40 (1st), and can finish in traffic. No kind of bully ball in him, but he's not developed. Size matters in the end. He's the type of guy you want next to Kevin Love.

We need to get our own version of the Dieng's, Gobert's, etc.. The opportunity is here. I just like reading Lakers fans talk about nabbing him in the 2nd round like his talent will really be there.

Just get the kid and let Lebron handle him.
 
Get him on that Johnny Rehab program and never look back
 
Let's be real. This just isn't the sort of risk the Cavs take. I'd be highly surprised if he ended up on the Cavs. Maybe he would be worth the risk in the 2nd round, but even then I doubt we would take him and he would probably be gone in the late 1st anyway.

Not unless he really really crushed the interviews he has with us and convinced us otherwise, but if not, there is no chance.
 
C.f.
Let's be real. This just isn't the sort of risk the Cavs take. I'd be highly surprised if he ended up on the Cavs. Maybe he would be worth the risk in the 2nd round, but even then I doubt we would take him and he would probably be gone in the late 1st anyway.

Not unless he really really crushed the interviews he has with us and convinced us otherwise, but if not, there is no chance.
Cracks me up. Folks seem to forget that guys with great measurements or freakish athleticism with serious character concerns are available every year. Vast majority just fulfill their prophesies and never have an impact. Complete waste of a 1st rounder if he gets picked there. Just like how Hassan needed to globe trot before he found his work ethic I think the same easily applies here. It really isn't asking too much of a future employee to not get kicked out of ones respective colleges.
 
With Andy and Love coming back and the emergence of Tristan, a big isn't our biggest need, back or 3rd pg is our biggest need. We really only have one pg on the team as every other pg including Dely are more combo guards.
 
We've already got 4 guards to share playing time. We could use a 3rd PG (Delly is second), but I'd much rather sign a vet than waste a first round pick on one.

We have no young center, and could use a back up 3. That's the two positions on which I'd focus.
 

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