Adams vs Gobert vs Len (alphabetical order and such)

[Jack Brickman]

My point is that Cavaliers fans should leave themselves open to the possibility that Noel's knee (and Len's ankle) may mean someone else gets drafted #1. The posters who want to draft Noel no matter what are being short-sighted.

I totally agree with that. I've accompanied most of my pro-Noel posts with the asterisk if his knee checks out. If it doesn't, obviously you can't blame the Cavs for not drafting him. I just don't see any reason to simply assume his knee won't check out until I hear something more definitive than what I've heard so far.

For the record, though, I'd rather the Cavs draft Porter than Len. I just don't think Len is going to be one of the best two players from this draft. And that doesn't come from any hate for Len or anything. I don't particularly dislike him. I just haven't seen much of anything from him that makes me think he's worth the number one pick in this draft. If we had the fifth or sixth pick, sure, grab Len. But with the first pick? He just doesn't wow me anywhere near enough for that.

 

[cavsfan21]

[video=youtube;kqkEo_Pk9HI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqkEo_Pk9HI[/video]

11 Minute Interview by Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons courtesy of Grantland.

He seems a little shaky in interviews, beyond the culture and language barrier. I also get the vibe that he may have mental blocks preventing him from reaching his greatest potential which is something I don't see with Noel or Oladipo.

 

[wuck]

He seems a little shaky in interviews, beyond the culture and language barrier.

Dude barely spoke English when he got to college and he spent hours every day learning how to speak better. Suggests that he possesses a lot of commitment. I think he displayed some hitches and language blocks but mental blocks? Didn't really notice that.

I am sure Mike Brown liked it if Len similarly talked defense first in his interview with the Cavs.

 

[Phills14]

[video=youtube;kqkEo_Pk9HI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqkEo_Pk9HI[/video]

11 Minute Interview by Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons courtesy of Grantland.

He seems a little shaky in interviews, beyond the culture and language barrier. I also get the vibe that he may have mental blocks preventing him from reaching his greatest potential which is something I don't see with Noel or Oladipo.

I'm on the other end of the spectrum. For a guy who 18 months ago, didn't speak english, I thought he was excellent. He picked up a basketball 7 years ago for the first time. He's played professionally overseas before. He performed well vs NCAA competition. He played the last half of the season with a stress fracture in his foot that the trainers waited until after the season to do an MRI on. I like him a lot.

I think he should go #1 assuming the foot thing is not a long term problem. Still, I think it's way too quiet on Otto Porter which leads me to believe they will take him.

 

[TwoPistols]

He seems a little shaky in interviews, beyond the culture and language barrier. I also get the vibe that he may have mental blocks preventing him from reaching his greatest potential which is something I don't see with Noel or Oladipo.

He seems a little shaky because he still isn't fully comfortable speaking English. If you had just learned a different language and were invited to do a long interview with Rose and Simmons, you would probably be pooping your pants. I say this because his body language and gesturing during the video is uneasy. He is constantly turning his chair and trying to contain his hands. No clue how you can deduce he has mental blocks. I've previously stated it, but I take his uneasiness as a good sign and one of the reasons he was not more assertive at Maryland - not fully comfortable demanding the ball and respect from his teammates due to the cultural differences. Once he becomes better acclimated, I can see him becoming more of assertive. Z and Vitaly should help him too.

 

[AC Got Buckets]

A few disconnected thoughts about Len:

- His PnR finishing rate (65%+) is outstanding and he'll get far more opportunities to work in those kind of sets with Irving at point rather than the Maryland guards.

- The steals rate data that was posted earlier is a concern. However, the more I reflect on it the more I feel it normally reflects hand-eye coordination for bigs, and that is not a worry for Len. Roy Hibbert's steal rate was similarly lousy as a frosh/soph (0.3/0.2 per game which is worse than Len's) and he's done ok. Hibbert without the hook shot is actually not a bad comparison overall.

- I'd rather he was working at his post game in college, even if it isn't as developed as you might like, rather than just being a finisher/garbage man. He's had a chance to work out some of the kinks while not affecting our W-L record, which is a good thing. The left hand is going to have to be worked on though.

- Occasionally Bill Simmons comes out with a nugget of insight and his comment that a big who is a B+ at both ends of the floor is the most valuable non-superstar commodity has a ring of truth to it. He has potential to be a post presence at both ends as well as offering shot blocking - that's pretty valuable.

Now having said all that he remains #2 for me. But if the Noel knee is mangled and the Len ankle is sound, I'd have no problem with Grant making that choice.