Alexis Ajinca workout

[fatlever]

frenchie already taking shots at the americans.... LOL.

ZOOT ALLURS!

[BigSlam]

One more thing......

According to various Bios, Ajinca was a serious BMX rider(Driver? wtf do you call them?) and in fact was Champion of France, Champion of Europe, and Co-Champion of the World?!?!?!?!

/Not making this up

Can you imagine how big that freaking BMX bike would had have to be!!

[fluffernutter]

12 minutes in french league, he played even less in euroleague.

Ok, yea i meant french league, I dont think those leagues play the young guys so much though.
Hopefully he gets to join us immediately. The kid can really hit mid-range shots. Which is what we were missing. I hope he plays with passion.

I don't think his team was a euroleague one. ULEB cup maybe. In the Utah Jazz interview he mentions that he showed he had the talent and skill to play more minutes, but he wanted to go to the nba because he wasn't going to get it. Seeing Kosta and Arthur available at the 20 but not knowing about Kosta's likelihood to play in Europe and Arthur's kidney issue (which might explain why he only got 24mpg--if we think he has injury concerns we should avoid him; yes, I'm looking at you McMay.)

The kid has passion. He's coachable. I'm on the bandwaggon.

Welcome aboard. I'm the train conductor. There is plenty of room. Make yourself at home.

(this bandwagon's pulled by an iron horse)

[freakon0mics]

I would've prefer Kosta Koufos instead of Alexis but whatever, the pick has already been made. Its just going to take time to tutor and mentor this kid for NBA basketball. From the workout video, he does has a solid 15 foot jumper which would help out May and Okafor. Time will tell if he can play in this league.

[fatlever]

say no to ohio state. LB made the right call there.

[Paydro70]

I do like the jump shot, but... this is a guy playing against himself. I really can't take this seriously in showing me anything but the fact that he's reeaaaaally skinny and can hit open J's out to college 3pt range.

Larry Brown's advocation of him obviously suggests he's coachable and a smart enough kid, but I can't help but look at this as a bust waiting to happen. I hope, hope, hope, I'll be proven wrong, but I went into this draft thinking "anybody but Randolph or Ajinca," much as I did with Ammo. You will not see me on this bandwagon until he has played 10-20 NBA games dramatically better than Hollins and Davidson did.

[CarolinaCash]

DJ Augustin said on the radio today that the fans will be very happy with Ajinca. He said he was unreal at his workouts and he was hands down the best shooter in the workouts. He said he was excited when he heard the pick. Jeff Goodman of Fox sports was also on WFNZ and he said he loved the Augustin and Ajinca picks. He said Ajinca was the best shooter in the draft.....PERIOD.

[amcoolio]

Sounds like a much taller Sean May. Thats not so bad. The good thing about him is that he has a smart bball IQ, at least according to Brown. Maybe he may be tall and strong enough to cover the bigs that come out of the paint.

[fatlever]

we've got our very own brad sellers/lohaus. i love it.

thats some high praise from dj and goodman (whoever that is). i missed the dj interview but i heard someone on mac attack allude to what dj said.

[Walt Cronkite]

I think that's the plan Coolio. He only plays at the 5 if the other team goes small, otherwise he's always out there with Okafor or Mohammed. On offense Emeka and Nazr play on the blocks and Ajinca positions himself around the top of the key, at the elbows and on the opposite short corner.

Defensively we play Okafor and Mohammed together against teams with two good, low post bigs, but otherwise, Ajinca runs around guarding the athletic 4s while Emeka plays goalie.

[Walt Cronkite]

we've got our very own brad sellers/lohaus. i love it.

I miss the reference...what?

[fatlever]

brad sellers and brad lohaus were two skinny 7-foot 3 pt shooting centers that flamed out of the nba in the 80s. the nba just wasnt ready for 7 foot jump shooters back then.

[fatlever]

although my first impression seeing that ajinca vid was how much he reminded me of ralph sampson (post college) after ralph decided he wanted to be a shooting guard, but before injuries ruined his speed.

[Walt Cronkite]

Ah, thanks for the clarification.

[Julio]

Hi guys,
Obviously I'm now more interested in your team than I was before, because even tough I'm a Rockets fan, I'm also french, and follow most of the french players quite closely.
So, I hope to be able to help you with some french news(I have been looking, but so far, not a lot of things to work with, except for the interview posted by one of you on the page 3), and of course I would be very willing to translate some things for you, or to answers questions you may have about him or the french league( granted, of course, that I'm no expert).
Sorry for the grammar and spelling.

[doc.end]

Welcome aboard!

OT: I always wondered - which NBA teams are popular in France in general ?
Spurs with Parker, Suns with Diaw, which teams? Thx for answer.

[fatlever]

great... welcome julio.

any insight you can give us about ajinca would be great. its good to have someone who can translate around. i took two years of french 20 years ago and i dont remember a damn thing.

zut alors!

[chabber]

I took 3 years myself but sadly my favorite response to the teachers questions was, "je ne sais pas".

[pondin]

Ajinca needs to put on another 20-30 pounds. He looks a lot like a skinny version of LMA.... mediocre rebounder and shot blocker with good athleticism and a jump shot.

but if ajinca turns out to be anything close to LMA that would already be a steal ...

[amcoolio]

He is 7'2''. Thats the kicker. If he developed into the best-case-what-im-hoping-for scenario, he'd be a cross between Chris Bosh and Lamarcus Aldridge. A guy that can play PF and leave Okafor at C, even though Ajinca is taller than Okafor.