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Which young center has the higher upside?

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Jimmy103
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Which young center has the higher upside? 

Post#1 » by Jimmy103 » Tue Jul 22, 2008 2:15 am

Patrick O'Bryant or DeAndre Jordan

Clearly there are huge questions surrounding each player, BUT there's also gigantic potential with their athleticism.

So I'm asking you guys, from what you've heard/seen which player do you think has the higher upside and which player has the more realist chance of ending up the better player.
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Re: Which young center has the higher upside? 

Post#2 » by meatball sub » Tue Jul 22, 2008 2:37 am

Call me a homer, but I'd have to say POB.

The kid can block shots, play defense, rebound, shoot it some and I actually saw an old school hook shot on one of his videos on Youtube that makes me think Clifford Ray can turn this kid into a player. The only real knock is him is his work ethic and I've said it to make a case for bringing in any guy with motivational issues, that shouldn't be a problem on this team. Hustle and hard work are contagious, this is the perfect environment for him. We have plenty of leaders on this team to keep him in line and I'm optimistic they can help him reach his potential to a certain extent.

DeAndre Jordan doesn't have any real basketball skills. He's strictly an athlete at this point and I think the fact that he was picked in the 2nd round shows that. Similar to POB when he came out, he isn't ready for the NBA. The only differences are that POB came out as a sophomore and in the NCAA Tourney he stepped his game up while Jordan was pushed around much like he was all season long. People compared this kid to Dwight Howard because of a similar body frame and athleticism while neither has an offensive game outside of the paint. The big difference there is that DeAndre doesn't have a game inside the paint either. He is long, he's an athletic freak, but other than that...:sour:

No doubt Jordan has a lot of potential if he ever learns to play basketball. Anybody who is as gifted athletically as he is does. But since POB already has basketball skills to go along with being pretty athletic himself and is only 2 years older, I'm taking Employee #26.
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Re: Which young center has the higher upside? 

Post#3 » by lojowo » Tue Jul 22, 2008 12:58 pm

I think Jordan is alot more raw then POB, thats why Danny didnt pick him in the first round.

Jordan needed a time to bring him along and not be challlenging for the Championship. Though I would have loved to see how Cliff Ray would have instructed him.

I'm a homer too, Im hoping POB will develop into the next Andrew Bynum!!! :D
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Re: Which young center has the higher upside? 

Post#4 » by Gomes3PC » Tue Jul 22, 2008 4:01 pm

I'd go with DeAndre Jordan. Had POB been a draft pick this year, at 2 years older than Jordan, he would not have been picked ahead of Jordan. I personally think Jordan won't ever get it, but he has more upside by a pretty wide margin. POB has been in the league two full years; there isn't much precedent for players who did nothing for two years before exploding. There is a precedent for athletic bigs who underachieved in college to explode in the NBA.
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Re: Which young center has the higher upside? 

Post#5 » by meatball sub » Tue Jul 22, 2008 5:27 pm

Gomes3PC wrote:I'd go with DeAndre Jordan. Had POB been a draft pick this year, at 2 years older than Jordan, he would not have been picked ahead of Jordan. I personally think Jordan won't ever get it, but he has more upside by a pretty wide margin. POB has been in the league two full years; there isn't much precedent for players who did nothing for two years before exploding. There is a precedent for athletic bigs who underachieved in college to explode in the NBA.


I agree with you, 3PC. I went off topic with my post and made a case for who I think will turn out to be the better player down the line. With that said, to answer the original question of the thread, Jordan has more potential...

He's younger and more athletic. Since potential really doesn't have anything to do with what the kid can do now, but what he may be able to do in the future...*if* DeAndre Jordan learns to play he could really be a beast due to his physical attributes. I also don't think that's going to happen, though.
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Re: Which young center has the higher upside? 

Post#6 » by chakdaddy » Tue Jul 22, 2008 9:53 pm

I'm not even sure what the point is of signing O'Bryant to a 2 year deal; if he pans out, we lose him since we don't have Bird rights; if he doesn't, he never helped us when we needed a contributor off the bench for title runs. I guess Ainge thinks he can help right now, and perhaps hopes the Early Bird rights will help to retain him if he blows up.
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Re: Which young center has the higher upside? 

Post#7 » by Jimmy103 » Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:41 pm

chakdaddy wrote:I'm not even sure what the point is of signing O'Bryant to a 2 year deal; if he pans out, we lose him since we don't have Bird rights; if he doesn't, he never helped us when we needed a contributor off the bench for title runs. I guess Ainge thinks he can help right now, and perhaps hopes the Early Bird rights will help to retain him if he blows up.



Ideally...

Develop him in a year and deal him as an expiring/young talent in a package next season for someone who wants to cut ties with a 2010 Free Agent
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Re: Which young center has the higher upside? 

Post#8 » by avi623 » Wed Jul 23, 2008 12:13 am

I am keeping my expectations very low with this signing, and I am a little concerned that he is our only center behind Perkins going into the season. POB just really seemed to lack a motor when i watched him in college. It is hard to teach that. He is certainly more skilled than Jordan. He just seems afraid to assert himself.
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Re: Which young center has the higher upside? 

Post#9 » by avi623 » Wed Jul 23, 2008 12:18 am

Also, I think this John Hollinger quote does POB justice following his rookie season:

"Before the season, many people viewed O'Bryant as a project. Now everyone does."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm7zNa5aCy4

I was not particularly impressed.
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Re: Which young center has the higher upside? 

Post#10 » by Spin Move » Wed Jul 23, 2008 12:23 am

Its jordan no doubt, he has off the charts athletiscism, POB has solid upside and has a lower floor but Jordans cieling in higher

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