Chad Ford on Waddle and Silvy: Blair, Mullens, Johnson
by YaoPau on Jun 24, 2009 11:25 AM CDT
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PrintJust heard him on my way to work on Waddle and Silvy... couple of interesting tidbits, and I'm paraphrasing...
On DeJuan Blair:
The problem with his knees is he has no ACLs. Evidently after his surgery to repair torn ACLs, they somehow got unattached again, and his body absorbed the tissue. Doctors opinions are mixed on what this means. Some are saying it's a good thing in a way, that he can't tear his ACL again. But they agree that down the line there will be problems with arthritis.
On BJ Mullens:
Silvy: We hear he's big and athletic and raw, is he like Joakim Noah?
Ford: No, actually he's really skilled, that's the weird thing. You see him in a workout and you're blown away, but you watch him on the court and he doesn't put it all together, and sometimes you question his effort. He reminds me a lot more of Darko Milicic - huge, athletic, skilled, but with the same quesionable effort and inability to translate his skills.
On James Johnson:
His dad's a champion kickboxer, and James initially followed that path, then picked up basketball at a later age. He's really talented and skilled, but he's like Tyrus Thomas in that he'll make some really poor decisions on the basketball court. His coaches have questioned his maturity, and honestly, with Tyrus Thomas on the team, I'm not sure why the Bulls would want to get another player who doesn't understand how to best use his talents to help the team.
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Blair's situation makes sense to me now. I read in DraftExpress that after the Blair MRIs that got red flagged, Blair's camp sent NBA teams an MRI from 2008 along with an analysis from an independent doctor that said no deterioration in the knee took place over the last year, and I didn't quite get what was being red flagged.
He's just missing ACLs, this seems to be an issue of "how long will his career be", not "he's an increased risk for reinjury" like Leon Powe was. If Blair's career maxes out at 8 years now instead of 15, well, I'm completely fine with that. To me, his stock is back up and he's one of the guys I'd like us to get.
The Mullens-Darko comparison got me thinking... "How many athletic, skilled 7 footers haven't made NBA rotations? Sure there have been busts: Kwame, Curry, Darko, Olowokandi... but they've all been busts because they were top 4 picks. Had teams picked them at #16, they would've been good picks. I'd say the bust rate on Mullens is low, probably lower than anyone else we've discussed at #16.
James Johnson, I think, has a really high bust rate. His profile: really athletic, skilled, can't put it all together, no basketball IQ, questionable maturity - is the profile of just about every bust pick there is. The first time I saw we were interested in Johnson I wrote "I watched Wake in the ACC tournament, and all I remember is James Johnson jacking up ridiculous 3s in transition while his team was trying to comeback, missing them horribly and killing momentum. He’s a big skilled athletic dude, but man those shots were Tyrusesque in their dumbness." Then I saw his mixtape and salivated. Johnson sucks.
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I’m still holding out hope the Bulls move up in the draft, they don’t need 2 young guys right now
by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on Jun 24, 2009 11:48 AM CDT reply actions
I'm thinking the Pistons are going to snatch Mullens at 15
I’m worrying the Bulls have fallen in love with Gerald Henderson and will take him over Blair with the 16th pick if both are available. KC Johnson has been reporting the Bulls are also likely to use the 26th pick on someone playing in Europe that they can stash for a season or two, so I’m wondering if they’re leaning on that forward from Israel.
That Steve Nash is exactly the same as Kirk Hinrich, but worse.
by NBA Observer on Apr 8, 2009 12:23 PM CDT
FWIW...
Simmons and Chad Ford talked about Blair’s knees on the Sports Guy’s podcast yesterday and they were talking about more of a 3-year time frame during which he could be a useful player before breaking down. Ford’s point was that getting a guy who’s ready to rebound right away for $1.3M/yr might not be a bad deal.
I heard someone also say that Hines Ward also has no ACL's
seems to be doing just fine as one of the most physical receivers in the NFL. If he can do it, why can’t DeJuan?
"The Zen philosopher Basho once wrote: 'A flute with no holes is not a flute, And a doughnut with no hole is a Danish.' He was a funny guy."
via Wiki
When he came out of college it was discovered that Ward was missing an ACL in his left knee, which he lost during a bicycle accident during childhood.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hines_Ward
"The Zen philosopher Basho once wrote: 'A flute with no holes is not a flute, And a doughnut with no hole is a Danish.' He was a funny guy."
by Ugh It Live! on Jun 24, 2009 12:20 PM CDT up reply actions
The name that sprang to my mind was John Elway...
pretty sure he doesn’t have an ACL in at least one knee
NOAH FRIGGIN' HAS SKILLS!!!!
(this is not directed at you, YaoPau) Mullens is different than Noah because he actually has skills? Just because Noah’s skills aren’t “grab the ball w/ your back to the basket and score” and “shoot well” doesn’t mean he doesn’t have skills.
Noah’s skills (only a partial list):
*Passing
*Dribbling
*Crossing over centers from 20 ft out
*stealing passes, dribbling full court and dunking while getting fouled
*offensive rebounding
*tipping to himself
*constant effort on the court (I consider that a skill, to an extent)
People should remember that while they have the right to their opinion, they are not entitled to be taken seriously. --Bruce Bartlett
And this is why you take Bulls analysis from Tom Waddle and Mark Silverman with a giant grain of salt
Because they don’t actually watch the team. Seriously, they don’t.
That Steve Nash is exactly the same as Kirk Hinrich, but worse.
by NBA Observer on Apr 8, 2009 12:23 PM CDT
by Ozzie Montana on Jun 24, 2009 12:36 PM CDT up reply actions
7 footer being a bust at 16
Mullens could easily have a good career and still be a bust for the Bulls at 16. He can stay immature and not care about the game for his first 3-4 years. The Bulls wait patiently but finally give up on him. The change of scenary changes his attitude, and he starts to develop into a decent to good player but for another team.
Given the Bulls track record of developing young bigs, Oh crap…
I think you're playing psychological games on yourself to like Mullens.
Sure, if we only expect him to be Darko or Kwame, we probably won’t be disappointed. But then, what’s the point of drafting him? People only want him because he “has a chance” to be really good. I don’t think anyone can honestly say, “I only want the Bulls to draft him because I think his ceiling is that of a Kwame Brown or Darko Milicic.” So if you’re taking into consideration his “star potential” as part of why you’re drafting him, then you’re putting higher expectations on him closer to the likes of a Kwame Brown or Darko than a Jason Smith, Robin Lopez or Roy Hibbert.
The ONLY reason to draft Mullens over guys like Blair or Hansbrough is because you think you might get a “steal” (and thus, a hope, an expectation) at No. 16. If the best he turns out to be is Kwame or Darko 4 or 5 years down the road, then he will be a bust (relatively) because there are players that have a higher likelihood of reaching that level sooner than he does.
People should remember that while they have the right to their opinion, they are not entitled to be taken seriously. --Bruce Bartlett
The reason I'd take Mullens
(and I’m in Camp Blair right now, post coming up) is not because he could be a star, but because I think he’s more of a sure thing.
He’s in another world talent-wise compared to Robin Lopez and Roy Hibbert. He has the talent of Kwame/Darko. Kwame/Darko busted into 7th/8th men, firmly entrenched in NBA rotations. Isn’t that exactly what Gar Forman said he’s looking for when he said “given the history of mid-first picks, a rotation player is a very good pick”?
The possible stardom is a plus. The way I see it, Blair is a million times better right now and will be for the next 2-3 years at least. Mullens is worse now, could be better later, has no injury history that I know of, and his floor, I think, is higher than Blair’s (injury) and Hansbrough’s (potentially suckiness with no ceiling).
They're "frimly entrenched" as 7th/8th men on bad teams.
I think Brown/Milicic is Mullens’ ceiling. His athletic, has good hands, but sucks. He doesn’t have a strong work ethic and he doesn’t try all that hard. And I don’t think he’s that smart, but I don’t have evidence for that assertion. Mullens is a bust before he’s even drafted.
People should remember that while they have the right to their opinion, they are not entitled to be taken seriously. --Bruce Bartlett
And you might be the first one to say mullens is a "sure thing".
People should remember that while they have the right to their opinion, they are not entitled to be taken seriously. --Bruce Bartlett
and Mullens has GREAT hands. That's a huge difference between Kwame and BJ.
"Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy." --Newton
by fundamentallysound on Jun 24, 2009 4:17 PM CDT up reply actions
Well, I didn't say any of them were the same player.
I meant to imply that that “level of total production” (offense, defense, both, whatever) would be the ceiling.
People should remember that while they have the right to their opinion, they are not entitled to be taken seriously. --Bruce Bartlett
I think Mullens's ceiling is way above Kwame because he has such awesome hands
and he can finish inside. Kwame sucks at both of those things. On defense, Mullens was active, even if he wasn’t always smart on D. If he is smart enough (I’ve no idea about this), he can learn where to be. From what I’ve read, OSU used a weird zone when Mullens was in that didn’t really show what he could or couldn’t do as a man defender, so he’s an unknown there. I just don’t think it’s the case that Kwame is Mullens’s ceiling. There’s a few things that go against him (mainly his inability to rebound all that well for a guy who lives around the bucket, which is unlikely to change in the pros), but I think to say that a guy with his hands and athleticism is bound to be AT BEST Kwame Brown is a little silly.
"Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy." --Newton
by fundamentallysound on Jun 24, 2009 7:56 PM CDT up reply actions
I honestly
don’t think it matters who we take. The Bulls aren’t going to be any less average with anyone from this draft.
DEJESUS!!!
Evidently after his surgery to repair torn ACLs, they somehow got unattached again, and his body absorbed the tissue. Doctors opinions are mixed on what this means.
I’m gonna go out on a limb and say this is NOT a good thing at all. He’ll probably have a shortened career bc of this, even if he can live through the pain. That is really rare… and even though I kinda hoped the Bulls would take him, it’s probably best they don’t.
What do I need to show fire for? I'm not a dragon. - Lou Pinella
If Blair’s career maxes out at 8 years now instead of 15, well, I’m completely fine with that.
I see what you’re saying here, but I still think it’s a sticky situation, not knowing when his knees will collapse. Idk, I still think it’s too risky.
What do I need to show fire for? I'm not a dragon. - Lou Pinella
I'm confused.
Blair is: short, fat, AND without ACLs. Why is this a good thing? I see WAY over valuing the smallish, rebounding power forward. Sell high. I just don’t see it.
by Bill Cartwright's Elbow on Jun 24, 2009 8:53 PM CDT up reply actions
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