Gerald Henderson's Bulls Experience
He's already got some chi-town connections. BJ Armstrong is getting good at this agent business. But this does worry me:
"I love their coach. Vinny’s a great guy and a great coach..."
5 months ago
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Yeah
“I love their coach. Vinny’s a great guy and a great coach…”
Well, Vinny probably just had him over for a mandatory NBA Finals party he was throwing.
I heard those are some ragers
by Option27 on Jun 8, 2009 10:41 PM CDT reply actions 2 recs
Is Chris Collins still a Duke assistant?
Doug probably tearfully begged his son to sing Vinny’s praises to Gerald.
by Scotter on Jun 9, 2009 12:17 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Non college watching bloggers requests information
ive read up on him on draft express, and i like what i read. I liked what i read so much that i wouldnt mind watching the bulls trade both picks and trade a player to get high enough to draft him (or strike a deal someother way to get him) but reading isnt enough, since i know alot of people here pay attention to college ball can anyone tell me thier view on him (the reason i didnt check the draft threads was because i figure everyone there watches college basketball and thus the descriptions may not be as perfect since it is probably general knowledge in that thread..)
On Behalf of Sue, Wjb, majoyenrac, Bullshooter and all the other Hinrich fans...Ill keep the Hinrich Hope coming...There will be light!
by piccolomair on Jun 9, 2009 12:39 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Based on how I evaluate draft prospects, I like Henderson a fair bit and would really like to pair him with Rose.
Although I don’t know that I’d give up a ton to get him because there’s still a decent amount of bust potential. The college basketball I watch is almost entirely on the women’s side, but I did watch some Duke games specifically to look at Henderson after reading about him on draft express. Here’s why I like him.
1. He’s a great defender, and has NBA size and athleticism for the SG position.
2. He finishes well, and gets to the FT line at a solid rate. This is something I put a lot of emphasis. And I think he there’s a chance that he blossoms in the NBA where he’ll get a lot more transition opportunities, and guys can make plays for him instead of Gerald having to create when everything broke down for Duke.
3. He such a good overall good profile for a complementary player that I’ll take the chance that he can develop consistent range as a spot up 3-point shooter. I like that his FT% and 3P% both improved every season. And his ball handling doesn’t bother me that much because he appears to understand his limitations, and there will probably less pressure on him to create off the dribble in the NBA. He was really Duke’s only player that could get his own shot. There’s definitely some bust potential, but also a good chance he gives you exactly what you need next to Rose. A young more athletic Anthony Parker.
by Scotter on Jun 9, 2009 2:16 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
To piggy-back on Scotter's assesment
He’s a good defender, but he’s got a lot to learn if he has to chase the likes of a Gordon, Hamilton, Allen type that move great without the ball. Had trouble keeping up with Ellington on similar situations in college. He’s a great help defender. He always keeps his head up on D.
He does attack the rim, but his creativity is lacking as he approaches the rim. So he may get to the FT line, but not have many +1 opportunities. But his explosiveness is also deceptive because while he’s not that fast, he picks up momentum quickly while he’s attacking. I think that’ll work to his advantage in the NBA.
His shooting is getting better, but he’s got a long way to go to become a consistent NBA 3 pt threat. He just doesn’t get his shot off quick enough. Not that his release isn’t quick, but you can see him thinking through his shot a lot. With he leap to NBA talent level and athleticism he has to work on a nice step-back move to create space to get his shot off. I think he’s capable.
I like the Parker comparison, but I could see him develop similar to Jason Richardson offensively.
by kingj41 on Jun 9, 2009 9:06 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think that's the upside. There's a chance his athleticism is just a much bigger factor on the NBA level
and he puts it together.
by Scotter on Jun 9, 2009 11:36 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks to Both of you
for your assesment, i was really hoping there would be more praise for his defense since i think ultimately having a tall defender still is a need for the bulls. And since he was a dukie i thought he might be a bit better at shooting, since arent all dukies good shooters?
On Behalf of Sue, Wjb, majoyenrac, Bullshooter and all the other Hinrich fans...Ill keep the Hinrich Hope coming...There will be light!
by piccolomair on Jun 9, 2009 12:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I like him alot. I would definitely trade both 1st rounders for a chance to nab him.
I watch a ton of ACC ball and he was extremely consistent every time I saw him. He also had some sick explosive moves that surprised me. He’s got a decent jumper, too and I think that will only get better- the form is there. I got the feeling when I watched him that he would adjust well to the pros, both on and off the court. He’s got an NBA body and a good head on his shoulders. I also think he was also somewhat being held back by the Duke system and that if he played somewhere else where his star power was showed off more, that he would be a top 7 pick, easy.
by smash! on Jun 9, 2009 9:05 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm pretty meh about Gerald Henderson
From my perspective, the one thing this draft has is lots of fairly decent SG prospects with adequate size and athleticism. This is a draft I’d be looking at trading down in were I set on getting a SG.
Like, what’s the logic for really picking Henderson in the 10-15 range over guys like Williams, Buddinger, Thornton, Ellington, Taylor, or Green, who (with the exception of Williams) all look like they’ll go in the late first or early second round?
As prospects, those guys look as good or better to me.
by Sports2 on Jun 9, 2009 12:22 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I'd have to agree, especially on Green
His two main attributes right now are exactly what is needed to compliment Rose: Three point range and good defense. He’s got great size at 6’6" and 208lbs, a 6’10" wingspan and good strength. He shot over 40% from three and seems to already have NBA range, as I recall watching him launch away from deep throughout the tourney.
I’d rather get a rookie SG in that already has the complimentary tools necessary to succeed with Rose, and hope that he also progresses with time in developing the other tools that would make him a more complete player.
Plus Green was a role player on NC, so he’d most likely fit into that niche well here, too.
by kig on Jun 9, 2009 12:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Arent most Starters on a college team
Role Players in the nba
And Most role players on a college team bench warmers in the nba
and most benchwarmers on a college team never make it to the nba?
Id have to question why a guy with nba talent (especially in a weak draft) sits on the bench more than he plays on teh court…If you have the talent to play consistant minutes in the nba, then you should be one of the best players on your team…at least thats my logic….but again i dont watch college ball.
On Behalf of Sue, Wjb, majoyenrac, Bullshooter and all the other Hinrich fans...Ill keep the Hinrich Hope coming...There will be light!
by piccolomair on Jun 9, 2009 1:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yes, unless they are maybe Freshmen etc...
In Green’s case, he’s a senior. If he’s a role player as a senior, I don’t see how that translates to anything potentially great in the NBA. Of course there are exceptions, but I just don’t see it with him. He’s not a big-time performer either. For example in the ACC championship game this year against FSU, he played 32 min and went 1-12, scoring 4 pts (0-6 on 3’s). Then he average an “ok” 13 pts in the tourney, including a whopping 6pts against Michigan State in the championship game.
by smash! on Jun 9, 2009 1:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
If you're alluding to my post on Green
then I’ll address that specifically: He played close to 30 mins a game, which means he was on the floor almost 75% of the time. So he was not a bench warmer, and in fact was on the court more than on the bench.
By role player, I meant that he knew what his role was within the team and performed it quite well. If you’ll recall, NC won the championship. Therefore I’ll assume that his role played a big part in that success. And that role, in my opinion, would be similar to what his role could be on the Bulls, therefore making him a good match.
by kig on Jun 9, 2009 1:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Most starters on a college team.
Never make it to the NBA.
" I've looked at these numbers and decided the #1 problem
is that Ben Gordon is selfish..." -your friendly bulls blogger
by Dionysus2.0 on Jun 9, 2009 7:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The biggest difference?
It’s more likely Henderson can develop a good shot than Green will develop a good attack game.
And Henderson’s a better defender, too.
People should remember that while they have the right to their opinion, they are not entitled to be taken seriously. --Bruce Bartlett
by tyger1147 on Jun 9, 2009 2:54 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh, and not that you were arguing against Henderson....
…but everyone’s a role player at Duke.
People should remember that while they have the right to their opinion, they are not entitled to be taken seriously. --Bruce Bartlett
by tyger1147 on Jun 9, 2009 2:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I just can't agree.
I guess it depends on what you want, though. “Adequate” doesn’t quite cut it as well as “elite”, in my view. If Henderson develops an adequate 3-pt shot and better ball-control and Rose develops adequate defense, the two of them together will be incredible together for long time. You can keep Noah and those two and find yourself some SF’s and PF’s somewhere in the next five years. If you want someone with the potential to be 2nd/3rd option offensively on a really good team and an elite defender, you choose him.
Williams is the closest to Henderson, which is why he’s going just below him in a lot of mock drafts. I don’t like that he rarely draws fouls and that he’s horrible w/ the FTA when he does. If you want a 4th/5th option offensively and an elite defender, you choose here.
Green can’t do anything with the ball (relatively speaking), and I wonder if part of his good 3pt shooting isn’t impacted by being the 4th best offensive player on his team. If you want a role playing offensively player w/ the ability to be an elite defender, you choose Green.
Buddinger hasn’t played defense well and doesn’t project to do in the NBA. I think he’ll be a very good 4th/5th option on offense like Williams (but in a different way). If that’s what you want, take him.
Well, anyway, if all you want is “adequate”, then I think all of those other guys are fine. And maybe if you’re talking strictly about value and risk, then maybe they work well, too. They all have good floors on offense, and varying on defense. I think Henderson has both the highest floor and highest ceiling on defense. While his floor on offense is probably lower than the other guys (he hasn’t consistently shown a whole lot of tools), I think his ceiling is higher than any one of those guys as well. He’s shown stretches of great shooting and flashes of taking guys off the dribble and explosive athleticism.
As much as I like Deng, Thomas and Noah, I don’t think the Bulls are quite yet in the position to take the safe pick. Had the front court shown that they really are the future (or we knew for a fact that the Bulls were definitely only drafting a backup SG/SF), I might say to take Green, Buddinger or Ellinton where you have greater likelihood of their ability to hit 3’s and lack of defense (for the latter two) might not be as important. Believe me, I wish the Bulls were already there.
People should remember that while they have the right to their opinion, they are not entitled to be taken seriously. --Bruce Bartlett
by tyger1147 on Jun 9, 2009 3:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sorry, I didn't finish my point.
My take:
Best Case:
Rose, Henderson, Deng, Thomas and Noah all fulfill their great potential (whevever one sees that now) and the team is awesome.
Good case:
Deng, Thomas, Noah, Rose fulfill their potential and Green/Ellinton/Williams/Buddinger etc fulfill theirs as Bulls and they have a really, really good team.
Meh Case:
If Deng, Thomas and Noah don’t work out, and the Bulls don’t find someone who can, then a role playing, 3pt shooting, defensive specialist is pretty useless and at least the Bulls were trying for something great when they drafted Henderson and they’ll still have a good defensive complement to him.
Worst case:
If Deng, Thomas and Noah prove to be a very good front-court or they land a Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire, and Henderson doesn’t develop a consistent 3-pt shot or better handles, then it would have been better to pick Green or whomever. That sucks, but it’s still a good scenario to have.
As far as moving up or down…. that’s definitely trickier. I wouldn’t give up a starter to do it, and I’d hesitate to trade Hinrich for only the 9th or 10th pick. I think his floor is high enough that going for the potential is worth something, if I can’t define how much. I would agree with you, however, that it’s not an excitingly high potential, and therefore nothing to go gaga over.
People should remember that while they have the right to their opinion, they are not entitled to be taken seriously. --Bruce Bartlett
by tyger1147 on Jun 9, 2009 3:52 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I didn't really finish out my thought the way I should have
My “adequate” statement was simply that Henderson and those other guys are in the same general vicinity of size and athleticism. Well suited for the NBA but not elite (a la Wade, Lebron, or perhaps Harden).
In any case, my point isn’t that there isn’t any disparity between them in terms of overall prospect status, it’s that there isn’t much of one… relative to, say, PFs likely to be available at #16 vs. #26 to the second round.
I can picture a guy like Budinger or Taylor being a pretty good NBA player with something close to the same probability as I picture Henderson.
On the other hand, I see there being a high probability chance that, say, Hansbrough is a pretty good NBA player and significantly lower chance that someone like, say, Jeff Pendergraph, even though I actually think the latter is a really great sleeper pick.
by Sports2 on Jun 10, 2009 1:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
In Henderson's defense on offense is the following from DX:
As a shot-creator, Henderson looks excellent, both in terms of the volume of shots he was able to create in isolation situations (ranking 5th), and in his ability to convert these opportunities, at 42%. He also appears capable of making some plays on the pick and roll, which is a nice bonus. Like a lot of college players we looked at, Henderson is much better operating with his strong hand (his right)—converting 51% of his drives with that hand, compared with just 37% with his left. This part of his game is going to be key for him moving forward, as he ranks quite poorly as a jump shooter compared to his peers in his ability to catch and shoot (.7 PPP guarded, 1.15 PPP unguarded) or pull-up off the dribble (.79 PPP). Henderson made big strides with his perimeter jump-shot this past season, but he obviously still has a long ways to go.
The fact that he does so well in isolation situations bodes well for his ability to come in to the Bulls “offense” and contribute. He’s not great as a catch and shoot player which would seemingly hurt his effectiveness next to Rose, but almost every player becomes a better shooter in the NBA because they work so much on it. Where that’s the only area of his game that really needs work, and it’s something he’s already made strides with, I think he’s a great option.
I think Danny Green is basically Henderson-lite. Less athletic ability, better pure shooter, less ability to do things with the ball in his hands, but still that big guard who can defend and hopefully play off Rose. I do worry about his ability to defend at the next level, though, because of his average (at best) NBA athleticism. I think if Henderson is gone you can do a lot worse than Green.
"Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy." --Newton
by fundamentallysound on Jun 9, 2009 3:54 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Henderson would be a really good fit for the Bulls...
here’s hoping it works out. I’d much rather see him in Chicago than on the Raptors.
by Aisander D on Jun 9, 2009 5:05 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I Wouldn't Trade Up To Get Him
I like his game, but like Tyger said there a bunch of SG’s in this draft that are comparable if not better. He isn’t going to be that much better than the Williams, Ellington, Green or Budinger group, at least not right away. It’s better to just keep the picks we have and let the chips fall where they may
by Ceasaleo on Jun 10, 2009 9:49 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
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