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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jun 28, 2006 22:45:39 GMT -5
Danny traded a future second round pick for the rights to Leon Powe. Another big man for us...
Leon Powe Full Name: Leon Powe Jr. Position: Forward Height/Weight: 6-8 / 240 Birthdate: January 22, 1984 (Berkeley, Calif.) High School: Oakland Tech HS (Oakland, Calif.) College: California
Strengths: Strength and competitive instincts make him difficult to contain in the paint. Has long arms, strong hands and plays bigger than his listed height. Can play with his back to the basket, and passes well out of double teams.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jun 28, 2006 23:03:35 GMT -5
Awesome. I remember watching him a few times (in Hawaii, you catch a lot of west coast college games, though Cal games don't come on a lot). I thought he looked pretty good. If we can develop him, he'll be a nice spurt scorer off the bench.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jun 28, 2006 23:08:06 GMT -5
And we have just the guy to do it too... Enter Clifford Ray
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jun 28, 2006 23:34:16 GMT -5
Right. Wonder if Ainge gives him time to sleep? Ray has a lot of big men to work with on our roster.
*This scouting report was written after his freshman year and does not reflect his scouting report after coming back strong from his knee injury. Below are his stats, and you'll see that he returned healthy and even better than before.
Strengths: Very talented offensive player with the ability to play back to the basket or face up ... Explosive leaping ability despite the knee injuries ... Has great quickness, and crafty at getting around defenders to the basket ... Has a nose for the basket ... Very competitive and talented player, a real difference maker on the college level ... Ball handling is very good for a big forward ... Shooting ability out to 18 feet is good ... Has great upper body strength ... Super long arms and big hands make him like a magnet grabbing loose balls ... Great motor, competes hard ...
Weaknesses: Injuries to his knees have required two major reconstructive surgeries. The fear of another knee injury is there, so proving he can remain healthy through his Junior year would help his chances of getting drafted in the first round ... He's undersized to play power forward in the NBA, but has good athleticism and long arms ... Has good speed, but looks very awkward running the court, his back is always upright, he never leans forward, and his legs don't extend fully ... Lacks the passing ability and perimeter skills to play small forward ...
Notes: Led the Pac-Ten in rebounding as a freshman, two years ago. Came into Cal rated as one of the top 5 prospects in the country.
Powe's stats
Powe had a solid freshman year, averaging 15.1 ppg and 9.5 rpg in 27 games (almost a full college season). He had a torn ACL in his sophomore season, but came back stronger this year, averaging 20.5 ppg and 10.1 rpg in the same amount of games (27).
He's 6'8", 240 lbs. I saw him play and think he's got real game.
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Post by Celtic17 on Jun 28, 2006 23:40:13 GMT -5
Sounds like a guy that can be thick and fill the lane too. Danny did good, IMO.
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Post by BCHISTORIAN on Jun 29, 2006 0:47:36 GMT -5
danny did good indeed. the only thing i'm afraid regarding powe is that he duplicates the role of ryan gomes. so one of them will probably be traded this summer
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jun 29, 2006 4:26:58 GMT -5
From what I know, Powe is a bit quicker and more athletic than Gomes. And he seems more of a natural scorer, if that makes sense. But yes, he could duplicate Gomes. Both are a bit undersized for a PF, but both can be effective off the bench.
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Post by BCHISTORIAN on Jun 29, 2006 6:55:19 GMT -5
it all adds to my theory that iverson will be here for wally, west, gomes and a future pick
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Post by jb on Jun 29, 2006 7:52:56 GMT -5
Pove led the Pac 10 in scoring and rebounding last season and was the MVP of their tourny. I see him as a back up 4, while Gomes is being groomed at the three. From what I've read, he's much stronger than Ryan. With Lafrentz gone, Ratliff becomes the only other center on the roster, so Jefferson and Pove should get most ofthe minutes at the four. On the other hand, Doc Rivers is still the wild card with this team. Is it to soon to start calling for his head?
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Post by The Eye of the Q is upon you! on Jun 29, 2006 8:11:46 GMT -5
Danny accumulated another piece for the Question Mark auction to take place this summer.
Powe has some value as of today. The only question mark is his knees. He seems to be a David West type player. He competes with Gomes for minutes.
Possibly Al Jefferson ends up being the one traded in a potential Iverson deal in all this.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jun 29, 2006 11:15:34 GMT -5
That would be a mistake, Q. We must hold onto Jefferson. Ainge needs to move Gomes or Powe before Jefferson.
His knee injury that required 2 reconstructive surgeries have not stopped him last year, and he was an even more dangerous player after the operations. It'll be something to always keep an eye out for, but as long as Jefferson is here, Powe will not be asked to get 30 minutes of playing time, so his knee won't be worn out from too much playing time.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jun 29, 2006 19:52:31 GMT -5
Here is a profile of Leon Powe from True Hoops... Ziller of Sactown Royalty chose Powe as being one of the sleepers of the draft. www.truehoop.com/2006-draft-22804-2006-draft-profile-leon-powe.html2006 Draft Profile: Leon Powe Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty is one of the best basketball bloggers out there, and he wrote an essay about Powe for TrueHoop. "I chose Powe," writes Ziller, "because he's in danger of falling out of the draft. That would be a crime." Basketball is filled with plenty of tragic stories--Len Bias, Reggie Lewis, Jason Collier, Ricky Berry and Jay Williams, to name a few. But warring with the discouraging sentiment of disappointment-waiting-to-happen that flaots to the top every June with the NBA draft, there's another element we relish: the hope of redemption. Leon Powe (like Edgar Allen, not Gasol), the 23-year-old power forward from Cal, might be the best story this draft has. Raised street as they come in tough North Oakland, Powe lost his dad to deadbeatism at age 2. His family's duplex (and all their material goods) burned to the ground at age 7, which sent Powe into foster care. A tough life? As a high school, he lost his mom to unknown causes. Four days later, he put up 19/10 in the state championship game. A few weeks later, he tore his ACL. Still, he didn't give up. He beat academic problems to end up at Cal, a school that won't take chances on bad students. How? A stunning mix of birthrighted talent and soldier-like hard work. In his first game as a freshman at Oakland Tech, he came into the second half off the bench and put up 18/10/9. Plenty of talent. Hard work? His GPA went from 1.9 to 3.2 in two years. It didn't stop when Powe got to Cal--the hope or the heartbreak. As a freshman--coming off ACL surgery--Powe led Cal in scoring and rebounds and was named the team's MVP. (He did the same in 2005-06, except that he led the entire Pac-10 in both categories.) You can almost guess what happened next--his injured knee required surgery, sticking him on the shelf for his sophomore campaign. The next step is predictable, too--Powe came back strong for his third year (second season) at Cal, as the best low-post player in the conference and the best Pac-10 pro prospect not named Brandon Roy. As questions again resurfaced about Powe's possible bid for the pros popped up as the season dwindled, what did Leon do? 22/20 against USC and 41 against Oregon in the Pac-10 tourney. Most mocks have Powe going somewhere in the second round, and at the very highest the late first round. A couple of the more reputable "professional mocks" have Powe going undrafted (which would be a shock). The knee, obviously, is the concern. As athletic as Leon is, teams will understandably be afraid to gamble on two surgeries in four seasons. But judging from the track record, Powe can get through it. No challenge he's faced yet as gone undefeated. (And yes, I think Powe would be a marvelous understudy for Shareef Abdur-Rahim. The Kings picking at #19 would be stretching there, but it's not unprecedented. See: Kevin Martin in 2004, on the most rigid of draft bubbles, going to Sacramento at #26. Purple Powe would also grease the skids of Kenny-Thomas-on-a-train-out-of-town. This is not a bad thing.) (And what would a prospect profile be without some cold water? Powe faced Arizona State's Ike Diogu - the #9 pick of the 2005 draft - twice. Diogu went for 30+ both times, and held Powe under 20. In fairness, Powe was coming off an injury in the first game and Cal won both matchups. So the cold water isn't icy.) Contra Costa Times columnist Eric Gilmore was one of many who unsuccessfully urged Powe to stay in school: Powe put on quite a show during the regular season, leading the Pac-10 in scoring and rebounding, and this week at the Pac-10 tournament. At 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, Powe often has looked like a man among Pac-10 boys. His muscles are massive. His hands are enormous. He can overpower most of his college opponents.That's what he did Thursday night, powering Cal to an 82-67 win over USC and into Friday night's semifinal against Oregon. NBA scouts surely took note when Powe muscled up for 22 points and a Pac-10 tournament record 20 rebounds against the Trojans. Yet when Powe moves to the NBA, he won't be able to rely so heavily on brute force. He'll be an undersized power forward, facing the freakishly tall, long and skilled Rasheed Wallaces and Kevin Garnetts of the NBA world. Powe is a more powerful version of current Warriors rookie Ike Diogu, minus Diogu's slick inside moves and soft mid-range shot. OK, that may all be true, but Leon Powe looks good on TV.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jun 29, 2006 20:06:08 GMT -5
Its just an incredible pick up. I'm glad Ainge took him from Denver for only a future 2nd round pick. We'll have a ton of second rounders in the future.
The writer mentioned Ike Diogu--I agree. He's got the same type of fierceness. Had it not been for the injury, he may have been a mid first rounder.
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Post by BCHISTORIAN on Jun 30, 2006 0:48:50 GMT -5
seems like we got a fighter hope his knees hold up
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jun 30, 2006 10:54:30 GMT -5
A future second rounder is a small price to pay to find out.... If they do, we got a steal... if not we aren't paying that much to find out.
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