Would you want Embiid if he lands to us @ 6?

[cfoo]

guys like shaq, Duncan when they came out were no brainers. embiid is not that. Duncan was a 4 year college player and was the obvious consensus #1 pick. So was shaq. Embiid is different. There are no players like that this draft. Or Lebron's or whoever.

Embiid is a risk or a gamble or whatever you want to call him. I'm not saying he can't be good either. But he was being overhyped that way. So was wiggins. These guys were never that.

[cfoo]

embiid would have more value to us because he is a center. he's still a risk or a gamble and his upside is more like hibbert or parish. he could be olajuwan or Duncan but that is stretching it right now I feel. I don't see that upside with him overly regardless. People saying he's the best center to come out in whenever. He isn't in that class with guys like shaq or Duncan as a prospect. he could be that someday but as a prospect he is more down the line a bit.

[cfoo]

my expectations are tempered on him is all. I also think whenever you draft a player like that there is some risk. Embiid has more risk than a guy like marcus smart imo. he also has more upside because he's a center. but there is more bust potential with him.

I don't think embiid is a guy like Duncan who is a sure fire hall of famer before he even gets drafted. Never felt that way about oden either. Durant yes. I like embiid though and would definitely consider him and quite possibly draft him if he is there at 6. He is a gamble though somewhat.

I don't think he is greg oden either. Like I was saying it's almost better that he's injured now and we know what we are up against. I don't think Ainge has issues taking gambles with injuries for this reason if you know what they are, and neither do I, but it doesn't help overly. It depends on the situation.

[cfoo]

Duncan - 4 year college player and proved he could play at that level
Shaq- total freak of nature
Durant- completely dominated college basketball for a year
LeBron-completely dominated highschool basketball and was probably the most hyped highschool basketball player ever

oden-1 year college center. hyped. none of those things. centers sometimes have injury isses. he was neither shaq or Duncan.

embiid-1 year college center. Already has injuries. Probably a good thing though and he will go on to have a good nba career. He's neither Duncan or shaq though. Could bust though. Injuries are never overly good.
wiggins-Again 1 year college player, who is none of t hose things. Probably will be good though. He was a very good highschool basketball player but not on LeBron's level.
parker-probably the best of the lot and played at the highest level in college and will go on to having a solid nba career. Wiggins was better in highschool. parker had a better college season.

But none of these guys are necessarily jumping out as one better than the other. None of them had the seasons that these other guys did either. Embiid could be best. So could wiggins. I don't think just because Parker had a better year than wiggins makes him better. It wasn't that out of the norm. Wiggins is still a higher rated prospect than Parker in ways because he had better seasons and showed his physical ability at points in higher regards even still. Neither is dominant in the regard those other guys were.

There is no one guy in this draft who is that is the point. Should Embiid be considered if he slides? Absolutely, but he's not necessarily jumping ahead of the guys we were already looking at either. His injuries might knock him down a bit. They might not hurt his stock at all. If we want to wait him out a bit depending on what the medical reports say etc... It depends. There's no guarantee we have to do that. We need a center so he definitely should be considered. Do I want him? I'm not sure yet. It depends.

If ithe Celtics take him i'm sure they will do their homework and I'd want him in that regard.

[derrenattheoffice]

What shot up Embiid's draft stock was how quickly he jumped through the stages of development.

For a guy who has only picked up a basketball just a few years ago, to be not only a starter for a powerhouse like Kansas, but to shine just as brightly, or even brighter than Andrew Wiggins, shows you how quickly he picks things up.

He has the physical tools to be an NBA Center (height, length, quickness, leaping ability, coordination). And now he's showing basketball skills to go along with the physical tools. That's what GM's are excited about (pre foot injury).

[cfoo]

I agree with that. Embiid is still a nice prospect. He has shown his ability at a very early stage. I wouldn't bail on him just because he has some injuries. He definitely still should be considered. I just am more thinking critically and some of the expectations on these guys should be tempered a bit. There is no one guy this draft who is necessarily better. Embiid has some more upside than most because he is a center and has the ability to be very good. He could be the best player this draft and the best pick for us. I l ike him. He was the first guy I liked this draft although I think I heard about wiggins first. But the first guy I saw was Embiid because he is a center.

[cfoo]

He has a lot of ability. What jumped out at me was his ability to block shots. He also is smooth offensively. His movements appear natural. as he matures he should continue to get better. He is a project of sorts though and a bit of a risk.

He rose up draft boards because he was on a lot of peoples radars and played well and lived up to his billing for the most part. My billing for him wasn't Tim Duncan though. I think he has the ability to be a very good center.

[cfoo]

He's somewhat limitless but isn't the freak of nature Shaq was. I also don't necessarily see the intelligence, leadership, and team play that Duncan had coming out and displayed. He is more a cerebral natural athlete. Hibbert, guys like Parish were this in ways. Moses Malone sort of was too. PArish was not a leader like Duncan is. Parish was more just a cerebral natural center in ways. Olajuwan just had ridiculous moves in the post that were on another level. Embiid could potentially do more but he isn't even close to that yet. I don't really see olajuwan with him. I more see a guy like Parish or Hibbert with upside to be his own player.

[cfoo]

Embiid's biggest asset to me besides him being 7 feet is he appears to have a good feel for the game. The way he has picked it up quickly shows that. He has yet to completely dominate though which may mean his best years are ahead of him. It also could mean his upside is somewhat limited. Bill Russell got better but there are only so many Bill Russell's. Embiid could be that but it's a stretch. He also could just end up being a very good center. Or very injury prone.

I don't think Embiid is bill Russell. That's just my humble opinion. I think he is a very good center potentially with maybe some upside for more. Russell was absurd in college and picked up basketball late. Anything is possible though. Give embiid a couple more years and I could be completely wrong. Russell was a ridiculous athlete for his time though. Embiid is a natural athlete for sure, but I don't know on that level.

I don't think there is anyone in this draft like that. Wiggins is really good. So is Parker and Embiid. Those are the 3 players with the highest upside. I more see Wiggins like Dominique or Dr J maybe. Vince Carter. I think that is a bit of a stretch as it is. I don't even see Wiggins as those guys. Michael Jordan though? Lebron? Dominique and Dr J are top 50 players of all time and probably top 10 in Dr J's case. Dominique is up there too. Wiggins is all potential right now.

Embiid is the same to me. They have shown their talent in ways but from a team perspective and maximizing their abilities they still have a lot of room to grow. I don't see their athleticism as being as dominant as some of these other guys either. Shaq, Russell guy slike that just really stood apart from everyone else at the time. They were more developed college players though. although guys like Shaq and wilt were just freaks of nature.

Duncan was extremely advanced when he entered the league from a team perspective. He had a knack for this at wake forest from the minute he got there too and just expanded on that and kept expanding on this in the nba. He was fundamentally sound from the very beginning as well.

[cfoo]

Embiid is fluid and has a good feel for the game and is 7 feet. The potential is there. If we draft him it's a risk in ways and going to take a bit. Not that there is anything wrong with that overly but that's the reality of it. He definitely has the ability to be very good and a top center in the league.

Any player we take this draft is that so it's not that big a deal. I think with the draft you have to gamble a bit. That's why ainge doesn't let injuries deter him overly. Embiid might jump ahead of smart or Vonleh based on upside. It depends on what his injuries are though. The Celtics if they draft a player like this are in it for the long haul so they can afford to wait in ways.

we don't want to draft a bust. I feel like we have to come out of this draft with a good player. Embiid is a center and a player we need in ways. That might be worth the risk involved vs taking a player like smart or whoever who would be a safer pick. I don't think it' s a no brainer though.

If Exum is there or smart and embiid all at the same time who do you take?

I'd lean towards embiid but it really depends on his injuries. If he gets a clean bill of health as far as longterm I'd take him over those guys.

[runrondo]

I'm not going to lie, I'm a little hesitant now with this recent foot injury. Sure, lots of centers bounce back from foot injuries and have long careers, but others are plagued with continued foot problems. It depends on what exactly the injury is and where it is on the foot. Obviously, I would trust that Danny would look into it. I've been sky high on Embiid for a bit now and if the medical side checks out, I'd roll the dice on him. The other options are not that enticing unless we look to trade the pick.

[cfoo]

Embiid out 4-6 months

sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--joel-embiid-awaiting-final-analysis-on-a-possible-fractured-right-foot-180140657.html

Eep. Do we really want to draft a guy who is not even going to play until next year?

[DERRENMATTS]

Yes. If the talent is worth waiting a year for, I'd do it (under the condition that the medical staff is highly confident These fractures to his back and foot doesn't mean he's got fragile bones).

I know most fans are tired of losing, but I'm willing to go another year of lottery talks, because next year has good talent coming out too.

[cfoo]

I agree with you. I want to make a move that gives this team direction and something fireworkish. But at the same time playing it safe and building slowly isn't horrible either. We don't want necessarily force a move and have a bust on our hands.

[cfoo]

just solid drafting is always good. I'd take embiid myself though as long as the medical staff knows what's up. Especially if Exum is gone. I think as far as a talent he is better than Smart or Gordon the more I think about it. Smart and Gordon are solid picks to me. Vonleh, Embiid, and some of these other guys have more upside. There is more risk involved though.