Europe loves Patty Mills

[Fez Hammersticks]

“He’s Tony Parker quick. People who saw him in the Olympics, he was blowing past Chris Paul and Jason Kidd, who are both pretty damn fast. His speed on the court is something you can’t coach. He lives for the big stage. That’s rare to find in a kid. He’s just a hard worker. Three years ago he couldn’t shoot. But he worked at it relentlessly. At St. Mary’s we’d workout at 6:45am, come in at lunch time and then stay after practice. It was a routine we did. So it’s hard to see someone put in that hard work and then have it taken from them.”

“Patty has had a lot of opportunities to go to Europe and people want to sign him regardless of the injury for big money, but that’s not what he wants to do. He’s always wanted to make the NBA. He wants to play for the Blazers or play in the NBA this year. That’s what he wants to do. But at this point, he’s just going to come back to Portland and see what happens – see if they place him overseas, keep him or let him go. You never know how it’s going to go – it’s tricky.”

-Beyondthebeat.net

 

[STOMP]

link?

btw... Jason Kidd used to be "pretty damned fast." Relative to NBA PGs these days he's average speed/quickness at best.

STOMP

 

[TradeNurkicNow]

I hope we keep him. At this point, I'm not confident with Bayless or Koponen as the PG of the future after Miller and Blake run their course(s)

 

[THE HCP]

Rather have Bayless. Just watched our game last year against NOLA when we were down 20 and came back! He was amazing. He is very young and people have to remember this!

 

[PapaG]

link?

btw... Jason Kidd used to be "pretty damned fast." Relative to NBA PGs these days he's average speed/quickness at best.

STOMP

Mills had zero trouble getting by Chris Paul and Deron Williams. He's Aaron Brooks-quick with the ball. His problems are he is undersized and isn't near as good of a shooter as Brooks.

 

[STOMP]

Mills had zero trouble getting by Chris Paul and Deron Williams. He's Aaron Brooks-quick with the ball. His problems are he is undersized and isn't near as good of a shooter as Brooks.

I've never seen him play, so I've no impression of his game. But just to define his size I looked up his pre-draft numbers. He's pretty much the same sized guy as CPaul & ABrooks which is on the low end of acceptable.

Anyhoo, I'm looking forward to seeing him play. The first thing I'll be looking for is how he how he uses the speed you're mentioning. Once he blows by his guy does he usually try to score and can he dish it as well?

STOMP

 

[PapaG]

I've never seen him play, so I've no impression of his game. But just to define his size I looked up his pre-draft numbers. He's pretty much the same sized guy as CPaul & ABrooks which is on the low end of acceptable.

Anyhoo, I'm looking forward to seeing him play. The first thing I'll be looking for is how he how he uses the speed you're mentioning. Once he blows by his guy does he usually try to score and can he dish it as well?

STOMP

He had trouble finishing at times at St. Mary's. He did finish well against the USA Olympic team, however, but that was just a few games. I wouldn't say he's a great passer, either. He's a nice change of pace option, and the Blazers have no other PG that has Mills' speed. I was surprised to see him drop so far in the draft, especially considering how easy it is for very fast PGs to penetrate in the new era of no hand-checking. He's a heady player with a lot of international experience at such a young age. If at all possible, I'd like to see him play a year in Europe (when he gets healthy), and then come to camp in 2010 to compete for a roster spot.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

He had trouble finishing at times at St. Mary's. He did finish well against the USA Olympic team, however, but that was just a few games. I wouldn't say he's a great passer, either. He's a nice change of pace option, and the Blazers have no other PG that has Mills' speed. I was surprised to see him drop so far in the draft, especially considering how easy it is for very fast PGs to penetrate in the new era of no hand-checking. He's a heady player with a lot of international experience at such a young age. If at all possible, I'd like to see him play a year in Europe (when he gets healthy), and then come to camp in 2010 to compete for a roster spot.

Bingo. If he finished at St. Mary's like he did in the Olympics he would have been a top-20/late-lotto pick for sure.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

He's pretty much the same sized guy as CPaul & ABrooks which is on the low end of acceptable.

I dunno about you, but I'd accept Chris Paul pretty quickly. So, essentially, if he's good enough, it doesn't matter.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Mills strikes me as a poor man's Pooh Jeter with a cute accent. Blazing fast, with a below average shot and questionable decision making (hasn't met a shot he wouldn't take). He really jacks up a LOT of bad shots. I don't want such an inefficient scorer dominating the ball when the Blazers have several much more efficient scoring options. On the rare occasion his shot is falling, he can shoot his team to victory, but is more likely to shoot them out of a game. He's also a poor defender.

BNM

 

[PapaG]

Mills strikes me as a poor man's Pooh Jeter with a cute accent. Blazing fast, with a below average shot and questionable decision making (hasn't met a shot he wouldn't take). He really jacks up a LOT of bad shots. I don't want such an inefficient scorer dominating the ball when the Blazers have several much more efficient scoring options. On the rare occasion his shot is falling, he can shoot his team to victory, but is more likely to shoot them out of a game. He's also a poor defender.

BNM

I can't agree with this at all. Pooh Jeter barely made a blip on the radar at UP, let alone in international play as a 20 year-old. How is Mills a "poor man's" Pooh Jeter?

 

[WarriorFan]

I saw him play a lot at St Mary's and think he can certainly be an NBA PG, maybe not all-star level but he can contribute to a team. His shot isn't great but is improving. If you have a chance check out the St Mary's-Davidson game in the NIT last year. Curry is no great defender but he's still NBA quality and Mills played really well. His shot was not falling (I think he went 1-10 from 3 or something like that) but he was still able to set people up danm near every possession.

 

[SheedSoNasty]

Hopefully he's still as quick after he recovers from his injury.

 

[Boob-No-More]

How is Mills a "poor man's" Pooh Jeter?

His shot was not falling (I think he went 1-10 from 3 or something like that)

Asked and answered.

If you look at Mills' game logs there were multiple games where Mills single handedly shot his team out of the game (5-20 including 0-9 3FG, 2-16 including 0-7 3FG, 7-24 including 4-13 3FG). At least Jeter has the common sense to not jack up a shot on every possession when he's not hitting. Jeter's final year stats at UP are very similar to Mills' stats from last season at St. Marys - only Jeter shot the ball better over all, better from the FT line and from better 3-point range. Mills is basically a worse shooting version of Jeter. Very similar games, with very similar limitations/weaknesses. Jeter, takes fewer shots, hits them at a higher percentage and turns the ball over slightly less than Mills.

For a guy who can't shoot for shit, Mills certainly puts up a LOT of shots. The guy is a serious ball hog. A PG that has a 2x FGA:AST ratio is a shoot first PG. Mills' FGA:AST ratio last season was 4:1. For anyone who thinks Jerryd isn't a "true" PG, Bayless' FGA:AST ratio as a rookie was 2.4:1.



BNM

 

[B-Roy]

Asked and answered.

If you look at Mills' game logs there were multiple games where Mills single handedly shot his team out of the game (5-20 including 0-9 3FG, 2-16 including 0-7 3FG, 7-24 including 4-13 3FG). At least Jeter has the common sense to not jack up a shot on every possession when he's not hitting. Jeter's final year stats at UP are very similar to Mills' stats from last season at St. Marys - only Jeter shot the ball better over all, better from the FT line and from better 3-point range. Mills is basically a worse shooting version of Jeter. Very similar games, with very similar limitations/weaknesses. Jeter, takes fewer shots, hits them at a higher percentage and turns the ball over slightly less than Mills.

For a guy who can't shoot for shit, Mills certainly puts up a LOT of shots. The guy is a serious ball hog. A PG that has a 2x FGA:AST ratio is a shoot first PG. Mills' FGA:AST ratio last season was 4:1. For anyone who thinks Jerryd isn't a "true" PG, Bayless' FGA:AST ratio as a rookie was 2.4:1.



BNM

But he's really fast!!111!!!!111

 

[PapaG]

Asked and answered.

If you look at Mills' game logs there were multiple games where Mills single handedly shot his team out of the game (5-20 including 0-9 3FG, 2-16 including 0-7 3FG, 7-24 including 4-13 3FG). At least Jeter has the common sense to not jack up a shot on every possession when he's not hitting. Jeter's final year stats at UP are very similar to Mills' stats from last season at St. Marys - only Jeter shot the ball better over all, better from the FT line and from better 3-point range. Mills is basically a worse shooting version of Jeter. Very similar games, with very similar limitations/weaknesses. Jeter, takes fewer shots, hits them at a higher percentage and turns the ball over slightly less than Mills.

For a guy who can't shoot for shit, Mills certainly puts up a LOT of shots. The guy is a serious ball hog. A PG that has a 2x FGA:AST ratio is a shoot first PG. Mills' FGA:AST ratio last season was 4:1. For anyone who thinks Jerryd isn't a "true" PG, Bayless' FGA:AST ratio as a rookie was 2.4:1.



BNM

Most of the games you referenced were after he returned from a broken right wrist, and yet his team still went 4-2 in those games.

St. Mary's w/Mills pre-injury. 18-1. St. Mary's w/Mills, period. 22-3. St. Mary's when Mills got injured while leading against Gonzaga. 0-1.

St. Mary's w/out Mills. 6-3.

It's hard for me to see how he "shot his team out of games" considering the team was much better with him, even with him shooting on a bum wrist. I suppose I could post all of his good games, but I'm not going to argue further with someone calling Mills a "poor man's Pooh Jeter". That kills your credibility on the issue.

 

[Further]

At this stage I don't think Mills is anywhere close to helping the Blazers. But that's not the end all and be all of the situation. I think there are certain players who learn and progress differently than others, and I hope and think that Mills may be that kind of player. When a player comes into the NBA you want him to be better than everyone else at something with the potential of improving the rest of his game so he gets a shot at exploiting his one big advantage. Mills has speed. And playing for a team where he is clearly one of the worst shooters will hopefully provide him with the structure where he will not try to score alone every time like he did in the past. Will this happen? I don''t know. But this is why I like giving resources and time to young players with special attributes like Oden or Batum over perhaps currently better all around players with no super skill like Blake, Webster or Outlaw. If we can build the rest of the game up in players with special qualities then we stand to get lucky from time to time and end up with stars.

This does not mean that I think that Mills will be a star, just that I like the fact that he has at least one supreme talent which gives him the outside chance of becoming a star. I would say the same for Batum, Oden and Bayless.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

For anyone who thinks Jerryd isn't a "true" PG, Bayless' FGA:AST ratio as a rookie was 2.4:1.

I certainly don't question that Mills shoots a lot and is not a "pure" PG. But that's an unfair comparison. Of course Bayless shot less as a rookie, because he knew that he BETTER give the ball up once in a while or he would be back glued to the pine. That's also why he was tentative, because playing that way did not come naturally. I'd be curious (and it would be a fairer comparison) to see Bayless's numbers in his last year of college. (Of course, even that wouldn't be entirely fair: Bayless was on what was widely seen as a stacked Arizona team. Who else played for St. Mary's?)

I'm also curious to see Mills's numbers as a rookie - coming this year, I hope, and with the Blazers, I hope.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Here's part of why Europe might love Mills:

Australian Patrick Mills was absolutely the star of the evening’s all-star game, posting an impressive 30 point performance on 8/18 shooting from the field and 12/13 from the line. Mills handled the ball on a string all game long, showing terrific quickness keeping his man off balance, and making an absolute living in the mid-range area with his deadly pull-up jumper. His ability to utilize strong hesitation moves makes him extremely difficult to stay in front of, and he did a good job not settling for tough shots from beyond the arc today, getting to the line repeatedly. He clearly thrives in up-tempo settings such as the one seen in today’s all-star game, which came in stark contrast to his morning performance, where he seemed to over-dribble somewhat while trying to create in the half-court.

 

[BenDavis503]

I wouldn't sleep on Patty Mills. He is going to be good!

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Hopefully he's still as quick after he recovers from his injury.

Remember, Jordan broke a bone in his foot in his second year (and came back that same year to score 60+ in the playoffs against the Celtics). In fact, Jordan broke the same bone that Yao Ming just broke.

 

[PapaG]

Patty Mills has a "cute accent". He had some bad shooting games, yet his team was much better with him.

 

[julius]

I don't know why, but I thought of this song.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

He had trouble finishing at times at St. Mary's. He did finish well against the USA Olympic team, however, but that was just a few games. I wouldn't say he's a great passer, either. He's a nice change of pace option, and the Blazers have no other PG that has Mills' speed. I was surprised to see him drop so far in the draft, especially considering how easy it is for very fast PGs to penetrate in the new era of no hand-checking. He's a heady player with a lot of international experience at such a young age. If at all possible, I'd like to see him play a year in Europe (when he gets healthy), and then come to camp in 2010 to compete for a roster spot.

One of the reasons he dropped was that there were just so many other PG's ahead of him. This was the best PG draft I have ever seen. Last year he would have been a first rounder for sure.

 

[STOMP]

One of the reasons he dropped was that there were just so many other PG's ahead of him. This was the best PG draft I have ever seen. Last year he would have been a first rounder for sure.

by the estimation of most everyone who rates drafts, 2009 was an extremely weak draft lacking both potential stars and quality depth. Conversely, last year's draft was thought to be an excellent draft on both accounts and so far the results have shown this to be true. Hard to see how a mid-2nd rounder in an extremely weak draft would have been a 1st rounder for sure in a strong-deep one.

STOMP

 

[PapaG]

by the estimation of most everyone who rates drafts, 2009 was an extremely weak draft lacking both potential stars and quality depth. Conversely, last year's draft was thought to be an excellent draft on both accounts and so far the results have shown this to be true. Hard to see how a mid-2nd rounder in an extremely weak draft would have been a 1st rounder for sure in a strong-deep one.

STOMP

The All-NBA rookie teams from those years really don't validate your claim. Both draft classes seem to be equally weak in terms of superstar players, although Kevin Duran seems the most likely to become an elite player out of the two classes. Of the All-Rookie team from last year, only Derrick Rose played a major role on a playoff team, and Michael Beasley wasn't even a starter for the Heat.

 

[STOMP]

The All-NBA rookie teams from those years really don't validate your claim. Both draft classes seem to be equally weak in terms of superstar players, although Kevin Duran seems the most likely to become an elite player out of the two classes. Of the All-Rookie team from last year, only Derrick Rose played a major role on a playoff team, and Michael Beasley wasn't even a starter for the Heat.

you're confused over what I said.

to recap... 2009 = bad draft... 2008 = excellent draft.

Kevin Durant was drafted in 2007

STOMP

 

[PapaG]

you're confused over what I said.

to recap... 2009 = bad draft... 2008 = excellent draft.

Kevin Durant was drafted in 2007

STOMP

Oh. I didn't realize we were already judging the draft class that hadn't played a game yet. Let's discuss this at the end of the year. I'm not saying you're wrong, FWIW.

 

[STOMP]

Oh. I didn't realize we were already judging the draft class that hadn't played a game yet.

how could my post have been more clear? I've reread it and am at a loss... please help me understand.

Let's discuss this at the end of the year. I'm not saying you're wrong, FWIW.

It's not really me passing along my judgement here, I've been passing along the consensus opinions of the people who cover drafts over the past two years. Certainly the "experts" have been proven wrong about their predictions before, but BLAZER PROPHET's view seemed to express that not only is most everyone else wrong but they are wrong "for sure".

It's my opinion that the "for sure" part is easily debatable. In addition to the stuff I've already sited, as another pretty decent counter to Patty Mills being a lock for the 1st round in 2008, I'd throw out a PG who did go in the 2nd that year. Coming off solid season at a bigtime program including a stellar performance in the NCAA championship game, Mario Chalmers had a much better resume then Mills. He is a size larger with a huge wingspan and a solid jumper. Dude was a pretty decent all around PG prospect and went on to start all 82 games for the Heat last year... yet he wasn't deemed worthy of a 1st round selection. The Spurs haven't exactly been crying a river about selecting George Hill at the end of the 1st round either.

We can debate the merits of these two classes whenever people like.

STOMP