Luke Babbitt thoughts

[Nikolokolus]

Maybe. I'm thinkg to start Batum/Cunningham/Gomes clearly take the SF minutes. If we go to a small ball situation and move Cunningham over to PF then Babbitt may get some very limited time.

But most likely there are some trades coming that will thin out the SF ranks that may allow him a few minutes here and there.

I find it incredibly unlikely that Gomes ever dons a Blazers uniform given the nature of his unguaranteed contract and the fact that Miami and Chicago (and possibly a lot of other teams) would like to clear more cap room for free agency

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

He's going to be the next Larry Bird!

Someone smarter than me and who's bball IQ I trust thinks he'll be a mix of Chris Mullin and Troy Murphy. Sounds good to me!

With so many players leaving early (especially from the big schools/conferences), I dont think the talent level he played against is all that much worse then the talent that the big name schools/players faced. College basketball is much different now than it was 10+ years ago. That's evident by the fact that the smaller schools are now more frequently making deep runs in the tourney.

 

[Paxil]

One thing I noticed about Luke is that like Roy... he likes to be or for whatever reason... isolates a lot. Also like Roy with his moves and spinning... he can't pretty much find a way to get a shot off. I did read that he doesn't finish particulary well on the break... which is bad news for translating to the NBA... for at least the 1 or 2 times per game we run.

 

[andalusian]

Well, last night Nate, Rice, Barrett and Antonio all called him a SF. He's been called a SF all last season. He's in the SF rotation. So, if it looks like a SF, walks like a SF, talks like a SF, smells like a SF and the coach says so- guess what? It's a SF.

What coach? The 82games.com breakdown shows he played almost no minutes at SF. He played PF. If by coach you mean Rice - he is maybe a Golf coach now...

 

[LittleAlex]

Luke Babbit, on the rare times he played against good competition, sucked. I was hoping to see that his numbers didn't change much but that simply wasn't the case.

Another knock on Babbit is that he isn't a catch and shoot guy. He has to put the ball on the floor and dribble into his shot. A lot like Travis Outlaw actually. He may be able to out jump the dudes in the combines but I doubt he has the same hops as Trout does. This means he is going to allow the man defending him to get set before he shoots. Not the best plan in the NBA.

Watching his highlights it's clear that his release is too slow to get off the shots he was putting up in college. He is going to have to learn to shoot from a standstill and defend an NBA quality small forward. If he does that he might end up being a decent pro. If not, he is a wasted pick.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Luke Babbit, on the rare times he played against good competition, sucked. I was hoping to see that his numbers didn't change much but that simply wasn't the case.

Another knock on Babbit is that he isn't a catch and shoot guy. He has to put the ball on the floor and dribble into his shot. A lot like Travis Outlaw actually. He may be able to out jump the dudes in the combines but I doubt he has the same hops as Trout does. This means he is going to allow the man defending him to get set before he shoots. Not the best plan in the NBA.

Watching his highlights it's clear that his release is too slow to get off the shots he was putting up in college. He is going to have to learn to shoot from a standstill and defend an NBA quality small forward. If he does that he might end up being a decent pro. If not, he is a wasted pick.

I'm not saying none of that is true, but I trust that our scouts have a higher basketball IQ than any of us and are confident in his abilities to perform at the next level. I'm sure they would have noticed all those things if they where major issues.

 

[andalusian]

I'm not saying none of that is true, but I trust that our scouts have a higher basketball IQ than any of us and are confident in his abilities to perform at the next level. I'm sure they would have noticed all those things if they where major issues.

I am also going to argue that Babbit's role on this team as a 4th or 5th player when on the floor is going to be a lot different than when he was playing as the #1 guy. All he needs to do to really be useful for this team is hit the open shots. With all due respect to this kid, with Roy, LMA, Oden, Miller (or his replacement) and... on the floor (not to mention other scorers like JB, Camby and the like) - he is going to get many open looks. As it seems that his handle is a lot better than 'Tell's - and he is good in Iso situations (where he will be in these cases) - I think he has a good chance of doing exactly what we hoped Webster would have done.

 

[Pinwheel1]

I like that he is a pretty good passer. You can put a guy like that on the floor and he can spread the floor and feed the post. He seems to have good feel for the game. (high basketball IQ what ever) He also seems to be like BRoy where he plays under conrol.

 

[jwhoops11]

Translation: He's white, so he can't be "athletic".

Gordon Hayward? Sure, there are athletic concerns with him. I just don't see it with Babbit. He tested better across the board than Martell Webster did at the NBA Combine. Another great thing about Babbit is he has large hands. These are some pretty cool measurements.

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/05/25/combine.measurements/index.html

I guess then there's a difference between being athletic and playing athletic. The videos I watched, was a whole mess of slow methodical step back jumpers. He'll be able to get those with his heighth and long reach, but from what I watched he isn't blowing by anyone and getting to the hoop

I'd say he's poised to be a specialist in the league (Kyle Korver), instead of a head of the rotation player like Mullins was.

....Nothing wrong with that by the way, assuming his specialty is shooting and he becomes very proficient with that!

 

[B-Roy]

Well, last night Nate, Rice, Barrett and Antonio all called him a SF. He's been called a SF all last season. He's in the SF rotation. So, if it looks like a SF, walks like a SF, talks like a SF, smells like a SF and the coach says so- guess what? It's a SF.

But if he didn't play SF, like at all, what does that make him? An SF that's not an SF? Or maybe he's just not an SF.

 

[mook]

His playing in a small conference is a pretty big caveat. But LeBron James played only against high schoolers--at some point you have to look at the person and not just the competition he faced:

Not much linear quickness--well, good thing this team never fast breaks.
Excellent long range shooter--that's all we ask out of our small forward on offense.
Phenomenal free throw shooter--that seems like something that'll translate.
Quality rebounder for a SF--rebounding usually translates well to the NBA. Milsap was a great rebounder in a small conference, and he still is.
Lousy defender--hey, he's a rookie non-lottery bench guy. You want everything? Besides, we'll always have a shotblocker behind him.
Good lane agility and excellent vertical--sounds like somebody who can play in the half court.
High percentage shooter-- after years of Webster, sign me up!

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

^^ Agree with mook!

 

[mook]

I guess then there's a difference between being athletic and playing athletic. The videos I watched, was a whole mess of slow methodical step back jumpers. He'll be able to get those with his heighth and long reach, but from what I watched he isn't blowing by anyone and getting to the hoop

Yeah, I was watching those moves and it immediately created this scenario in my head:
"Roy drives in the lane, drawing the double team. He drops it off to Aldridge for the midrange shot, but the defense has loaded up on that side. He swings it out to Babbitt. Defender lurches out to cover him. Babbitt takes one dribble to side step, and launches a completely uncontested three!"

Obviously, he's got to also develop the quick release spot up jumper. But that little move he does in some of those videos seems like it could translate.

 

[andalusian]

Lousy defender--hey, he's a rookie non-lottery bench guy. You want everything? Besides, we'll always have a shotblocker behind him. !

Technically, he is a lottery guy...

The NBA Draft blurb has

"Defensively he is intense, and uses equal amounts of energy on both sides of the ball..."

So, at least you know he plays defense hard, even if he is not going to ever be as good as Martell could be in this department. For a limited time guy that hopefully rebounds well and scores - this is OK.

 

[OSUBlazerfan]

2010 NBA Draft Day Steals

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=16603

Some people make a scene when they get fired.

After being terminated on the eve of this NBA Draft, former Portland Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard made one of the best decisions of his career on the way out the door.

The Blazers ranked 13th in the NBA with a 35.4% mark from the 3-point line this year. But by sending Martell Webster to Timberwolves for No. 16 overall pick Luke Babbitt, the former Blazer GM may have turned Portland into one of the better shooting teams in the league. Pritchard's robbery made him the Willie Sutton of the 2010 NBA Draft.

Hey, if he can't be an NBA executive, maybe he can be a full-time thief.

Here's a list at some of the draft day steals:

Luke Babbitt, Forward, Portland Trail Blazers – Nobody appreciates half-court basketball more than Blazers coach Nate McMillan. Portland averaged 90.2 possessions per game last season, which ranked last in the NBA. The Blazers like to slow the pace, set up an offensive rotation and work the ball for the most efficient shot.

But halfcourt offenses need someone who can space the floor, and with Rudy Fernandez likely to follow Travis Outlaw, Steve Blake and Martell Webster out the door, Babbitt is the perfect player to pull defenders away from LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy.

Babbitt sank 41.6% of his 3-pointers with Nevada this year and an even 50% of his field goals. He's also a 90% free throw shooter who got to the line nearly seven times per game. Sure, the Blazers ranked third in free throw shooting this season, but every team can always get better.

But what will really impress Portland fans is Babbitt's passing skills and surprising athleticism. He isn't just a shooter. Babbitt is a solid basketball player who happens to be an exceptional shooter.


Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=16603#ixzz0rtSdTqg8

 

[Mediocre Man]

Yay slow pace!!!!!

 

[LittleAlex]

I don't want to come off like I hope the kid fails. Far from it.

But he hasn't done anything in college that makes me think he will be an even fair NBA player.

My biggest red flag?
His college team, according to Portland, had two NBA level talents on it.
Yet somehow that team couldn't even get into the NCAA tournament OR crack the sweet 16 of the NIT.
That just sounds like a formula for failure.

 

[BGrantFan]

I don't want to come off like I hope the kid fails. Far from it.

But he hasn't done anything in college that makes me think he will be an even fair NBA player.

My biggest red flag?
His college team, according to Portland, had two NBA level talents on it.
Yet somehow that team couldn't even get into the NCAA tournament OR crack the sweet 16 of the NIT.
That just sounds like a formula for failure.

That tells me more about the poor quality of their teammates than it does anything else.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

The Orlando version of Mike Miller.

 

[Minstrel]

My hope is that his high measureables can translate into having the athleticism to defend more than one position. If he can defend, say, both the 2 and 3, then he could get a lot of minutes backing up both Batum and Roy. Even if both guys play 35 minutes per game, that would leave 13 minutes a night at each position, or 26 for Babbitt (if he proves worthy of that many minutes). This would necessitate trading Rudy, but I think moving Rudy is in the works. It doesn't seem, either from his play or his mindset, that he's long for the Blazers.

If he can defend well, knock down shots and create a little offense now and again off the dribble, he'll be a very nice addition. A championship-level reserve even.

 

[LittleAlex]

That tells me more about the poor quality of their teammates than it does anything else.

But they played in a shit conference. Two NBA quality guys should get that team at least to the final game of the NIT.
But they didn't.

 

[Minstrel]

But they played in a shit conference. Two NBA quality guys should get that team at least to the final game of the NIT.
But they didn't.

That seems like a needlessly indirect way to judge Babbitt. Did Babbitt play poorly in the NIT? Was his play what kept them out of the NCAA Tournament? I'm not a big fan, at all, of saying "If he's so good, why did his team not do well?" If he played well, maybe his teammates simply weren't good enough for team success, even if you feel two good players "should be" enough.

 

[BGrantFan]

But they played in a shit conference. Two NBA quality guys should get that team at least to the final game of the NIT.
But they didn't.

Well, not really. They played in a conference that had 2 teams in the NCAA tournament. The Pac 10 only put 2 teams in the NCAA tournament. I'm guessing the rest of their roster was garbage.

I watched NMSU get screwed late by the refs against Michigan State in a first-round game in person.

 

[BGrantFan]

Babbitt against NCAA tournament teams last season, plus UNC because it was at UNC and he went against Ed Davis.

UNLV - 14 pts/10 rb/1 assist
Houston - 14 pts/ 17 rb/ 3 assist
UNC - 15 pts/ 11 rb/ 1 assist
BYU - 20 pts/ 6 rb/ 1 assist
New Mexico State - 26 pts/ 11 rb/ 1 assist
Utah State - 26 pts/ 12 rb/ 1 assist
Utah State - 20 pts/ 9 rb/ 1 assist
New Mexico State 23 pts/ 9 rb/ 1 assist

19.8 ppg/10.6 rpg/1.1 apg

Team was 3-5 in those games.

Not terrible, not great.

 

[Minstrel]

Not terrible, not great.

Seems quite great, to me, outside of the record (and I don't ascribe team record to individuals). 20/10 for a 40 minute game against quality opposition is pretty big-time.

 

[BGrantFan]

Seems quite great, to me, outside of the record (and I don't ascribe team record to individuals). 20/10 for a 40 minute game against quality opposition is pretty big-time.

I originally posted this in another thread where LittleAlex had posted he looked at Babbitt's stats last season against good teams, and how terrible those stats were.

I wonder if he was looking at the right Luke Babbitt?

Frankly, the rebounding is a surprise to me.

 

[norjee28]

I give an A- for our draft. We are pretty much set now for the season:

PG: Andre Miller - Jerryd Bayless - Armon Johnson
SG: Brandon Roy - Rudy Fernandez - Elliot Williams
SF: Nicolas Batum - Gomes/Babbitt - Gomes/Babbitt
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge - Dante Cunningham - Jeff Pendergraph
C: Greg Oden - Marcus Camby - Joel Pryzbilla

And then we have D-Leaguers/Euro players:
Petteri Koponen
Patty Mills
Joel Freeland
Victor Claver


I wouldn't be surprised if we dealt Pryzbilla or Miller(expiring), Rudy, Bayless, and pick for a solid Point Guard like Tony Parker.

New lineup would be:
PG: Tony Parker - Armon Johnson - Patty Mills
SG: Brandon Roy - Elliot Williams - ?
SF: Nicolas Batum - Luke Babbitt - Ryan Gomes
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge - Dante Cunningham - Jeff Pendergraph
C: Greg Oden - Marcus Camby - ?

That would be a sick team TBH.


I never understand when Blazer fans say we need a backup PF. Hello, DANTE CUNNINGHAM. I'd take him over most of the backup PF's in the league. He is SO solid in every part of his game.

- He can shoot a jumper consistently every game. Great stroke.
- He can jump.
- Little small for a PF, but 6-8 is solid. Makes it up with athleticism.
- Amazing basketball IQ.
- Good passer.
- Surprisingly good defender.
- Showed a low-post game when given minutes.

If there is ANYTHING that he lacks in, it's handling. But I really love this dude. I had the most confidence in him then any other player during the season.

 

[Shooter]

Honestly, the more I look at Bilbo - the more I like this pick. This kid strikes me like a SF version of Stucky. Sure, he comes from a small conference - but he is a very good athlete and he scores with ease. Add the fact that he rebounds well for his position - and this could could become a much smarter, more skilled, better rebounding version of Travis Outlaw. That's a good thing.

And we only gave up Martell Webster for him?? Looks like a flat-out steal to me.

 

[LittleAlex]

I originally posted this in another thread where LittleAlex had posted he looked at Babbitt's stats last season against good teams, and how terrible those stats were.

I wonder if he was looking at the right Luke Babbitt?

Frankly, the rebounding is a surprise to me.

I didn't consider any of those teams. I considered the top 25 teams and his performance in the NIT tournament only.

Utah State, New Mexico and New Mexico state aren't worth looking at.

The NCU game he did score 15 points on 5 for 18 shooting. Pretty much ass.
The game against Rhode Island in the NIT game they lost he was 2 for 14.

He played a good game in a loosing effort in their WAC tournament loss.

It would have been nice to look at more games against good teams but Nevada didn't really play that many decent programs (only one game against a ranked opponent, North Carolina.)

And no, I don't consider other WAC teams good.

 

[BGrantFan]

I didn't consider any of those teams. I considered the top 25 teams and his performance in the NIT tournament only.

Utah State, New Mexico and New Mexico state aren't worth looking at.

The NCU game he did score 15 points on 5 for 18 shooting. Pretty much ass.
The game against Rhode Island in the NIT game they lost he was 2 for 14.

He played a good game in a loosing effort in their WAC tournament loss.

It would have been nice to look at more games against good teams but Nevada didn't really play that many decent programs (only one game against a ranked opponent, North Carolina.)

And no, I don't consider other WAC teams good.

Well, the NCAA selection committee does. 20/10 against NCAA teams. You said he padded his stats against bad teams. Those stats say you are wrong.