Quote:
Originally Posted by RainMaker
Chad Ford said they were considering taking Thabeet even if they had the #1 pick. If they take Rubio, they have a lot of small guys and literally no one inside. I just don't know how they can pass on a big guy if they aren't able to grab one in free agency or through a trade.
Personally I'd try and unload Conley and go with Rubio. Guys over 7'2 rarely stay healthy and it's tough to pass up on a guy who can be leading the point for the next 10-15 years.
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My issue with Thabeet is that the guy is massive and reasonably athletic. He should have been a completely dominant player this season, but far too often he was a non-factor for large stretches of the game. There is no excuse for a guy with his size and his draft status to be invisible on a college basketball court. In that respect he reminds me quite a bit of Roy Hibbert. Thabeet has the better physical tools, but they both did not dominate like you'd expect them to, yet Hibbert at least had a decent touch around the basket.
I have no doubt Thabeet can be a defensive presence in the NBA, but he is so far from polished that if I were a GM I could never justify selecting him top-5, even in this weak draft. Drafting for need is a horrible mistake to make that high in the draft.
If I'm the Grizzlies I take the best player available at #2 - ie. Rubio - and then worry about my frontcourt later. Rubio is FAR less likely to bust than Thabeet IMO, and the Grizzlies need talent above all else. They have a good SG, a SF that has some value but is yet to prove a "winning" player, and that's about it. They have some young big guys who, while they'll never be stars, can at the very least fill the gaps until the Grizzlies are in a position to land a more permanent solution.