So What's wrong with drafting Patrick O'Bryant

[Peoriabird]

He is a legitimate 7 footer with a wing span of 7'5", good shot blocker with good foot work on both the offensive and defensive end. He is a good rebounder also. He is not a polished low post scorer yet but he sounds like the defensive center that we have been craving. Why all of the Sheldon Williams talk when he is only 6'7"?

[KB21]

I think the trepidation over taking Patrick O'Bryant, especially with the 5th overall pick, is the fact that despite his size, length, and athleticism, he didn't dominate against a lower level of competition.

There's some potential here, but there is also the scary Michael Olowokandi factor.

[Peoriabird]

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I think the trepidation over taking Patrick O'Bryant, especially with the 5th overall pick, is the fact that despite his size, length, and athleticism, he didn't dominate against a lower level of competition.

[b3bawla]

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I think the trepidation over taking Patrick O'Bryant, especially with the 5th overall pick, is the fact that despite his size, length, and athleticism, he didn't dominate against a lower level of competition.

There's some potential here, but there is also the scary Michael Olowokandi factor.

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That was extremly well said.

[b3bawla]

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Wasn't Olowokandi a senior when he came out?

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Olowakandi was a junior with (and I didn't realize this)really nice stats. He averaged 22.2 points, 11.2 boards, 2.87 blocks, 59%FG, 47% freebies. I had no clue he was ever that dominant. This actually makes me even more weary of O'Bryant. I wish him the best. But I wouldn't take him before Williams or Simmons.

[Peoriabird]

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But I wouldn't take him before Williams or Simmons.

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Why do people want Sheldon Williams so badly? He is a 6'7'' power forward with no offense!

[Spiral]

I agree. And while I do think O'Bryant will develop into a quality player, averaging 13 and 8 at Bradley doesn't exactly scream top 5 pick.

[Peoriabird]

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I agree. And while I do think O'Bryant will develop into a quality player, averaging 13 and 8 at Bradley doesn't exactly scream top 5 pick.

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He took a team far less talented that Duke to the sweet 16 and he is only a sophmore averaging 13/8. Sheldon Williams averaged 12.6 and 8.5 as a sophmore!

[Peoriabird]

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I agree. And while I do think O'Bryant will develop into a quality player, averaging 13 and 8 at Bradley doesn't exactly scream top 5 pick.

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He took a team far less talented that Duke to the sweet 16 and he is only a sophmore averaging 13/8. Sheldon Williams averaged 12.6 and 8.5 as a sophmore!

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Heck Aldridge only averaged 15 and 9

[Peoriabird]

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I agree. And while I do think O'Bryant will develop into a quality player, averaging 13 and 8 at Bradley doesn't exactly scream top 5 pick.

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He took a team far less talented that Duke to the sweet 16 and he is only a sophmore averaging 13/8. Sheldon Williams averaged 12.6 and 8.5 as a sophmore!

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Heck Aldridge only averaged 15 and 9

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Brandon Roy averaged 12.9 and 6 as a sophmore

[Spiral]

Because he plays sound defense. He plays bigger than 6'7. He recorded 137 blocks last year to O'Bryants 72. He's a more proven commodity. However, I would not pick him at 5 either.

[AHF]

The worry is obvious - O'Bryant wasn't dominant against a middling conference and the bust factor is very high for centers coming out of college. We probably won't have a first rounder next year and can't afford to screw this pick up by grabbing a Tony Battie, Olowokandi, Mihm, etc. (Of course, if he ends up being a dominant big man then his is a great pick for this team and BK looks great - it would be a much higher risk/higher reward pick).

[deester11]

Just say no to Shelden Williams. He is not what this teams needs at pick 5 or 12!

[b3bawla]

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I agree. And while I do think O'Bryant will develop into a quality player, averaging 13 and 8 at Bradley doesn't exactly scream top 5 pick.

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He took a team far less talented that Duke to the sweet 16 and he is only a sophmore averaging 13/8. Sheldon Williams averaged 12.6 and 8.5 as a sophmore!

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I think O Bryant has more upside than Williams. I just think Williams has a lot more going for him than we think. He's only 2 years older. He may be 6'8 but he has freakishly long arms. I heard Dwight Howard say that he was actually about an inch shorter than Hedo Turkalo(sp?). Hedo is 6'10...so Dwight's probably 6'9.5". Elton Brand is only 6'8 or so. Heigth isn't that important (as you don't see many guys block shots with their foreheads). Having long arms is much more important and Shelden has very long arms.

The real reason why I favor Smith more is that he is a dominant big man, on a dominant team (that coaches it's players very well), in a dominant conference. True, Pat did lead his team to the sweet 16. Shelden won 3 ACC tourney's. In fact he won 115 games and only lost 23 (48-16 in the ACC). He got to the tourney sll four years. And sure his team was much more talented than Pat's. But so was his coaching staff. Good coaching is something that always should be accounted for in evaluating players. Duke big men in the exact same mold as Shelden have had great success (Brand and Boozer). I think that there will be more of the same with Shelden.

[Peoriabird]

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Because he plays sound defense. He plays bigger than 6'7. He recorded 137 blocks last year to O'Bryants 72. He's a more proven commodity. However, I would not pick him at 5 either.

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Williams was a senior! O'Bryant was a sophmore! Their averages were that same as sophmores. plus O'Bryant had only 72 blocks this year because he was suspended for the 1st 10 games of the season.

[Spiral]

That's great, but what's to say O'Bryant continues to improve? We're drafting the players this year, not 2 years from now. With Williams, you know what your getting. With O'Bryant, your banking on potential. Like I said before though, I don't feel either is worth the #5 pick.

[Peoriabird]

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I agree. And while I do think O'Bryant will develop into a quality player, averaging 13 and 8 at Bradley doesn't exactly scream top 5 pick.

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He took a team far less talented that Duke to the sweet 16 and he is only a sophmore averaging 13/8. Sheldon Williams averaged 12.6 and 8.5 as a sophmore!

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[Peoriabird]

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That's great, but what's to say O'Bryant continues to improve? We're drafting the players this year, not 2 years from now. With Williams, you know what your getting. With O'Bryant, your banking on potential. Like I said before though, I don't feel either is worth the #5 pick.

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When Orlando drafted Howard, they knew that they were not drafting an all star that would take them to the playoff in the 1st 2 years. They knew that Okafor would be better initially but Howard would be better in the long run. Who would you pick today Okafor or Howard?

[exodus]

The Hawks simply can't afford to take a project at 5. O'Bryant is too much of a risk, and the Hawks can't afford to take a risk with their pick. They need someone who is more of a sure thing since this may be the last time they have a chance at a top pick for a long time.

Which brings me back to trading Childress for the 8th pick and taking O'Bryant there. That way the Hawks can get a player who is more sure to contribute at 5 (and who may take minutes away from Childress) while still getting a project center at 8.

[Spiral]

Howard, and I would've picked Howard back then too. But I can come up with a lot of examples where the potential didn't pan out. (Olowokandi, Diop, Kwame, etc.) I personally think O'Bryant and Shelden are about even. If I had to pick between the 2, I'd probably lean towards O'Bryant. I don't think it would be a no brainer pick between them though. However, I wouldn't take either before the 8th selection.