Al Horford: Who Believes In Him and Who Doesn't ?

[BusBoyIsBack]

Since we love to bump previous posts of posters after a season (Walter)

How about we keep our thoughts here

If you think Horford is a bum, who will be a role player and not better than Shelden. Let it be known now. So there will be no backtracking later

Personally I think he was the most NBA ready pick in the top 5 and will have a better season than other highly touted players in Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, and Yi Jianlian in efficiency.

IMO the only player in the top 10 who has a chance to have a more efficient season is Brandan Wright because he's absolutely perfect for that GS team, but if he doesn't start he won't either.

So I project that Horford will

A)Prove that he can play Center

B)Prove that you don't need a 6'11 or 7 foot player in your frontcourt

C)Will be the most efficient rookie in the draft next season

[AnakinJoe]

I think BOTH Horford and Shelden will be solid players. I'm not sure it will be on the same team, but I "believe" in both players.

[gsuteke]

I have no opinion on Horford.

I wanted Conley since he fit a need. I think once Hibbert pulled out of the draft the Hawks options at #3 were limited significantly, whether you value Hibbert 3 or 11.

I am intrigued to see how Horford operates outside of that UF system. he played with 4 other very good players. that surely thinned out the production over someone like Durant who basically played by himself. I do think his experience in Atlanta will mirror his time at Florida in the respect he is surrounded by alot of talent at Forward.

[exodus]

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So there will be no backtracking later

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Do you mean the way you will try to backtrack from this post?

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He will be a much better defender than Charles Oakley. Shelden will average a shade under 2 BPG next year just watch.

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[BusBoyIsBack]

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So there will be no backtracking later

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Do you mean the way you will try to backtrack from this post?

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He will be a much better defender than Charles Oakley. Shelden will average a shade under 2 BPG next year just watch.

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Gonna make a prediction or what.

I manned up and admitted I WAS WRONG ABOUT SHELDEN WILLIAMS

I USED POOR JUDGMENT USING HIS COLLEGE STATS AS A REASON HE WOULD SUCCEED

THE LESSON I LEARNED IS THAT YOU HAVE TO JUDGE A PLAYER'S ABILITIES AS A BASKETBALL PLAYER AND NOT JUST USE COLLEGE STATS AS A REASON WHY THEY WILL SUCCEED.

IT DOESN'T MATTER IF SHELDEN HAD BETTER PPG THAN BOOZER ON OFFENSE OR MORE BPG THAN BRAND ON D.

THOSE STATS DON'T MAKE HIM A COMPARABLE PLAYER BECAUSE OF HIS PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS.

Should I bold it for you?

We've all made mistakes, the difference is I'll man up and admit I made one.

How about you man up and make one

Go ahead and say that Horford is a stiff. A bum. A role player. A waste of a pick

Put it on the record so I can be laughing at you.

[exodus]

I have over 8000 posts on this site. My opinions are there for all to see. But you don't see me getting clowned by people pulling up my old posts.

I have stated my position on Horford many times. I think he is a 4 and will back up Smith at the 4. I don't think he is a starting calibur 5. So basically i think he will be a backup 4/5 here.

[BusBoyIsBack]

Fair enough.

And I think that idea will be debunked before the all-star break.

The injury bug and Mike Woodson are the only people who can stop that from being proved false IMO

[CBAreject]

I guess I haven't been keeping up as much, but who said Horford would be a bum? It's not like there are 2 options: star/bum. My position has been that he would be solid. My disappointment is in that we need more than solid. I'm glad we got good value with our pick for a change, though.

I'll go on the record:

Looking forward Horford was the third best value in the draft, factoring in the uncertainty of potential.

In 3 years, he will more likely be the 5th best player from this draft, but guessing who would surpass him was a bit of a crapshoot.

Horford will be a good NBA player, and a name that is known around the league. He probably won't be an all-star, but he will have a chance in his 2-3 best years.

Horford's ceiling is to be a better shot blocking Carlos Boozer. His floor is to be Antonio Davis.

Horford will be a model citizen and one of the hardest working players from his draft class. For this reason, I would expect him to play closer to his potential than his floor. He may relentlessly work on his post scoring and surprise us all. He definitely has the explosiveness to be a scorer, but he has never been that, and he doesn't seem to have the natural assertiveness to be (gosh, it seems like we say that about most of our players).

The guessing games will end by 1/3 the way into the season, when it becomes clear we drafted Horford to play center. He will occasionally be a liability defensively, but Zaza is always a liability defensively. Only a few teams will be able to exploit the mismatch, though. We will need a 7' defensive big for the nights we play those teams.

Numerically, I expect Horford's statistics to be closest to those of Horace Grant.

[archie_otu]

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Since we love to bump previous posts of posters after a season (Walter)

How about we keep our thoughts here

If you think Horford is a bum, who will be a role player and not better than Shelden. Let it be known now. So there will be no backtracking later

Personally I think he was the most NBA ready pick in the top 5 and will have a better season than other highly touted players in Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, and Yi Jianlian in efficiency.

IMO the only player in the top 10 who has a chance to have a more efficient season is Brandan Wright because he's absolutely perfect for that GS team, but if he doesn't start he won't either.

So I project that Horford will

A)Prove that he can play Center

B)Prove that you don't need a 6'11 or 7 foot player in your frontcourt

C)Will be the most efficient rookie in the draft next season

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I couldn't disagree with you more here. Horford was labeled as the most "NBA ready" because physically he was the most dominant player coming out. It wasn't because of his skillset...it was because of his physique. Kevin Durant will be the rookie of the year...he'll average 20+ points per game. Wright will have a hard time because he doesnt have a shot outside of 8 feet plus he's already playing with Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, etc so he won't get too many shots. Plus he's still a project.

Horford's biggest weakness is his footwork. All great low post scorers have unbeliveable footwork, and right now Horford doesn't have that. He has very raw post up moves (two moves...right handed and left handed hook). He'll be in foul trouble alot during the early moments because he's overly aggressive. Law will have more success early on (IMO, he has the better chance of making the All-Rookie team) than Horford.

[bfwolf]

I applaud you for going on the record even though I disagree with your position.

I don't think Horford will be a bum, but I do think he'll just be an "OK" NBA player. I think he deserved to go in the late lottery. I think he'll be slightly better than Shelden Williams.

[BusBoyIsBack]

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I couldn't disagree with you more here. Horford was labeled as the most "NBA ready" because physically he was the most dominant player coming out. It wasn't because of his skillset...it was because of his physique. Kevin Durant will be the rookie of the year...he'll average 20+ points per game. Wright will have a hard time because he doesnt have a shot outside of 8 feet plus he's already playing with Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, etc so he won't get too many shots. Plus he's still a project.

Horford's biggest weakness is his footwork. All great low post scorers have unbeliveable footwork, and right now Horford doesn't have that. He has very raw post up moves (two moves...right handed and left handed hook). He'll be in foul trouble alot during the early moments because he's overly aggressive. Law will have more success early on (IMO, he has the better chance of making the All-Rookie team) than Horford.

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Horford is labeled "NBA ready" because of his physicality AND his basketball IQ. He's just as mentally ready as he is physically ready.

He may not be as fundamentally sound as he could be with his post skills, but he simply understands the game of basketball. He understands assignments including those of others. In other words, he won't look like a deer in the headlights.

He will make an immediate impact on both ends of the floor in the post. He may not be the greatest scorer in the post but he will find open teammates including passes in the post which is a lost art. He will run the pick and roll but he won't make you cringe like Zaza when he runs it with his fluidity, ability to hit the open shot, and ability to not turn the ball over when he decides to take it to the basket.

He will run the floor and score on fast breaks, and that "raw" left/right hook is still highly effective. So is his baseline spin for the easy bucket or his turnaround baseline jumper which are a couple other moves he has in his arsenal that you have underestimated.

[Hawk88]

On Horford, it was actually bugging the hell out of me knowing Phoenix was going to get the big and get Horford.

I only watched a few Florida games, but Horford is a winner, definetly a kid I want on my team.

Just because you drafted a PF the previous year you don't pass on an upgrade when their isn't really another option.

It would have been interested had Noah not been drafted by the Bulls at 9, would the Hawks have taken Noah at 11 as the defensive center and moved Horford to Memphis for Conley? I am wondering did the Hawks rank Law above Conley.

I am very happy with Horford and Law.

[b3bawla]

I think Ray Charles said it best.

I BELIEVE!!!! YES!!!! I BELIEVE!!!!!!!!!

[D.R.P.]

I believe in Horford as a power forward, as a center I'm going to take a wait and see approach. In fact I posted on here weeks before the draft that Horford was the 3rd BPA in the draft, while Chad Ford had Toni Kukoc 2.0 (without Kukoc's passing skills) as his 3rd BPA in the draft, then Ford changed that a week later to Horford. As a 4 he's a future all-star. For those who think Horford is a Sheldon Williams clone I have one thing to say, in words of Rick James "crack-cocaine" is one hell of a drug".

[archie_otu]

[quote

Horford is labeled "NBA ready" because of his physicality AND his basketball IQ. He's just as mentally ready as he is physically ready.

He may not be as fundamentally sound as he could be with his post skills, but he simply understands the game of basketball. He understands assignments including those of others. In other words, he won't look like a deer in the headlights.

He will make an immediate impact on both ends of the floor in the post. He may not be the greatest scorer in the post but he will find open teammates including passes in the post which is a lost art. He will run the pick and roll but he won't make you cringe like Zaza when he runs it with his fluidity, ability to hit the open shot, and ability to not turn the ball over when he decides to take it to the basket.

He will run the floor and score on fast breaks, and that "raw" left/right hook is still highly effective. So is his baseline spin for the easy bucket or his turnaround baseline jumper which are a couple other moves he has in his arsenal that you have underestimated.

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Busboy, I like Al Horford...but you're DREAMING if you think he's going to make an immediate impact for the Hawks....it's just not going to happen...impact college players who are big men like Shaq and Tim Duncan make immediate impacts...Horford was not an impactful college player...he was a very good college player, but he wasn't a game changing type of player...Horford will get into alot of foul trouble in the first half of the season...by the second half he'll settle in and he should be solid....

The only reason why I dont like Horford is because he's a POWER FORWARD prospect...him and Jsmith can't coexist unless Jsmith improves his perimeter game (which currently he's not). Horford and SWilliams could make a very bruising 4 and 5 with MWilliams at the 3. Then Law and JJ can just jack up shots for most of the game. But JSmith and Horford are essentially playing the same position...who's going to give in? Sticking Horford at C will have similar disastrous effects as putting SWilliams at PF.

Who knows they could prove me wrong...we have alot of depth though...Horford can come in the game, play like 10 minutes, pick up about 2 fouls...then JSmoove can come back in the game.

[BusBoyIsBack]

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Busboy, I like Al Horford...but you're DREAMING if you think he's going to make an immediate impact for the Hawks....it's just not going to happen...impact college players who are big men like Shaq and Tim Duncan make immediate impacts...Horford was not an impactful college player...he was a very good college player, but he wasn't a game changing type of player...Horford will get into alot of foul trouble in the first half of the season...by the second half he'll settle in and he should be solid....

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Name a player in NCAA history that dominated on 8 FGA per game.

Using Horford's stats to say he won't succeed isn't any more logical than using JJ Redick's stats to say why he will set the league on fire.

Like I'll continue to say, if you want a more accurate predictor of success look at FG% of players who took a reasonable amount of FGs. Among the major schools, the players who took 260 shots there were only 3 players who averaged 60% from the field.

Roy Hibbert, Brandan Wright, and Al Horford.

All three guys are highly touted college prospects.

Going back in time in the last 7 years, guys who came close to the feat that Brandan Wright accomplished include Carlos Boozer and other NBA players. To me that is a lot more consistent way of evaluating players than looking at PPG when any average Joe can chuck 600 shots to pad their point totals. FG% helps expose inefficiency.

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The only reason why I dont like Horford is because he's a POWER FORWARD prospect...him and Jsmith can't coexist unless Jsmith improves his perimeter game (which currently he's not). Horford and SWilliams could make a very bruising 4 and 5 with MWilliams at the 3. Then Law and JJ can just jack up shots for most of the game. But JSmith and Horford are essentially playing the same position...who's going to give in? Sticking Horford at C will have similar disastrous effects as putting SWilliams at PF.

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So because there is no precedent it can't work?

The reason why there haven't been two players below 6'11 in decades in the post isn't because it can't work, it's because we went through an era of a traditional 7 foot Center.

Guess what? That era is over. We're now in an era of high flying, swift players running the floor not just from the wing but in the post as well.

The average C is not 7 feet anymore. It's 6'11 and a mere 260 pounds.

Horford can easily acquire that weight and could have a stronger C of gravity because of that height difference. That could be used to his advantage like how Carlos Boozer uses to his advantage his leverage over taller defenders. Same with Brand.

You assume these players couldn't co-exist with another player under 6'11 next to them. I beg to differ when we have a top 3 shot blocker and top 15 rebounder in the league by the name of Josh Smith.

With that defensive efficiency who cares that he isn't 7 feet? In fact with added strength he could have the versatility to guard power and finesse players in the post like a Ben Wallace a few years back.

[Plastic Man]

I don't believe Horford will be any better than Shelden. I hope I'm wrong but I don't see Horford succeeding at the 5.

Of our current roster I'd start Shelden at C. Maybe Shelden will pick up where he left off last season.

[jaywalker72]

Horford For The Hawks

[Gray Mule]

I am an optimistic homer!!

Do I like our draft picks? You bet I do!! They are

"OUR" Hawks now. They, along with all the other players

on our roster, are OUR players.

I expect them to be successful NBA players. Do I expect

any of our Hawks to be "All everything" players? Do I

expect any one player to be a dominating star?

Nope, I don't believe they will. Hope I'm wrong on

this one, but I don't really expect that.

Despite all those "Stars of tomorrow" that we see

projected and bantered about, basketball is a team

sport - I believe that, with our current roster and

whatever small moves we may make, the Hawks will be a

very solid team for the 2007-08 season.

Horford and Law will contribute to the overall improvement

that I expect the Hawks to show in 2007-08. Neither one

is capable, at least not at first, of carrying the

team - That would be too much to expect.

Good players on a good, young and improving team.

[Vol4ever]

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Horford For The Hawks

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I agree 110%