Jerry West: NBA is the Weakest He Has Ever Seen.

[moe94]

LAZ, calling this upcoming draft poor when we just witnessed what might possibly be the worst of all time is silly. Can it be 84/96/03 level? Probably not, but those are the absolute best of the best. Can it be as good as 08 and 09? Absolutely. Were they also bad drafts?

[Black and White]

Wait, this is a poor draft now?

[BigMacAttack]

Dont really agree with him but anyone who is blatantly disregarding the mans opinion because of his age is probably an idiot. I do agree about guys getting bailed out.

[Rose'sACL]

check the FTA attempts by year and you will see how wrong you are.
Average free throw attempts have been declining pretty much every year since 80s started.
Average free throw attempts were 29 in 1980-81 and now it is 23.5 FTA.
perimeter players have been getting faster and stronger too so if they were getting those easy calls without getting touched then they would most definitely drive to the basket every time.

[IGOTGAME]

I really like Embiid but the rest of the draft is a little harder to pick. Still don't think its weak but I respect Jerry West's opinion.

I agree about the league being the weakest its been since i started watching tho.

[LAZERUSS]

LAZ, calling this upcoming draft poor when we just witnessed what might possibly be the worst of all time is silly. Can it be 84/96/03 level? Probably not, but those are the absolute best of the best. Can it be as good as 08 and 09? Absolutely. Were they also bad drafts?

The problem is...there is just no CERTAIN great player in college right now. Again, I have read those that claim that Embiid will go #1. Why? Because he is 7-0? Because, statistically, and against WEAK competition, he has hardly been a dominant player.

Anyone can draft a player on potential, but that is exactly what a GM would be doing right now with Embiid. He could just as easily be a 7-0 bench-warmer as so many other's have been, or maybe even a complete bust.

[BigMacAttack]

What? That would mean every single draft for quite some time has been horrid.

I actually listened. He didn't even expand.

If he thinks the NBA is at its weakest ever he probably doesnt rate many of the recent drafts.

[Black and White]

The problem is...there is just no CERTAIN great player in college right now. Again, I have read those that claim that Embiid will go #1. Why? Because he is 7-0? Because, statistically, and against WEAK competition, he has hardly been a dominant player.

Anyone can draft a player on potential, but that is exactly what a GM would be doing right now with Embiid. He could just as easily be a 7-0 bench-warmer as so many other's have been, or maybe even a complete bust.

Isn't that the same risk with every draft tho?

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

After Durant, Lebron and Melo...who else is a srs scoring threat?

As early as 2005, we at least had Kobe/Tmac/Carter/Melo/Lebron/Pierce/Iverson/Arenas

Not the most efficient, but still talented and more fun to watch.

[moe94]

Isn't that the same risk with every draft tho?

Which is why I'm so confused. I think LAZ's problem is that no one is lighting it up like Beasley.

[Rose'sACL]

The problem is...there is just no CERTAIN great player in college right now. Again, I have read those that claim that Embiid will go #1. Why? Because he is 7-0? Because, statistically, and against WEAK competition, he has hardly been a dominant player.

Anyone can draft a player on potential, but that is exactly what a GM would be doing right now with Embiid. He could just as easily be a 7-0 bench-warmer as so many other's have been, or maybe even a complete bust.

just answer me one thing and you can continure with your stupid thread.
NBA during the 60s was 70-80% white. it is not racism when people say that blacks are and have been more athletic and better at basketball. there have been some great white players but they are very few in numbers.
The big question is : were those white guys actually blacks with white paint on them?

[LAZERUSS]

Isn't that the same risk with every draft tho?

Not really. Everyone knew that Wilt was going to be great. Same with Oscar, Hayes, KAJ, and Walton (yes, he was great, albeit only briefly.)

Why? Because those guys dominated in college, for FOUR years, and playing against other great college players, who also played FOUR years. Hell, by their JR seasons they were already considered among the best players in the world.

[Black and White]

Which is why I'm so confused. I think LAZ's problem is that no one lighting it up like Beasley.

Any player can be a bust, you draft on potential and skills that you see through scouting and workouts, but you never really know how they will translate to the NBA game until they actually get there, but if they are dominating college you would think that they would naturally have a good chance of succeeding in the NBA.

[DuMa]

its not a weak draft class but yes i agree the current culture and rules of the NBA make the incoming rookies soft and not as hardworking as the previous elite players of the NBA. they are so coddled and babied, it is quite sad when things dont go their way. (biggest example i can think of is DeMarcus Cousins)

BRING BACK handchecking!

[LAZERUSS]

just answer me one thing and you can continure with your stupid thread.
NBA during the 60s was 70-80% white. it is not racism when people say that blacks are and have been more athletic and better at basketball. there have been some great white players but they are very few in numbers.
The big question is : were those white guys actually blacks with white paint on them?

By the early 60's the best basketball PLAYERS (whether white or black) were PLAYING in the NBA. And maybe you can give the exact percentages by the end of the decade, but I can guarantee you it was not 80% white.