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 It's a national site, so it's hard for me to delve into the Sixers draft pick deeply without alienating the other 99 percent of my audience. But as more and more Philly fans ask you for your thoughts, it gets harder and harder to ignore.
So here's the deal. I'm giving my opinion on Jrue. If you aren't from Philly and don't care, stop reading. If you are from Philly and don't care, stop hating.
Coming into the draft it looked like the choice was going to come down to Ty Lawson or Eric Maynor, and it's no secret I was a Lawson guy. Yes, there are things I like about Maynor. (1) He is as pure a point guard as you'll ever find; (2) he could step on an NBA floor tomorrow and not look out of place; and (3) he proved he could carry a team and take big shots on the highest level -- twice (he beat Duke in the '07 tourney on a buzzer-beater and lost to UCLA on a missed shot in this year's Madness).
But that's also the problem with Maynor. He is what he is. Maynor will never be a superstar in the league. On Tuesday I was a bit unfair on Maynor, comparing him to Kevin Ollie. He's more of a Jordan Farmar. A guy who can be a good starting point guard on a bad team, or a great backup point guard on a championship team.
Maynor would have been the safe pick.
Lawson, on the other hand, would have been a swing for the fences. I don't see him being mediocre. His game will either translate or it won't. And to me, at Pick 17, it was worth it to take a chance on a guy that dominated the whole of college basketball. Ty Lawson may not work out at the NBA level. Will his quickness be mitigated by better athletes? Will his willingness to get in the paint be stymied by lack of speed? Will his above-average shooting fall apart because he gets no elevation on his jumper?
I don't have the answers to those questions. But I know one thing: if he can find a way to play in the NBA like he did at UNC, he's going to be great. And watching him fight through the tourney this year on one leg, it's hard for me to doubt the kid's ability to do anything. That's why I wanted to see him in Philly.
Which brings us to Jrue Holiday. No one expected him to be there at 17. He was too athletic, too long, had too much upside. But pick after pick went by and Holiday was still on the board. So the Sixers snagged him and acted like they had just paid half-price for a condo in the Murano.
But the thing about a half-price condo in the Murano is ... you might have actually just gotten a full-price condo in the Murano. It's a waiting game. You just don't know. (Someday, everyone in the world will strive to live across the street from a XXX theater.)
Jrue is definitely a project. He's going to take a few years to develop. But for the Sixers, that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's not as if this team is ready to compete this year. The hope in Sixerville that came with the Brand signing has been replaced with the realization that the team is still a ways away from the East's elite.
So we can wait for Jrue. Or as he's soon to be known, Jruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuueeeeeeee.
The question therefore becomes: Will the project work out? Can Holiday be a championship point guard? And I think the answer to that is: Yes .... but. (I know, very definitive.)
Holiday has the tools. He's been given the body and the talent. There's no question that the "upside" is there. But we don't know whether he has the make-up yet to be a star. We don't know the kid's heart. And what we've seen in his one season of basketball is 8 ppg, 4 assists and 2 turnovers.
Not too overwhelming.
But he's young ... and he was playing out of position ... and he was one of, if not the, best high school player(s) in the country two years ago.
I'm happy with the pick. It's a good swing for greatness. I hope Jrue can be our generation's Mo Cheeks. I'm just not convinced he will.
You hope he figures it out. You hope his shooting comes around. You hope he can lead a team and play point on this level. But you just don't know.
That's the thing about the NBA draft. It's hit-or-miss. You never know. So you might as well swing for the fences.
Message Edited by Lee_Russakoff on 06-26-2009 05:11 PM
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