POB as a PF?

[KG_ended_Bias]

POB is going to be a player in this league as well as Gerald Green is going to be. They are going to be major contributors on someone's team in the next year or 2 & it is a shame that everybody wants to down kids! Just because we have become accustomed to greatness the last couple of seasons doesn't mean we shouldn't be developing quality players in the process of our stars aging. Perk was a player who everyone thought was the bust of all bust starting out. And possibly mentioned as the worst Highschool 1st round center who had come out since Garnett 1st entered the league. Young players just take time to find a comfort zone & niche in the NBA nowadays, and they cant find that niche unless they get the time to make mistakes & its necessary adjustments on the floor in actual games. We are so negative these days when our guys or running bad & missing shots, we want to trade them the next day & find replacements. POB is going to be fine & I dont see how people on this blog cant see he has major talent in the limited minutes he gets. He does his job even if it is in clean up minutes. That is how consistency starts & you earn time!

[crownsy]

POB is going to be a player in this league as well as Gerald Green is going to be. They are going to be major contributors on someone's team in the next year or 2 & it is a shame that everybody wants to down kids! Just because we have become accustomed to greatness the last couple of seasons doesn't mean we shouldn't be developing quality players in the process of our stars aging. Perk was a player who everyone thought was the bust of all bust starting out. And possibly mentioned as the worst Highschool 1st round center who had come out since Garnett 1st entered the league. Young players just take time to find a comfort zone & niche in the NBA nowadays, and they cant find that niche unless they get the time to make mistakes & its necessary adjustments on the floor in actual games. We are so negative these days when our guys or running bad & missing shots, we want to trade them the next day & find replacements. POB is going to be fine & I dont see how people on this blog cant see he has major talent in the limited minutes he gets. He does his job even if it is in clean up minutes. That is how consistency starts & you earn time!

GG has already blown chances in boston,minnosota, houston, and now dallas, where he was a 15-20 minute a night bench guy but is now thier 10th man at best.

He wont be in the league in 2-3 years.

[Andy Jick]

POB is going to be a player in this league as well as Gerald Green is going to be. They are going to be major contributors on someone's team in the next year or 2 & it is a shame that everybody wants to down kids! Just because we have become accustomed to greatness the last couple of seasons doesn't mean we shouldn't be developing quality players in the process of our stars aging. Perk was a player who everyone thought was the bust of all bust starting out. And possibly mentioned as the worst Highschool 1st round center who had come out since Garnett 1st entered the league. Young players just take time to find a comfort zone & niche in the NBA nowadays, and they cant find that niche unless they get the time to make mistakes & its necessary adjustments on the floor in actual games. We are so negative these days when our guys or running bad & missing shots, we want to trade them the next day & find replacements. POB is going to be fine & I dont see how people on this blog cant see he has major talent in the limited minutes he gets. He does his job even if it is in clean up minutes. That is how consistency starts & you earn time!

GG has already blown chances in boston,minnosota, houston, and now dallas, where he was a 15-20 minute a night bench guy but is now thier 10th man at best.

He wont be in the league in 2-3 years.

i flipped on the dallas game the other night...in his first 3 plays gerald had 2 turnovers and another near turnover.  he looks like the same player he was here.  i'm going to say that gerald will not be in the nba after this season is over...

POB might as well join him, and if he was a few inches shorter he would be out of the nba already.

[cordobes]

POB is going to be a player in this league as well as Gerald Green is going to be. They are going to be major contributors on someone's team in the next year or 2 & it is a shame that everybody wants to down kids! Just because we have become accustomed to greatness the last couple of seasons doesn't mean we shouldn't be developing quality players in the process of our stars aging. Perk was a player who everyone thought was the bust of all bust starting out. And possibly mentioned as the worst Highschool 1st round center who had come out since Garnett 1st entered the league. Young players just take time to find a comfort zone & niche in the NBA nowadays, and they cant find that niche unless they get the time to make mistakes & its necessary adjustments on the floor in actual games. We are so negative these days when our guys or running bad & missing shots, we want to trade them the next day & find replacements. POB is going to be fine & I dont see how people on this blog cant see he has major talent in the limited minutes he gets. He does his job even if it is in clean up minutes. That is how consistency starts & you earn time!

Most probably. I also predict them to have very similar future careers in the NBA.

[cordobes]

This isn't a thread about whether POB should be played or cut.

I'm simply curious about his potential (or lack thereof) as a PF.

I think that there's a paradox in these two sentences - the second one completely nullifies your opening statement. Answering your question, I personally believe the potential of POB as a PF is merely theoretical.

[Rondo_is_better]

Moving POB to PF wouldn't really help his game. There are plenty of PF's in the league who are stronger than him, and a several who are quicker than him. The only way POB will be able to transform himself into a rotation-worthy player in the NBA is if he adds 25 lbs of muscle. Unfortunately, adding that much muscle mass takes a great deal of effort... and we know his work ethic is lacking.

POB is not physically ready to contribute to our team, and will continue not to be until he bulks up.

[thedawg]

POB is still a project after 3 years.

I find this a sad comment to say at leass and represents the way coaches think in the NBA today.  It is a basic rule that you cannot play your best players all the time as they will wear out during the season (which will happen to the C´s this season). It is also a basic rule that you play the players you have in order to find out whether they will play well or not.  It is no good to moan about a player being a softy or not good enough or being a project after 3 years. 
NBA just like any other sports are about giving players some confidence and time to gel with the team.  It is also about players not getting a chance and feeling miserable and not really ready when they get the 3-4 odd minutes here and there.  Mr. Rivers has chosen the latter option and he will pay for that eventually.

[Michael Anthony]

I can see POB as a solid situational backup PF/C someday; definately a fourth big, maybe a third.

Is he fast or strong enough to stay with Amare, Bosh, Shaq or Yao? No, but not many players are - that is why those guys are stars.

Is he fast or strong enough to stay with Joe Smith, Troy Murphy, David Lee or Al Hortford? Time will tell, but it is a reasonable expectaion that he will be.

The guy stinks right now, but lets not sleep on his athletiscism or jump shot. Both are above average.

[nickagneta]

At this rate I would put money on the fact that Lenny Bias will become a great NBA player before Patrick O'Bryant does. I might be wrong. But if someone came up to me today on the street and asked me "Who do you think stands a better chance of averaging 8 points or 8 rebounds in a game in the NBA, Len Bias or Patrick O'Bryant?" my choice would be Len Bias. That's how much confidence I have in O'Bryant's sad game at the moment.

[dmopower]

Patrick needs to be our center off of the bench, Powe and BBD are to short and other teams kill us inside when we play them together.
Powe or BBD needs to go, we dont need 2 short bangers, one of these guys on our team will be enough.
Powe appears the only one anyone wants, goldenstate comes to mind as he is from this area.
We lose to much when perk goes out and it appears obvious that his shoulder problems are going to continue.
POB is needed for his size and athletic ability for now.
I think if we play POB at center, and BBD, OR Powe, then add walker after pierce goes out and Giddens behind allen till Allen gets back.
This could hurt now, but could be very helpfull at playoff time.
JMO.

[Marco Vincent]

hmmm POB as a PF... all he would need is

1.  Some basic ball handling skill
2.  A short-mid range jumper
3.  Athletic ability
4.  20 more lbs
5.  passing ability
6.  quickness

so yeah... I think it's definately a good idea...


Honestly though I don't hate POB as much as everyone on the board does and can see some upside to the young man.  But he needs to know his role.  Shot blocker and rebounder.  Period. 

[Marco Vincent]

There is far too much of an infatuation with POB. He is slow and lazy. He cant really play in this league. He is the classic case of a Mid-Major player that had a decent showcase in the NCAA tournament that resulted in scouts drooling over him as a lottery pick (ala Rafael Araujo or Melvin Ely).

Now, to answer the question, he does not have the skills to play PF. He does not have the speed or strength to defend NBA 4's (such as Elton Brand or Carlos Boozer) and he has very little offensive skill (not to mention zero face up game or mid range shot) needed to play the 4.

No he is a center. POB doesn't have the lateral quickness to play pf. There's no reason why he can't bulk up 10-15 pounds.

As for POB, I don't know why he gets such a bum rap here. There's no way he is a stiff like many are calling him. A stiff is someone who is a 7 footer, but isn't athletic and doesn't have any skills. But O'Bryant is athletic and does have good offensive skills...he is a very good jumpshooter for a big for example (56% eFG on jump shots so far this season).

The guy is just 22 years old, averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds, 3.5 blocks on 57% shooting and 83% ft shooting in the D-league last year(yeah it's the D-league but look what Sean Williams is doing down there right now). I also think he has significantly improved from the start of the season to now during his short stints on the floor. Let him continue working with Clifford Ray, be put on a workout program with Doo during the offseason and I think he might be our backup center next season.

I agree with this completely... tp

[pearljammer10]

Someone claimed "He's still a project after three years"...

So was Kendrick Perkins...Look where he is now.

This kid is only 22 and he already has three years experience playing with NBA players. He has nowhere to go but up. Plus in garbage minutes this season he has played respectably. No one should really give this kid a bad rap unless Doc starts giving him minutes. He should be playing over Big Baby and Scal in the rotation of big men...Play the kid doc!!

[Andy Jick]

hmmm POB as a PF... all he would need is

1.  Some basic ball handling skill
2.  A short-mid range jumper
3.  Athletic ability
4.  20 more lbs
5.  passing ability
6.  quickness

so yeah... I think it's definately a good idea...


Honestly though I don't hate POB as much as everyone on the board does and can see some upside to the young man.  But he needs to know his role.  Shot blocker and rebounder.  Period. 

TP...I love sarcastic posts like this. 

[crownsy]

Someone claimed "He's still a project after three years"...

So was Kendrick Perkins...Look where he is now.

This kid is only 22 and he already has three years experience playing with NBA players. He has nowhere to go but up. Plus in garbage minutes this season he has played respectably. No one should really give this kid a bad rap unless Doc starts giving him minutes. He should be playing over Big Baby and Scal in the rotation of big men...Play the kid doc!!

the difference being perk always had a work ethic and was a major wieghtroom and gym rat, and POB is getting chewed out by a teammate for not having a good work ethic or desire to get better.

Little things, like desire and trying, make all the difference when your a "project player".

lack of desire takes you from "project player" to "out of the league" pretty quick.