No to Jared. (Danny's Infatuation w/ Undersized Bigs)

[Dchuck]

my concern with him is the health issue with his back. 

Agree 100%!

I like his skill set and talent.  But dismissing his back issue like it's a sprained ankle is a mistake.  If his back checks out to be ok.  Then I'm on board with taking him.  Problem is, the back is a tricky thing.

[Snakehead]

This kid is undersized, un-athletic and now has medical issues. I will pass unless we buy a 2nd rounder. Wasting a first rounder on this kid is a mistake.

I'm so sick of Danny drafting undersized/un-athletic bigs who we constantly watch get rejected by bigger more athletic players. Baby was useless when he got a offensive board, because the moment he tried to go up he got blocked. Baby wasn't a great post defender and quite honestly (even though I love the guy) neither was Leon Powe, Ryan Gomes, Brandon Hunter, Justin Reed, or Luke Harangody.

Look I know tall/skilled big men are hard to come by late in the draft I get that, but Danny really amazes me sometimes. I remember when we drafted JR Giddens over D'Andre Jordan...D'ANDRE JORDAN. The kid is 7ft with a 37" vertical and was 250 pounds out of a year of college. Yes he was raw, but he was also had a lot of upside, and honestly we could of used him the past few years.

DANNY PLEASE NO MORE UNDERSIZED BIGS!!!!!!!!

How is Sullinger undersized? He is 6'9" with an 8'11" standing reach.

That is prototypical.

Plus, he can knock down the college three, and drains foul shots. The kid will be a very good starter in this league for a long time - somewhere on the spectrum between David West and Kevin Love.

6'10 is ideal for a PF I think? He's 6'8 but yeah, PFs have gotten smaller.

He is 6'9" with shoes, and that is how they list players.

He is the exact same height without shoes as: Kurt Thomas, Antawn Jamison, Kevin Love, Ersan Ilyasova, David Lee, Carlos Boozer, Thomas Robinson. 

He may not be considered tall for a PF, but he is not short either.

Either way, what matters is whether he can play...and Sullinger can play.

This.

OP fails to realize that you don't find tall players with any skill near the tail end of the draft.

[chambers]

he reminds me of a big baby/bass mutant.
My biggest concern is his size and getting his shots off against legit 7 footers.
In the final four the Kansas big man was all over him and kept altering Jareds shot repeatedly. Sullenger looked like an amateur in the paint and kept having to settle for fade aways and horrid leaning chucks.
I think he's a poor mans David West at best. If he does fall to us at 21 we probably have to pull the trigger though.

[bfrombleacher]

This kid is undersized, un-athletic and now has medical issues. I will pass unless we buy a 2nd rounder. Wasting a first rounder on this kid is a mistake.

I'm so sick of Danny drafting undersized/un-athletic bigs who we constantly watch get rejected by bigger more athletic players. Baby was useless when he got a offensive board, because the moment he tried to go up he got blocked. Baby wasn't a great post defender and quite honestly (even though I love the guy) neither was Leon Powe, Ryan Gomes, Brandon Hunter, Justin Reed, or Luke Harangody.

Look I know tall/skilled big men are hard to come by late in the draft I get that, but Danny really amazes me sometimes. I remember when we drafted JR Giddens over D'Andre Jordan...D'ANDRE JORDAN. The kid is 7ft with a 37" vertical and was 250 pounds out of a year of college. Yes he was raw, but he was also had a lot of upside, and honestly we could of used him the past few years.

DANNY PLEASE NO MORE UNDERSIZED BIGS!!!!!!!!

How is Sullinger undersized? He is 6'9" with an 8'11" standing reach.

That is prototypical.

Plus, he can knock down the college three, and drains foul shots. The kid will be a very good starter in this league for a long time - somewhere on the spectrum between David West and Kevin Love.

6'10 is ideal for a PF I think? He's 6'8 but yeah, PFs have gotten smaller.

He is 6'9" with shoes, and that is how they list players.

He is the exact same height without shoes as: Kurt Thomas, Antawn Jamison, Kevin Love, Ersan Ilyasova, David Lee, Carlos Boozer, Thomas Robinson. 

He may not be considered tall for a PF, but he is not short either.

Either way, what matters is whether he can play...and Sullinger can play.

This.

OP fails to realize that you don't find tall players with any skill near the tail end of the draft.

I haven't been around for the longest but have they always been quote "6'9"? I just kind of feel like they've gotten shorter.

I wasn't nitpicking though(just clarifying that). Charles Barkley - 6'5/6'6, easily top 10 PFs in history. That's why I'm warming up to AB being a good SG and would love Sullinger.

Plus, I'm not the tallest guy around either. Go short people (who are over 6 feet )!

[Chris]

he reminds me of a big baby/bass mutant.
My biggest concern is his size and getting his shots off against legit 7 footers.
In the final four the Kansas big man was all over him and kept altering Jareds shot repeatedly. Sullenger looked like an amateur in the paint and kept having to settle for fade aways and horrid leaning chucks.
I think he's a poor mans David West at best. If he does fall to us at 21 we probably have to pull the trigger though.

And this is an absolute concern.  However, in college he was the focal point of the offense, and defenders caved on him, creating problems.  In the NBA, and particularly on the C's, he will be seeing a lot more open shots.

As for a comparison, I see him being somewhere in between Kenny Thomas and Elton Brand.  And the better shape he can get himself into, the closer he can be to Brand.

I definitely think he is closer to the Boozer/Millsap/Brand type all around player, than he is to the Bass/Baby role player.

[Who]

As for a comparison, I see him being somewhere in between Kenny Thomas and Elton Brand.  And the better shape he can get himself into, the closer he can be to Brand.

I read that despite losing a fair bit of weight this past season, Sullinger didn't gain any real quickness or explosiveness.

If that's the case, I think he is better off staying large. Up around 260+lbs.

[Fafnir]

As for a comparison, I see him being somewhere in between Kenny Thomas and Elton Brand.  And the better shape he can get himself into, the closer he can be to Brand.

I read that despite losing a fair bit of weight this past season, Sullinger didn't gain any real quickness or explosiveness.

If that's the case, I think he is better off staying large. Up around 260+lbs.

Maybe, but if he's got a back issue staying smaller might allow him to stay on the court.

I think his ceiling is around David West, his floor is probably Glen Davis/Brandon Bass level backup.

If he actually falls to us, which I have my doubts, I'd be estatic.

[Chris]

As for a comparison, I see him being somewhere in between Kenny Thomas and Elton Brand.  And the better shape he can get himself into, the closer he can be to Brand.

I read that despite losing a fair bit of weight this past season, Sullinger didn't gain any real quickness or explosiveness.

If that's the case, I think he is better off staying large. Up around 260+lbs.

Get him with an NBA trainer.  Its not just about losing weight, it is about specific work they do to improve their mobility, etc.

And if he lost weight this last season, it wasn't obvious.  He clearly still had a couple spare tires.

[Fafnir]

As for a comparison, I see him being somewhere in between Kenny Thomas and Elton Brand.  And the better shape he can get himself into, the closer he can be to Brand.

I read that despite losing a fair bit of weight this past season, Sullinger didn't gain any real quickness or explosiveness.

If that's the case, I think he is better off staying large. Up around 260+lbs.

Get him with an NBA trainer.  Its not just about losing weight, it is about specific work they do to improve their mobility, etc.

And if he lost weight this last season, it wasn't obvious.  He clearly still had a couple spare tires.

I still feel weird saying that about a young athlete when I'm struggling to get my but to the gym and get under 230 when I'm Rondo's size....

[Chris]

As for a comparison, I see him being somewhere in between Kenny Thomas and Elton Brand.  And the better shape he can get himself into, the closer he can be to Brand.

I read that despite losing a fair bit of weight this past season, Sullinger didn't gain any real quickness or explosiveness.

If that's the case, I think he is better off staying large. Up around 260+lbs.

Get him with an NBA trainer.  Its not just about losing weight, it is about specific work they do to improve their mobility, etc.

And if he lost weight this last season, it wasn't obvious.  He clearly still had a couple spare tires.

I still feel weird saying that about a young athlete when I'm struggling to get my but to the gym and get under 230 when I'm Rondo's size....

Just remember, it's not your job!

And for the record, I don't see Sullinger as the type who will eat his way out of the league.  From everything I have seen and heard, he is a very hard worker.  I just question whether Ohio State puts the same resources that NBA teams do, into completely maximizing their players physical attributes. 

[Fafnir]

As for a comparison, I see him being somewhere in between Kenny Thomas and Elton Brand.  And the better shape he can get himself into, the closer he can be to Brand.

I read that despite losing a fair bit of weight this past season, Sullinger didn't gain any real quickness or explosiveness.

If that's the case, I think he is better off staying large. Up around 260+lbs.

Get him with an NBA trainer.  Its not just about losing weight, it is about specific work they do to improve their mobility, etc.

And if he lost weight this last season, it wasn't obvious.  He clearly still had a couple spare tires.

I still feel weird saying that about a young athlete when I'm struggling to get my but to the gym and get under 230 when I'm Rondo's size....

Just remember, it's not your job!

Neither is Diablo 3 or Sins of the Solar Empire though, I get those done nightly 

I'm actually happy at low 230s atm, down a long ways from my "peak".

[Fafnir]

And for the record, I don't see Sullinger as the type who will eat his way out of the league.  From everything I have seen and heard, he is a very hard worker.  I just question whether Ohio State puts the same resources that NBA teams do, into completely maximizing their players physical attributes. 

Me either.

I think he'll be an NBA player a long time at either his freshman weight or if he gets lighter.

[Yogi]

He had 10% body fat. That's less than Kyrie Irving last year I think!  He has the same type of physique Pierce and Melo have.  Can't look chiseled, low center of gravity and broad rounded shoulders masking tremendous strength.  No way he'd ever weigh 230.  He should be around 270-280.

[bfrombleacher]

As for a comparison, I see him being somewhere in between Kenny Thomas and Elton Brand.  And the better shape he can get himself into, the closer he can be to Brand.

I read that despite losing a fair bit of weight this past season, Sullinger didn't gain any real quickness or explosiveness.

If that's the case, I think he is better off staying large. Up around 260+lbs.

Get him with an NBA trainer.  Its not just about losing weight, it is about specific work they do to improve their mobility, etc.

And if he lost weight this last season, it wasn't obvious.  He clearly still had a couple spare tires.

I still feel weird saying that about a young athlete when I'm struggling to get my but to the gym and get under 230 when I'm Rondo's size....

Just remember, it's not your job!

Neither is Diablo 3 or Sins of the Solar Empire though, I get those done nightly 

I'm actually happy at low 230s atm, down a long ways from my "peak".

Keep it up! I'm rooting for you!

[wilymogilman]

Sorry - i didn't bother to read the entire forum here, so i'm certainly missing something. However, for those that dismiss sullinger as being a legitimate athlete - what do you qualify as an athlete? Is he like big baby because he's 'undersized' chubby, etc...? I don't really see the comparisons. Big Baby is an energy player that can't dunk and has t'rex arms.

Sullinger has a giant wingspan, can throw down hard for a dude his size, and can carve out space down low with the best of them in this draft. He knows how to use his size to his advantage, thats for sure.

Have you ever seen this guy up close in person? His legs are tree trunks and his behind is something to behold. I was front row at this years march madness game's at the garden. Sullinger can FLAT OUT BALL. If it wasn't for foul trouble, he would have totally dominated the ball. His IQ is way up there, he fights HARD down low for positioning and WANTS the ball. When he gets the ball, he knows how to score. He has REAL skill and his foot work was high NBA level against these college players. Again, his ability to use his body, take the hit, and work around the rim will make him a solid nba player. He eats up rebounds, again, due to his ability to use his size, anticipation for the ball, and yes - quickness.

Guys - this guy is an absolute baller. He wasn't a lottery pick just a year ago for no reason. Watch a few highlight reels of him and you'll truly get a feel for what he can bring to the game. Call him an unathletic, undersized big man if you want... I don't believe it. But please, do not underestimate the heart this guy has, his willingness to win, and his pure natural ability to play basketball.

By the way, I'm a Michigan fan... this is totally unbiased.

Also - something hit a nerve here for me, of course... I've been following these boards like a leach for years. C's season ticket holder, die hard bball fan. thanks for keeping me entertained. Go Celtics.