How did Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert help gtwon get to the finals? And now..

[Tr1boy]

Not stating good college players always become good NBA players. But there was alot of promise

[Donoghus]

Well, if you have a college team with a couple of future 1st round picks, you already have an inherent advantage over the vast majority of college basketball teams in regards to talent. They should do well,

Technically, they lost in the national semis and not the final in '07. And that Ohio State team they lost to was no slouch ever.

[Fan from VT]

1. It is a different game.

2. Not all players continue to improve; some peak early.

3. Considering how many players end up as full busts, and both hibbert and green have had relatively long careers, its not like they are complete zeroes.

4. College playoffs are 1 and done, so maybe they got lucky and were overrated.

5. As already pointed out, there are lots of college teams and the maximum career is 4 years so college talent is waaay more dilute than the nba, so any team with 2 or more actual nba quality players is going to be good, even if neither are stars.

6. Both were juniors in 06-07 which is a huge advantage compared to freshman, but is actually quite shown to make you a WORSE long term nba prospect because you are closer to your peak, with less room to grow, and youve already developed in the college world, which has less intense training than nba. So they were likely overrated at that time as nba prospects since they were playing against freshman and sophomores but had less nba upside.

7.Just as with talent, size is more diluted in college, so becomes less of an advantage in the nba.

[Al91]

I swear that concussion from two years ago messed with Hibbert a little too much. I'm not sure he sat out and continued to play but it was as if that one bad hit from a game against the Heat really messed with him. I believe he entered a slump after that and let the press get to him. Maybe he's always just been the guy to benefit from great players around him. Similarly, wasn't Howard his only real Center competition for a moment when the Hibbert hype was highest??

[Who]

Roy Hibbert has over-achieved hugely from what I had expected of him after watching him play at Georgetown. I am very impressed by his improvement since entering the pros and his excellent work-ethic.

I never thought Hibbert would be anything more than a backup center due to his extreme athletic deficits (so freakin' slow + terrible agility and overall mobility + no explosiveness) but Hibbert has over-come those to become a very effective defender through superb work on his positioning and footwork over his first few years in the league. He transformed himself defensively from a largely clueless 7 footer to one of the most fundamentally sound interior defenders in the league. I have huge respect for Roy Hibbert and everything he has managed to achieve to the NBA. Achieved a great deal despite limited tools.

Jeff Green is the opposite. He went from a do-it-all highly intelligent SF to a low IQ guy whose game revolved around scoring. It was disappointing to see him lose sight of his own passing and playmaking ability. How much he could add to a team with those skills. Never understanding the value of getting rebounds despite his size and athletic gifts. A guy who came into the league as a solid defender but never pushed himself to be anything more than that.

I wonder if it was playing with Kevin Durant and seeing all the plaudits Durant got for his scoring exploits. If that changed Jeff Green's mindset. I don't know ... but he had a lot more talent than he ever figured out to use in the NBA. One of the league's big underachievers. The exact opposite of Hibbert.

I think Jeff Green was a more accomplished college player but underachieved in the NBA while Hibbert was a much better pro than he was a college player.

[Tr1boy]

1. It is a different game.

2. Not all players continue to improve; some peak early.

3. Considering how many players end up as full busts, and both hibbert and green have had relatively long careers, its not like they are complete zeroes.

4. College playoffs are 1 and done, so maybe they got lucky and were overrated.

5. As already pointed out, there are lots of college teams and the maximum career is 4 years so college talent is waaay more dilute than the nba, so any team with 2 or more actual nba quality players is going to be good, even if neither are stars.

6. Both were juniors in 06-07 which is a huge advantage compared to freshman, but is actually quite shown to make you a WORSE long term nba prospect because you are closer to your peak, with less room to grow, and youve already developed in the college world, which has less intense training than nba. So they were likely overrated at that time as nba prospects since they were playing against freshman and sophomores but had less nba upside.

7.Just as with talent, size is more diluted in college, so becomes less of an advantage in the nba.

Tim Duncan was a senior when he came out. Lots of nice NBA players came out after their junior years.

Were you good in college because you were stronger?  OK, this is an overrated adv I agree

But if you had the skillsets etc there is a better chance to translate

To make the final 4 either as a freshman or senior is no easy chore either.

My point is these guys should be better than they are.  Considering the above , size, skills etc

Maybe they had a great fit as a one time thing. I wonder if you are a nba team doesn't have to much money, sign both green and Hibbert and maybe see if they can speak some old magic again.

[fairweatherfan]

4. College playoffs are 1 and done, so maybe they got lucky and were overrated.

They were down big to UNC late in the Elite 8 but Carolina had a 1-23 stretch from the floor and lost in OT.  Still stings a bit.