Otis confirms Magic's interest in Speights(UF) - Many players to workout(Povtak)

[futureseasontixholder 0]

I'm a huge Gator fan and have know Speights big time. Watch a gator game and you'll see Speights playing half the game and you'll be wondering why??? So much talent in this kid but he is in the dog house with Billy all the time. Also some games he is terrible missing every layup.. then the next game he'll be like a Man about boys literally dunking and stuffing everyone.. he is a huge risk you must all know that if we get him. his potential is really big but I don't want him if he is like he is on the gators.

[ball junkie 277]

From Denton's blog on Speight's workout today:

 

quote:

 

Speights is still undecided as to whether to leave his name in the draft or return for his junior season with the Gators. The 20-year-old power forward/center averaged 14.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks last season at Florida. He has until June 16 to decide whether to enter the draft or return to college.

 

``We put more into the sit-down, face-to-face interviews with these kids than we do with the workouts because we

[ball junkie 277]

From David Thorpe's chat:

 

quote:

Man Crush On Thorpe (Gainesville): What do you think Marreese Speights can be as a pro?

 

David Thorpe: (12:09 PM ET ) He can be Al Jefferson, or the best -player in Belgium in 3 years.

 

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=20907

[Emory889 353]

quote:

``He

[Marc Acres 3:16 418]

quote:

Originally posted by ball junkie:

From David Thorpe's chat:

 

quote:

Man Crush On Thorpe (Gainesville): What do you think Marreese Speights can be as a pro?

 

David Thorpe: (12:09 PM ET ) He can be Al Jefferson, or the best -player in Belgium in 3 years.

 

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=20907

 

The difference between those 2 outcomes is motivation and drive. Both of those are questions with this guy coming into the draft so you have to ask yourself, if he has those questions now when his draft position is on the line, what will happen after someone has paid him millions of dollars and that motivation factor is gone?

[MilitaryMagic 0]

quote:

Originally posted by Marc Acres 3:16:

quote:

Originally posted by FENDI:

How is Speights' soft? I've been reading some message forums, and the consensus is Speights would turn out to be a great player.

 

The Gators are the only college basketball I do watch and trust me when I say this guy is soft. Like so many other big men he want's to play away from the basket. The guy spent time around Noah, Horford and Richards and none of that enthusiasm rubbed off on him. How the hell is that possible?? If he had a 10th of the heart of those guys we wouldn't be talking about him because he would be a top 5 pick, that is how much his lack of motivation hurts him.

 

If we draft this guy (and I'm terrified we will) it will be another 4 yrs of everyone wondering when is he going to turn the corner and start really helping the team. He's a tease, lots of skill no nads, and when it comes to the playoffs other teams with more fight and more heart will be b*tch slapping him around when he should be helping Dwight.

 

I would love to be wrong about this one but I've seen way too many players just like him to believe that he will be any different. If they pick this guy over anyone else that shows more motivation it will be the pick that should have everyone involved fired. This is too important of a pick to gamble on some wuss who has a lot of potential.

 

Ding, ding, ding! We have ourselves a weiner!

 

Seriously though... I'm a huge Gator fan... I've seen Speights live probably 10 times in the past 2 years... he is VERY skilled and will step up against great players - he dominated Patrick Patterson of Kentucky this year when they went head to head. Sadly, though, he is very spotty in his effort and focus. You'd think the intensity of Horf, Noah, and Richard, and Donovan too, would rub off... but it doesn't. Speights is his own guy and isn't really a team player... yet. He'd need to develop a lot.

[Levation1331 0]

I'm sold on not taking Speights. Unmotivated big guys do not work out in the NBA. That is one of those characteristics that is either there or isnt.

 

He might be good down the line simply based on talent, but the magic are looking for a guy who can step right in and contribute immediately.

 

Lets hope Otis doesnt fall for this trap.

[magicfreak#1 0]

quote:

Originally posted by Drunk on Mystery:

quote:

Originally posted by magicfreak#1:

I guess what you are saying though is that if you me, marc acres, and dan werner, and Dwight howard went out on a court against the Pistons, that Dwight Howard still have a statistically good game, I actually doubt it.

 

No, I'm saying he'd likely have a bad game, but his intentions and motivations would stay constant. ANYONE can look tough when it's easy to do so. What I'm saying is that in that situation, Dwight would(and has in the past, such as the Detroit series) fought like hell to get inside, get rebounds, etc DESPITE the overwhelming odds against him. Speights, when faced with that same situation(from vastly inferior talent and strenght to what Dwight faced), backed down.

 

You, are absolutely right, there, I have no business comparing speights to Dwight. There is no comparison, Speights is nowhere near his talent, or motivational level. However very, very few are. I still have to disagree with the backed down part, because I just don't think very many players from this years draft would have faired any better on that particular UF team, if put in to play the same position, and asked to do the same things.

 

Also IMO nothing motivates a player more than winning, and having a chance to win championships. I am sorry with the current UF roster there shouldn't have been anybody picking them to win anything.

 

Also I think comparing Noah, and Horeford to Speights is alittle more realistic, but still not fair, those guys played on one of the best collective teams in NCAA history. It was easier for them to play great, every position had a mismatch, at all times. I want to add that Speights had a very good freshman performance while playing with those players, and DID make some very big plays to help UF win their second championship.

 

If you want to say that Speights did not live up to the expectations of a franchise player this past season, I will agree with you. If you want to say that his talent is better than what his statistics showed I still agree, however I also stipulate that statistics only show a numeric picture, and by no means tell the whole story of what happenes in a game ever.

I don't even really think that speights would be the best pick for the magic at 22.

 

But I disagree with anyone calling him soft, and I don't see how he backed down from anyone, I just don't see it, and I would be surprised if he isn't able to step in and get minutes, maybe not start but contribute right away. On our team he would be a giant improvement over cooke and garrity, he's going to be able to rebound and block shots,he makes his free throws, which I also think is important for who ever plays 4 for us until D12 starts making his.

[Soul Bro 1,419]

``We put more into the sit-down, face-to-face interviews with these kids than we do with the workouts because we

[Knappy 0]

quote:

Originally posted by KillingInTheNameOf:

quote:

Originally posted by murphy13:

 

 

he is 6'10" and 245. is it possible for him to be soft?

 

Pat Garrity is 6'9 238, would you really like a laundry list of big men who are soft as cotton?

 

One thing for Garrity - I would not say he was soft. He would try to mix it up if he had an ounce of coordination. He wasn't soft - he would just try to move and fall down or go flying in the air. Absolutely, no coordination, no athletic ability, but if he could hit someone he might try to.

 

Actually, he was very good at rebounding when the ball went through the hoop and he was quick to inbound the shot - so maybe soft in that he was always under the basket so it is hard to defend when you are directly underneath the net.

[Knappy 0]

quote:

Originally posted by Marc Acres 3:16:

My criticism of Speights has nothing to do with wanting UF to be strong next season. I am a Magic fan first and foremost so what happens to UF takes a back seat for me.

 

Some of you have mentioned that it's a conditioning issue and that as he progresses and is around an NBA caliber staff this will not be an issue. Doesn't conditioning and work ethic go hand in hand? In my experience conditioning is all about working hard, if he can't or does not choose to work hard when NBA dollars are on the line what is going to happen when he already has the money? If it's a learning issue, how did he not pick up on the level of work that is needed to be successful (and get drafted higher) from Noah and Horford?

 

Fendi quoted this from DraftExpress-

 

What we want to know is: how bad could his work ethic be if he went from barely being considered a top-50 high school recruit to one of the most skilled big men in the draft and a potential lottery pick in the span of just two years? Like so many players in this whacky draft, though, he