I never said he had more superstar potential than Qi. I'm intrigued by Qi as well. Wanted to read your rationale for favoring Qi above Maker. We're already gambling in front-court play if we're planning on Capela being our starting center. Mark my words. If Capela is our starting center next season, were gonna struggle to stay above.500 and he is going to be totally exposed as mediocre and his trade value will go in the dumper. If you view them the same then why would you do the deal for Qi but not Maker?
I've seen mocks that have him near the end of the first round. DraftExpress has him at 35. While I'd be hard pressed to give up Capela for him, end of the first round seems low for someone with his measurables and athleticism. He's even a capable shooter (71% ft, 30-95 on threes). The problem with threads like this is that sure, in 5 years, Maker could be a really good player, maybe near all star or even all star. But there's so so so much risk and downside. So this is one of those threads you'll see brought back to life potentially with the "I told you so". But at least your taking a position and sticking to it. I would not be opposed to moving up to grab a "falling" Thon Maker... but also would be wary of giving him first round guaranteed money just from a protect cap space perspective. Also, I think he's likely 2 years away from being counted on even as a backup. But again in years 3-5 he could really really develop and come on.
What?? What kind of response is that? Dekker played for years in college and before he was drafted the teams at least had the opportunity to see his game exposed against better competition. What kind competition Maker faced? Most of his opponents won't even get to play pro in Uzbekistan. Ofc I see Capela's limitations. I also see a lot of Thon's limitations which to me are more worrying than Capela's. The most worrying is that he doesn't seem to have accepted his role as a combo big who will provide shotblocking and defence and take contact. He wants to be a wing. At least with Capela and his limitations I can see in my opinion a path for him that with very good possibility leads a few years down the line to a good defensive starting quality C.
He seems more polished to me and has played against better competition from what I understand. I just don't understand writing off Capela after what was essentially his rookie season. He'll probably average about 26-28 minutes and do just fine. I wouldn't trade Capela for either.
Don't understand writing off Capela? Ok, let me explain. For a good while now I've been saying that Capela's best chance to earn a huge contact in a couple seasons would be for him to learn to shoot the 3 so he could develop as a face-up spread-the-floor 4 man, where he could use his quick feet and athleticism to switch and defend both perimeter players as well as bigs and he could help a true center defend the rim. 99% of the posters laugh at the suggestion. You see, they've already written him off. They have already turned Capela into a role player. Just another athletic pick-and-roll big that's supposed to defend the rim and board. Yokay. Playing on a team and in a system where shooting is at a premium. What do you expect him to become in a league that is playing faster and faster and devaluing centers that can't shoot greater than anytime in the history of the league? Could he maybe become the tenth best player in the league at a position that is the least valuable of any position in the era of positionless basketball? That's maybe the 70th to 150th best player in the league? Does anybody really expect Capela to become more than that when you are pegging him to the role of running free throw line to free throw line, do the dirty work, and throw down 3 maybe 4 dunks max in the game and then have to be taken out in clutch time because he's a free-throw shooting liability? Look, I'm not the one saying CC will never be an effective shooter. It's everybody else that's thrown in the towel and pigeon-holed him as a role player. Hence, the poll question. Do you want to keep a guy that's going into his third year that you think will never be able to shoot effectively or would you trade him for a guy going into his first year who has 3 to 5 inches of reach advantage, who has already been working on a 3-point shot, and who already has a handle? To me, it's a no-brainer. I'd trade Capela for either Maker or Qi. I can't understand why members who don't think Capela can ever learn to shoot would value him and his future more than they would a rookie who is already developing real ball skills and has more length than Capela has. Baffling.
Well when you essential expect your 17th pick to be a star then it's very easy to write him. He is already a decent defender who is versatile. I simply be happy if he hits his FTs at a good clip. He needs to hit his FT at a decent clip, if he can't do that then he won't ever go anywhere. We have him on a rookie contract and he has proven he can stay on the floor for at least 20 minutes. I simply don't have the same expectations as you and I think Thon Maker will more than likely be a bust. I keep Capela every day, it's not even a question. Your expectations are too high, simple as that. Because those players are baffling in every sense of the word. They aren't a top 5 pick like Bender and not even consensus first round picks. You seem to be the one overrating them.
Thon has a lot of work to do, he's got some skill but even against top high school talent he leaves you wanting more from him.
I don't think Capela has to develop any kind of shot, nor hit his free throws to reach a high level in this league. I think his main thing will be working on his body, adding muscle mass, working on his legs/core strength and just becoming a better athlete overall. Then of course, more experience could do wonders. Getting a deeper understanding of the game mentally, learning the little things, tips/tricks, becoming more polished on defense and offense, more confidence. He's naturally a great rebounder, finisher around the rim and shot blocker He's very quick, agile, has good length, explosive hops and quick hands Plus the dudes ability to defend guards off the switch is incredible as well, which is very valuable in today's nba. I think if he fulfills his potential, that he's about 2 years of experience, and 20 pounds away from being a Swiss Deandre Jordan for Houston. Both are roughly the same height, have the same vertical, only difference is Jordan has more weight + 2 inch longer arm length.
The only way Capela doesn't do well and we aren't well above .500 is if we wasted time and money and resources and it wasn't on a starting PF and depth in the backcourt. I'd love to get Thon Maker as a project, but the last thing a team with a MVP-level superstar on a 2 year contract needs is to trade a solid, young, promising piece for a potentially solid piece. Maker with his Harden-like attention issues is not going to make a serious impact for several years, if ever. Capela is a year away from being a legit starter and optimistically several years away from potentially being an excellent player. That's barely a risk we can take, but we're going to take it and that's a healthy risk. He's played only 100 games more than Maker and is currently a FAR FAR better basketball player. Clint Capela is a 22 year old big man with just over one year of NBA experience who came from European leagues. To act like you're fairly certain that he will not add anything significant to his game or won't fix any significant flaw is essentially admitting you are ignoring the history of NBA player development. Also, I stumbled upon this gem of a hilarious video. Don't get me wrong, Maker is a good project to take on, but just listen to the tone of this video. It's too funny. PRO TIP: watch this video on 1.5x speed. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lZhTv3hN21s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
To act like Capela did not regress this past season or that his regression is excusable because of the team chemistry issues and doesn't mean anything about his future is essentially admitting you are ignoring the history of NBA player development. Another thing: If you know anything at all about player development then you should know that Maker is already on the development road. You should be able to see he's going places and his ceiling and floor are both higher than Capela's.
In his rookie season? Have you ever considered he simply isn't conditioned enough yet. Which means absolutely nothing if he can't hold his position because he is very weak. Why is it that Bender is a top 5 pick while Maker isn't close?
Draft Express has Thon going in the second round. Why would you think it takes Capela to get Thon? That seems like a lot to give up, a big that's up and coming for a big you're starting over with. I think that if the Rockets value Thon that much, they can get him in different ways than giving in on a prototypical center for the new age of basketball we're in. Defense matters, defense is what makes Capela the better player for sure. Flexibility is what Capela gives you, Thon gives you potential and potential only. I'd rather trade Capela for a player like Myles Turner. Also, bbholic the Rockets have made a coaching move to win now, they won't trade for youth right now. That makes zero sense. Capela is ready to start, Thon is NBDL bait.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">HIGHLIGHTS: Thon Maker (Australia) in his Hornets pre-draft workout. <a href="https://t.co/GGLtnYBEuy">https://t.co/GGLtnYBEuy</a> <a href="https://t.co/IOYL4jZOlQ">pic.twitter.com/IOYL4jZOlQ</a></p>— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) <a href="https://twitter.com/hornets/status/743873628706529280">June 17, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Worked out for the Hornets.
I think everybody (except possibly Hollic) agrees, we wouldn't trade Capela for Thon. I would trade Capela for a real upgrade at the PF, SF or PG position if we sign a great center to a long term deal this off season though. I also wouldn't mind combining our picks to trade up for Thon. Just no Capela for Thon though.
