Scouting Joel Freeland [early, early morning observations]

by Cablinasian on May 18, 2009 7:30 AM PDT

With amlmart1 offering to provide links to the ACB playoff games, I bit the bullet and woke up at 3:30 am to watch Gran Canaria play.

I missed the first five minutes of the game due to my eyes refusing to open, but managed to catch most of Joel's 19 minutes.

Quick thoughts, in no particular order:

The first thing I was struck by was his agility and quickness. He doesn't have the grace of LaMarcus, but was similarly light on his feet and able to cover ground quickly.
Most times that a shot went up, Joel did a good job of finding a Unicaja player to box out. He had some mental lapses, but was pretty solid overall.
He really seemed to struggle getting position on free throw attempts. Quite a few times, Unicaja players were able to quickly jump in front of him. Part of this is due to the trapezoidal key, though.
He looks a little lost out there on some possessions. There was one critical play in the fourth quarter when the Unicaja point guard beat his man, driving into Joel's area. Instead of offering help, he stood cemented to the ground, unsure of what to do. It ended up being a three point play.
As said in the previous point, he really was tentative at times. I think there will be a pretty steep learning curve when he first enters the NBA, as even the ACB was a little quick for him on some possessions.
One thing that bothered me was his pick-setting, especially off the ball. He rarely made solid contact with the man that he was trying to hit.
One of the most encouraging signs was Joel's footwork. It put Greg and Joel P to shame. Good fundamentals.
I was shocked when he actually posted up for the first time... I was unaware that he had post moves. He got good post position, started to back down his man, and then was threatened by a double-team coming in from the wing. He faked the pass out to the perimeter, freezing the help defender, and then spun quickly to the baseline, fading back for a little 7-8 foot jumper. It was a little off, but I was still impressed by his footwork and court awareness.
He did exhibit a little bit of a face-up game, though not extensively. Late in the game, they posted him up and he turned to face the basket. He ball faked, drawing a foul and sinking two free throws.
He has to get stronger, especially in the lower body. In the handful of times teams posted up against him, the post player was able to back him down pretty easily. Think of how Przybilla bends his knees and prepares for the oncoming post move. Freeland stands fairly straight up. This could be an issue with his leg strength, flexibility, or a combination of the two.
At one point, he was beaten to the bucket and delivered a moderately hard NBA foul, which was ruled a flagrant. He held his arm out and held the man to the ground, making a shot attempt impossible.
Though he was easily backed down, he did have a couple of nice defensive plays in the post. When a bigger player got near the basket, he "pulled the chair" quite effectively, forcing the travel.
One of the things that Joel must work on is his passing. He had a pretty bad turnover inbounding the ball after a made basket, and narrowly avoided another.
In the mid-fourth quarter, Joel's Gran Canaria team was down 80-75. The GC point guard ran a pick and roll, dumping it down to down to Freeland at the outside of the key. Avoiding the quick double, he sunk a nice hook shot off the glass.
The next possession, with the score 80-77, they fronted Joel. He faked like he was going to set a pick, and then sprinted back toward the hoop, catching the pass, dribbling, and dunking. 80-79, Unicaja.
In this same stretch, he had a very nice block, tracking a penetrating guard and extinguishing the shot nicely.
Unicaja leading 81-79, Joel faced up and drew the two earlier referenced foul shots. He made both FTs to tie the game.This concluded Joel's personal 6-1 run.

Going Forward:

Continue to learn the game. He was slow to rotate to dribble penetration. If he doesn't improve his recognition, he'll be fouling a lot. At times, he looked a little lost trying to set picks.
Extend his jumper a bit. He had nice moves, but had to be pretty close to use them effectively.
Put on muscle. He has a very large frame and athletic build, so this shouldn't be a huge problem. Norsktroll nailed it when he described Joel as "Pretty strong, somewhat in between Shav and Channing in built but more explosive." Half of the issues with his game are to do with him just not being strong enough.

I was very impressed with Freeland on the whole, as his mistakes are eminently fixable. He's probably not ready to come over and play real minutes, but it would be a plus to get him working with Bobby Medina.

Anyone else watch the game and have impressions? I'd love to read your scouting report on Joel.

Gran Canaria plays again on Tuesday, 11:30 am PDT. If they , they advance to the next round. If not, they will play again next Sunday morning, 3:30 am PDT.

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Comments

Thanks for sacrificing sleep

Nice to get a detailed set of impressions.

by upper left corner on May 18, 2009 7:40 AM PDT reply actions 2 recs

Like it

Rec

Land was created to provide a place for boats to visit.

by The Pirate on May 18, 2009 7:41 AM PDT reply actions

NIcely done

Good read.

Freeland shows promise.

It will be an interesting debate whether to bring him over this summer. He’s probably not ready to play a big role off the bench, and his development might progress more rapidly with one more year in the ACB. But contract issues might require bringing him over now.

Good problems to have.

Q: Is Greg favoring his knee?
Frye: He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors.

by KP Corleone on May 18, 2009 8:11 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs

As I said below, I really want him to come over. He needs NBA coaching, particularly in setting picks and gaining a better understanding of how and when to pass.

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by Cablinasian on May 18, 2009 9:49 PM PDT up reply actions

plus, his biggest hindrance is his physical condition. He needs more bulk.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 18, 2009 9:49 PM PDT up reply actions

preferably lean muscle mass, to keep his agility.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 18, 2009 9:50 PM PDT up reply actions

I'll repost my short impressions from the game day thread here. I only saw the second half and the OT

Game: Gran Canaria should be in a good position to advance with the win (best of 3 in this round, next game Tuesday). They made enough unforced errors that could be avoided. Freeland saw about 19 minutes of action, and didn’t play in OT. He splits about half the minutes with other players and isn’t exactly asked to carry the team.

Offense/General: Able to draw fouls, and convert his free throws at a high rate. Pretty strong, somewhat in between Shav and Channing in built but more explosive. Looks like he would be able to add more muscle. Runs the floor well. Decent post moves and jumpshot if he gets close enough. Doesn’t set good picks. Played with what looked like a very average point guard, a good one should be able to find him better when he is in position to finish around the rim a la our Joel. Still was efficient, like he usually is.

Defense: Sometimes slow to rotate to help a beaten player. He would need to work on that or he will cause fouls. Blocked a shot nicely. Good defensive rebounder, but not dominant.

Readiness: Dani from Barcelona thinks it would be best for him if he continues in Europe and then maybe comes over in the style of Luis Scola when he is in his mid-twenties and has established himself as a top player. Would depend on what the Blazers want out of him now and if they think he could get enough playing time in the NBA + D-League to fully develop, and how much better they could train him here. I could see him as a capable 4/5 player now taking the role of Shav but ultimately could be much better. KP sounded like he wants to see him in summer league and is more inclined to bring him over now before European clubs lock him up long time. His salary would probably be about the same, maybe a little bit more in the NBA at least initially.

by Norsktroll on May 18, 2009 8:55 AM PDT reply actions 3 recs

I’d rather he come over now and get in the weight room… just playing against LMA, Przy, and Greg in practice would be good for him.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 18, 2009 9:48 PM PDT up reply actions

maybe I am way off base here

, but when Freeland was here for summer league a few years back it seemed that all he had was a face up game, but this awesome report contradicts that. Am I on crazy pills or does anyone else remember this?

Life is exhausting when you are this stupid.

by jonestr on May 18, 2009 9:56 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs

Since it's unknown for young players to improve or add to their game, you must be on crazy pills.

by raoulduke on May 18, 2009 10:23 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

in this case

it would be a regression

but the crazy pills are spot on.

Life is exhausting when you are this stupid.

by jonestr on May 18, 2009 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions

Can't remember that, all scouting reports indicate that his face up game was limited going into the draft

His jumper still is only short to mid-range. Maybe they asked him to face up more during summer league?

by Norsktroll on May 18, 2009 1:34 PM PDT up reply actions

he definetely knocked down a few jumpers-- even a 3 or two if I recall correctly

He also had a memorable 2 handed alley-oop jam off an inbounds pass.

by jksnake99 on May 18, 2009 1:39 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

Hey, now I have a chance to read one of your posts :)

by Marie on May 18, 2009 10:09 AM PDT reply actions

Yeah, I only post when I feel like I can add something to the community… that’s what I feel fanposts were originally meant to be. No one needs another trade post.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 18, 2009 9:47 PM PDT up reply actions 5 recs

This should be green.

REC’d.

by Marvin100 on May 19, 2009 6:23 AM PDT up reply actions

rec

Bedge or go home.

by Ojala John on May 21, 2009 7:24 PM PDT up reply actions

thanks for doing this

by jksnake99 on May 18, 2009 10:19 AM PDT reply actions

Solid recap

by Sabonis4Ever on May 18, 2009 10:25 AM PDT reply actions

For staying up so late

+1 for you

I have not yet begun to defile myself.

by EngineerScotty on May 18, 2009 10:30 AM PDT reply actions

thanks

nice review of the game. I’m sorry I missed it but I just couldn’t get myself out of the sack in the middle of the night. Big respect to you people who do that sort of thing all the time. – Elgin

VENTURA: It's drowning. It gives you the complete sensation that you are drowning. It is no good, because you -- I'll put it to you this way, you give me a waterboard, Dick Cheney and one hour, and I'll have him confess to the Sharon Tate murders.

by 22baylor on May 18, 2009 11:12 AM PDT reply actions

I really wanted to see him play, get a feel for how ready he was. I didn’t plan on writing a report, but I figured that if I was up I may as well take a lot of notes and write something.

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by Cablinasian on May 18, 2009 9:47 PM PDT up reply actions

Thanks friend

;-o

by tominhawaii on May 18, 2009 1:22 PM PDT reply actions

Very accurate scouting.

"They didn't know it was impossible, so they did it"

by amlmart1 on May 18, 2009 1:24 PM PDT reply actions

thanks for the link. :)

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 18, 2009 9:46 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm looking forward to confusion over which Joel people are talking about.

Thanks for the good info.

by LaughingJon on May 18, 2009 3:52 PM PDT reply actions

I’m sure we’’ll have some good nicknames for British Joel.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 18, 2009 9:46 PM PDT up reply actions

The British Bulldog!!!!

Blazer's Edge Ambassador to The Dream Shake Blog
LMA Rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I <3 LMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LMA - Putting the POWER in POWER FORWARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The concussion must have jarred him into "Destroy All Opposition Terminator Mode!" - BlazersOrBust

by LaMarvelous on May 18, 2009 11:18 PM PDT up reply actions

Is Joel Freeland going to be better than Hansborough?

It seems like we should just draft T.H. with al ate first found pick, because I don’t see “the other white joel” contributing a lot.

Yellow Mamba FTW!

by northwestj on May 18, 2009 7:21 PM PDT reply actions

yes, Joel Freeland has MUCH more potential than Hansbrough

Freeland is 2 inches taller, much more athletic and has per-minute ACB stats that are nearly as good (not quite) as Hansbrough’s per-minute college stats.

Freeland is a much better prospect.

by jksnake99 on May 18, 2009 7:29 PM PDT up reply actions

And

As I think jk was implying, the ACB is a much tougher league than the NCAA.

Freeland is a nice prospect. Hansborough has struggled against elite competition and struggled on the glass.

I like Tyler better than most, but I’ll flip your question around. Why use a first round pick on a guy who’s comparable (with less upside) to somebody whose rights you already own?

Q: Is Greg favoring his knee?
Frye: He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors.

by KP Corleone on May 19, 2009 7:34 AM PDT up reply actions

Freeland has more basic tools to work with than Hansbrough

He should be the better all around player.

Any time Detroit scores more than 100 points and holds the other team below 100 points they almost always win. -Doug Collins

by TappedPotential on May 18, 2009 7:33 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

that might be

the funniest sig I’ve ever seen!

Brandon Roy, 'nuff said.

by johnv59 on May 18, 2009 7:45 PM PDT up reply actions

Hansbrough

Would be a waste of a pick when we already have Freeland,Free Joel

by southern oregon on May 18, 2009 7:56 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

nah, Freeland has much more NBA potential. He’ll be terrific as he continues to learn the game and puts on muscle. He’s an impressive athlete.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 18, 2009 9:45 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

That thought of Hansbrough on this team makes my skin crawl

TH is not going to be a good pro (probably not even a mediocre pro). He’s 23, a man amongst boys, plus he’s been able to beat up on other NCAA bigs because there really aren’t any NCAA bigs. When he gets to the next level his lack of athleticism, bulk and length are going to get exposed so badly you’ll be crying for Channing Frye to be put into a game.

There’s a reason GMs haven’t been tripping over themselves to draft this guy the past 3 years.

by nikolokolus on May 19, 2009 9:19 AM PDT up reply actions

That's because he hasn't made himself eligible for the draft the last 3 years

;-o

by tominhawaii on May 19, 2009 9:25 AM PDT up reply actions

Oh come on.

You think he didn’t know his draft projection in each of those years? If he’d have been a lottery talent I almost guarantee he would have declared.

by nikolokolus on May 19, 2009 9:29 PM PDT up reply actions

Well you can't trip over getting someone in the draft if they are not eligible

Tyler Hansbrough will be a better pro than a lot of folks here give him credit for.

by tominhawaii on May 19, 2009 11:10 PM PDT up reply actions

FREE FREELAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By that I mean bring him to Portland!

by LaMarvelous on May 18, 2009 9:29 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs

You know what im saying

The perfect backup for LMA

by southern oregon on May 18, 2009 9:39 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

long term, I see him being a terrific 4/5 backup. He won’t be ready next year, though.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 18, 2009 9:45 PM PDT up reply actions

Even if that is true, there are 15 roster positions which equals 3 deep at each 1 thru 5 position...I think there is room.

Who knows? Maybe he will be next seasons Nic Batum! That is my idea of a great surprise!

by LaMarvelous on May 18, 2009 11:23 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

Nic was originally a projected top-5 pick who slipped because of a less than stellar year in France and health concerns… he’s on a different level than British Joel.

I really would like him to come over next year, because he needs to develop his mind and body for basketball. I guess he could surprise us, but I tend to think that as a young, extremely inexperienced big man, he’ll have serious foul difficulties.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 18, 2009 11:27 PM PDT up reply actions

Great work on the post

From my impressions of the situation, I lean toward leaving him overseas to ripen more. I’d rather give Shav a real chance for some run next season and bring in another trial/draft guy or get B Bass as a FA (this assumes Channing is gone).

It seems like Freeland’s value is down the road a ways and not ready to materialize very quickly, and then only after a fair amount of playing time which he would only get in the D-league here.

put a body on 'em

by RayBourque on May 18, 2009 11:52 PM PDT up reply actions

I see your viewpoint, and would understand if they do leave him overseas.

But… it’s not like he’s so raw that he is years away from contributing. He has good fundamentals and is one of the most efficient players in the ACB. The only glaring issues were that he will need to add muscle and adjust to the speed of the NBA game… I think he can do both of those things in Portland.

Also, if we don’t bring him over now, it will be infinitely more difficult in three years.

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by Cablinasian on May 19, 2009 12:10 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

KP has hinted repeatedly that they do plan on trying to bring him over this year.

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by Cablinasian on May 19, 2009 12:10 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

if they do, it will be interesting to see if he spends some time in Boise or not.

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 12:47 AM PDT up reply actions

Is it true that his value is down?

I would think Freeland’s value would be at an all time high – he emerged this year as a serious contributor in the ACB. Isn’t he top ten in PER?

My guess is his value is up, up, up. Not sure where that puts him vis-a-vis this year’s draft class, for example, but I bet he would be a top 15 pick.

Q: Is Greg favoring his knee?
Frye: He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors.

by KP Corleone on May 19, 2009 7:41 AM PDT up reply actions

I don't think Nic and Freeland are all that dissimilar

When Nic was being talked about as a top five pick, it was on potential alone based on her performance at the Nike Hoops Summit. But on production, Freeland’s done a lot more professionally than Nic ever did. I believe Nic’s euro-league stats (primarly his lack of assertiveness) suggested he would never be a good NBA player (according to Hollinger, et. al.). I would guess Freeland’s stats would translate much more favorably.

Q: Is Greg favoring his knee?
Frye: He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors.

by KP Corleone on May 19, 2009 7:36 AM PDT up reply actions

I thought it was funny how much Hollinger bashed Nic.

He made some pretty definitive statements about how Nic couldn’t play. Nic was a 19-year-old kid. I think it would have been far more accurate to say Nic couldn’t contribute immediately like most 19-year-old rookies, though that turned out to be false as well thankfully.

Freeland was number five in ACB PER at 24.9, behind Fran Vasquez, Felipe Reyes, Igor Rakocevic, and Tiago Splitter. He definitely had good stats in his limited minutes.

by poster on May 19, 2009 1:22 PM PDT up reply actions

I think that's what Hollinger meant-- that his French league stats suggested he wasn't ready

I don’t think Hollinger ever said Nic was doomed as a prospect or anything like that.

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 1:28 PM PDT up reply actions

I think he was saying something about Nic as a prospect...

One guy I can tell you about is Nicolas Batum. Teams are apparently worried about drafting Batum because of a possible heart ailment. I’d recommend avoiding him for other reasons — like the fact that he can’t play, for instance.

His numbers project to 9.6 points per 40 minutes, 39.8 percent shooting and an 8.89 PER. It’s not like this was an off-year either — his 2007 numbers are nearly identical. I understand that he’s only 19, so perhaps there’s some value in using a late second-round pick on him and stashing him in Europe to see if he grows, but that’s about as strong a recommendation as I can muster.

It’s from Hollinger’s ESPN blog, which isn’t insider for this article for some reason.

by poster on May 19, 2009 1:37 PM PDT up reply actions

interesting

Well, he’s certainly not batting 1.000, that’s for sure.

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 1:40 PM PDT up reply actions

Wow. That is a pretty big miss by Hollinger.

It’s like Morey said, though… we don’t have a way to evaluate European players yet. That’s the next big innovation.

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by Cablinasian on May 19, 2009 1:42 PM PDT up reply actions

Hollinger was all over Rudy being a way better prospect than Marco B. despite being drafted later

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 1:43 PM PDT up reply actions

But didn’t Rudy fall because of his contract situation? I remember teams shying away from him because he might not come over.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 19, 2009 1:44 PM PDT up reply actions

I don’t think Bellinelli was a consensus guy over Rudy, is what I’m trying to say.

I like Hollinger… I just don’t know how reliable translating European stats are as of yet.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 19, 2009 1:45 PM PDT up reply actions

yeah I think you are right

The Euro translations aren’t super reliable partly because of the varying degrees of competition.

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 1:46 PM PDT up reply actions

The Hollinger system has a basic flaw

A guy can play great D[a valuable thing]but look bad,a guy can score and stink on D and look good,Im not sure he ever actually watchs BB

by southern oregon on May 19, 2009 2:07 PM PDT up reply actions

Hollinger readily admits that flaw on a regular basis

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:08 PM PDT up reply actions

His stuff is useful

But you have to take it with a grain of salt

by southern oregon on May 19, 2009 2:27 PM PDT up reply actions

FREE JOEL!!!!!!!!! (with purchase of Joel of equal or lesser value)

by Marvin100 on May 19, 2009 6:25 AM PDT up reply actions

Do you mean that there is another one?????? We can actually do a BOGO?????? :)

by LaMarvelous on May 19, 2009 7:48 AM PDT up reply actions

Unicaja v Kalise Gran Canaria 2nd game today Tuesday, May-19, 20:30 local time (11:30 am Portland time).

And I´ll be busy and won´t be here to provide links. Anyhow, it´s almost sure that you´ll find the game at http://es.justin.tv/directory/sports

Boxscore at http://www.acb.com/ Look for “Jornada Virtual” and then on the link to this game.

"They didn't know it was impossible, so they did it"

by amlmart1 on May 19, 2009 2:05 AM PDT reply actions

Whooooo Hooooo!!!! More Freeland!!!!!!!

by LaMarvelous on May 19, 2009 7:48 AM PDT up reply actions

I found a link

link

Joel has 2 points and 3 boards. His team leads 36-29 in the 2nd quarter.

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 1:19 PM PDT up reply actions

KGC 36-Unicaja 31 at halftime

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 1:21 PM PDT up reply actions

Freeland's bucket was on a pretty sweet alley-oop

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 1:22 PM PDT up reply actions

he has really good athleticism.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 19, 2009 1:29 PM PDT up reply actions

and his frame is just begging to put on muscle.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 19, 2009 1:30 PM PDT up reply actions

thanks Cabby

"Whatever...I heard Bayless uses a pillowcase as a wallet." --TiH

by prezofdeath on May 19, 2009 10:54 AM PDT reply actions

2nd half underway

Barcelona and Tau have already advanced to the semis. KGC looks to advance with a win today.

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 1:37 PM PDT reply actions

Unicaja scores the first 5 points of the 2nd half. tie game.

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 1:38 PM PDT reply actions

How is Joel looking so far?

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 19, 2009 1:40 PM PDT reply actions

I didn't see much of him at all

Just saw him grab a board and saw a replay of his alley oop. Yet to enter the game in half #2.

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 1:41 PM PDT up reply actions

If Gran Canaria wins, then I won’t wake up at 3:30 on Sunday… if they lose, then I could see Joel again and potentially in the next round… hmm.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 19, 2009 1:46 PM PDT reply actions

WE WANT JOEL

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 1:49 PM PDT reply actions

he’ll play a good stretch late third to mid fourth.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 19, 2009 1:51 PM PDT up reply actions

Unicaja 1 for 14 on threes

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 1:52 PM PDT reply actions

JOEL!

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 19, 2009 1:52 PM PDT reply actions

yes!

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 1:53 PM PDT up reply actions

just got faked out of his shoes.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 19, 2009 1:53 PM PDT up reply actions

hmm... gambles on D his first possession

puts his team in a tough spot, leading to a foul

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 1:53 PM PDT reply actions

Joel with the D-reb

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 1:56 PM PDT reply actions

Hmmm… has not improved his pick setting. lol he missed the guy.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 19, 2009 1:56 PM PDT reply actions

HEY! Nice tip-in Joel!

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 19, 2009 1:57 PM PDT reply actions

and another D-reb

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 1:59 PM PDT up reply actions

wow, tough call there

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 1:59 PM PDT reply actions

end of the 3rd, Gran Canaria leads 56-53

Freeland has 4 points (2-3 on fgs) and 6 boards in 17 minutes.

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:00 PM PDT reply actions

Joel struggles to get post position, Fisher bails him out with the 3

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:03 PM PDT reply actions

Joel FINALLY gets good contact on a pick and frees the guard up for the three.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 19, 2009 2:03 PM PDT reply actions

Joel with another D-reb, that's 7 boards to lead the team

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:03 PM PDT reply actions

Nice little baseline J.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 19, 2009 2:04 PM PDT reply actions

Joel hits the faceup 10 footer

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:04 PM PDT reply actions

This is enforcing what I think of Joel… he’s just incredibly inconsistent. The flashes of potential are tantalizing, though.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 19, 2009 2:04 PM PDT reply actions

Joel again a bit lazy getting post position

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:05 PM PDT reply actions

he’s easily pushed out of the way. He needs lower-body strength.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 19, 2009 2:05 PM PDT up reply actions

big 3 by Unijaca

KGC still up 3

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:05 PM PDT reply actions

Joel with a good effort but can't tip in a teammate's miss

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:06 PM PDT reply actions

Another nice D-rebound by Joel.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 19, 2009 2:06 PM PDT reply actions

wow, 2 big FT misses for KGC

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:07 PM PDT reply actions

Joel's 9 rebounds lead the team and are tied for the game high with Ndong of Unicaja

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:09 PM PDT reply actions

game getting sloppy

AWFUL possession by KGC there

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:10 PM PDT reply actions

Freeland getting some good run in crucial minutes here

Both teams struggling to score at the moment.

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:13 PM PDT reply actions

Freeland commits a foul defending the post-- they call it on the floor but that's an and-1 in the NBA

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:14 PM PDT reply actions

hmmm, more suspect D by Joel as he allows an easy hook shot in close

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:16 PM PDT reply actions

wow, a 3 goes for Omar Cook of Unicaja-- KGC had ample opportunity to knock that ball away after it hit the rim

Unicaja now leads by 2 late.

Freeland’s played over 24 minutes, above his average.

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:18 PM PDT reply actions

Cook was briefly a Blazer

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:19 PM PDT up reply actions

James Augustine has fouled out, I guess that's why Joel is still in

getting a chance to play crunchtime minutes.

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:21 PM PDT reply actions

I'm not very impressed with KGC's offense in general

They end up having to take some tough, forced 3 pointers.

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:22 PM PDT reply actions

Unicaja goes ahead by 2 with 4 seconds left

Down the stretch, Gran Canaria has looked atrocious on offense, and only Unicaja continuing to miss wide open threes has kept them in it.

However, now KGC needs a miracle. Down 2 with the ball, 4 sec left.

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:25 PM PDT reply actions

Nice post

fun to watch live just now. Not much Joel action at the end.

A fight or something in the crowd – passionate fans eh?

by Knobby on May 19, 2009 2:30 PM PDT reply actions

Gran Canaria misses a 3 at the buzzer and falls by 2.

There will be a deciding 3rd game.

Tough pill to swallow for KGC as they could have won this game if they’d gotten anything going at all offensively in the last 4 minutes or so.

Pretty good all around effort by Joel. He finishes with 6 points and 9 rebounds in 27 minutes. He was pretty much invisible (despite being on the court) in the crucial final few minutes though.

by jksnake99 on May 19, 2009 2:31 PM PDT reply actions

You can't ask him to carry the offense, he is too tentative at the moment

But that wouldn’t be his role on the Blazers. I would like him to start out the season as a 3rd backup behind a veteran on PF and occasionally C if there is a need. If it turns out he doesn’t get enough playing time but looks good in training, they should finally make some use of their D-League team and send him there for a few weeks. We will see, but I could imagine he puts up a very good performance in summer league this year mostly against players who only have college experience.

Judging his ultimate ceiling is difficult. I have heard several things from David Lee (he is taller) to Keon Clark.

by Norsktroll on May 19, 2009 2:39 PM PDT up reply actions