Luke Babbitt: 3 Transferrable NBA Skills...
by Portland Dynasty on Jul 7, 2010 4:07 PM PDT
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PrintWhat a nice surprise it is when you are just drudging through the lame Free Agency news right now (Primarily lame because we don't have our beloved GM Kevin Pritchard wheeling and dealing on Portlands behalf and maintaining that TRUST that Blazer Nation has had in the franchise for the past 5 years.)... to find some great press on Luke Babbitt.
I am not sure how all of you have felt regarding the move to get Luke Babbitt, but if you have not read the article on Real GM Draft Report: Luke Babbitt Of Nevada ... then you are missing out.
This article praises the 6'9" Forwards game and how his skills will translate into success in the NBA. Not just A skill either, they highlight a handful of skills that should make Luke Babbitt one of the best draft choices out of his class. What skills should we look for to translate well on the grand stage of the NBA?
1.) Shooting: Mid-range and Perimeter
2.) Ability to put the ball on the floor. 6'9" with ability to shake defenders with his handle.
3.) Defend and play multiple positions.
How high are you on the prospect of this SF Luke Babbitt to be an improvement in Portlands rotation?
What do you expect out of Luke Babbitt this season?
If you have found any other articles about Luke Babbitt worth sharing, please post them here and lets discuss where this guy will fit into Portlands line-up...
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well from what I have read (havn't seen much)
the big issue is if he can defend NBA SF’s or not.
Right
3.) Defend and play multiple positions.
Translation: you can put him out there on the court and he’ll be schooled by NBA guards and forwards
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
No one said anything about guards
Thought you could scout prospects better than that….
"Money aint got no owners, only spenders"
- Omar Little on 2010 NBA Free Agency
by MadBlaze on Jul 7, 2010 10:30 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
in Nate's system, he's sure to defend guards on switches
unless they hide Luke in a zone, which would be wise
“transferable skills” makes me think of trades
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Calling system when you quote 'defend and play multiple positions' is weak
Fact is that most 3/4 prospects get killed by NBA guards – can you name any that don’t. Luc Richard is one but they are few and far between. Luke Babbit is big and athletic enough to guard stretch fours and backup 3’s, which is all he should be asked to do. Of course he would get killed by bigger fours and athletic/star 3’s, but we already knew that would be the case.
And no ‘future multiple all-star’ Nic Batum doesn’t count as a 3/4, as he is pure 3 all the way (just in case you were gonna play your usual calling card).
"Money aint got no owners, only spenders"
- Omar Little on 2010 NBA Free Agency
LMA did pretty well on Nash on switches
And Gerald Wallace does well, though he typically ends up guarding larger players rather than smaller ones.
dante cunningham
"When jumpers are outlawed only Outlaw will take jumpers"-LoadedOrygun
by DominicanAvenger on Jul 8, 2010 9:10 AM PDT up reply actions
Luke Babbitt is a pure 3...
According to the article I was referencing, Babbitt is a pure 3 who has the size and range to make him a stretch 4 in the NBA. Apparently, Babbitt does have the quicks, length and speed of an NBA Small Forward. Sometimes I feel that white guys get pegged as too slow to be NBA 3’s…
by Portland Dynasty on Jul 8, 2010 1:17 PM PDT up reply actions
IF this was KP's gift to us....
than I hope he gave us a receipt. We drafted two. TWO guys from the WAC this year. Can anyone name one good player who came out of the WAC. Just “good” not “great”. I still can’t think of anyone besides Keith Van Horn. Wow.
slimkim
Anyone smell Babbitt?
Oh never mind it was Andrew the ‘Stache Morrison calling. He want’s his pre draft hype back.
slimkim
by slimkim on Jul 7, 2010 10:59 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Babbit...
In Nate’s system rookies have to produce at a pretty high level to earn minutes.
Babbitt will have to improve his defense and show that he’s a consistent scorer to earn minutes. Batum will be Nate’s guy this season since he’s going into his third year so I seriously doubt we will see Babbit for more then 10-15 minutes a game, but if we trade forwards for a super star guard (al Paul, or Parker) then we will probably see a bit more of Babbitt.
Since we traded Martel for offense, I would expect to see at least 8-9ppg from Babbitt (Martel was 9.4, but Babbit will have less minutes). Anything less I think would be a let down.
Ten to fifteen
sounds great for him. Dante doesn’t even get that so I’m not so sure.
by Jeffe Portland on Jul 7, 2010 9:56 PM PDT up reply actions
true...
However Dante played behind Lamarcus and Juwan so his minutes were a bit more limited because of that. Yeah 15 is maybe a bit high, but I think they invested so heavily in him that he will at least get 10 to start. Maybe like 7-8 at SF and 3-4 at PF.
On that note I think a second back-court of Marcus/JP, Dante, and Luke will be very dynamic and fun to watch! Looking forward to that.
Im excited he reminds me of
Chris Mullin, Keith Van Horn, Mike Miller, Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, Josh McRoberts, Tom Chambers, Dan Majerle, Rex Chapman, Christian Laettner, Luke Walton, Craig Ehlo, Austin Croshere, Larry Bird and Tom Gugliotta.
……….don’t know why but he just does.
Bayless and Roy= Fire and Ice (TM)
Spread the word
wow, spyder nearly proves my point for me....
Of his list the ONLY superstar player is Bird, Guggs was good for a few years, Tom chambers, well he was awfully good for a long time, but the reast really only had a good year or two.
Criag Ehlo was a solid Guard but still overall, no studs.
by blazerbeliever97504 on Jul 7, 2010 4:24 PM PDT up reply actions
don't insult Larry Legend
by putting his name in the list with the rest of those guys
Bird could do it all, especially rebound 10pg and was as clutch as clutch can be
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
by two4larue on Jul 7, 2010 4:32 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
actually Mullin was great
he was on the dream team also, Van Horn was a solid with a high of 21.8ppg for a season, and I see him as the closest comparison.
We have a superstar already and 2 other possible ones in LMa amd Oden, a lot of those guys are a solid 15ppg with great shooting and i think Babbitt can do that in his prime.
Bayless and Roy= Fire and Ice (TM)
Spread the word
I haven't seen Babbitt play very much
but my first thought was that he played a lot like a taller version of Adrian Dantley.
http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/adrian-dantley
Am I wrong?
yes
Dantley was a force inside, even at 6’5. He shot 41 treys for his career
Luke is more like a taller version of Chris Mullin
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I only saw Dantley at the end of his career.
I just remember his head fakes, jab steps and oddly smooth moves to give him a good look. True he didn’t shoot 3’s, but I remember thinking that all his mid-range jumpers were going to go in. Maybe that is just my youthful memories.
By the way, if Luke is a taller version of Chris Mullin, I’ll take it.
One thing's for sure
Luke’s better looking than Chris
we used to call Mullin the “dog-faced wonder”
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I always thought that about Dantley as well
everything he shot seemed to go in. Seemed like not only were his moves good, but he always took good shots. Babbitt seems to launch a little more.
Ryan Gomes: forever a Blazer in our hearts.
Pound for pound, Dantley was about the stringest guy in the NBA.
Kinda like Artest, but with more skill. Offensively, at least.
#52
same
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
Am I the only one that finds it interesting
that of all the players you listed, none are black? Babbit is 6’9" and athletic, and can shoot. Surely there must be at least a few players in this league who we can compare Babbit to who are not white.
I don’t mean to call you out SpyderRyder, as I see this alot, especially in the national media on draft day. But color shouldn’t be the first factor when we look to compare players of today, with players of yesterday.
Ben II Blazersedge.com || New to Blazers' Edge?
Does anyone else ever wonder if there is something genetic?
I’m not saying there is, but KP2’s stats said that Babbitt is most similar to Troy Murphy, a white guy. Numbers are color blind. I know there were at least a few interracial comparisons in KP2’s system, but what if caucasian players do tend to be more similar to each other?
I’m not trying to justify racially biased comparisons, I just often have doubts that so many smart, unbiased people would tend to make what seem to biased comparisons based on some sort of latent racism.
you may have a point
although I don’t believe there are any “unbiased” people, we are all biased based on our experiences in life. I think most people who watch the NBA still believe their “eyes” more than their “brains” when it comes to evaluating players. And watching a young white kid fill it up, they think back to other guys who looked like him, including the color of his skin, just naturally. I am not saying that everyone who projects Babbit to be Troy Murphy is a racist, so please let me be clear. What I am saying is that it is interesting that this happens A LOT in the NBA, and that seems wrong to me as the law of averages would suggest that at least a few of these guys coming out of college who are white, would have games that compare to black playres of the past.
Babbit is 6’9", can jump, and can shot. Could he be like Glen Rice? Why not Ray Allen? Or Cliff Robinson? The point I am trying to make is that there are a lot of players in the history of the NBA who were good shooters, and were black. So why is it that almost every good shooter coming out of college who is white, is compared to Bird and other white “shooters”?
Ben II Blazersedge.com || New to Blazers' Edge?
Murphy is a 4/5 low-post player..... Babbitt is a swingman....
Babbitt is much more Carmelo Anthony than Troy Murphy…. game wise. Numbers do lie. If we were looking at “shot clusters” where these players were scoring their points from, the stats should look much different. Troy Murphy is a banger-type post while Babbitt is a tall wing with handles and range.
by Portland Dynasty on Jul 8, 2010 4:53 PM PDT up reply actions
Quit overhyping a second rate college
players who come out of second rate colleges rarely make a splash in the NBA. This guy was never heard of by 99% of you all until he was drafted. C’mon. Are we that desperate for something to be excited about?
Only excitement
is that we cleared up cap room by moving Martell Webster and waiving Ryan Gomes. The Vulcans saved $3.4 mil in the long run.
plus
I am glad we are done waiting on Martell to get better. Every year we were just waiting, cause “THIS is the year Marty will put it together!!!” Only to have yet another year of 24pt quarters followed by 2 pt Qs the next year.
Bayless and Roy= Fire and Ice (TM)
Spread the word
Same should apply to O DONE
I mean Greg Oden. Each year all you Oden fanatics say the same crap. You are all living on a prayer. 3 years passed and Sam Bowie had better results in that same time, and he was a BUST.
Hrm. Disagree on both points.
Bowie, after three years did not have better results, just a few more games under his belt. Years 2-4 were the worst of Bowie’s injury years. Also, Bowie was not a bust – you just can’t say he was a bust because he wasn’t MJ. He had a decent, but not spectacular NBA career and he helped his teams when he was on the court.
And, last. We just need to stop thinking a player is a bust because he’s had some injuries. Plenty of players have good and even great seasons after really nasty injuries. Amare Stoudemire comes to mind. The jury is still way out on Oden. He’s young and we have lots of time still to figure out how he’s going to turn out. At least until the end of his NEXT contract.
But, I would like to say that although I couldn’t disagree with you any more, I do like the Bon Jovi reference in your comment.
Also noticeable are guys like Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Who overcame injuries to have a long, solid career.
Now I think GO will do better than that, since he’s not injuring the same thing over and over again, like with Z’s feet, but that’s the least of what he can do with modern medicine and rehab.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
right on, injuries do not = bust
a bust is someone who people overvalue and just can’t meet the expectations, or they do not put the work in needed to get to the next level. Injuries are out of the players control and hanging them with the bust tag is just bad form.
On the Marty thin, dude is still only 23 years old. Lord people lack patience. Maybe the Blazers should never of picked him in the first place…and a lot of his inconsistency comes from not getting routine minutes EVER. He only did what was asked of him in terms of effort on the court. He worked hard every minute out there, if Nate gave him time one night the next he played half the minutes. I always felt sorry for him on the floor.
"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man
Are we that desperate for something to be excited about?
Of course. I’m very excited that Luke and Patty Mills may be included in a trade this summer
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Trading sounds good to me
We have Euro players on the backburner, wasting away as wasted draft picks, this roster of draft picks that we can’t all use, unless sending to the D League. And we have to apply their income to our Cap?
Let’s trade all the garbage away. Sometimes a pack rat needs to unload!
Jeckyl... the way you talk about the Blazers, you shouldn't use the word "we" when you talk about "US"
Bottom line, if you hate on Greg Oden… go be a fan of some other team.
by Portland Dynasty on Jul 8, 2010 4:58 PM PDT up reply actions
actually
currently
Danny Grainger – New Mexico
Stephen Curry – Davidson
Steve Nash – Santa Clara
Kevin Martin – Western Carolina
Rodney Stuckey – Eastern Washington
Ben Wallace – Virginia Union
all time
Larry Bird – Indiana Stata
Terry Porter – University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point
Scottie Pippen – Central Arkansas
Elgin Baylor – Seattle University
Bob Cousy – Holy Cross
So what were you saying?
Bayless and Roy= Fire and Ice (TM)
Spread the word
by SpyderRyder on Jul 7, 2010 4:53 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
forgot some more
Mo Cheeks – West Texas A&M
Dennis rodman – SE Oklahoma St
World B. Free – Guilford
Jack Sikma – Illionois Wesleyan
Bill Russell -San Francisco
Walt Frazier – Southern Illinois
David Robinson – Navy
Willis Reed – Grambling
Bob Lanier – St Bonaventure
Nate Archibald – Texas El Paso
Bayless and Roy= Fire and Ice (TM)
Spread the word
by SpyderRyder on Jul 7, 2010 5:03 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
John Stockton - Gonzaga
Before anyone had ever heard of the place.
Yeah, I’m on a Jazz binge. Me and Bird, I mean Charlie Parker, the original Bird.
Speaking of Bird, I think Larry Bird also attended Indiana, under Bobby Knight, but transferred because he didn’t like go for no big city living, too man fruits & nuts. Consequentially, I’m disqualifying him, as he was a big time recruit.
by damonrayhymer on Jul 7, 2010 9:49 PM PDT up reply actions
Terry Porter, much?
SW Louisiana Tech of the Martyr College or something like that.
In KP I trusted!
Interestingly,
I remember reading that Russell was only accepted to USF as a favor to someone who knew him as a young man, someone who thought he might have some potential, perhaps more so as a man, than as an athlete. I don’t believe he was a prospect.
Also, when Robinson was accepted to the Naval Academy (no small task), I believe he was “only” 6’ 7", so he also became something no one else could have imagined.
Great men. Great centers.
by damonrayhymer on Jul 7, 2010 10:17 PM PDT up reply actions
yeah
but Houston has some pedigree as a semi top flight school as does Gonzaga, at least nowadays.
Maybe it is because we live in the west close to Gonzaga, but Malone and Milsap are both from LA Tech and that is borderline as well for me.
Bayless and Roy= Fire and Ice (TM)
Spread the word
Batum will be the starter
Luke Babbitt might help by scoring off the bench. Few rookies are ever expected to be defensive stoppers. If he can hit a 3 here and there and plays hard he may really contribute.
ignacio
I picked Bummed cause he cost us Webster
but I do think he has the potential to be a great asset. It is nothing against Luke, I just loved Martel as a Blazer.
"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man
agreed
I never wanted to give up on Martel. Partly because we essentially traded CP3 for him and partly because he seemed like a good guy and he obviously was a gifted athlete. I wish Marty all the best and I’m excited to see him start for the Wolves.
I'm intrigued by him quite a bit. Excited is not the word, as I know how the Sarge is going to just crush his confidence at first.
"What people need to know is that those pictures were taken a year and a half ago, and I've grown since then." - Greg Oden
Dante Cunningham is going to work Babbitt over
not that Dante has any post moves, I’m talking about beating Luke up for rebounds and hounding him in fall camp.
Babbitt said he hates to lose, that was good to hear
Those backup SF minutes are going to be hotly contested, unless the Blazers do the smart thing and use the MLE on a veteran 2-3
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Babbitt is intriguing
I am skeptical of white wings who often seem to get overrated for various reasons, for they often don’t have the athleticism to play the most athletic position in the league AND don’t have the elite skills to compensate.
However, I am optimistic that Babbitt could be a good player in this league. His athleticism tested very well at the pre-draft camp (not just “good enough”, but actually GOOD), he’s got a nice near-7-foot wingspan, good height, etc. 37 inch vertical, lateral quickness; there was a lot to like with how he looked and measured.
He’s also a dynamite shooter who put up terrific offensive numbers. And the way he scores is not the same as Ammo, so let’s drop that comparison. It is a lazy comparison (which I see a lot of these dayz).
Luke Babbitt is The White Tom Chambers.
Mortimer
#52
I'm starting to get confused. Didn't Babbitt cut his hair?
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 7, 2010 11:22 PM PDT up reply actions
I agree with everything you just posted about babbit.
Best case scenerio, he develops a bit better post game and becomes a Rashard Lewis type, minus the gigantic contract.
I see Babbit as a Lamar Odom kind of guy
He’s that tweener kind of size but if he’s quick enough and can put the ball on the floor he can create some serious mismatches. Hopefully he’s not as boneheaded as Odom though….
"Rudy is not everyday a shooter," Fernandez said. "He's defense. He's passes. He's assists."
Odom has some point forward skills that Babbitt probably lacks
but could develop, as well. But a good comparison.
I would love it if Babbitt ever collects 20+ rebounds in a game
like LO did against the Blazers earlier this year
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Swap for salaries
We needed a backup at the 3, and Babbit seems to fit that role. Batum is the starter, after all, and Babbit costs a lot less than Martel, who we’d re-signed before we knew Batum would take the starters position. So, we picked up a shooter to replace a shooter, and cut the salary which give’s us some flexibility to add another player. Martel had his shot, and, regardless of age, he had enough time to own a position – or not. Martel never owned it. I wish him well. The bottom line is you can’t invest close $ 4 million to $5 million per player for your second team ($20 million to $25 million) – and pay and keep your starters. After all, the new rules are $58 million. So, Martel was a luxury.
The bottom line is
it seems we are willing to pay $7 million for a player on our second team… Not that I dislike Matthews, I like him actually, I just think it’s a shame we let go Martell that easily.
Had we traded Babbitt for Rudy, I would have had nothing against the move.
Not very excited
Haven’t seen him play much, but what I saw looked like a taller Adam Morrison with a bit better hops. He maybe could play the Travis Outlaw role off the bench, but that’s probably a few years off. Right now we’ve got Batum at the 3, Roy at the 2/3, Cunningham at the 3/4, LA at the 4 and both Pendy and Camby at the 4/5. Babbitt ends up playing <10mpg this season, even if someone gets hurt.
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