I think he will be traded to after July 1st. I hope they are talking to Houston for Battier, hell throw in Mcgrady if you want to as long as we get Battier.
Wow, Austin really is thin! Nearly a foot taller than me, and he only weighs about 15 pounds more. Living in Washington, I have seen about a dozen Gonzaga games over the last two seasons. Austin Daye is a very skilled player. Is he too skinny for the NBA? Maybe. I watched Kevin Durant play the last season for the Sonics, and he looked pretty frail also. Seriously, KD made Tayshaun look like a burly man. I have no idea if Austin will work out for the Pistons, but I am willing to wait and see.
Maybe now, but certainly not his first few months in the NBA. Skinny, skinny, skinny, with very poor shot selection. He got better very fast though. No argument about the aggressive. Although, I think there would have been some serious complaining about that aggressiveness early on. Hopefully, Daye will continue his good shooting and put some weight on quick.
Check out this statistical analysis that proves Daye > Clark. HOOPSANALYST If I was this bad a few weeks ago as a pessimist, then I apologize. Holy crap. It's like you guys think Joe could have gotten a future HoF'er at 15. ANYONE can put weight on. ANYONE. And if he gets slower, then so what? He plays PF then. He's long as heck, and that makes up for some of that lack of athleticism.
I will take skill level over body type any time. It is easier to put on some weight than learn to shoot.
For all the knocks people are sending at him, I haven't heard anyone say who Joe should have picked. If the current report on him was better than it is we never would have been able to draft him. If Joe was serious about rebuilding through the draft, he would have traded up to get a top 5 pick. You can't tell me a package of Tay and somebody wouldn't have been better than Miller/Foye for the Wiz. Joe wants to rebuild via FA and if he can find a hidden gem at 15 thats a bonus. Seems to me Daye is one of those guys that reporters like to easily dismiss because of his height/weight. If they aren't built like LeBron and can't sprint whatever in however many seconds they are automatically a bust. The unique guys that don't fit the mold are brushed aside and classed 'projects'. I like that everyone is underestimating him. I'm prepared to give this kid a chance. I'm under no illusions that he will become a starter in the next 2 years. That's what Joe is saving all this cap space for. You don't always need 5 guys on the floor who play excellent defense either when people say he is too slow to guard 3's and too weak to guard 4's. Usually the other team doesn't have 5 guys who play excellent offense either. In a now offensive league, those who are looking for Joe to rebuild the 04 Pistons will be disappointed for a long time to come. Personally, I think he could play the 3. If he shoots as well as they say I wouldn't mind having a Peja-lite guy out there who can spread the floor and create mismatches for US for a change.
Hey Webz. I hear you man. I think Joe's reasoning behind drafting Daye is sound. He's a taller version of Prince who also it also seems is a natural shooter, both spot up and off the dribble. Ultimately, I think Joe feels Daye has a higher ceiling than Prince. Not bad grounds for drafting him. My comments regarding him being a tweener and being too slow and not strong enough to guard a position were qualified by "at the moment", and in response to your suggestion that he could play the 2. There's no reason why Daye cannot get both stronger and quicker. Most rookies need to improve in one of those areas, if not both anyway, so you are correct, its not a knock on him that should be taken too seriously. And besides, I recall Prince absolutely killing Artest in the 04 ECFs with his length on the defensive end. That kind of length can compensate for modest levels of lateral quickness (to a point). I do however stand by the fact that a player should evolve into one that can be good at guarding a particular position, lest he get abused by mismatches. No coach will leave Daye on the floor until he can hold his own on D against at least one position. And your argument about people whining and not stating what they would have done? Spot on. A card I play myself when combating the negativity. I feel the Israeli version of Matt Harpring/Nocioni would have been able to come and contribute sooner (he roughed up Daye in a pre-draft workout in a big way apparently). However, we scored the Swedish kid with a much later pick, and he is a player in that mold too. Daye's shooting touch and length does make it seem he has the greater potential in the long run. With the 15th pick, I'm glad Joe swung for the fences for a potential starter down the road , rather than usual result of acquiring a player who's ceilng is 8th/9th guy in the rotation.
James Johnson... he'll take Twiggy's lunch money then come back for seconds. We can't all follow the company line.
Thanks for manning up and picking your alternative. Props for being the first and only one. I wouldn't expect less from you mercury.
You're right. Shawn Kemp or Tractor Traylor would make a good assistant to Arnie right now. Frozen bananas with whipped cream and chocolate sauce would also do the trick. I'm reminded of the Simpsons episode where Homer tries to gain weight to earn a disability. 'You can brush your teeth with milkshakes!'
