Draft Express: Rodriguez Flying up Draft Boards

JSM · by **JSM** on Fri Jun 02, 2006 10:28 pm

Draft Express: One prospect that is quickly making up for lost time and is working out extremely well everywhere he’s been is Spanish point guard Sergio Rodríguez. One person who watched him at one of his recent workouts had the following to say about him: “He was great. Just so loose the entire way through. His ball-handling skills are simply unreal. His change of speeds and creativity with the ball in his hands is outstanding. Off the court he’s obviously a kid, but on the court he’s a true leader. These workouts seem like nothing to him, we’re talking about a guy that has been a pro for a long time and under the spotlight his entire career. He shot it extremely well, 70-75% from NBA 3. Just phenomenal from the corners and the wing corner. Pulling up off the dribble was easy for him. The GM that was watching him [name withheld] could not stop commenting on how surprised he was by him. You’d think a guy like that would have trouble showing his stuff in a non-five on five setting, but that wasn’t the case at all. These workouts don’t do justice to how good he really is, but even here he was great. His attitude is awesome, smiling and having fun the entire way. The only negative was his defense, which obviously needs work.”

Rodriguez has already worked out for the Suns, Bulls, Celtics and Lakers, and will be in Memphis tomorrow and then Sacramento on Monday. He reportedly shot 19/20 from NBA 3-point range in one recent workout. One NBA team source we spoke with says he does not see him getting past the Suns, which is something we heard about a dozen prospects last year as well when they only had one first round pick.

KB24 · by **KB24** on Sat Jun 03, 2006 1:36 am

If he could only play defense....

his handles are known to be great even before those workouts...

and his shot ain´t THAT good. Very shaky off the dribble.

bobyahead · by **bobyahead** on Sat Jun 03, 2006 3:51 am

seen some of his clips of the playoffs where he plays. the guy is a great passer. maybe the best in the league if he gets drafted. a very talented player

Xepa · by **Xepa** on Sat Jun 03, 2006 2:41 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBa0dqhRdas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9vmcTN4Lc4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qPvj3mmj-U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qKGWhHADlE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3_34K0JanA

:bow:

Blkhorse · by **Blkhorse** on Sun Jun 04, 2006 12:53 pm

i wouldnt mind taking a chance on this guy. true, he might not be a tri PG, but think about it. im pretty sure phil would be able to use this to his advantage. he can confuse the opposing D by either using the tri or by running the up-tempo game.

lilkhmerkid4u · by **lilkhmerkid4u** on Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:02 pm

He looks like a mix of nash/jkidd

halekulani · by **halekulani** on Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:06 pm

definitely not a tri-point
won't find time in phil's system
too small. he'll shake nbdl players but he's not up to the level of small players like devin harris yet.

bobyahead · by **bobyahead** on Sun Jun 04, 2006 4:00 pm

why isn't he a tri pg? phil said he is willing to mix it up. this is the perfect pg for the lakers. pass first. kobe will like that. odom will like that. everyone would like that.

that lets odom finds his spots faster. allows kobe to run without the ball.

a great pg. a lot of his break downs aren't on fast breaks either. the thing about sergio is that he is as good as a half court player as he is a full court one.

a great full court player? nash
a great half court player? (soon to be) cris paul, hinrich.

i bet you guys wouldn't mind having either three right?

sergio is definitely a lottery in my mind. the lakers will be lucky to grab him. any team would be lucky to grab him out of the 5th pick. is going to be the best player in the draft. hands down. don't talk about his shot... its not horrible but its not great. but look at jkidd. the guy improved his shot big time!

Blkhorse · by **Blkhorse** on Sun Jun 04, 2006 4:21 pm

Im not saying expect him to contribute right away, i just believe that he'll be a good fit with the lakers. give him a good PF, have kobe on the wing, and this will help lamar out alot because it'll be like his days in miami while still posting up 17/9/6.

GCMD · by **GCMD** on Sun Jun 04, 2006 4:33 pm

KB8@CL wrote:If he could only play defense....

his handles are known to be great even before those workouts...

and his shot ain´t THAT good. Very shaky off the dribble.

Shot is the easiest thing to work on...

He's a good PG...one of those would do us some good...

Sky · by **Sky** on Sun Jun 04, 2006 5:12 pm

A matador 1 would not.

Mr. Sampton · by **Mr. Sampton** on Sun Jun 04, 2006 6:00 pm

Those clips of his game were OUTSTANDING. Somebody made an NBDL comment. PLEASE!!!! This guy is shaking the best defenders in the NBA. No doubt! The players he was playing with on those clips did not look athletic either. Imagine him for 5 seconds with Kobe. Positives outweigh the negatives. I still would take Douby, Brown, Foye and of course Roy ahead of this guy (if we have a chance at those guys/ and only because of defense) but this guy deserves serious consideration.

And to all those people out there saying this draft is weak. This guy is an example of how good this draft is/could be and he is being looked upon as a borderline first round draft pick. He is proof the lakers can get a contributor at 26.

eNlight · by **eNlight** on Sun Jun 04, 2006 9:57 pm

damn nice clip and he's got some serious handles, but i doubt phil would love those kind of moves.

umm guys, we can't use this guy, kwame's got stoned hands . but he for sure would make lamar's and kobe's job much more easier.

Blkhorse · by **Blkhorse** on Sun Jun 04, 2006 10:49 pm

eNlight wrote:damn nice clip and he's got some serious handles, but i doubt phil would love those kind of moves.

umm guys, we can't use this guy, kwame's got stoned hands . but he for sure would make lamar's and kobe's job much more easier.

Who said anythin about kwame??? this is where we would use bynum!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :man1:

KB24 · by **KB24** on Sun Jun 04, 2006 10:55 pm

GameCockMD wrote:
KB8@CL wrote:If he could only play defense....

his handles are known to be great even before those workouts...

and his shot ain´t THAT good. Very shaky off the dribble.

Shot is the easiest thing to work on...

He's a good PG...one of those would do us some good...

PG is the most important position in the game IMO. We haven´t had a good one since Nick Van Exel left. We desperately need one but if you want to win it all you need 2 way players. We cannot always play 1 way players. We need defense at point at any cost and Sergio seriously lacks that aspect in his game. I would accept an ugly J but defense is a must. The same way people like Banks. Banks doesn´t have a good J either but D is the most important thing. You have to limit the other teams floor general and you do that with D at one and thats something we haven´t had a while.

RHCP · by **RHCP** on Sun Jun 04, 2006 11:18 pm

Got him with the 49th pick in the Purple leage draft. :mhihi:

sister golden hair · by **sister golden hair** on Mon Jun 05, 2006 1:16 am

Wow.

Very intuitive player. Seems to have that sixth sense concerning angles and timing (when) to make the pass. May be the best look-away passer I've seen in many a moon. He does travel a lot (so he should fit right in with the NBA). Good form on his jumper (from what I've read he actually is better shooting off the dribble than stand-still). One odd thing: he seemed to finish 99% of the time with his right. Given his handles, I would think he could also finish with his left. Could be a quirk of the clips or maybe that his preference.

My God, what a handle.

Obviously, we can't tell much about his defense. He seems to have the Steve Blake body -- slight, about 6'3". He will get posted, until he gets stronger. he will get picked unless/until he develops sound technique.

I don't know, folks. Players this intuitive come around only once every so often.

If he's there at 26 (in a bad draft, even), and assuming Rajon is gone, I take a flyer on him. He could create so much penetration giving an added dimension to the Tri.

He's worth the risk. If he's there, take him. Sign Banks with MLE, and have a nice two-headed monster. This kid does things that Smush and Sasha can't even dream of.

Also, imagine a charismatic (seems like a giid leader) spanish-speaking PG in LA.

I'd love to see more footage of him if anyone else has it.

SGH

Frank The Tank · by **Frank The Tank** on Mon Jun 05, 2006 3:53 am

I dont know how his defense is but dayum he has skills on the offensive end no doubt.

dagreatkobe · by **dagreatkobe** on Mon Jun 05, 2006 6:22 am

not impressed.... looks like a taller version of sebastian telfair. i like telfair and all... but not in my triangle offense. GP was once way better than what we're looking at here. he was averaging 20 and 8 just before he came to la. then he fell apart in the triangle. we dont need offense. we need defense.

GCMD · by **GCMD** on Mon Jun 05, 2006 4:51 pm

Sky wrote:A matador 1 would not.

Banks is as 1 dimensional as you make Sergio out to be...

Suspect J...
Poor decision making...
Turnover prone...
Low IQ...

I guess those are all great attributes for a starting PG... :man3:

Marcus Banks is Tierre Brown with defense...period...

Your hate for D-Fish has clouded your basketball analysis...PG is as POINT GUARD does...

Only thing that says PG about Banks is his height...

Sky · by **Sky** on Mon Jun 05, 2006 5:29 pm

So. Banks is the one dimension WE MUST HAVE. Without any shotblocking, with a team too slow in read rotation, if we do not have defense at 1 that's it, we lose, we're done.

Just as people claim Banks' defense is being overrated the same people are underrating his offense. Suspect J, he can't his the water from a rowboat! 48% from the floor. He can't shoot from 3! Same percentage as Smush 35%. And he shot 54% from 3 in April. He's turnover prone low ATO ratio! ATO of 2.35 with Minnesota. Not great but not horrible, around 20th among starting points. In this offense with Jackson discouraging dribble penetration and a running game the to's drop significantly.

Sergio has fantastic handles, great vision, superb passer, intuitive feel for the game. Great. If Jackson ran a system that took advantage of all that and let them run those skills would certainly come in handy. He doesn't. So those skills are caged and wasted.

I would LOVE to have a point like Sergio. IF we ran Showtime. IF we had a doberman backing him up. We have neither. And won't as long as Jackson is coach and Kupchak is GM. Smush and Sasha stay and they add one point guard. If that point is a matador, say with the initials Sergio Rodriguez, the season is over before it's begun.

My screening process at 1 this summer.

1. Is he a solid defender with the speed and power to go over screens and recover? If not see question 2.

2. See question 1.

Pass or fail on the only question that matters. Sergio fails. Utterly.

Getting Sergio can only be justified if they add defense at 1 behind him. But the entire point of dealing up to draft a 1 would be to free the MLE for other positions. They draft Sergio and you're dancing in the streets. Until you notice that every point on this roster can't defend a rock garden. First round and here's your lovely parting gifts.

They're adding one point guard. He must defend. It's not optional Game.

sister golden hair · by **sister golden hair** on Mon Jun 05, 2006 5:32 pm

Sky wrote:So. Banks is the one dimension WE MUST HAVE. Without any shotblocking, with a team too slow in read rotation, if we do not have defense at 1 that's it, we lose, we're done.

Just as people claim Banks' defense is being overrated the same people are underrating his offense. Suspect J, he can't his the water from a rowboat! 48% from the floor. He can't shoot from 3! Same percentage as Smush 35%. And he shot 54% from 3 in April. He's turnover prone low ATO ratio! ATO of 2.35 with Minnesota. Not great but not horrible, around 20th among starting points. In this offense with Jackson discouraging dribble penetration and a running game the to's drop significantly.

Sergio has fantastic handles, great vision, superb passer, intuitive feel for the game. Great. And if Jackson ran a system that took advantage of all that and let them run those skills would certainly come in handy. He doesn't. So those skills are caged and wasted.

I would LOVE to have a point like Sergio. IF we ran Showtime. IF we had a doberman backing him up. We have neither. And won't as long as Jackson is coach and Kupchak is GM. Smush and Sasha stay and they add one point guard. If that point is a matador, say with the initials Sergio Rodriguez, the season is over before it's begun.

My screening process at 1 this summer.

1. Is he a solid defender with the speed and power to go over screens and recover? If not see question 2.

2. See question 1.

Pass or fail on the only question that matters. Sergio fails. Utterly.

Gettng Sergio can only be justified if they add defense at 1 behind him. But the entire point of dealing up to draft a 1 would be to free the MLE for other positions. They draft Sergio and you're dancing in the streets. Until you notice that every point on this roster can't defend a rock garden. First round and here's your lovely parting gifts.

They're adding one point guard. He must defend. It's not optional Game.

Everything you say may be true. But I sincerely hope Buss, Sr. and Buss, Jr. see what this kid is made of because I really feel that he is a special talent. Absolutely gifted.

I would take a flyer on him, absolutely.

SGH

Sky · by **Sky** on Mon Jun 05, 2006 5:38 pm

ONLY if they also use the MLE on Banks. Otherwise no way. It's just another first round exit.

GCMD · by **GCMD** on Mon Jun 05, 2006 5:38 pm

Sky wrote:So. Banks is the one dimension WE MUST HAVE. Without any shotblocking, with a team too slow in read rotation, if we do not have defense at 1 that's it, we lose, we're done.

Just as people claim Banks' defense is being overrated the same people are underrating his offense. Suspect J, he can't his the water from a rowboat! 48% from the floor. He can't shoot from 3! Same percentage as Smush 35%. And he shot 54% from 3 in April. He's turnover prone low ATO ratio! ATO of 2.35 with Minnesota. Not great but not horrible, around 20th among starting points. In this offense with Jackson discouraging dribble penetration and a running game the to's drop significantly.

Sergio has fantastic handles, great vision, superb passer, intuitive feel for the game. Great. And if Jackson ran a system that took advantage of all that and let them run those skills would certainly come in handy. He doesn't. So those skills are caged and wasted.

I would LOVE to have a point like Sergio. IF we ran Showtime. IF we had a doberman backing him up. We have neither. And won't as long as Jackson is coach and Kupchak is GM. Smush and Sasha stay and they add one point guard. If that point is a matador, say with the initials Sergio Rodriguez, the season is over before it's begun.

My screening process at 1 this summer.

1. Is he a solid defender with the speed and power to go over screens and recover? If not see question 2.

2. See question 1.

Pass or fail on the only question that matters. Sergio fails. Utterly.

Gettng Sergio can only be justified if they add defense at 1 behind him. But the entire point of dealing up to draft a 1 would be to free the MLE for other positions. They draft Sergio and you're dancing in the streets. Until you notice that every point on this roster can't defend a rock garden. First round and here's your lovely parting gifts.

They're adding one point guard. He must defend. It's not optional Game.

My reply:

New Rules = No PG stoppers...

Not happening...no way...nothing to see here.

You want to help PG defense? Add a shotblocker with the MLE...

If not, same result with those lovely parting gifts you were talking about...

GCMD · by **GCMD** on Mon Jun 05, 2006 5:41 pm

sister golden hair wrote:...I sincerely hope Buss, Sr. and Buss, Jr. see what this kid is made of because I really feel that he is a special talent. Absolutely gifted.

I would take a flyer on him, absolutely.

SGH

They won't unless he falls to late 1st rnd by some chance...then, he's the obvious choice...

We need a shotblocker, BAD...
We need a guy who can lead on the perimeter and breakdown the defense when needed...

Sergio would make the players on this team better...that's something that Banks will never do...

Draft Express: Rodriguez Flying up Draft Boards

Draft Express: Rodriguez Flying up Draft Boards

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