The Apocalypse is Here!
No, I'm not going overboard because the Celtics lost their second game (in a kind of fluky manner with Ray Allen missing two free throws). I'm talking about this quote from Chad Ford regarding the new International Draft Hype Hero John Riek:
"NBA scouts have him in the top 10, and some have him in the top five.
"He's huge, he's athletic, he has a great motor and the kid goes after everything," one NBA scout said. "He runs the floor and attacks. His defense, rebounding and shot-blocking are already great. His offense needs work, but it's more advanced than most kids his size and his age."
We'll see. A little perspective is needed here. The history of mysterious international big men is hit and miss (mostly miss). Remember Pavel Podkolzine? Ha Seung Jin? Mohammed Sene? All showed enormous potential, but none has made his mark on the NBA yet. Last season everyone was abuzz about UConn prospect Hasheem Thabeet, and he's been a bust."
WHAT?! Chad Ford preaching PATIENCE about an international prospect? The man who touted Pavel Podkolzine and Maciej Lampe as the next superstars and predicted that the battle for #1 pick in the 2004 Draft was going to be between Martynas Andriuskevicius and Nemanja Aleksandrov has suddenly gone soft on an international prospect? The end of the world must truly be near.
