Willie Cauley-Stein To the NBA

[GenJac]

Seven feet tall. Two points, two blocks, seven rebounds. Was out rebounded in the Notre Dame game by a 6' 5" baseball player. Sorry, especially after walking off the court without shaking hands speaks to his maturity. Nobody I want on my team.

 

[Microwahevo]

I don't even think he's talented enough. But his size alone, and the numerous tats he already has makes him a shoe-in to make a roster in the NBA.

 

[bksballer89]

He will be out of the league in 5 years

 

[Codaxx]

Silly. He is an elite defender. He has elite athleticism. His offensive game is still a bit limite, but he will play a long time in the NBA.

 

[Arizona_Sting]

He will be out of the league in 5 years

Ha, no. Opposite actually… he'll have a long career but has very limited upside. I can see him being a decent backup center in the league for many years, he's got a very limited upside/ceiling though.

I won't let a couple bad games sway his entire draft stock, he's one of the safest picks in the draft.

 

[Codaxx]

Ha, no. Opposite actually… he'll have a long career but has very limited upside. I can see him being a decent backup center in the league for many years, he's got a very limited upside/ceiling though.

I won't let a couple bad games sway his entire draft stock, he's one of the safest picks in the draft.

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That makes no sense. He is probably the safest pick, because he is one of the most athletic big men to come out in the last decade. Currently he does not possess a great low post game, but if he develops a 10-15 foot shot and some low post moves his potential is unlimited. I doubt he hits that ultimate upside, but his ceiling is very high based on his athletic ability. He is just raw .

 

[jonvi]

The guy is going to make a shit ton of money in the NBA.

 

[Rock Strongo]

fab melo redux

 

[Codaxx]

fab melo redux

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Not even close. I actually think he is very similar to Noah. Likely to excel on defense and be an excellent blue collar player with potential to develop on offense.

 

[Rock Strongo]

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Not even close. I actually think he is very similar to Noah. Likely to excel on defense and be an excellent blue collar player with potential to develop on offense.

melo got out rebounded by smaller guys too in his final days at syracuse.

size and limited skils

noah can play

 

[Codaxx]

melo got out rebounded by smaller guys too in his final days at syracuse.

size and limited skils

noah can play

Fab's athletic ability was not close to WCS. Noah is the ultimate blue collar guy. WCS is considered a lottery guy, Melo was a late first rounder. Completely different players. Dakari Johnson and Melo might be a better comparison.

 

[Rock Strongo]

Fab's athletic ability was not close to WCS. Noah is the ultimate blue collar guy. WCS is considered a lottery guy, Melo was a late first rounder. Completely different players. Dakari Johnson and Melo might be a better comparison.

melo was considered a lottery pick for a time too (his stock dropped wildly after he was manhandled on the boards by smaller guys), and dont forget...lottery picks dont mean much in todays nba in terms of "cant miss".

athleticism is nice...but it doesnt make the ball go in the hoop.

i see a guy whos tall, who (in college at times) can be dominant on the defensive boards and blocking shots.

seen that movie a million times

 

[UK Cowboy]

He should go in that he's a top 10 pick. He has no offensive game other than put backs though. All 3 times he went up for a jumper I started screaming "rebound"

 

[jonvi]

melo was considered a lottery pick for a time too (his stock dropped wildly after he was manhandled on the boards by smaller guys), and dont forget...lottery picks dont mean much in todays nba in terms of "cant miss".

athleticism is nice...but it doesnt make the ball go in the hoop.

i see a guy whos tall, who (in college at times) can be dominant on the defensive boards and blocking shots.

seen that movie a million times

Melo was a five star recruit but was a project in the since he hadn't played any high school ball. He had a tough first year...which isn't unusual for a big man. Not every kid is an Okafor.

His second year, nobody was manhandling him. His stocked dropped because he was as dumb as a box of rocks.

 

[Rock Strongo]

Melo was a five star recruit but was a project in the since he hadn't played any high school ball. He had a tough first year...which isn't unusual for a big man. Not every kid is an Okafor.

His second year, nobody was manhandling him. His stocked dropped because he was as dumb as a box of rocks.

lol

well, the guy did concuss himself here, hitting his head on a door jam.

i just remember smaller guys abusing him on the glass at one point late in his syracuse days.

 

[podsox]

athletic freak and an amazing help defender. I still don't buy the great on ball defender. frank ate him up on Saturday.

 

[Codaxx]

athletic freak and an amazing help defender. I still don't buy the great on ball defender. frank ate him up on Saturday.

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Yes, much better off ball defender. That should actually bode well in the NBA, because offense isnt run through the post in the NBA. His real gift is being able to switch on more athletic players. He is amazingly comfortable in space for a big guy. HE rebounds much better than the stats suggest, as Kentucky's defensive plan is to contest shots and double. By design, the big men are out of position. It is also why UK was not a great defensive rebounding team all year

 

[dcZONAfan]

There are so many wrong opinions in this thread. The first being that he is going to be out of the league in 5 years. That's insane, he will have a clearly defined defensive stopper role and that won't go away for a very long time.

The comparison to Noah is absolutely awful Codaxx. Blue collar is one thing, offensively skilled is a very different one. Noah is just so much more talented. He has ball skills, and did in college. He is one of the best passers in the NBA, and one of the best rebounders.

Cauley-Stein is nothing like that. He is a lottery pick, but Sting is right that there just isn't a very high ceiling. Of course, the floor isn't low either because you can always rely on somebody to play great defense. He is closer to a more talented Birdman than he is a less talented Noah.

 

[Codaxx]

There are so many wrong opinions in this thread. The first being that he is going to be out of the league in 5 years. That's insane, he will have a clearly defined defensive stopper role and that won't go away for a very long time.

The comparison to Noah is absolutely awful Codaxx. Blue collar is one thing, offensively skilled is a very different one. Noah is just so much more talented. He has ball skills, and did in college. He is one of the best passers in the NBA, and one of the best rebounders.

Cauley-Stein is nothing like that. He is a lottery pick, but Sting is right that there just isn't a very high ceiling. Of course, the floor isn't low either because you can always rely on somebody to play great defense. He is closer to a more talented Birdman than he is a less talented Noah.[/QUser. Averages 1 assist inOTE]

Both are excellent athletes and that is the basis of the comparison. was at 2.3). 9 pts vs 12 pts for Noah in their last seasons in College. Not sure why people think Noah was very skilled. Both ~60% from the free-throw line .

There are so many wrong opinions in this thread. The first being that he is going to be out of the league in 5 years. That's insane, he will have a clearly defined defensive stopper role and that won't go away for a very long time.

The comparison to Noah is absolutely awful Codaxx. Blue collar is one thing, offensively skilled is a very different one. Noah is just so much more talented. He has ball skills, and did in college. He is one of the best passers in the NBA, and one of the best rebounders.

Cauley-Stein is nothing like that. He is a lottery pick, but Sting is right that there just isn't a very high ceiling. Of course, the floor isn't low either because you can always rely on somebody to play great defense. He is closer to a more talented Birdman than he is a less talented Noah.

Not sure why you think Noah was particularly skilled coming out, I wouldnt call him a skilled big man even now. It took until his 3rd season to average over 7 pts. Both are highly athletic bigs. That will make their living of the boards and shot blocking. Noah was a better passer coming out of Florida, with over 2 assists a game. WCS is at 1. Noah came out averaging 12 pts. He hardly had a full repertoire of inside moves.

 

[gpm1976]

Not sure why you think Noah was particularly skilled coming out, I wouldnt call him a skilled big man even now. It took until his 3rd season to average over 7 pts. Both are highly athletic bigs. That will make their living of the boards and shot blocking. Noah was a better passer coming out of Florida, with over 2 assists a game. WCS is at 1. Noah came out averaging 12 pts. He hardly had a full repertoire of inside moves.

Noah was for sure not skilled coming out. Offensively, he is getting better, but it still flat out awful. But he has worked hard and accepted his role as a guy who is.. a role player. If steins embraces this as his future, he might be alright. But as others have mentioned, he looks bad against guys that he isn't absolutely superior to.