AndyPopCat
07-10-2007, 10:39 PM
John Riek: As mentioned, raw is the first, second and third words that come to mind when watching the Sudanese kid whose age (16? 19?) and eligibility (he’s listed as 2009, though there were rumors of a reclassification to 2010) were the subject of much sideline discussion. Here’s what we know for sure: Listed at 6-11, Riek appears to own the wing-span of a 747 — my man is f*cking long. He’s slender, too, but not anorexically skinny, and if he can add some lower-body strength (not easy when your waist is five feet off the ground) and improve on his footwork, it’s gonna be trouble. Raw as he is, you can already see a basic understanding of what he’s supposed to do with the ball when he gets it in the post; he’s not strong enough yet to actually do it much of the time, especially against high-level comp, and there was no shortage of 6-7 kids smacking the ball out of his hands when he brought it down to gather himself under the rim. But assuming he gets comfortable in the States (he apparently just arrived in January), two years of decent high school coaching and another year or two in college, watch out.
Greg Monroe: This weekend was my first time seeing one of our 2006 PUNKS cover boys in person, and my first impression was “young David Robinson.” Like the late 80s/early 90s version of D-Rob, the 6-10 Monroe is slender but strong and more versatile than the younger members of our readership probably remember. But the more I watch Monroe, the more I settled on this comparison: Al Harrington. That may seem underwhelming, considering Al has been a very good pro but not that dominant, All-Star type a lot of people thought he might be. I’m not sure how good Monroe will be in 10 years, but right now, his size, athleticism and inside-out game remind me of Al’s. In one string of three straight possessions on Sunday, he had a driving dunk (and 1), led a three-on-one break that ended with a nice look-away dime, and came back with another drive and slam from the wing. He’s, like, good and stuff.
http://slamonline.com/online/2007/07/at-least-i-died-doing-what-i-love-lip-synching/
Greg Monroe: This weekend was my first time seeing one of our 2006 PUNKS cover boys in person, and my first impression was “young David Robinson.” Like the late 80s/early 90s version of D-Rob, the 6-10 Monroe is slender but strong and more versatile than the younger members of our readership probably remember. But the more I watch Monroe, the more I settled on this comparison: Al Harrington. That may seem underwhelming, considering Al has been a very good pro but not that dominant, All-Star type a lot of people thought he might be. I’m not sure how good Monroe will be in 10 years, but right now, his size, athleticism and inside-out game remind me of Al’s. In one string of three straight possessions on Sunday, he had a driving dunk (and 1), led a three-on-one break that ended with a nice look-away dime, and came back with another drive and slam from the wing. He’s, like, good and stuff.
http://slamonline.com/online/2007/07/at-least-i-died-doing-what-i-love-lip-synching/