Official Thread: Serge Ibaka

[admin]

Serge Ibaka, PF
17 years old 6'10" 220 lbs.
CB L'Hospitalet, International

Check out the complete profile at: Full Profile (http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=1302)

[fjkdsi]

6'10 with a 40+ vertical and good mid range game

IMPRESSIVE!!!

[coachjon]

ibaka could be a late lottery to mid first round pick this year and become a borderline all star in the league.

he is an elite athlete, good wingspan, plays hard, quick, good rebounder, good defender (shotblocker), raw offensively still but shows glimpses of a post game and midrange shot, needs to put on weight/strength, would be a potential pick that would take a few years to develop but he has immense potential.

Likely role in the NBA is as an athletic defender and rebounder that has shown potential to develop an offensive game.

Career 15pts 8reb 1stl 1blk Prime 21pts 11reb 2stl 2blk Rookie 4pts 2reb 1blk

[Hitster]

Would he be a 3 or a 4 in the NBA as given his build he seems more like a natural 3 where his lack of bulk would not be a major problem rather than playing against PF's who could outweigh him by 40 plus lbs. Would be a nice pick up for a team developing rather than one looking to rebuild from scratch say a team like Philly for example rather than say Seattle which has wiped the slate and regrouped around Durant. He could play 4 if he bulked up to sday 220lbs or had a big enforcer alongside him like say Dwight Howard for example. I'd say best case senario he could just break into the top 10 but he would not slip much if any below lottery level as the borderline play-off teams would snap him up or someone would trade up to nab him as a competing team could give him time.

[coachjon]

in my mind he is no doubt a 4 with his skillset

[nextstar1019]

yeah, i definitely think he is a 4

[afrhoop]

He was supposed to play for L'Hospitalet in Spains 2nd Division, but something wrent wrong from what I heard. Any updates on him ?

[coachjon]

no, but i do know he had a buyout that would allow him to go to a higher level team if the opportunity happened so maybe that is the case.

[afrhoop]

Ibaka is currently not allowed to play for L'Hospitalet because of some missing papers or lets say paperwork with the FIBA, so his team hired Chris Copeland to replace him until he is cleared to play.

[Jonathan]

he'll be playing this weekend. The team was not allowed to ask for his letter of clearance because he had not turned 18 yet. Now that his birthday is here, he'll be cleared.

[mintz-one]

he sounds like a mix between amare and kemp

[DonMonte]

Will he play for the french NT in the future?

[afrhoop]

He is not eligible to play for the french national team.He played at the African junior championships for Congo-Brazzaville and therefor only allowed to play for that country.By the way, he is still not playing in Spain's LEB Oro..

[Rorschach]

He played one game with Hospitalet and had a pretty nice game with a double-double (If I can remember well it was 10-12) but now the problems are back.

Spanish paper El Periódico published an Interview with him today, I'll try to post a link

The Interview (in spanish) (http://www.elperiodico.com/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=46&idioma=CAS&idnoticia_PK=450683&idseccio_PK=1011&h=)

[point god]

Ibaka really intrigues me....but then again so did Johan Petro a few years back....
But from just watching Serge in a lengthy youtube mix, he seems to have a good skill set. However, many of his "blocked shots" would clearly be called goal tending in the L. He could tansform into a camby type deffinsive player, or be a Keith Closs shot blocking bust.

[Hitster]

I still see him as a mid to late first rounder, his athletic ability seems to be off the scale so his defensive abilities could be outstanding. Also with more teams playing finese scoring Centres, a guy like Ibaka could be a nice foil for them. Also with the quality of NBA PF's coachs will need guys like Ibaka to mark them. His downside would be defensive role player with upside a Complimentary Starter and maybe recognition on the end of season defensive teams. Guys like say Coach Sloan would like this guy.

[coachjon]

i think he could sneak up to the late lottery but as you said could fall all the way to late first round.

[point god]

Saer Sene snuck all the way up to the top 10 last year, so it would not be a stretch to see him drafted between 10-20. I see him going anywhere from 12 to 18. Big men with questioned upside always intrigue GM's, scouts, and coach's come draft time...ala O'Bryant, Sene, Petro, Armstrong, Simmons, Pecherov, Frye, Araujo, Humphries, Sweetney, Ely, Haislip, Borchardt..just to name a few..who all went top ten to top 20...and I do not see the trend ending this season. Some team will draft him high and keep their fingers crossed. It could even be a team like PHX ,who will most likely have a lottery pick or late teens from ATL, that snags him based on his potential, and the fact that they could afford to take the risk on him.

[wombat6802]

Books out on Pecherov, Frye, Humphries, Armstrong...

Araujo never had any upside. That was the point. He could be a very good player in a slower, more post oriented league (like Santiago).

Haislip is one of the best players in Europe. Read what DX has on him. He could definitely contribute on a contender at this stage.

The other guys were just overrated to begin with. O'Bryant dominated Aaron Gray and somehow got credit for it. Simmons was a decent defensive player in a league of undersized post players (read: came out too soon), Sene and Petro were mysteries and frankly, still are, Sweetney wasn't bad but ate himself into hell, Borchardt had foot problems that were well documented yet he was drafted anyway.


NBA teams must be pretty stupid because a lot of these guys are risks not worth taking and acknowledged as such from the onset... Oh well. They must know more than us, right?

[point god]

And even though all these players haven't panned out..at least in the NBA..they still get picked every year. Ibaka is young and fits the role of the next great unknown. I agree with wombat fully, and based on the pattern of the L, Ibaka will get picked early..maybe way too early, but he has size-youth-and excitement...so it will either make some GM look like a brainiac or an idiot..but he will get picked before 20. Most likely, as I previously stated, somewhere in the 12-18 range.

[Hitster]

The 2006 draft had much less depth than the 2007 or potentially the 2008 or 2009 drafts hence Seattle took gambles on projects like Sene. With NBA ready guys like Love and Hansborough and even Hibbert to be considered in the late top 10 to 15 range then projects like Ibaka could be concieved a risk. Teams in this area often want players who can give them roster depth, Phoenix will surely look for instant results with the pick from Atlanta as Nash's time span is shortening, Marion will be 30 next year, Bell is 31 and Hill is a short term signing before they look to rebuild around Barbosa, Diaw and STAT. I could see them targeting a guy like Kevin Love or even a Bill Walker maybe.

Big man projects like O'Bryant, Sene etc are still some way off, NOH seemed to trade Simmons away for virtually nothing. I agreed with NOH going big twice in the 2006 draft as they had little frontcourt depth and P.J Brown was near the end of his career. Other guys have only just come over and there are always big men busts etc and guys like Diop who did nothing at Cleveland but has become a crucial role player in the current Dallas team.

A guy like Ibaka perhaps projects higher on his all round game than say a prospect like Thabeet but a time could be more intrigued by a 7ft 3ins Centre than a PF like Ibaka. If Ibaka is to make a move up the draft it will surely come from his NBA workouts etc, lots of teams will invite him in case they could let him slip through the net.

[wombat6802]

Thabeet is actually garbage though. There is enough game film to see that he lacks both basketball IQ and a feel for the game. He's a better foul shooter than advertised, but that's about it. He's a fairly poor defensive player for his size and in terms of blocking shots, he lacks great timing, often committing fouls. He isn't as mobile as advertised and I've seen him trip over a painted line before. He has nothing resembling hands or post moves. Thabeet is trash at this stage. I doubt anybody in their right minds drafts him in the lottery. Ibaka though looks promising. 6'10, nice athleticism, jumpshooter, defensive presence. At least the raw skills seem to be there. With Thabeet, they're simply not...

[Hitster]

Thabeet is obviously not a potential top 10 guy as he was touted to be but has improved both his scoring and rebounding this season. For a 7ft 3ins guy, his rebounding stats weren't that great, he isn't seen anymore as the 2nd coming of Mutombo but with an NBA comparison of say DeSanga Diop. Ibaka from an all round skills set does have more upside but my point was from a defensive role playing mode that a Centre like Thabeet would potentially be as interesting as Ibaka.

Guys like Ibaka who are an unknown quantity have much more potential to shoot up the draft as NCAA players have been watched all season and monster workouts are put against March Madness performances etc. But a guy like Ibaka can really turn heads if he does good workouts as teams will not have potentially seen any downside and would be reluctant to miss out on his upside. With his athletic ability he'd be able to fit into a small ball team or a more conservative team, he will not fall out of the first round as I could see Utah considering him, Detroit will need frontcourt refreshing soon, Spurs don't let anyone with potential slip by them and this would be before maybe another 20 or 25 GM's have had a shot at him. Toronto, GSW like athletes so they would look at him etc.

[coachjon]

yea thabeet looks to be a mid to late first rounder now. his potential defiently isn't what it once was thought to be. i think he could still develop into a role bench player that is a mobile defending big.

[point god]

Thabeet plays basketball because he is tall and got a b-ball schalorship to UCONN. He didn't chose to play ball, he was seen in HS, and talked into going to the gym. He didn't even own a pair of b-ball shoes. Thus, he showed great potential, based on height, athleticsm, and youth, coming out of HS. But as of now he isn't even UCONN's best down low player.
Ibaka has a higher b-ball IQ, is more athletic, seems to have better foot work and a more developed defensive skill set, and actualy has a working jump shot, out to the 3 at times.
Both players play the game, but only Ibaka shows true love for the game, and not playing just because he has the size or paved road to.
Based on this break down, I would take Ibaka over Thabeet if both players were available at the given pick.

[SIDESHOW BOB]

Potentially a Dwight Howard.
Great athleticism, good feet, runs the floor, long arms, has a good shoot around the paint both in a static way and also back to the basket starting with the ball and finishing in front of it.
A project, surely, potentially a crack.

[coachjon]

i don't see howard at all howards game is all about his strength he just out muscles people and ibaka has nowhere the phyiscalness to his game as howard.

[Hitster]

Ibaka is nowhere near as physically strong as Howard was at a similar age let alone the monster he has become in the NBA. Ibaka has great vertical length and athleticism but finding a good comparision for him isn't obvious, a guy like AK47 came to find but he has a more rounded game and is a better passer etc. If anyone can do a Sene and shoot up the draft then Ibaka is the type of player as he will have impressive draft measurements (vertical leap, wingspan etc) which could prompt a GM to take a dash on him earlier in the draft than expected. I could see Ibaka perhaps even being able to play C in a smallball line-up as he has this great athletic ability, if Al Harrington and Boris Diaw can play at 5, I'd guess a guy like Ibaka may be able to but his main NBA position will be at PF.

The nearest to Dwight Howard in the 2008 or 2008 drafts is probably DeAndre Jordan.

[nextstar1019]

is he going to enter or not?

[coachjon]

i have read he is going to test the waters, but likley pull out.

[metrocard]

Any word if he's staying in the draft?

[coachjon]

it looks like he will be staying in

[nextstar1019]

yeah i read that too in a couple different placers