Patrick O'Blount?

… was horrific during the pre-season, although one would never find that out by reading CB.

It’s a shame to compare him to Blount, IMO. Blount was overpaid and, at some point, lost the desire and the intensity to compete. But he was, for some moments during his career, a good basketball player. POB hasn’t showed anything, in terms of basketball skills, that makes him deserving of this nickname. Call him Potsie O’Bryant, for example.

I love his skills but even in some of the preseason games he looked lazy and his head wasn’t in the game a few times. I realize he’s weak, but he doesn’t even seem to try to hold his ground when someone pushes him. In fact, he got pushed right off the court a few times.
I think Patrick O’Blount fits so far. Regardless of salary, they have both been lazy big men who’s effort is lacking. And I think O’Bryant has a lot more pure physical ability.

It’s not that O’Bryant is lazy, it’s that he’s bad. He’s a bad basketball player.

Paddy can play when he learns how to defend the post, how to make timely rotations defensively, and how to protect the rim. Until then he doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near an NBA court.

Thankfully for him he’s in the best situation he could possibly be in, having a big man coach like Clifford Ray and a bunch of big men who he can learn from in practice. This is the best situation in the league for him to turn around his flagging career … odds aren’t great though. We’ll see.

I’m not ready to give up on O"Bryant. The game hasn’t slowed down for him yet. I don’t think he’s lazy, just very, very green.

Some guys just naturally understand the game. Others, like O’Bryant, have to learn it brick by brick.

… he was an overweight, awkward klutz. Clearly a useless mediocrity. A waste of a draft pick.

I know I’ve harped on this before, but none of our second/third unit guys would be a starter on most upper eschelon teams. As a unit,(which is the way Doc mostly substitues…3,4 at a time), they are not good, period! None of them are team oriented—Eddie, TA, Leon are all pretty much black holes when they get the ball. And Scal, well, he just doesn’t make anyone better.
Now when POB played extensively with the first unit in preseason everyone(generally) was doing cartflips over his play(myself included), however when Perk came back and he was regulated to playing with the backups, his play definitely dropped. Now was it so much his play, or the way he looked with guys that play more one on one, than as a unit? I think the latter.
POB has nice inside moves, a soft touch, a sweet hook, is a very good passer, and decent shotblocker and rebounder. No, he’s not physically intimidating, but let’s not confuse that with having no talent or being lazy, cause he sure didn’t look that way playing with our starters, who looked for him, and took advantage of the things he brings to the table!
Finally, as I’ve said before, you can’t play our bench guys en masse, they just don’t work together that well! One or two at a time, mixed in with the other starters—-it will work, but Doc likes lazy substitutions(3/4 at a time).
Pruitt, Walker, and POB can all, I believe, be very productive and should be playing alot more, but they have to be used in situations that bring out the best they have to offer!

agree with greenballs. Can teach skills but not desire.

OhioGreen, how is your insight better than Doc’s who watches this guy every day. Do you think he missed how O’Bryant played with the starters or could it be you see less of him than Doc. Hmmmm!

Doc called out Marcus Banks who has done nothing elsewhere. I don’t remember Doc’s role re. Blount. He was hard on Gerald Greene. If GG “gets” it next year he’ll still be only 23. I wish we had a do-over onhim. I’m with Brickowski re O’Bryant taking longer and we do have the luxury now (unlike with Greene) to wait a bit. By the end of this year if KG and gang, Doc, Cliff Ray etc haven’t made him into an NBA player then maybe he lacks the temperament because he is big and he is agile.

My point is that Doc has demonstrated a standard that now owns a championship and I trust his moves re young players

If the results of Garnett’s screaming and histrionics were an end-all, the original O’Blount would have played for Garnett in Minny the way he did for Obie in Boston. If those results were an end-all, Ricky would have played like Paul in Minny and Garnett wouldn’t have had to change teams to reach the promised land.

Perk showed up fat but immediately began working hard and getting in shape as soon as he reported. Perk just didn’t understand diet and exercise principals in high school. This is O’Blount’s 3rd year.

Wildblu—insight aside, Doc is very “old school” when it comes to rookies. Actually Red used to be the same way. Rookies sit at the end of the bench, shut their mouths, and maybe in a year or two might see the court. Can’t argue with Red, but things are different in the league now, with guys younger and younger coming out of school. As far as Doc’s insight, he wasn’t all that sharp on RGomes, Rondo, and LPowe who all sat major portions of their first seasons without hardly smelling the court! Many a cry was heard on this board begging Doc to get these guys into the action—-and they performed pretty darn good when they were given the chance. You can’t say(with any honesty) that POB has been given a real chance to perform in our first 4 games, and is now banned to streetclothes.
And by the way Doc got his championship because Danny plopped KG,RA,JP,EH, and PJB in his lap to go along with PP!! As I recall, he wasn’t doing all that great the preceeding couple of years—-despite his great insight!

I don’t like him period. Why in the world would Danny be looking at McDyess and at the same time deactivating the only height we have after KG and Perk? Danny screwed up on this signing it seems.

it’s a small investment with potentially a nice payoff if the kid works hard and plays hard. it’s up to him so if he fails it’s because he doesn’t have the right mental approach. he has size and is fairly skilled. heart is hard to come by though and if he doesn’t have that by now it’s unlikl;ey he ever will

I agree with Doc’s move to deactivate and send a message. Which I also think sends a message to the team/from the team. You either play with intensity, or you don’t play. As Doc has said there is a culture about this team. If you don’t respond to KG yelling, KG would want you in street clothes, watching with the fans.

POB seems like a nice guy, but tries to cut corners. He was suspended by the NCAA for accepting paychecks on a summer job he didn’t show up for. A youthful indiscretion? Perhaps. A character flaw revealed? More likely.

Basically, Doc is telling him to look himself in the mirror and figure out if he wants it badly or not. If he had 75% of the effort of guys far less physically gifted, like Powe and BBD, he would probably already be in the rotation. I only saw him play a couple of times in preseason with limited minutes. He seemed like he was trying out there. But my guess is that Doc does not see the effort on a consistent basis (read in "practice").

It would be a bloody shame if he does not pan out. The kid has definite gifts, and we certainly could use his length. I frankly think the Lakers will be very difficult to handle this year without us getting more length this time. Those guys are huge.

As an aside, watching the Rockets game the other night, when McGrady went off, who among us was also thinking, “Dang, if only we still had Posey to shut this guy down.”

He is not ready yet, Doc is great with new players he will know what to do.