# Biedrins!!



## MongolianDeathCloud

So, are you guys stoked with this pick? Or did you like someone else? 

Personally, I'm really happy with the pick. I've been a fan of Biedrins even when he was top 4 prospect and not a likely Warrior, so to have him slip to GS is great in my mind.

Overall, he's a prospect for sure, probably won't come out of the gates on fire, but out of the other stuff available on the board at the time, I like him alot. I'm into defense and size and that's supposedly what he does. Great pick.

In the long run, we'll see how he fits in. I'd love it if he could play center, but that might not workout and definitely not right away. However, I like Murphy but I'm not convinced he's a great starting PF in a league full of teams led by dominant power fowards. So I like Biedrins as our PF of the future as well.

I'm really stoked that the warriors have taken another high-upside, defensive player. Your thoughts?


----------



## MongolianDeathCloud

Another little tidbit that gets me excited about Biedrins -- He has been avoiding other teams for three weeks according to Chad Ford, and Philly tried hard to get him to work out for them but he held out (infected blister or something?). 

So his slipping could not be indicative of his actual talent.

Anyways, Mullin gets props.


----------



## ssmokinjoe

I really have no previous knowledge about this guy, but i like what i hear about him... big body, good defense, nice back-to-the-basket game. They say he lacks shooting range, but i'm not too concerned about that when it comes to big men. They also say that he's a phyical player... i love players who like to mix it up with with big boys. If Dampier leaves i like that the Warriors went with a possible replacement.


----------



## FanOfAll8472

I like the pick...he's physical, a defender, inside type guy (we already have a jump shooter with Murph), lots of potential...no arguments from me.


----------



## Minstrel

He seems like very solid value for the pick. He may even have fallen, giving Golden State great value for the pick. I'm pleased with that. He sounds like an intriguing cat, with a lot of versatility, so I'm interested to see him play.


----------



## Ballscientist

Biedrins: 16.3 pts and 8.5 rebs

Pavel: 2.6 pts, 2.3 rebs


----------



## WONTONnPHO

The Chris Mullin GM era has begun!


----------



## MightyReds2020

I like the pick!


----------



## Knicksbiggestfan

He's a lot more raw than most people think. He's like Darko lite - the outside shooting.

In any event I like this pick for GS but I would rather have had them get a 1. Still it works.


----------



## Derrex

Since I dont see the warriors challenging any time soon. I think the pick was a great step towards our 20 year rebuilding plan.


----------



## Kaas

> Originally posted by <b>Derrex</b>!
> Since I dont see the warriors challenging any time soon. I think the pick was a great step towards our 20 year rebuilding plan.


:laugh: 

I think it was a nice pick and since he's the first Latvian in the NBA. Anyone interested in bball over there would become a Warriors fan, so the pick is not only good for the team's future, but also good for the team's financial future. I want to see him play in the NBA to see how truly physical he is. Hopefully his game translates well, otherwise he'll be somewhat of a project. Def. a good pick since his value was once much higher than 11.


----------



## MongolianDeathCloud

Here are some tidbits from an old but long and gushing report from Insider's Chad Ford on Biedrins. Note to mods, I did not cut and paste the whole article, it's really long, but if that's too much go ahead and trim it.



> "..Biedrins may be the answer to their prayers. He's unlike any Euro I've ever seen. He's long (7-foot with a 7-1½ wingspan), has great lateral quickness, is an explosive leaper with a 34½ inch vertical jump (Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony each have a 33-inch verticals, by way of comparison) and ... drum roll please ... Biedrins prefers to play in the paint, where most 7-footers belong. He's a pure four whose specialty is defense, shot blocking and energy -- not real staples of the Euros who have been flooding the draft the past few years.
> 
> His body is ripped, and he has a strong core that allows him to play in the post. He bench presses 185 pounds around 15 times. Only one big guy in Chicago (Jason Keep) topped that in combine testing last year.
> 
> When one NBA executive saw him with his shirt off he proclaimed, "Good God! That's not the kid I saw in Latvia six months ago."..
> 
> "..He has much more in common with Dwight Howard and Tyson Chandler than he does with Darko Milicic or Pau Gasol, and coaches may like it that way. There will be no reprogramming for Biedrins. Coaches won't pull their hair out because he wanders out to the 3-point line or allows a 6-foot-3 guard to grab a rebound over him. Biedrins is one of the rare athletes in a super-sized frame who wants to play to his strengths. .."
> 
> "..He went from an unknown kid playing in Latvia to one of the hottest prospects in the NBA draft after he flew to Las Vegas last summer and enrolled in an AAU tournament. NBA scouts were stunned to see the young 7-footer dominate against some of the top talent in the U.S. For the tournament, Biedrins averaged a triple double in points, rebounds and blocks and became the buzz of the camp.."
> 
> "..Unlike most Euros in the draft, who only saw action in practice, Biedrins began dominating international play by the end of the season. At the time, he was still just 17 years old.."
> 
> "..Biedrins' potent mix of athleticism, size and low-post sensibility is non-existent among any of the other Europeans in the draft (and Americans for that matter) with the exception of the much more raw Johan Petro from France. The difference between the two? Biedrins took Petro apart in a recent matchup in a junior tournament in Croatia. ."
> 
> "..Biedrins' outside shot isn't bad (in fact, in the second workout with the Clippers and Nuggets, it was actually very, very good), but it's clear from his shooting form that he struggles to hit anything consistently outside of 12 feet -- think Andrei Kirilenko when he first came into the league.."


Another note, Biedrins added 20 pounds to become 240 when drafted, for comparison that's 5 pounds heavier than Chandler's last measurement, and Biedrins just turned 18 and has not had the benefit of an NBA weight trainer.


----------



## CerambyX

> Originally posted by *Filibusterer*
> I think it was a nice pick and since he's the first Latvian in the NBA


Well, I say that you are wrong. Biedrins is first Latvian in NBA draft but not the first in whole NBA. First was Gundars Vetra who played in Minnesota (around 92-93). Well he wasn't a top player at all, but it was a good experience for him even when playing just limited minutes a season. 
But it isn't a big mistake for you Filibusterer, cause you couldn't know it!


----------



## Knicksbiggestfan

> Originally posted by <b>MongolianDeathCloud</b>!
> Here are some tidbits from an old but long and gushing report from Insider's Chad Ford on Biedrins. Note to mods, I did not cut and paste the whole article, it's really long, but if that's too much go ahead and trim it.
> 
> 
> 
> Another note, Biedrins added 20 pounds to become 240 when drafted, for comparison that's 5 pounds heavier than Chandler's last measurement, and Biedrins just turned 18 and has not had the benefit of an NBA weight trainer.


That article is pretty off. Darko and Pau are back to the basket players, they just have three point range.

Biedrins's competition was C class team while their's was A.

I hope he does real well for the warriors, but don't be mislead.


----------



## Lurch

"He's unlike any Euro I've ever seen. He's long (7-foot with a 7-1½ wingspan), has great lateral quickness, is an explosive leaper with a 34½ inch vertical jump (Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony each have a 33-inch verticals, by way of comparison) and ... drum roll please ... Biedrins prefers to play in the paint, where most 7-footers belong. He's a pure four whose specialty is defense, shot blocking and energy -- not real staples of the Euros who have been flooding the draft the past few years."

"His body is ripped, and he has a strong core that allows him to play in the post. He bench presses 185 pounds around 15 times. Only one big guy in Chicago topped that in combine testing last year." 


Wow very impressive, he probably has what it takes. Kind of sounds like a stronger version of Gasol.


----------



## Lurch

Biedrins 7-foot with a 7-1½ wingspan, has great lateral quickness, 34½ inch vertical jump. bench presses 185 pounds 15 times!

Does anyone know how Dwight Howards stats compare to these? I havent seen Howards work out stats.


----------



## FanOfAll8472

> Originally posted by <b>Lurch</b>!
> Biedrins 7-foot with a 7-1½ wingspan, has great lateral quickness, 34½ inch vertical jump. bench presses 185 pounds 15 times!
> 
> Does anyone know how Dwight Howards stats compare to these? I havent seen Howards work out stats.


I don't have them on me, but off the top of my head, Howard is 6'10 with a similar wingspan and jump. But he only benched like 3 or 7 times.


----------



## Knicksbiggestfan

> Originally posted by <b>Lurch</b>!
> "He's unlike any Euro I've ever seen. He's long (7-foot with a 7-1½ wingspan), has great lateral quickness, is an explosive leaper with a 34½ inch vertical jump (Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony each have a 33-inch verticals, by way of comparison) and ... drum roll please ... Biedrins prefers to play in the paint, where most 7-footers belong. He's a pure four whose specialty is defense, shot blocking and energy -- not real staples of the Euros who have been flooding the draft the past few years."
> 
> "His body is ripped, and he has a strong core that allows him to play in the post. He bench presses 185 pounds around 15 times. Only one big guy in Chicago topped that in combine testing last year."
> 
> 
> Wow very impressive, he probably has what it takes. Kind of sounds like a stronger version of Gasol.


If you like those stats you'd **** a brick if you saw Darko's combine stats. His agility is ridiculous.

The comparision to Gasol imo is off, because he already is a more physical player. I doubt he will ever be as talented as Gasol is offensively, but there aren't that many people in the league that play as good of a back to the basket game as Gasol. Gasol and Tiago are real similar.


Biedrins, from what little I have seen in him is more like Darko or.... and this will upset some people....Antonio Mcdyess.


----------



## ssmokinjoe

> Biedrins, from what little I have seen in him is more like Darko or.... and this will upset some people....Antonio Mcdyess.


I dont think that a comparison to McDyess would upset anyone as long as you're not including the fact that McDyess is so injury prone. I would doubt that comparison tho since McDyess has a pretty good offensive game. But in case you're right, a 7foot McDyess would be an amazing player


----------



## Sigma

I'll doubt he will be as good as McDyess (i mean how good he was in his prime) but we can only hope


----------



## Knicksbiggestfan

What happened to all the other posts in this thread about mcdyess?


----------



## ssmokinjoe

> Originally posted by <b>Knicksbiggestfan</b>!
> What happened to all the other posts in this thread about mcdyess?


 _This_ thread?


----------



## STOMP

> Originally posted by <b>Knicksbiggestfan</b>!
> 
> 
> If you like those stats you'd **** a brick if you saw Darko's combine stats. His agility is ridiculous.


I'm not sure what you're refering to... he ranked 41st overall in the 2003 combine and posted about the same lane agility time as Chris Kaman... hardly worth passing a brick IMO. 

http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/story?id=1568531

STOMP


----------



## Knicksbiggestfan

> Originally posted by <b>STOMP</b>!
> 
> 
> Though he did post a guardlike agility time, he ranked 41st overall in the 2003 combine... hardly worth passing a brick IMO.
> 
> http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/story?id=1568531
> 
> STOMP


Off the charts agility, got the bar up 13 times, 32 inch vertical, you have to take these things in context, not as a competition.



> Among the surprises? Darko appears to be just as athletic as Carmelo. That


http://groups.google.com/groups?q=D...off&[email protected]&rnum=2


----------



## Lurch

> Originally posted by <b>STOMP</b>!
> 
> 
> I'm not sure what you're refering to... he ranked 41st overall in the 2003 combine and posted about the same lane agility time as Chris Kaman... hardly worth passing a brick IMO.
> 
> http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/story?id=1568531
> 
> STOMP


 These stats dont seem right. WTF!

Darko #41
Carmelo Anthony #38 
T. J. Ford #44
Chris Bosh #51


----------



## STOMP

The most impressive pre-draft numbers about Darko I recall (hopefully correctly  ) are that he stood 6'11 1/2 barefoot, had a 7'5 wingspan, and had just turned 18 years old. Supposively he's really hit the weights in the past year... with Okur going West there will be minutes to be had. 

I'm looking forward to seeing the kid play, Delfino too.

STOMP


----------



## Ballin101

Biedrins is probably the dark horse of the 2004 draft - a guy who could be a great player, but could also be just another NBA player. The alleged "C class" competition that he faced in Europe isn't really a factor, because he averaged a triple-double against the best high schoolers in the U.S. at age 18 (or was it 17?). I certainly hope he does well, but it will take at least two years before we get any kind of accurate read on his abilities.


----------



## Knicksbiggestfan

> Originally posted by <b>Ballin101</b>!
> Biedrins is probably the dark horse of the 2004 draft - a guy who could be a great player, but could also be just another NBA player. The alleged "C class" competition that he faced in Europe isn't really a factor, because he averaged a triple-double against the best high schoolers in the U.S. at age 18 (or was it 17?). I certainly hope he does well, but it will take at least two years before we get any kind of accurate read on his abilities.


Link for highschooler stats.


----------



## cpawfan

Where does Biedrins project to play?

I thought he would be a 4 but it looks like he may have the size for the 5. This needs to be resolved by the end of the season since Murphy's contract will be up.


----------



## MightyReds2020

> Originally posted by <b>cpawfan</b>!
> Where does Biedrins project to play?


Practise court.  

Seriously, from all I read, Biedrins will log in the majority of his minutes at the 5 next season.


----------

