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Who is the next Wesley Matthews? D Will says Ryan Thompson.

Good point about Mark Eaton; an even better story than Wesley, IMO!!
I think not enough credit has gone to our coaching staff with their ability to develop these late-round picks and rookie FA's into solid NBA players...
I do believe the Blazers were really after Fesenko, but we messed them up by NOT matching on Wesley, which they expected. Now the Blazers are in salary heck. Wesley, while a fine player and story, is not likely to ever be an NBA superstar. Just my opinion...
DWill in the interview seemed to think he was being baited. I mean, 10 different people would interpret "who'll be the next Wesley Matthews?" 10 different ways... I think Ryan Thompson, Jeremy Evans, and Gordon Hayward will all develop quickly in the Jazz system. All 3 are on the RIGHT team for their skill sets and eagerness to learn... Now if Fes will jump on that wave, we'll be a force to be reckoned with...
 
NotDeadYet said:
Good point about Mark Eaton; an even better story than Wesley, IMO!!
I think not enough credit has gone to our coaching staff with their ability to develop these late-round picks and rookie FA's into solid NBA players...
I do believe the Blazers were really after Fesenko, but we messed them up by NOT matching on Wesley, which they expected. Now the Blazers are in salary heck. Wesley, while a fine player and story, is not likely to ever be an NBA superstar. Just my opinion...
DWill in the interview seemed to think he was being baited. I mean, 10 different people would interpret "who'll be the next Wesley Matthews?" 10 different ways... I think Ryan Thompson, Jeremy Evans, and Gordon Hayward will all develop quickly in the Jazz system. All 3 are on the RIGHT team for their skill sets and eagerness to learn... Now if Fes will jump on that wave, we'll be a force to be reckoned with...
Click to expand...
Interesting theory re: Fesenko. With Oden's injuries and Fesenko's showing in the playoffs, you could be right. Portland forces Utah to overspend on Matthews (or so they thought), then swoops in with a 3-4 year deal for Fesenko, with as much of it as possible in the form of a signing bonus. Since we didn't match for Matthews, there was no way for them to make an offer. Even if Fesenko signed for their bi-annual exception, Utah would just match.

As for Deron's response, it sounds like he was just having a little fun. He knew the reporter was trying to get him to compare Thompson to Matthews. And he wasn't going to give him that. Kudos to Deron for protecting a rookie and not allowing the reporter to then go to Thompson and say, "hey, Deron just said you're going to be the next Wesley Matthews."
 
Jeez, what a dumb question. The next Wesley Matthews probably won't be on The Jazz. A free agent rookie who comes into camp, wins a spot on the roster, becomes a starter and makes a consistent contribution each game.....that happens in the NBA once every 8 years.
 
There are a lot of notable post-second round picks from previous decades. What makes Wesley Matthews unique is the large payday rather than his play vs. draft position. The payday was mostly the product of the particular CBA he's playing under, of which he had no control. Truly a case of right place right time.

Other notable third round and later picks just from the 1980s:

Drazen Petrovic
Arvydas Sabonis
Spud Webb
Anthony Mason
Michael Adams
Mario Elie (7th round, 11 years in the league, and important player on three championship teams!)
Manute Bol
Avery Johnson
Tim Legler
Chris Dudly
Jack Haley!
Craig Hodges
Kurt Rambis
 
See

This is the reason why the nba needs to turn the NBDL into a complete farm league add 2 more rounds to the draft and that way you will find a lot more of these gems in the NBA
 
Xthren said:
This is the reason why the nba needs to turn the NBDL into a complete farm league add 2 more rounds to the draft and that way you will find a lot more of these gems in the NBA
Click to expand...

There's just not enough money in the minor leagues to support that in the US. Players make too much money overseas to waste their time in the DLeague for very long. And, to perpetuate the problem, not many NBA scouts go over to Europe because the player pool that emerges from US-born Euro players is so slim it's barely worth noting.
 
Xthren said:
This is the reason why the nba needs to turn the NBDL into a complete farm league add 2 more rounds to the draft and that way you will find a lot more of these gems in the NBA
Click to expand...

I disagree. When a player goes undrafted, he's then able to look around and see where he has the best chance of sticking. And with the two summer leagues, some can even play for a couple of teams. I'm not saying Matthews wouldn;t have worked his butt off and made an impact somewhere else. But would Wesley have excelled in Golden State or with the Knicks? Probably not as much as he did by playing in Utah's structured system, which emphasizes IQ and precision over raw athleticism.
 
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