Drummond 2nd Coming of Fab Melo??

[UCweCONN]

Did you hear the in studio hosts on ESPNU after the Columbia game joking that Drummond is the second coming of Fab Melo? Are you kidding me??? At least one of them had the brains to say that it was only one game. Drummond is going to make those fools eat their words.

 

[jfuchs91]

Fab Melo isn't in Drummond's stratosphere. End of story. People will see that as the season progresses.

 

[husky99]

The mask is a big issue

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

Drummond is a great character kid (unlike Fab) and will mature as the season progresses. Be very very patient. The exciting part will be watching him grow as a player.

 

[boog204]

Was wondering how long it would take for some idiot to proclaim him a bust. I will say this, though, he is not going to put up the numbers that some people expect. During a preseason thread some said he'd be a 15-10 guy. There's no way that's happening. I'd be very happy w/ 8-5-2 off the bench. He's sick athletically, but he has to learn how to play and use that athleticism. That will take some time.

 

[superjohn]

It will take a little time and the mask is obviously bothering him but I would almost guarantee that later in the year he will be a Beast and a dominator.

 

[jfuchs91]

I still feel as though he can be a 15-10 guy. Drummond is raw for sure, but I feel as though last night's game didn't allow him to get into a rhythm due to foul trouble. He'll get better with every game and showed glimpses of dominance in the game against CW Post. Granted, it was CW Post, but he showed he was capable of taking over a game. Once the NCAA Tournament rolls around, I expect Drummond to be a force.

 

[hooskies]

how long is that mask on for?

 

[msgordon]

Was wondering how long it would take for some idiot to proclaim him a bust. I will say this, though, he is not going to put up the numbers that some people expect. During a preseason thread some said he'd be a 15-10 guy. There's no way that's happening. I'd be very happy w/ 8-5-2 off the bench. He's sick athletically, but he has to learn how to play and use that athleticism. That will take some time.

i mean...8-5-2 off the bench would be looked at as a bust by basically every outsider and probably most uconn fans

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

I still feel as though he can be a 15-10 guy. Drummond is raw for sure, but I feel as though last night's game didn't allow him to get into a rhythm due to foul trouble. He'll get better with every game and showed glimpses of dominance in the game against CW Post. Granted, it was CW Post, but he showed he was capable of taking over a game. Once the NCAA Tournament rolls around, I expect Drummond to be a force.

Bingo! He made the right move coming to UConn. JC will work his magic with him and Drummond will be a man by years end.

 

[Prezidint]

I'm generally in favor of broad free speech rights.
Watch me make an exception here.
I'd be in favor of an instant ban for any poster on this board who uses the word "bust" or "fab melo" in the same thread as the word "Drummond," even if it's quoting somebody else.
Seriously.

 

[Prezidint]

Regarding the mask, BTW, all I'll say is that I don't think it had anything to do with the 3 quick fouls.

 

[alexd]

how long is that mask on for?

I believe I read six weeks....so mid December...

 

[huskyniner]

how long is that mask on for?

I'm pretty sure the original prognosis was 6-8 weeks.

 

[boog204]

i mean...8-5-2 off the bench would be looked at as a bust by basically every outsider and probably most uconn fans

I think that would be a foolish way for most UConn fans to look at him; screw the outsiders. Right now he is a defensive player/rebounder first and foremost. I admittedly have not seen him play much (was not able to watch the preseason games) but he looked absolutely lost offensively. Yes, it was his first game and he's got that hideous mask on but there were some fairly basic fundamentals that were lacking and that will take some time to be instilled within him. He is very, very raw and I'm fine with that. Plus, he is not going to play over AO and if TO plays like he did yesterday, AD is not going to get enough time to get much more than 8-5-2 (in my opinion). Either way I'm ecstatic he's here but I implore UConn fans to be patient with him as I truly do not see him being an impact offensive player.

 

[Huskybass]

Drummond will be fine. I knew it would take him some time to make the adjustment to college ball, but after another 20 practices and a handful of games he will look good. He simply has too many tools to not succeed.

 

[Huskymaniac]

On one hand I am starting to wonder why we were all worked up about this kid's "announcement". On the other hand, I am well aware that performance is a funny thing in sports and usually requires multiple things to click. When the last piece falls into place a player looks like he suddenly made huge strides. The reality is that the player was making progress for a long time but your saw little benefit from it until the last piece was in place and then you see the benefits pour out all at once.

 

[Walker11]

I think that would be a foolish way for most UConn fans to look at him; screw the outsiders. Right now he is a defensive player/rebounder first and foremost. I admittedly have not seen him play much (was not able to watch the preseason games) but he looked absolutely lost offensively. Yes, it was his first game and he's got that hideous mask on but there were some fairly basic fundamentals that were lacking and that will take some time to be instilled within him. He is very, very raw and I'm fine with that. Plus, he is not going to play over AO and if TO plays like he did yesterday, AD is not going to get enough time to get much more than 8-5-2 (in my opinion). Either way I'm ecstatic he's here but I implore UConn fans to be patient with him as I truly do not see him being an impact offensive player.

I don't think anyone knows what to expect from AD and especially not you since you admittedly hadn't seen him until his 12 minute stint last night. And he played over AO for most of the 2nd exhibition.

 

[boog204]

I don't think anyone knows what to expect from AD and especially not you since you admittedly hadn't seen him until his 12 minute stint last night. And he played over AO for most of the 2nd exhibition.

Just think there are ridiculous expectations, that's all... He IS very raw and will take some time to learn how to play/adjust to the college game. Thinking he'll be a 15-10 guy is a bit ridiculous. We haven't had a 15-10 guy since Emeka.

 

[mets1090]

At this point AD will finish around the rim if you give him any space. That's when he can use his athleticism and just dominate people. If he receives the ball with someone guarding him closely it is a little bit of an adventure though. His ability to finish with turnaround hooks and other finesse moves is not where it needs to be in order for him to be a dominant offensive player. But if the PG drives and AD's man collapses on him, you can forget about it. That's 2 points on a thunderous dunk every time. That alone should be enough to get him around 8-10 points a game if he can stay out of foul trouble (also assuming a better FT stroke than the one I saw in the first exhibition game).

 

[Bryan Lord]

Can we agree that he's not a lock for one and done?

 

[superjohn]

The best move Andre Drummond ever could have made for his future is coming to UConn this year.

 

[Vehcoo23]

I decided to not take them serious when they said that AO is better then Adrien. And I clearly don't agree with that statement.

 

[Prezidint]

The best move Andre Drummond ever could have made for his future is coming to UConn this year.

Well, I hope this ends up being the case. But. Really. Think about it.
If he stayed in HS for one more year, he's a top 3 or 4 draft pick, most likely, maybe 1 or 2.
If he's as lost looking at the end of this season as he is now, then what is he?
The fact is, at least in the short term, he had more to lose by coming to UConn that he had to gain.
In the long term, coming to UConn was a very good decision. If he entered the NBA and looked like he did against Colombia, he may have ended up getting Thabeeted to the D league.

If he improves throughout this year, which I believe very much he will, then he cements himself as 1 or 2, he sets himself up for a long, very successful career, and so on. To get that, however, he had to trade in the sure-high pick that he was 3 months ago.

 

[champs99and04]

Can we agree that he's not a lock for one and done?

The only way Drummond comes back to school is if the NBA ups the age limit. I don't care if he averages a 5 and 5 this season, he's still a top ten pick IMO.