Thabeet | The Boneyard

Thabeet

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Terrific college player, 2009: Big East Player of Year (tied w/D Blair), 2nd team All American & UConn in Final 4.

He made some nice NBA $ on first contract but not an NBA player obviously.
 
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Looking back how good do people really think he was? I mean yes he was a #2 pick but wasn't on any AA teams if I can recall, perhaps maybe a defensive team. He played for us, so I'm biased, but I'm not sure he was better than Jake or Travis. He blocked shots, and dunked demonstrably but I don't remember him having an arsenal of offensive moves.

I'm not convinced he's even in our top 5 (which speaks good for UConn): Emeka, Andre, Jake, Boone, Travis.
 
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Looking back how good do people really think he was? I mean yes he was a #2 pick but wasn't on any AA teams if I can recall, perhaps maybe a defensive team. He played for us, so I'm biased, but I'm not sure he was better than Jake or Travis. He blocked shots, and dunked demonstrably but I don't remember him having an arsenal of offensive moves.

I'm not convinced he's even in our top 5 (which speaks good for UConn): Emeka, Andre, Jake, Boone, Travis.
It's been 11 years so you must have forgotten how good he was. His junior year he was on every Second Team All American team, except First Team on the NABC team (2009 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans - Wikipedia). And he was the NABC Defensive Player of the Year. He was co-Big East Player of the year also.

He wasn't an offensive juggernaut but he averaged 13.6 ppg and 10.8 rpg in 2008-2009. We'd kill for that production today!

And don't you remember how other teams wouldn't even look at the basket when they were in the lane and he was near the rim? Go watch some of the games from that season.

I think people forget how good he was at UConn just because he didn't have a good pro career.
 
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JC loved his project big men.

After 2007 and 2008, I felt like he was mortgaging that class just to prove that he could develop anybody. Before the 2008-09 season I asked my dad what he thought we needed to accomplish to make that era worthwhile. "Final Four." I agreed.

Well, we made the Final Four. No complaints.

Is Thabeet one of the Top 10, or even Top 20 players in this program's history? Probably not. Was his being an NBA bust surprising in the least? Not really.

But he was a big part -- arguably the defining player -- of an era that led to a Final Four and frankly the last "vintage" UConn team we've had.
 

Hankster

What do I know.
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Looking back how good do people really think he was? I mean yes he was a #2 pick but wasn't on any AA teams if I can recall, perhaps maybe a defensive team. He played for us, so I'm biased, but I'm not sure he was better than Jake or Travis. He blocked shots, and dunked demonstrably but I don't remember him having an arsenal of offensive moves.

I'm not convinced he's even in our top 5 (which speaks good for UConn): Emeka, Andre, Jake, Boone, Travis.
I agree. He was not a favorite to me. I read all the "atta boys". For some reason I didn't care for him. Attitude mostly. As a player i thought he was mediocre. My opinion only of course. Your top five is right on the money. Emeka will always be my favorite big man. He was an all around guy. Player and scholar. Very respectable attitude. He was someone any kid would look up to.
 
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Looking back how good do people really think he was? I mean yes he was a #2 pick but wasn't on any AA teams if I can recall, perhaps maybe a defensive team. He played for us, so I'm biased, but I'm not sure he was better than Jake or Travis. He blocked shots, and dunked demonstrably but I don't remember him having an arsenal of offensive moves.

I'm not convinced he's even in our top 5 (which speaks good for UConn): Emeka, Andre, Jake, Boone, Travis.
Toby Kimball
 
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Most overrated player in UConn history.

This is ridiculous. I mean are you talking a Husky or a Husky that moved on to the NBA? Because as a Husky he's one of the best and his improvements are all you need to look at. His rebounding totals went up every year. He would've blocked more shots than anyone if players had the balls to go into he paint more - how many times over his last 2 years did you see bigs get offensive rebounds in the lane only to kick it out immediately because he was breathing on them? I promise you it was a lot we used to laugh at it while watching games. He was a game changer for us while in college so unless you include his failure thereafter you're so far off it's laughable.
 
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Most overrated player in UConn history.
Define most overrated in this instance? Because he had a disappointing pro career? Because he got all kinds of awards but you didn't think he deserved them? Because his teams at UConn never won a national championship? Because you don't think he was as good as other All Americans at UConn like Ray, Rip, Donyell, Emeka, Kemba, Shabazz, etc.? Please explain where you're coming from with that take.
 
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Looking back how good do people really think he was? I mean yes he was a #2 pick but wasn't on any AA teams if I can recall, perhaps maybe a defensive team. He played for us, so I'm biased, but I'm not sure he was better than Jake or Travis. He blocked shots, and dunked demonstrably but I don't remember him having an arsenal of offensive moves.

I'm not convinced he's even in our top 5 (which speaks good for UConn): Emeka, Andre, Jake, Boone, Travis.
He’s not, way overrated
 
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I would agree ,being taken 2nd overall was certainly overrating him.
But that was NBA scouts that did that.
He certainly was a number one draft pick. Maybe even a top ten. But 2nd is reserved for very special players.
I think he was viewed as a Dikembe Mutumbo clone.
He was a defensive specialist on an NBA team that didn’t play D.
If he landed somewhere else things might have been different.
It’s hard to really feel sorry for him because that high a status makes it a pretty level road to sticking as opposed to that uphill grind even guys like Bazz are faced with.
When I was just starting out ,I worked for a retired colonial in the USMC.
A vet if WWII, and Korean.
He use to tell us young guys “when that bus comes by you better have your ticket ready because it may not come around again.”
Unfortunately Thabeet seemed content to wait for the next bus.
 
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It will always confound me how Dejuan Blair physically dominated him. That's how I remember it anyway.

He's one of the worst guys in terms on his NBA career, but his impact on the teams he was on can't be dismissed. The guy was a force in college on the defensive end.
 
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Thabeet was a Beast for us.
To suggest otherwise it’s just revisionist history. Unfortunately he was also a major bust being drafted #2, and that’s probably where some of that criticism factors in. As a draft pick he’s kind of an embarrassment for the program, but he definitely dominated when he was here.
 
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Thabeet shouldve been a late 1st rounder, early 2nd rounder. He was good enough to get over valued by NBA scouts, not his fault they rated him over Blake Griffin and Steph Curry. How many people in life would wanna be an NBA bust and make millions.
 
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Yep, he totally sucked. 2 time National defensive player of the year, Big East player of the year, 2nd team All-American.
Donyell Marshall was voted Big East Defensive Player of the Year, even though Calhoun (correctly IMO) said he, "couldn't guard a chair", though he led the league in blocked shots (a way-overrated stat.)

I admit to some bias, having been coached in college by someone who valued tough-nosed defense, not stats.
 

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