Warriors happy with Epke Udoh selection

So are we champ. I actually was going to write this post differently. As a kid I liked "what if" books. My first thought was what if they had instead drafted Greg Monroe? My second thought was while I believe you must credit Joe for drafting Greg its hard to ignore that it really was a no brainer at that point (even before). How bad would we be right now? Holy hell. Thank you Donnie.

4 months ago Danny D 12 comments 0 recs |

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Obviously most of their fans disagree!

This is the Warriors version of how we feel about the Darko pick. The difference is that everyone apparently agreed Darko was the way to go, whereas most teams probably would have picked Monroe over Udoh. As I recall the talk leading up to the draft that year, Udoh was moving up the board because he impressed folks with his workouts and demeanor, etc.

While I was happy with the Monroe pick at the time, and like everyone else am thrilled about it now, I give Dumars some credit for making this pick. If it was a “no brainer,” then Golden State would have grabbed him. I think they paid attention to the “soft” label some had put on Monroe, and felt Udoh would be tougher, superior at D, etc. I’m just glad it worked out well for us, and hope folks will be saying the same thing about not picking Knight earlier by year’s end.

BTW, look at hope well Markieff Morris is shooting 3s for the Suns! Everyone thought shooting was the weak point of his game. It just goes to show that some things can’t be predicted.

by revken on Jan 17, 2012 3:43 PM EST reply actions

I want to go on record as saying that

I called it.

by TDP on Jan 18, 2012 11:31 PM EST up reply actions

This was no slam-dunk decision at the time.

(har har).

But the reasons Golden State did not select Monroe still apply. He’s not the big body, physical big man they envision.

Greg Monroe is roughly of average size for an NBA center. We’ve covered this at DBB. He’s also YOUNG and will get bigger. Further, anyone who says Greg Monroe is not a physical player is a liar. A damn liar.

Being more of a power forward (or a high-post center), he clashes with David Lee’s skills a bit.

I’m not the only Pistons fans who would have LOVED to try and make this front-court work together.

The Warriors desperately need defense and Udoh provides it. He certainly did Sunday. His line: 27 minutes (season-high), 10 points, six rebounds, four blocks (season-high) and three steals. Udoh helped hold Monroe scoreless in the fourth quarter.

See? The one career game they have played against each other CLEARLY proves drafting Udoh over Monroe was not a mistake.

Riley said Udoh won’t be judged by Monroe. A couple team sources said they take solace in the fact that Udoh is still a good draft pick even if Monroe may have the sexier numbers.

Translation: We don’t judge Udoh by Monroe because it makes us look like complete idiots.

But Udoh, the Warriors hope, will develop his scoring and rebounding and make up the difference with his intangibles.

Ah, yes. The “intaginbles” argument. The fall-back argument of last resort.

This article is the literary equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears and yelling “LALALALA” as loud as you can.

by Big Z in Orlando on Jan 18, 2012 1:00 PM EST reply actions 3 recs

Excellent job. FJM would be proud.

by Birdman84 on Jan 18, 2012 4:19 PM EST up reply actions

rec

RIP Al Davis
PS3 - agentpoop (dont ask why the name... tell me if your from a blog)
twitter - @nateoak5

by dubzfan on Jan 19, 2012 2:30 AM EST up reply actions

This article is spin and homerism at its finest. Udoh has been a total bust thus far. Monroe has a case for being an All Star in his second season.

As Big Z said above, I think fielding a frontcourt rotation of Biedrins, Lee, and Monroe makes Golden State pretty damn interesting.

"With logic he attacks. With statistics he defends."

@brgulker

by brgulker on Jan 18, 2012 1:21 PM EST reply actions

lololololol

"Frankly, he’s the better basketball player."

I have serious issues with this statement. Greg Monroe is a losing basketball player. Ekpe Udoh is a winning basketball player.

For reasons I expound on in my latest blog post: Defense and speed.

http://www.ibabuzz.com/warriors/2012/01/15/ekpe-udoh-vs-greg-monroe/#comment-44968

Are you kidding me?

"With logic he attacks. With statistics he defends."

@brgulker

by brgulker on Jan 18, 2012 1:30 PM EST reply actions

That dude has a warriors blog

a few choice snippets

Third, Greg Monroe could not play for Don Nelson. Nellie wouldn’t let him on the court. Why not? Well to start with he is a complete non-entity on defense. He doesn’t block shots. He doesn’t like to bang. As Jim Barnett noted tonight, he just simply "disappears." And he is absolutely horrible at extending out to guard the pick and roll. As Monta Ellis clearly demonstrated late in this game, after Mark Jackson finally rolled out the small lineup, by picking up two quick fouls on him. Greg Monroe is a hopeless defender.

Do you think Monroe is a good player? I don’t care if he goes to the all-star game. I don’t think he’s a winning player. His stats are empty. Wake me up when the Pistons have a winning record.

I would sit here and go through how stupid this is, but Brgulker already said it best
lololololol

by Danny D on Jan 18, 2012 3:42 PM EST up reply actions