Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The Grizzlies Workouts (Paul George and Damion James)

Paul George has gotten a ton of hype.  He is gonna be the steal of the draft!  He could be the best player in the draft!  He is the guy that is flying under the radar!  I have heard it all about Paul George, so I had to go see him in his workout with the Grizzlies on Tuesday.  Going into the workout I must say that I was again hoping to see the guy that the Grizzlies had to take at 12 if he is available.  I just don't think it is there with the kid, and to be honest, if it was he would be going top 5.  There is a possibility that I could have this kid pegged wrong but I cannot stand guys that "motor" is a problem with.  They disgust me.  I think you lose with guys like Paul George because when push comes to shove, they will cave.  I don't wanna worry about a guy giving max effort.  Everybody can wait for the light to come on, I'll pass.  I detest the fact that he was on a losing team (which should be virtually impossible in a crap conference if you are a lottery guy), and the fact that he was not first team all-conference in the WAC, get real.  I would bank on that potential everybody loves going unfulfilled.  I have no time for lazy.

Damion James is the other player I saw in a workout this week.  He is the anti-Paul George.  He competes.  Played in college for 4 years and was crazy productive, yet playing in college for a long time is held against him.  I love guys like James.  Tough, rugged, athletic, and he cares about winning.  He wants to win every drill, he wants to win every race, he cares.  It is amazing to me what a rare trait this has become.  Maybe the fact that these guys play 5 trillion games over the course of their careers by the time they get to this point dulls their competitive edge, so if you still have it then it really says something about you.  He also fits my elite HS player theory (they pan out waaaaay more often than not).  I would want this kid on my team.  He probably will not be a star, but you win in the NBA with guys like Damion James.  I get so tired of seeing all these guys that are too cool to give maximum effort and bust people in the mouth.  This kid is gonna be a good NBA player for a long time, and he is what I want my role guys to look like.  I am in on Damion James.