Jason Kipnis, All-Star?
June 18, 2013Tom Reed talks about Bon Jovi, the Browns PR, Soccer and Jason Isbell – WFNY Podcast – 2013-06-18
June 18, 2013The comparison is obvious. Len, the 7’1″ Eastern European center from the University of Maryland agrees with the assessment-
“Ilgauskas, also an Eastern European, is a good analogy: A guy with true-center size who could shoot well enough to place defenders in predicaments. Ilgauskas scored nearly 11,000 career points. But there’s a way the Ilgauskas-Len comparison works against Len.
Ilgauskas had chronic foot problems over most of his pro career. Len is in a walking boot, after having surgery in April to stabilize a partial stress fracture in his left ankle. Noted Charlotte foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson did that surgery. Len’s rehab schedule suggests he’ll be cleared to start running in August and be fully recovered by the time training camp starts in October.”
“It’s that European style where big men can do whatever they want to,’’ Len described. “It just makes me a little different.’’ [Bonnell/Charlotte Observer]
The Cavaliers are rumored to be interested in Len with the first overall pick, and Ilgauskas himself has been scouting him. If the Cavaliers do draft Len, who better to work with him than Ilgauskas?
The draft is June 27th.
[Related: Top Pick Debate, plenty to rule out]
53 Comments
Hmmmmmmmmmmm what to do what to do…
If you told me that Len’s career would turn out the exact same as Z’s (sans the whole going to Miami at the end part), I’d gladly take him at #1. Consistent scoring and apt defense are exactly what the Cavs need from the center position based on the current roster. Take Len and #1 and then use some combination of picks/trades/signings to bring in a lethal three-point shooter at the SF position and the Cavs will be set for next season.
Pass on Len because he’s not good enough for the #1. LOL
An ankle stree fracture seems less daunting than a foot. Im warming to Len as the pick
I can’t see him being the #1 pick which is sad because I like him more then Noel. I wish the Cavaliers could move up with that second first round pick the problem is it wouldn’t be nearly high enough for a shot at Len. Bad bad timing to have the #1 overall.
No, he’s not Z. He is way more athletic than Z ever was. He is a better Jonas. That is the comparasion. Btw, you guys know he is the number 1 prospect on Draftexpress, right? Ahead of Noel. Stop acting like this is some kind of left-field idea, Len at 1…
if his ankle checks out, then I’d have him above Noel even if Noel’s knee also checks out.
But, don’t diss on Z. Z was extremely athletic ‘back in the day’. Unfortunately, his feet failed him.
“If the Cavaliers do draft Len, who better to work with him than Ilgauskas?”
Not sure why this would be the case at all. Even if Z has come on the practice court to work a little with Tristan or Zeller, there is no indication he is a good or even competent coach. Playing the game and teaching the game are different skill sets. Forget the provincial Cleveland sentimentality, forget the idea that native Euros must learn best from native Euros – if they invest so high in Len they’d be foolish not to have him work steadily with a bona fide, accomplished coach.
You have to go waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back to that day c’mon now. Z was the prototypical Euro big man but he was never very athletic.
Mike Brown baby oh yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeea!
I was in the Porter or bust camp, but now I’ve switched to Len. Exactly what the Cavs need. Center for the future.
Besides free agency is ripe with talent at the wing. Andre Iguodala? Yes please.
Hell, I’d even be fine with signing the SF from New Orleans, Aminu Al-Farouq, dude’s got some talent.
Yikes, Al-Farouq Aminu has raw talent, but man that’s it… can’t shoot a lick and has no feel for the game… very low basketball IQ.
I’m ok with Len, but I’d like to see if we can trade down with the Bobcats. We can probably get him at #4 instead
Ahh, a gambling man, I see.
Before the foot injuries derailed him (which was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay early in his career, LOL) he was fairly athletic (not Dwight Howard, Anthony Davis, Nerlens Noel athletic though.) I’d say he was on par with where Alex Len was pre-foot injury.
I, sincerely, want to know why that it is. I’m not involved in the medical field in any way, so I can only make an uneducated guess as to why I believe the ankle is more of a problem than the foot is.
It’s only bad timing if the guy we take doesn’t become a bona-fide star.
What do the Bobcats have, that they’d be willing to part with, that you would want though?
Uh-oh, looks like your keyboard caught Sham’s vowel sticky problem.
Even worse if the other guy that we could have taken, does become a star.
So the Cavs may pass on a very good center who is recovering from his injury (Noel), for another good center who is recovering from his injury (Len). Very interesting, considering that public opinion would state that any college injuries should be considered red flags that NBA teams need to take into consideration.
Can we have Gerald Henderson?
Probably has more to do with Cavs fans remembering Biz Z’s foot problems and not having a frame of reference for ankle problems. Now that I think about it, I don’t have a reference for chronic ankle injuries either though… can’t think of a player in any sports who has had them, but that doesn’t mean there is a correlation.
Depends how much the Bobs would want to move up. If they decide that Ben Mac or Noel is going to be an All Star(its possible, they make stupid decisions all the time so I wouldn’t be surprised if they make an overzealous move) and that their guy won’t be available, then who knows?
1+19+SAC pick for 4+MKG. I know it sounds ridiculous, but Thomas Robinson got dealt in his rookie year for cap room
All I am saying is that there are teams that would do stupid things
We need to go Back to the Future
Man…that’s risky for me. I would be worried that we’d see Len and Noel go before #4. If we have MKG, we don’t have as much of a need for Porter (who is my #2 favorite guy in the draft.) Then we’re pretty much stuck reaching for a guy who fits a need…or having 4 lottery picks to play 3 wing spots (Kyrie, Waiters, MKG and the #4).
I suppose there could be worse things to deal with.
I thinkt he problem you run into is that once you show signs of chronic ankle/foot problems, usually your career is derailed completely…so it becomes a bad injury that ended it for you. In the case of Big Z, the front office was excessively patient with him (and I was wrongfully firmly against us re-upping his contract in the early going.)
I think I probably agree with you, just saying that I don’t have a frame of reference for ankle problems… only foot problems. I can’t think of any players who have/had chronic ankle problems.
It all depends on who that person is. If Trey Burke becomes a star, I could care less…because we have a star at PG.
If Waiters becomes a star, I could care less about other SG’s in the draft.
If Withey becomes a star…that’s OK, because he wasn’t projected as a lottery guy anyways…and probably a lot of teams passed on him too.
Also, being a star on one team does not necessarily guarantee success with our team.
Yeah, it’ll probably take some serious digging to find it..
I would like to see how many players had (and recovered from) a stress fracture in the ankle…versus those who had the injury and didn’t recover.
This way we could get the best possible reference.
Don’t you have Dr. James Andrews on speed dial? Come on man, I need ANSWERS!
It is a red flag for both, but there are other factors that worry about Noel. Len has prototypical NBA center size, while Noel weighs 40 pounds less than Tyler Zeller. I do recognize that while Noel’s injury looked more gruesome, a stress fracture in the lower extremity of a big man is probably more worrying. It’s worth noting, however, that this was not Noel’s first ACL tear.
Thanks for reminding me we are talking about Cleveland!
Actually I think it was… pretty sure his other knee injury was a broken growth plate in his kneecap, or something along those lines.
You mean Dr. Robert Anderson but close.
IBS is next!
I thought it was the same knee in which he tore the ligament.
That’s exactly why it’s less worrying. Chronic ankle problems are much less common, and it’s not usually the bones.
Feet are complicated and full of small bones. If you weigh to much for your feet to handle the pounding of basketball those small bones will break repeatedly. Remember, Z eventually had both feet basically reconstructed with steel plates added to spread the weight out more evenly and stop the fractures. It worked for him, but it doesn’t for everybody. Ankle bones are much more robust and there aren’t dozens of them. There’s just less to go wrong.
I could be wrong. I was repeating that from elsewhere. I feel like I read he had injured the same knee previously though.
Better reference, yes. Dr. Livingstone, I presume?
I don’t want you to lose points for inaccuracy you know how some are sticklers for that around here. That and correct use of grammar and punctuation.
Well, the guy that I mean to use really was Dr. James Andrews, renowned orthopedist. But the guy you pulled is the one working on Jeter’s fractured ankle, so it’s a better reference… mine wasn’t inaccurate, just not as good.
No idea if it happens, but Len definitely has that potential to be the next Big Z. Very similar size and skill set to what Z had when he was drafted.
I’ve heard the same thing that Vindictive_Pat stated. But it’s hard for me to be concerned about Noel’s injuries because I feel that there were a number of players that had bad injury histories in college and high school, but had virtually no injuries at the NBA level. I wish there was a webpage that keeps track of a player’s injury history throughout the entire time that said player played basketball to prove my theory though.
In terms of worrying about Noel’s other issues, those are non-issues to me. The real question that need to be asked, is if Noel is WILLING to improve on his offense and add more muscle to his body. If his answer is “no”, THEN I’ll worry.
i’m sure there are some that way and some like Oden who continue to get hurt. you have to trust your medical people can figure out which the current guy is going to be.
not sure why 4 lottery picks playing 3 outside spots is a bad idea. more talent on the floor more of the time.
If possible, I’d prefer to have my lottery picks play different positions. Makes it simpler when it is time to try and keep them.
I thought Andrews was more Knee ACL/MCL/PCL guy…and Anderson was the foot/ankel guy. Admittedly, that is pure speculation on my part…and I’m too lazy to look it up.
It was his first ACL Tear.
He did have a broken growth plate on the same knee back in his early high school years (when his body was still growing/developing.)
The ACL injury doesn’t scare me in the least bit.
The growth plate thing is the only thing I’d be worried about..and I’m fairly certain it’s fine (that’s my non-doctor/non-professional opinion.)
If the growth plate is a red flag, Dr. James Andrews will let him know…and I’m sure the Cavs doctors will also catch it.
It was the same knee..I think he was referring specifically to the “other injury” as opposed to “other knee” when he made his statement.