Closer Look: Otto Porter

[mrWalrus]

Now we're getting comparisons to Bird and Kobe? What on Earth?! This is insanity.

Bird had an incredible shot - one of the best of all time - to fall back on.
He also had a LeBron level of passing ability.. if not better. He knew where everyone was on the court at all times. He had great handles, was super competitive, and never gave up on a play. Sadly his back went out on him and robbed us of another couple great years. I was actually a little bummed when the Cavs beat them in the playoffs because I knew we'd never see him on the court again.

[video=youtube;flT88MH8hAM]http://youtu.be/flT88MH8hAM[/video]

Then Kobe, one of the best athletes and players with the biggest chip on his shoulder of all time, with a drive to succeed like few others in any sport, ever. Kobe was/is chasing the ghost of Jordan up an down the court. He cares less about the game and more about his legacy. Thankfully for Lakers fans those two things typically aligned. Not to mention his god given skill in all facets of the game. He's one of the best players to ever lace up a pair of sneakers. Porter would be lucky to sniff his vapors.

I'll give props to Porter for having a solid head on his shoulders, having a low turnover rate, and being an unselfish all-around 'team first' player, but as for the rest of these comparisons. They need to be tempered a bit. If we had a pick around 8-12 I'd say he's the type of player I expect. With the following weaknesses however, he's not someone I would feel comfortable spending a top five pick on, regardless of need.

Weaknesses: Smooth run/jump athlete but missing the trademark explosion of a lottery talent. The power quotient is noticeably absent as well. While muscle definition is more noticeable, he has not added substantial bulk in his two years (from 200 to 205). It appears he has the broad shoulders to support more weight. He lacks the tools to impose his will on the game. Has difficulty creating clean looks for himself- off the dribble creativity is elementary and he’s more slippery/slithery than quick. Aptitude shooting off the bounce is often condensed to 1 or 2 dribbles, doesn’t rise up and elevate off hard drives. Not a consistent breakdown candidate, dependent on another playmaker or garbage buckets in the half court. Limited albeit diverse role player. Porter was utilized as a “pick and pop” threat just three times all season, failing to showcase potentially his greatest attribute as an undersized 4. His jump shot mechanics are awkward with elbows out and funky sidespin rotation. To his credit, he’s made it work a la Shawn Marion. Top-notch defender in all situations that don’t require side to side movement in open space. There are clear shortcomings in the lateral quickness department, which he masks with makeup speed and length.

 

[TyGuy]

Who was comparing him to Larry Bird Walrus? I mentioned Bird as a player who has an amazing left hand and how much that helped him as a scoring threat.

 

[NtG]

Posted it in the NBA Draft thread, but relevant here.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>ESPN draft analyst Chad Ford: "I’m pretty sure the <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Cavs">#Cavs</a> are praying Otto Porter is there when they draft. He's a perfect fit for them."</p>&mdash; Jason Lloyd (@JasonLloydABJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonLloydABJ/status/334778372666310656">May 15, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[TyGuy]

Posted it in the NBA Draft thread, but relevant here.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>ESPN draft analyst Chad Ford: "I’m pretty sure the <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Cavs">#Cavs</a> are praying Otto Porter is there when they draft. He's a perfect fit for them."</p>— Jason Lloyd (@JasonLloydABJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonLloydABJ/status/334778372666310656">May 15, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

You just don't know with our front office. They can be quite unpredictable. We usually don't find out who is the strongest suitor till days leading into the draft thanks to a few insiders. I'm pretty sure Ford said the same thing about us liking Barnes. Everybody had us linked to Barnes for the longest time.

Not saying this doesn't have any merit because I like Porter much more as a prospect over Barnes.

 

[TyGuy]

The Cleveland Cavaliers are going into Thursday night's draft hoping to land a starting wing with the No. 4 pick to play alongside last year's rookie of the year, Kyrie Irving.

According to sources, the Cavs have narrowed their list to three players: Florida's Bradley Beal, Kentucky's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and North Carolina's Harrison Barnes.

Ford: How The Draft Might Play Out

Follow ESPN Insider Chad Ford and his updated mock draft projections of who will get picked after Anthony Davis at No. 1. Mock Draft 10.1 Insider

The Cavs covet Beal, but are convinced that the Washington Wizards will select him with the No. 3 pick. They have had discussions about swapping picks with the Charlotte Bobcats at No. 2 to select Beal, but as of Thursday afternoon, they still didn't have a deal.

If the Cavs stay at No. 4 and Beal is off the board, their front office is torn between Kidd-Gilchrist and Barnes. While Barnes provides more punch offensively, the Cavs are intrigued by the defensive abilities and leadership qualities of Kidd-Gilchrist.

Kidd-Gilchrist and Irving were high school teammates and won a state championship together.

Sources say that as of Thursday, Kidd-Gilchrist had a slight lead over Barnes.

The Cavs also have shown interest in Dion Waiters and Terrence Ross, but sources say that interest doesn't extend to the No. 4 pick.

The Cavs have been trying to acquire another top 10 pick and would consider those players there if they can make a deal.

http://espn.go.com/nba/draft2012/st...el-kidd-gilchrist-harrison-barnes-sources-say ~Chad Ford

 

[getBUCKED]

You just don't know with our front office. They can be quite unpredictable. We usually don't find out who is the strongest suitor till days leading into the draft thanks to a few insiders. I'm pretty sure Ford said the same thing about us liking Barnes. Everybody had us linked to Barnes for the longest time.

Not saying this doesn't have any merit because I like Porter much more as a prospect over Barnes.

Just wondering, what makes you like Porter more than Barnes? To me, Barnes has the edge with a better jump shot & is in another universe athletically compared to Porter.

 

[TyGuy]

Just wondering, what makes you like Porter more than Barnes? To me, Barnes has the edge with a better jump shot & is in another universe athletically compared to Porter.

Porter has better ball handling skills, and is a much more adept passer while also turning the ball over less. Porter has more scoring tools as is evident by his much higher efficiency and superior ball handling skills(although he isn't very creative with the ball). Despite having a funky shot, I think Porter is a better shooter. Barnes lack of ball handling skills really hamper him at the pro level. He is a guy who can score by out muscling smaller guys in the post, spot up three and straight line drives. Porter can go east, west as well as north south.

I also think Porter is more level headed and team oriented. Barnes worrying about "his brand" was a bit off putting to say the least. He obviously bought too much into his own hype. I think Porter is a quite a bit more rounded with his talents.

 

[AZ_]

Does Chad Ford have credible connections with a front office, or is he simply saying that "Oh the Cavs need a small forward, and Porter is a small forward at the top of the board....PERFECT!"

I mean I'd love to give him the benefit of the doubt, but it's ESPN.

 

[Soar]

I think thats just Chad Ford's opinion. Highly doubt the Cavs would leak their main target this early. If anything, this is a sign we might not be as high on Porter as some think.

 

[Jack Brickman]

Does Chad Ford have credible connections with a front office, or is he simply saying that "Oh the Cavs need a small forward, and Porter is a small forward at the top of the board....PERFECT!"

I mean I'd love to give him the benefit of the doubt, but it's ESPN.

I would imagine he has at least one source in every front office, but that doesn't mean he's always told the truth.

 

[malus]

Just wondering, what makes you like Porter more than Barnes? To me, Barnes has the edge with a better jump shot & is in another universe athletically compared to Porter.

That may end up being true, but Porter had better shooting numbers both overall and on three pointers when comparing their sophomore seasons.

 

[DatDudeZ3]

What about a poor man's Nic Batum comparison? Slightly less athletic, and Batum probably has him by a bit on 3 pt shooting also.

 

[Nathan S]

Barnes shot 49/137 from 3 in college (36%) and 52/145 his rookie year (36%)

Porter shot 43/102 from 3 (42%)

Just wondering, what makes you like Porter more than Barnes? To me, Barnes has the edge with a prettier jump shot & is in another universe athletically compared to Porter.

Fixed.

 

[STAT]

Barnes shot 49/137 from 3 in college (36%) and 52/145 his rookie year (36%)

Porter shot 43/102 from 3 (42%)



Fixed.

Very true, but let's not completely ignore the fact that Barnes shot 67/195 (34.4%) from three his freshman season, while Porter shot 12-53 (22.6%) from three his freshman season.

Obviously Porter is much improved as a three-point shooter, but it's certainly possible that he may regress as a three-point shooter; settling a bit closer to his freshman numbers than we would like.

 

[Nathan S]

Very true, but let's not completely ignore the fact that Barnes shot 67/195 (34.4%) from three his freshman season, while Porter shot 12-53 (22.6%) from three his freshman season.

Obviously Porter is much improved as a three-point shooter, but it's certainly possible that he may regress as a three-point shooter; settling a bit closer to his freshman numbers than we would like.

Fair enough. But we can both agree that it's unclear who has the better jumpshot, at least. And if Barnes doesn't have the better jumpshot, then his only remaining edge over Porter is that he jumps higher in a lab...which doesn't make him the better prospect by any stretch of the imagination.