The Problems With Ekpe Udoh

Vote NO on Udoh!

If the Kings were to obtain a second 1st round pick then I would be on the bandwagon. Udoh blocks shots and he isn’t completely inept like a singularly faceted player like Sene. I could see Udoh performing close to a Samuel Dalembert rate- not the defensive rebounder but a solid rotational big if the price was right. I guess I’m saying a more productive Taj Gibson.

I actually think he has pretty good offensive skill. He’s a good shooter out to 15-20 feet, and while this does not make for the most efficient of offense, I’d rank his offensive ability on par with Jason Thompson’s. What Udoh is not is a particularly good shot creator, but that’s not the same thing as being unskilled. He’s also a good passer, so I could see him being deadly out of the high post, either passing down low or hitting 15 footers.

Rebounding, however, is definitely a concern. He’s not very strong and until he does he’s probably not going to be much of a rebounder in the NBA. If you want a rebounder he’s not your guy.

All the same, I think when you combine his athleticism and shotblocking with his shooting/passing, I think you’re still looking at a pretty good offense/defense combo with room to get better.

I don’t know if, at the end of the day, when you add up the pluses and minuses that translates to a worthy #5 pick, but I wouldn’t be angry. The truth is, at #5 we’re not going to get someone without question marks. Monroe is soft, Cousins has supposed maturity issues, Aminu is raw, Johnson may be redundant, etc. etc. etc. I think it’s reasonable that Udoh is in the mix.

I have no personal accounting of any of these guys (I watch no college ball), so I’m easily swayed back and forth on all of these guys by everyone here that knows considerably more about these prospects than I do. So far today I’ve been pining for at least 6 different guys to take at #5. I’m starting to get a little dizzy.

Also, it seems a bit like your case against Udoh makes a case for Aldrich (defensive rebounding, offensive efficiency). Maybe not, but I guess I’m reiterating nbrans’ point that with all the guys that seem to be in our range right now, there are at least as many “minuses” or “question marks” as there are things to be excited about. So, I assume you’re working on the other 10 articles like this for all the other guys?

Then you get the best of everything. Varnado is one of the NCAA’s best shot blockers all time, and he’ll come cheap.

It would be foolish not to draft him. Maybe at 2 or 3 you’re taking a gamble, but at 5 he would be a steal, and then you’ve addressed “that guy that can dunk hard from 5-8 feet” position. Ekpe will be a decent player, but there’s a couple of other cats I would draft at 5 over him, starting with Wes Johnson, Greg Monroe, and so on…

and not Sambo’s.

If the Kings draft Udoh then we can look forward to getting screwed again next year in the lottery. He is no better than any big we have & probably won’t ever be an upgrade.

This guy has Saer Sene written all over him. People are so enamored with shot blocking. I just don’t understand it. To me shot blocking is like steals. You wouldn’t draft a point gaurd who can’t handle the ball, can’t pass, can’t shoot but averaged 3-4 steals a game.

When we had Brad Miller & Mike Bibby on our team it made me & everyone else sick to see Nash & Parker skipping to the basket uncontested. Even JJ Barea & Travis Diener were tearing us up. I understood the thirst for a shot blocker then but I didn’t see too much of that last year.

Our main problem last year was rebounding from 2 of our 3 bigs( Hawes & Landry) & low post defense. Getting backed down in the paint, outskilled, or outworked. Do you see Udoh being able to defend Gasol or Bynum? Who cares if he can block a shot or 2 from the gaurds if he is getting abused by the bigs.

I’m not endorsing Aldrich but he is far better than Udoh. He is a guy who blocks shots, rebounds, throws down dunks, & can probably defend any big man in the NBA. If that’s what you are looking for then he is the BPA at the center position. He would be the best center on this team immediately.

And this is entirely personal and premature, but my feeling is that if Johnson proves in workouts that he’s a capable shooter I don’t see any real way Petrie passes on him with that 5th pick assuming Cousins is gone. And if Cousins isn’t gone Johnson probably already is. Carrill has previously mused on the team’s need for stronger outside shooting and while, yes, Johnson does a lot of what Greene and Casspi can/will do I feel the only player Johnson legitimately makes expendable is Garcia, and Garcia was expendable anyway.

Understand issues with Johnson’s age and agree with the redundancy criticism. But, and again this is predicated on the fact that his athleticism and shooting stroke is legitimate, I think he does fulfill needs currently outstanding for the Kings.

Not 5.

That is why I am convinece that the Kings go Monroe if Cousins has been taken, or even if he is.
A lot of these questions may be answered in the upcoming edition of CenterPalooza starring Cousins, Monroe, Udoh, Davis and Aldrich, maybe throw in Whiteside for a great 3 on 3.