Cody Zeller

[Jakob]

Oh my god, the kid is so raw, I can't even consider him raw talent. I thought he was going to be a terrible bust and I might just be correct. Unless Ewing can completely turn him around this off season and put 40 pounds on him the best Cody can ever hope for is being a third string PF off the bench. Looking at his stats from tonight's game you wouldn't imagine he had too bad of a game. In reality it was atrocious. I was screaming at my TV for them to bench Cody and I never scream at basketball. I just couldn't take it anymore. He has had fug up after fug up at worst. I recall making a joke when we drafted him saying "Hey he can't make the team any worse" I was wrong, he makes everyone around him worse. Maybe, he is scared.. There has to be something wrong with his game causing him to be this bad. He doesn't even look like he should be on a professional roster. He is missing jump shots that he nailed in college. In a very different way this reminds me of when we drafted Biyombo. The only difference is Biz plays incredible defense and struggles on offense. Zeller struggles in every aspect of the game. Don't rag on me for this but, if he keeps playing like that and can't develop, you might as well put him in the same bust category as Kwame Brown when Jordan drafted him in 2001.  

 

I really really really hope I have to eat crow on this but, I'd take just about anyone taken in the top 15 picks over Zeller. I wish we would have drafted Nerlens Noel and just wanted for him to recover from surgery. With about 3:44 we put McRoberts in and he started surging, he was rebounding, he was assisting, he was knocking down threes. We nearly came back from being down 21 points in under 4 minutes. That McRoberts trade was a hell of a trade. I love the guy. 

 

Sorry for the rant, I just get so sick of seeing us reach for terrible players in the draft.

 

What are your thoughts on Zeller?

[Its The Milk]

I think so far he has been an incredibly poor pick. I was fine with the pick on draft night but he sure is playing like a bum so far.

 

[teeray]

I like to give guys time to develop rather than rush to judgment.

Nobody thought he was going to be the savior.

[Jakob]

I like to give guys time to develop rather than rush to judgment.

Nobody thought he was going to be the savior.

 

I rarely judge a basketball player until their third season but, Zeller is seriously hurting this team when he is on the court. He hacks people of fouls, turns the ball over, shoots bricks, IF he is lucky enough to hit the rim. I wouldn't mind if he was a non-factor in the game but, he is bringing the whole damn team down when he plays.

[Eazy-E]

I think it was between Noel, Zeller and McLemore. I still think we should have taken McLemore even if he turned into a bench/6th man since we are probably the worst shooting team in the league. I unserstand the pick and still think he can grow. Noel is pretty much a more raw version of Biz with an injury history. With the signing of Al he was out of the question unless we got a trade for the pick. We did not need Holiday. Zeller makes sense with our team since we are waiting for players to grow. If we end up with 2 or 3 first round picks I still think we are in great position for a playoff team / team built for the post Miami/ Lebron era.

 

 

[CCS]

Look back at the draft thread and you'll see that I wanted McLemore. This team is beyond hope when a 22 year old who hardly even watches basketball is a better talent evaluator than their actual GM.

[ItsPantone278]

While I'll agree Zeller has struggled, he's been hardly as bad as OP suggest.

[Chaos]

He looks lost out there right now.  But hopefully he will eventually learn how to adapt his game.  Look at the number one overall pick right now, Anthony Bennett.  Not looking good, but not every rookie is an immediate splash.

 

 

[GamecockSmitty4]

I was good with the pick on draft night but he has not looked good so far. Hopefully an offseason of weightlifting and shooting will go a long way for him. The good thing for Cody is that none of the rookies are looking that good so far. Bennett has been beyond trash, Oladipo has been average, Porter hasn't even played, McLemore has been below average. Only MCW has had a decent start so far.

[carolina-chuck]

Too soon to call him a bust but GOD DAMN Zeller is looking like a damn bust! I tried to like the pick after it was announced and accepted the pick with his showing in the combine. But I can't stand his play so far.

What I hate the most about him is his defense! All he do is stand in front the offensive player with his hands up.

Should have drafted Ben McLemore! I would have been fine with an injured Nerlens Noel too.

[bLACKpANTHER]

season is young. he will get better. just be patient

 

he looks scared- which is probably true. and when you are scared- you turn to what you know best. in his case he used his athleticism to dominate in college. in the nba, his athleticism is not getting him anywhere. once the game slows down for him and he can let the game come to him- then he can use his athleticism in calculated ways- and then you will see the player from the rookie summer league

 

just based on those games, he has earned a year in my book, as well as everyone elses, to learn and get better.

[Proudiddy]

Wow, I thought most people who have played would view it in the same way that I have...  He's kind of getting shafted and is being forced to take a backseat to McBob, and as a result, he feels lost and rushed when he does get out on the floor. 

 

In my experience playing, coming off the bench was extremely difficult at first, because you don't know when coach is gonna pull you, so you're trying to make something happen quickly, which often doesn't turn out well.  It's hard to play your game though when you don't know how long you'll be out there.  It affects everything...  Your shot, your passes, your approach...  EVERYTHING - until you grow to understand what is expected of you in that role and become accustomed to doing it in the minutes you expect to get.

 

Additionally, some of the foul calls he's been getting are complete BS...  I've seen him rack up a million fouls on setting screens that he didn't deserve.

 

I think he is having a hard time getting into the flow of the game coming off of the bench...  And IMO, as our #1 pick, he should be starting and playing a lot more minutes than McBob.  When he starts feeling more comfortable in his role, he'll be back to doing the stuff you saw in summer league.

[teeray]

Man, today's sports world demands immediate results.

Let him develop. He is going to be a really solid player for us. He needs to get stronger and acclimate to the NBA game.

Again no one thought he was the savior.

[Sapper]

I think he'll be fine - he can maximize his skill sets and be a constant contributer.

 

He has a knack for the ball, which is always good.