Justin Hamilton goes to the 76ers in the 2nd round at the 45th pick, one before the Hornets, who I think would have taken him had he been there at 46. Wonder if he would have gone pro if he'd known he'd be a mid-2nd rounder.
I think I read where he got married and has a child and needed to make money. He was willing to go play in Europe. I think he's destined for the developmental league.
Congrats to Hamilton! Frankly, to me, it's a testament to the work he put in while at LSU and also a little bit it's some kudos perhaps to Trent Johnson and staff. It sometimes does still kill me how much bashing Trent gets (perhaps not on this board but others) and what's sort of been masked is, the guy is a good coach and has developed some good players. Count the number of kids that he's sent to the NBA and then stack that up against CJJ's or John Brady even. Justin Hamilton is a kid who was getting marginal minutes at Iowa State and then transferred, put in the time, and made himself an all-SEC center and who led LSU in scoring this past season. When it was reported he'd leave, thinking he'd go to Europe, people sort of poo-pooed his talent and doubted whether he'd be drafted. I frankly thought he was 2nd round material. I mean how many 7' 260 lb guys are there to draft? And, the kid can hit free throws and has a nice jumper, to go with some decent post play. He has the ability to be a serviceable big in the NBA with some time and continued maturation. And, I wonder behind the scenes how much NBA scouts are giving credit to the Trent factor... after all, many of Trent's bigs were sort of underrated when they came out and now have made a name for themselves in the post... the Lopez twins, the Collins twins, and others. Hamilton falls in that line of Fazekas, sort of fundamentally sound big that understands the game, can make passes and hit shots. Dependable guy with actual size. Much of whether you go in the 1st or 2nd round is a matter of perceived talent and "potential" but I'll be curious to see, is a Tyler Zeller or the big kid out of Illinois really that much better than Hamilton? Probably, but moreso for perceived athleticism and potential rather than a true skills set. In any case, we'll see what path he takes from here, but I'm happy for him. If he ends up playing for Miami, he couldn't have asked for a better situation. Go in, hustle, get boards, make good passes and hit the occasional spot up 15 footer or lay up, when teams focus on Wade or James.
Miami already has superstars, apparently they were looking for a bit of disciplined size inside to complement the playmakers. i think he has a shot at making the team.
I can see JH as a backup that gives a team 10-14 minutes, and about 8 points and a few rebounds a game. Would have liked to see him in New Orleans, although they haven't found a starting center yet, much less a reserve.
Also, interesting that he follows an almost identical draft night path as LSU's last pick, Marcus Thornton. Mid-second rounder, traded on draft night. As of now, JH has had more NBA teams than he has days in the NBA.
Good situation for him. He's already more fundamentally sound (and cheaper) than any other center they have outside Bosh, who they'd like to play at the 4. Turiaf is garbage even though he hustles like hell. That idiot that threw the elbow in the end of the final game against the Pacers sucks. They're not going to keep paying Eddy Curry to sit the bench. Hamilton has a good chance to get some minutes early. Especially with Haslem getting older and being undersized. The Heat will probably closeout games with Bosh at center and Lebron at the 4, but they'll need guys to go big and Hamilton fits that bill if he works hard. I like his chances better in Miami than in Philly. Lower expectations in Miami.
