With the 57th Pick the San Antonio Spurs select James Gist

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=YwXtuO1SGG8[/youtube]
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=_DmJL9qKnAw[/youtube]
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=9y82BkBZtzA[/youtube]
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=ktqCL2XiO8o[/youtube]


well he can dunk, lol, can't find anything else on youtube

I've actually hear his name.

In other news. The Lakers picked Joe(y) Crawford. I guess they are thinking, the league is screwed up anyway, lets just make it official.

libri wrote:I've actually hear his name.

In other news. The Lakers picked Joe(y) Crawford. I guess they are thinking, the league is screwed up anyway, lets just make it official.

Gist drafted by Spurs with 57th pick
By Adi Joseph for DiamondBackOnline.com

James Gist averaged 15.9 points and 7.9 rebounds last season fro the Terps


Former Terrapin basketball player James Gist was taken by the San Antonio Spurs with the 57th pick of Thursday's NBA Draft.

Gist averaged 15.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per game this past season, as a senior power forward. In the NBA, he will likely be expected to use his length and athleticism to provide strong defense at the small forward position.

Second round picks are not guaranteed contracts in the NBA. Many second rounders initially play in Europe or the NBDL, a developmental league designed to prepare players better for the NBA.

The Spurs, who have won four championships in the past 10 years with star center Tim Duncan leading the way, also selected IUPUI point guard George Hill with the 26th pick and Slovenian point guard Goran Dragic. Dragic isn't expected to join the team for several years.

Former Terp D.J. Strawberry was taken with the 59th pick last season. Strawberry played in 33 games for the Suns, scoring 73 points in 270 minutes.

Compiled by sports editor Adi Joseph.

ajosephdbk@gmail.com

ANALYSIS

Positives: Gist lacks height and bulk (for a power forward), but he makes up for those weaknesses with his impressive wingspan (88 inches), vertical leap (36 inches) and standing reach (8'11 1/2") ... Regarded as one of the best leapers in the collegiate game, as he does a good job of elevating above the rim to put in a resounding dunk and uses his second jump skills to fight bigger forwards for the rebounds ... Uses his frame to draw contact driving to the basket, where he is becoming an adequate free throw shooter ... Uses his leaping ability and long arms to get up and over the bigger forwards and has the strength to power his way to the basket ... Has room on his frame to add more bulk without it affecting his overall athleticism ... Plays with a relentless motor and his stamina is very impressive, as he logs long stretches of minutes without tiring ... Has good foot motion and speed playing in transition and uses his body well to set up picks and screens ... Also does a good job of getting his body wide to make him a nice target for post entry passes ... Shows good weave slashing to the basket and his quickness creates mismatches when a bigger defender tries to take him on along the perimeter ... Has enough quickness and adequate ball-handling skills to get in front or put the ball on the floor for a dribble or two when playing on the fast break ... His natural hands are evident with his ability to secure the ball in the post, power his way through traffic and get to the rim ... Shows good touch, generally finishing around the basket with a quick turnaround jumper and shows good hands in catch-and-shoot situations playing in the post ... Showed much better patience waiting for his shot to develop and execute his attempts with a higher release point as a senior, seeing 3.3-point improvement in his scoring average from the previous year ... A work in progress shooting from the perimeter, but has enough range to connect from NBA 3-point range (just needs to be much more consistent with his shooting mechanics, as he will shoot from the hip at times, even after working hard on generating a high release point in 2007-08) ... When he sets his feet, he has had much better success connecting with his jumper from mid range (took too many off-balance shots earlier in his career until improving his foot mechanics) ... Has most of his scoring success from his inside game, but is also good at catching the defender off guard by suddenly pulling up and firing off his shot from the top of the key ... The best thing about his offensive game is the development of his turnaround jumper, which he showed good consistency hitting it from either side ... He has shown improvement and better confidence using his jump hook, as he times his leaps well to elevate over the outstretched arms of a defender ... His best asset comes from defending in the post -- he uses his strength well to maintain position and lock down his man in the paint ... Times his leaps and uses his length well as a shot-blocker ... Shows good snap in his hips rotating on defense and the lateral agility to prevent the perimeter players from slashing to the basket often ... His lateral range and active hands cause problems for an opponent in the passing lane and with his foot speed, he seems to be capable of covering smaller opponents on the open floor, making Gist a better fit to play small forward in the NBA ... Very determined under the boards to get to rebounds and on the offensive glass, he has made a decent living scoring on putbacks ... Even though he has been matched up vs. much bigger frontcourt types, he has the power to prevent them from boxing him out and the quickness to mirror shooters facing the rim.

Negatives: Despite his leaping ability and wingspan, he lacks the ideal height you want from a power forward and if he is to stay at the "four" spot at the next level, he will have to add more bulk to his frame, but the added weight could impact his impressive foot speed and lateral mobility ... Needs to develop better moves around the basket, as he is too right-hand dominant and appears very mechanical in his stride (must develop pivot moves) to the rim ... More effective when used as a post player, as he does not seem to create the mismatches he should vs. smaller defenders when facing the basket ... Very predictable when he does put the ball on the floor, as most of his drives to the basket will come over the right side ... Good pressure defender, but will get a bit too confident in his reach and elevation, giving too much space to perimeter shooters, daring them to take a shot ... Scores most of his points around the basket and even though he is slowly developing a mid-range game, he does not have much confidence taking his shots from the perimeter, attempting just two treys his first two years and compiling a 33.0 percent success rate from 3-point range ... Can power his way to the rim, but must be more consistent setting his feet before executing his jumper away from the basket ... Lacks the creativity with his shot coming off the dribble (scores mostly on dunks or on short jumpers), as he lacks a quick release and does hesitate some following through to his release point ... Has decent assist totals, but lacks the court vision and feel for the defense to be relied upon as a passer (most of his turnovers came when he put the ball on the floor last year, as he has a high, loose dribble), as his assist-to-turnover ratio is very poor (45 assists to 90 turnovers last season).

Compares To: SHANE BATTIER-Houston ... Like Battier, Gist has a power forward's mentality, but is trapped in a small forward's body. He is a great shot blocker and rebounder for a player his size, known more as a defender than a shooter. He gets most of his points around the basket and while he is slowly developing a mid-range shot, he lacks confidence and ability to be consistent firing from the perimeter, a critical part of any small forward's game. With his defensive skills, long wingspan and leaping ability, he is certainly a valuable asset for the rotation off the bench, but until he develops a much better perimeter game, he's not going to receive consistent minutes in the NBA.

http://www.sportsline.com/nba/players/draft/524663

This guy is NBA ready. Throw him in the rotation. I would put him behind Bowen and Udoka. Put him in for garbage time. Look at the guy, he can dunk for sure, hes a beast.

James Gist Makes the Leap

June 27, 1:46 PM

Ex-Terp Forward James Gist was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 57th overall pick of Thursday’s NBA Draft.

Gist’s career at Maryland was marred by the team’s inconsistencies, but he did manage to average 15.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game this past season while being named the team’s Most Valuable Player.

Gist’s athleticism and defense give him a good chance at not only making the Spurs but developing into an energetic, disruptive bench player.

An All-ACC Defensive Team selection in 2007-2008, his 1.3 steals and 2.3 blocks per game speak to his potential as a valuable member of an NBA bench. His lack of a consistent outside game will likely prevent him from ever starting, but he’s active enough down low to be a serviceable offensive option.

It seems like Gist knows his future in the NBA depends on his hustle and defense.

He told The Diamondback in a recent article, “I'm a defender; I look to defend the [small forward position]. Come in and guard the Tracy McGradys of the league, the Kobe Bryants."

DraftExpress.com reported that Gist “looked very active defensively in the passing lanes and did a great job getting out in transition, using his athleticism well around the rim,” during the NBA Pre-Draft Camp.

While Gist might have been disappointed by being selected late, San Antonio provides a good opportunity for him to contribute. The Spurs’ current defensive specialist, SG/SF Bruce Bowen, is 37. He can still blanket opposing scorers fairly effectively but is not nearly the shutdown defender he once was. SG/SF Michael Finley, who started 61 games last year, is 35 and now a free agent.


Assuming he makes the team, Gist’s chances of being on a successful squad are fairly high. The Spurs have won four NBA Championships in the last 10 years and still have Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker.



http://www.examiner.com/x-337-Baltim...Makes-the-Leap

they discuss Gist in the 2nd half of the video

Gist awaits future in NBA



James Gist remembers being a kid, sitting down with his father and watching Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal play in the NBA. He used to think, "That's gonna be me some day," long before he knew of his actual potential.

Tonight, Gist will be watching an NBA event again. But he'll be watching to see if his childhood dreams come true, as 60 players from colleges and overseas will be selected by NBA teams during the league's annual rookie draft.

The former Terps forward who averaged 16 points and eight rebounds per game his senior season is projected to be picked sometime in the draft's second round.

"Now that I'm here, it's like ... man! My whole life can change," Gist said from an airport in Detroit on Tuesday afternoon as he awaited his flight to Boston to work out for the 2008 NBA champion Celtics.

This drill has become habitual for Gist, who has recently trained in enough NBA teams' clothes to fill a walk-in closet and amassed enough frequent flyer miles to buy up an airline.

Boston was the 13th and final team Gist worked out for as part of the pre-draft preparation, where players showcase their skills to organizations which may, in turn, draft them.

So life for Gist has been a repetitive, yet exciting routine - fly to an NBA city, stay for the night in a hotel, check out by 8 a.m. and be ready to impress scouts and team management by 9.

If Gist has caught the eye of the right people, he'll hear his name called tonight and see his hard work come to fruition. Draft experts see that all happening.

"I know there's definitely some interest in the second round for him," NBADraft.net founder Aran Smith told The Diamondback. "He's probably going somewhere in the 40s."
Smith thinks there's about an 80-percent chance Gist will be selected by a team during the draft.

If Gist does get picked or latches onto a team after the draft via free agency, he will likely have a much different role than the one he had with the Terps. In college, the 6-foot-9 Gist was a power forward whom his team relied on for scoring. In the NBA, he will probably shift to the small forward position and be used primarily as a defensive replacement.

"With his standout athleticism he can overcome the fact that he's a bit raw on the offensive end," Smith said. "I could see him as a specialist guy, a defensive stopper who comes in with great energy."

Smith compared Gist's style of play to Renaldo Balkman, a New York Knicks forward who uses hustle and energy to carve out his spot in the team's rotation.

Gist welcomes any role he can claim and realizes that he won't be a double-double threat like he was over the past couple of years.

"Coming into the NBA, I don't plan on playing a lot," Gist said. "They have their guys who can do a lot of scoring, and I don't look at my role as that. I'm a defender; I look to defend the [small forward position]. Come in and guard the Tracy McGradys of the league, the Kobe Bryants."

Gist's length and leaping ability lend to the notion that he could be a good defensive player in the pros. At the Orlando pre-draft camp - an event where top prospects assemble for measurements, interviews and exhibition games against one another - Gist displayed a 7-foot-4-inch wingspan and a 35-inch vertical leap. Both are impressive numbers for a potential NBA player.

Gist's shot was erratic during the exhibition games in Orlando, but according to DraftExpress.com, "he looked very active defensively in the passing lanes and did a great job getting out in transition, using his athleticism well around the rim ... The energy he brought to the floor was exactly what the doctor ordered for his draft stock."

Tonight, the value of his stock will be discovered. And Gist will be watching intently from Pennsylvania with family members.

With any luck, he'll become a bit more geographically grounded, as well as a proud member of an NBA team. Just like he dreamt it at age six.


http://media.www.diamondbackonline.com/ ... age2.shtml

"With his standout athleticism he can overcome the fact that he's a bit raw on the offensive end," Smith said. "I could see him as a specialist guy, a defensive stopper who comes in with great energy."

Could he be the Bowen replacement we have been hoping for?

I would be surprised if he ever plays a minuet in the NBA.