Atlanta Hawks: Prospect focus: Baylor’s Quincy Miller
Baylor forward Quincy Miller is the highest-rated draft prospect who’s scheduled to work out for the Hawks, according to DraftExpress.com. He’d probably be ranked higher if not for the torn left ACL he suffered in December 2010.
David Aldridge reports the knee is a major concern for teams. He quoted an anonymous Central Division executive as saying: “He needs to spend these couple of months actually working out and rehabbing, and he never did it. He clearly never rehabbed. The atrophy in his leg was incredible. If he gets his leg strength back, he’s Durant-like in his ability to get a shot off. He’s 6-10 and he can snap his shot off with no trouble.”
The Hawks’ medical and basketball people have yet to meet to scrutinize Miller’s medical history in detail. But Miller was said to be moving better during his workout over the weekend than he did during his one season at Baylor.
The Hawks always covet versatile players and they aren’t sure if Miller could play power forward in addition to small forward. Hawks assistant GM Dave Pendergraft:
“That’s a good question. It’s kind of like Rashard Lewis with the Sonics. You didn’t know if he was a three or a four. A lot of that will be answered with the maturation of [Miller's] body. How strong can he get? How quickly can he get strong? And then can his frame carry weight? I would say right now he has to be a three because at the four he would get pushed around like a chess piece. So right now he’d have to keep him as much on the perimeter as much as he can. Now in time can he [get stronger]? Rashard Lewis, I think the most he ever weighed was 238, maybe. But he could bench 320 pounds. He’s an unbelievably strong guy. Now, can Quincy do that some day? Maybe. When you look at ‘Q,’ you look at the upside. How good can he be? And he does have a lot of upside. But right now I would classify him as a 3-4. Maybe somewhere down the line he could be a 4-3. But Rashard Lewis would be the case in point.”
Miller said he’s already gained significant weight since Baylor’s season ended.
“Once I put on a little more muscle I can play four,” he said. “I weigh 220 right now. I want to get up to 235, 240 almost. Somewhere around there.”
Miller said the added weight hasn’t affected his mobility. Hawks coach Larry Drew wonders if there could be diminishing returns:
“I don’t know what a bigger frame will do for him. Will it take anything away from him? Certainly he is going to have to get stronger moving to this next level and playing the position he plays. He certainly has to get stronger. From what I’ve seen of him, his wiry frame, that’s kind of who he is. You can really see the potential of this kid. He’s a good mid-range shooter, very skilled around the basket and he has length. He handles the ball good enough. He’s getting better at it. He’s a talented guy.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
273 comments Add your comment
CDOG
June 19th, 2012
1:17 pm
THE HAWKS WILL NEVER BE IN THE FINALS AS LONG AS LARRY DREW AND RICK SUND IS THERE.THE OWNERS WANT IT THAT WAY. IT’S ABOUT SAVING MONEY AND PLAYING MEDIOCRE TALENT WITH THEM.PEOPLE SHOULDN’T PAY THEIR HARD EARNED MONEY TO SEE THIS WASTED BUNCH NEXT SEASON
cp
June 19th, 2012
1:18 pm
@Ms Dee . I dont mind Taylor at all but it just depends on who is left on the board. The one thing about his game I dont like is his inability to create his own shot. He might be a good defender on the next level but who knows. People thought Singleton from FSU was going to be a great defender but I didnt see it last year with the Wizards. He was very dissapointin last year. I think Taylor will be solid though.
The way I see it is this. There is nobody who will be around at 23 who will help this team get over the top. So it comes down to do you want a guy who has the potential to be a stud in a few years or a guy who will just be solid. I think thats why so many people like Wroten. They see a guy who could be an absolute stud in a few years rather than take a guy who doesnt have much upside and probably wont be any better than what you see now. It all depends on what you’re looking for. I still believe that LD wants vets so whoever is taken at 23 probably wont see much pt anyway. But like I said it all depends on what you’re looking for.
O'Brien
June 19th, 2012
1:18 pm
AJ,
DeJuan Blair is the guy you are thinking of. I was surprised he fell all the way to the second round.
Astro Joe
June 19th, 2012
1:20 pm
Chad Ford’s latest mock draft has us picking Royce White with the following sumary (BTW, Quincy Miller gets selected at 24 and Wroten at 25 according to Ford).
Analysis: As long as coach Larry Drew can buy into what White is and how to play him, he could be a steal at this point in the draft. The Hawks don’t really have a primary ball handler anyway, which may make White a great choice if he’s allowed to play his game.
KevinM
June 19th, 2012
1:24 pm
“Slimjr
June 19th, 2012
12:53 pm
They probably want to see how this front line performs when healthy[ Josh,Al, and ZaZa] while playing with Jeff Teague and ISO…”
Didn’t we see this in 2010?
Man, only in Atlanta do you get to prove over and over that you aren’t a contender with the current starters.
So this team has one good playoffs against Orlando and they get pass after pass…no need to mess with something so good.
Astro Joe
June 19th, 2012
1:24 pm
OB, thanks. Yeah, Blair. I don’t think he has cartilege in his knees (or something weird like that). Sullinger is experiencing what Joakim Noah went through… they were top 5 picks had they left a year early and then got downgraded after staying an extra year in school. Now, to make matters worse, Sullinger may be chosen after 25.
cp
June 19th, 2012
1:29 pm
I read somewhere that Sullinger has one leg that is longer than the other. I think Greg Oden had the same problem. I doubt Sullinger drops that far though. I dont think GM’s will make the same mistake with him that they made with Blair. I think he goes late lottery or just outside of it.
Astro Joe
June 19th, 2012
1:29 pm
Ra’mon, Rondo was selected with the 21 st pick. Folk will fixate on the Hawks poor draft pick, but there were a BUNCH of teams that messed up their 2006 draft selection (the T’wolves traded Roy for Foye). But it is so much more fun to pretend that the Hawks are the lone idiots of the NBA.
http://nbadraft.net/nba_draft_history/2006.html
Astro Joe
June 19th, 2012
1:31 pm
cp, I bet you a Moon Pie from the Jason Collins emergency box that Sullinger drops to the 20s.
tyger
June 19th, 2012
1:35 pm
Quincy Miller is top 15 at worse…
1. When you are likened to Kevin Durant, you dont last long…
2. With PF length and SG skillset, Miller is prototype…
3. Projected top 8 in 2013 draft, Miller is a steal…
4. The ACL is problematic, it takes 2 yrs to fully recover…
5. NBA rehab/strength training will shorten his curve…
6. Grab him/stash him and you got a 2013 top 10 lotto pick…
7. All players will eventually have knee injuries…
8. The injury itself isnt the concern, the “will” to rehab is…
9. Why isnt he further along? Why isnt he “stronger”? Will he “listen”?
10. It’s easy to play again at 80%, but hard to “rehab fully” to 98%…
Blake Griffin destroyed his knee as a rookie, but committed to rehab…
Came back 2nd year looking stronger…but Blake big, strong kid anyway…
Miller more slithery, George Gervin-ish…Durant-ish – slender scorer…
Like LD said “stronger” but not necessarily that much bigger…
I like him as a big 2-3 – to play vs. the Durant/Lebrons…
Najeh Davenpoop
June 19th, 2012
1:36 pm
” Folk will fixate on the Hawks poor draft pick, but there were a BUNCH of teams that messed up their 2006 draft selection (the T’wolves traded Roy for Foye). But it is so much more fun to pretend that the Hawks are the lone idiots of the NBA.”
Probably wouldn’t be as egregious if the Hawks didn’t also screw up in 2004 and 2005, which led to them having to trade their pick in 2008. They look a lot more like idiots when you place the 2006 screw-up in the big picture.
Also doesn’t help that NOBODY had Shelden Williams as a lottery-caliber player leading up to the draft except the Hawks. It’s not like the Hawks picked some guy like Tyrus Thomas who was a consensus top 10 pick. They gave a promise at #5 to a guy who was universally projected to go in the late teens/early 20s. That deserves its own special level of ridicule.
Slimjr
June 19th, 2012
1:36 pm
northcyde, that dude Jeff Taylor has an awesome vert @40″? Wow.. And he’s 6′7″?..Big boy…
cp
June 19th, 2012
1:38 pm
lol Astro. Thats a bet. I think he goes before 20. If not ill FedEx you that moon pie.
pointguardslim
June 19th, 2012
1:41 pm
“Slimjr
June 19th, 2012
12:53 pm
They probably want to see how this front line performs when healthy[ Josh,Al, and ZaZa] while playing with Jeff Teague and [Joe]…”
Didn’t we see this in 2010?
———-
Man, only in Atlanta do you get to prove over and over that you aren’t a contender with the current starters. So this team has one good playoffs against Orlando and they get pass after pass…no need to mess with something so good.
———
Well actually Jason Collins was starting because he was a sh**ty backup and the starters could carry him.
Hawks are stretched thin at the size/center spot and have been limited to small lineups that get pushed around mouth time and time again.
Or Dampier and Collins. Bring back a in shape Dampier and draft a center who can carry his own weight.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 19th, 2012
1:44 pm
“Bring back a in shape Dampier and draft a center who can carry his own weight.”
Do they sell in-shape Dampiers at Wal-Mart?
Speaking of the 2006 draft, that is a perfect illustration of the danger of reaching for a particular position, especially center. Three centers went in the top 20 that year: Patrick O’Bryant, Mouhamed Saer Sene (Rick Sund’s pick), and Oleksiy Pecherov. Ouch.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 19th, 2012
1:47 pm
^Four, actually. I forgot our old friend Hilton Armstrong.
MsDee
June 19th, 2012
1:53 pm
Thx northcyde,
MANN, that Jeff Taylor could so take Marvin slot as early as yesterday..lol
Dawg
June 19th, 2012
1:54 pm
Ken Strickland: Who should the Hawks draft?
tidog
June 19th, 2012
1:57 pm
I believe I heard this Quincy Miller tune last year. Sounded like Keith Benson maybe the Hawks can hum a few chords to shake my memory.
Slimjr
June 19th, 2012
1:58 pm
Big winner, II
“That would probably be St. Bonaventure’s Andrew Nicholson, whose spot in the first round is sewn up, and who could wind up climbing into the Top 20. Nicholson has already had some good workouts for low first-round teams and it has become no secret that he is coveted by the Thunder, Heat and the Celtics (who pick at No. 21 and 22).
But he has been in impressive in Chicago, and measured in at a healthy 6-9.5. The best part though is his extra-long wingspan, which came in at 7-4, and his hand size—10 inches in length (longest at the combine) and 10.75 in width. It is possible that Nicholson won’t even be around when the Celtics pick.” -Sporting News-
Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2012-06-08/nba-draft-combine-thomas-robinson-height-anthony-davis-wingspan#ixzz1yGNeqIf5
Ra'mon
June 19th, 2012
2:04 pm
AJ, Thanks for the link. Now the difference between Rondo and Wroten is that Rondo had three hall of fame players and a future hall of fame coach to minimize his mistakes. In his first two seasons with the big 3, Rondo got to get a lot of playing time in lopsided games, because they were beating teams just that bad. So in the games early on that that he would have 8 turnovers, no one really cared, because they still won by more than 15 points. On top of it, not only did he have Rivers, but he had Thibodeau in his ear. So that’s two coach of the year candidates annually, while the Hawks aren’t even sure if they have a legit head coach on their entire bench. For this organization, its easier to draft a wing or post player than a pg.
MsDee
June 19th, 2012
2:05 pm
@cp “There is nobody who will be around at 23 who will help this team get over the top.”
Like I said earlier, unfortunately, the Hawks cant afford to get a player that could get us ‘over the top’ BUT we could get a player who can contribute as early as next season with a guy like a Jeff Taylor.
“So it comes down to do you want a guy who has the potential to be a stud in a few years or a guy who will just be solid.”
I would take a guy who is solid. At least you know what u are getting from that guy on a nightly basis. Going based on ‘potential only’, could ultimately bite ya in the BUTT.
Buddy Grizzard
June 19th, 2012
2:06 pm
“The Dunlap hire reminds me of the Lon Kruger hire.” – O’Brien
Charlotte has the talent of a college team right now, they might as well have a college coach. There’s no point in paying somebody like Brian Shaw what he’s worth when there’s no talent for him to win with. In a couple of years, if they draft well, or if one of their picks emerges as a superstar, then you go get a coach like Brian Shaw to groom that person. Let the college coach eat the losses while the franchise is in D-League relegation status.
“If you had a choice of Jamal, Jason Terry, and Lou Williams, who would you take?”
Lou Williams, but not because he’s any better than the other two. Just because he’s not ready for retirement.
Astro Joe
June 19th, 2012
2:10 pm
Ra’mon, in Rondo’s rookie season, the Celtics decided to TANK in hopes of landing Greg Oden or Durant. So Rondo got all kind of playing time. They ultimately traded their pick to the Sonics for Ray Allen (who used it on Jeff Green). Some forget that Rondo was able to do make all kind of rookie mistakes… they wanted him to help them land Oden (or to a lesser degree, Durant). Of course, that was the thinking at the time… we know how things turned out later (between Oden and Durant).
Funny, Rondo’s comp in his draft profile was Mookie Blalock.
KevinM
June 19th, 2012
2:17 pm
QMiller stat lines in Ga Dome:
Xavier: 27min / 6pts 3 reb
Kentucky: 19min / 3pts 6 reb
He was a non-factor in both tournament games against good-2-great competition.
Could have been the knee, I guess.
Slimjr
June 19th, 2012
2:21 pm
Repeat: On this Friday Andrew N. will make the Hawks forget about QMiller and his bad knee..
Just Joe
June 19th, 2012
2:21 pm
Jeff Taylor and yes, Pape Sy, have the potential to be lock-down defenders on the wings. Both guys are roughly the same size. Taylor just has the pedigree with his dad being an ex-pro, and he’s had 4 years of college to work on his shot (used to be terrible, good stories out there about how many shots this kid put up in order to get better). The knocks on Taylor are his relatively short arms (6′8″ wingspan, I think) and his inability to create his own shot.
Taylor has the drive to be a solid pro. I’m not sure that I see that same drive in Pape yet. Could either or both guys be our version of Thabo in OKC, Battier in Miami, or Pietrus in Boston?
MsDee
June 19th, 2012
2:27 pm
I will tell u this, looking at Royce White clip from the combine he truly reminds me of a Josh Smith for some reason. He passes, shoot jumpers, and drives/dunks the ball like him. He also has the tendacy to bring the ball up the floor instead of passing it off to a PG like Josh as well. So I say all that to say, if Hawks does decided to trade Josh, drafting a guy like Royce wouldnt be a bad idea. U basically getting a duplicate of him except maybe with a better basketball IQ.
cp
June 19th, 2012
2:30 pm
The only problem with Nicholson is he wont be there when the Hawks pick.
Yea Just Joe he has short arms and cant create for himself. I think dude will be solid though.
Kevin I dont know if thats fair. We could do that for every prospect coming out this year.
cp
June 19th, 2012
2:30 pm
And for the record I want Harkless but I think he will be gone long before the Hawks pick.
cp
June 19th, 2012
2:34 pm
Looks like LD likes Green.
http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/greens_versatility_improves_his_nba_stock/11046113
O'Brien
June 19th, 2012
2:34 pm
Najeh,
Speaking of the 2006 draft, that is a perfect illustration of the danger of reaching for a particular position, especially center. Three centers went in the top 20 that year: Patrick O’Bryant, Mouhamed Saer Sene (Rick Sund’s pick), and Oleksiy Pecherov. Ouch..
Rick Sund drafted Robert Swift, Johan Petro and Saer Sene in 3 successive drafts. SMH.
Back to your point though, throw in the Thabeet debacle, and it makes you wonder if Andre Drummond might scare some teams off because of the risk.
Dept. Of Unintended Irony
June 19th, 2012
2:34 pm
“PEOPLE SHOULDN’T PAY THEIR HARD EARNED MONEY TO SEE THIS WASTED BUNCH NEXT SEASON”
If they are wasted, they shouldn’t be on the basketball court.
MsDee
June 19th, 2012
2:45 pm
Wow, so will it NOW be Draymond Green? Whats your take on him northcyde/Najeh?
High-sider
June 19th, 2012
2:46 pm
@O’Brien
O’Brien
June 19th, 2012
8:16 am
High-sider, Rod,
If you had a choice of Jamal, Jason Terry, and Lou Williams, who would you take?
—————————————————————————–
You askin’ me a question like that? Really? In all seriousness, I would go with Jamal [Crawford]. I’ve seen what Crawford has done for the Hawks from ‘09-’11 which is/was fairly recent history. I don’t know why Jamal’s salary seems to be stuck at or around $5mil/yr – sounds a bit conspiratorial but I digress. A Jamal Crawford “reunion” with the Hawks would make for a good [basketball] story. Actually, Jason Terry or Lou Williams playing for the Hawks would make for good stories as well because Jason Terry would be another “reunion” story and Lou Williams would be a “coming home” story. Nonetheless, since Jamal is basically only one year removed from the Hawks and has played with the current Hawks core, I would pick Jamal because he’s potentially the best fit of the three [players] because of the [Atlanta Hawks] team’s [recent] familiarity with him [Crawford].
P.S. I would also like to the see the difference Jamal Crawford would make for the Hawks in the playoffs after not having him in the playoffs [in] the previous post season – that is, of course, if the Hawks make the playoffs.
Ebs
June 19th, 2012
2:52 pm
What the Hawks need to do is draft Fab Melo who will be good in time and is a great defensive presence. Move Horford to the 4 and Smoove to the 3 and trade Marvin Williams. It would be a great lineup.
High-sider
June 19th, 2012
2:58 pm
BTW, Tamron Hall is finer than Halle Berry.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 19th, 2012
2:59 pm
“If they are wasted, they shouldn’t be on the basketball court.”
Vin Baker strongly disagrees.
Astro Joe
June 19th, 2012
2:59 pm
LD is a trip. He said something like “the league is moving to versatile players capable of playing different positions”. Isn’t that what BK was trying to do 8 years ago? Wasn’t he front & center during that process of acquiring players capable of adjusting based on match-ups? Why is he now talking like he is on the cutting edge of a new trend?
cp
June 19th, 2012
3:04 pm
Much like his offense was on the cutting edge of a new trend.
High-sider
June 19th, 2012
3:05 pm
She’s [Tamron Hall] even more sexy when she’s angry. [LOL]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qel2_d-kNX4
@atlsportfan4eva
June 19th, 2012
3:10 pm
With Woody Jr. running he show rookies do not play and end up getting traded. Waste of time.
Buddy Grizzard
June 19th, 2012
3:20 pm
“The More i look at this Michael Kidd he will be the next true super star in this league.” – BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
Don’t know about superstar, but I think he’s the safest bet in this draft after Davis. He may get picked after some complete busts in this draft.
“That’s why guys like Dejuan Blair and Kenneth Faried who were overlooked by many teams, transitioned quite nicely into the NBA.” – northcyde
When I was researching Zaza’s playoff rebounding rates over the years, I noticed that Blair was way up on that list relative to his contract as well. Seems like Diaw took alot of his minutes in these playoffs however.
“So QMiller to come in as a learning SF. No way LD starts him before Marvin.” – KevinM
This is why I hope Sund or the next GM stocks this team with young players and not washed up vets like Pargo/Green/Stack/Collins/Damp. Precisely BECAUSE he won’t play them and he’ll be forced to play his main rotation guys heavy minutes. I want to see Marvin play 30+ MPG and build his trade value. I want to see Ivan average 25 MPG and be ready to take over Marvin’s spot in the rotation when we find a taker.
“Here we go again with thinking its Al and Josh on the inside, yet we know neither want to play the postions they need to for this team.”
Al was staying inside at the start of last season and attempting to accept his role when he got hurt. The big man help Al and Josh were screaming for was already on the roster in the form of Zaza. After Zaza’s season filling in for Al, everybody knows that who didn’t already. I think they will all do a better job of accepting their roles this season. Maybe we can even steal Lavoy Allen and then nobody will have anything to complain about.
Astro Joe
June 19th, 2012
3:35 pm
Funny, when the 790TheZone morning guys talk about LD, they often sarcastically discuss his “magic, secret offense”. Evidently, they attended that first presser when he hyped up what he would bring to the Hawks. Seems like they believe there is a lot of bluster there.
Section 303
June 19th, 2012
3:40 pm
I would be careful putting stock into what other GM’s are saying about Miller. Sometimes I think teams say negative things about a player (i.e. he has not rehabbed) just to encourage other teams to pass on that player. Hawks, I would assume, will work Miller out and make their own call.
I think they can get a good player at #23. Just a matter of finding him. This draft is deep. They cannot screw this up, again!
High-sider
June 19th, 2012
4:03 pm
Astro Joe
June 19th, 2012
1:31 pm
cp, I bet you a Moon Pie from the Jason Collins emergency box that Sullinger drops to the 20s.
—————————————————————–
I’ll bet you a “Star Crunch” and an “Oatmeal Cream Pie” – definitely no pun intended on the “cream pie” part; that’s just nasty [LOL] – from that same [Jason Collins emergency] box that Sullinger turns out to be a bigger, taller version of Corliss Williamson aka “Big Nasty.”
Drizzy
June 19th, 2012
4:08 pm
Just get Andrew Nicholson in the 1st and come back for Jae Crowder in the 2nd..
Astro Joe
June 19th, 2012
4:14 pm
High-sider, I like Sullinger a lot. I just have seen too many of these guys get burned by a bad medical report. NBA teams will not want to spend a top 20 pick on a guy who could potentially have ongoing health issues. So I’ll ante up on your cream pie, star crunch and will raise you a Honey Bun as well. Collins won’t mind. By the end of draft night, I’ll be looking like Oliver Miller after winning all of those sweet snacks.
Marcus
June 19th, 2012
4:18 pm
@ Astro Joe,
I kinda said the same sentiment re: 2006 NBA draft in one of last weeks blogs (probably the DET model rant by MB) …. ‘06 was like Waterloo for a lotta NBA execs …. except Portland (imagine that) who snagged LaMarcus Aldridge … man, there were a lot of 1st round duds in that draft,a nd it almost mitigates the Shleden Williams er(ror)a. One thing, he can’t miss the bucket all the time, he got Candace (Parker) Willams pregnant.
I think Paul Milsap and other 2nd round finds are the highlight of that class. Hindsight = 20/20
High-sider
June 19th, 2012
4:31 pm
Astro Joe, I’ll take that bet plus I’ll raise you a mini-package of [six] powered-donuts. [LOL+LMAO]