The next Larry Bird?

[sunshine]

Now that I have your attention--well we have heard this before. And it is too early but the buzz around 6'8" forward Kyle Singler has been growing by leaps and bounds as the summer camps start winding down in a few weeks.. One pundit figured he was the best player in the class of 2007 and compared him to Magic and Bird--of course not as good at this point.
But people are raving about his all around game and from what I hear he plays a lot like Bird and Magic.
Already some are saying he is more advanced that Adam Morrison at the same age. He is a better athlete than adam too.
Time will tell but we could use another Larry Bird don't ya think!!!

 

[GreatLakeState]

I think he may be more like Jason Kapono ...


From Oregonlive.com:

As August develops into "commitment month" for Oregon prep athletes
-- at least four have pledged to Division I schools -- the state's top
uncommitted basketball prospect is methodically setting up fall visits and
weighing his options.

South Medford standout Kyle Singler will make official visits to Duke and
Arizona in September and follow with a visit to Kansas in October.
Singler, widely regarded as one of the nation's top six basketball
prospects in the class of 2007, is considering five schools: Duke, Arizona,
Washington, Kansas and UCLA.

"It's an exciting time, and I'm really looking forward to taking visits and
spending some time at the schools," the 6-foot-8 Singler said during a
phone interview Monday from Santa Barbara, Calif., where he is serving as
a counselor in a basketball camp run by Michael Jordan. "It's getting
closer and closer to when I'm going to have to sit down and make a
decision."

Singler does not plan to tour UCLA or Washington because he has visited
both schools and "has a really good sense of what both schools and both
coaching staffs are about," his father, Ed Singler, said.

While Kyle Singler ponders his future, college recruiters are flocking to
Southern Oregon to offer last-second pitches. Duke assistant coach Steve
Wojciechowski stopped by Medford on July 31, and Kansas coach Bill Self
visited the following day -- three days before Kansas assistant Joe Dooley
made an appearance.

In between, UCLA coach Ben Howland, days after landing an oral
commitment from Lake Oswego's Kevin Love, visited Medford.

Singler has not set a time frame for his decision but probably will make
an announcement sometime after his official visits and before November's
NCAA early signing period.

 

[sunshine]

Kapono? I hope and think not. He is basically the highest rated white guy in the class of 2007 with apologies to Kevin Love who may make more of an impact early on but Singler has better long term potential.
Some gurus were surprised at how much Singler's game resembled Bird's and I know we have heard it before--I think we lost count on that--but this one could be the real deal. The important thing is he is athletic. A lot of previous guys compared to Bird ala Danny Ferry etc. were marginal athletes. I haven't seen him play so I won't shout from the rooftops but it seems to me this guy could be the GUY. Whatever school gets him will be jumping for joy.

 

[white tornado]

If I ran the world I would make it illegal to compare white players to Larry Bird, or black players to M.J.

 

[GreatLakeState]

Having actually seen Kyle play -- he's closer to Kapono than Larry Bird.
Larry Bird was a unique player, and top 5 of all time ... Singler is top five
in one high school recruiting class.

 

[GreatLakeState]

Here are some praise of the two from their high school days. Every prep
superstar is the next greatest ever ... very few actually are. Which is
Kapono and which is Singler?

"Some would say he is the first in a new breed of basketball players,
whose versatility and skill will change the game in the new millennium.
Others might say he is a throwback to the hoopsters of the 1960s with
his mental focus and fresh attitude for the game."

"He's an unbelievable player. The stuff he can do, the way he can shoot,
the way he can pass, the way he can defend; I mean, he's one of the most
complete players I've ever played with or against."

 

[IrishRaven]

Adam Morrison

 

[KG2422]

The main thing about Larry Bird is that he was incredibly tough, smart, and competitive. Those were his defining characteristics. He just happened to be very talented as well. If a player is going to be similar to him, they must first have a similar personality. Skills are not enough. I hope the kid is great, but I don't think any two palyers are alike. I don't think there will ever be another Jordan, Bird, Magic, Stockton, etc. Everyone's game is different.