Even with the ongoing All-Philippine Cup finals, Filipino cage fans can’t help but talk about the imports that will see action in the PBA 2nd Conference (Commissioner’s Cup) set to start on February 18. One by one, they started to hit town such as Titus Ivory of the Powerade Tigers, Paul Harris of the Talk N Text Phone Pals, Eddie Basden of the Alaska Aces, Anthony Danridge of the Meralco Bolts and Hassan Adams of the Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters. So far, only Basden and the high-flying Adams can boast of being NBA veterans. The 6-4 Adams, who is a former star of the University of Arizona Wildcats, was the 54th pick over-all in the 2006 NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets. He played two seasons (2006-07 and 2008-09) with the Nets and the Toronto Raptors and submitted averages of 2.5 ppg and 1.2 rpg in 73 total games. He had a stellar college career with the Wildcats and averaged 17.5 ppg and 5.0 rpg in 31 games during his senior year. Adams, 26, is also a veteran of the Italian League where he suited up for Ignis Novara in 2007 and Siviglia Wear Teramo in 2008, respectively. The scouting report on Adams says he is a pure physical specimen, who has an outstanding leaping ability with good lateral quickness, according to Draft Express.
“Adams is a pure physical specimen. He has tremendous athleticism, highlighted by his outstanding leaping ability, to go along with a very strong frame, which he knows how to use. He also possesses excellent length. He has a very explosive first step and has that same explosiveness on his leap. He runs the floor very well, is pretty coordinated, and plays with a good level of fluidity.
“Slashing is definitely Adams’ best weapon, where he makes great use of his strength and quickness to create high-percentage shots in the lane. He is very creative with the ball and is certainly not afraid of contact. When Adams wants to, he can usually get to the hole with one or two short, but powerful dribbles. He uses his explosive first step to blow past his man, then with his combination of strength, creativity, and leaping ability, finishes very well at the rim. His strength allows him to maintain good balance even after contact, helping to ensure a high-percentage shot attempt. He utilizes a hop-step move especially well to make use of his explosiveness once in the lane.
“Adams also has a pretty decent mid-range game when spotting up with his feet set. He hits these mid-range shots with a pretty good frequency, which in turn helps open up his slashing opportunities. He also moves pretty well without the ball, putting himself in good position for either a mid-range shot or a drive to the basket once he gets the ball.
“Adams is at his best in the open floor, where he can really make use of his athleticism for some tenacious finishes. He frequently gets out in transition to put himself in position for easy baskets.
“Defensively, Adams has all the tools a swingman could ever need. He has good lateral quickness, length, reflexes, and strength. He can lockdown an opponent when he really wants to. He plays very aggressively on defense, especially when picking at the ball using his great hands. He gets a lot of steals this way, as well as by anticipating and reacting in the passing lanes.
“Adams is also a very good rebounder for his position. He makes it a priority to attack the boards on both ends of the court, especially offensively. His strength and athleticism benefit him here greatly.”
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