Last night was my first experience watching Ha play in person. I now have a different perspective on this kid from what I previously believed from watching him on TV. We got to the Rose Garden about an hour before tip-off and had a chance to watch both teams warm up. For those who have only seen Ha on TV, you probably think he is hopelessly clumsy and slower than molasses. This is actually far from accurate. After watching him warm up, I can say that the kid is surprisingly smooth and fluid for someone so BIG and young (of course, during pre-game, he's playing one on none). He moves with unexpected grace and agility for someone so massive. In fact, right now he he can do things physicaly that Sabas hasn't been able to do since he played on the Soviet national team. Physically, he's far from the plodding ox I expected. I can now see why several NBA scouts were excited over his potential. That's the good news. Unfortunately, there is some equally bad news. I have never seen anyone in an NBA uniform with a worse feel for the game. It's not that he's physically slow, he just has no sense of anticipation and is painfully slow to react. In the few minutes he was in the game, the Golden State players scored at will simply by driving right at him. By the time he realized what was happening, they had already blown by him and scored an easy lay-up or dunk. Same with rebounding. He could be alone under the basket reaching for the ball and four other players would come out of nowhere and battle for the rebound with Ha not even managing to get a hand on the ball. Where Sabonis always seemed to visualize what was going to happen before it did, Ha is left standing around flat footed wondering what happened well after the play is over. I actually feel sorry for the kid. His lack of feel for the game is a direct result of his lack of experience against quality competition and poor coaching in his formative years. Let's face it, he basically jumped right from Korean high school ball straight to the NBA. This about like going from 6th grade in the US straight to the NBA. I have seen countless 3rd graders with a better feel for the game. Again, this isn't his fault, but it is what it is. The only reason he's on an NBA roster now is he is 7' 3" and he plays for a team that is more focused on ping pong balls than play-offs. If ever there ws a poster child for an NBA developmental leage, Ha is it. His brief experience in the so-called ABA was a waste of time. He needs experience, three or four years worth, at an NCAA Division I or Euroleague level before he's even ready to be a back-up center in the NBA. Due to his size and decent althleticism for someone so big, he'll probably bounce around the NBA for several years, but I doubt if he'll be a Blazer beyond next year. As a second round pick, they do not hold his Bird rights. If he'd been a first round pick they could have sent him to Europe for a couple years and retained his rights. As it is, there's little reason to send him there to develop only to have another team snatch him up if he shows a glimmer of improvement. Four minutes here and there in meaningless late-season Blazers games isn't going to do him much good. Practicing with the team is better for him than playing in the so-called ABA, but it's not nearly enough. This guy needs YEARS of playing 30+ minutes a night at a near NBA level if he ever hopes to come close to reaching his potential. It's too bad he didn't come to the US (or Europe) when he was 12 or 13. If he could have plyed high school and college ball here he could have developed into a very good player. He definitely has the physical tools, but his development will forever be stunted due to his lack of quality experience and coaching during his youth. So please David Stern, whether or not you get your 20 year age limit in the next CBA, please, oh please, get serious about a REAL NBA development league for kids from all countries who want to make the jump from high school to the NBA. No GM wants to pass on the next Kevin Garnett, LeBron James or Kobe Bryant, but for every high school kid who is ready for the NBA, there are many more who will waste away on the end of an NBA bench and never reach their potential. Come up with a plan that allows teams to draft these kids and retain their rights while they get meanigful playing time and good coaching somewhere else. The players will be better off and the quality of play throughout the league will improve. This should be a no brainer for both the players and the owners - which means it will probably never happen. Too bad.