Andrew Gaze v Patty Mills

[mikey127]

Just interested in peoples thoughts as to who is better?

I am still firmly in the Gaze camp but a lot at my work believe Mills is better cause he has made it in the NBA and Gaze didn't make it in the NBA. I love Mills but I would argue Gaze is ahead still for a few reasons.

NBA is now a lot more guard friendly
NBA was not AS focused on international players during the Gaze era
I also wonder if Gaze was super hungry to make it in the NBA as he was very focussed on making it here and being and ambassador for the sport in a growth era.

Patty is great but Gaze for mine.

 

[eastfreo75]

Mills is better in my books. He has won rings in the NBA with a significant role. Gaze is great when he had people run screens for him but at the NBA even at his best would be a role player. Being just a three pointer isn't enough, you need to be able guard someone


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[peternorth]

Mills is better in my books. He has won rings in the NBA with a significant role. Gaze is great when he had people run screens for him but at the NBA even at his best would be a role player. Being just a three pointer isn't enough, you need to be able guard someone


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There are plenty of examples of players who cant play D. melo, harden etc. D is just the 4th letter of the alphabet for many in the nba.

gaze was just better than everyone in the nbl but in the A he was old already. I do recall him hitting a shot for washington and the footage here was played more times than sharon stones leg crossing scene.

 

[FreoRicci]

Mills. Effecetive bench scorer for a team that's regularly in the WCF. Should have moved to another team and be a starting PG, he has the ability and set to be a genuine star. But instead chose to be a Spurs man, which is okay but think it's a case of what if.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Yep, Mills for me as well.

 

[didaksrightfoot]

I still say Gaze is the best Australian player we have ever had- but just writing this I question that given how well Mills has done with the Spurs, and happy to accept them as equals.

I very much believe that if Gaze was given a serious shot at the NBA when he was young, in the right environment he would've been a regular 6th man/borderline starter (which to be honest is where Mills is at with the Spurs - I just think Gaze would've had a higher ceiling). Unfortunately for him 2 big things went against him IMO - 1. no-one was taking international guys seriously at that point. 2. this was the beginning of the Jordan era - the transition from team basketball to a focus on athletic guys playing iso-ball. No-one was looking for a slow, methodical PG/SG, with a good jump shot and great basketball IQ.

Mills has been very lucky to have found the Spurs IMO (and probly vice-versa). He was not too far away from being an NBL/Europe guy, and I still very much question how useful he would be on most other NBA teams. He's a very good penetrator & spot up shooter (plus a great team guy), but not a playmaker, and despite being an "energy" guy, not a great 1-1 defender. He fits very well in the Spurs system, but I think he would be quickly found out in a system that asked him to do too much and didn't have the right guys around him.

 

[mikey127]

I still say Gaze is the best Australian player we have ever had- but just writing this I question that given how well Mills has done with the Spurs, and happy to accept them as equals.

I very much believe that if Gaze was given a serious shot at the NBA when he was young, in the right environment he would've been a regular 6th man/borderline starter (which to be honest is where Mills is at with the Spurs - I just think Gaze would've had a higher ceiling). Unfortunately for him 2 big things went against him IMO - 1. no-one was taking international guys seriously at that point. 2. this was the beginning of the Jordan era - the transition from team basketball to a focus on athletic guys playing iso-ball. No-one was looking for a slow, methodical PG/SG, with a good jump shot and great basketball IQ.

Mills has been very lucky to have found the Spurs IMO (and probly vice-versa). He was not too far away from being an NBL/Europe guy, and I still very much question how useful he would be on most other NBA teams. He's a very good penetrator & spot up shooter (plus a great team guy), but not a playmaker, and despite being an "energy" guy, not a great 1-1 defender. He fits very well in the Spurs system, but I think he would be quickly found out in a system that asked him to do too much and didn't have the right guys around him.

Great post 1 slight correction though. Sure Lauren Jackson is the greatest Aus player of all time and Gaze is the greatest aus male player.

 

[didaksrightfoot]

Great post 1 slight correction though. Sure Lauren Jackson is the greatest Aus player of all time and Gaze is the greatest aus male player.

100% agree

 

[eastfreo75]

Great post 1 slight correction though. Sure Lauren Jackson is the greatest Aus player of all time and Gaze is the greatest aus male player.

Totally agree. She was best in the world. Gaze and Mills don't come close.

Penny Taylor would be number 2.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Eddie Palubinskas

 

[eastfreo75]

Eddie Palubinskas

I was born in the 70's, I will take your word.

 

[peternorth]

Eddie Palubinskas

shaq credits him with helping his shooting

 

[Kickin Goals]

Mills. Effecetive bench scorer for a team that's regularly in the WCF. Should have moved to another team and be a starting PG, he has the ability and set to be a genuine star. But instead chose to be a Spurs man, which is okay but think it's a case of what if.

I think this might be Parkers last season, then Mills will start for the Spurs.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

shaq credits him with helping his shooting

Yes he does, as do many other NBA players and franchises he has coached. Eddie was the first Australian player drafted by an NBA team in 1974 but never cracked it for a game. However, his college record is legendary, widely regarded as the most accurate shooter of all time, especially free throw shooting percentage which I think was in the high 90s.

Was eligible to play in the 1972 Munich Olympics and was second highest scorer in the competition, went one better in the 1976 Montreal Games where averaged over 40 per game and set a scoring record that still stands after 40 years.

I have a feeling that had he stayed in Australia, he may have set records that may still stand today. Since his college days in the USA, he has been employed as a shooting coach, as I said, many of his pupils have been NBA greats.

 

[fidstar]

Gaze is better than Mills. Gaze could score as well as anyone.

Had he come up in today's game he would be in the NBA even though he couldn't play defense.

Also GOAT male Aussie bball player is Bogut and it's not close. People forget that he was an All-NBA player before that injury. He's also been all NBA defense. No other Aussie has ever even been considered for those teams.

 

[QuietB]

Gaze is better than Mills. Gaze could score as well as anyone.

Had he come up in today's game he would be in the NBA even though he couldn't play defense.

Also GOAT male Aussie bball player is Bogut and it's not close. People forget that he was an All-NBA player before that injury. He's also been all NBA defense. No other Aussie has ever even been considered for those teams.

Aussie Kyrie

 

[Damon_3388]

I very much believe that if Gaze was given a serious shot at the NBA when he was young, in the right environment he would've been a regular 6th man/borderline starter (which to be honest is where Mills is at with the Spurs - I just think Gaze would've had a higher ceiling). Unfortunately for him 2 big things went against him IMO - 1. no-one was taking international guys seriously at that point. 2. this was the beginning of the Jordan era - the transition from team basketball to a focus on athletic guys playing iso-ball. No-one was looking for a slow, methodical PG/SG, with a good jump shot and great basketball IQ.

I would have liked to have seen Gaze get decent regular minutes in the NBA during his prime (1991-1995).

Honestly, coming off the bench and playing 15-20 minutes a game for the Bulls sides in that era might have been perfect for him.

 

[Carl Hooper]

Lmaoo how can you say Gaze is better than Mills.

Paddy could be a starter on about half of the current NBA teams.

Gaze in his prime was never going to be a starter on an NBA team.

Its Bogut>Mills>Gaze

With Simmons and Maker likely to be better than all of them.

 

[maryjames]

I would have liked to have seen Gaze get decent regular minutes in the NBA during his prime (1991-1995).

Honestly, coming off the bench and playing 15-20 minutes a game for the Bulls sides in that era might have been perfect for him.

Sadly back then the nba didn't take to kindly foreign players.

 

[Damon_3388]

Sadly back then the nba didn't take to kindly foreign players.

When you look at the few successful non-American guards in the NBA of that era, it could be argued that Gaze simply didn't have the tricks or athleticism to be anything more than an average role player:




That being said, as I mentioned before, in the right system I think he could have played regular minutes, even as just a role player.