2013 Draft Targets (#9, #26, #52, #59)

[Grits n Gravy]

I want to know more about Adria Gasol (3rd Gasol brother). He must not be too promising considering that he's 17 and there's not a whole lot of information available.



edit: never mind, I looked up his picture on Google Images and he doesn't smile at all.

apparently he is gonna walk on at ucla, and apparently he's not very good.

http://yhoo.it/OLhmxw

[ATTL]

I want to know more about Adria Gasol (3rd Gasol brother). He must not be too promising considering that he's 17 and there's not a whole lot of information available.



edit: never mind, I looked up his picture on Google Images and he doesn't smile at all.

That picture looks like he just lost in the spelling bee.

First thing I thought was "tall spelling bee nerd"

[MNister89]

I think the Wolves should Kahncentrate on a few different types of player for the '13 draft. A reserve C is needed unless Stiemsma is very good during season. An athletic wing who can guard bigger wings would be nice behind AK47 and Bud. An athletic forward who can be Love's primary backup might work too, as I feel Williams is not going to be here by end of next summer. Lastly, and in my estimation most crucially, we could use a poor shooter who won't kill us defensively in limited minutes. Listed below are a few players under each category. I did not add anything about Euro/Int'l players, can't pretend to know anything about those guys, but I generally a fan of stashing a guy for a year or two. Made me realize this is a potentially deep draft, especially for high-upside center projects.

Pure Shooters
DOUG MCDERMOTT (CREIGHTON) - 6'8" forward. Incredible Scorer in College. Pure Shooter (48% high volume 3P%) with tremendous BBIQ. Knows how to cut and use screens to find his shot. Simply gets buckets. But will struggle to be more than bench shooter in NBA. Could be huge liability on D. Too slow for SF, too weak for PFs.
ISAIAH CANAAN (MURRAY STATE) 6'3" guard. Efficient scorer. 45% from deep as primary option. Struggles off dribble, not great as distributor. Jason Terry/Eddie House type. Not great athlete. Late Lottery-Mid 1st likely
P.J HAIRSTON (UNC) 6'5 wing. Top HS recruit thought to have a very pure stroke. Struggles as freshman. Still a nice shooter. Looks like a Daqeuon Cook or Wayne Ellington type player. Late 1st or 2nd round talent.

Project/Backup Center (Assuming N.Noel & C.Zeller are off the board or unattainable through trade)
STEVEN ADAMS (PITTSBURGH) - Legit 7fter. Nice motor, soft hands and quick feet. Has rare physical traits. Shooting has improved. Needs work on FTs, post moves. His will to dominate has been questioned as has his competition. Originally from New Zealand. Projected now to be gone by 7th pick or so.
RUDY GOBERT (FRANCE) - Rumored to have 7'9" wingspan. Would be one of longest players in NBA. Nice mobility and quick feet. Has potential to completely alter the game defensively. Still just 20.Terrible FT% and very raw offensively. Needs refinement and muscle. Probably a mid lottery pick at worst.
GORGUI DIENG (LOUISVILLE) - Big wingspan and showed nice improvement as sophomore as L'ville. Decent FT% and had nice overall numbers last year. Still long ways from complete. Very thin and can get pushed around
ALEX LEN (MARYLAND) - Ukrainian whose upside is still largely unknown. Has nice mobility and potential as defender and scorer. Struggled immensensely in A.C.C play last year. One to watch. Could fall to 2nd round.
JEFF WITHEY (KANSAS) - Already entering 5th year of college. Can be effective rim protector & shot nearly 80% from FT. Still looks like career backup at best, realistically a journeyman. Former Top HS recruit.

Backups to Love
TREVOR MBAKWE (MINNESOTA) - 6'8 PF/C. 23 years old. Coming off ACL tear. Relentless on boards and effective defender. Slightly undersized but makes up for it with hops and huge wingspan. Needs to develop a go to move and a midrange game. Marginal from FT (60%). Hybrid of K.Faried/Amare. Personal favorite here. I expect Mbakwe, if healthy, to dominate the B10 and become a potential lottery pick by March. From MN
MASON PLUMLEE (DUKE) - 6'11 PF/C. Looks the part. Seems to have bad attitude; Coach K doesn't trust him it seems. Has good motor & quickness. Decent Upside as Athlete. Sub 60% from FT. Mid to Late 1st round talent.
PATRIC YOUNG (FLORIDA) - 6'9 PF/C. Impressive strength and size. Physical and craves contact. Great energy on defensive end & boards. Intimidating Force with no touch and low BBIQ. Still very raw. Mid-late 1st rd talent.

Wings/Athletes
TONY MITCHELL (NORTH TEXAS) - 6'8" forward. 7'4" wingspan with 41" vertical. Absolute freak athletically. Solid shooter (43% 3P) but streaky and low volume. Blocks shots and can be lethal defender inside and on perimeter if engaged. Lacks handle & BBIQ. Struggles off dribble. Character concerns. Could be top 10 or outside lottery.
RODNEY WILLIAMS (MINNESOTA) - 6'6 wing. World class athlete w/ 6'10 wingspan. Frustrating player to watch as he can't put it all together. Can become great perimeter defender with work. Passing and rebounding also solid for a wing. Shot is decent, but inconsistent. Unstoppable in transition. Struggles getting to line and does not have the handle to be an NBA wing yet. Could be lottery pick or undrafted, depending on how he performs.

[Klomp]

Bumping this, college basketball almost here!

I honestly think from here on out we'll be focusing on making trades for proven talent and signing FAs.

The days where we would look forward to the draft and scouting most prospects for our team months in advance seem far behind us, IMO.

I think moving Williams for a top pick in 2012 draft was really the only time we would've brought in a fresh rookie. I think Williams either stays or gets moved at the deadline for a win now piece.

I disagree. While we may not be drooling over the top prospects anymore, good teams use the draft to strengthen their depth. Last year was an anomaly, since we needed win now pieces to help build the team back up.

We need guys who are high IQ and play tough defense. I think this year will be focused on strengthening the wings, with our two starters getting older. A backup center is another possibility, as well.

[The J Rocka]

Bumping this, college basketball almost here!

I honestly think from here on out we'll be focusing on making trades for proven talent and signing FAs.

The days where we would look forward to the draft and scouting most prospects for our team months in advance seem far behind us, IMO.

I think moving Williams for a top pick in 2012 draft was really the only time we would've brought in a fresh rookie. I think Williams either stays or gets moved at the deadline for a win now piece.

I disagree. While we may not be drooling over the top prospects anymore, good teams use the draft to strengthen their depth. Last year was an anomaly, since we needed win now pieces to help build the team back up.

We need guys who are high IQ and play tough defense. I think this year will be focused on strengthening the wings, with our two starters getting older. A backup center is another possibility, as well.

We may add one young guy late in the draft as a "project", possibly with the MEM pick, but I'd still like to see us move our own 1st with Williams for a "win now" piece.

I think Belly will be over here after the season. I would like to think we'd go after a young SG in the draft but with Shved & Barea, I think we may look for a C, like you said.

As college basketball fans, we'll continue to watch and look for players to fit our team but we won't "depend" on it like in years past, at least speaking for myself. I wouldn't mind a project C, but I think our depth is pretty solid as is for the moment. That could change, of course.

[sisibilio]

Obviously Zeller, Noels, Muhammed will be gone before we pick but these are some guys I think we should monitor over the season:

SG:
4. Alex Abrines - Spain - 6'5" 195 lbs - good shooter, solid handles, Spanish!

SF:
4. Dario Saric - Croatia - 6'10 220 lbs - long, decent handles, rebounder, decent mid-range game.

Saric won't be a SF at the senior level, he's not mobile enough. I don't think he'd be available when the Wolves pick anyway.
Abrines might be a good pick if he declares, but keep in mind that probably you'd have to wait a couple years for him.

[Klomp]

We may add one young guy late in the draft as a "project", possibly with the MEM pick, but I'd still like to see us move our own 1st with Williams for a "win now" piece.

I think Belly will be over here after the season. I would like to think we'd go after a young SG in the draft but with Shved & Barea, I think we may look for a C, like you said.

As college basketball fans, we'll continue to watch and look for players to fit our team but we won't "depend" on it like in years past, at least speaking for myself. I wouldn't mind a project C, but I think our depth is pretty solid as is for the moment. That could change, of course.

First of all, I agree about the trading part. Not only would it clear up our salary concerns, but moving Williams would allow us to bring Bjelica over more easily.

I also agree that we won't "depend" on the draft as in years past. However, I wouldn't only focus on project players. I think about what teams like San Antonio (Leonard) and Boston (Sullinger) have done in recent drafts, getting guys that can fit right into the systems and contribute immediately if called upon.

Especially with us now being over the cap and having some key older players, it becomes even more important that we cannot miss on a prospect. Unless it is a late 2nd rounder that we plan to stash, we need to make sure our guys are solid. Paying attention to the cap is also important, knowing how to find ways to save some money without losing much in talent.

[The J Rocka]

We may add one young guy late in the draft as a "project", possibly with the MEM pick, but I'd still like to see us move our own 1st with Williams for a "win now" piece.

I think Belly will be over here after the season. I would like to think we'd go after a young SG in the draft but with Shved & Barea, I think we may look for a C, like you said.

As college basketball fans, we'll continue to watch and look for players to fit our team but we won't "depend" on it like in years past, at least speaking for myself. I wouldn't mind a project C, but I think our depth is pretty solid as is for the moment. That could change, of course.

First of all, I agree about the trading part. Not only would it clear up our salary concerns, but moving Williams would allow us to bring Bjelica over more easily.

I also agree that we won't "depend" on the draft as in years past. However, I wouldn't only focus on project players. I think about what teams like San Antonio (Leonard) and Boston (Sullinger) have done in recent drafts, getting guys that can fit right into the systems and contribute immediately if called upon.

Especially with us now being over the cap and having some key older players, it becomes even more important that we cannot miss on a prospect. Unless it is a late 2nd rounder that we plan to stash, we need to make sure our guys are solid. Paying attention to the cap is also important, knowing how to find ways to save some money without losing much in talent.

I feel we can scout decent overseas talent but I definitely cannot count on Kahn for drafting the right players whether it's a lotto pick or late round pick. Rubio & Belly (?) may be his only two gems out of a handful of draft picks we've had in the past and we don't even know how Belly will turnout. I'm hoping with RA here that will change.

[Klomp]

I feel we can scout decent overseas talent but I definitely cannot count on Kahn for drafting the right players whether it's a lotto pick or late round pick. Rubio & Belly (?) may be his only two gems out of a handful of draft picks we've had in the past and we don't even know how Belly will turnout. I'm hoping with RA here that will change.

The thing I've noticed is how he listens to his head coach, and tries to get whoever he asks for. When you have someone like Kurt Rambis, that doesn't work so well. However, I trust Adelman a lot more. Adelman knows the types of players he wants, and Kahn will get them.

[The J Rocka]

I feel we can scout decent overseas talent but I definitely cannot count on Kahn for drafting the right players whether it's a lotto pick or late round pick. Rubio & Belly (?) may be his only two gems out of a handful of draft picks we've had in the past and we don't even know how Belly will turnout. I'm hoping with RA here that will change.

The thing I've noticed is how he listens to his head coach, and tries to get whoever he asks for. When you have someone like Kurt Rambis, that doesn't work so well. However, I trust Adelman a lot more. Adelman knows the types of players he wants, and Kahn will get them.

That's definitely a luxury to have, at least for us. It would've been nice to see what we could do this draft but moving our pick to get Chase is obviously RA's call and from what we saw out of him in preseason, it's looking like a win for us.

I'm just used to blown/wasted draft choices over the years but finally with a great coaching staff, things will be looking a lot better for us in that department. We'll need it.

[younggunsmn]

Cash Considerations

#44
Freshman center, Kentucky

7'13
8' wingspan
10' standing reach.
known for his temper tantrums.

[Vindicater]

I am going to assume we will be drafting somehwher ein the middle of the first round for now.

12-20 range.

So here are some guys that could be interesting.

Dario Saric - Big tall, smart basketball player from Croatia. Take him and stash him overseas for a year or two untill he bulks up.

Lebryan Nash - Could swing between the two forward spots. Freak athlete worth taking a punt on in the middle of the first round in the hopes he gets his head together.

CJ McCollum - Just because I don't know what the deal with Ridnour/Barea is. McCollum can come in and play either guard spot. great penetrator and transition player. He will be a good bench scorer wherever he ends up.

[Klomp]

Adonis Thomas - Love this kid. DX has him at 17 now, but could end up top 5.
Rodney Williams - Do I really need to explain this?
Gorgui Dieng - Stood out in the tournament. Would hate to see him go somewhere like SA. Still raw.
Otto Porter - Has the offensive skillset of Kirilenko.
Reggie Bullock - Great size. Great defense.

Nate Wolters - A 6'4" Luke Ridnour. St. Cloud native.
DeWayne Dedmon - Great size, but raw. A pick for the future.
Oleksandr Lypovyy - Never heard of him, but sounds intriguing to follow.

[Piecake]

I dont think Rodney Williams will turn into a good pro at all. He cant dribble, cant shoot, and basically uses his superior athleticism to score points in the paint. That wont work in the pros. Basically, he will be a worse Wes Johnson

I agree that we should definitely go after a wing. Either by drafting or trading the pick+assets to pick up a proven player.

Cant say I know much about the prospects in the mid first round since its a bit early, but Lebryan Nash sounds awesome. Combination of lebron + Bryant + Nash? Sign me up!

[jade_hippo]

I think the alure of Rodney is that he is active, has played man defense, and will probably come as a 2nd rounder.

[Klomp]

I think I found a guy Adelman will love

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/And ... rson-6505/

[dunkonu21]

JAMAAL FRANKLIN IS THE MAN

[Klomp]

Otto Porter Jr has a Kirilenko skillset to monitor through the season. 18 pts (6-10 FGs), 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks tonight vs UCLA. Plays vs Indiana tomorrow. And he turned 19 in June, so he's a young sophomore. DX currently has him at #24 in its mock.

[Piecake]

Otto Porter Jr has a Kirilenko skillset to monitor through the season. 18 pts (6-10 FGs), 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks tonight vs UCLA. Plays vs Indiana tomorrow. And he turned 19 in June, so he's a young sophomore. DX currently has him at #24 in its mock.

He looks good, and sounds like a player that Adelman would love

[[RCG]]

Getting Michael Snaer or Reggie Bullock to develop at the 2 spot would be nice. They each provide good defense with 3-pt range.