The 2012 Rookie Class

[closg00]

Throwing-out the name of someone who has not looked good early, Austin Rivers.

[payitforward]

Throwing-out the name of someone who has not looked good early, Austin Rivers.

And it's no surprise.... Did you think he would look good? If so, why did you think so?

[Upper Decker]

I wonder if the Bobcats are 'hiding' MKG like the Shanahans hid RG3. He's made zero field goals in his last two games. Through 4 games, albeit pre-season.

MKG:
6.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.25 SPG, 36% FG, 73% FT

Beal:
15.0 PPG, 4 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.25 SPG, 44% FG, 83% FT

[closg00]

Throwing-out the name of someone who has not looked good early, Austin Rivers.

And it's no surprise.... Did you think he would look good? If so, why did you think so?

No, not a surprise. Since we were giving shout-outs to guys who have looked good early, gotta call-out AR as someone who obviously should have stayed another years in college....at-least.

[DCZards]

Yup, Rivers should have spent at least another year at Duke. But it's preseason, he's learning to play a new position (PG) and Rivers is coming off ankle surgery less than 3 months. So I'm not surprised he's struggling. But I have no doubt that Rivers will turn out to be an outstanding NBA player.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I think Austin Rivers rode the hype to a lottery selection, but if he stayed in school longer he wouldn't have gone lottery. He could have ended up like Sullinger, dropping a few slots in the draft. I agree Rivers could have gotten better staying in school, but I don't think it would have helped his draft status at all.

I don't know how good Rivers is going to be. He can certainly score in bunches, but what else can he do?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Arnett Moutrie is beasting against the Cavs. He's a steal for the Sixers at #26.

[fugop]

Crowder had 5 steals, 3 blocks, 10 points (4/7), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 0 turnovers in 25 minutes. He was +8, despite Phoenix's win.

[miller31time]

Crowder had 5 steals, 3 blocks, 10 points (4/7), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 0 turnovers in 25 minutes. He was +8, despite Phoenix's win.

I can't even remember the name of the kid we drafted in the 2nd round. And we could have had Crowder.

I hate Ernie.

[closg00]

Crowder had 5 steals, 3 blocks, 10 points (4/7), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 0 turnovers in 25 minutes. He was +8, despite Phoenix's win.

Kevin called for Crowder early , very early, so no BS claim of 20/20 hindsight is possible. Crowder is looking like the Faried of this draft with even better value.

[willbcocks]

Although there was a thread created for in honor of CCJ about Crowder, he really has been Kevin's pick this year, since his system labeled him as top-5 worthy.

CCJ: Have you picked one main guy for success this year? I remember a number you've hyped, but none particularly stands out.

[nate33]

I think the guy CCJ hyped the most (relative to his actual draft position) was Will Barton.

[AFM]

Who, coincidentally, is also a BEAST

[payitforward]

Although there was a thread created for in honor of CCJ about Crowder, he really has been Kevin's pick this year, since his system labeled him as top-5 worthy.

CCJ: Have you picked one main guy for success this year? I remember a number you've hyped, but none particularly stands out.

Sorry... gotta put myself in there too. I wanted Crowder from the moment I looked at his college numbers in the early Spring.

I don't even think it's a big claim to make, to tell the truth -- I can't imagine anything jumping out at me more obviously than that guy. Faried even moreso, of course. But you weren't going to get him in Round 2.

If only we'd kept #46 as well -- at that spot Kyle O'Quinn jumped out at me. And the undrafted Machado....

Imagine if we had 4 rookies w/ the upside of Beal, Crowder, O'Quinn and Machado. Gee, I guess we'd have to get along without Jannero Pargo and A.J. Price. Sigh.....

[payitforward]

Who, coincidentally, is also a BEAST

Might turn out that way, but so far he has hardly played. I like him, but no way I'd have passed on Crowder for him.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Although there was a thread created for in honor of CCJ about Crowder, he really has been Kevin's pick this year, since his system labeled him as top-5 worthy.

CCJ: Have you picked one main guy for success this year? I remember a number you've hyped, but none particularly stands out.

willbcocks, nice of you to contribute nothing but come in bringing hate. You say none that I have hyped stands out. There's your answer. I really don't feel like playing your game.

[nate33]

CCJ, I don't think willbcocks meant to "bring the hate" in his post. He just couldn't remember if there was any one player you favored above all others.

[DCsOwn]

I said it before the draft and I'll say it again, Dion Waiters going number four was completely asinine, especially with Lamb still on the board. Now I'm a die-hard fan of the team that drafted Jan Vesely at 6, so my house is transparent as ****, but you're talking about an undersized guard without a clearly defined, upper-tier nba skill, without a true position, with vastly overrated explosiveness (I said before the combine that Beal would post better measurements everywhere; height, length, leaping ability, speed, agility etc. Now obviously Waiters didn't work-out, but Beal surprised many with his numbers in Chicago, and I'm certain Waiters numbers would've disappointed. The reports of him having Wade-like athletic ability, or even athleticism in the same neighborhood as Wade were absurd based on my many views of the kid in game action), and the kid has attitude questions. Terrible, terrible pick for that club and I first-guessed their decision as soon as the kid was selected. I'm a Gtown grad that watched tons of the kid in college (opposition research), and he has no chance to be a star-level player in my estimation. I'm glad for the sanity of Cavs fans that they have Irving to follow for the next half-decade, because they're going to feel like they got a bill-of-goods with Waiters.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I think the guy CCJ hyped the most (relative to his actual draft position) was Will Barton.

True. Barton is someone I thought rebounded, passed, and scored well to possibly start at SG as a rookie.

My focus was not on finding on great player. I believed the Wizards could pick a very good player at 32. I also thought it was possible to pick a starter-worthy candidate at 46. These are some of the players I liked in those spots.

--Will Barton played well in summer league but is a numbers situation in Portland.
--Scott Machado has looked good in limited minutes.
--Marcus Denmon was drafted by SA and sent overseas (looked good prior to his injury)
--Draymond Green is a player I said should be a no-brainer at 32 because of his work over 4 years at Michigan State. Rebounding and three point range suggest he will be a Jared Dudley type player.

[tontoz]

I don't think it would be hard to do better than Pargo/Price at 32.