2013 NBA draft prospects chatter

[ThatDude23]

Well what player do you feel best fits the Bobcats as currently constructed? My vote is for McLemore. I honestly wouldn't be too terribly disappointed if McLemore is off the board when we draft and we end up with Shabazz. I think he can be a 20 PPG guy. Plus he's a hard worker. After missing those 3 (?) games and showing up slow and slightly overweight he hit the gym, cut out sugary foods and sugary drinks, trimmed down and came back strong. His will to win is an intangible that could show up on the court. He's going to work his tail off and do everything he can do to win. He's also known to clamp down on his teammates for slacking off. He's a good chemistry guy and I don't think he will settle for mediocrity. Some of these guys get lazy when they make their money. Shabazz profiles as a go-getter type. I think he plays with a chip on his shoulder for some reason and he thrives on the hate. He's got swag and chutzpah.

I'm never one to take fit over potential. I think Noel has a slightly higher upside, so you take him first overall. I'll put it this way, Mclemore isn't just similar to Ray Allen, he's Ray Allen's clone. Whereas, Noel's ceiling is a significantly better version of what Dwight Howard could be, if he had a motor that never quits. An absolute monster potential. Will he be great? No idea, very high risk, high reward. But the reward is well worth the risk.

[MasterIchiro]

With Noel I hesitate because of the offense and the presence of Bismack Biymobo. I worry the team will have too many projects going on simultaneously. Noel, Bismack and MKG have a long way to go to develop their scoring. And it's not clear to me that ownership is patient enough to go another 2-3 years with an empty arena. That's why I side with McLemore and Shabazz. Their ceilings may not be as high as you project for Noel but they're going to make a more immediate impact on wins, tickets and dollars.

[catch20two]

Nerlens Noel is everything Cho was hoping Biyombo could be...an athletic big that's a defensive game-changer.

[BigSlam]

I recorded the UCLA game today.

Is it worth watching?

[ThatDude23]

I recorded the UCLA game today.

Is it worth watching?

No. Delete. Free up space.

[catch20two]

I recorded the UCLA game today.

Is it worth watching?

No. Muhammad had a somewhat of a off game and didn't start because of disciplinary reasons. His teammates are true ball hogs, especially Adams and the Wear Twins. He seems to be the only one that believes in ball movement.

[ThatDude23]

With Noel I hesitate because of the offense and the presence of Bismack Biymobo. I worry the team will have too many projects going on simultaneously. Noel, Bismack and MKG have a long way to go to develop their scoring. And it's not clear to me that ownership is patient enough to go another 2-3 years with an empty arena. That's why I side with McLemore and Shabazz. Their ceilings may not be as high as you project for Noel but they're going to make a more immediate impact on wins, tickets and dollars.

Valid point.

[ThatDude23]

I recorded the UCLA game today.

Is it worth watching?

No. Muhammad had a somewhat of a off game and didn't start because of disciplinary reasons. His teammates are true ball hogs, especially Adams and the Wear Twins. He seems to be the only one that believes in ball movement.

His teammates seem to forget that the team was a complete dumpster fire(putting it lightly) before Muhammad came along.

[BigSlam]

Thank you.

Consider it deleted.

[Eoghan]

Yeah, UCLA is pretty chuckerific. I think that's part of the reason why Muhammad doesn't have many dimes. By the time he actually gets the ball, if he has a snowball's chance in hell of scoring he calls his own number. That one Wear twin throws up shots like he's Kevin Love.

[JMAC3]

Starting to come around on Nerlens Noel a bit. I know he seems a lot like Biz, but honestly there are some big differences between the two.

Noel has a much higher basketball IQ in the way he moves around the court and creates passing lanes for his bigs.
Noel has much better hands.
Noel attacks the basket much more aggressively.
When he scores you aren't thinking to yourself thank god that went in. because it doesnt look awkward.
He is the better defender out of the two and may be a better shot blocker.
Noel seems like he will develop at much more rapid pace.

Also, I feel like Noel can play either the 4 or 5 because he has the quickness to guard stretch 4 men.

Ideally, we all want Biz to become a defensive anchor capable of not making you **** yourself when he catches the ball. To me Noel is already better and will be better from what I see. Let Biz keep developing and use him off the bench as an energy big man who can block shots. Hopefully he puts it all together and Noel and him prove they can play together effectively if not you can always trade Biz later because some team will value his shot blocking.

Given all this right now I still would prefer McLemore if given choice and maybe Shabazz, but those three make up my top 3 with a big drop off after. Len doesnt really impress me much other than being a solid 7 footer, I think Zellar stays, and Bennett will end up being a Small forward in the league so dont love him.

[catch20two]

1. Shabazz Muhammad: (+) effortless scorer and selfless teammate; (-) very skeptical defense

2. Nerlens Noel: (+) defense is as good as advertised, averages 4 blocks and 3 steals; (-) not a go-to scorer

3. Anthony Bennett: (+) most versatile and efficient scorer among draft prospects; (-) conditioning, he's always exhausted and breathing heavily from fighting for position on the post in the NCAA where congested zone defenses take away his passing lanes

4. Ben McLemore: (+) good athlete but not elite, smart and efficient player with deep range; (-) age, not as aggressive of a scorer as I would like to see

5. Cody Zeller: (+) skilled scorer around the basket that has a high motor; (-) doesn't have many negatives other than his short wingspan but I understand why critics (including me) may stereotype his potential in the NBA

[Kembastockton]

selfless teammate;

Shabazz averages 0.8 assists per game. That says selfish chucker not selfless teammate. However considering how good a passer MKG is a selfish chucker might work. For me Shabazz's star potential makes him a no brainer pick for us if he is on the board when we pick. Trade Heno for a big. Draft Shabazz or McLemore.

[catch20two]

selfless teammate;

Shabazz averages 0.8 assists per game. That says selfish chucker not selfless teammate. However considering how good a passer MKG is a selfish chucker might work. For me Shabazz's star potential makes him a no brainer pick for us if he is on the board when we pick. Trade Heno for a big. Draft Shabazz or McLemore.

You obviously don't watch the games and only judge him by box scores. Shabazz Muhammad is not a selfish offensive player and far from a black hole. He's a opportunistic scorer. He's just not a playmaker.

[James Gatz]

Bazz seems to always make the easy pass which is something you'd want to do. He doesn't have the ability to create for others and thus he low assist rate.

[Kembastockton]

You obviously don't watch the games and only judge him by box scores. Shabazz Muhammad is not a selfish offensive player and far from a black hole. He's a opportunistic scorer. He's just not a playmaker.

That is a cop out. He is a guard not a big guy. Guards are trained since elementry school to get the ball to their bigs. Shabazz averages less than an assist per game. What would it take for you to think he was a black hole? Would his assists have to be in the negative? I don't think that Shabazz is stupid. He would have to be stupid to think that he had to shoot every time he touched the ball and never pass at all! I saw the great pass he had during the Oregon game yesterday. Evidently you equate a black hole with a person who never ever under any circumstances makes a pass. If he was so arrogant that he never made a pass he likely wouldn't be ranked this highly. If he was a playmaker he would be averaging considerably more assists. He isn't even in the middle. Mclemore averages almost 2 assists per game. I would consider Ben a scorer, but not a playmaker. Less than an assist per game from a guard I call a black hole.

[fatlever]

this team desperately needs players who can pass and have a great feel for offense. we rely too much on guards who like to iso. it is a bit concerning that bazz doesnt generate offense for others, at least not yet.

[Eoghan]

UCLA doesn't need Shabazz to be a playmaker, that's what Larry Drew, Kyle Anderson, and to a lesser extent the Adams kid is for. Shabazz's role is to score, and that's what he does. If it's not his role in the offense to set teammates up, then you can't really fault him for having low assists. Combine that with the fact that UCLA's bigs don't play like bigs, you can't fault him for not getting the ball to the bigs b/c UCLA's bigs throw up jumpshots most of the game.

[JMAC3]

Either way averaging under 1 assist a game is pretty pathetic for a wing player in college. He should be able to luck into 2-3 assists a game just by swinging the ball around a bit. I have only watched UCLA play a few times and they do not really feed the ball to one guy, but instead its just whoever is open shot the ball. In those 2-3 games I have seen Shabazz be kind of a sticky hands kind of player and has taken some tough/unorthodox shots.

McLemore catches the ball and very quickly decides to shoot, drive or swing the ball and tends to only shoot good looking shots. In that sense he reminds me of Beal, but is more athletic.

[thruthefire]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzufDLiYTNc[/youtube]

http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/pla ... ore-1.html
http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/pla ... len-1.html