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2014 Draft Prospects Thread

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2014 Draft Prospects Thread 

Post#1 » by MasterIchiro » Sun Jun 30, 2013 9:32 pm

My prediction for the Eastern Conference playoff teams

1-Heat (everyone back)
2-Bulls (Rose back, Mayo signs)
3-Pacers (everyone back)
4-Nets (everyone back, added Garnett and Pierce)
5-Knicks (everyone back)
6-Wizards (Wall healthy, added Porter)
7-Cavs (Irving healthy, added Bennett)
8-Raptors (Gay for a full season in a weakened conference, could add Bledsoe)

9-Hawks (lose Josh Smith)
10-Bucks (lose Monta Ellis)
11-Pistons (same team with KCP)
12-Hornets (added Zeller, Kemba, Biz, MKG improve, no major signings)
13-Sixers (lose Holiday, add an injured player)
14-Magic (added Oladipo, Afflalo not worth much)
15-Celtics (lost Rivers, Pierce, Garnett and soon Rondo)

Wiggins sweepstakes

1-Celtics
2-Magic
3-Sixers
4-Hornets
5-Suns
6-Pistons
7-Bucks
8-Hawks
9-Kings
10-Pelicans (Sixers)
11-Lakers
12-Blazers
13-Wolves
14-Jazz
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Re: Wiggins Sweepstakes 

Post#2 » by Badd_Intentions » Sun Jun 30, 2013 9:38 pm

I don't see the celtics finishing worse than us. They will still have Jeff green, Wallace, hump, bass, brooks, and rondo. That is a ways better than any lineup we can field.

Also I see Orlando is trying to deal afflalo to LAC for Bledsoe. I know the raptors are trying to get him to, but if Orlando lands him I think that bumps them up a bit.

The 6ers might be the worst team in the league this year.
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Re: Wiggins Sweepstakes 

Post#3 » by MasterIchiro » Sun Jun 30, 2013 9:48 pm

Badd_Intentions wrote:I don't see the celtics finishing worse than us. They will still have Jeff green, Wallace, hump, bass, brooks, and rondo. That is a ways better than any lineup we can field.

Also I see Orlando is trying to deal afflalo to LAC for Bledsoe. I know the raptors are trying to get him to, but if Orlando lands him I think that bumps them up a bit.

The 6ers might be the worst team in the league this year.


Ok fair enough. I just think Rondo will be dealt and the Celics will be left with very young players who have not played together. I also think LAC would prefer Derozan over Afflalo.

What is your order for the Wiggins sweepstakes? Where do you have us?
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Re: Wiggins Sweepstakes 

Post#4 » by soxfan2003 » Sun Jun 30, 2013 10:03 pm

MasterIchiro wrote:
Badd_Intentions wrote:I don't see the celtics finishing worse than us. They will still have Jeff green, Wallace, hump, bass, brooks, and rondo. That is a ways better than any lineup we can field.

Also I see Orlando is trying to deal afflalo to LAC for Bledsoe. I know the raptors are trying to get him to, but if Orlando lands him I think that bumps them up a bit.

The 6ers might be the worst team in the league this year.


Ok fair enough. I just think Rondo will be dealt and the Celics will be left with very young players who have not played together. I also think LAC would prefer Derozan over Afflalo.

What is your order for the Wiggins sweepstakes? Where do you have us?


Celtic fan here just checking your board to see if the Bobcats were planning to tank. I sure hope not. :-)

Rondo realistically could miss 30 games and then be traded after he comes back or Boston keeps him after he missed 50 games which would only have him out for a year.

Boston has some good nba players but there really is 1) new coach 2) not much good perimeter shooting at all with KG/PP/Terry all gone 3) not much interior D at all with KG gone.

If Boston tries to win playing some sort of fast paced small ball lineup, maybe they overachieve if Rondo is there.
But in halfcourt basketball, I don't expect the Celtics to win many games even if they are trying since any smart coach will just dare the Celtics to shoot. No real go to scorer besides Green and even he has never had to be a number 1 option.

KG/PP have been the Celtics best regular season players all along and not Rondo so even if he plays and the Celtics try I'm only expecting 25 wins right now unless the roster is upgraded.

I'm not sure about the Bobcats overall talent but I like MKG and your rookie may help out a bit as well.
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Re: Wiggins Sweepstakes 

Post#5 » by Rich4114 » Sun Jun 30, 2013 10:46 pm

After looking at what Randle can do, I would not be upset if we ended up with him if we missed out on Wiggins. That kid is 6-10" 240 and moves like Kemba...
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Re: Wiggins Sweepstakes 

Post#6 » by MasterIchiro » Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:03 pm

Rich4114 wrote:After looking at what Randle can do, I would not be upset if we ended up with him if we missed out on Wiggins. That kid is 6-10" 240 and moves like Kemba...


We would need to finish no lower than 3rd in the lottery with one of the 2 teams ahead of us being the Magic (Smart).

The way things are looking (it's early), I have us 4th in the lottery. That gets us Jabari Parker. If we finish 5th we could get WCS or 6th if one of the 5 teams ahead already has a center.

Most likely I think we end up with Willie Cauley Stein, unless we get lucky. I'd love to get Randle and Cauley Stein somehow. That pushes aside Zeller and Biz but oh well.
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Re: Wiggins Sweepstakes 

Post#7 » by TheKingofSting » Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:05 pm

The only way the C's out tank us is if Rondo is moved and even then it would be a close call.
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Re: Wiggins Sweepstakes 

Post#8 » by MasterIchiro » Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:06 pm

Kemba2Hendo wrote:The only way the C's out tank us is if Rondo is moved and even then it would be a close call.


What about Sixers and Magic? Where do you have us finishing? I have us 4th which is striking distance.
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Re: Wiggins Sweepstakes 

Post#9 » by TheKingofSting » Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:08 pm

MasterIchiro wrote:
Kemba2Hendo wrote:The only way the C's out tank us is if Rondo is moved and even then it would be a close call.


What about Sixers and Magic? Where do you have us finishing? I have us 4th which is striking distance.


I have us second, the only way Orlando stays that bad is if they get hit with a lot of injuries, I expect them to really improve this coming season with all of their young players. I have us second behind Philly based on what we know at this moment.
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Re: Wiggins Sweepstakes 

Post#10 » by HornetJail » Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:26 pm

Here's how I see the bottom five teams.

1) Celtics - who knows what this team is going to look like? Likely hitting the reset button just as hard as we did a few years ago. Rondo might get moved and even if he doesn't, he's working his way back from an ACL tear. Wallace, Green, Bass, Lee, Olynyk, and Humphries round out the rest of the team. It's terrible.

2) Suns - they've got a nice big hole at the 2 and 3. You can bet they're looking at Wiggins, plus that team is still straight up terrible.

3) Sixers - Jrue is gone. Bynum is all but gone. Noel is injured and unlikely to play half the year. Evan Turner might be their best player. Think about how awful that sounds.

4) Horncats - still too young to compete- at least I hope so. it's going to be tough to tank but I know this team all too well, we'll find a way to tank this year.

5) Magic - still too young to compete as well. I don't know how a Nelson/Oladipo/Harkless/Harris/Vucevic starting five will work out.
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Re: Wiggins Sweepstakes 

Post#11 » by BeesWax » Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:36 pm

My bottom five right now are:

1.Sixers - they have destroyed their team and will start from scratch
2.Bobcats - not much difference except player growth / new coach takes time
3.Phoenix - they have holes but are better at the center position and not far off at PG
4.Magic - young like us but still working
5.Celtics - this is assuming they will get Rondo for back half of the season / have a couple guys who would start on any of the other teams listed

This can all change based on trades and FA.
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Re: Wiggins Sweepstakes 

Post#12 » by Logander » Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:41 pm

If we get Wiggins or Parker I would be forever happy....
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Re: Wiggins Sweepstakes 

Post#13 » by HornetJail » Mon Jul 1, 2013 12:06 am

Logander wrote:If we get Wiggins or Parker I would be forever happy....

Any of Wiggins, Randle, or Parker would have me absolutely hammered for nights on end after we draft him.
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Re: Wiggins Sweepstakes 

Post#14 » by fatlever » Mon Jul 1, 2013 2:01 am

i think the suns could be rather awful. they get my vote for #1 in the wiggins sweepstakes.
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Re: Wiggins Sweepstakes 

Post#15 » by TheKingofSting » Mon Jul 1, 2013 2:07 am

I keep forgetting about the Suns so...

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Re: Wiggins Sweepstakes 

Post#16 » by JMAC3 » Mon Jul 1, 2013 2:26 am

Sixers are clearly going to be the worst team and I do not see them adding much help via FA.

Also, do not forget about Utah. They are a serious wildcard team with Burke, Favors and Kanter becoming regular starters for the first time in their careers. I know everybody wants to slob the knob of Favors and Kanter, but they have not proven they can produce and win games. Hayward is likely to be their most experienced starter and Alec Burks may end up starting at the 2. They are looking very young and I could see them being just as bad as us or worse.

The Suns are awful. They did not do much to get better in the draft, as Gortat and Len play the same position so they will likely be worse than this year, unless they make a trade or sign a big name. They also lost Shannon Brown, who gave them bench scoring. May also lose Jermaine Oneal who gave them good production as well.

The Bucks may take a huge step backward, which may be the best move for them since they can't seem to get past the 8th seed. They are looking to bring back Jennings, but that is no guarantee and Ellis and Redick are most likely gone. They have good depth in the frontcourt, but they are not going to carry the team. Also, losing Dunleavy, Daniels and Dalembert, who are valuable vets.

Obviously, Orlando is bad and will be in the running for worst team. I think it depends on how much they want to win, because I could see them tanking for Wiggins pretty easily. I think Oladipo will take a year to really develop into a good player. Harris may be fools gold, and Vucevic is servicable, but he is not a go to big man. It will be interesting how many minutes their vets(Hedo, BigBaby, Nelson, and Harrington) receive because they are solid, but I could see them going almost full youth movement.

Celtics best bet is prolly retooling, but lets wait and see how they approach this. If they trade Rondo they are easily a top 5 worst team.

Hawks appear they may be wanting to go full rebuild, after prolly missing out on Howard and CP3. They brought in some solid rookies and I could see them going into tank mode.

Don't count out Raptors throwing this year to try and land Wiggins. They are really not that talented and I think they clearly got worse talent wise with the Bargnani trade. Especially if Lowry or Gay goes down with an injury, they would fall off in a hurry.

Then finally you have Pistons, Wizards, Kings, and Cavs. The teams have talent, but can not seem to turn the corner into playoff contenders. It would not surprise me if two of these teams are picking in the top 5 and all of them in the top 10.

None of these teams would surprise me much if we finished higher than them in the standing. Given, I am not saying we will finish above all of them by any means, but I could see us landing somewhere in the middle of the pack.
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Re: Wiggins Sweepstakes 

Post#17 » by Snidely FC » Mon Jul 1, 2013 1:08 pm

Aaron Gordon and Andrew Harrison looked like the best players at this year's McDonald's All-Stars Game.
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Re: Wiggins Sweepstakes 

Post#18 » by Badd_Intentions » Mon Jul 1, 2013 2:08 pm

MasterIchiro wrote:
Badd_Intentions wrote:I don't see the celtics finishing worse than us. They will still have Jeff green, Wallace, hump, bass, brooks, and rondo. That is a ways better than any lineup we can field.

Also I see Orlando is trying to deal afflalo to LAC for Bledsoe. I know the raptors are trying to get him to, but if Orlando lands him I think that bumps them up a bit.

The 6ers might be the worst team in the league this year.


Ok fair enough. I just think Rondo will be dealt and the Celics will be left with very young players who have not played together. I also think LAC would prefer Derozan over Afflalo.

What is your order for the Wiggins sweepstakes? Where do you have us?


Rondo could be dealt, seems that Ainge blew it up, but Rondo is still young and it's tough to find a good PG so I think they will ultimately keep him.

I see us finishing bottom 3 in the league of course not factoring in injuries to major players on other bad teams.

Unless Philly makes any other key acquisitions I see them having the worst record. With us, and Orlando not too far behind. I actually think Orlando has some nice young players with a bit more scoring punch than we do. So i'll say we finish slightly worse than them.



As for the Clippers, Derozan could be a good player with them however only thing about him is his suspect perimeter game. Afflalo is a great perimeter defender and he can knock down the open 3. I would classify Derozan as more of a slasher, and Afflalo more of a 3 and D glue type player. Guess it depends on what Doc thinks fits them best.
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Re: Wiggins Sweepstakes 

Post#19 » by Badd_Intentions » Mon Jul 1, 2013 2:12 pm

Biz Gilwalker wrote:Here's how I see the bottom five teams.

1) Celtics - who knows what this team is going to look like? Likely hitting the reset button just as hard as we did a few years ago. Rondo might get moved and even if he doesn't, he's working his way back from an ACL tear. Wallace, Green, Bass, Lee, Olynyk, and Humphries round out the rest of the team. It's terrible.

2) Suns - they've got a nice big hole at the 2 and 3. You can bet they're looking at Wiggins, plus that team is still straight up terrible.

3) Sixers - Jrue is gone. Bynum is all but gone. Noel is injured and unlikely to play half the year. Evan Turner might be their best player. Think about how awful that sounds.

4) Horncats - still too young to compete- at least I hope so. it's going to be tough to tank but I know this team all too well, we'll find a way to tank this year.

5) Magic - still too young to compete as well. I don't know how a Nelson/Oladipo/Harkless/Harris/Vucevic starting five will work out.


I think PHX will finish bottom 5, I have them being a tad better than us and the Magic b/c of the Gortat/Scola combo (if they retain them) are good enough to get wins against bad teams. Also if Dragic can stay on the court I think he is a nice enough player to give bad teams fits.

Toronto has to start creeping into the mix, Just gave away Barngani to the knicks for Novak and Camby and a future 1st. That has tank written all over it. They still have Gay/Derozan, but could be one of those sneaky teams that doesn't completely tank and get in the top 3 somehow.
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Re: Wiggins Sweepstakes 

Post#20 » by Rich4114 » Mon Jul 1, 2013 2:14 pm

Lately, it's almost as if it's better to be like 4th or 5th worst to get the top pick instead of worst. We have pretty much always been screwed in the lottery and on top of that have wasted many of our picks.

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