Two picks in round 2 2010....

[DWCP2]

of the guys we've seen who do you like or even who do you hope falls.

I got two guys I like

#1 Luke Harangoady, Notre Dame: Works off screens well, can shoot as well as rebound. I consider him a cross between Dunleavy and Murphy as far as skill set.

#2 Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga: Could be a good combo guard at the next level. Did catch some of Gonzaga in and out this year and think this guy could be there with our later round pick.

Who do you like?

[Starkiller]

I have a strong feeling if he is there, Bird takes Harangoady in the 2nd round, I'm almost 100% positive of this.

[Starkiller]

If he's in there in the 2nd when we pick again, I wouldn't mind grabbing Eric Bledsoe from UK. Seems like he has a ton of upside to him and could turn into a great player on both sides of the ball.

[Grang33r]

If he's in there in the 2nd when we pick again, I wouldn't mind grabbing Eric Bledsoe from UK. Seems like he has a ton of upside to him and could turn into a great player on both sides of the ball.

Eric Bledsoe will be a first round player if he declares. There isn't many PGs in this draft and he's actually a better shooter then John Wall.

[Grang33r]

One player i want is either Jerome Dyson from UConn or Andy Rautins from Syracuse. Both are SG but with PG skills. Very good players with the ball. Rautins passing is suburb and i don't know if anyone watches Syracuse, but he's a 3-point machine. Very good defender and like i said, very good with the ball. If Kyle Korver and Jason Kapano made a living in the NBA, so will Rautins.

[Miller4ever]

Rautins' passing isn't really PG-worthy. He's more like a Dunleavy facilitator, from what I've seen.

[Grang33r]

Rautins' passing isn't really PG-worthy. He's more like a Dunleavy facilitator, from what I've seen.

No, it's def not PG worthy. Sorry if that's what it sounded like. Prior to this season, scouting reports said he was a horrid passer. He's improved a lot. He's not a liability anymore. Doesn't commit too many turnovers. He's a great shooter. Very good defender who has long arms and his passing has improved by a lot.

After down 0-14, Syracuse now up 50-37!!!!!

[Starkiller]

What about Edgar Sosa as a 2nd round PG pick? Tons of talent, if you can just get a brain in his head and attitude in check...

[Gremz]

There's a very slight chance that Lance Stephenson could be available, dhould be a no brainer if he's there, or Sheron Collins if he's available. As for the later pick, a guy like Tim Ohlbrech might be a useful Euro to look into. Omar Samhan has been lighting it up this year too, he might be a decent backup C.

[Dunthreevy]

of the guys we've seen who do you like or even who do you hope falls.

I got two guys I like

#1 Luke Harangoady, Notre Dame: Works off screens well, can shoot as well as rebound. I consider him a cross between Dunleavy and Murphy as far as skill set.

#2 Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga: Could be a good combo guard at the next level. Did catch some of Gonzaga in and out this year and think this guy could be there with our later round pick.

Who do you like?

If Bird were to draft 2 more white players the NBA would likely be forced to start an investigation. I wouldn't be surprised if Harangoady isn't even drafted.

[PaceWalker]

of the guys we've seen who do you like or even who do you hope falls.

I got two guys I like

#1 Luke Harangoady, Notre Dame: Works off screens well, can shoot as well as rebound. I consider him a cross between Dunleavy and Murphy as far as skill set.

#2 Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga: Could be a good combo guard at the next level. Did catch some of Gonzaga in and out this year and think this guy could be there with our later round pick.

Who do you like?

If Bird were to draft 2 more white players the NBA would likely be forced to start an investigation. I wouldn't be surprised if Harangoady isn't even drafted.

There is no way (barring injury) Harangoady will not get drafted. He probably has the best post skills in the ncaa right now (just doesn't have much of any potential). He will definitely get drafted though, he's in the running for Player of the Year. Ohh and btw I hate ND.

[Miller4ever]

Luke Harangody could be better than Troy Murphy, but is smaller. However, he has a Hansbrough-like motor. I'll give him that.

[Grang33r]

There's a very slight chance that Lance Stephenson could be available, dhould be a no brainer if he's there, or Sheron Collins if he's available. As for the later pick, a guy like Tim Ohlbrech might be a useful Euro to look into. Omar Samhan has been lighting it up this year too, he might be a decent backup C.

Stephenson won't be a Pacer, i can almost guarantee it. Pacers will one day be able to take a player with a risk but not for a while, they still are trying to clean their image. Stephenson is a ticking bomb, and don't get fooled by him now. Cincinnati pretty much told him if he cleans his act for a year or two, he will be in the NBA, if not, he'll be on the street. When he gets his first paycheck, what kind of person will he be? I don't want to be the team that finds out.

Story on Stephenson- http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball ... b%2C167162

[Grang33r]

Luke Harangody could be better than Troy Murphy, but is smaller. However, he has a Hansbrough-like motor. I'll give him that.

I've never been a big fan of Harangody, although, i've never been a real fan of Hansbrough or DeJuan Blair either. I think the more Blair has success at the NBA level, the more Harangody's stock rises. Blair has a bigger wing span and is more athletic, but, Harangody is a more polished player, better shooter and probably higher basketball IQ.

[Dunthreevy]

Conditioning and lack of potential are why I think Harangody could potentially go undrafted. Draft Express has him projected to go in the 20's of round 2, so to say he might not get drafted isn't much of a stretch.

[Gremz]

There's a very slight chance that Lance Stephenson could be available, dhould be a no brainer if he's there, or Sheron Collins if he's available. As for the later pick, a guy like Tim Ohlbrech might be a useful Euro to look into. Omar Samhan has been lighting it up this year too, he might be a decent backup C.

Stephenson won't be a Pacer, i can almost guarantee it. Pacers will one day be able to take a player with a risk but not for a while, they still are trying to clean their image. Stephenson is a ticking bomb, and don't get fooled by him now. Cincinnati pretty much told him if he cleans his act for a year or two, he will be in the NBA, if not, he'll be on the street. When he gets his first paycheck, what kind of person will he be? I don't want to be the team that finds out.

Story on Stephenson- http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball ... b%2C167162

Perhaps I'm being picky here, but here me out;

That article is from 7 months ago at a time when he was just out of HS as a spoiled brat and School basketball legend. It all went to his head. I'm not saying he's a great personality, or even a good one for that matter, but he's just acted like an arrogant kid. My point is, take OJ Mayo and Tyreke Evans are just two recent examples of players who got into all sorts of trouble throughout college.

Here's something more recent:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/w ... si_writers

My main concern also is that this team is going to have to take a gamble at some point like you said. I too would like it to be when we've settled down, but based on consistency and star power this year, I'm starting to think that "playing it safe" could cost us some valuable pieces.

[jowglenn]

All I know is, if a guy slips to the 2nd round who was a high risk / high reward guy, TAKE HIM. Don't get fooled into the whole, "well, everyone else has passed him up, i guess DeJuan Blair's knees really are an issue."

I hope we got some good scouts.

[Grang33r]

There's a very slight chance that Lance Stephenson could be available, dhould be a no brainer if he's there, or Sheron Collins if he's available. As for the later pick, a guy like Tim Ohlbrech might be a useful Euro to look into. Omar Samhan has been lighting it up this year too, he might be a decent backup C.

Stephenson won't be a Pacer, i can almost guarantee it. Pacers will one day be able to take a player with a risk but not for a while, they still are trying to clean their image. Stephenson is a ticking bomb, and don't get fooled by him now. Cincinnati pretty much told him if he cleans his act for a year or two, he will be in the NBA, if not, he'll be on the street. When he gets his first paycheck, what kind of person will he be? I don't want to be the team that finds out.

Story on Stephenson- http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball ... b%2C167162

Perhaps I'm being picky here, but here me out;

That article is from 7 months ago at a time when he was just out of HS as a spoiled brat and School basketball legend. It all went to his head. I'm not saying he's a great personality, or even a good one for that matter, but he's just acted like an arrogant kid. My point is, take OJ Mayo and Tyreke Evans are just two recent examples of players who got into all sorts of trouble throughout college.

Here's something more recent:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/w ... si_writers

My main concern also is that this team is going to have to take a gamble at some point like you said. I too would like it to be when we've settled down, but based on consistency and star power this year, I'm starting to think that "playing it safe" could cost us some valuable pieces.

You do make great points. However, my point of view is coming from a documentary i saw on television i think last year or maybe even the prior draft on Kevin Prichard (Portland GM) and the Trail Blazers. Our two franchises are pretty similar in ways. Portland's nick name was the "Jail Blazers" and they have one of the biggest supports in the league, but during their "Jail Blazers" era they lost lots of sponsors and lots of fans. Arena was quiet and empty. Prichard cleaned house and re-did their image. They were not winning from the start but sponsors returned and fans packed the house. Prichard said that unlike other teams, they can't draft "best player available" or "best player they need" because they must cross off several "risks". He said, in 2 maybe 3 years, they will be able to take a risk and even if it back fires, they will be ok and will be able to cover it without making a big distraction but said they are years away. Prichard said they need to get players based on a criteria that fits them. Character, clean record, good in the community and oh yeah... a good basketball player.

I kind of see us in their shoes, except, our "hitting rock bottom" was deeper then theirs and it's taking us twice as long to re-do our image. Slowly, we are getting there. But, drafting Stephenson and even if it's a 2nd round pick, if he gets in trouble, for whatever reason. I know ANYONE could get in trouble, even say AJ Price or whatever but i think the probability is higher for Lance due to his past. It's bad news. Once again fans and sponsors will read about the bad news. Maybe Stephenson drags a current player into trouble?

The risk isn't worth the reward. On the flip side, he may have a strong NBA career and it will benefit some team. But, our team, in our current state, i am not sure it's worth it.

Btw, good examples about Mayo or Evans. In the Mayo draft, i honestly don't think Indiana would have picked him even if he was available for us. That off-season in particular i read way too much Bird state about image of the team.... and makes sense about the Hibbert and Rush picks. Seniors, clean records, leaders, ect. However, last year i do remember reading that Pacers liked Evans a lot. Not sure if it was a smoke screen or not, but i was surprised last year when that came out.

[Grang33r]

My main concern also is that this team is going to have to take a gamble at some point like you said. I too would like it to be when we've settled down, but based on consistency and star power this year, I'm starting to think that "playing it safe" could cost us some valuable pieces.

Forgot to respond to this in my last post.

It's a tough world. I think the chances of building a successful team with this type of structure is almost impossible to succeed, although Portland has done a great job and if Brandon Roy and Greg Oden remained healthy, they would be a top 3-4 team in the West i think. For Indiana, it's really tough. Despite hitting rock bottom, the Pacers kept trying to build a champion. They never stopped and said, we must clean house and rebuild. They knew they had trouble on their team and still insisted to draft Shawne Williams. He wasn't exactly an "angel". Between Williams, Daniels, Tinsley, Jackson, Artest.... i don't think Pacers have much room for error.

[Gremz]

You're concerns are completely valid. What I don't want to see is getting into a great draft (like this one I believe) and passing on every talented player who might have a small note in their file.

I still do think that at #35-40 Lance Stephenson would be a worthwhile project, but it's understandable that my interest wouldn't be universal.