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

[Nitroglycerin]

Hope you guys post updates and results on the Lottery here

[Gideon]

Shved still has potential though. He has alot of skills. Just needs to get an nba body so he can stay consistant throughout the season.

Btw I've seen a few mocks that have us trading Dwill + 9 to the Lolcats for MCelmore. But we would have to take tyrus thomas' contract.

I'm in on that ...

D-Will is 4.8 mil/yr right now, so we'd be trading him in for McLemore and Thomas (8 mil/yr). It seems like we might have to trade Barea or Ridnour to a third team for a future pick to clear out the cap space to make that deal work.

That said, I would be okay with it. Thomas is only locked up for two more years. So we get our SG of the future, and also have an expensive sub who is still a pretty good defender/energy guy for the next two seasons, and then free up lots of cap space when his contract ends in 2015.

Thomas has actually been a serviceable player when he's got minutes. I'm usually not a fan of low-BBIQ guys, but I like his energy and defensive focus in a big. As recently as 2011, Thomas averaged 10-6 with 1.5 bpg in only 21 mpg. That's actually pretty damn good from a per minute perspective, and he's only 26. He's also 6'10 with great athleticism... I could see him getting minutes not just as a PF, but also as a smallball center against many matchups.

[Grits n Gravy]

All that said, he looks like a SF and we need a SG. Not sure how that fits.

Shabazz Muhammad 6' 4.75" 6' 6.25" 222 6' 11" 8' 8.5" 9.0 9 10 29.5 11' 2" 37.0 11' 9.5" NA 10.99 3.32
James Harden 6' 4" 6' 5.25" 222 6' 10.75" 8' 7.5" 10.1 0 0 31.5 11' 3" 37.0 11' 8.5" 17 11.10 3.13

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-draft-measurements/

Come on meow, let's not go crazy. Harden can pass, play with pass and break a defense down. Don't see any of that in Muhammad.

[Biff Cooper]

Here is my impression of the 5 players being discussed as it pertains to their NBA future. I haven't spent a huge amount of time studying the players, but this is my impression based mostly on visiting DX. I'm sure others view them differently:

Best distance Shooter - 1. KCP, 2. McLemore 3. Mccollum 4. Muhammad 5. Oladipo

Fixed

I'll stand by 1. McCollum, 2. McLemore 3. KCP 4. Oladipo 5. Muhammad
I know KCP was forced to take some low percentage shots because his team needed him to, but I have trouble believing he is the best distance shooter of the bunch when he had the worst 3pt% of the group (tied with Muhammad).

[Klomp]

"Whoever, whatever pick we have, we're gonna take the best player at that pick."

http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/nba/minne ... QU.twitter

[GreenRiddler]

"Whoever, whatever pick we have, we're gonna take the best player at that pick."

http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/nba/minne ... QU.twitter

Bennett FTW!

[C.lupus]

"We're going to take the best player. We just happen to think Caldwell-Pope is a better player than Bennett."

[nickforthreee]

Here is my impression of the 5 players being discussed as it pertains to their NBA future. I haven't spent a huge amount of time studying the players, but this is my impression based mostly on visiting DX. I'm sure others view them differently:

Best distance Shooter - 1. KCP, 2. McLemore 3. Mccollum 4. Muhammad 5. Oladipo

Fixed

I'll stand by 1. McCollum, 2. McLemore 3. KCP 4. Oladipo 5. Muhammad
I know KCP was forced to take some low percentage shots because his team needed him to, but I have trouble believing he is the best distance shooter of the bunch when he had the worst 3pt% of the group (tied with Muhammad).

everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but ill break down why i put them in that order:

KCP- like you said his percentage wasnt great because of the amount he had to take on that horrible team and the fact that he doesnt have the best shot selection, but he is the deadliest 3pt shooter of this group. i watched id say 80% of georgias games this year and ive never seen him miss when he was wide open. he consistently hits shots from 3 or 4 feet behind the arc, sometimes off the dribble and unbalanced. he also hits clutch shots, and is excellent at coming off screens. hes much more of a shooter than just a spot up shooter, he can create his shot also which gives him the edge here.

McLemore- prettiest form of all these guys, definitely a pure shooter, but he is really a spot up shooter at this point, not much of a threat off the dribble

mccollum- more of a scorer than a pure shooter. think of monta ellis, you know he can shoot, but hes much better at scoring in other ways.

shabazz- suprised a lot of people coming into the season of how good of a three point shooter he was, with his feet set hes money.

oladipo- biggest knock on his game is shooting. he improved it this year but its still an area where he clearly struggles.

[Biff Cooper]

KCP- like you said his percentage wasnt great because of the amount he had to take on that horrible team and the fact that he doesnt have the best shot selection, but he is the deadliest 3pt shooter of this group. i watched id say 80% of georgias games this year and ive never seen him miss when he was wide open. he consistently hits shots from 3 or 4 feet behind the arc, sometimes off the dribble and unbalanced. he also hits clutch shots, and is excellent at coming off screens. hes much more of a shooter than just a spot up shooter, he can create his shot also which gives him the edge here.

Since you've seen him a lot, maybe you can help me out. The DX scouting video for him called decision-making his 1st weekness. Would you agree with this? They showed a bunch of highlights / lowlights where he made very poor decisions, often forcing up shots in end of game situations, or attempting mediocre shots with too much time left on the clock, or getting a big switched out onto him and trying to force up a long jumpshot rather than trying to get past him. I don't want to make too much of a couple of plays as everyone is entitled to the occasional mental screw-up, but I'm still left with the impression that his basketball IQ isn't very high and it's going to be something the team that drafts him is going to struggle with his entire career. Is this a fair fear, or are these video clips more anomolies in the big picture?

[Klomp]

KCP somewhat reminds me of JR Smith

[LordBaldric]

KCP somewhat reminds me of JR Smith

Yikes!

[Krapinsky]

KCP reminds me of Klay Thompson

[Worm Guts]

KCP somewhat reminds me of JR Smith

Yikes!

I'm not sure what you mean, but JR Smith is pretty decent.

[Antrim]

KCP somewhat reminds me of JR Smith

Yikes!

I'm not sure what you mean, but JR Smith is pretty decent.

He probably means that JR Smith is a brainless chucker who makes terrible basketball decisions, and if he becomes an important part of your team's rotation you probably will never enjoy basketball in June. Which I'd have to agree with.

[moss_is_1]

It would be so nice if we jumped into the top 2. McLemore isn't going to be a superstar, but on a team where he's the 2nd or 3rd guy he will have a pretty awesome career, IMO. He's not going to have to create his own shot a whole lot right away with Rubio/Love/Pek, and he can basically just focus on spotting up / playing defense.

Too bad that he'll go to some team where he has to be the guy and turn into poop.

[NikolaPekovic]

If we can get KCP/oladipo/Mclemore AND keep Dwill.... we are gonna be a fun team to watch.


I still think Dwill can play Small forward. And im looking forward to seeing small ball lineups of ..


rubio/?/Dwill/Ak/Love

[NikolaPekovic]

Hearing flip saying we are going to take the best player makes me think we are going to take Shabazz.

Flip seems like the type of guy to go for the big name.

[big3_8_19_21]

DX released its first team-needs based mock draft pre-lottery today:
http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2013/

We got Shabazz, Rice Jr., Peyton Siva and DeWayne Dedmon.

Seems like a realistic possibility. A lot of people will probably want KCP over Shabazz. Also, #52 probably won't matter much in the long run, but I'd really rather take Solomon Hill than Peyton Siva there.

ESPN mock lotto has us taking KCP at 9 and Shabazz slipping to 14.

[Biff Cooper]

Hearing flip saying we are going to take the best player makes me think we are going to take Shabazz.

Flip seems like the type of guy to go for the big name.

Makes me think we are taking a big like Zeller

[Devilzsidewalk]

I'd still wager against Shabazz being on the board @ 9