Prospect Watch Thread

[eyeteeth]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=mc-afterthebuzzer111210

NBA scouts project the 2011 draft to be lean on top talent, and the pool of prospects could be even more shallow if some college underclassmen and international prospects don’t enter the draft for fear of a potential lockout. One scout likened this year’s class to the 2006 draft, when the Toronto Raptors took Andrea Bargnani(notes) with the No. 1 pick. That draft has so far produced just two All-Stars: Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy(notes) (No. 6) and Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo(notes) (No. 21).

North Carolina freshman swingman Harrison Barnes could go as No. 1 pick in 2011 and has the potential to be a difference-maker for an NBA team. But scouts are projecting few others.

“This is a bad draft,” one scout said. “There will be a lot of players there, but no one special.”

Unfortunately I agree with this. I think it's basically 3 talented prospects with Irving, Barnes, and Perry (in no particular order) and than a huge talent drop off after that.

I recommend reading the rest of the link. They offer a brief summary of the top 10 prospects.

Sounds like a good year to exceed expectations on the court, get our pick out of the top 10 and let LAClippers have their Marko Jaric pick.

[Krapinsky]

the 6"11 265 lb Kanter would look great in a wolves jersey...

Btwn Kanter and Love they would never miss a rebound.

He would give us a physical presence we need down low who can actually play.

flynn/rubio --- Wes johnson----B-easy------Klove------Kanter

Lets hoop

is he really that big now?

[Foye]

the 6"11 265 lb Kanter would look great in a wolves jersey...

Btwn Kanter and Love they would never miss a rebound.

He would give us a physical presence we need down low who can actually play.

flynn/rubio --- Wes johnson----B-easy------Klove------Kanter

Lets hoop

is he really that big now?

Probably more like 6-10 or 6-9.5. I do like Kanter, though.

[Klomp]

the 6"11 265 lb Kanter would look great in a wolves jersey...

Btwn Kanter and Love they would never miss a rebound.

He would give us a physical presence we need down low who can actually play.

flynn/rubio --- Wes johnson----B-easy------Klove------Kanter

Lets hoop

is he really that big now?

DX lists him at 6'9", 250 lbs, NBADraft.net lists him at 6'11", 261 lbs

[Foye]

Well until proven otherwise I would always go with the lesser one.

[shangrila]

the 6"11 265 lb Kanter would look great in a wolves jersey...

Btwn Kanter and Love they would never miss a rebound.

He would give us a physical presence we need down low who can actually play.

flynn/rubio --- Wes johnson----B-easy------Klove------Kanter

Lets hoop

is he really that big now?

DX lists him at 6'9", 250 lbs, NBADraft.net lists him at 6'11", 261 lbs

He was measured at 6-11 at the world hoops tournament, although draftexpress has him listed at 6-9 but mentions he's 6-10 in the top article on his page (weird), but he's got a 7-1 wingspan to compensate so I think he'd be fine. If Cousins can play centre, for example, so can Kanter.

The only problem I would have with him is he's not a shot blocker nor is he that athletic. He'd be able to run the floor well but he's another grounded player and is that what we really need? At least Valunciunis has notable athleticism.

[Krapinsky]

You know who also has a 7'1" wingspan? Patric Young.

Burn.

[Klomp]

You know who also has a 7'1" wingspan?

Klomp?

I'm actually not sure if he does, but he's gotta be close.

[jpatrick]

Kanter looked great in the US v Internationals allstar game but hes not athletic nor a shotblocker. I see him as a more skilled Pekovic. That's a really good player but I don't think he's a great fit with our current frontcourt and with Love in particular. It would be like having a Jefferson/Love frontcourt on the defensive end again.

[shangrila]

You know who also has a 7'1" wingspan? Patric Young.

Burn.

So do Sullinger and Terrence Jones.

[horaceworthy]

I don't think it's that bad. For instance,I think more European players will declare regardless of a lockout so they can capitalise on the weak American group and I could honestly see some of the Americans trying to do the same. I mean, it's not like they can't go back to college during the lockout. All it means is they won't be playing college ball.

I think they'll also declare in case there are changes to the rookie scale, they'll have a chance to be grandfathered in. I think the biggest difference in this year's class is that guys who obviously aren't ready, such as Rodney Williams, will be better bets to stay in school.

[shangrila]

I don't think it's that bad. For instance,I think more European players will declare regardless of a lockout so they can capitalise on the weak American group and I could honestly see some of the Americans trying to do the same. I mean, it's not like they can't go back to college during the lockout. All it means is they won't be playing college ball.

I think they'll also declare in case there are changes to the rookie scale, they'll have a chance to be grandfathered in. I think the biggest difference in this year's class is that guys who obviously aren't ready, such as Rodney Williams, will be better bets to stay in school.

Yeah, Williams is a good example. But I think the flip side to that is that guys like Shumpert or Dunn will declare specifically because guys like Williams won't, meaning they'll get picked higher then they would in a "normal" draft.

[horaceworthy]

Dunn won't declare specifically because of guys like Williams, he'll enter the draft automatically because he'll have used up his collegiate eligibility. Shumpert falls more into the Rodney Williams "needs polish" category than a guy like Dunn.

More than likely this will shape up to be a more "normal" draft than people are predicting. Even if there's a lockout, there's still opportunity to make more money sooner if guys declare than if they stay in school, unless of course they go to USC.

[shangrila]

My mistake, for some reason I thought Dunn was still a junior...

Anyway, that's what I kind of meant. Juniors like Shumpert will more then likely declare if it doesn't look like the younger, "more potential" type of guys don't just to capitalize on that. At least, that's what I'd be telling Iman after 3 years of practically staying the same.

[Klomp]

Maybe we should play some sort of game where we decide who stays and goes....

Too soon, I know

[big3_8_19_21]

You know who also has a 7'1" wingspan?

Martynas Andriuskevicius? Remember when he was a highly touted prospect?...until they realized that he has the wing span of a shooting guard

[shangrila]

Durand Scott

33minutes, 5-11FGs, 1-1 3pts, 9-11 FTs, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 5 turnovers, 4 fouls, 20 points

Not an amazing stat line, but if he's 6-5 like nbadraft.net claims then he could be someone to keep an eye on.

[Worm Guts]

DX lists him at 6'9", 250 lbs, NBADraft.net lists him at 6'11", 261 lbs

He was measured at 6-11 at the world hoops tournament, although draftexpress has him listed at 6-9 but mentions he's 6-10 in the top article on his page (weird), but he's got a 7-1 wingspan to compensate so I think he'd be fine. If Cousins can play centre, for example, so can Kanter.

The only problem I would have with him is he's not a shot blocker nor is he that athletic. He'd be able to run the floor well but he's another grounded player and is that what we really need? At least Valunciunis has notable athleticism.[/quote]

Cousins wingspan is 7'6. 7-1 isn't a particularly long wingspan for a center. Wesley Johnson has a 7-1 wingspan

[Zeitgeister]

He was measured at 6-11 at the world hoops tournament, although draftexpress has him listed at 6-9 but mentions he's 6-10 in the top article on his page (weird), but he's got a 7-1 wingspan to compensate so I think he'd be fine. If Cousins can play centre, for example, so can Kanter.

The only problem I would have with him is he's not a shot blocker nor is he that athletic. He'd be able to run the floor well but he's another grounded player and is that what we really need? At least Valunciunis has notable athleticism.

Cousins has a 7'6" wingspan so he's a lot bigger, Cousins has one of the longest standing reaches ever recorded at the combine, not a good comparison.

[horaceworthy]

I have no idea what position he'd play, but I want Quincy Acy here to catch lobs from Ricky Rubio and provide a couple thunderous putbacks per game.

That Baylor frontline of Acy and Perry/Anthony Jones is ridiculous. All of them have wingspans over 7'0", to go with borderline absurd athleticism.