Official Draft Thread 3: Picks #4 and #12

[Optimus_Steel]

Some of the things Gordon does are the things Wiggins was supposed to be able to... And can't

Thats a good point. Gordon while an athlete has skills.

[NickAnderson]

2014 NBA Rookie Season Predictions for our picks, FYI.

1. Aaron Gordon, Arizona PF

Much has been made of Aaron Gordon's 6'9" frame, freakish athleticism and high character as he enters the NBA. Those are all highly valuable attributes, and the Orlando Magic grabbed a great prospect.

But his gifts won't translate into immediate production, especially in the scoring department.

He's not an advanced shot creator at all, as he can't drive effectively with his left hand or create step-back jumpers. In addition, the jury is out on his jump shot. It looked smoother during predraft workouts, but we haven't really seen him implement it during game situations.

With the bad news out of the way, Magic fans can rest assured knowing he's going to help the team immediately on the defensive end, help Nikola Vucevic on the boards and make some sparkling plays in transition. Don't sweat the statistics in the first couple years, because he's a tremendous long-term asset.

Prediction: 10.1 PPG, 7.6 RPG, All-Rookie Second Team

2. Elfrid Payton, Louisiana-Lafayette PG

Initially picked by the Philadelphia 76ers and then quickly shipped to the Orlando Magic, Louisiana-Lafayette's Elfrid Payton has a chance to be their point guard of the future.

We can't expect Damian Lillard-like production from this mid-major stud, but the Magic are hoping for at least some explosiveness and playmaking on both ends of the floor.

He's a ball hawk defensively, and he'll use his 6'8" wingspan to collect steals and bother opponents. Payton will be fun to watch on that end alongside Victor Oladipo.

When running the offense, he's going to provide a nice mix of slashing and dishing as he puts up modest numbers. At just 20 years old, there's significant upside for him as a scorer and playmaker, so don't get too concerned with his rookie stats.

Prediction: 9.3 PPG, 5.2 APG, 40% FG

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2110 ... round-pick

Eh, not too terrible of predictions I suppose. I think Aaron will score more than that, like 14 PPG. Rebounding looks about right. One area that i think his stats will improve from college is in assist. He's a good passer and I totally think he's going to do well finding his teammates when he gets the ball, especially Vuc. He already does a good job at dumping the ball off to the Center when driving, and with Vuc that's only going to result in a lot of assist. So I think he could have around 3-4 assist per game. So for Gordon I'll go around 14 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1 SPG, and 1.2 BPG. Pretty solid rookie year in my opinion.

Now Payton is a little harder to predict because we just don't know how much time he will get because we don't know if he'll start. I'm going to go with my prediction of him not starting at first but finishing the year as the starter. I think he'll end up around 12 PPG, 7 APG, 4 RPG, 2 SPG.

No way Gordon scores 14ppg in his rookie year

[Def Swami]

Florida Gators coach Billy Donovan knows Gordon and Payton well. Donovan spent part of last summer coaching the Under-19 team, and he thinks the reunion of Gordon and Peyton will pay long-term dividends for the Magic.

"I think the Magic, in terms of the culture with those two guys, really hit two home runs in the draft, because those two kids are the kind of kids that can change the culture in terms of just their energy, their disposition, their attitude, their work ethic, their competitiveness," Donovan told the Orlando Sentinel.

"You can evaluate Elfrid's statistics or you can measure Aaron Gordon's vertical leap. But it's really, really hard to evaluate the intangible things. Both of those two guys have incredible intangibles."

Donovan cited examples.

Although Payton started all of Team USA's games, Donovan played Payton at shooting guard instead of at point guard, which is Payton's natural position.

Payton never complained about the switch, Donovan remembered.

Gordon, a forward, had just finished high school in San Jose, Calif., where he was named the state's Mr. Basketball twice. Still, Gordon didn't start a game for the U.S., even though he led the Americans in points per game (12.6) and rebounds per game (6.2).

Donovan recalled: "He never, ever once said, 'Hey, Coach, I'm not getting enough shots. Hey, Coach, why am I not starting?' None of that. And I really admired him."

The admiration between Gordon and Payton is mutual.

In the weeks leading up to the draft, through sheer happenstance, some NBA teams — though not Orlando — invited them to participate in the same pre-draft workouts. During those job auditions, Gordon and Payton often teamed up for games of 2-on-2 against other draft prospects.

Payton said: "It was just pick-and-roll. Lob city."

"And nobody could stop us," Gordon said. "In all the games that we played on the same team, we probably lost twice out of all the games. Interesting enough, we ended up on the same team [through the draft]. So this is my kind of guy. I wouldn't have picked anybody else in the draft to play with me."

They hope to replicate their prior successes together during the NBA's regular season.

Donovan thinks Gordon and Payton will complement each other and the rest of the Magic's roster well.

"When you're trying to do something significant," Donovan said, "you find out what guys are all about, and those two guys, Payton and Gordon, are about the right things.

"For whatever reason, there are certain guys who can see a bigger picture. They understand what winning is. I think both guys have got a competitiveness to them that winning is a priority for them. They want to win. they'll do whatever they have to do to help the team. They're two guys that are willing to sacrifice."

http://ht.ly/yyFrT

[Def Swami]

Nik Stauskas @NStauskas11
A team asked me if I'd rather win rookie of the year or tour/party with @justinbieber for the whole summer LOOOOOOL! #ThingsToThinkAbout

https://twitter.com/NStauskas11/statuse ... 4754749442
[tweet]https://twitter.com/BlakeEllington/status/482965688366030848[/tweet]

[in-limbo]

I think the Magic organization uses these types of things often to learn something about a prospect. They messed with our current players heads all last year and most here saw it as Vaughn coaching badly. I think it's a non understood part of the equation that's becoming bigger and bigger in the decision making process.

I think last year that Tobias showed to have the most mental toughness of our young guys.

[OrlandO]

Nik Stauskas @NStauskas11
A team asked me if I'd rather win rookie of the year or tour/party with @justinbieber for the whole summer LOOOOOOL! #ThingsToThinkAbout

https://twitter.com/NStauskas11/statuse ... 4754749442
[tweet]https://twitter.com/BlakeEllington/status/482965688366030848[/tweet]

Lol Exum must have said Bieber...

[silent1900]

I think the Magic organization uses these types of things often to learn something about a prospect. They messed with our current players heads all last year and most here saw it as Vaughn coaching badly. I think it's a non understood part of the equation that's becoming bigger and bigger in the decision making process.

I think last year that Tobias showed to have the most mental toughness of our young guys.

I think you are giving our front office far, FAR too much credit.

[SOUL]

LOLL

[Blue_and_Whte]

I think the Magic organization uses these types of things often to learn something about a prospect. They messed with our current players heads all last year and most here saw it as Vaughn coaching badly. I think it's a non understood part of the equation that's becoming bigger and bigger in the decision making process.

I think last year that Tobias showed to have the most mental toughness of our young guys.

nailed it. There is alot that we pretend to know but really dont.
Tobias has really grown on me as a player. You cant teach effort, and he brings it every night.

Sent from my SM-G900P using RealGM Forums mobile app

[Blue_and_Whte]

Florida Gators coach Billy Donovan knows Gordon and Payton well. Donovan spent part of last summer coaching the Under-19 team, and he thinks the reunion of Gordon and Peyton will pay long-term dividends for the Magic.

"I think the Magic, in terms of the culture with those two guys, really hit two home runs in the draft, because those two kids are the kind of kids that can change the culture in terms of just their energy, their disposition, their attitude, their work ethic, their competitiveness," Donovan told the Orlando Sentinel.

"You can evaluate Elfrid's statistics or you can measure Aaron Gordon's vertical leap. But it's really, really hard to evaluate the intangible things. Both of those two guys have incredible intangibles."

Donovan cited examples.

Although Payton started all of Team USA's games, Donovan played Payton at shooting guard instead of at point guard, which is Payton's natural position.

Payton never complained about the switch, Donovan remembered.

Gordon, a forward, had just finished high school in San Jose, Calif., where he was named the state's Mr. Basketball twice. Still, Gordon didn't start a game for the U.S., even though he led the Americans in points per game (12.6) and rebounds per game (6.2).

Donovan recalled: "He never, ever once said, 'Hey, Coach, I'm not getting enough shots. Hey, Coach, why am I not starting?' None of that. And I really admired him."

The admiration between Gordon and Payton is mutual.

In the weeks leading up to the draft, through sheer happenstance, some NBA teams — though not Orlando — invited them to participate in the same pre-draft workouts. During those job auditions, Gordon and Payton often teamed up for games of 2-on-2 against other draft prospects.

Payton said: "It was just pick-and-roll. Lob city."

"And nobody could stop us," Gordon said. "In all the games that we played on the same team, we probably lost twice out of all the games. Interesting enough, we ended up on the same team [through the draft]. So this is my kind of guy. I wouldn't have picked anybody else in the draft to play with me."

They hope to replicate their prior successes together during the NBA's regular season.

Donovan thinks Gordon and Payton will complement each other and the rest of the Magic's roster well.

"When you're trying to do something significant," Donovan said, "you find out what guys are all about, and those two guys, Payton and Gordon, are about the right things.

"For whatever reason, there are certain guys who can see a bigger picture. They understand what winning is. I think both guys have got a competitiveness to them that winning is a priority for them. They want to win. they'll do whatever they have to do to help the team. They're two guys that are willing to sacrifice."

http://ht.ly/yyFrT

im stoked...

Sent from my SM-G900P using RealGM Forums mobile app

[Melvinlocker]

Florida Gators coach Billy Donovan knows Gordon and Payton well. Donovan spent part of last summer coaching the Under-19 team, and he thinks the reunion of Gordon and Peyton will pay long-term dividends for the Magic.

"I think the Magic, in terms of the culture with those two guys, really hit two home runs in the draft, because those two kids are the kind of kids that can change the culture in terms of just their energy, their disposition, their attitude, their work ethic, their competitiveness," Donovan told the Orlando Sentinel.

"You can evaluate Elfrid's statistics or you can measure Aaron Gordon's vertical leap. But it's really, really hard to evaluate the intangible things. Both of those two guys have incredible intangibles."

Donovan cited examples.

Although Payton started all of Team USA's games, Donovan played Payton at shooting guard instead of at point guard, which is Payton's natural position.

Payton never complained about the switch, Donovan remembered.

Gordon, a forward, had just finished high school in San Jose, Calif., where he was named the state's Mr. Basketball twice. Still, Gordon didn't start a game for the U.S., even though he led the Americans in points per game (12.6) and rebounds per game (6.2).

Donovan recalled: "He never, ever once said, 'Hey, Coach, I'm not getting enough shots. Hey, Coach, why am I not starting?' None of that. And I really admired him."

The admiration between Gordon and Payton is mutual.

In the weeks leading up to the draft, through sheer happenstance, some NBA teams — though not Orlando — invited them to participate in the same pre-draft workouts. During those job auditions, Gordon and Payton often teamed up for games of 2-on-2 against other draft prospects.

Payton said: "It was just pick-and-roll. Lob city."

"And nobody could stop us," Gordon said. "In all the games that we played on the same team, we probably lost twice out of all the games. Interesting enough, we ended up on the same team [through the draft]. So this is my kind of guy. I wouldn't have picked anybody else in the draft to play with me."

They hope to replicate their prior successes together during the NBA's regular season.

Donovan thinks Gordon and Payton will complement each other and the rest of the Magic's roster well.

"When you're trying to do something significant," Donovan said, "you find out what guys are all about, and those two guys, Payton and Gordon, are about the right things.

"For whatever reason, there are certain guys who can see a bigger picture. They understand what winning is. I think both guys have got a competitiveness to them that winning is a priority for them. They want to win. they'll do whatever they have to do to help the team. They're two guys that are willing to sacrifice."

http://ht.ly/yyFrT

That's a great find!

[Orlwillbeback]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPWtHBakOFc[/youtube]

He plays EXACTLY like Rondo.

[nyc6]

Love their attitudes... I wanted exum, but I'm buying into the henny plan. He knows something the world doesn't.

This logic makes no sense. If some1 posted on Internet that Orlando should draft Gordon at #4 over exum, you'd call them stupid or a troll. But now that henigan drafted him, you'll support the decision? That makes no sense. I'm noticing this in particular from NBA fans, especially from this site.

I remember some1 posted a trade similar to Afflalo for Fournier and he got flamed hard by Orlando posters. So what's next...the same posters flip flop and say "I hate the trade, but In rob we trust!"

And no I'm not here to debate if Orlando made good picks/trades. I'm not an NBA scout. I'm referring to what you said. You said "I wanted exum, but I'm buying into henny's plan." That makes logically no sense. Think about that for a second...

You've got to be pretty stubborn and closed-minded to make comments like that. Speak for yourself. I have always said I'll be okay with whoever Hennigan picks. I never called anyone stupid for thinking we'd take any player. In fact, I've had to argue with people who said there were zero chances of taking certain players. And I never said I hated the pick, I said I wanted Exum. Do you understand the difference? I had a preference going into the draft, anyone who does a little research on players would, but that doesn't mean I can't be happy with Hennigan's choice, especially after looking into Gordon more thoroughly and actually trying to understand why he made the unpopular pick. Why would I think his decision is worse than mine? I'm not paid millions to scout/manage a team, and Hennigan has earned my trust with past decisions.

I'm not sure you read my entire post. Again, I'm not here to debate the Gordon pick or Fournier acquisition. I'm not an NbA scout. I don't care about how the decision pans out in 5 years. I care about, what would YOU have done TODAY.

You can't argue "I would pick exum" (I'm especially referring to the fans that called a exum an absolute no-brainer pick) then change your mind once gordon is drafted and say "Hmm...in Henigan I trust. He gets paid to do this job, so he obviously knows more then me."

You should not have said pre-draft: "I want exum." You should have saId "I don't know who to pick, so I'll just stick to whatever Henigan wants to pick."

See the difference? You can't chose both worlds, unless you're starting your own anti-logic theory, which is what you're doing. You gotta chose one side and stick to it. Not both

[Big A All Day]

This logic makes no sense. If some1 posted on Internet that Orlando should draft Gordon at #4 over exum, you'd call them stupid or a troll. But now that henigan drafted him, you'll support the decision? That makes no sense. I'm noticing this in particular from NBA fans, especially from this site.

I remember some1 posted a trade similar to Afflalo for Fournier and he got flamed hard by Orlando posters. So what's next...the same posters flip flop and say "I hate the trade, but In rob we trust!"

And no I'm not here to debate if Orlando made good picks/trades. I'm not an NBA scout. I'm referring to what you said. You said "I wanted exum, but I'm buying into henny's plan." That makes logically no sense. Think about that for a second...

You've got to be pretty stubborn and closed-minded to make comments like that. Speak for yourself. I have always said I'll be okay with whoever Hennigan picks. I never called anyone stupid for thinking we'd take any player. In fact, I've had to argue with people who said there were zero chances of taking certain players. And I never said I hated the pick, I said I wanted Exum. Do you understand the difference? I had a preference going into the draft, anyone who does a little research on players would, but that doesn't mean I can't be happy with Hennigan's choice, especially after looking into Gordon more thoroughly and actually trying to understand why he made the unpopular pick. Why would I think his decision is worse than mine? I'm not paid millions to scout/manage a team, and Hennigan has earned my trust with past decisions.

I'm not sure you read my entire post. Again, I'm not here to debate the Gordon pick or Fournier acquisition. I'm not an NbA scout. I don't care about how the decision pans out in 5 years. I care about, what would YOU have done TODAY.

You can't argue "I would pick exum" (I'm especially referring to the fans that called a exum an absolute no-brainer pick) then change your mind once gordon is drafted and say "Hmm...in Henigan I trust. He gets paid to do this job, so he obviously knows more then me."

You should not have said pre-draft: "I want exum." You should have saId "I don't know who to pick, so I'll just stick to whatever Henigan wants to pick."

See the difference? You can't chose both worlds, unless you're starting your own anti-logic theory, which is what you're doing. You gotta chose one side and stick to it. Not both

Not sure where your going with this. I wanted exum pre draft but I'm quite happy with gordan + Payton. I liked exum based off the fact that I thought he was the best PG prospect leading up to the draft but like everybody else here I've only seen him through YouTube vids. Now if I was in three gym watching him light people up n we didn't pick him I'd be pissed buy I trust that Rob&co (who actually had the opportunity to watch him workout) made the right choice. The fact that we were able to get a pf and a pg makes it a successful draft in my eyes. You can say  i "chose the best of both worlds" or whatever but I'm just keeping it real.

[OrlandO]

This logic makes no sense. If some1 posted on Internet that Orlando should draft Gordon at #4 over exum, you'd call them stupid or a troll. But now that henigan drafted him, you'll support the decision? That makes no sense. I'm noticing this in particular from NBA fans, especially from this site.

I remember some1 posted a trade similar to Afflalo for Fournier and he got flamed hard by Orlando posters. So what's next...the same posters flip flop and say "I hate the trade, but In rob we trust!"

And no I'm not here to debate if Orlando made good picks/trades. I'm not an NBA scout. I'm referring to what you said. You said "I wanted exum, but I'm buying into henny's plan." That makes logically no sense. Think about that for a second...

You've got to be pretty stubborn and closed-minded to make comments like that. Speak for yourself. I have always said I'll be okay with whoever Hennigan picks. I never called anyone stupid for thinking we'd take any player. In fact, I've had to argue with people who said there were zero chances of taking certain players. And I never said I hated the pick, I said I wanted Exum. Do you understand the difference? I had a preference going into the draft, anyone who does a little research on players would, but that doesn't mean I can't be happy with Hennigan's choice, especially after looking into Gordon more thoroughly and actually trying to understand why he made the unpopular pick. Why would I think his decision is worse than mine? I'm not paid millions to scout/manage a team, and Hennigan has earned my trust with past decisions.

I'm not sure you read my entire post. Again, I'm not here to debate the Gordon pick or Fournier acquisition. I'm not an NbA scout. I don't care about how the decision pans out in 5 years. I care about, what would YOU have done TODAY.

You can't argue "I would pick exum" (I'm especially referring to the fans that called a exum an absolute no-brainer pick) then change your mind once gordon is drafted and say "Hmm...in Henigan I trust. He gets paid to do this job, so he obviously knows more then me."

You should not have said pre-draft: "I want exum." You should have saId "I don't know who to pick, so I'll just stick to whatever Henigan wants to pick."

See the difference? You can't chose both worlds, unless you're starting your own anti-logic theory, which is what you're doing. You gotta chose one side and stick to it. Not both

Oh I read your entire post, unfortunately. What you did was make assumptions, generalize and preach closed-minded opinion as logic. And now you're telling me what I should and shouldn't have said? Get over yourself.

I was leaning towards Exum going into the draft... that doesn't mean I had to automatically hate every other player in the draft. It doesn't mean I can't get on board with a different player after the draft. How many temper tantrums did you throw as a child not to understand this concept? I hadn't even researched Gordon much before the draft because I was under the impression he was likely to get picked after us. My preference was between the several players most rumored to go to us. Henny picking Gordon forced me to look into it more thoroughly (for obvious reasons) and it opened my eyes to why he made the unpopular pick. Rather than bitch about not getting my choice, I chose to explore why another route may be just as good or better. As a result, Henny's plan grew on me overnight because I started to connect the dots and actually like the potential in both picks. Believing in Hennigan and buying into his moves doesn't mean I can't have my own contrasting preferences. Unlike you, I actually understand what it means when I say I am not paid to be a scout.

Just save face and go away.

[silent1900]

I don't have an issue with who we picked (though Gordon and Tobias look a bit redundant at first glance), but I was disappointed by the draft process.

I think it likely that Hennigan could have traded down a couple of spots and still safely grabbed Gordon, which could have netted us some really nice assets.

And I hated how Philly read us like a book and grabbed Payton. That is a situation that I think could have been avoided if Hennigan had been more effective in previous deals...either negotiating for BoNK instead of WoNK, or securing a pick swap in the Afflalo deal.

[NickAnderson]

I don't have an issue with who we picked (though Gordon and Tobias look a bit redundant at first glance), but I was disappointed by the draft process.

I think it likely that Hennigan could have traded down a couple of spots and still safely grabbed Gordon, which could have netted us some really nice assets.

And I hated how Philly read us like a book and grabbed Payton. That is a situation that I think could have been avoided if Hennigan had been more effective in previous deals...either negotiating for BoNK instead of WoNK, or securing a pick swap in the Afflalo deal.

What nice assets? Another 2nd rounder?

Sent from my HTCONE using RealGM Forums mobile app

[silent1900]

I don't have an issue with who we picked (though Gordon and Tobias look a bit redundant at first glance), but I was disappointed by the draft process.

I think it likely that Hennigan could have traded down a couple of spots and still safely grabbed Gordon, which could have netted us some really nice assets.

And I hated how Philly read us like a book and grabbed Payton. That is a situation that I think could have been avoided if Hennigan had been more effective in previous deals...either negotiating for BoNK instead of WoNK, or securing a pick swap in the Afflalo deal.

What nice assets? Another 2nd rounder?

Sent from my HTCONE using RealGM Forums mobile app

Well, it cost us a first and a second just to move from 12 to 10...

[axl_c_cool]

A first round pick and a second round pick, it was clear to everyone we needed a point guard and a forward, when we took Gordon Philadelphia made a smart move, it doesn't mean Hennigan made a mistake, it means they took advantage. We got what we needed, if it costs us a a first and a second it cost us a first and second, we can't win every deal, and if Payton becomes the player we want it's not a steep price.

[magic22s]

Well, it cost us a first and a second just to move from 12 to 10...

Philly robbed us and it's redemption from the Bynum trade.

I wonder if Philly took Exum at 3 and we took Gordon at 4,

would Philly still take Payton at 10 to take advantage of us?