If the Magic get a top draft pick, who should they take?

[SloNick Russia]

If there is a certain player we like in 6-15 range we could make an agreement to select Noel for somebody and wait and see if our guy falls to the spot of our trading partners to make a deal

[truballa227]

What about Michael Carter-Williams? Kids a 6'6 pass first PG who is developing a solid shot. Would love to take him. Perfect fit for this team

[OrlDave]

http://www.nbadraft.net/ They have Ben at 1. For some reason MCW doesn't have a rating. Our greatest need long term would be at PG (Smart or Carter-Williams) with interior defender being 2nd (Noel). But you draft BPA, not need. To echo someone above, I trust Henny. It's hard to really know at this point. I remember the Dwight draft and thinking Okafor was the best bet and Dwight was a project with athleticism. If a gem exists, I think our scouting team will find him. I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the ride.

[drsd]

Our greatest need long term would be at PG (Smart or Carter-Williams) ....

Agreed. But I would like to add Burke's name to this list. He looks like a pass-first, whilst also scoring, version of Jameer Nelson. Some of these kids just know how to win.

..

[magicaroni]

Noel is a great help defender, but he is weak and is going to get pushed around at the next level. He's never going to be a good offensive player, and at best he's going to be Ben Wallace with less muscle.

I'd rather have Bennett.

Tall, skinny guys being weak at a young age is nothing surprising. Once he fill out that frame, he'll be fine.

Bennett is a 6'6 PF, you can't be serious. What's his ceiling? Millsap? I'd rather take a "Ben Wallace" than Paul Millsap.

Guys like Noel take about 3-4 years to get completely adjusted to the pace and physicality of the NBA. Let alone his lack of ANY offensive skills. The kid is a worse free throw shooter than Dwight.

And Bennett's ceiling is higher than Milsap's. First off, your little facts don't mean much, especially when they are inaccurate. He is 6'7" with a 7'1" wingspan... not to mention he is a solid 240 lbs with an NBA ready body, offensive skills, and a ton of athleticism. The kid has a motor and great will as well.

Bennett complements Vucevic much better than Noel... The offensive liability of having both Noel and Vucevic out there would be a disaster. Neither one of them has any semblance of a low post game. Good luck winning with that combo. Obviously Noel helps defensively, but I'd rather go with the kid that everyone overlooks just because he is playing at UNLV instead of Kentucky.

Bennett is the better player.

[OrlandoMagician]

Like everyone else has said, I trust Hennigan and our scouting dept to make the right call. Picking on character (plus talent obviously) is a great way to operate. Hard workers will always go closer to their potential.

I'll be happy with any selection(s) of Noel, Bennett, McLemore, Shabazz, Smart etc. because they're all clearly talented guys. The one we choose is likely to be a strong character.

[RookieStar]

In Henny we trust

[ayjaykhanna]

If the Magic get the top draft pick, they should take Shabazz Muhammad...

's backpack.

Better than Kevin Durant's.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/20 ... e/1865745/

[CourtsideTV]

bigpATL where you at

[HeartAndHustle]

Sucks about Noel. Looks like it'll be one less prospect to choose from in an already weak draft.

[G-Heel]

Noel is a great help defender, but he is weak and is going to get pushed around at the next level. He's never going to be a good offensive player, and at best he's going to be Ben Wallace with less muscle.

I'd rather have Bennett.

Tall, skinny guys being weak at a young age is nothing surprising. Once he fill out that frame, he'll be fine.

Bennett is a 6'6 PF, you can't be serious. What's his ceiling? Millsap? I'd rather take a "Ben Wallace" than Paul Millsap.

Guys like Noel take about 3-4 years to get completely adjusted to the pace and physicality of the NBA. Let alone his lack of ANY offensive skills. The kid is a worse free throw shooter than Dwight.

And Bennett's ceiling is higher than Milsap's. First off, your little facts don't mean much, especially when they are inaccurate. He is 6'7" with a 7'1" wingspan... not to mention he is a solid 240 lbs with an NBA ready body, offensive skills, and a ton of athleticism. The kid has a motor and great will as well.

Bennett complements Vucevic much better than Noel... The offensive liability of having both Noel and Vucevic out there would be a disaster. Neither one of them has any semblance of a low post game. Good luck winning with that combo. Obviously Noel helps defensively, but I'd rather go with the kid that everyone overlooks just because he is playing at UNLV instead of Kentucky.

Bennett is the better player.

You're underestimating the advantage of height. When's the last time a short PF/C dominate in the NBA? Charles Barkley? Ben Wallace? What about a short player at any other position? Not many either.

6'7 (that's in shoes, so my fact, was, in fact, correct) and a 7'1 wingspan, that's exactly like the player I compared him to -- Paul Millsap. And worse than Brandon Bass, who also did really well in college. Bennett may turn out to be better than both of them, but it's likely not going to be much.

Players like Bennett blooms early, but a couple of years down the line, they'll be left in the dust by players like Noel. Think Dwight and Okafor. That's why you see videos of "phenoms" kids and never heard of them again in the future; they were skilled, but their physical limitation held them back anbd eventually the other kids caught up and surpassed them.

If we're trying to win now in the next 2-3 years, then I would consider taking Bennett. That's not what we're doing though, we're trying to rebuild this team. You don't need a couple of solid players, you need a franchise player and I don't think Bennett is that.

[ayjaykhanna]

No love for Cody Zeller, eh?

[OrlDave]

No love for Cody Zeller, eh?

I'll admit to not being a Zeller expert, but he strikes me as too similar to Vucevic. The major differences are that Vuc is a better rebounder and outside shooter and Zeller is better in the post.

[OrlChamps2030]

You're underestimating the advantage of height. When's the last time a short PF/C dominate in the NBA? Charles Barkley? Ben Wallace? What about a short player at any other position? Not many either.

Guys like D12, BBD, Millsap, Griffin, etc. are not ideal sizes for their positions yet they play well in this league.

Players like Bennett blooms early, but a couple of years down the line, they'll be left in the dust by players like Noel. Think Dwight and Okafor. That's why you see videos of "phenoms" kids and never heard of them again in the future; they were skilled, but their physical limitation held them back anbd eventually the other kids caught up and surpassed them.

How is Bennett - Noel comparable to Okafor - Dwight at all? Both Bennett and Noel are freshman. And Bennett isn't physically limited - his physicality is one of his assets actually. His explosiveness and length are two of some of the biggest strengths in his game.

If we're trying to win now in the next 2-3 years, then I would consider taking Bennett. That's not what we're doing though, we're trying to rebuild this team. You don't need a couple of solid players, you need a franchise player and I don't think Bennett is that.

Is there a reason for this line of thought? Seems kind of random. He's not a franchise player? No one is from this draft. I'm not sure how you came to the conclusion that Bennett is only going to be a "solid player" because you didn't provide information as to why.

Nice job letting everyone know you've never watched Bennett before.

[drsd]

Noel might have dropped out of the top 5. But if any team drafts him after Bennett or Porter, I really do not know what to say.

[magicaroni]

You're underestimating the advantage of height. When's the last time a short PF/C dominate in the NBA? Charles Barkley? Ben Wallace? What about a short player at any other position? Not many either.

6'7 (that's in shoes, so my fact, was, in fact, correct) and a 7'1 wingspan, that's exactly like the player I compared him to -- Paul Millsap. And worse than Brandon Bass, who also did really well in college. Bennett may turn out to be better than both of them, but it's likely not going to be much.

Players like Bennett blooms early, but a couple of years down the line, they'll be left in the dust by players like Noel. Think Dwight and Okafor. That's why you see videos of "phenoms" kids and never heard of them again in the future; they were skilled, but their physical limitation held them back anbd eventually the other kids caught up and surpassed them.

If we're trying to win now in the next 2-3 years, then I would consider taking Bennett. That's not what we're doing though, we're trying to rebuild this team. You don't need a couple of solid players, you need a franchise player and I don't think Bennett is that.

You've obviously have never seen Bennett play have you... and that is understandable since UNLV doesn't get much airtime.

Bennett is 6'7" with a 7'1" wingspan, has great form and offensive skills for a 19 yr old, has extremely rare handles for a guy his size at his position this early in his career, and has explosive athleticism and strength.

You are a horrible evaluator of talent if you HAVE seen him play, but judging by how you have described him, you simply saw some write-ups online and have been watching Sportscenter highlights of Noel blocking the shots of underdeveloped college kids.

Mark my words... Noel will never average more than 18 ppg in the NBA, and thats IF he develops any semblence of an offense... Bennett has the potential to average 23 ppg. Rebounding will be a wash between these two, and Noel is the better defender no doubt.

Bennett is a beast, and is the most NBA ready prospect in this draft. He would be a perfect compliment to Vucevic given his ability to create his own shot, and make athletic plays that no one on our team can currently make.

[OrlChamps2030]

In my opinion out of the potential top 10 picks, Bennett and Burke are the most polished/nba-ready offensive players.

[MoMM]

It's easy, just draft our future SG with the top pick and trade JJ for Thunder's pick (from Raptors) and then draft another prospect (Smart, Bennett, etc).

[magicaroni]

In my opinion out of the potential top 10 picks, Bennett and Burke are the most polished/nba-ready offensive players.

I agree.

[Skin]

Just drop the discussion on anyone else other than Smart.