Official Raptors 2011 NBA Draft Thread, Part 8

ty123 · Post #441 » by **ty123** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:37 am

dagger wrote:Chad Ford said he loved what he saw of Kawhi Leonard, has worked a lot on his shot and according to Ford, if he keeps this up, "top 5".

Kawhi Leonard with a jumpshot is definitely a top 5 pick.

DreamTeam09 · Post #442 » by **DreamTeam09** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:41 am

Kemba Walker is a name i've been saying around these parts from draft thread 1. He's a legit 6" maybe 6"1 so I'm not all that worry about his size. Hes strong right now and should get stronger. He's NBA ready because of his 3 and his handles. I think he's more a lead guard then bayless will ever be imo. If kyrie is off the board then I'm looking to trade down and take Kemba. He's arguably the 2nd best pg in this draft and was the best pg in college nation this yr. Thats not a bad player to leave with on draft night if you ask me.

Dr Positivity · Post #443 » by **Dr Positivity** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:43 am

ESPN Doug Gottlieb's big board (he's a college basketball writer)

1. Kyrie Irving
2. Enes Kanter
3. Tristan Thompson
4. Chris Singleton (WTF?)
5. Jan Vesely
6. Kenneth Faried
7. Derrick Williams
8. Tobias Harris
9. Brandon Knight
10. Klay Thompson

http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college ... id=6519863

um.. yeah..

DreamTeam09 · Post #444 » by **DreamTeam09** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:45 am

^^^ Some of those players I haven't even heard of before...

MEDIC · Post #445 » by **MEDIC** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:52 am

Dr Mufasa wrote:ESPN Doug Gottlieb's big board (he's a college basketball writer)

1. Kyrie Irving
2. Enes Kanter
3. Tristan Thompson
4. Chris Singleton (WTF?)
5. Jan Vesely
6. Kenneth Faried
7. Derrick Williams
8. Tobias Harris
9. Brandon Knight
10. Klay Thompson

http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college ... id=6519863

um.. yeah..

LOL.

I find College basketball guys are college player homers. The never seem to figure out what will translate well in the NBA & what won't. They are two completely different styles of basketball.

CanadaB-Ball · Post #446 » by **CanadaB-Ball** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:57 am

DreamTeam09 wrote:Kemba Walker is a name i've been saying around these parts from draft thread 1. He's a legit 6" maybe 6"1 so I'm not all that worry about his size. Hes strong right now and should get stronger. He's NBA ready because of his 3 and his handles. I think he's more a lead guard then bayless will ever be imo. If kyrie is off the board then I'm looking to trade down and take Kemba. He's arguably the 2nd best pg in this draft and was the best pg in college nation this yr. Thats not a bad player to leave with on draft night if you ask me.

I've heard Kemba is much closer to 5'10'' than he is to 6'0''.

I can't wait for the combine. It will answer so many of my, and presumably others, questions.

Post #447 » by **5DOM** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:58 am

I know he's a SG, but I think we should draft Alec Burks.

CanadaB-Ball · Post #448 » by **CanadaB-Ball** » Wed May 11, 2011 2:02 am

5DOM wrote:I know he's a SG, but I think we should draft Alec Burks.

I'm torn.

The kid has unreal potential. If he ever develops a shot, watch out.

On the other hand, we already have DeRozan at the two. I mean, we could always move him to the three or trade the one we deem to be the worse fit, but by doing that, we're almost wasting the pick.

I don't know, I guess I'd be happy with that pick (assuming we're not in the top 2) because he very well could be the best player available (in terms of potential) and could be that star we're looking for. The kid just has that much potential.

DreamTeam09 · Post #449 » by **DreamTeam09** » Wed May 11, 2011 2:04 am

CanadaB-Ball wrote:
DreamTeam09 wrote:Kemba Walker is a name i've been saying around these parts from draft thread 1. He's a legit 6" maybe 6"1 so I'm not all that worry about his size. Hes strong right now and should get stronger. He's NBA ready because of his 3 and his handles. I think he's more a lead guard then bayless will ever be imo. If kyrie is off the board then I'm looking to trade down and take Kemba. He's arguably the 2nd best pg in this draft and was the best pg in college nation this yr. Thats not a bad player to leave with on draft night if you ask me.

I've heard Kemba is much closer to 5'10'' than he is to 6'0''.

I can't wait for the combine. It will answer so many of my, and presumably others, questions.

I unno he looks taller then all the short guys in the league. Lawson/TJ Ford/Nate Rob. Anything above 6'0 in shoes should be a plus for him.

MEDIC · Post #450 » by **MEDIC** » Wed May 11, 2011 2:05 am

Mr.Raptorsingh wrote:The question is, and this is what most people's argument is for not drafting Kemba, do you think Walker will be better than the scoring PG we already have, Jerryd Bayless?

Bayless vs. Kemba. Bayless vs. Knight. What's it gonna be?

I think out of Bayless, Kemba & Knight, Kemba is the best natural PG (regardless of scoring). He seems to have the natural passing skills & a draw & kick game.

I don't see much in the way of PG skills from Knight.

I think Bayless has more potential than Knight as a playmaker based on what I have seen. Bayless is an interesting one. I don't think he has natural PG instincts, so he has to figure out another way to get the job done. It'll take a lot of allowing him to play through mistakes & constant mentoring. I think he can eventually get "it", but it will take some patience (much like Boogie Williams). I do think that if Bayless finds a team that allows him to play starters minutes & allows him to play through mistakes, he will eventually become a very good PG in this league. Maybe not an allstar, but he could become Lawson level in terms of productivity.

I have no problem with drafting Kemba & allowing him & Bayless duke it out over a couple of seasons.

CanadaB-Ball wrote:I've heard Kemba is much closer to 5'10'' than he is to 6'0''.

I can't wait for the combine. It will answer so many of my, and presumably others, questions.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure he will be comparable to Damon & Lawson. As long as Kemba isn't less than 5'10" barefoot, I'm good.

bballsparkin · Post #451 » by **bballsparkin** » Wed May 11, 2011 2:06 am

CanadaB-Ball wrote:
DreamTeam09 wrote:Kemba Walker is a name i've been saying around these parts from draft thread 1. He's a legit 6" maybe 6"1 so I'm not all that worry about his size. Hes strong right now and should get stronger. He's NBA ready because of his 3 and his handles. I think he's more a lead guard then bayless will ever be imo. If kyrie is off the board then I'm looking to trade down and take Kemba. He's arguably the 2nd best pg in this draft and was the best pg in college nation this yr. Thats not a bad player to leave with on draft night if you ask me.

I've heard Kemba is much closer to 5'10'' than he is to 6'0''.

I can't wait for the combine. It will answer so many of my, and presumably others, questions.

He looks closer to 5 10 imo. My concern with Kemba is defense. Especially as Raptors team D is so bad. Knight can excel there. I admit, Kemba should be fine offenively. So he is a safe pick and I can live with it. I've been wrong before. Demar hasn't shown much interest in defense so far in his NBA career. Which accelerates my fears of picking Kemba.

Sanctuary123 · Post #452 » by **Sanctuary123** » Wed May 11, 2011 2:16 am

If we picked Kemba, its not hard to imagine a lot of game winning shots just like the Pitt game. It would be nice to have the ball in someones hands who can create. He's also not a pure point, but anyone who can break down defenders creates a lot of rotation problems and I could see Ed davis, Amir etc getting way more looks.

Any Brendan Haywood type Centers available as free agents? I always liked the way the Bulls used to plug in the middle with servicable bodies - Wennington, an old Cartwright, Luc Longley.....hmmm...Marc Gasol would look good in a Raps Jersey

doudoub · Post #453 » by **doudoub** » Wed May 11, 2011 2:21 am

question: whats up with lebryan nash?

how old is he and is he entering the draft?

bballsparkin · Post #454 » by **bballsparkin** » Wed May 11, 2011 2:22 am

doudoub wrote:question: whats up with lebryan nash?

how old is he and is he entering the draft?

The only thing I know about him is that he has the name of a champion.

MEDIC · Post #455 » by **MEDIC** » Wed May 11, 2011 2:24 am

bballsparkin wrote:He looks closer to 5 10 imo. My concern with Kemba is defense. Especially as Raptors team D is so bad. Knight can excel there. I admit, Kemba should be fine offenively. So he is a safe pick and I can live with it. I've been wrong before. Demar hasn't shown much interest in defense so far in his NBA career. Which accelerates my fears of picking Kemba.

Same old story with this draft. Everybody outside of Irving has some kind of major flaw.

Kemba - Not as tall as we'd like.
Knight - Can he be an NBA PG?
D Williams - Can he play the 3?
Kanter - Is he tall/ athletic enough?
Biyombo - Is he too raw? Can he play basketball?
Jonas V - Too skinny/ weak. May not be athletic enough.

Irving seems like the only surefire 2 way player that can 100% effectively play his position.

I hope these guys have done more scouting/ analyzing than any other team, cause this is a difficult draft. It's all about forecasting whether or not a player can improve their flaws or get by with their flaws in the NBA.

The safest way to go in this draft is probably take the most NBA ready prospect that proves their worth in the pre-draft workouts.

CanadaB-Ball · Post #456 » by **CanadaB-Ball** » Wed May 11, 2011 2:31 am

doudoub wrote:question: whats up with lebryan nash?

how old is he and is he entering the draft?

I'm pretty sure he's going to Oklahoma State next year.

He can't enter the draft, he hasn't played a year at college yet.

bballsparkin · Post #457 » by **bballsparkin** » Wed May 11, 2011 2:33 am

^^Medic, ya that's true. Lots of uncertainty in this draft. Hoping the Raps brass don't mess it up.

fredericklove · Post #458 » by **fredericklove** » Wed May 11, 2011 3:52 am

bballsparkin wrote:
doudoub wrote:question: whats up with lebryan nash?

how old is he and is he entering the draft?

The only thing I know about him is that he has the name of a champion.

The last time I saw him in the All-Amercan game he didn't do jack swat, much like how Perry Jones did in his AA game. LBN only scored 2 points and didn't look to score or do anything in the game but he's supposed to be the Mr. Do-it-all type with athleticism - he can dribble, score around the basket, solid but not spectacular jumpers and rebounding. I didn't hear much about his defense but u know no one plays defense in high school anyways.

ATLTimekeeper · Post #459 » by **ATLTimekeeper** » Wed May 11, 2011 11:07 am

Youngblood wrote:
ATLTimekeeper wrote:I'm pretty sure that BC or Embry will take Walker. Safe choice. Position of need. NBA ready. They won't put much thought into it.

BC has been humiliated enough, he's not going to take a risk on a raw big (Valanciunas, Biyombo). I doubt he'd take a risk on Kanter, who he likely hasn't seen play. I'm sure Knight is too young and flawed to throw a top 3 pick at and give the pg reigns to. He's going to want to make the playoffs ASAP.

Keep in mind that BC hadn't even worked out Ed Davis but still drafted him. Nothing's set in stone.

In that context, Ed Davis was the right pick. In this one, I think he'll go with a more proven, safe pick. He's not a patient rebuilder, he had to be handcuffed this year already or he would've traded the pick. He's going to take Kemba. That's my gut feeling. I've had it for a month or so.

Brinbe · Post #460 » by **Brinbe** » Wed May 11, 2011 11:45 am

Yeah, I've come around to Kemba in a big way during the past few weeks. And I think it's because of a combination of factors.

Namely that prominent players, such as Jones/Barnes, have opted out, while some other players that were being bandied about as possibilities, like Jonas V, Vesely, or Biyombo (some of whom I like/dislike to varying degrees) were much riskier prospects to take on, especially in such an important draft.

So, it does comes down to being a known quantity, and what we'd rather have, and for all his faults, we simply know what we're getting in Kemba.

And I think we can close our eyes and comfortably envision adding him to that main core alongside DeMar and Davis.

This also doesn't mean I don't like Knight (because I certainly still do), but I think Kemba offers more tangible benefits at the PG spot, while Knight duplicates some of what we already have in Bayless, in that combo-guard mold.

And I'm actually excited at the possibility of going a bit small and trotting out a KemBayless backcourt on occasion, while shifting DeMar over the 3-spot. If we're gonna suck next year, we can at least make it exciting to watch. :lol: