2011 DRAFT blather goes here. Part 3...

[Illuminaire]

Utah should trade down. We'll take the #3 and get a real player. They can draft Vesely, Jimmer, and whoever else they want with our picks and their second lotto selection.

Everyone wins! ^__^

[RT31]

Anybody know anything about Justin Harper?
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Justin-Harper-6341/
Never heard of him. 6-10, just under 18ppg, 7rpg at Richmond. interesting that he shot 44% from the 3pt line, 2.1/4.6 3pters pg.

would be nice if he was around for pick #34.

[WallToWall]

I am not sold on Vesely. In fact, nobody projected to be available at the #6 seems worthy of the #6. Take a look at last years draft which most agree was average to weak. There was a marked drop in quality after say pick #3. Compare 2010 picks #4 - #10 to this years projected picks #4 - #10. The 2011 draft class is weaker than the 2010 class. Unless there is a diamond in the rough and you are convinced of it, this is the draft to package picks for other things.
We have many projects (Seraphin, etc) that we are working on. Are there better projects available in this years draft? I'm not sure there is. EG, trade the pick.

[Illuminaire]

Edit: Responding about Justin Harper.

Draftnet says he's a tweener defensively. He seems like a perfect four for Flip's system offensively though - he's very efficient at nailing catch-and-shoot jumpers.

I don't think I saw him play this year, so I can't comment more. The big knocks I'm seeing on draft sites are that he doesn't play with toughness and prefers to float on the perimeter. They also don't think he's got the lateral quickness to play the three, where he could get away with that in the NBA.

Still looks like a great value pick if he's there at 34 though!

[verbal8]

he shot 46% from 3 in the Euroleauge which is the top league in all of Europe. he's not pure yet but everyone says he has good form and is improving at it

Where are you getting that number? Every site I can find says his highest 3pt% was 40%. His other year in Euroleague he shot 5.6%, so maybe if you add those together...

Seriously though, production matters. Form is cool and all, but except for one season in one league, his shooting numbers are terrible. His FT% is uniformly awful across the board.

You can argue that someday, somehow, he *might* be a good shooter. It is factually impossible to call him a good one right now, and it seems intellectually dishonest to take his "form" into account but not his ridiculously poor FT shooting.

Evaluating an NBA rookie, I can deal with poor 3 point shooting. Especially for a big man with good form. There are plenty of cases of guys coming into the NBA with 3 point shooting percentages in the 20s and end up in the mid to upper 30s at the peak of their career.

However to me for a supposed "shooter" to have a Shaq-like FT% is a huge red flag. You shoot FTs your entire basketball career, it is not like a 3 point shot that someone might start working on in high school.

If it hasn't developed by the time you are an NBA player, it isn't terribly likely to develop. Karl Malone did start off badly from the FT line and was over his career a decent FT shooter. However Malone was a 63% FT shooter in college. That isn't great, but it is decent.

The only guy who might give much hope to develop a 3 point shot without being a good FT shooter is Bruce Bowen(39% 3PT% and 58% FT%) however he had a decent FT% in college. Maybe there are some parallels, but Bowen also didn't make an NBA impact until he was 29.

[mohammed10]

Personally, I'm not at all sure if DWill answers all of our issues at the 4.

Heck, I'm not sure if he is a 4.

WP - Fair enough. But I think DWill is better than anyone on our current roster at either the 3 or 4. I'd rather have him than the potpurri of euros that have been mentioned ad nauseum in this here 2-3 man draft (that is if we can move up to #2 to get him - I know...big IF).

[FAH1223]

EG is going to take Vessley... gosh, we're going to suck forever

[WizarDynasty]

Vesely 64 percent ft shooter. Not great but sounds alot better than jeffries and if jeffries could hit a 3 pointer he would still be on the team and we probably would have made it to the second round alot more than once in three decades.

http://en.basketball.doudiz.com/player/ ... esely.html

but he remonds me aot jared jeffres probably moves better offensively without the ball and can catch and shoot. something jeffries could do. they both look pretty weak when they bumped going to the basket but both have that playoff length needed to shutdown perimeter threats and completely shut down perimeter stars.

[mohammed10]

If Diaw is starting for us, we have already failed. =p

Could not agree more...

[mohammed10]

I guess I was thinking more in terms of the #3 or #4 slots for the International Men of Mystery mentioned above. If we could get up to #2- you would have to go DWill... I think. I will say, though, that the times I saw him play in the Pac-10 I was a little concerned about his defense. He got muscled pretty badly against Washington and UCLA at the PF spot. Would it be a better match-up for him defensively going against NBA small forwards? Hard to say.

In any case, I seriously doubt we'll have the goods to trade up to #2, so in all likelihood it's a moot point.

Fair enough. I still think GMEG needs to get on his job and start leaving daily messages with Kahn in Minny, all with the intent to get to #2. As has been mentioned previously on the trade thread, why not see what Minny wants for the #2. Short of Wall and a short list of others (maybe McGee, maybe...), I think we should be obligated to listen.

[mohammed10]

The ability to TAKE three point shots does not equate to the ability to MAKE three point shots on a consistent basis.

Thank you!!! Geez, someone finally said it

[mohammed10]

Latest from EG's twitter feed:

"I gets Pecharov clones son!"

[LyricalRico]

I still think GMEG needs to get on his job and start leaving daily messages with Kahn in Minny, all with the intent to get to #2. As has been mentioned previously on the trade thread, why not see what Minny wants for the #2. Short of Wall and a short list of others (maybe McGee, maybe...), I think we should be obligated to listen.

But who would Minny actually want if not McGee? Don't say Blatche, because they can do better than that by simply standing pat and taking Kanter (or even reaching for Biyombo).

[mohammed10]

I still think GMEG needs to get on his job and start leaving daily messages with Kahn in Minny, all with the intent to get to #2. As has been mentioned previously on the trade thread, why not see what Minny wants for the #2. Short of Wall and a short list of others (maybe McGee, maybe...), I think we should be obligated to listen.

But who would Minny actually want if not McGee? Don't say Blatche, because they can do better than that by simply standing pat and taking Kanter (or even reaching for Biyombo).

Rico- Well, there is the conundrum. Do we offer both #1 picks this year and Blatche or, do we offer McGee and the #6. I am not sure either gets us to #2, anyway - I will leave that to you trade experts.

[LyricalRico]

I still think GMEG needs to get on his job and start leaving daily messages with Kahn in Minny, all with the intent to get to #2. As has been mentioned previously on the trade thread, why not see what Minny wants for the #2. Short of Wall and a short list of others (maybe McGee, maybe...), I think we should be obligated to listen.

But who would Minny actually want if not McGee? Don't say Blatche, because they can do better than that by simply standing pat and taking Kanter (or even reaching for Biyombo).

Rico- Well, there is the conundrum. Do we offer both #1 picks this year and Blatche or, do we offer McGee and the #6. I am not sure either gets us to #2, anyway - I will leave that to you trade experts.

What if we mix in the Blatche-for-Gortat idea we've discussed before?

Wiz trade: Blatche+6+18
Wiz receive: 2+Webster

Wolves trade: 2+Webster
Wolves receive: Gortat+6+18

Suns trade: Gortat
Suns receive: Blatche

[Ruzious]

All the other guys could just be regular guys if you ask me but if I had to pick the guy who I think looks the best for us, its Vesley due to his size, athletic ability, and shooting. I think he could be another Gallinari who is very good on D, can handle the rock, and shoot the J. I think Wall needs another shooter on the floor.

Vesely is shooting ~30% from the international 3-point line. He is shooting ~50% from the FT line.

I repeat, over 40 games, Jan Vesely is shooting about fifty percent from the free throw line.

Can we take the myth that he's a good shooter outside, stab it repeatedly in the face, and leave the body in a ditch, please?

Edit: Just for fun, let's also remember that he's an "athletic" 6'11 player who barely snags four rebounds a game. Four. Rebounds. A. Game. Not fair, say you, because he doesn't play a lot of minutes? He's still getting barely six rebounds a game per-36. I'm sorry, but for a leaper with his size and experience level, that tells you he has terrible instincts or B-ball IQ.

he shot 46% from 3 in the Euroleauge which is the top league in all of Europe. he's not pure yet but everyone says he has good form and is improving at it

You took a 9 game sample rather than a full season sample. Intentionally?

[WizarDynasty]

Kanter can't ever replace blatche or mcgee he basically completes the rotation. Blatche and McGee have skillsets that Kanter will never have but sum are greater than each separate part alone. each is needed to go deep in the playoffs.

[mohammed10]

What if we mix in the Blatche-for-Gortat idea we've discussed before?

Wiz trade: Blatche+6+18
Wiz receive: 2+Webster

Wolves trade: 2+Webster
Wolves receive: Gortat+6+18

Suns trade: Gortat
Suns receive: Blatche

Rico - I have no problem with that. Webster has been rotting on the Minny bench for some time now. Who knows if he will have a resurgence in DC (a bonus, as far as I am concerned)

[Zonkerbl]

Ugh, I hate trade talk so much. Boring!

[LyricalRico]

How about this trade:

Zonker for anyone from the Raptors board?