2011 DRAFT blather goes here. Part 3...

[Hoopalotta]

From Racine Journal via hoopshype.com on Tristan Thompson.

Thompson, a combination forward, was measured at 6 feet, 9 inches with shoes, 6-7½ without shoes. He said his wingspan was 7-2.

http://www.journaltimes.com/sports/article_4d9ebc94-828b-11e0-bb3e-001cc4c002e0.html

Ok, well, that's not nearly as good of news if we're talking 6th pick. He was about to head towards the front of the line if he were 6'9" barefoot with long arms.

[nate33]

^yup.

Tristan Thompson is now back in the "adequately sized for a PF" category. If he was 6-9 in bare feet, he'd be long for a PF and have the capability of playing C in a pinch.

[Dark Faze]

Failing our ability to get Kanter at a fair deal then I'd just go with Leonard and Singleton at this point. Faried is measuring out to be a little too similar to Booker for my tastes.

[Ruzious]

Well, if Val has a mid range shot and works on post moves, he should be nr.1 Pick
It's just that i don't believe in his offense. I hope his buyout won't be an issue as big as it could be, so that he can prove me wrong

He should be a realistic pick for you, because someone, picking before you, will make a mistake

Yeah, there could definitely be mistakes in this draft. Figure Irving and Williams go 1st and 2nd. 3rd... If Utah keeps the pick, they probably go guard? I think Cleve goes Kanter, but maybe they go Val. Toronto's the wild card. They do need a PG and a C. I guess it's possible they like Knight's potential enough that they pick him - especially if they're thinking they need to be more athletic.

[Ruzious]

^yup.

Tristan Thompson is now back in the "adequately sized for a PF" category. If he was 6-9 in bare feet, he'd be long for a PF and have the capability of playing C in a pinch.

Yeah, him measuring taller than 6'9 would not have passed my eye test. He's not a big body for a PF.

[Hoopalotta]

@chadfordinsider USC Nikola Vucevic has a crazy 7' 4.5" wing.

@chadfordinsider Marcus Morris 6' 7" socks 6' 8.75" shoes. 6' 10" wing. Markieff 6' 7.75" socks. 6' 9.25" shoes. 6' 10.75" wing.

Both Morris brothers with much better wingspans than reported - pending the standing reach, they should be legit power forwards with Markieff having backup 5 size in a pinch.

[nate33]

The other big news for us is that Kemba Walker measured out to be 5-11.5 in bare feet; 6-1 in shoes (with a 6-3.5 wingspan). That's big enough for him not to be considered "undersized" as a PG. Some comparisons:

Code: Select all

Name             Year     Ht. NoSh   Wt.    Wngspn     Reach     
Darren Colliso   2009     6'0.25     166    6'3        8'0.5     
Chris Paul       2005     5'11.75    178    6'4.25     7'9       
Mike Conley Jr   2007     5'11.75    175    6'5.75     7'10.5     
Raymond Felton   2005     5'11.5     199    6'4.25     8'2       
Jonny Flynn      2009     5'11.25    196    6'4        7'11.5     
Ty Lawson        2009     5'11.25    197    6'0.75     7'10.5     
Jameer Nelson    2004     5'11       199    6'2.5      7'11       

This matters because Toronto might now consider him at #5. That allows one of Kanter or JV to fall to us.

[TGW]

@chadfordinsider USC Nikola Vucevic has a crazy 7' 4.5" wing.

@chadfordinsider Marcus Morris 6' 7" socks 6' 8.75" shoes. 6' 10" wing. Markieff 6' 7.75" socks. 6' 9.25" shoes. 6' 10.75" wing.

Both Morris brothers with much better wingspans than reported - pending the standing reach, they should be legit power forwards with Markieff having backup 5 size in a pinch.

I still feel as though Marcus is a small forward and Markieff is a power forward.

Marcus has an advanced skillset -- honestly I don't see why he couldn't be just productive as Derrick Williams when it's all said and done. That man can score in a multitude of ways.

[nate33]

@chadfordinsider USC Nikola Vucevic has a crazy 7' 4.5" wing.

@chadfordinsider Marcus Morris 6' 7" socks 6' 8.75" shoes. 6' 10" wing. Markieff 6' 7.75" socks. 6' 9.25" shoes. 6' 10.75" wing.

Both Morris brothers with much better wingspans than reported - pending the standing reach, they should be legit power forwards with Markieff having backup 5 size in a pinch.

I'd be much happier if our #18 was a #14 or so pick instead.

After our pick, I figure the next 10 or so players will include:
Leonard
Vesely
Biyombo
Montiejunas
Thompson
Burke
Morris
Morris
Faried
That gets us to #16. I think all these guys except Vesely and Monty should pan out to be at least regular-minute role players.

Unfortunately we will have to pick from the next group of guys, where there's a notable dropoff. We're talking about guys like Singleton, Klay Thompson, Tobias Harris, Tyler Honeycutt and Jordan Hamilton. I'm much less certain about those guys. I hope EG can swing a #18 + #33 to move up to #14 or 15 or so. I'd like a Morris brother if possible.

[nate33]

If we manage to get Kanter at #6, Seraphin becomes somewhat of an afterthought.

It would be nice to package Seraphin and the #18 for a pick high enough to get Leonard. I'd love to enter next season with the following lineup:

PG Wall/Crawford
SG Young/Leonard
SF Lewis/Leonard
PF Kanter/Booker
C McGee/Blatche

[Hoopalotta]

DX Tweets:

NBA exec: "If you were watching Enes Kanter or Nikola Vucevic for the 1st time yesterday, close your eyes and pick one of them from 10-20."

Kemba Walker just quieted a lot of people with his measurements. 6-1 in shoes, 6-3 1/2 wingspan. Not the midget people made him out to be

Solid measurements for Enes Kanter. He's a legit NBA Center at 6-11 in shoes, w/a 7-1.5 wingspan, 259 lbs. He's having a good combine.

Great measurements for Nikola Vucevic- hair under 7-feet in shoes, 7-4.5 wingspan, 9-4.5 standing reach, 260 lbs. Looked good yesterday too.

\

6'11" and 260 - I'm definitely feeling Kanter's a center through and through.

[NbdyBeatsTheWiz]

The other big news for us is that Kemba Walker measured out to be 5-11.5 in bare feet; 6-1 in shoes (with a 6-3.5 wingspan). That's big enough for him not to be considered "undersized" as a PG. Some comparisons:

Code: Select all

Name             Year     Ht. NoSh   Wt.    Wngspn     Reach     
Darren Colliso   2009     6'0.25     166    6'3        8'0.5     
Chris Paul       2005     5'11.75    178    6'4.25     7'9       
Mike Conley Jr   2007     5'11.75    175    6'5.75     7'10.5     
Raymond Felton   2005     5'11.5     199    6'4.25     8'2       
Jonny Flynn      2009     5'11.25    196    6'4        7'11.5     
Ty Lawson        2009     5'11.25    197    6'0.75     7'10.5     
Jameer Nelson    2004     5'11       199    6'2.5      7'11       

This matters because Toronto might now consider him at #5. That allows one of Kanter or JV to fall to us.

Yeah on the Toronto board (which is actually a decent read, its SATURATED with draft talk) the big debate is Kemba vs. Knight. And for them it boils down to which one can play a lick of defense. I can't blame them after watching Calderon for years now.

But anyways lot of them seem burnt by Bargniani and want no part of another foreign big man like Kanter. Hopin that's how it plays out in reality.

[Ruzious]

DX Tweets:

NBA exec: "If you were watching Enes Kanter or Nikola Vucevic for the 1st time yesterday, close your eyes and pick one of them from 10-20."

Kemba Walker just quieted a lot of people with his measurements. 6-1 in shoes, 6-3 1/2 wingspan. Not the midget people made him out to be

Solid measurements for Enes Kanter. He's a legit NBA Center at 6-11 in shoes, w/a 7-1.5 wingspan, 259 lbs. He's having a good combine.

Great measurements for Nikola Vucevic- hair under 7-feet in shoes, 7-4.5 wingspan, 9-4.5 standing reach, 260 lbs. Looked good yesterday too.

\

6'11" and 260 - I'm definitely feeling Kanter's a center through and through.

Yeah, that's no surprise for Kanter and Walker, imo. Vucevic, otoh, sounds like the big surprise of the combine, so far. Those are some seriously impressive measurements for a guy I thought was 6'10 240ish. And he was a productive player who seemed to do very well against good competition. And he's shown inside/outside versatility offensively.

[closg00]

How's this for a tweet, Scott Schroeder:

Scout just told me USC's Nikola Vucevic impressed him more than Enes Kanter at this morning's workout. Didn't expect that.

If we can't get Kanter, a draft of: Leonard, Justin Harper & Nikola Vucevic with our 2nd pick would be a good draft.

[Hoopalotta]

Yeah, that's no surprise for Kanter and Walker, imo. Vucevic, otoh, sounds like the big surprise of the combine, so far. Those are some seriously impressive measurements for a guy I thought was 6'10 240ish. And he was a productive player who seemed to do very well against good competition. And he's shown inside/outside versatility offensively.

Yeah, that guy's got to be a late 1st rounder at least with those mammoth dimensions. He's about the size of a Ropez brother and you don't have to be that quick to be useful at that size.

He might well just find his way into the mid round.

[TGW]

My first round mock (top 10):

1. Irving
2. Williams
3. Knight
4. Kanter
5. Walker
6. Valanciunias
7. Vesely
8. Thompson
9. Biyombo
10. Marcus Morris

[nate33]

20 years old.
Averaged 17 and 10 in a major conference with a 58% TS%.
Shoots 75% from the FT line
Doesn't foul much (3.4 PF's per 40)
7-feet in shoes, 7-4.5 wingspan, 9-4.5 standing reach, 260 lbs.
Performed favorably against Kanter

I don't see how he lasts past #20.

[TGW]

20 years old.
Averaged 17 and 10 in a major conference with a 58% TS%.
Shoots 75% from the FT line
Doesn't foul much (3.4 PF's per 40)
7-feet in shoes, 7-4.5 wingspan, 9-4.5 standing reach, 260 lbs.
Performed favorably against Kanter

I don't see how he lasts past #20.

He plays below the rim Nate. Kinda stiff and a little soft. On the flip side, he's skilled. He'd be an option at #18.

[WizarDynasty]

Kanter is not getting past cleveland at pick #4 so we need to put that notion to sleep. They have Hickson 6'9 playing center last year, their bigman situation is pretty horrible. And Toronto will take Kanter since Valuncias isn't coming over next year.

[Illuminaire]

If we manage to get Kanter at #6, Seraphin becomes somewhat of an afterthought.

It would be nice to package Seraphin and the #18 for a pick high enough to get Leonard. I'd love to enter next season with the following lineup:

PG Wall/Crawford
SG Young/Leonard
SF Lewis/Leonard
PF Kanter/Booker
C McGee/Blatche

Sweet bouncing balls of fire, Nate, that lineup might actually be GOOD.

Way to set the bar of my expectations unrealistically high. I cannot be anything but disappointed now.