Official 2013 Draft Thread - Part III

[jivelikenice]

At least the odds of going down three spots this year are slim!...LOL...

[Jay81]

At least the odds of going down three spots this year are slim!...LOL...

dont put anything past the wizards

[queridiculo]

Muhammad is Nick Young 2.0, I don't want anything to do with him.

[verbal8]

Assuming that we will pick in the 8 or 9 spot these are the players I would consider who could possibly still be available.

Muhammad
McCollum
Zeller
Len
McGary


Out of these players i like Muhammad the best if available and would take him without hesitation if this is where we are sloted. McCollum is interesting as well, could be a very nice 3rd guard which we desperately need.

I think Len is the guy you have to take if available at the spot. Definitely has some question marks, but seems to have a much higher potential than most expected to be available at the Wizards pick.

Muhammad and Zeller seem to be very good college players who are questionable about transitioning to the pros. I think McCollum and McGary should be available in a trade-down scenario. I think McCollum would be a nice addition, probably one of the best shooters available.

[Dark Faze]

I don't see how Len is any less questionable than Shabazz.

[Benjammin]

Sorry if it's already been posted, but it looks like McGary and GR3 are returning to Michigan with an announcement this afternoon: http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketb ... -to-school

[nuposse04]

^They're both overrated to begin with. No loss.

If a team offered us a mid-to late lottery pick+filler for our lottery pick+ariza+one of our terrible rookie contract players, would anyone else but me accept? Trouble is I'm trying to figure out which team would want out...

[Ruzious]

Sorry if it's already been posted, but it looks like McGary and GR3 are returning to Michigan with an announcement this afternoon: http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketb ... -to-school

I'm not sure why people thought GR3 had a good shot of going high in this draft - considering he's a 6'6 3 who didn't do a whole lot as a frosh. I have little doubt that McGary would have gone higher. If Robinson can learn to play guard, his chances of success in the NBA will climb. With Hardaway likely leaving, he should get a shot at it.

[jivelikenice]

Only reason I wanted McGary in the draft was to push another prospect down. IMO its Oladipo/ Porter/ Zeller or a trade involving the pick. I don't expect any freshman to be considered (except for Nerlen Noels)

[nuposse04]

I don't see McGary being anything but a smaller spencer Hawes w/o the shooting touch or ability to block shots consistently. He seems like a good collegiate player but I like even less then Cody Zeller.

[sfam]

Sorry if it's already been posted, but it looks like McGary and GR3 are returning to Michigan with an announcement this afternoon: http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketb ... -to-school

I'm not sure why people thought GR3 had a good shot of going high in this draft - considering he's a 6'6 3 who didn't do a whole lot as a frosh. I have little doubt that McGary would have gone higher. If Robinson can learn to play guard, his chances of success in the NBA will climb. With Hardaway likely leaving, he should get a shot at it.

This does make it less interesting to trade out of our pick as the list of available players has dropped.

[Benjammin]

For the Wizards

1. Noel
2. Porter
3. Bennett
4. Burke
5. McLemore--only because his talent level is higher than the guys below

Now it gets really hard.

6. Oladipo--I question whether he can play the 3 but he'll probably be off the board anyway at 7 or 8.


7. Len---Not in love with him, but you have to pick somebody. He does have gifts and if he puts them together can be a solid starting C. That's nothing to sneeze at.
8. Zeller-I'd much rather have Len than Zeller. But maybe Zeller will measure better than we think (reported 6-8 wingspan is probably somewhat longer than that). He'll probably have a very good vert if nothing else. It would help if he shows more range and touch on his jumpers as well in workouts.
9. Muhammad--Red flags, more so with his game than his character, but he can put the ball in the basket.

It would really be helpful for the Wiz somehow to get into the top 3 or have a Bennett or Burke slip to their pick at 7, 8, or lower if somehow some lower lotto teams get into the top 3.

I'm not into being all fancy and trading back. This is not the NFL. It's about getting the best player. I wouldn't be interested in Olynyk for example compared to the top nine guys.

This isn't a draft where you can just pick by position. The quality talent is thin and the most important thing is getting someone who can actually play at a high level.

[fishercob]

Without studying the metrics, I'm not convinced that Nerlens Noel is a better prospect than Len -- particularly when it comes to short term impact. I get that Noel is a great athlete, but he's 215 pounds and is coming off an ACL injury. Who exactly is he going to guard? And defense is his strong suit; he's got a very unrefined offensive game so far.

Len is by no means a perfect prospect, but I do notice that he had his best games against the likes of Kentucky (and Noel), Duke (Plumlee), etc. I look at guys like Marc Gasol, Hibbert, Smits, Ilgauskas, etc., and I can see Len's upside pretty easily. I don't think he'll ever be an offensively dominant player and I'm fine with that. But he could be defensively dominant and highly credible offensively. Keep in mind this kid couldn't speak English two years ago and is now fluent (a friend and avid Terp fan tells me he speaks better than a few of the non-foreign players). That tells me he works hard.

I worry when I see Noel's body. It could mature to the likes of Garnett, but his offensive game isn't in the same universe as KG's. His upside is Tyson Chandler, I suppose, but I worry he could just as easily be an Amir Johnson, Ekpe Udoh.

[queridiculo]

^They're both overrated to begin with. No loss.

If a team offered us a mid-to late lottery pick+filler for our lottery pick+ariza+one of our terrible rookie contract players, would anyone else but me accept? Trouble is I'm trying to figure out which team would want out...

Exactly what would be the point of such a move?

It doesn't create any salary cap flexibility for the 2013/14 season, and both deals will be off the books for the 2014/15 season.

[Dark Faze]

Bill Russell was 215 as a rookie. Tyson Chandler was 224. It's pretty irrelevant, Noel will get stronger.

Lateral quickness and reaction time is a league above Lens. He's a better prospect even with the tear.

[fishercob]

Bill Russell was 215 as a rookie. Tyson Chandler was 224. It's pretty irrelevant, Noel will get stronger.

Lateral quickness and reaction time is a league above Lens. He's a better prospect even with the tear.

Bill Russell was 6'9" and was a rookie in 1956. So....just, no.

I see Noel's upside like that of Chandler's, but that's one guy. To my initial point, Chandler took a while to become a great player (and never had an ACL tear). I don't know why one would assume that Noel is going to be an impact player -- or even a good player -- anytime soon.

[The Consiglieri]

Muhammad is Nick Young 2.0, I don't want anything to do with him.

He's a great deal more dynamic as an athlete, and isn't an idiot. Shabazz has elite scoring ability, a tremendous motor, and plays hard all game. That's not Nick Young at all.

If you've got issues with him as a player focused on scoring, and not filling the rest of the stat line, i can understand that, but he isn't anything like Young.

[The Consiglieri]

Sorry if it's already been posted, but it looks like McGary and GR3 are returning to Michigan with an announcement this afternoon: http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketb ... -to-school

I'm not sure why people thought GR3 had a good shot of going high in this draft - considering he's a 6'6 3 who didn't do a whole lot as a frosh. I have little doubt that McGary would have gone higher. If Robinson can learn to play guard, his chances of success in the NBA will climb. With Hardaway likely leaving, he should get a shot at it.

Scouts love his game. Think he's an outstanding athlete whose skills really translate to the next level, and believe he's one of those players that took some time to work his way into the starting lineup, but has the tool kit to be a star, or a good-very good player at the next level. He was definitely going to go high, somewhere between 7-14 is my guess pending his workouts. Now he's in a tough spot, but at the same time, sounds like Michigan has a good recruiting class so far, and w/him and McGary back, should return 3 starters, and have potential for him to shine. Hopefully theyc an get the PG play.

McGary is the one Im more suspicious of. Small sample size, and overage is a bad combo. Does have fantastic hands and vision though.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Without studying the metrics, I'm not convinced that Nerlens Noel is a better prospect than Len -- particularly when it comes to short term impact. I get that Noel is a great athlete, but he's 215 pounds and is coming off an ACL injury. Who exactly is he going to guard? And defense is his strong suit; he's got a very unrefined offensive game so far.

Len is by no means a perfect prospect, but I do notice that he had his best games against the likes of Kentucky (and Noel), Duke (Plumlee), etc. I look at guys like Marc Gasol, Hibbert, Smits, Ilgauskas, etc., and I can see Len's upside pretty easily. I don't think he'll ever be an offensively dominant player and I'm fine with that. But he could be defensively dominant and highly credible offensively. Keep in mind this kid couldn't speak English two years ago and is now fluent (a friend and avid Terp fan tells me he speaks better than a few of the non-foreign players). That tells me he works hard.

I worry when I see Noel's body. It could mature to the likes of Garnett, but his offensive game isn't in the same universe as KG's. His upside is Tyson Chandler, I suppose, but I worry he could just as easily be an Amir Johnson, Ekpe Udoh.

I get what you're saying fishercob, and I do tend to agree. I wasn't extremely impressed with Noel pre-injury, but he seemed to vault to the consensus top pick, in part due to him playing for Kentucky, and Anthony Davis still fresh in people's minds. He is very thin, and especially after his injury you have to wonder about his durability at the much more physically challenging next level, and he's not at all fluid on the offensive end.

Len could turn out to be the best center to come out of this draft. He could turn out to be the best player period in this draft. One of the best measures is how they fared head to head, and Len clearly outplayed him when given that opportunity. And that's with Noel having a far superior supporting cast. Len also vastly outplayed Plumlee, another highly rated big man. You have to consider that, and it's not a fluke IMO.

I mean Noel is clearly a superior center on the college level, but there are concerns about how he translates to the next level. I still expect Noel to go #1. Tony Massenburg on 980 today strongly feels Len could be a steal of the draft and would be a good pick for the Wizards.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Or he could turn out to be a complete bust. Every prospect in this draft is a "?" When the Wizards played Toronto, I thought Valenciunas looked pretty good, and couldn't help but see the comparison to Len. They even look a lot alike. Both have really good size and length, are fluid and skilled. I think he's the best comparison. Ilgauskas, Hibbert, Arvydas Sabonis could be other comparables. Or maybe Greg Oestertag.







.