2011 DRAFT blather goes here. Part 3...

[tontoz]

Justin Harper tied for the most reps on the bench with 19. Nice

[gesa2]

I'm still not buying Kawhi as an effective rotation player. Mike Prada from BulletsForever agrees:

Conclusion: And therein lies the problem. Leonard will have to become a passable three-point shooter, because he is so dreadfully inefficient as a two-point shooter. To do that, he will have to play further away from the basket, which negates his rebounding advantage. This is why I'm down on Leonard as a prospect. He's a great workout guy and has great measurables, but he doesn't have enough scoring ability to be anything more than a self-check as a 4, and even if he develops a three-point shot and becomes a 3/D type, it takes away his biggest on-court asset (rebounding). There are a lot of interesting things to the Leonard package, but they just don't add up to me.

http://www.bulletsforever.com/2011/5/24 ... #storyjump

The article as a whole is interesting. Stat comparison of defensive forwards that would be options between 6-18.

[gesa2]

Justin Harper tied for the most reps on the bench with 19. Nice

yeah that was a surprise. He didn't do well on the lane agility though.

[keynote]

DraftExpress Jonathan Givony
Enes Kanter 26 inch no-step vert, 32.5 inch max vert,14 bench reps, 11.30 lane agility, 5.66 adjusted lane agility, 3.26 ¾ court sprint

for comparison's sake:

DraftExpress Jonathan Givony
Derrick Williams 29 inch no-step vert, 34.5 inch max vert,19 bench reps, 11.03 lane agility, 5.49 adjusted lane agility, 3.23 ¾ court sprint

32.5" max vert ain't bad for a FC. Not bad at all.

[Hoopalotta]

Givony on today's Hoopsworld chat:

Wiz guy in :
If the Wizards end up with Kanter, does he fit better with McGee or Blatche?

Jonathan Givony:
Probably with Blatche, because I don't see either Kanter or McGee being able to guard power forwards in the NBA. I don't necessarily think Blatche guards anyone anyway, but he can probably move his feet better on the perimeter (theoretically) more than Kanter or McGee.

Score one for Hoopalotta!

Wow, I got me some street cred.

Edit to add --> I'm not sure as I'm not very familiar with the numbers, but it looks like Kanter seems to have put up some near elite lane agility scores....

Enes Kanter 26 inch no-step vert, 32.5 inch max vert,14 bench reps, 11.30 lane agility, 5.66 adjusted lane agility, 3.26 ¾ court sprint

That's better than Rodney Stuckey, Brandon Rush and John Salmons so maybe he can handle guarding 4's. My main point was that, if Kanter actually can guard 4's at 260 (or soon to be 265-270?), he's going to have to be special because there's not a lot of guys that size that can handle it.

Maybe he can.

(strangely, Chris Kaman seems to have nearly equaled Kanter's score, so I don't know what to say; I'm not that familiar with the repercussions of the scores beyond the idea that it's theoretically important).

Rico, there are 96 big man minutes available per night; I'd have no problem drafting Kanter if he turns out to be more of a C/PF than a PF/C.

If we draft Enes, there will be nights where he and McGee coexist just fine and nights when we'd want to have one of the court with Blatche or Booker.

If by some chance both McGee and Kanter develop and we end up with two productive promising pure centers, we'll be in great position to improve the team and deal from a position of strength. Everyone always needs a center.

Last season, Cousins and Monroe were the only rookie bigs that played over 2000 minutes for the season(there were no bigs in 2009). If Kanter is that good as a rookie Center, he probably is doing things well enough to play some out of position. Heck I think you could get away with 5 minutes a game of McGee at PF. The opposing PF may get open jumpers, but he is likely to have issues stopping McGee on defense.

I think McGee and Kanter playing well would mean that Blatche or Seraphin would need to be dealt.

I would agree with both of these; I'm definitely not saying we shouldn't take Kanter; you can easily play Kanter and McGee together for eight minutes a game and that probably gets you through two full seasons right there with 28 minutes for each (and Kanter won't need 28 minutes his first year)

Seraphin looks like he could play with Kanter too as his feet are quick when he's in shape and Kanter's more skilled, so they can switch off on each side of the floor.

Obviously want Kanter, outside of him I'd take Biyombo after watching enough film.

Next idea? Draft Biyombo/Faried, then follow it up with a trade with Portland.

McGee/Seraphin/#34 for Batum/Fernandez/Barron

That leaves us with

Wall/Crawford
Young/Fernandez
Batum/Lewis
Blatche/Faried/Booker
Biyombo/Barron/Faried

Biyombo and McGee can't co-exist, can't have your PF/C combo going for blocks all game long........and Seraphin seems to be less than we thought.

I like that draft, but I'd skip the McGee trade under the same precedent just laid out above in that Biyombo's not going to need big minutes off jump and I'd rather not do anything so drastic as dealing McGee unless I was pressed on his contract (and if I did, I'd need more value too). Biyombo might not even come over next year with the lockout anyway.

But Biyombo and Faried would be a real nice draft.

[keynote]

Hmm.... Here are a few max verts from other Cs, acc. to DraftExpress's database:

Dwight Howard: 35.5"
Kevin Love: 35"
Marcin Gortat: 36"
Yi Jianlian: 38"

Those numbers are all over the place. There' no way that Kevin Love's max vert is just a 1/2 in. less than Dwight Howard's.

[nate33]

Clearly, they measured Love's vertical in centimeters.

[theboomking]

DraftExpress Jonathan Givony
Enes Kanter 26 inch no-step vert, 32.5 inch max vert,14 bench reps, 11.30 lane agility, 5.66 adjusted lane agility, 3.26 ¾ court sprint

for comparison's sake:

DraftExpress Jonathan Givony
Derrick Williams 29 inch no-step vert, 34.5 inch max vert,19 bench reps, 11.03 lane agility, 5.49 adjusted lane agility, 3.23 ¾ court sprint

32.5" max vert ain't bad for a FC. Not bad at all.

Looking back over previous drafts and how the athletic testing correlated to NBA performance, I actually prefer max vert reach and lane agility as measurements. Kanter's overall numbers compare very favorably to those of Derrick Favors, Demarcus Cousins, Greg Monroe, Ed Davis, Kevin Love, and Taj Gibson. For those that were questioning Kanter's ability to defend the 4 based on his lateral agility, standing reach and wingspan, that wouldn't seem to be true, based on an analysis of the numbers.

For those of us, like me, who view Derrick Williams as a bit of a poor man's Blake Griffin, below are their numbers.

Griffin..............Williams
Height no shoes 6'8.5".................6'7.25"
Height with shoes 6'10"................ 6'8.75"
Weight 248.................. 248
Body Fat 8.2...................10.8
Wingspan 6'11.25"............ 7'1.5"
Reach 8'9"................... 9'0"
No step Vert 32"....................29"
reach 11'5"..................11'5"
Max Vert 35.5"..................34.5"
reach 11'8.5"................11'10.5"
Bench 22......................19
Agility 10.95..................11.03
Sprint 3.28...................3.23

Edit: forgive the poor formatting above.

[Hoopalotta]

For the people who are not fans of Leonard is it just that you think 6 is too high or do you just not want him at all?

That strikes me as being the more lucid position. I just don't want to be the team that commences plucking from amongst the nebulous miscellany of equivalency before anyone else.

Of who I'd expect to be there, the talent that stands out at 6 is Biyombo and Walker, so if we don't want them (understandable) I'd just as soon try and get multiple swings at the pinata.

I don't think 6 is too high for Faried. I don't think 18 is too high for Brooks. Heck, Brooks could turn out to be a better player than Leonard--and well worth the 6th pick.

The thing about the pre-draft rankings is there's always a way to trade down to where that player is projected without drafting him too high. Maybe use the #6 to get Faried or Brooks or whomever, PLUS get another pick. Get the better player and an incentive for letting some other team draft the player they want at #6.

That's my real interest pre-draft.

That definitely strikes me as what we should do if we're not zeroing in on someone in particular at 6; I like Bismack "You're Fired" Biyombo, but I can see how a GM would shy away there, so if we're looking for an NCAA guy, I hope we trade back and land another pick to take a swing with.

[Illuminaire]

In my ideal world, Kanter falls to six for unknown reasons.

In my slightly less ideal world, we trade up for Kanter for generic brand peanuts (the #34) or possibly a European facsimile (Seraphin).

In my "oh well, that's still good" world, we trade back and end up with any three of Marcus Morris, Leonard, Biyombo, Faried, or Singleton.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I know it's not going to happen, but Faried is the player I want the most.

I'm dreading the next few years of being reminded of this...

Not me. The longer I bitch and moan that means longevity is being achieved.

I would LOVE to be complaining about how the Wizards (or Zephyrs , Bullets, Admirals, or the Teds -- whatever the team is called in 2030) should have drafted HOFer Kenneth Faried.

I hope to really be hitting the gym hard at almost 70!

[Hoopalotta]

I am not going to make too-much of these measurements either way, recall how poorly Kevin Durant did and how off-the-charts DJ Strawberry was.

Yes. There's also the concern that some of these guys have been training for these specific tests while others haven't. Some guys test out real well, but need time to gather themselves for everything and you never see it in an actual game.

For example, Tyreke isn't a great leaper, but his testing was turrible while his in-game shimmy factor is exceptional (he's also overpowering while his bench press was awful). He can change direction at extrodinary speed with the ball, but you definitely wouldn't guess that from the numbers.

I guess solid lane agility scores should be taken somewhat seriously, though.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I think McGee and Kanter work well together in a yin~yang way. Kanter will draw double teams, and that will free McGee up for a TON of put-back dunks or easy baskets off the cut.

Defensively, I think Kanter is smart enough to be Marc Gasol average-good. If McGee keeps developing on that end, we'd be solid.

CCJ- Do you have any questions about Harper's rebounding and toughness? I can't help but look at him and shudder at the thought how how bad our defensive rebound % would be.

Illuminaire, I view Harper as a 7-th man who will space the floor and provide shooting and scoring off the bench. He's a fairly poor rebounder, but there are a lot of guys like him who succeed. Robert Horry comes to mind.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/pr ... erId=36087
http://www.nbadraft.net/players/justin-harper
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jus ... 341/stats/

I think rebounding would be bad if Justin Harper is played at PF with a small at SF. But then again, that duo would space the floor well. My thoughts are the Wizards need to get a big who can rebound along with Harper. They also should bring back Jeffers, who is an excellent rebounder at SG/SF to play along with Harper.

Harper, as others have said, would be better picked 34 than 18, but I like him and am not concerned about his rebounding, Illuminaire.

His stats above from the KU game and the win over Morehead in the NCAAs show Justin Harper is an efficient scorer who will grab a few boards and not hurt a team.

[Dat2U]

That strikes me as being the more lucid position. I just don't want to be the team that commences plucking from amongst the nebulous miscellany of equivalency before anyone else.

Of who I'd expect to be there, the talent that stands out at 6 is Biyombo and Walker, so if we don't want them (understandable) I'd just as soon try and get multiple swings at the pinata.

I don't think 6 is too high for Faried. I don't think 18 is too high for Brooks. Heck, Brooks could turn out to be a better player than Leonard--and well worth the 6th pick.

The thing about the pre-draft rankings is there's always a way to trade down to where that player is projected without drafting him too high. Maybe use the #6 to get Faried or Brooks or whomever, PLUS get another pick. Get the better player and an incentive for letting some other team draft the player they want at #6.

That's my real interest pre-draft.

That definitely strikes me as what we should do if we're not zeroing in on someone in particular at 6; I like Bismack "You're Fired" Biyombo, but I can see how a GM would shy away there, so if we're looking for an NCAA guy, I hope we trade back and land another pick to take a swing with.

My first choice right now is Kanter. My 2nd would be Kemba Walker, simply b/c I know what to expect from him. I know he's going to be a legit & very productive NBA player. Biyombo is begrudgingly my choice if Kanter & Walker is gone (a strong possibility). Biyombo's age of course is my biggest concern. Much like you, if he's really 18 and his age is provable I'd feel a lot better at risking a #6 on him. He's a manchild at 18. At 23, he'd just be a man abusing children.

If Biyombo's age does come into question and Kanter & Walker are gone then I start looking hard at Faried & Singleton. I like Faried just a little better but Singleton does fit a gaping hole at SF so I would be torn b/w those two.

[Dat2U]

Holy hell, Leonard's athletic tests was horrible. 37 inch vertical, could only press 185 pounds 3 times? WTF?

Dude has a 7-3 wingspan. It's hard to bench press with arms that long. And a 37" vertical isn't that bad.

The biggest news so far is that Jimmer Fredette is quick as hell in the lane agility test. Quicker than Brandon Knight, Kemba Walker, and, well, everybody except Norris Cole. Maybe he won't have that much trouble defensively.

Tristan Thompson is extremely quick for a big.

Leonard isn't a freak athlete though. And that's why the Marion & Wallace comparisons don't really hold up. If your not big enough to be a full time PF on the NBA level, you better either be an off-the-charts athlete or have enough skill to make the switch to SF. Leonard doesn't have either. That's why he's a future dime-a-dozen low skilled, athletic wing player.

Two guys I keep coming up with when thinking of Leonard. Al-Farouq Aminu & Julian Wright.

Regarding Fredette, just watch him play defense. He's either got no clue or he simply refuses to give the effort. His defense is nothing short of horrible IMO. I don't care how quick he tests, he's a bad defender until proven otherwise. But the lateral agility may show why he's so effective at creating his shot on the college level. And that he may have success creating a shot on the pro level as well.

I'm growing in love with Marshon Brooks. He's a steal at the #2. I think he might be well worth a late teens pick in this draft.

[Dat2U]

Guys I don't like at all:

Markieff Morris - Measurements don't impress me. Game doesn't either. Does nothing exceptionally well but is okay at many different things. I know it was one game, but after his Hilton Armstrong impression versus VCU, I just don't get warm fuzzies about him.

Jonas Valanciunas - He may be longer & bigger than I give him credit for but he doesn't play that way. He's fundamentally sound on the pick & roll but that his complete offensive game. He's got nothing else. He just gets manhandled by bigger players on defense. The boards are his strength but I think Kanter is clearly a better rebounder from everything I've seen. Maybe I'm a little harsh, but I see nothing that makes him a high lottery pick. If we were talking draft & stash mid-to-late 1st round I'd be okay but #6? No way, I want no part of it.

Kawhi Leonard - About as uninspiring a pick as one could imagine. Good not great athlete. Modestly skilled but hard working. Looks more like a grunt guy to me than much of a difference maker. Looks like a bigger version of Othyus Jeffers to me.

Jan Vesely - He'd be a laughably bad pick at 6. All effort, almost no skill with bad hands to boot.

Charles Jenkins - Meet Lester Hudson 2.0. Not a great athlete IMO. Will struggle to get in the lane in the NBA. Does everything well on the college level but I don't see one outstanding identifiable NBA skill to rely upon.

[Ed Wood]

Harper could potentially work pretty well as the shooter in a forward tandem with Singleton, if the former is available as a second round pick and the later at 18. Singleton is actually a little bigger and longer, though Harper has him beat in the reach department, and between Singleton and Wall the team would have two above-average (at least I would assume so with Singleton, keep in mind his college teams were consistently huge and reboundy) rebounders at their position to compensate for Harper being rather lackluster.

Harper would probably be the better perimeter shooter of the pair and both would probably do well alongside Wall playing at pace. Singleton might end up taking the tougher defensive assignment on any given night, but I don't see why Harper shouldn't be passable defensively. Plus either could probably play alongside Booker as well (naturally Booker would be the small forward).

That would leave a big man the priority with the first pick, and the team would still either need to re-sign Nick or find another guard, if you could do something with Blatche or maybe Seraphin to grab someone. I understand the appeal of Brooks and my biggest objection to him would be that he hasn't been especially great as a perimeter shooter, though he shoots a high percentage of threes so hopefully the team would have to prod him into taking them. I'm still pretty bullish on Reggie Jackson, apparently he's hurt and so missing out on the combine but I suspect he would have done quite well and size-wise I don't think he'd have an issue playing alongside either Wall or Crawford.

[The Consiglieri]

Ford on why we take Leonard.

Analysis: Leonard had a good week in Chicago as well. He measured with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and had the biggest hands in the camp. He also put on a brief shooting display for GMs on Friday morning, showing off a new and improved shot.

With GM Ernie Grunfeld's job hanging in the balance, he doesn't have a lot of room to take risks -- especially on international players who might not come to Washington for years. Leonard's ability to come in and provide energy, defense and length right away makes him an attractive option and a potential impact player in Year 1.

The fact is Ernie has not be received an extension-offer yet, how will this affect his draft selections this summer?

I have a hard time picturing Leonsis tolerating that kind of decisionmaking. Leonsis is heavily involved with this team like the caps, not in a snyder kind of way, but in a present and curious and deeply interested kind of way. Since he took over he's been bound and determined to blow 'er up, and rebuild from scratch with legit pieces. I would be shocked if he was anything less than big time pissed off, if our draft day decision was based on job security issues. Leonsis wants the team to pick players that make sense for the future. He had the patience to wait more than half a decade for GMGM to turn around the titanic that was the caps, and he allowed GMGM a lot of room to make long form decisions, to spend literally four seasons unloading vets for picks and junior league prospects. He's not going to want to see the team spend draft day assets after a miserable season on a player with a low ceiling, a "role player, maybe" tag, simply because EG is afraid he'll get fired if he has to wait on a euro. I can't see that happening, worrying about Wall bolting? I could see that, but not EG job security, he would fire him before he'd let that happen, in my view.

[The Consiglieri]

so sick of people linking us in mock drafts to Vesley (the latest being Sam Amick at cnnsi.com) due to his offense complimenting or "fitting nicely" with Wall. Unless he develops a jumper before the draft he's one of the LAST players I want playing one the court with Wall. No jumper = people drifting in toward the paint making Wall's life miserable.

This time of year, with the terrible teams no non-fan would want to watch at the top of the lottery and the news, it becomes apparent what "experts" don't actually watch enough basketball...

Depends on the sources, guys could be reporting this because one, or maybe many sources have leaked that we really do like Jan. Im not a fan and don't want us to take him, but if the initial smoke stories were true, he could be the pick regardless of what we want.

[Hoopalotta]

This sounds like very solid information now......

max in ohio:
I've recently read that the Cavs have Valanciunas (or like we in cleveland call him Big V) higher on their board than Kanter. Have you gotten the same vibe?

Jonathan Givony:
Yes. Directly from Kanter's camp in fact.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/chat.asp?chat ... s=Inactive

That would have a huge impact on our situation, especially when matched with the dicier rumors of point guards at 3 and 5. I don't know about an outright slip, but the trade up cost could be a lot cheaper.