RealGM

Here we are again. Just few notes:

- i will let players who are known to return in polls, at least the important ones like Griffin, and mark their returning status in the final list. We started soon enough to vote some extra players who will possibly return for another year.

- so consider these players like available to be picked this year i.e. see the option like for example "B.Griffin, if he'd declared in 08"

-assume no trades with the pick or players, we are trying to find out best players for us.

- i will be offline for almost whole weekend - I will start the next thread on Monday.

There is a list of players we picked so far in other threads as BPA to keep and become a part of our roster:

1. M.Beasley (12-3)
2. D.Rose (14-0)

Oh, wow. Talk about drop off... my general draft philosophy says to take Gordon or Mayo b/c they're BPA. I also think Griffin would maybe get serious consideration at 3 and some places have Brook as #3 overall.

I'm afraid of Brook Lopez at this point. He's a Yinka Dare rule candidate and at this point, I'd rather pass than risk it. I'm voting for Griffin and will be until he's selected.

Griffin

I can't for the life of me see what you guys see in Griffin.

Mayo is the best player on the board, which is unfortunate because I really wanted him to last to #8.

Dare had no skills whatsoever. Brook Lopez has skills out the @ss on offense and he is a legit 7 footer. I would not mind having Lopez on the team.

I take Mayo!
If you look at the Mocks he could be there at 5 or 6 as well. But i think if we draft at 8 he will be gone.
So if we get the 3 pick i would be willing to trade down to 5 or 6 and take him then.

amcoolio wrote:I can't for the life of me see what you guys see in Griffin.

Have you seen him play?

I take Mayo too... he's the only one with superstar potential left. Also doc, put Anthony Randolph into the next poll, I'll probably pick Griffin over him, but I'll want him soon.

Paydro70 wrote:I take Mayo too... he's the only one with superstar potential left. Also doc, put Anthony Randolph into the next poll, I'll probably pick Griffin over him, but I'll want him soon.

I realized he is missing in options, but cannot add more options and i felt it would be strange to replace any previous name so he will be there next time.

My two cents: we don't need a SG, I would rather get an inside presence in Griffin (is there any other offensive PF to pair with Emeka/Nazr?)

I take best big man available.

Rich4114 wrote:I take best big man available.

So vote!

I'd take Mayo, big men are so hit and miss I'm wary of that and I don't feel like any listed can be a sure-fire all-star anyway. Mayo will at the very least be a solid player on both ends of the floor and at best he could be a franchise guy.

Yinka Dare Rule: "Of the 20 players who were at least 7-feet tall, at least 250 pounds, and selected between picks No. 4 and No. 15 in the NBA draft, only five -- Dikembe Mutombo, Chris Kaman, Chris Mihm, Bryant Reeves and DeSagana Diop -- have been even halfway decent, and only Mutumbo has achieved anything approaching stardom. It's possible Andrew Bynum will add to that list, but it still bodes poorly for Hawes' future."

I would add Eddy Curry and Erick Dampier to that list, but Hollinger excludes them because they're listed as 6'11.

This is the rationale as to why team's do this (all of this referenced text appears on ESPN's Hollinger breakdown of Spencer Hawes):
"Plus, usually the team that's selected them is one in the Kings' exact situation: It needs a center, so it reaches a little for one who might fit instead of taking the best player available.. More often than not, these teams still need a center a year later."

I like Blake Griffin because he rebounds and scores from the post. If the Bobcats had truly bad luck, he'd have another knee injury and end up overweight and a duplicate of Sean May, but if this is a concern then no one should be allowed to ever vote for Kevin Love.

Also, just to clarify... I've liked what I've seen out of Brook Lopez, but if I'm picking 3rd, I'm scared of him too.

Edit: I'd also add Luc Longley because I remember him being okay in my childhood...and I'd like to avoid incurring the wrath of the many Aussies on the board.

I voted Mayo, I heard Griffin was staying 1 more year.

like BI said, i thought i saw somewhere last week that griffin was heading back to school.

for what its worth, i had a dream last week that we drafted lopez and he scored 35pts and had 5 rebounds and 5 assists in his first game. i know, totally random, especially the assists.

anyway.... i voted for mayo. i think i also would have voted for rose over beasley at #1. i think jvalone, summed up my feelings best. beasley strikes me as the type of player who will put up tremendous stats on bad teams. i'm not sure he is the type of player who will make his teammates better. i am 100% positive rose will make his teammates better.

Doc's deal is that even if players are not entering the draft, they are in his poll - so Griffin can be voted for.

And Mayo Fats? Interesting you would vote for an atheltic wing with little substance!!

fatlever wrote: beasley strikes me as the type of player who will put up tremendous stats on bad teams. i'm not sure he is the type of player who will make his teammates better. i am 100% positive rose will make his teammates better.

Wouldn't that be a given considering the positions they play?

not exactly. i dont mean, racking up assists, but making everyone around you better. garnett, for example, plays pf, but makes everyone around him drastically better. al jefferson also plays power forward, puts up monster numbers, but i'm not convinced he really has what it takes to make his teammates better.

if i take a player #1 i want to be reasonable sure he is the type of player who can be the unquestioned team leader, the player who you will run the offense through at the end of games and either take the big shots or make the right passes. that doesnt have to come from a pg.

hey, i'd be happy with beasley as well, i just dont think i would expect him to be that player. i would want to pair him next to a team leader type player. as of right now, we dont have that kind of player.

does that make sense?

It does.

I look at Beasley as a guy you KNOW can score in the post in a variety of ways - which getts his team baskets when they really need them and who would command a double team - which would get his shooters open looks and open up the lanes for drives.

I think that would help the team, but I do get what you are saying.

mayo, unlike the other "athletic sgs with no substance" that i rag on, has great playmaking instincts, plus he is a good defender. mayo is a creative player, the type of player that you can run your offense through in crunchtime.

BI: read the first comment

fat: Yes, that was me. According to nbadraft.net Griffin will return.

I still wanted to know how huigh we are on him and because we are voting a little bit early and many players haven't decided yet, I chose not to checking latest news again and again and just include the returning players and mark them as returning in the final list of our consensus pick. (and yes I voted for Griffin and was curious how many of us think of him as of third best suitable player for us).

Walt: Consider it as who from remaining players you would like the most for Bobcats no matter how high or low the player should be picked. If we could get the best player for us as 20th pick good for us (we would probably do some trades- these polls are to find out which ones are the best for us and in which order).

all: I think this one is over - Mayo. I will create next poll within an hour (just re-connected after an offline weekend, too many little things to do).