I Hope Danny Moves Up to Get this Guy in the Draft

[15th overall]

I got Toney Douglas pegged as one of my sleeper picks this year. He's only 6'1 (...but with a 6-6 wingspan) and not a real PG but the guy's fearless, a helluva scorer, he's strong as hell and knows how to D up.

Tough to say whether he'd be a good fit here or not without knowing how the roster shakes out but I think he can give us a lot of the things we look for from both Eddie and TA. An ideal fit for the "energy guy" role.

[Avalanche]

I hope he buys a late pick and takes Patty Mills

but im slightly biased

With u on Patty....but we dont need another small, quick, non-shooter PG unfortunately.

Whats going on with AJ Ogilvy? He in the draft? He could be a nice surprise for an NBA team soon I reckon.

Yeah im very excited to see how Patty Mills turns out. Just praying the Lakers dont draft him.

Also surely this guy has some flaws? All that has been said are good things.

he absolutely has some flaws in his game... he didnt shoot a very high percentage, and his ability to really create for his teammates has come into question

however, with the team he was on (St Marys) he really did need to be the primary scorer and im sure his PG abilities will develop once he hits the nba

I would love to trade pruitt for a future second or something and get patty here with the hornets pick, or some other pick we can buy

[JMillott]

I have a huge interest in trading into the draft should a Patty Mills or Austin Daye slide far enough for us to simply buy a pick. I think both guys will be able to provide quality depth sooner then expected and both guys would be projected as quality starters in a few years.

Outside of those two i'm not really that high on getting into the first round unless we're talking about using Ray Allen to get James Harden which in my opinion greatly extends our window with Pierce and Garnett as well as giving us a strong core for the longterm future of Rondo, Perkins, Walker and Harden.

[sully00]

I am not into James Harden at all. He is going to be alright but he looks like a Ron Mercer type maybe a Jason Richardson either way not something I am totally pumped about.

I like Williams but he does remind me a lot of Tony Allen, who I liked a lot as well. He has starter/star upside but he also has glaring limitations for his position starting with he isn't a shooter at SG, which to me is sort of like not being able to rebound at PF. He also looks like turnover waiting to happen.

Anyway there is likely 4 picks that could be real available at 16/18/21/23 especially as this thing starts to flatten out. I don't like the top of the draft much at all but there is some decent talent in the second half of the first round and early second which makes it kind of a different draft. If Earl Clark slides I think that is something you have to chase and even if not Daye, Sam Young, Summers, Derrick Brown, and Taj Gibson could all fill a hole in Boston's roster.

[JMillott]

Derrick Brown would also be fine with me, that being said I couldn't possibly agree less with you (sully) about Harden.

James Harden has a thinking mans game and is more athletic and talented then he is given credit for as well. I truly believe his floor is a 18/4/4 guy during his prime and that his ceiling is 26/5/5 he is going to be a top 5-8 SG in this league just about the time that KG and Pierce get their numbers retired. If he could be had for a 34 year old Ray Allen i'd do it in a heartbeat.

I think he'd be good for around 15/4/3 by the time next year is ending and that is pretty close to what we'll see from Ray by that time as well. The key to being able to have and pay three allstars in this era is to have other starters locked up cheaply or on rookie contracts.

The truth is that by next year that third allstar will be Rajon Rondo not Ray Allen and if given the choice between having a fading 34+ year old Ray Allen making 10 million to be the 4th guy or having a young up and coming 20+ year old James Harden making 4 million while growing into a bigger role as KG and Pierce get older and need more help its a no brainer.

Harden also has nothing that would point towards comparing him to a Ron Mercer or Jason Richardson? A Paul Pierce, Brandon Roy, Steve Smith, etc sure but the guys you mentioned couldn't be more different.

I don't think he'd make us better then Ray Allen would next year but I think having him would make us far less likely to stand pat at other positions this summer. The freedom of knowing they have the SG position filled for 20 million over the next four years lets us spend more freely knowing that Rondo's extension is around the corner.

I also think it wouldn't take him long to become a defensive upgrade over Ray Allen and it sure would help Pierce if he didn't have to take the toughest matchup defensively and carry the load offensively too. It would also be damn interesting to see a Harden and Walker wing combo grow together next to Rondo.

[threrf23]

I am not into James Harden at all. He is going to be alright but he looks like a Ron Mercer type maybe a Jason Richardson either way not something I am totally pumped about.

I would definitely place him above Ron Mercer. He is relatively young for his class, and considering his age last season (19) and the fact the was counted on to lead a not so great Pac-10 team, his stats are rather impressive. And again, young for his class, he was ranked 11th in the nation pre-college by Rivals.com (from my research JJ Redick, another underathletic SG was 11th in the nation pre-college as well, but Harden's college stat line is more impressive and he is stronger) and is known as a very intelligent player.

At the same time, he lacks the athleticism and agility and you might want from an SG projected as a top 5 pick. Where other young prospects lack, often those are areas where they can be expected to improve. Harden is almost a tweener in the sense that he lacks real good size/rebounding/length from the SF position and lacks athleticism if at SG, and that doesn't change so easily.

He is a low risk pick for a team that he fits well, but higher upside can potentially be found elsewhere, IMO.

[billfromBoston]

I am not into James Harden at all. He is going to be alright but he looks like a Ron Mercer type maybe a Jason Richardson either way not something I am totally pumped about.

I like Williams but he does remind me a lot of Tony Allen, who I liked a lot as well. He has starter/star upside but he also has glaring limitations for his position starting with he isn't a shooter at SG, which to me is sort of like not being able to rebound at PF. He also looks like turnover waiting to happen.

Anyway there is likely 4 picks that could be real available at 16/18/21/23 especially as this thing starts to flatten out. I don't like the top of the draft much at all but there is some decent talent in the second half of the first round and early second which makes it kind of a different draft. If Earl Clark slides I think that is something you have to chase and even if not Daye, Sam Young, Summers, Derrick Brown, and Taj Gibson could all fill a hole in Boston's roster.

Thought you were fine with non-rebounding PF's

Seriously though, I don't know that James Harden is a star, but I think it is highly likely that he'll develop into at least a 3rd scoring option. He is deceptively athletic and has a great frame for becoming a bulling hybrid wing. I like a lot about his approach to the game as well as his skills.

Terrence Williams is a sleeper of mine too - absolute bulldog whose being hurt the most by his unpolished upbringing and lack of social grace. He is cocky and agressive, but will compete his ass off and should turn into a strong wing role player at worst - if he falls into the 15-20 range you gotta take a chance on him for 4 years at short money.

Earl Clark intrigues everyone - big and skilled. Don't know if he has what it takes to be a star player but a super-starter or productive rotation player is almost a lock. Derrick Brown will join the recent list of highly effective tweener 4's in time, but probably won't bust out early. Not a fan of Taj Gibson or any other player from USC outside Mayo and possibly Nick Young.

Jonny Flynn is my guy - he's getting a lot of hype now, but I think in 3 years people are going to look at him and be shocked at how much more of an impact player he becomes. Jameer Nelson just made the All Star team...I can see Flynn being explosive and clutch while learning how to lead a team.

Still wouldn't touch Thabeet with a 10 foot pole...I don't trust his knowledge of the game very much at all and I have enough questions about his priorities to not feel comfortable taking a big man at the position that busts most often...wings are safe and PG's are rich in this draft - if teams trust their senses Thabeet could slide out of the top 5.

Blake Griffin is money...nuff said.

[sully00]

BFB

I am trying to differentiate between players I like watching their game and honestly trying to estimate what that game will be as a pro. Still haunted but the whole Randy Foye/Brandon Roy thing.

I love watching Sam Young play but I just don't know that Sam is going to have a great NBA game. I love watching Terrence Williams but I just worry that he doesn't do enough of the ordinary stuff to complete all the highlight stuff.

I love Flynn as well.

I am big on Clark or Gibson for the Celtics specifically. I like the length and athleticism I think Clark will be more of an offensive player, similiar to Marvin Williams and Gibson a defender/rebounder but we could use either player.

With Harden I see a guy who is going to score, but isn't likely to do it in a way that is going to translate into a winning a lot of games. That is why I brought up Richardson he puts up numbers and his team loses.