Say hello to your #1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft....

[Leslie Forman]

I'm saying, that what makes a star big man go ahead of a non-big man, is that in addition to the offense, he has defense that the little guy can't hope to touch.

Ermmm…do you just mean as a "lock?" I think I'm getting confused here. If you're saying a big can't go first without great defense, we know that's not true. If you mean "he won't necessarily be a lock," then yeah, we agree on that.

You are remembering things wrong if you think things were better back then my friend.

I don't think I am. We finished our "war" in Iraq in about 30 minutes, our economy was kickin ass, oil was cheap, and rap music didn't suck. That's good enough for me!

There were so many guys like Kenny who disappointed in the pros. It was very frustrating.

I just meant the expectations I had. Perhaps I never actually thought Kenny Anderson was really that good of a prospect, I don't remember.

Those '90s Nets really looked killer on paper, though. DC, Kenny (and Mookie), Petrovic, and good role players in Morris and Bowie. That looked like a beast of a team for the future.

[skones]

Ermmm

[skones]

Derrick Rose is an average shooter and playmaker at this point.

At this point of his career he almost relies solely on his speed to blow by guys and kick out or score.


To say Beasley has no superstar potential is absurd.


He can score inside with the best of them and he also has range on his jumper. How many of the 6'9/6'10 guys like Boozer, Amare, West, etc can knock down perimeter shots like Beasley?

Beasley also has also shown the slashing ability of a 3 that will create even more mismatches.


He doesn't need an elite PG to get him the ball. Dude is mature beyond his years at scoring in the post. He can finish with either hand, he grabs the ball with vice grips on offensive/defensive boards, and his ability to finsih after contact just makes the game look easy.


He's a potential 24/12/1.5 player in this league.

I think Derrick Rose is an above average playmaker at this point personally. His speed is a major asset for him. The guy is probably just as fast as any point guard in the NBA at this point in time. He's young, obviously he'll need seasoning, but he's got everything you want out of a guy running your team both on the court and off. The guy has been a floor general for them all season long and has showed poise game in game out. He's having a huge tournament as well which certainly doesn't hurt averaging 20.5 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, while giving up absolutely nothing to guys like Augustin and Neitzel.

I said I don't see Beasley ever becoming a superstar, meaning it's my opinion which I, of course, am entitled to. When I define superstar, I think of guys that take teams on their back and will them to win. I see Beasley as more of a complimentary player to another guy who will be able to do that. Al Jefferson is putting up damn near close to those numbers you mentioned save the three points. Would you consider him a superstar? I certainly wouldn't. Oh and as far as Beasley not needing a good point guard to get him the ball, look at how that fared in Kansas State against a good team in Wisconsin. Beasley wasn't able to do ANYTHING in the second half. I'm sorry, but when you're made redundant by the likes of Marcus Landry and Joe Krabbenhoft when your team needs you the most, that raises some red flags.

[UGA Hayes]

For me Beasley doesn't really have to be a great defender to justify being #1. But he does need to show way better effort, attitude, and understanding on that end. He needs to prove that he will at least give Bosh or Boozer level effort, b/c right now he gives Zach Randolph level effort. He should have been better than he was by the end of this year.

[The_Pope]

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Beasley is and was a bad defender all season long. Last time I checked, rebounds and blocks DON'T MAKE A DEFENSIVE PLAYER. PERIOD. Oh, he won't be a worse defender than PFs like Amare and Boozer? AMARE IS ONE OF THE WORST DEFENSIVE POWER FORWARD/CENTERS IN THE ENTIRE LEAGUE! You really are shooting for the stars there. Boozer is below average on that end of the floor. You'll routinely hear Jazz fans complaining about his play on that end of the floor.

Both Amare and Boozer are both damn fine players, ones I would love to have on my team, but neither are superstars. They aren't guys who you can have as the centerpiece of your team and build around them expecting to win a large number of games. It's just not going to happen. Both of those guys are playing with elite point guards which make the teams they just happen to be on.

I don't ever see Beasley becoming a superstar. I can see him going for 20 and 10 on a routine basis, but that doesn't make you a superstar. In fact, I see him as a rich man's Antawn Jamison. He'll be able to score in a multitude of ways, he'll hit the boards, and he'll be a poor defender that doesn't improve the play of others.

Derrick Rose has the ability and physical tools to be an absolute beast on both ends of the floor. Guys with his package of size, speed, strength, and athleticism just don't come around every year. In fact, based on physical traits alone he's a lot more rare than a guy like Beasley. He's a pure point guard that elevates the play of those around him, and he's shown steady progression as the year has gone on.

Amare isn't a superstar? Don't you think that if scouts got a guarantee that Beasley was going to be as good as Amare then he'd be an absolute certainty for the number 1 spot?

[vadimivich]

Kenny would have been a better pick than LJ if he hadn't been injured and then totally unable to defeat his personal demons with alcohol.

That's the big unknown here - we have clue who's more likely to get hurt or who has dark parts of their soul they just can't control. Those things have led to more "busts" than any other factors.

[DaGoodz]

Derrick Rose is an average shooter and playmaker at this point.

At this point of his career he almost relies solely on his speed to blow by guys and kick out or score.


To say Beasley has no superstar potential is absurd.


He can score inside with the best of them and he also has range on his jumper. How many of the 6'9/6'10 guys like Boozer, Amare, West, etc can knock down perimeter shots like Beasley?

Beasley also has also shown the slashing ability of a 3 that will create even more mismatches.


He doesn't need an elite PG to get him the ball. Dude is mature beyond his years at scoring in the post. He can finish with either hand, he grabs the ball with vice grips on offensive/defensive boards, and his ability to finsih after contact just makes the game look easy.


He's a potential 24/12/1.5 player in this league.

I agree, I think Beasley ceiling as a 4 is higher than Rose's as a PG.
I think Beasley can average 24 poinsts 13 boards 3 dimes and 2 blocks as a PF easily by his 4th season in the league.
People discredit his passing abilility, he would average more dimes if Kansas State had guards who could shoot. Imagine what Beasley would average on a team like North Carolina instead of Hansborough, with all those shooters around him.

[CB4MiamiHeat]

For me Beasley doesn't really have to be a great defender to justify being #1. But he does need to show way better effort, attitude, and understanding on that end. He needs to prove that he will at least give Bosh or Boozer level effort, b/c right now he gives Zach Randolph level effort. He should have been better than he was by the end of this year.

i disagree, i see a lot of effort on that end.....

It's an insult to compare him to Randolph though...Randolph has 12 blocked shots the entire season....Beasley is a good shotblocker, 1.6 a game.

I agree though that he looks lost sometimes.

[DaGoodz]

Its kinda hard to look like a good defender as big when your guards are allowing penetration on every play and you need to leave your man to stop penetration. He isn't at the benefit like Rose who could let his man beat him off the dribble and Dorsey will make up for that mistake

[yearsago]

Whens the last time a PG has went #1, it don't happen

New Jersey took Derrick Coleman with the #1 pick, I bet you if they had to do it all over again, they would have took Gary Payton.

[yearsago]

But yes, I hope the Sonics take Rose, whether #1 or #2.

[skones]

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Amare isn't a superstar? Don't you think that if scouts got a guarantee that Beasley was going to be as good as Amare then he'd be an absolute certainty for the number 1 spot?

I don't think Amare is a superstar, but I have an extremely limited superstar genre in which about 10 guys in the entire league are true superstars. I don't think a guy like Amare is picked one overall if scouts guarantee that Rose becomes an elite point guard.

[The_Pope]

Ok, say Rose becomes Baron Davis (the closest comparison of any current player) and Beasley becomes Amare. Who do you think they'd pick?

[skones]

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I agree, I think Beasley ceiling as a 4 is higher than Rose's as a PG.
I think Beasley can average 24 poinsts 13 boards 3 dimes and 2 blocks as a PF easily by his 4th season in the league.
People discredit his passing abilility, he would average more dimes if Kansas State had guards who could shoot. Imagine what Beasley would average on a team like North Carolina instead of Hansborough, with all those shooters around him.

Haha, 24 points, 13 boards 3 dimes and 2 blocks heh? THATS LAUGHABLE. Garnett put up 24 and 13 once in his entire career and those two guys aren't even on the same planet. In fact, Garnett is the only active player in the league to come close to that. But hey, keep living in that fantasy land of yours.

Also, if Beasley played at UNC, I guarantee you he isn't putting up 26 and 12. If for some reason he was, UNC would not be as good a team.

Also, Beasley has problems moving laterally in the post. I have a feeling he'll measure at 6'8 without shoes making him somewhat undersized at the four meaning, he won't be grabbing boards as easily, he won't be blocking as many shots, and he'll have trouble with bigger guys on the defensive end. He HAS physical limitations, Derrick Rose on the other hand just doesn't. That's why I believe Rose's ceiling is higher than anyone in this draft.

[pr0wler]

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Haha, 24 points, 13 boards 3 dimes and 2 blocks heh? THATS LAUGHABLE. Garnett put up 24 and 13 once in his entire career and those two guys aren't even on the same planet. In fact, Garnett is the only active player in the league to come close to that. But hey, keep living in that fantasy land of yours.

That's not laughable at all. Comparing Garnett's on paper stats to Beasley in the future could be very close. Just because Garnett is a great defensive presence who makes his team better doesn't mean that Beasley can't average the same number of points and rebounds. He's not saying that Beasley will be as good of a player as Garnett, but his stats certainly could be similar.

[skones]

-= original quote snipped =-



That's not laughable at all. Comparing Garnett's on paper stats to Beasley in the future could be very close. Just because Garnett is a great defensive presence who makes his team better doesn't mean that Beasley can't average the same number of points and rebounds. He's not saying that Beasley will be as good of a player as Garnett, but his stats certainly could be similar.

My point is, guys just don't put up numbers like that very often. Howard will do it soon, and MAYBE Jefferson. As of now, though, Garnett is the only active player to do it. Saying he'll do it "easily" is a huge stretch.

[Ruzious]

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I don't think Amare is a superstar, but I have an extremely limited superstar genre in which about 10 guys in the entire league are true superstars. I don't think a guy like Amare is picked one overall if scouts guarantee that Rose becomes an elite point guard.

I think 99 out of 100 times, an Amare would be picked over a Rose. And the 100th guy would have picked Rose only because you had a gun pointed at his head.

[Ruzious]

You take the outstanding big over the outstanding little. What you do when you get an outstanding big who's shakey on defense is get a defensive-minded role-playing big to play next to him. This is what Dallas did with Dirk, what Boston did with Bird, what teams with Barkley should have done, what Baltimore did with Elvin Hayes, what Buffalo should have done with McAdoo, etc.

[NO-KG-AI]

I don't see it happening, but Rose could be the best PG in the league if he maxes out his potential.

Can we say the same about Beasley?

[CB4MiamiHeat]

I don't see it happening, but Rose could be the best PG in the league if he maxes out his potential.

Can we say the same about Beasley?

yea, why not?

by the time he hits his prime, KG and TD maybe would decline a bit.

So his main competition would be Dirk, Bosh, Boozer, Brand, Amare, West ..? Most the guys on the list are not known for their defense, so theres a good chance he can be the best at his position.

Where as Rose's main competition is Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Tony Parker, Arenas?, AI?, declining Nash, Kidd.

I would say its less likely for Rose to become better than Chris Paul..who is a complete player. Then it is for Beasley to become better than guys like Amare, Bosh, Boozer who all have big weaknesses, which is their defense.