The RealGM Wizards Board Draft Thread 2008/2009

[miller31time]

I like the editing twist CCJ took, lol.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

In a way it's fitting that both Pitt and UConn lose today.

[bulletproof_32]

That looks about right, CCJ.

Great game. Appears to over.

Night, y'all.

[miller31time]

Later guys.

Till our next 6-OT game.

[doclinkin]

This is a great year for seniors. There are really solid players with a ton of experience. AJ Price, Jeff Adrien, Sam Young, Jack McClinton, Terrence Wms, Eric Maynor, Danny Green, Jon Brockman, Jeff Pendrgraph, John Bryant, Tyrese Rice, Ben Woodside, Josh Carter, Brandon Ewing of Wyoming, Aaron Jackson of Duquesne, Lester Hudson, Jeff McDermott... etc.

You can pick up a quality ready-to-go roleplayer out of the roster of experienced players.

Fivetuple OT now.

Sin of self-quote, sorry. But not to lose this point since it's more relevant to the thread. I hope I can find streaming video of the Portsmouth Invitational Tourney. Some top names might skip it, but without the pre-draft camp this year could be key for upperclass prospects to show their stuff in game conditions.

[toughjuice03]

Later guys.

Till our next 6-OT game.

That game got old after the 3rd OT I just wanted it to end LOL I'm happy that both Pitt and UCONN lost now hopefully the Mountaineers can take the turny.

[dobrojim]

Jordan Hill, Buddinger, and Harden on CSN today at 3:00.

Harden looking even more like a shoe-in for a top 3 spot (top 4 if Rubio enters the draft). Horrible game for ChaseBud, but I still think he's going to be a very good pro.

interesting night last night

The top 3 PF prospects (imo, Griffin, Hill and Blair) all were losers.

Hill looked much better than Blair. Didn't see the OK game.

Harden I'm starting to drink the koolaid on. Bud I'm not so sure about.
He stunk last night.

[dobrojim]

Screw it. I just don't like the value at the top of the draft. If we land the 4th pick in the draft or lower, I'd consider trading the pick for a future unprotected first while dumping Stevenson's contract, Obviously, the team we trade with must suck enough that that future pick could be in the top of the lottery. Somebody like Memphis or Sacramento could make sense.

2009 pick + Stevenson to Memphis for unprotected 2010 pick.

If we land a top 3 pick, we should trade down while dumping bad contracts. I like the value in the late lottery much better. I'd much rather get a guy like Curry, Blair or Henderson in the 10-15 range then Harden, Hill or Rubio at #3.

Heck, even if we land the #1 pick, I'd be inclined to trade it if we can get some serious value for it. Lots of people have bought into the Griffin hype. i just don't think he'll be any better than somebody like Carlos Boozer or Al Jefferson. He'll get numbers, but they'll be empty numbers. He won't help his team win games.

Nate, I have been screaming Hill the entire year. I want him on the Wizards. Unlike Griffin, he's a very good defender (See his shotblocking numbers).

Oh, and my second fav. player is Jeff Teague. He's MUCH better than Curry is.

Hill impressed me last night. He looks solid. We could do worse.

[MF23]

CCJ, yeah your projection based Sanders stats is about right. He actually looks like a player that should comeback next year. He's not the focal point in VCU's offense but he does shoot out to 15ft when open. He's kind of like Solomon Jones who if I'm right left after his So. year when he shouldn't have. When I watch him play I try to see some Ben Wallace tendencies like off ball defense, help D and energy on the boards. He's not as intense as Wallace was but he does have a good level of effort. One more year with him being the man and having to work on offense will probably force him into becoming better on that side of the ball. He's going to be first rounder when he comes out but he has intangibles that can move him into the lottery.

He can almost stand on his toes and touch the rim. He has great arms for basketball.

[Severn Hoos]

I caught the tail end of the Oklahoma/Oklahoma State game.

To tell you the truth, I'm not that impressed with Blake Griffin. His numbers are good but he plays terrible team defense. It looks to me like he's more interested in padding his rebounding stats than he is in challenging shots. On defense, he just stands in the middle and does nothing. He doesn't even bend his knees a bit in preparation to make a quick reaction. He just stands stiff, not even lifting his arms up in the air.

This draft class sucks.

It figures. We get into the top of the lottery and we get to choose among the worst draft class since... since... since Kwame Brown's draft class.

Well, if you're judging by the top of the draft, I would put the Bargnani class well below this one, and Bogut wasn't too special either. (Interesting, though - both of those drafts had all-star players, but they were passed over - Paul, D. Williams, Roy, etc. I wonder if the same dynamic could happen again.)

I understand the sentiment on Griffin, but I think it's an overreaction. For one thing, I wonder how much actual coaching he's received, especially defensively. His Dad was his HS coach, and he has very good fundamentals on offense in the post and boxing out. But is Capel the type of coach to drill players in a defensive scheme and make them the best they can be on that end of the floor?

Plus, when you project Griffin forward, particularly on the Wizards, I'd say those things are minimized or even on-issues. Consider:

* In college, he's playing C. In the NBA, he'll be a PF. Huge difference in roles there.
* On the Wiz, he wouldn't have to play the Haywood role of challenging shots, because we have Haywood for that. With Blatche and McGee (if we keep them all) potentially behind Haywood to be the challengers.
* It seems to me that the most important element for a PF playing next to Haywood would be to not get overpowered, and to grab the rebounds from the misses Haywood creates. Griffin is strong enough to hold his ground, and grabs an insane amount of boards. (Even in the loss yesterday, he had 19 rebounds.) He may not be Garnett, but I wouldn't see him as a defensive liability either (a la AJ).
* Your other post mentioned Boozer & Jefferson. I'd gladly take one of those guys on this team. They may not be The Man, jump-on-my-back type players, but they're very productive.
* He'll be on rookie scale for 4 years. So even if he is "just" another Boozer/Jefferson, he'll be doing it at half the cost of those guys.

I would be disgusted if they moved down from the #1 for cap space and a future pick. Ugh. Griffin will be just fine.

[Dat2U]

Well, if you're judging by the top of the draft, I would put the Bargnani class well below this one, and Bogut wasn't too special either. (Interesting, though - both of those drafts had all-star players, but they were passed over - Paul, D. Williams, Roy, etc. I wonder if the same dynamic could happen again.)

I understand the sentiment on Griffin, but I think it's an overreaction. For one thing, I wonder how much actual coaching he's received, especially defensively. His Dad was his HS coach, and he has very good fundamentals on offense in the post and boxing out. But is Capel the type of coach to drill players in a defensive scheme and make them the best they can be on that end of the floor?

Plus, when you project Griffin forward, particularly on the Wizards, I'd say those things are minimized or even on-issues. Consider:

* In college, he's playing C. In the NBA, he'll be a PF. Huge difference in roles there.
* On the Wiz, he wouldn't have to play the Haywood role of challenging shots, because we have Haywood for that. With Blatche and McGee (if we keep them all) potentially behind Haywood to be the challengers.
* It seems to me that the most important element for a PF playing next to Haywood would be to not get overpowered, and to grab the rebounds from the misses Haywood creates. Griffin is strong enough to hold his ground, and grabs an insane amount of boards. (Even in the loss yesterday, he had 19 rebounds.) He may not be Garnett, but I wouldn't see him as a defensive liability either (a la AJ).
* Your other post mentioned Boozer & Jefferson. I'd gladly take one of those guys on this team. They may not be The Man, jump-on-my-back type players, but they're very productive.
* He'll be on rookie scale for 4 years. So even if he is "just" another Boozer/Jefferson, he'll be doing it at half the cost of those guys.

I would be disgusted if they moved down from the #1 for cap space and a future pick. Ugh. Griffin will be just fine.

QFT.

Griffin's upside IMO is a cross b/w Boozer & K-Mart. He's a better athlete than Boozer but not as skilled. I think Griff has a great combination of size, strength & athleticism. He's got some explosiveness to his game. He might not be a franchise player but he won't be a bust or a terrible dissapointment. I also like his intangibles. He's got the makeup to handle being a #1 pick. He's also got a great demeanor and his work ethic is unquestioned. He's certainly no Kwame.

And as Sev so rightly points out, we could have a starting, productive PF from day one on a rookie contract. That's a key here. That's why I'd choose Griffin over the idea of having to resign a Bosh or Amare to max dollars and cripple any future flexibility. A smart organization would also see Griffin as an heir apparent to Jamison and deal Jamison for expiring contracts if possible although I'm beginning to believe that won't happen here.

Dealing a #1 pick (or a top five pick for that matter) for a future pick and a salary dump is about the worst idea imaginable in my mind. I can't even believe some consider it a decent option. I hate DeShawn or DSong as much as anyone here, but I'm not ready to throw away a chance to improve our roster with a player on a rookie deal to dump a $4 or $5 million dollar contract or two that would expire within two years anyways. It's not like we owe these guys a $100 million. They are bad contracts but using a high lottery pick is not the way to go.

If we need to dump anyone, let Nick Young be the bait to get a deal done.

[doclinkin]

Also important to note that OKState has a tough style for Blake to handle defensively. They start 4 guards and a forward, with 5 players on the team who shoot ~40% from three. Their style is so uptempo that on defense Bigs often end up chasing the action only to find themselves standing around in the middle with nobody to put a body on. Smart coaching, interesting style-- and Blake won't see much it in the NBA. (New York, or wherever Eddie Jordan lands..).

But 'putting a body on' somebody is what Blake will be doing on a regular basis in the NBA, and that's a strength of his on D. He won't be moved or bodied by many players in the NBA and will snatch contested boards in critical situations. Again, the phrase 'more athletic Karl Malone' sort of encapsulates his upside. Malone wasn't the top notch defending PF, but any team in the league would kill to have him.

Here, next to Haywood, with Gil/Caron to feed him, and face-up skills out to midrange, he's an ideal fit on offense. On defense, again, if you got tapped on the back and a voice said : "someone said you're talking 'bout my sister"-- do you want to turn around and see Blake? Or Jamison for instance...

Me I'm taking Blake.

[nate33]

Griffin's upside IMO is a cross b/w Boozer & K-Mart. He's a better athlete than Boozer but not as skilled. I think Griff has a great combination of size, strength & athleticism. He's got some explosiveness to his game. He might not be a franchise player but he won't be a bust or a terrible dissapointment. I also like his intangibles. He's got the makeup to handle being a #1 pick. He's also got a great demeanor and his work ethic is unquestioned. He's certainly no Kwame.

And as Sev so rightly points out, we could have a starting, productive PF from day one on a rookie contract. That's a key here. That's why I'd choose Griffin over the idea of having to resign a Bosh or Amare to max dollars and cripple any future flexibility. A smart organization would also see Griffin as an heir apparent to Jamison and deal Jamison for expiring contracts if possible although I'm beginning to believe that won't happen here.

Dealing a #1 pick (or a top five pick for that matter) for a future pick and a salary dump is about the worst idea imaginable in my mind. I can't even believe some consider it a decent option. I hate DeShawn or DSong as much as anyone here, but I'm not ready to throw away a chance to improve our roster with a player on a rookie deal to dump a $4 or $5 million dollar contract or two that would expire within two years anyways. It's not like we owe these guys a $100 million. They are bad contracts but using a high lottery pick is not the way to go.

If we need to dump anyone, let Nick Young be the bait to get a deal done.

I never said I'd deal the #1 pick for future picks. I just said I'd be open to trading the pick if really good offers came our way. I assume there will be some great offers for Griffin. I also wouldn't trade the 2-4 pick for a future pick, though I would trade down to the late lottery. If we pick 5 or lower, then I'd seriously consider trading for a future pick. If we trade that pick to a sucky team, chances are, we'd have a real good shot at being in the top of the lottery next year. I'd rather take my chances at a top 8 pick in next year's draft than with the #5 pick this year - especially if we can dump a contract in the process.

[mhd]

Wow, James Johnson is very talented. He reminds me exactly of Caron Butler. He's also black-belt kickboxer, so you know he's tough as nails. He's built like a truck.

[go'stags]

If your read the DraftExpress writeup of Willie Warren, he seems like Dat's ideal SG next to Gil. Ball handling, shot creating, good finisher, excellent 3 point range, can make plays for his team mates and play a littlle PG if need be.

I'll have to see him play again, but he seems like a very interesting player to keep an eye on.

[Ji]

DeRozan has made himself into a top 5 pick

check out his last 2 games

17 pts, 11 reb
23 pts, 12 reb

will be watching him vs the surging Harden tonight!!!

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I watched parts of the USC/UCLA game, Ji. DeRozan really is a high flyer. Thought about your prediction as I watched him. He is good. Great timing, great leaping ability, and some long arms. He reminds me of two players: Gerald Wallace and (from DX comparison) Rodney Carney.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Demar-DeRozan-1319/

That said, I think he should come back for one more year of college to refine his shooting. Terrible FT shooter. Think the announcer said he's only made 2 threes all season. Also, doesn't really have a great handle.

I think DeRozan's career will turn out a lot like Hakim Warrick's if he doesn't develop perimeter skills. He's a SF/SG in size but he's been playing PF. Needs to work on his perimeter skills IMO.

[Ruzious]

We can't talk too much at the Terps/WF game. I think it's clear by now that Aminu and Johnson should be reversed in draft rankings right now. Aminu, while having great potential - just is not ready and should not enter the draft. Johnson continues to show that he's a big-time talent who just been overshadowed by the pub that Aminu and Teague have gotten. Johnson is WF's best player and should be a lotto pick - even if mocks have him going late 1st. I said it before - he's the rare college 3 who will probably be an NBA 4. He's like Al Harrington was at the same age - except he's a better passer. Once he improves his jumper, he can switch back to the 3.

[nate33]

Kyle Singler of Duke had a MONSTER game last night against BC after the Terps game. 26 points, 9 boards, 6 blocks , 2 steals and an assist. He was 10/15 from the floor and 3-6 from three. All that in a low scoring game. He's got a great motor and he's more athletic than he's give credit for - showing some very nice hops while blocking shots on the fast break.

On the other hand, he violates my cardinal rule that white swing men are always overrated.

If he pans out on the NBA level, I think his game will be a lot like Matt Harpring in his prime.

[closg00]

Ricky Rubio interview. Wouldn't it be funny if we had the #1 pick and we took Ricky?
http://www.nbadraft.net/node/4767