Officlal Prospect thread

NewWolvesOrder · Post #441 » by **NewWolvesOrder** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 9:46 pm

small article on Turner and his back

http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/1 ... k-to-back/

horaceworthy · Post #442 » by **horaceworthy** » Sat Dec 26, 2009 6:53 pm

cpfsf wrote:woah, what happened to Rodney Williams? He started out hot and hasn't done anything spectacular since.

He still gets 1-3 spectacular dunks a game, but the Gophers needed some outside shooting to space the floor to capitalize on Al Nolen's ability to get to the basket.

Basically, what happened was that nbadraft.net overreacted to Williams hitting a few outside shots against some cupcakes and jumped the gun with their write-up. Williams still has loads of potential, but he's very unpolished.

shangrila · Post #443 » by **shangrila** » Sat Dec 26, 2009 11:55 pm

horaceworthy wrote:Basically, what happened was that nbadraft.net overreacted to Williams hitting a few outside shots against some cupcakes and jumped the gun with their write-up. Williams still has loads of potential, but he's very unpolished.

One of the main reasons that site is so useless

horaceworthy · Post #444 » by **horaceworthy** » Sun Dec 27, 2009 7:32 pm

This draft is looking like it might shake out nicely for us.

With our first pick one of Xavier Henry, Wesley Johnson, and possibly Evan Turner should be available. Before the year I had assumed that Turner wouldn't come out (going on what he said after last season about wanting to win a 'ship, and the studly OSU recruiting class coming in next year), but the injury makes me wonder if he'll decide he doesn't want to risk it. We should be in good position to nab a quality swingman.

If all three come out, my order of preference would be Turner, Henry, Johnson.

Then, with the Bobcats pick, there are a couple shotblockers and long small forwards available. I like Stanley Robinson's game, and Jan Vesely is one of the more intriguing players in the draft (although we'd probably get laughed at for stepping into another buyout situation, it would be nice to have the rights to a very athletic 6'11" SF that gets after it on the defensive end), Larry Sanders, and Solomon Alabi. Devin Ebanks also had his best game of the year yesterday, although I don't like him as much as the players previously mentioned.

Order of preference: Stanley Robinson, Vesely (might be ahead of Robinson if not for the potential contract situation, although it would give us 3 of the best prospects in Europe in our hip pocket), Sanders, Alabi, Ebanks

There also should be some good prospects available with the Utah pick, such as Kyle Singler, Ekpe Udoh, Demarcus Cousins, Paul George, Jarvis Varnado and Dexter Pittman.

I'm not sure what my order for those guys would be. I like a lot of what Singler brings to the table, but, I watched Udoh suck at Michigan, so I'm somewhat skeptical of his sudden ability to knock down jumpers, Cousins has great physical tools but may not have the head to take full advantage of them, George doesn't excite me all that much, Varnado may be a one trick pony, but oh what a trick it is, and Pittman's work ethic since joining the Longhorns impresses me.

I guess I'd go: Singler, Cousins, Pittman, Varnado, Udoh, George.

shangrila · Post #445 » by **shangrila** » Sun Dec 27, 2009 8:19 pm

Charles Garcia deserves a look with that Utah pick. A 6-10 player that can handle the ball like a guard isn't exactly a bad thing to have.

horaceworthy · Post #446 » by **horaceworthy** » Sun Dec 27, 2009 8:41 pm

D'oh! I was planning on mentioning him and Arnett Moultrie of UTEP (a pretty fun team to watch, BTW. Besides Moultrie they've got a 6'6" PG, their SG is maybe 510" and has ridiculous hops, and Louisville transfer Derrick Character holds down the paint) as candidates for the Utah pick, then it completely slipped my mind. Haven't seen Moultrie mentioned in this thread, but he's 6'11" with hops and a developing perimeter game. Like Garcia, he doesn't have the defensive impact that it seems someone with his size and athleticism should.

shangrila · Post #447 » by **shangrila** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 3:02 am

I think some of Garcia's issues with shotblocking might come from his team. Because he's such a major part of the team I wouldn't be surprised if the coaching staff didn't want him trying anything that could cause unnecessary fouls, like shotblocking and a lot like Blake Griffin last year. Still, I could be wrong, but even if he doesn't bring shotblocking having a guy like him coming off the bench would give the team something it's never really had before and could add an intriguing new element to this reworked triangle.

I also think Craig Brackins deserves a mention here, since I haven't seen many people mention him here. I know most people will be against taking a power forward for the obvious reasons, but the more I've been looking at the Utah pick the more I've thought it'd be useful to try and build the bench up a little more. A jumpshooting big man like him could be useful off the bench and atleast continue what Love has been bringing with his long range shooting this year.

So far, my draft board has basically been drafting 2 swingmen with the first 2 picks (I honestly think they'll get the Charlotte pick as long as Wallace stays healthy. They're a playoff team this year) with either Henry or Turner with the 1st pick (kind of leaning towards Henry lately) and then trying to get a Wesley Johnson or Al-Farouq Aminu by trading up with Charlotte's pick and Ramon Sessions (to me that's the best use for him). After that it's basically BPA while maybe leaning towards someone who can provide some shotblocking.

Varnado is the obvious choice there and I'd be ecstatic if they grabbed him, even if they did get someone like Garcia or Udoh earlier. He looks like he'll be available with their 2nd rounder (although it's practically impossible to predict where people will end up at this point) and just seems, to me, like one of the those typical Spurs picks; as in drafting a player that has a role and performs it to perfection. But at the same time I realise adding 4 rookies is unrealistic, although I'm hoping Kahn might be willing to take a chance with it, seeing as almost half of the roster will have expired by next year and there's not many young players in free agency that would be decent role players to grow with the team.

/rant

_AIJ_ · Post #448 » by **_AIJ_** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 4:58 am

any way to grab Tyler Smith with our late 1st or 2nd?He's an interesting prospect.Solid defender too.He reminds me of Stephen Jackson without long range.

_AIJ_ · Post #449 » by **_AIJ_** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 5:05 am

Flynn/Sessions/Rubio?
Brewer/Smith
Turner/Gomes
Love/Monroe
Jefferson/Pek?

shangrila · Post #450 » by **shangrila** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:31 am

Smith, right now, is projected to go to Minnesota's 3rd 2nd round pick. So yeah, he's gettable. But there's a reason for that and I think it's because most scouts believe he's peaked which is fair enough. He's also never been able to improve his shooting, which is worrying. Stephen Jackson is probably his absolute best possible scenario even without the shooting.

Don't get me wrong though I do like him as a player. He seems like he'd have a nice career coming off the bench and be one of those solid players that won't let you down in any one area but not excel at anything either. I think if he's available that late a good idea might be to take him and ask him to play overseas for a few years, let him develop and then bring him back when the team is competitive.

_AIJ_ · Post #451 » by **_AIJ_** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 11:32 am

He could be the Trevor Ariza/James Posey type player on our team.Every team needs those type of players right?He fits perfectly with our team IMO.

shangrila · Post #452 » by **shangrila** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 1:43 pm

No offence but I have to disagree. Right now the team is a horrible shooting team and adding players that can't shoot, even bench players, doesn't help to remedy that. Both Ariza and Posey were able to play the roles they could because they played good defence, helped move the ball and could knock down the open shots. Right now Smith can only do 2 of those things and when you're already playing such a limited role you can end up hurting the team more.

If you're looking for a Posey type of player try having a look at Damion James. He's a capable shooter when placed with a half decent point guard and his athleticism helps him to defend multiple positions.

slinky · Post #453 » by **slinky** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 4:11 pm

I dont think we need Tyler Smith type player if we have Corey Brewer still on the roster. They may have slightly different games but they would still fill the same general role.

john2jer · Post #454 » by **john2jer** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 4:13 pm

Corey Brewer needs to be our Trevor Ariza/James Posey type. Assuming he can continue to improve his shot. But there's no need for us to get another of those type of players. Kahn should strongly be making an effort to combine picks to move up and get a 2nd top 10 guy out of this draft. We're not in need of quantity on this team, we need quality. The rest can be filled out in free agency.

PeeDee · Post #455 » by **PeeDee** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 4:42 pm

john2jer wrote:I hope Wes Johnson dies in a fiery plane crash so we can't draft him.

That's a little over the top J2J.

john2jer · Post #456 » by **john2jer** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 4:46 pm

PeeDee wrote:
john2jer wrote:I hope Wes Johnson dies in a fiery plane crash so we can't draft him.

That's a little over the top J2J.

When one feels passionately about something, there's no such thing as "over the top."

Foye · Post #457 » by **Foye** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 4:53 pm

john2jer wrote:Corey Brewer needs to be our Trevor Ariza/James Posey type. Assuming he can continue to improve his shot. But there's no need for us to get another of those type of players. Kahn should strongly be making an effort to combine picks to move up and get a 2nd top 10 guy out of this draft. We're not in need of quantity on this team, we need quality. The rest can be filled out in free agency.

You better hope he is not!!!

Ariza: 37.5% FG, 31.9% 3PT, 65.7% FT, 16 FGA/Game.

john2jer · Post #458 » by **john2jer** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 5:08 pm

Foye wrote:
john2jer wrote:Corey Brewer needs to be our Trevor Ariza/James Posey type. Assuming he can continue to improve his shot. But there's no need for us to get another of those type of players. Kahn should strongly be making an effort to combine picks to move up and get a 2nd top 10 guy out of this draft. We're not in need of quantity on this team, we need quality. The rest can be filled out in free agency.

You better hope he is not!!!

Ariza: 37.5% FG, 31.9% 3PT, 65.7% FT, 16 FGA/Game.

Seriously? It's tough to tell if people are joking, or clueless sometimes. I know like 90% of what I say is completely joking, so it's tough tell for me, but come on...

I think it's pretty obvious when anyone mentions Trevor Ariza/James Posey they're talking about Ariza with the Lakers last year, and Posey with the Celtics the year before. They're talking about that 6th-7th man spark plug off the bench that can play good defense, and knock down open shots because there's little attention on them. Or fills the role as the 5th starter.

Foye · Post #459 » by **Foye** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 5:35 pm

john2jer wrote:
Foye wrote:
john2jer wrote:Corey Brewer needs to be our Trevor Ariza/James Posey type. Assuming he can continue to improve his shot. But there's no need for us to get another of those type of players. Kahn should strongly be making an effort to combine picks to move up and get a 2nd top 10 guy out of this draft. We're not in need of quantity on this team, we need quality. The rest can be filled out in free agency.

You better hope he is not!!!

Ariza: 37.5% FG, 31.9% 3PT, 65.7% FT, 16 FGA/Game.

Seriously? It's tough to tell if people are joking, or clueless sometimes. I know like 90% of what I say is completely joking, so it's tough tell for me, but come on...

I think it's pretty obvious when anyone mentions Trevor Ariza/James Posey they're talking about Ariza with the Lakers last year, and Posey with the Celtics the year before. They're talking about that 6th-7th man spark plug off the bench that can play good defense, and knock down open shots because there's little attention on them. Or fills the role as the 5th starter.

I knew what you meant but I couldn't avoid making a little side blow on how Ariza is playing this season. :wink:

I'm probably a Brewer homer. I think he can provide those things now if he was given the possibility.
He's been forced to shoot more than he should on our team due to lack of a quality wing with range. He's not as good as Posey was knocking down that open shot, especially not from 3-PT range but he can provide the defense and run the fast break and once in a while he hits a jump shot(and you see it more often lately). I agree with you that he must improve his jump shot but I wouldn't necessary say that Ariza was far superior knocking down open shots. At least not in the few games I saw the Lakers last season.

Krapinsky · Post #460 » by **Krapinsky** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:08 pm

shangrila wrote:No offence but I have to disagree. Right now the team is a horrible shooting team and adding players that can't shoot, even bench players, doesn't help to remedy that. Both Ariza and Posey were able to play the roles they could because they played good defence, helped move the ball and could knock down the open shots. Right now Smith can only do 2 of those things and when you're already playing such a limited role you can end up hurting the team more.

If you're looking for a Posey type of player try having a look at Damion James. He's a capable shooter when placed with a half decent point guard and his athleticism helps him to defend multiple positions.

I like Damion James too. JonG has replied to some of my tweets asking about him, and apparently is not a fan. If he falls to the 2nd round he seems like he'll be another no-brainer pick to me.