Operation Beast: Prospect Thread II

[Tirion]

Wesley Johnson specifically addressed his ball handling in an interview recently. He apparently played Point Guard in high school, so that may impress some people.

he played three years in college. if he really had good handles, he would've shown it by now.

[dunkonu21]

???

How is that true? He played barely at all in Iowa St. I'd say we really have only learned a little bit about what this kid can do. In Cuse he had a specific job to spot up, he had two guys who were more of the drive and kick types. Unless u know something I don't, I think you are off base.

[Krapinsky]

???

How is that true? He played barely at all in Iowa St. I'd say we really have only learned a little bit about what this kid can do. In Cuse he had a specific job to spot up, he had two guys who were more of the drive and kick types. Unless u know something I don't, I think you are off base.

That's not true. He played starter minutes over two full seasons there. He hasn't shown the ability to crate off the bounce in college. Right now that does not appear to be part of his game.

[horaceworthy]

Well, next to Rubio, how big of a shot-creator do you have to be? Wes utilizes shot fakes very well, and screens reasonably well. I think that's all you need really. Plus, with his athleticism, there's no reason to doubt that he could guard SGs, so that side of the floor shouldn't be an issue.

Even if Rubio turns out to be a Nash-caliber shot-creator, the Wolves will still need more than a pump n' go guy on the wing. I do think that his inability to stay in front of Gordon Hayward during the NCAA's gives at least some reason to doubt his on ball perimeter defense, at either SG or SF as well. Either that, or Hayward's lack of athleticism gets oversold (which I could buy). Not that Johnson isn't a good prospect, but if the Wolves draft him then the need for a wing that can create off the bounce will still exist.

Wesley Johnson specifically addressed his ball handling in an interview recently. He apparently played Point Guard in high school, so that may impress some people.

lol to 3:10 in that Babbit vid, he looks interesting!

Remember, Craig Smith played PG in high school.

[shangrila]

Talking about wings that can create, does anyone have interest in Terrico White? He's a good shooter too and he's plenty athletic, so he sort of fits what the team is looking for.

[TheFranchise21]

Anybody like A-F A? I think for the 4th pick, my wish list is:

1. WJ
2. A-F A
3. DMC

I think he'd be a dynamic SF. It seems like with WJ, you are going to get a Josh Howard type player who will improve marginally. I think AFA has more potential. I'm not intrigued by DMC at all, not with the guys on our current roster. I guess I'm tired of earthbound PFs.

[Devilzsidewalk]

you're vietnamese? I didn't know that

[karch34]

Article on risers and fallers so far:
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/draft/rise ... eContainer

RISING
1. Henry: Measured 6-5 1/2; without shoes at Chicago with a wingspan near 7 feet. Showed a nice stroke in shooting drills and has range along with the athleticism to slash to the basket, with better leaping ability than speed. The freshman shooting guard now figures to go as high as 10th in the draft.
2. Bradley: Bradley, who must convince NBA scouts he has the handle to play point guard, looked good at Chicago. He displayed a solid shot and was comfortable in the ball-handling drills. There are those scouts who see the 6-2 freshman as having Monta Ellis potential. Bradley has the athleticism, but he'll be closely scrutinized through the rest of the pre-draft process. For now, he seems targeted for the latter few spots of the lottery.
3. Babbit: It was generally agreed that Babbitt came through the Chicago team interviews well. The 6-7, 215-pound sophomore small forward also seemed to help himself in the workouts. He's a skilled player who is a good shooter, which made him well-suited for the shooting and ball-handling drills. He's a tough player to project, but he might be moving from the latter half of the first round of the draft to the middle
4. Sanders: One NBA scout calls the 6-10 power forward "an interesting prospect." Long and athletic with a 7-6 wingspan, Sanders can run the court, jump like he's on a pogo stick and block shots. Originally thought to be a player who would be taken late in the first round, Sanders could be inching up toward the lottery.
5. Hobson: The 6-6, 205-pound junior isn't going to be a first-round pick, but he has shown versatility in individual workouts for teams. Some NBA scouts project him as a player who can fill in at either guard position at the top level. He'll turn 23 in September, but because he's a late bloomer, that shouldn't be a major problem. Has moved up from late in the draft to a shot at high in the second round.

FALLING
1.Alabi: He's 7-1 with a decent shooting touch around the basket but was only "OK" at Chicago, according to one scout. Looked slow and mechanical, which fits Dikembe Mutombo but also DeSagana Diop and Yinka Dare. In this case, the latter examples scare some NBA execs. Alabi, expected to go in the top 20, might get taken late in the first round.
2. Lawal: A year ago, Lawal was projected as a possible lottery pick before opting to return to school. Now he'll probably still be a first-round selection, but maybe not. His skill set isn't polished enough to show well in a setting such as the Chicago camp, though he did show a gain of 1 1/2; inches in standing jump reach from a year ago. He'll do better when participating in workouts where his overall game and presence can be evaluated.
3. George: Scouts like George, but he hurt his back on the first day and didn't participate on Day 2 at Chicago. If the injury isn't serious, he'll have plenty of chances to recover in the eyes of scouts, though. For now, he'll probably slide a little from late in the lottery to the middle of the first round.
4. Robinson: One of the few seniors projected as a first-round pick, Robinson was out of his element at Chicago, where shooting and passing skills can get noticed. He's an excellent rebounder and athlete who can run the court but has little touch with his back to the basket. Projects to go somewhere late in the first round.
5. Cousins: In my previous Risers/Fallers column I called the 6-10 freshman a riser, and he was through an impressive freshman season for the Wildcats. But there is plenty of skepticism about his attitude and commitment -- though one exec said he acquitted himself "far better than I was led to believe" in an interview -- and he measured second highest in body fat (16.3 percent) among the 52 participants during physicals.

[Krapinsky]

That guy has players falling and rising at the drop of a hat. Doesn't seem to be realistic to me at all. Although, I LOVE Seeing George as a faller.

[Krapinsky]

Chad ford has the Sixers leaning towards Favors over Turner. Interesting to say the least.

[TrentTuckerForever]

Chad ford has the Sixers leaning towards Favors over Turner. Interesting to say the least.

I actually think that Cousins fits their roster better than Favors or Turner, but maybe they're still pushing their lotto leverage to move Brand.

[TheProdigy]

If we come out of this draft with DeMarcus Cousins at 4, Paul George/Xavier Henry at 16, and Jordan Crawford at 23, I will be a very happy individual.

[Esohny]

If we come out of this draft with DeMarcus Cousins at 4, Paul George/Xavier Henry at 16, and Jordan Crawford at 23, I will be a very happy individual.

There are some trades that I would prefer to make, but if we were in a stand pat situation, a Cousins/George/Crawford draft would be pretty solid.

[mrsharkjohnson]

I really don't see the wolves staying at #4, #16 and #23. I hope they bundle a few picks with Al to snag the #2 or #5 while keeping the #4. Build a very young talented team around Cousins/Turner or Wes

[horaceworthy]

If we come out of this draft with DeMarcus Cousins at 4, Paul George/Xavier Henry at 16, and Jordan Crawford at 23, I will be a very happy individual.

This is somewhat my thinking as well.

At #4, one of Cousins or Monroe, depending on how comfortable the FO is with the Cousins red flags.

At #16, one of George, Henry or Babbitt.

At #23, Jones, Hobson or Crawford.

This draft could go a lot of different ways, but I hope the Wolves come out of it with 1 big and 2 wings.

[Krapinsky]

4 -- 1) Cousins, 2) Johnson

16 -- 1) George, 2) Henry, 3) Sanders, 4) Babbit

23 -- 1) Bradley, 2) Seraphin, 3) Jones

[shangrila]

I can't see the team drafting 3 first rounders

[horaceworthy]

Counting Darko and Gomes, there are only 9 holdovers from last year to this one. I tend to think that Al, Brewer, Gomes and one of Sessions or Flynn will be shopped heavily this summer. The roster could easily handle three 1st rounders, particularly when it's taken into account that Kahn has said multiple times he'd like to lead the league in player development.

[Esohny]

Counting Darko and Gomes, there are only 9 holdovers from last year to this one. I tend to think that Al, Brewer, Gomes and one of Sessions or Flynn will be shopped heavily this summer. The roster could easily handle three 1st rounders, particularly when it's taken into account that Kahn has said multiple times he'd like to lead the league in player development.

They certainly can handle 3 rookies(4 if you include Pekovic). But if they determined that they need to trade up to get a player who wouldn't last to 16, I'm good with that.

[AQuintus]

Some new info on the athletic tests:

Chad Ford has the numbers on twitter.

Derrick Favors had the highest maximum vertical jump height at 12' 1.5" That's impressive, though Shaq, D. Howard, T. Thomas got higher less than 5 seconds ago via web

Close. Rose had 40" max vert. Ran sprint in 3.05 sec but was 11.69 on lane agility RT @Unbreakabolt How do Wall's numbers compare to Rose? 12 minutes ago via web

Wall's numbers were great: 39 inch vert, 10.84 lane agility, 3.14 3/4 sprint. Turner? 34.5 inch vert, 11.06 lane agility, 3.27 3/4 sprint 41 minutes ago via web

Dwight Howard had 12"3" (1.5" more than Favors) max reach, and his standing was also 1.5" more than Favors. So, based on that, his max vertical of 35.5" should be about the same as Favors.

Amare and Al Horford both also had a 35.5" max verts.