Chicken Littles: Sky done fell! Draft Thread 2011

[Hoopalotta]

Looking at Kentucky versus Oklahoma, maybe Terrence Jones is more of a power forward. I'm not really sure how big he is, but he looks like he could put on more weight and conceivably matchup there a bit.

He's intriguing - quite raw but a lot of natural ability, length, power and explosiveness. His court sense is at least respectable (if not better than that).

Edit --> Hmmm, now he's really taking some people off the dribble.

Edit again --> maybe Josh Smith isn't a bad comparison as far as tools, though he's not that kind of impact defender.

Editing even Againer --> Just about Kool Aid time on Jones with him turning in some serious domination here.

Final edit --> Draft Terrence Jones. Just draft Jones and figure the rest out later.

[mhd]

Honestly, Vessley is easily the prospect who fills a huge longterm need for us.

[Rafael122]

Did anyone catch that UNC/Minnesota game the other night? Harrison Barnes looked flat out awful.

[no D in Hibachi]

Did anyone catch that UNC/Minnesota game the other night? Harrison Barnes looked flat out awful.

He is the de facto alpha dog of the fresh class, but he's no where near the level of the last few years top overall fresh. Everyone assumes that the fresh class will have a stud along the lines of Oden, Durant, Rose, Beasley, Wall, or Cousins. This class is void of that type of player and as a result the media is stretching to find the next big thing. He's Marvin Williams part II.

[Severn Hoos]

So the usual caveat applies that you need to take the early games with a (huge) grain of salt. But on the other hand, players like Blake Griffin and John Wall were already dominating games by this time in the season, so sometimes you can see trends early that will carry through the season.

Guys that have definitely piqued my interest so far:

Jared Sullinger - The thought of a 3-big rotation consisting of him, McGee, and Blatche - with Seraphin as the enforcer when needed looks really good, even though it wouldn't change the makeup (VERY young) of our front court. But Jared's a baller, and the kind of low-post beast that would be great to add to the team.

Chris Singleton - Ed mentioned him. I, too wonder if the shooting is a mirage, but the vastly improved FT shooting is a good sign - that should be independent of the competition, indicates he's really put in work to get better.

Terrence Jones - good call from the Hoopinator. Lots of strength, probably not the quickness I'd like in a swingman, but add him & Booker and you'd have two options to throw at the Queen to make his life miserable.

Jeffery Taylor - always had a rep as a solid defender, the knock on him was that he can't shoot. Well, he's 7-12 from three in his first four games. And that's after only making one 3-pointer all of last season. Definitely my dark horse right now, especially if the Wiz play themselves out of a top 5 or top 10 pick.

Tyler Honeycutt - painfully thin, but strong performance so far. Playing for Ben Howland, you can bet he knows how to play D. Another Tayshaun?

Jordan Hamilton - how's his defense? It's obvious he can score, but that's not really what the Wiz need. Rather have a strong defender with less of a scoring mentality, but if Michael Rip (I mean Jordan Hamilton) can D up, he'd be a nice pickup.

And the disappointments (OK, at least those guys who haven't shown as much as I'd have liked to see by now): Harrison Barnes, Rodney Williams, Alec Burks, Elias Harris. Barnes will be gone before we pick, but the others could be there and have the potential to fill a role for the Wiz. Time to step it up!

[Ruzious]

Terrance Jones (Frosh of Kentucky) reminds me of a more explosive Marvin WIlliams who can work off the dribble, which might make him a more physically impressive version of Loul Deng, but with a much more limited skill set at this stage (shooting in particular).

He's very large for a small forward, has a massive wingspan and is probably more powerful and springy than quick, but he plays way too upright when he doesn't have the ball (on both ends, actually), and this diminishes his athletic impact; he often doesn't get into a wide stance and kind of looks like a big dork with both feet almost touching each other. Very, very burly for a small forward and he seems to have a huge butt in that he runs with that same stooped forward posture like Marvin and Seraphin.

I can't say much as I just saw a bit, but I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up being mid-high lottery as a project. Hard to find better raw tools outside of quickness than what he's got and he should be able to affect the game in most all phases if he puts it together. If he maximizes his potential as a defender, he'd be big time, but I doubt he's consistent enough of a shooter to help too much in the short term.

I don't know if I'd like him for us, though - I'd say we need more of a shooter.

Brandon Knight is extremely quick and should fit into that lottery conversation as well, though I wasn't paying too much attention.

Jones was said to be leaning towards MD before Calipari snapped his fingers. Oh, the pain. Jones is really good and might be great. I think he's a PF, and Josh Smith is the first name that came to my mind as a comparison. Josh Smith didn't really measure out real well. He's not nearly as long or as athletic as his stats would led you to believe. I think Jones is the same way. He's very odd looking in his motions, but he's got tremendous body control. He almost makes it look like he forces the opposition to go in slow motion - allowing him to get that half step advantage that puts you at his mercy. He's listed at 6'8, but I think he's a legit 6'9 with a frame that will eventually hold 240 plus. I think he'll be a better scorer than Smith, but he probably won't be the great defender that Smith is, but he's still 18. If he grows to 6'10, I think he's a top 3 pick.

[Hoopalotta]

Ignore my first post on Jones, Ruz, he wasn't having a particularly good game there and was kind of holding back. I came around the Josh Smith comparison on my own and am banging the cymbals at the head of the "draft Jones" parade.

He is a serious package. It's very hard for me to figure out how big anyone is in college ball as I have no point of reference (ie. "hmmm, so he's bigger than that lanky white guy on Oklahoma, but just how big is that lanky white guy, anyway?" As an NBA fan first, that's a lot different than "he's a smidge smaller than Jermaine O'Neal"). But if Jones is anything like 6'9" 240, he's a power forward and all my concerns are right out the freakin' window as far as his court game. Right out. He's extremely skilled for a power forward and I'm wondering if he can even give you a fair percentage of Josh Smith's defensive game after he closed out the Sooners.

Slather the hyperbole, I'm a total believer. I can easily believe top 3 pick.

[Lightz]

Terrence Jone's game looks to be transitioning really well to the college level. As someone said his movements do tend to look a bit awkward, but that almost just makes his dribbling ability and control deceptive as he's very skilled. He's added serious weight/muscle but still looks quick and explosive for his size. I think he's got pretty decent basketball IQ too so I could see T. Jones going as high as top 3 in the draft but he'd be a great pick somewhere in the 5-10 range. I'm looking forward to UK vs Tenessee to watch Tobias Harris and Terrence Jones face off, both highly ranked freshman PF/SF players with tons of skill.

[Ruzious]

Hoop and Lightz, it looks like the draftexpress.com folks aren't as high on him as we are. They see him as a tweener forward, and they look at these guys a lot more than we do - this was my first time seeing Jones. I think he's 6'9, but they don't. But for all I know, he's gained an inch since they evaluated him. In fairness, he doesn't look as explosive defensively as Smith, and he won't be Smith on D, but he can make plays defensively.

One high pick from last year, I think he comes out much better in comparison is Aminu. He's got a somewhat similar build, but I think he'll be stronger than Aminu, and he's definitely smoother and MUCH more skilled on the offensive end.

[Hoopalotta]

DX be sleeping. Here's Chad Ford:

Against Oklahoma, Jones looked like a potential superstar. He scored from everywhere on the floor, crashed the boards and even led the break for the Wildcats.

NBA scouts in attendance raved about his versatility, energy and basketball IQ. A number of scouts compared him to a young Lamar Odom. We have him ranked No. 9 in our Top 100 NBA draft prospects, and if he keeps this up his ceiling goes all the way to the top.

One NBA scout wondered if he might be the best player in the country. "If he continues to play this way, he's going very, very high in the draft," a NBA scout who attended the game told ESPN.com. "He could even be the No. 1 pick in the draft. He's does all the things Harrison Barnes does and he's bigger and so far, he's been better."

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketba ... how-for-uk

Aminu occurred to me with my conclusions being much the same, but I don't think Aminu is as powerful.

The measurements are big for Terror Jones - he'll be a hand full off the dribble if he can go against power forwards while only being slightly undersized, but I don't see that as working out well if he's going to be facing up small forwards. He'll be rough and inefficient if that's the case.

[Rafael122]

Did anyone catch that UNC/Minnesota game the other night? Harrison Barnes looked flat out awful.

He is the de facto alpha dog of the fresh class, but he's no where near the level of the last few years top overall fresh. Everyone assumes that the fresh class will have a stud along the lines of Oden, Durant, Rose, Beasley, Wall, or Cousins. This class is void of that type of player and as a result the media is stretching to find the next big thing. He's Marvin Williams part II.

He went 4-24 in that mini-tournament. When I watched him play, I was like, "I don't get it." I'm sure he will be a terrific player but for that weekend, I didn't buy the hype.

[Ruzious]

CCJ's boy, Kenneth Faried dominated against Florida and made a big believer out of Billy Donovan. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball ... 1011210210

[willbcocks]

Did anyone catch that UNC/Minnesota game the other night? Harrison Barnes looked flat out awful.

He is the de facto alpha dog of the fresh class, but he's no where near the level of the last few years top overall fresh. Everyone assumes that the fresh class will have a stud along the lines of Oden, Durant, Rose, Beasley, Wall, or Cousins. This class is void of that type of player and as a result the media is stretching to find the next big thing. He's Marvin Williams part II.

He went 4-24 in that mini-tournament. When I watched him play, I was like, "I don't get it." I'm sure he will be a terrific player but for that weekend, I didn't buy the hype.

I don't know if I feel comfortable calling Cousins a stud. Beyond even the reported attitude problems, his play hasn't been all that impressive.

24 min 38% fg 7 rebound 1 assist 2.6 Turnovers .9 steals .7 blocks 4 fouls 11 points

He's crashing the boards, drawing fouls, and getting more than his share of steals, but his efficiency and fouls are terrible.

[willbcocks]

If I were the Wiz GM, I would try to acquire a late first round pick to go along with my early second, then let Dat2U use our lotto pick, CCJ and Dat consult over the late first, and let CCJ go to work with the second round pick.

I would be very confident going into the draft with that plan. Can someone tell Ted to get on it?

[closg00]

CCJ's boy, Kenneth Faried dominated against Florida and made a big believer out of Billy Donovan. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball ... 1011210210

I am leary of under-sized PF's like Faried and Booker who dominate in the college setting but don't have a jump-shot, it limits them to being the "energy guy" in a pro setting because they can't bang......but every team should have one

[closg00]

If I were the Wiz GM, I would try to acquire a late first round pick to go along with my early second, then let Dat2U use our lotto pick, CCJ and Dat consult over the late first, and let CCJ go to work with the second round pick.

I would be very confident going into the draft with that plan. Can someone tell Ted to get on it?

I joke-not when I say that I would trust CCJ & Dat with our draft over Ernie. The scouts bring-in the right people mostly.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

CCJ's boy, Kenneth Faried dominated against Florida and made a big believer out of Billy Donovan. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball ... 1011210210

I feel more strongly about Faried being a good one in time than I felt about Paul Millsap. (Not saying Faried will be as good a player as THIS YEAR'S MILLSAP ), but just that I like Faried a lot. Just like I liked DeJuan Blair, too...

Right now, outside of Jared Sullinger, Faried's the player I really like for Washington this draft. He's an energy guy who''s a much better rebounder than Booker. Faried gets after rebounds like Javale gets after blocks. The thing I believe about Faried is he's got the ability to put points on the board, too, in the NBA. Just like Millsap. Faried was a big-time scorer in HS.

I think Faried would be a good SF next to Blatche and McGee.

[nate33]

If I were the Wiz GM, I would try to acquire a late first round pick to go along with my early second, then let Dat2U use our lotto pick, CCJ and Dat consult over the late first, and let CCJ go to work with the second round pick.

I would be very confident going into the draft with that plan. Can someone tell Ted to get on it?

+1

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

[Barnes (edited)] is the de facto alpha dog of the fresh class, but he's no where near the level of the last few years top overall fresh. Everyone assumes that the fresh class will have a stud along the lines of Oden, Durant, Rose, Beasley, Wall, or Cousins. This class is void of that type of player and as a result the media is stretching to find the next big thing. He's Marvin Williams part II.

He went 4-24 in that mini-tournament. When I watched him play, I was like, "I don't get it." I'm sure he will be a terrific player but for that weekend, I didn't buy the hype.

I don't know if I feel comfortable calling Cousins a stud. Beyond even the reported attitude problems, his play hasn't been all that impressive.

24 min 38% fg 7 rebound 1 assist 2.6 Turnovers .9 steals .7 blocks 4 fouls 11 points

He's crashing the boards, drawing fouls, and getting more than his share of steals, but his efficiency and fouls are terrible.

I am happy as can be to see this, too. I have been thinking of posting Seraphin for Cousins, or even Seraphin and a future first for Cousins in the trade thread.

Demarcus is struggling for sure. Fouls and frustration are taking hold. Coaches are sensing his terrible attitude. Those of you who told me I was wrong and that Cousins would struggle at the next lever are RIGHT.

But I know what I know that I know.....

Cousins has played well with John Wall. He played out of his mind the first two or three summer league games. He was NBA Rookie of the Month the same month John Wall was Vegas Summer League MVP. Cousins is a rebounding beast. He's got great basketball IQ. He's got a nice face up game and he's got post moves. He's a superior passer for a big man. HOWEVER, he's stubborn, obstinate, and only knows one way to play. The refs are not letting him body guys and his coaches are not happy with some things about him. The don't like him NOW, but his history with Wall and the very first impression of him as an NBA player, along with his excellent NCAA numbers let me know that anything short of the dude having gotten lazy and crazy with money will keep Cousing from developing into a very good NBA player.

I think the IDEAL situation would be for Cousins to come to the Wizards now. He's not as good a pro as Blatche and ain't no way he can do what Javale does athletically--but he sure could back either up very well!

I hope Cousins wears out his welcome and the Wizards can figure out a way to get him. Seraphin might be a great physical talent but he's going to take a long while. Not Cousins. Flip would be great for him. Nasty, critical coach for a dude that needs that kind of coach. Flip would be very specific in pointing out Cousins mistakes and would bench him til he gets it right; but somebody like Wall or Blatche could give the big guy encouragement.

Cousins might be a guy who wears out his welcome, but you never know. Artest has helped the Lakers. Jackson is a baller for the Bobcats. Sometimes all it takes is a change of venue.

[willbcocks]

Yeah, I was thinking that too about the Wall effect, I just don't know what we can offer. They'd probably want McGee if he builds on his current play, but if he does that, I don't think I would want to trade him. Blatche + this year's first, top 3 protected, might do it, but Cousins is the kind of player a lot of execs will be keeping their eye on so the competition would be fierce...assuming he even becomes available.