Chocolate City Jordanaire wrote:
That play demonstrated why IMO Faried and Booker can coexist in the same frontcourt. Tremendous closeout on a three-point is what a SF is supposed to do. Faried can defend the perimeter and grab all the loose balls. Booker is a faster guy, and a little wider guy who can finish in transition and who also defends. Those two together approach the athleticism of the Hawks with Smith and Horford. Faried can rebound as well as Horford and he and Booker both block shots like Smith.
I don't think Booker is faster than Faried. Faried looks exceedingly quick, fast and explosive vertically. I really think Faried is going to kill it at the combine. Booker times fast, but how many times has he been seen racing down the court, or scoring in transition? That just isn't his game. I also don't think there is any way Faried is a SF. He doesn't have the handle or the perimeter game. In order to have him guard the 3, you'd have to play him with a face up PF that could shoot from the outside and defend the 4. Someone like Lewis might do, but I wouldn't bet on finding just the right personnel mix to make that happen.
Dat2U wrote:Why is Tristan Thompson not being considered as a lottery pick?
I think he will wind up being considered. I agree that he has value as a late lotto pick.
dobrojim wrote:Faried has some intriguing qualities but I wonder if
taking him when we already have Booker would
be analogous to taking Irving when we already
have Wall. [edit after reading Dat's ^ You make
a solid argument but even with Booker's current
limitations, he's probaby more rounded than
Faried right now making playing time a dubious
proposition for Faried.]
I'm on the Kanter/Barnes bandwagon for the time being.
I reserve the right to change my mind
From what I've heard, I like Singleton with the lower ATL
pick (if he's even there), unless we take Barnes. Then
the fact that they play the same position would at least
bias me towards someone else, not a SF. Nolan Smith?
I think Faried is probably a better prospect than Booker was. He has good length, great athleticism, and a skill that will translate instantly on the NBA level, rebounding. I like Booker, but I don't think he should keep us from drafting Faried. Dumping Yi frees up a PF spot, and we should also be dumping Blatche.
I like the idea of a Singleton pick a lot. If I were in charge, I'd think about buying a pick in the middle of the first and drafting BPA with our own lotto pick, then Singleton and Faried with the other picks. Lets get some defense, physicality and hustle on this team. Faried, Singleton, Booker, and Wall all bring the right kind of hustle and energy. Add another franchis player and some shooters and we'd be in business.
Also, there are a lot of rooting interests on the NBA schedule tonight. Timberwolves v LAL @10:30, Sacremento v PHi at 10:00, and Wizards v Tor @ 7pm. If Toronto, Minnesota, and Sacremento win, we'd be 3 games ahead of Toronto, 2 games ahead of Minnesota, and 1 game ahead of Sacremento for the second slot in the lotto.
