Official Raptors 2011 NBA Draft Thread, Part 6

[MEDIC]

The biggest question when it comes to that will be whether Knight will be able to develop the skills Kemba possesses and of course how likely they will be able to develop the skills neither has right now.

I think at this point of their careers, Kemba's the better overall playmaker (for himself and others) and a much more explosive player. In that sense, I think he'll be the safer pick with a pretty high ceiling himself. To me, choosing between Kemba and Knight is a very hard one because it's hard to predict how much difference the size and age difference will make.

Kemba has a better chance of becoming a superstar than Knight tbh (although I woudln't bet on either becoming one). I really wouldn't mind either player, but I just hope we luck out and grab Irving.

I think you & I see things the exact saw way when it comes to the top 3 PG's available in this draft. Kemba looks a lot more like a natural PG to me than Knight. Knight looks like a 6'3" SG to me. Can he develop? Of course.

I just don't ever see Knight distrupting defenses the way Kemba can. Knight seems more like a PG that will make most of his playmaking for others from the perimeter (eventually......when he learns to be a PG), whereas Kemba's playmaking will be much more dynamic.

To be honest though, I need to watch more of Knight. The game Saturday will be a great way to evaluate each of them & see which one appears to have the better PG skills. I want to see what a lot of you guys are seeing in the guy, but so far, I just haven't. He looks more like a SG than a PG to me.

[Brinbe]

Speaking of Knight, great article on him on ESPN. Apologies if already posted. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/tournamen ... id=6278657

Definitely give it a read. Gives great insight on what kind of kid we're dealing with here.

[delaney8]

I think you & I see things the exact saw way when it comes to the top 3 PG's available in this draft. Kemba looks a lot more like a natural PG to me than Knight. Knight looks like a 6'3" SG to me. Can he develop? Of course.

I just don't ever see Knight distrupting defenses the way Kemba can. Knight seems more like a PG that will make most of his playmaking for others from the perimeter (eventually......when he learns to be a PG), whereas Kemba's playmaking will be much more dynamic.

To be honest though, I need to watch more of Knight. The game Saturday will be a great way to evaluate each of them & see which one appears to have the better PG skills. I want to see what a lot of you guys are seeing in the guy, but so far, I just haven't. He looks more like a SG than a PG to me.[/quote]

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The big question for me is can Walker finish at the rim in the NBA or is he going to dribble into the forest and get stuck and have to shoot a fadeaway or make a desperation pass? I look at the elite PGs and most can at least get up a shot with a good chance of going in drawing contact. (e.g. Rondo, Rose, DW, Parker, Westbrook, Nash). When I think Walker I think of the guy making a great crossover move and then firing up a jumper. I don't know if he will ever be able to finish, whereas with Knight he has the athleticism / shiftiness where I think he can. Ofc he's still learning as a distributor but hey he's 18.

[sunny]

Derrick said he is going on the ellen show today and will announce if he is staying/leaving. Not sure if it is april fools or not, but Derrick was on Ellen during the tournament, so that part is probably true atleast.

[Dr Positivity]

Kemba also needs to make sure that jumpshot is elite. Not just respectable, but elite. Making it so the defenders can't go under the screen against him is paramount to Kemba getting over his weaknesses enough to be a starter. He can't be 5'11 Westbrook. Flynn is basically 5'11 Westbrook and completley sucks

[Reignman]

I have Knight ahead of Walker as well. Actually, Kemba's not even in my top 5. Undersized, junior and hasn't shown much of his passing game.

It's not one flag but a couple of flags that don't make me a fan. I'd be dissapointed if he were our pick. My guess is he'll always be a much better college player than a pro. Knight might not be all that great either but all the tools are there and he does need to polish his passing game but at least he doesn't have the perceived low ceiling of a guy like Kemba.

Hopefully Knight can end this debate on Saturday, should be a great game.

reignman, do you watch this much ncaab everyyear?

TBH, I was a huge follower of college ball in my younger days and was up to date on everything in the 80s/90s.

Recently I've gotten back into it by virtue of following prospects for our **** ass team.

[sunny]

I have Knight ahead of Walker as well. Actually, Kemba's not even in my top 5. Undersized, junior and hasn't shown much of his passing game.

It's not one flag but a couple of flags that don't make me a fan. I'd be dissapointed if he were our pick. My guess is he'll always be a much better college player than a pro. Knight might not be all that great either but all the tools are there and he does need to polish his passing game but at least he doesn't have the perceived low ceiling of a guy like Kemba.

Hopefully Knight can end this debate on Saturday, should be a great game.

reignman, do you watch this much ncaab everyyear?

TBH, I was a huge follower of college ball in my younger days and was up to date on everything in the 80s/90s.

Recently I've gotten back into it by virtue of following prospects for our **** ass team.

your very dedicated. pick a college team and discuss 2012/2013 recruiting with me this summer!

[sunny]

nevermind my last comment.

Before this get on espn or somethin it was a joke.. Lol havent even thought about what I'm doing yet. have a good April = Derrick Williams

[5DOM]

Fredette wins the AP's player of the year award.

Fredette received 48 votes from the 65-member national media panel that selects the weekly AP Top 25. The voting was done before the NCAA tournament.

Kemba Walker of Connecticut was second with 11 votes. Nolan Smith of Duke had five and Jared Sullinger of Ohio State one.

[Reignman]

It's hard for me to follow a particular team religiously since I just don't have the time. I shoot the **** here based on what I see and luckily I've watched a ton of college ball this year instead of watching the Raps. Luckily it has been a very fun year for college ball and I'm excited about the final four.

I think you'd probably out "scout" me as would many people on this board. I just love watching these 18/19 year olds do their thing on the court and toss in my 2 cents when I see something.


Although I've made some great predictions in the past, I'm the same guy that wanted Ed O'Bannon in 95 and I also thought Hassan Whiteside might be a good pick at 13 so...........

[Reignman]

Fredette wins the AP's player of the year award.

Fredette received 48 votes from the 65-member national media panel that selects the weekly AP Top 25. The voting was done before the NCAA tournament.

Kemba Walker of Connecticut was second with 11 votes. Nolan Smith of Duke had five and Jared Sullinger of Ohio State one.

Hope he enjoyed it because when he looks back and talks about the best season of his career this will be it.

[sunny]

For 2012, Grant Jerrett has already committed to AZ, and Brandon Ashley and Roscoe Allen are very strong leans.
For 2013, we are pushing hard for chris thomas (lock for AZ), the robinson twins (strong lean), issac hamilton, aaron gordon and jabari bird. If you see any of these names at camps this summer/aau stuff, feel, I'd love to discuss them with you/anyone else on this board.

[5DOM]

Fredette wins the AP's player of the year award.

Fredette received 48 votes from the 65-member national media panel that selects the weekly AP Top 25. The voting was done before the NCAA tournament.

Kemba Walker of Connecticut was second with 11 votes. Nolan Smith of Duke had five and Jared Sullinger of Ohio State one.

Hope he enjoyed it because when he looks back and talks about the best season of his career this will be it.

Well it's gonna be hard for anyone to top that kind of season with thousands of people worshiping you lol.

[TheRealDeal]

I think you'd probably out "scout" me as would many people on this board. I just love watching these 18/19 year olds do their thing on the court and toss in my 2 cents when I see something.


Although I've made some great predictions in the past, I'm the same guy that wanted Ed O'Bannon in 95 and I also thought Hassan Whiteside might be a good pick at 13 so...........

We all make mistakes here and there. You at least back it up with insightful commentary. I even brought up CDR or Joe Alexander as a sleeper for our pick in '08 (although Milwaukee did reach for Joe at 8 a few months later).

http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=785015

Yet I wouldn't be on here spreading opinions if I didn't believe in my ability to scout players. If I wasn't watching the games & reading articles it'd be hard to decipher between what's real and what's garbage in these draft threads.

[Moxie]

Personally, I think the biggest concern with PJ is his tweener status. Once the workouts happen and if the brass deems he's a SF then I'm extremely high on him, as a PF I don't think he'll reach his full potential because he has no big man traits from the games I've seen.

However, I take Barnes over him 10/10 times. I have PJ at #4 right now after Irving/Barnes/Knight

I like Barnes too, I just wish he had more tools. He looks like a Rashard Lewis type contributor on offence.

He seems like the 'safest' pick by far in terms of fit, size, position and attitude ( except Irving ), but I'm just not totally comfortable using a top 5 pick on someone based on projected fit and intangibles.

Unless I'm wrong about his offensive upside.

[bboyskinnylegs]

Although I've made some great predictions in the past, I'm the same guy that wanted Ed O'Bannon in 95 and I also thought Hassan Whiteside might be a good pick at 13 so...........

Based on the crowd reaction, everyone at Skydome seemed to want O'Bannon at that draft, nothing wrong with that one.

[Ducksplatt]

Speaking of Knight, great article on him on ESPN. Apologies if already posted. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/tournamen ... id=6278657

Definitely give it a read. Gives great insight on what kind of kid we're dealing with here.

Good article. Interesting what his coach had to say about him:

Calipari knows a thing or two about brazen point guards. Knight is just the latest hoops prodigy to handle the ball for the coach, following in the gilded footsteps of Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans and John Wall. But it is Knight whom the coach calls "the most conscientious, hardworking player I've ever been around."

I like this kid. More than Walker. I feel that Walker will be a sparkplug off the bench but not a lockdown PG that can match up with the bigger guards in the league.

[bballsparkin]

Often when I read a weak draft I find it meaningless. Cause it's often wrong. This year to me looks like no guaranteed studs but many decent prospects. Kemba looks promising, but I hope the Raps don't pick him. He's too small for my liking. And I admit Knight might bomb in the NBA, but assuming the Raps don't get their preferred players, I'd be happy with him. That said, if the Raps do pick Kemba I would still be hyped. He's talented no doubt.

[A_wildstabatanything]

Barring us drafting #1 overall I've got my hopes pinned on Barnes. If we end up with Harrison I'd love to see BC go out and get another top 10 pick to steal Kemba (if that means moving DeRozan, Bargnani, Amir, etc. I wouldn't mind).

[wanker]

Let me break things down for y'all: Kemba Walker will be absolute **** in the NBA. His ceiling is a few inches above the floor. All-star potential? Are you **** serious? Walker doesn't even have the potential to be a starter on a winning team.