Official Raptors 2011 NBA Draft Thread, Part 6

[FluLikeSymptoms]

Who has played their way into the top 5 in the tourneys, from a lower position? Barnes and... nobody? How was there no tourney sweetheart this year? I was really counting on that, though Lamb did enough for me in this wretched class.

[Silk Wilkes]

Who has played their way into the top 5 in the tourneys, from a lower position? Barnes and... nobody? How was there no tourney sweetheart this year? I was really counting on that, though Lamb did enough for me in this wretched class.

I wouldn't pick him top-5 but I think Kemba Walker was your sweetheart this year. If you had UConn winning the title based on Kemba going off please let me know. I can definitely see someone desperate taking him top-5...other than us

[Reignman]

I agree that Perry Jones is starting to look better and better by the day.

My updated board:

Irving
Barnes
PJ
Kanter
Val

Obviously Irving is the prize but I'd be happy with Barnes as well. PJ would be the upside pick while Kanter/Val would fill a need we've had for a long long time.

Since D-Will is projected to go very high I'd trade down if he were BPA due to his tweener status for one of the other guys in my top 5.

Knight and Walker I no longer have any interest in, both have major flaws. I'd rather give Bayless a shot.

I guess your top 5 are pristine then...

Far from "pristine", these are just my personal picks.

Outside of Irving every prospect in the top 10 have major flags; however, when making my picks the thing that was most high on my list was "two way" potential. With Barnes, Val and Kanter at the very least you know they have set positions in the L, Barnes is a SF and Val/Kanter are Cs. I still need to see Kanters measurements but all signs indicate he can man the 5 spot.

PJ is my X-Factor, he could be a tweener; however, the size to skill ratio is too much to overlook. The scouts are going to have to earn their pay on this one. If he can play SF then I'm down but if he looks more like a PF then I don't want him.

Kemba I definitely don't want, he's already a low-efficiency/high volume shooter and considering he's going to be very undersized I think the L is going to be very hard on him, he's going to get killed defensively. I see Johnny Flynn all over again with this guy.

I was high on Knight but he's just too much of a shooting guard and has been since HS. Considering we have Bayless I really don't see a reason to reach on him. Thought he'd be a nice upside pick the but the risk is too high.

[Rhettmatic]

Sfranks (Canada)

Who do you think will be the better pro: Irving or Barnes?

David Thorpe (12:56 PM)

I've seen Barnes more, and I like him a lot. I'll have a better feel in 7 weeks.

[Reignman]

Glad to see that Thorpe is also high on Barnes but I don't think I'd want to be the person to say he'll be better than Irving. But then again, we only have 11 games worth of data on Irving.

Either way, I'd be extremely happy if we got either of the two.

[5DOM]

How was there no tourney sweetheart this year? I was really counting on that, though Lamb did enough for me in this wretched class.

If you look at the players projected to go in the first round, most of them lack consistency or/and are not the clear best (or most important) player on their team. Irving, Williams and Sullinger probably had the best chances but none reached the Final Four where most media hype is created. Kemba kinda disappointed as well unfortunately. Derrick Williams probably would have been the tourney sweetheart if he reached the Final Four IMO.

[Truthrising]

I think Kanter could be a lot like Greg Monroe for us next year. They have similar length, and strengths in their offensive games being able to face-up, pass the ball, make jumpers, and score in the post (without being defensive liabilities). Kanter is bigger and stronger at 260-270 lbs, and I think he's a more active rebounder--but both seem to rely more on their skill level more than their athleticism to be effective.

I honestly have no idea how good Kanter is/isn't. I've seen clips from the Hoop Summit and read scouting reports. So I don't even have an opinion on him either way.

But I'm intrigued by the little I have seen, so I'll be really interested to see how he does in workouts.

I'd have to say both Jonas V and Enes Kanter are the most intriguing prospects out there for sure. In regards to Kanter this is the only news i've heard in terms of his future preperations, this looks like an Insider Report so don't have the link to the direct article.

Chad Ford of ESPN says that "The NCAA denied Kanter's bid to play for Kentucky this season, placing him in limbo all year. He's been hanging around Kentucky, working as a student-assistant coach, but the loss of playing time hurts. He'll spend the spring working with Michael Jordan's former trainer, Tim Grover, in Chicago in preparation for the draft. Most GMs still have him as a top-five or top-six pick. Great workouts could lift him even higher."

At 6'10'' and 255 pounds, Kanter would make an excellent replacement for Zydrunas Illgauskas with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He dominated some of the greatest collegiate players last year in the Nike Hoop Summit, and he is one of the more NBA ready players who will be in this year's draft class.

Kanter can play offense and defense and provides great energy on both ends of the court. He will be a very high pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, so all Cleveland has to worry about is someone taking Kanter before they pick. Depending on who else comes out early, they could consider taking him with their first pick, which could be the top spot overall.

[Reignman]

I don't see Kanter going #1, that would be shocking to say the least.

[Rude Boy 1]

I agree that Perry Jones is starting to look better and better by the day.

My updated board:

Irving
Barnes
PJ
Kanter
Val

Obviously Irving is the prize but I'd be happy with Barnes as well. PJ would be the upside pick while Kanter/Val would fill a need we've had for a long long time.

Since D-Will is projected to go very high I'd trade down if he were BPA due to his tweener status for one of the other guys in my top 5.

Knight and Walker I no longer have any interest in, both have major flaws. I'd rather give Bayless a shot.

I guess your top 5 are pristine then...

Far from "pristine", these are just my personal picks.

Outside of Irving every prospect in the top 10 have major flags; however, when making my picks the thing that was most high on my list was "two way" potential. With Barnes, Val and Kanter at the very least you know they have set positions in the L, Barnes is a SF and Val/Kanter are Cs. I still need to see Kanters measurements but all signs indicate he can man the 5 spot.

PJ is my X-Factor, he could be a tweener; however, the size to skill ratio is too much to overlook. The scouts are going to have to earn their pay on this one. If he can play SF then I'm down but if he looks more like a PF then I don't want him.

Kemba I definitely don't want, he's already a low-efficiency/high volume shooter and considering he's going to be very undersized I think the L is going to be very hard on him, he's going to get killed defensively. I see Johnny Flynn all over again with this guy.

I was high on Knight but he's just too much of a shooting guard and has been since HS. Considering we have Bayless I really don't see a reason to reach on him. Thought he'd be a nice upside pick the but the risk is too high.

First off I'm not too high on Bayless as a lead guard. I think he has great potential as a backup though.

I pretty much agree with everything you wrote with a few footnotes. Kanter and Valanciunas have set positions but I don't know how that can be deemed more valuable than ones skillset. I will take the baller over the positional player anyday of the week. In Kanter's case he hasn't played alot of basketball that scares the heck out of me! Valanciunas looks like he's one body blow away from being a cripple. There is no way he can handle the rigors of the NBA with that frame... no thank you. He looks every bit like a bust to me and yes the Euro thing scares me.

I know you and I have gone back and forth about Perry in the past and I think now we share the same opinion. If he is indeed capable of playing the 3 then he becomes very valuable, as a 4 he doesn't possess the motor to be an effective post player. I would take a crack at him if he shows he can play the 3 and I also think his team held back some of his progress this season.
There's a video on DX that I think all P. Jones fans should check out http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Perry-Jones-5713/ it highlights the best and worst of Jones and is a pretty good take on him.

WIth Kemba I see a baller and I think his skillset will be better on display in the NBA. He's far from a perfect pick but I think he has an intangible advantage over many of the prospects in the draft. He's a winner too.

For me Knight is a young PG I like him but I still think the jury is out on him with his ball distribution and PG mentality. The workouts will say a lot about him, there is no denying he has great skills though.

[Dr Positivity]

I don't think Perry would have to play in the post

His appeal IMO would be as a face-up mismatch PF in a Bosh way

[SDM]

WIth Kemba I see a baller and I think his skillset will be better on display in the NBA. He's far from a perfect pick but I think he has an intangible advantage over many of the prospects in the draft. He's a winner too.

Yep. His reputation/swag/whatever you call it is off the charts. His game itself is a walking, talking abnormally high result on a Caliper test.

[Reignman]

I don't think Perry would have to play in the post

His appeal IMO would be as a face-up mismatch PF in a Bosh way

I know Baylor used him at the 4/5 but Perry doesn't have many big man traits. He could face up but Bosh would take a pounding while doing it and he was still rebounding his fair share. I'm not sure Perry wants to take that kind of pounding and I'm not sure he's going get inside and rebound.

I remember an article on Perry saying that he wants to be a SF and he plays like a SF. If there's one thing I've learnt about prospects, don't try to make them into something they aren't. Since he thinks he's a SF the scouts need to see if he really has the skills to play that position and only draft him if you are confident that will be his role.

we've seen with Bargnani that once a player has the mentality of a perimeter player it's very difficult to turn them into a big man. You have to have a different mindset to play the 4/5 in hte league. Bosh had the mindset which is why he was able to play C as a 19 year old rookie. I don't see PJ having that mindset.

[Duffman100]

I honestly can't believe Sullinger and Barnes are going to throw away money.

[Mr.Raptorsingh]

Kemba Walker became one of just 6 players in NCAA tournament history to average 20, 5, and 6. The others? Michael Jordan, Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade, Oscar Robertson, and Magic Johnson. UCONN went 14-0 in postseason play.

Impressive feat and company there.

[Truthrising]

I don't see Kanter going #1, that would be shocking to say the least.

Indeed, i'm pretty positive it'll be Irving going first, than it'll be a crapshoot to determine what the order will be afterwards.

[Rude Boy 1]

Kemba Walker became one of just 6 players in NCAA tournament history to average 20, 5, and 6. The others? Michael Jordan, Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade, Oscar Robertson, and Magic Johnson. UCONN went 14-0 in postseason play.

Impressive feat and company there.

Very impressive indeed... that will get overlooked though because its just the NCAA and he's small.

[bboyskinnylegs]

here's some footage of Biyombo. 6'9", 243lbs with a 7'7" wingspan and 9'3" standing reach. At 18 years old, he's averaging 6.4pts (56% FG%)/5.1rebs/2.3blks in 17mpg. I would be open to taking this guy if we could grab a later pick, with his length he could really bother people and make a big impact defensively. I think he could really thrive in an uptempo system.

footage begins at 0:43 :
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmndi2b-G5s[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2QFlV3Xn18&feature=related[/youtube]

[SDM]

Endless pun potential with his name.

[anj]

Considering that was a highlight reel against midget competition he looked absolutely terrible, yet incredibly long to me. But, as Reignman has said a few times in this thread, scouts are really gonna have to earn their money this year.

[Rhettmatic]

Considering that was a highlight reel against midget competition he looked absolutely terrible, yet incredibly long to me. But, as Reignman has said a few times in this thread, scouts are really gonna have to earn their money this year.

"I spend all my money on magic beans."