Draft Thread Continued. 2011 part two...

[theboomking]

So Biyombo is very likely 18 yrs old.

If he drops I want him. I'd trade Seraphin for him straight up. Keep him overseas while the lockout is on.

I just watched my DVR of the Hoops Summit last night. I was more impressed by Biyombo than I thought, and if it can be proven with relative certainty that he is no older than 20 or 21, I'd consider taking him before Vesely.

Gilchrest was MUCH more impressive in this game than in the Jordan Brand Classic. His defense is off the charts good, and he's obviously a great athlete. In the Hoops Summit game, Gilchrest did knock down some jumpers and played an efficient offensive game. I didn't think his form looked repeatable enough for me to have much confidence that we could expect that on most nights. Honestly, he somehow looks almost uncomfortable with the ball at times. He is just 17 however, and I would take him in a heartbeat in the top 5 next year.

I am with DX. Bradley Beal is 100% stud. I almost don't know if I've ever seen such perfect form on a jumper, which is what Beal is known for. He is very athletic, finishes above the rim in the half court and in transition, rebounds and passes well. Beal is also considered to be very well grounded, smart, and hard working. The only thing suboptimal about Beal is that he doesn't have ideal length for a SG. Adequate, but not ideal. I don't care if we have Young and Crawford. I hope we drfat this kid, and use Young and Crawford as our backup SG and PG. We'd have the best guard rotation in the league.

If anyone can, try to DVR both the Jordan Brand Classic and the Nike Hoops Summit, and watch Beal, Gilchrest and Biyombo. Both games are being replayed.

One last thing about the two games above. The Jordan Brand Classic was like most All Star games. No defense, poor quality of play, hard to watch. The Nike Hoops Summit was MUCH more enjoyable to watch. It looked like actual basketball.

[Ed Wood]

Well rankings are pretty subjective anyway, and rankings of foreign people the author has likely never seen in the flesh are doubly so, so it's not easy to say much one way or another about the rankings. All six international prospects have their strengths and weaknesses and it's probably as much up to personal preference as to whose strengths you credit and whose weaknesses to decry.

The one thing I liked about the article in particular was the appreciation the author had for Nikola Mirotic, who is if not my favorite realistic option with the Hawks pick (if he's not it's partially because his buyout apparently isn't going to allow him to play in the NBA next year) he's pretty close. Like Valanciunas and Biyombo he's been very productive in limited minutes against quality competition but he offers less projection and more immediate skill than either; he's really a tremendous shooter.

Because of his contract situation a team would need to do its homework and be sure he wants to be an NBA player in the near future but particularly if he becomes one of those guys who's an early second round pick to allow him to exceed the first round pay grade and offset his buyout I think he'd be a very good pick and a very good complement to Wall.

[nate33]

Something to consider:

82games.com shows that Crawford posted a PER of 20.6 at the PG position, while posting a PER of just 10.0 at the SG position. Likewise, his defense at the PG position is much better. His counterpart PER at PG is 14.2. His counterpart PER at SG is 16.0. It's a small sample size, and counterpart PER is rather suspect to begin with, but maybe, Crawford is actually more of a true PG rather than a combo guard or a SG.

With that in mind, perhaps we should consider drafting a SG with one of our first round picks. Alec Burks is fairly high in the mocks. If we slip to #7 or so in the draft, should we consider him? What if he's still on the board at #18.

[Nivek]

^ Very small sample size. We're talking ~250 minutes at PG, going by 82games automated position assigner.

[Ed Wood]

The biggest concern I have with Burks is that he looks like another guard who really needs to have the ball and create his own offense to be effective, and he's probably going to need a couple of years to be a real threat from outside the arc but everything else (other than Burks' defense apparently) looks good with him. He's a no-brainer if for some reason he lasts to the Hawks' pick but I can imagine why he would, I'd throw him in the mix if the Wizards' work some of that old trade down magic.

[Inliten1]

Jordan Hamilton is a player to consider as a possible 2 guard replacement for Nick. He could be had with a trade down to the middle of the first round.

Chicago not giving up big money for Ben Gordon is a telling omen for how to handle one trick pony scorers due for a big payday. The Bulls got their front court in order and now could take a gamble on a Nick type player.

Adding another reliable three point shooter is also paramount. Justin Harper is the guy at 18. A Chis Singleton type player just duplicates Booker.

[closg00]

Well rankings are pretty subjective anyway, and rankings of foreign people the author has likely never seen in the flesh are doubly so, so it's not easy to say much one way or another about the rankings. All six international prospects have their strengths and weaknesses and it's probably as much up to personal preference as to whose strengths you credit and whose weaknesses to decry.

The one thing I liked about the article in particular was the appreciation the author had for Nikola Mirotic, who is if not my favorite realistic option with the Hawks pick (if he's not it's partially because his buyout apparently isn't going to allow him to play in the NBA next year) he's pretty close. Like Valanciunas and Biyombo he's been very productive in limited minutes against quality competition but he offers less projection and more immediate skill than either; he's really a tremendous shooter.

Because of his contract situation a team would need to do its homework and be sure he wants to be an NBA player in the near future but particularly if he becomes one of those guys who's an early second round pick to allow him to exceed the first round pay grade and offset his buyout I think he'd be a very good pick and a very good complement to Wall.

I was thinking the same thing and put him on my depth chart for the ATL pick. Watching the playoffs, you need a dead-eye shooter like Nikola, Justin Harper is another guy I have on my list for this purpose. (Shard, is on his way out)

[nate33]

Jordan Hamilton is a player to consider as a possible 2 guard replacement for Nick. He could be had with a trade down to the middle of the first round.

Chicago not giving up big money for Ben Gordon is a telling omen for how to handle one trick pony scorers due for a big payday. The Bulls got their front court in order and now could take a gamble on a Nick type player.

Adding another reliable three point shooter is also paramount. Justin Harper is the guy at 18. A Chis Singleton type player just duplicates Booker.

Ben Gordon got paid $12M a year. That's a wildly irresponsible contract that I'm sure we have no intention of offering. If Young only costs $6M a year, I don't think the Gordon analogy applies.

[Inliten1]

With this being such a bad draft, the biding war for free agents could lead to players that had a nice year getting over paid. Trevor Ariza comes to mind. So, some desperate team might offer something like 8 or 9 mill a year. Nick might be worth that much if he continues to perform like he did this year.
I don't mean to be too negative, but other than him being apart of a long line of contract year wonders, his knee problem could foreshadow injury issues. This is the first season he got big minutes consistently and he ends up hurt and can't finish the season. That's a warning sign.

[nate33]

I don't think the weakness of the draft has anything to do with free agency. You draft players for their future impact. You sign free agents for their immediate impact. Nobody thinks: "Well, this draft sucks so I'm going to spend more in free agency".

Also, regarding Young's knee, the guy missed a grand total of 8 games of a possible 308 games up until the point where he went down this year. He went down after averaging 37 minutes a game for 40 games. He's been literally the healthiest player on the team over the last 4 years. It's pretty ridiculous to conclude that he's an injury concern.

I understand the concerns with overpaying Young. I wouldn't match an $8M a year offer either. But if he gets something around MLE money or a bit more, we should match. He's worth it and the team is in dire need of outside shooting and perimeter defense.

[Dat2U]

My concern with Burks is his outside shot. Is he another Ronnie Brewer type? That absolute last thing we need is an SG next to Wall that can't hit the broadside of a barn. No matter how good a player he is otherwise and I actually think he's worthy of a lottery pick in this draft.

As for the draft its just plain ugly. Unlike most years, I'd have no problem with trading the pick, especially for a future pick. Or a young player. I'm actually worried that Teddy is so grounded in his 'build through the draft' strategy that he might be ignoring the obvious with this year's draft. This is not the year to add picks. We need to know when to stay in and when to get out. And if I was Ernie, I'd be preaching to Teddy that this is the year to think outside of the box.

I'm coming around a bit on Biyombo. Two reasons is his supposed upside & potential confirmation about his age. The age thing is huge for me. It means little to nothing if a 21, 22 or 24 yr old is dominating 18 yr old kids in an all-star game. It means a lot more if an 18 yr old kid is dominating other 18 yr old kids and seems mature physically and mentally beyond his years.

I might actually even prefer Biyombo to Kanter at this point. Kanter's size (he might be more in the 6-9 range without Biyombo's freakish measurements) and athleticism concern me. Both are Cs IMO. Biyombo because of his offensive shortcomings and Kanter b/c of athleticism. Also I think having a defensive C would be a bigger puzzle piece for a contending team than a low post offensive minded plodder like Kanter. An example would be I'd take Haywood in his prime over Kaman.

Right now my draft list looks like this: (Subject to change in the next five minutes of course)

1. SF Derrick Williams
2. PG Kyrie Irving
3. PG Kemba Walker
4. CE Bismack Biyombo
5. CE Enes Kanter
6. PG Brandon Knight
7. SF Jan Vesely
8. PF Kenneth Faried
9. SF Jordan Hamilton
10. SF Terrence Jones
11. SG Alec Burks
12. CE Jonas Valanciunas
13. PF Marcus Morris
14. SF Chris Singleton

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Now you've got Faried where he belongs, IMO, Dat.

The other guy I have a feeling will be great is Alec Burks.

I also like that you've got Jordan Hamilton as a riser. I think he might be a good guy to trade down for if the Wizards get pick 4, 5, or 6. He's a good fit for the team needs and I like that he moves well without the ball. Heard Bob Knight say he was the best offensive player in America. Disagree with that, but I bet the guy reminds him of Cal Cheaney.

I'm not buying on Biyombo, however. Not yet, anyway.

[jimij]

If we end up picking 4 or 5 would it be feasible to trade our pick and next year's unprotected first for either the 1st or 2nd pick in the draft to get Williams?

From the Wiz standpoint I think it's a good move b/c I think we can be better next year (if not playoffs then at least late lottery). Not sure if another team would do that or not.

[mhd]

Posted a couple of trade ideas on the trade board:

Blatche+pick for Gortat
Lewis+pick for VC's instant expiring.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

If we end up picking 4 or 5 would it be feasible to trade our pick and next year's unprotected first for either the 1st or 2nd pick in the draft to get Williams?

From the Wiz standpoint I think it's a good move b/c I think we can be better next year (if not playoffs then at least late lottery). Not sure if another team would do that or not.

Might well be but it's not possible. Teams cannot trade successive-year first round picks away--not unless a rule change occurred that I'm unaware of.

What IS allowable, and is feasible IMO, would be for the Wizards to trade both their first and the ATL first (#18) that they acquired to trade up for the rights to Williams.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Well, at this point I am just set on DWill. We have to get a top 2 pick.

I suppose Kanter could be a good pick if we miss out on Williams.

The only other player I'd be interested in is Terrance Jones.

Still have hope in our Atl pick... Markieff Morris (Boozer clone), Faried (the next Rodman?), Harper (love that stroke!), Singleton (next Artest?), or maybe local kid Nolan Smith?

2nd rounder looking Honeycutt or Hansbrough. I'd take a look at Jordan Williams, Singler and Justin Holiday also.

[Illuminaire]

If we end up picking 4 or 5 would it be feasible to trade our pick and next year's unprotected first for either the 1st or 2nd pick in the draft to get Williams?

From the Wiz standpoint I think it's a good move b/c I think we can be better next year (if not playoffs then at least late lottery). Not sure if another team would do that or not.

Might well be but it's not possible. Teams cannot trade successive-year first round picks away--not unless a rule change occurred that I'm unaware of.

What IS allowable, and is feasible IMO, would be for the Wizards to trade both their first and the ATL first (#18) that they acquired to trade up for the rights to Williams.

We could also have them draft Williams, while we draft the player they want, then swap players and throw in our future pick.

[Hoopalotta]

I'm coming around a bit on Biyombo. Two reasons is his supposed upside & potential confirmation about his age. The age thing is huge for me. It means little to nothing if a 21, 22 or 24 yr old is dominating 18 yr old kids in an all-star game. It means a lot more if an 18 yr old kid is dominating other 18 yr old kids and seems mature physically and mentally beyond his years.

If we're taking Biyombo, I'd say its gotta be about 80% or more based on what he showed in Spain with the Hoops summit just being an exclamation point. Therefore, if he's 20 or 19 or whatever and matching up well with Spaniards and Turks in their prime, that's solid.

On the flip side, even if he is 18 and thrashed other 18 year old's one fine day in Portland but with the scouts not liking the Spanish game film, I'd be very skeptical about him.

[hands11]

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/21 ... ore_Season

"Opportunities, both beneficial and life changing, can seem to make the next phase of my journey an easy decision. But I am a student-athlete at the University of North Carolina. I'm here to experience college life, grow as a person, receive a quality education, and be part of the greatest basketball family in college sports.

"The experiences I've enjoyed on and off the court will be invaluable. These experiences will help fuel my journey in the NBA and beyond.

"I look forward to meeting the challenging journey in the NBA, but my decision on November 13, 2009, still holds true. I'm focused on being a student-athlete. And my decision is to continue this part of my journey at the University of North Carolina.

Read more: http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/21 ... z1Jx4n0zdp

[doclinkin]

I'm coming around a bit on Biyombo. Two reasons is his supposed upside & potential confirmation about his age. The age thing is huge for me. It means little to nothing if a 21, 22 or 24 yr old is dominating 18 yr old kids in an all-star game. It means a lot more if an 18 yr old kid is dominating other 18 yr old kids and seems mature physically and mentally beyond his years.

If we're taking Biyombo, I'd say its gotta be about 80% or more based on what he showed in Spain with the Hoops summit just being an exclamation point. Therefore, if he's 20 or 19 or whatever and matching up well with Spaniards and Turks in their prime, that's solid.

On the flip side, even if he is 18 and thrashed other 18 year old's one fine day in Portland but with the scouts not liking the Spanish game film, I'd be very skeptical about him.

Looks like his per-minute production in the ACB is pretty solid, posting high numbers in blocks/boards per minute. That said, to put it in perspective, his per minute average was equivalent to other ACB stand-outs Nik Caner-Medley, Paul Davis, James Augustine...

Marc Gasol is the only Spanish League stalwart whose defensive numbers translated over the past 10 years. Okay, and Mike Ruffin.

Where he stands out is in that blocks per 40 tally, posting numbers rarely seen, indicating significant athleticism and enthusiasm. Though his foul rate attests to how raw he is, whatever his age.