2011 DRAFT blather goes here. Part 3...

[Illuminaire]

That's a strangely reasonable trade, Rico. I think Ted might be rubbing off on you.

Granted, if Blatche does come back in good shape, his value will be much higher next season. I'd do the 6+18 for the #2 though, and I would strongly consider addition by subtraction with Blatche for Webster.

I have to think that McGee wold benefit from having Williams or Kanter to push him during practices, rather than 'Dray taking him out clubbing. =p

[popper]

Somehow it would be nice to come out of the draft with a power forward that could push Blatch for the starting position. I'm not keen on trading him right now because there is still a 50-50 chance he may finally get it. If he does, he will be better than the players available in the bottom half of the first round. If he doesn't it will be fun to watch him stew on the bench while others take his pt.

For instance, I would not trade Blatch right now for the 22nd pick. I would however for the 16th pick. That IMO is currently his true value.

[REDardWIZskin]

K Leornard is rising in the draft boards because he of his work ethic, Length, defensive prowess, and ability to add weight to his frame. What is being overlooked is that he is actually a smooth offensive player in transition and in the half court. He has good form but just need to put in more work and I read that his J has already improved since he has been working out in LA after the season. Add it to the fact that made SDSU program relevant and his improvement since his freshman season (this is the winner aspect Micheal Lee discussed). I really think he could be a Gerald Wallace type of player for us with better offensive potential. Everyone on this board has talked about drafting Singleton at one point but he's an upgrade and a better rebounder and he's a couple yrs younger. I'm still ready to select Kanter should he drop however

[pcbothwel]

I wont go as far to say Vesely WILL BUST, but he seems highly likely too and if you just compare him to Leonard I dont see the fascination. Kawhi is a better defender (of 3 positions), ball handler, rebounder, quicker/more agile, and stronger with an unstopable motor at 19 y/o. Their shot is comparable but Kawhi is getting better fast.Vesely is a better run & jump athlete and thats it. There is a reason guys like James White dont even get a cup of coffee in this league.
This really seems like a harder working Darius miles vs. a better shooting Gerald Wallace.

[Ruzious]

Ok, I'm hoping Leonard continues to show improvement and does make himself a good 3 point shooter. Going from defensive PF to perimeter defensive stopper is not easy. Actually, that's what makes me a little hesitant about one of my faves - Singleton. Is he really going to be as comfortable defending away from the basket? Apparently, it's not an issue with Leonard. Leonard's also a better rebounder than Singy. Hopefully, that still translates as a 3 - to a large extent. I'm very impressed with Leonard's intangibles. He's easy-going and likeable off the court - yet intense and aggressive on the court - a compelling young player.

[Illuminaire]

Leonard with a passable 3-point shot is sounding like a solid pick at #6.

I like everything I hear about the kid apart from his (current) shooting percentages.

[LyricalRico]

Leonard with a passable 3-point shot is sounding like a solid pick at #6.

I like everything I hear about the kid apart from his (current) shooting percentages.

The question I'm pondering is how far could he drop. DX has him all the way down at 11. IMO none of the teams between the Wiz at #6 and Utah at #12 would have SF near the top of their list of needs:

Sacto - Needs a PG, has Casspi
Detroit - Needs frontcourt help, may need a PG, has Daye
Charlotte - Desperately needs a center, has SJax signed longterm
Milwaukee - Needs an SG more than an SF IMO, also needs insurance for Bogut
GSW - Needs backcourt size/depth, possibly a C if Biedrins can't be salvaged, has Wright

In that range, the Wiz might even be able to move up from #18 to get him, thus keeping the #6 pick. If we got a big at #6, sending Seraphin+18 to MIL for Brockman+10 to take Leonard could work. Would they go for it? Seraphin is probably a better prospect than any other C still available at that point in the draft and they can still get a shooter at 18.

[Illuminaire]

There don't seem to be very many bigs in this draft that project to be more than scrap off the bench, though. I'd be worried about someone passing on size to take the BPA.

[Rafael122]

Or we could just get him at 6 and call it a day.

Just to piggyback off what Ruz said about Singleton, if we're good to go in drafting Singleton, well why not Leonard? They're basically the same players, perimeter defenders who could guard 3 positions and have questionable jump shots. Only thing is Leonard is what...2-3 years younger and still has room to grow?

[Wizardspride]

Fwiw, Michael Jordan is supposedly enamored with Kemba Walker.

[Wizardspride]

Double Post.

[fishercob]

Fwiw, Michael Jordan is supposedly enamored with Kemba Walker.

That should make for some great ratings on the next Outside the Lines.

[LyricalRico]

Fwiw, Michael Jordan is supposedly enamored with Kemba Walker.

That thought had crossed my mind, that MJ would fall for the accomplished NCAA player that carried his team to a title. If both Irving and Knight go in the Top 5, we could have a trading partner. With that many guards going early, we'd still be able to get one of Kanter/Biyombo/Valanciunas at #9 and maybe unload Blatche in the process.

[closg00]

Tomorrows workout schedule, the recaps should be fun to read. Keith Benson could be a 2nd round keeper.

THURSDAY

POINT GUARDS (10:45-11:00 AM): Cole, Fredette, Goudelock, Irving, Jenkins, Joseph, Knight, Mack, McCamey, D Morris, Shumpert, N Smith, I Thomas, Walker

SHOOTING GUARDS (11:30-11:45 AM): Brooks, Burks, Diebler, Dunn, Hopson, Lee, Leslie, Lighty, Moore, Selby, K Thompson

SMALL FORWARDS (12:20-12:35 PM): Butler, Hamilton, Harris, Honeycutt, Leonard, Liggins, Parsons, Richmond, Singler, Singleton

POWER FORWARDS (1:00-1:15 PM): Faried, Harper, Johnson, Leuer, Marcus Morris, Markieff Morris, Skeen, M Thomas, Thompkins, D Williams

CENTERS (2:00-2:15 PM): Benson, Dunigan, Jackson, Kanter, G Smith, T Thompson, Tyler, Vucevic, J Williams

[RickRoll_inDC]

Woops. Wrong thread.

[dangermouse]

ive heard "from Euro three" mentioned a few times ITT, didnt FIBA extend the 3pt line and court dimensions? I know we changed them here in Australia to match the NBA dimensions, i thought the Euroleague followed suit?

Also, I too like everything im hearing about Kawhi Leonard, but i just wish there was more footage on youtube than just the odd dunk here and there, so i could judge other aspects of his game...

[Illuminaire]

The FIBA line was changed to 22 feet, 2 inches this past October. That's about equal to NBA distance in the corners, but it's a foot shorter than the full 23 foot arc everywhere else.

So, everything before this season was from a much shorter range. Everything from this season was still a bit shorter.

[The Consiglieri]

Say no to trading up in the draft if it involves any of our young players (except for Blatche) or a future 1st round pick. The #1 pick in this draft is as good as the #10 pick in next years draft. Heck, Seraphin would be a guarenteed top 10 pick in this draft. Any move involving 2012 picks, McGee, Crawford, etc. would simply be a result of impatience.

Absolutely agree. Nothing could be worse than trading the future and the present for a guy who wouldnt rate well at all in the '10 or '12 draft. This team is still at least on the wait list till the '12-'13 season if not longer to make the playoffs. No sense on trying to "force" a future of 45 wins at best. Keep building and hope for the best, i like the draft and stash idea if it garners the best talent/upside, and i also like the idea for the sake of increasing the value of our '12 draft slot, which depending upon how things play out could be very, very valuable. We need that big time player in '12, we blew the chance to get him in '09 with an idiotic trade (admittedly there wasnt a huge chance of landing a stud in '09 regardless), and now we aint getting much out of the '11 draft either, the '12 hopefully can provide us with that last huge oomph, we shouldn't be messing w/that.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Also, I too like everything im hearing about Kawhi Leonard, but i just wish there was more footage on youtube than just the odd dunk here and there, so i could judge other aspects of his game...

DX posted their latest scouting report and youtube video on Leonard three days ago, dangermouse.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Kawhi-Leonard-5821/

[dangermouse]

Well his shooting form looks good, hes got big hands so his handles should improve quite quickly. He also seems like a really smart dude.

But the biggest standout is his defense, his hands are everywhere, his feet find the right spots, he knows what hes doing. Smarts, defense and toughness, i'd gladly take that at 6 in this draft.

The problem is im hearing that next years draft is going to be heavy with quality wings. I was kind of hoping we would get a big man to challenge Blatche for minutes (first Sullinger, then Kanter, now one of the Morris'? Biyombo?) and then finish it off with a wing next year and have our core ready going forward.