2011 DRAFT blather goes here. Part 3...

[closg00]

I'm still not buying Kawhi as an effective rotation player. Mike Prada from BulletsForever agrees:

Conclusion: And therein lies the problem. Leonard will have to become a passable three-point shooter, because he is so dreadfully inefficient as a two-point shooter. To do that, he will have to play further away from the basket, which negates his rebounding advantage. This is why I'm down on Leonard as a prospect. He's a great workout guy and has great measurables, but he doesn't have enough scoring ability to be anything more than a self-check as a 4, and even if he develops a three-point shot and becomes a 3/D type, it takes away his biggest on-court asset (rebounding). There are a lot of interesting things to the Leonard package, but they just don't add up to me.

http://www.bulletsforever.com/2011/5/24 ... #storyjump

The article as a whole is interesting. Stat comparison of defensive forwards that would be options between 6-18.

The Prada piece was devastating, I admit to buying-it and being scared-off by Leonard now.

[Hoopalotta]

craig (texas)
who would you draft between valaciunas, Vesely and kanter? Why?

Chad Ford
Vesely because he's a NBA athlete, has played well at the highest level. Has good upside and not a lot of risk. Kanter and Valanciunas both have bigger upsides because of their position ... but both offer more risks as well.

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/38575

I don't understand this "played well" business. I mean, what specifically did he do well?

Somehow this guy is getting a lot of collective enthusiasm for whatever reason.

[closg00]

craig (texas)
who would you draft between valaciunas, Vesely and kanter? Why?

Chad Ford
Vesely because he's a NBA athlete, has played well at the highest level. Has good upside and not a lot of risk. Kanter and Valanciunas both have bigger upsides because of their position ... but both offer more risks as well.

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/38575

I don't understand this "played well" business. I mean, what specifically did he do well?

Somehow this guy is getting a lot of collective enthusiasm for whatever reason.

I truly don't get it. OTOH, we do know that Givony does his own scouting and is therefore less likley to re-hash what others have written.....but still, why does Vesely get to go this-high based on his hops while JaJuan Johnson is a borderline 2nd rounder?

[doclinkin]

so sick of people linking us in mock drafts to Vesley (the latest being Sam Amick at cnnsi.com) due to his offense complimenting or "fitting nicely" with Wall. Unless he develops a jumper before the draft he's one of the LAST players I want playing one the court with Wall. No jumper = people drifting in toward the paint making Wall's life miserable.

This time of year, with the terrible teams no non-fan would want to watch at the top of the lottery and the news, it becomes apparent what "experts" don't actually watch enough basketball...

Depends on the sources, guys could be reporting this because one, or maybe many sources have leaked that we really do like Jan. Im not a fan and don't want us to take him, but if the initial smoke stories were true, he could be the pick regardless of what we want.

Or he'd be the smokescreen to suppress a bidding war in other teams quietly hoping to trade up. I don't buy all the rumors flying around that teams are less than fully impressed with Kanter. Granted Jan Vesely has been a productive player on a winning team, with a great deal of professional experience at this point in his career. But rumors around this time of year are generally not to be believed, and when have you ever heard Ernie Grunfeld speak plainly about any topic whatsoever? He's a grandmaster of saying absolutely nothing with a slurry of words. "Well obviously, nothing nothing nothing nothing..."

Recall this is the guy who hid the fact we'd even worked out Pech when it was later rumored by his agent that he'd 'destroyed' Hilton Armstrong, Cedric Simmons, et al, in their workout. (Story blown open by NBADraft.net).

I wouldn't believe a word of anything you hear from the front office until draft day, even if Teddy Blog says it.

[keynote]

Hmm... is Bargnani angling to leave TOR?

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumo ... =hp_bf2_a8

Asked in a feature interview where he'd like to play if he could rub a magic lamp and transport himself to another NBA city, Bargnani told Italy's Sky Sports: "I want to stay in Toronto, at least this is the politically correct answer. If [I am] to go somewhere else, I'd like a warm climate city and a team where I can actually play in my role."

If this picks up any momentum, TOR may lean more towards going big at #5 rather than upgrading their PG.

On a side note: I wonder what Bargs thinks is keeping him from "actually playing" in his role.

[fishercob]

I imagine Bargs fancies himself in the mold of Dirk and thinks he could be most effective playing alongside a bruising center like Perkins, Gasol, Chandler, Bynum, etc. Good luck with that.

[NbdyBeatsTheWiz]

http://rotoworld.com/articles/nba/37992/47/mock-draft-version-5

Man, I can only hope that's how it all plays out.

But like Keynote said, this mock assumes the Raps are looking PG (along with the Jazz)

(interestingly, Vesley drops all the way to 12 in this mock)

[Mizerooskie]

http://rotoworld.com/articles/nba/37992/47/mock-draft-version-5

Man, I can only hope that's how it all plays out.

But like Keynote said, this mock assumes the Raps are looking PG (along with the Jazz)

(interestingly, Vesley drops all the way to 12 in this mock)

In this scenario, I'd hope they go with Brooks or Singleton (or even Honeycutt) at 18 instead of Harris.

[NbdyBeatsTheWiz]

I think if Kanter manages to fall to us at six, I'd be so giddy EG could draft Juwanna Mann at 18 and I'd get over it.

[TGW]

Hey CCJ and Dat2U -- what is your opinion on Marcus Morris?

[Ruzious]

http://rotoworld.com/articles/nba/37992/47/mock-draft-version-5

Man, I can only hope that's how it all plays out.

But like Keynote said, this mock assumes the Raps are looking PG (along with the Jazz)

(interestingly, Vesley drops all the way to 12 in this mock)

In this scenario, I'd hope they go with Brooks or Singleton (or even Honeycutt) at 18 instead of Harris.

Agreed. Actually, I'd lean towards Harper, but Brooks or Singleton would be fine. My gut feeling about Harris is that he's got a bit of a prima donna complex about him and won't give a lot of effort on defense. Plus, he's gotta lose some baby fat. That rotoworld mock is a good read. It's interesting to see how people rate Knight. It's looking more and more that he goes top 5. Again, if Walker and Knight both go top 5, the Wiz are golden - unless they do something really stupid.

Utah's in an interesting situation. If they think Jimmer is there at 12, I wonder if that disuades them from picking Knight (or Walker) at 3. Personally, I think Jimmer goes before 12 - pretty much guaranteeing Utah goes guard at 3. Him doing exceptionally well in the agility drill can't hurt (not to mention measuring a little better than expected and reportedly being a phenominal interviewee).

Yes, I'm saying Jimmer going before 12 may be the key to the Wiz success in the draft.

[closg00]

The rotoworld mock was well thought-out, but the writer has a couple of errors. Nikola Mirotic signed a multi-deal, so he's staying Euro.....but someone will draft him anyway for the future.

The big question everyone is asking is will the Cavs really pass on Enes for JV if Toronto and Utah take PG's. Depsite everything that's being written about the Cavs liking JV, I just find it hard to believe they don't take Kanter. Wouldn't it be funny if Minny takes Kanter and Williams falls to us at 6.

[theboomking]

I don't think that Singleton is going to last until close to 18. I tend to agree with some mocks that I've seen that have him going in the 10-12 range. How much would it cost to move up from 18 to 12?

[Dat2U]

Hey CCJ and Dat2U -- what is your opinion on Marcus Morris?

The measurements were a killer. He looked good as a highly skilled face up 4 but he's got terrible length for a PF. It looks like he has to make to transition to full time SF. Can he defend on the perimeter? I don't know. There's more questions now than answers since the measurements came out. I had him top 12 earlier, now I'm not certain I'd draft him with the Atlanta pick.

I still like him better than his brother though. He's the more natural baller.

[Illuminaire]

I'm still not buying Kawhi as an effective rotation player. Mike Prada from BulletsForever agrees:

Conclusion: And therein lies the problem. Leonard will have to become a passable three-point shooter, because he is so dreadfully inefficient as a two-point shooter. To do that, he will have to play further away from the basket, which negates his rebounding advantage. This is why I'm down on Leonard as a prospect. He's a great workout guy and has great measurables, but he doesn't have enough scoring ability to be anything more than a self-check as a 4, and even if he develops a three-point shot and becomes a 3/D type, it takes away his biggest on-court asset (rebounding). There are a lot of interesting things to the Leonard package, but they just don't add up to me.

http://www.bulletsforever.com/2011/5/24 ... #storyjump

The article as a whole is interesting. Stat comparison of defensive forwards that would be options between 6-18.

The Prada piece was devastating, I admit to buying-it and being scared-off by Leonard now.

I didn't actually find that article very convincing, except in further pointing out what a crap shoot this draft is. =P

For one thing, he rates Singleton as a better prospect almost solely because he has slightly better shooting percentages - while ignoring the fact that if you compare the two at the same age, Leonard's shot is better or the same.

For another, he leaves Tristan Thompson in the conversation. Um, what? Dude is weak on the boards and can't shoot (FTs or otherwise) - as an NBA player, he is a less interesting prospect than Booker, and he fills the same basic role. Why would we want him?

The Morris brothers are certainly intriguing. I like their well-rounded games, and they've been productive. I don't know if they'll be able to defend effectively at the pro level, though - neither has good length OR good leaping ability. If they're stuck at the four, they could be a major liability.

None of these guys scare me away from Leonard if no one better is available where we pick.

[closg00]

The Prada piece was more about Leonard & Singleton's fit with the team. After reading the article, it sounds like Leonard would be a bad fit alongside Wall at this point in his development.

[RT31]

The Prada piece was more about Leonard & Singleton's fit with the team. After reading the article, it sounds like Leonard would be a bad fit alongside Wall at this point in his development.

I really think either will fit with this team. It's just my opinion that Leonard will be the better of the two when all is said and done.

Prada's article really is just: Leonard is a better rebounder and longer. Singleton is a better 3pt shooter. I'm of the belief that you can develop a shot if you're a hard worker, which Leonard looks and sounds to be. Singleton's arms aren't going to get longer.

[Benjammin]

Taking a Leonard or Vesely at 6 scares me. I'd much rather roll the dice on a bigger guy like Biyombo (if he's not 25 years old) or Johnny V, and of course Kanter if he fell would be an easy pick .

[theboomking]

The Prada piece was more about Leonard & Singleton's fit with the team. After reading the article, it sounds like Leonard would be a bad fit alongside Wall at this point in his development.

I really think either will fit with this team. It's just my opinion that Leonard will be the better of the two when all is said and done.

Prada's article really is just: Leonard is a better rebounder and longer. Singleton is a better 3pt shooter. I'm of the belief that you can develop a shot if you're a hard worker, which Leonard looks and sounds to be. Singleton's arms aren't going to get longer.

Singleton is also the netter athlete and defender. I would much rather have a guy that I think I could potentially man up on Rose, Wade, Lebron, Durant, etc, than Leonard. I think Singleton could be that guy. I'm starting to like him at 6 if Kanter, Williams and Valanciunas are off the board. Certainly I think he is a better potential prospect than Biyombo, Vesely and Montiejunas.

[Dat2U]

Prada's piece pretty much goes along with what I'm thinking. Leonard is a terrible fit with Wall and unless he's a PF, his rebounding will be negated a bit by being asked to play on the perimeter. I'm not even sure how Leonard got into the conversation for the 6th pick outside of the love he's gotten from Chad Ford. If you asked me about Leonard a few weeks ago, I'd say he might be just an okay selection at #18, and now people want to draft him at #6?

Tristan Thompson is a solid prospect. A little high to be taken 6th but I think he projects to be a solid low post defender in a few years. I just wonder will he have enough offense & rebounding to be a starter long term. I don't think he's a significantly lesser prospect than say Trevor Booker.

Going back to Kevin Seraphin. When people say he's a top 10 prospect in this draft, I wonder what they saw last season that I didn't see that makes him such an attractive prospect. Seraphin by any measure, had a less than impressive rookie year. I don't see the upside that makes him particularly intriguing. I see an incredibly raw guy due to skill & size limitations, may be a backup at best. I saw a guy that has no clue of how to play the game and has years of development ahead. I'm not sure he's a top 20 pick in this draft.