Bobcats Picks Discussion (#9, #19, #39)

[Stun704]

I'm sold on vucvek because hesa legit 7 fter, already played in an american basketball system and succeded 17/10 he's offensive minded wich we need and rebounding is the most correlative stastistc from thccollege to the nba so he'll b able to verage atleast 9 reboundsgiven minuites on the next level.. has 3pt range,mid range and a post game and he has like a 7'7 wingspan.. he was able to do 100 standing dunks in a row in our workout.. paired with TT I think they'll be a legit dynmaic front court

[penquin11]

Nikola V. has a wingspan of 7ft 4.5inches.... Not bad, but still not as good as my man Biyombo (7ft 7in wingspan, 9ft 3 inches standing reach...)... However Nikola V. has a standing reach of 9ft 4.5 inches, the LARGEST at the combine... As a matter of fact, Nikola V. is the only player at the combine whose reach is larger than Biyombo's. Both are great prospects but I like Biyombo more because of his aggressive defense, extreme athletism (HE IS SOOOOOO QUICK AND EXPLOSIVE).... Furthermore Biyombo seems to be more of a leader and winner....
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PS did you know that Kyrie Irving is taller than Brandon Knight?

[SWedd523]

If you don't mind my asking, how many games of Biyombo and Vucevic have you seen?

[Stun704]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_qhjouYZMo[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD2wj9n9SGI&feature=related[/youtube]

Vucevic looks pretty fluid on offense, and doesnt look like he shys away from contact.. like other soft euros. I was posting from my phone so I wasn't able to check his combine stats.

[Badd_Intentions]

Vucevic has really good skills for a big guy. He can shoot and rebound. His defense will improve like all rookies. I didn't see any of USC's games during the regular season but caught some Pac 10 and NCAA tourney games they played. He is a pretty good player and has some nice potential, but the games I saw him play he didn't have as huge of impact as I would have thought for a guy his size and skill.

With that said I would definitely be happy with him at 19. I think he could blossum into a good reserve big man. Best case for him would be a solid starter, but he can stretch the floor and rebound, and can influence shots with his size.

[Eoghan]

Going by what Silas said I imagine that we are looking hard at Klay, Brooks, Singleton, Hamilton, and Fredette in the first round. I predict that Charlotte will pick Brooks at nine. Who ever is on the board between Chris, Jordan, and Fredette at 19. I think at 39 we will take Nolan Smith. I predict that he will fall that far.

God I hope not, Klay looks like a very poor man's Kevin Martin or Trajan Langdon with slightly better athleticism. DO NOT WANT (him or Burks)

1. Kevin Martin is one of the league's most efficient scoring guards. Despite averaging almost 24 per game he still still shoots 43% from the field, 38% from three, and 88% from the line. Even Kobe doesn't trump those numbers. He only has him by two % in fgpct.
2. Trajan Langdon is 6'3 in shoes. Klay is 6'5 3/4 in socks.
3. I did not say we were picking him. I said I imagine that we are looking closley at him.
4. We do not currently have anyone on this team who is good at creating their own shots aside from DJ and old man Jackson. Creating for himself and others is the strongest part of Burks' s game.

1. Who has bounced around a little as trade filler.
2. Yeah, those 2 and 3/4" is what kept Langdon out of the NBA, not his average athleticism and speed.
3. Well, we should look closley at everyone, it is a draft after all.
4. Boris is better at creating his own shot then DJ, he just doesn't want to. We'll see if Burks and Klay can create their own shot against NBA competition as opposed to the "stellar" college conferences they were in. (I'm leaning towards no).
5. In any other draft, Burks and Thompson would be late 1st rd talent at best.

[bobcats3wallace]

Nikola Vecevic is projected at pick 40 on nbadraft.net, which of course is a pick after us. I'm not sold on this guy even at 19, but with 39 that would be a GREAT pick up.

[BigSlam]

Here's my latest mock:

First Round
1: Cavaliers
Derrick Williams
Knowing there are three quality PG's in the draft and that at least one of them will be on the board when the Cavs pick next (4th) they opt to go with the guy with a unique skill set in this draft class and cross everything hoping he really is a SF - like he keeps telling everyone. He reminds me of a mix of SCB and Hakim Warrick (with better BBIQ than both).

2: Timberwolves
Enes Kanter
Just too good to pass up on for the Wolves. His inside game is a wonderful compliment to Love, allowing Love to take a three pointer and not worry about who it going to rebound the potential miss. He reminds me of Kaman (with a better body/motor)

3: Jazz
Jan Vesely
Jazz take a gamble here hoping that their PG is still on the board when they pick next (12). With Vesely they have a guy who will excel on the break with Harris, Hayward and Favors. He has massive, massive upside and is maybe the best athlete in this draft. He reminds me of a more athletic AK47 (in his prime).

4: Cavaliers
Kyrie Irving
In an amazing twist of luck, not only is one of the three quality PG's available at #4, but the very best one is. Cavs fast forward their rebuild post-LBJ with two sensational picks in the top #4. He reminds me of Deron Williams.

5: Raptors
Bismack Biyombo
After several years of suffering soft front court players the Raps finally do something about it. BC has said they need to add D - and they do it in a big way by adding the high risk, high reward prospect that is Biyombo. They hope that he brrings a ruggedness that has been missing in Toronto since, well, forever. A great compliment to Bargs and a killer that will start to change the identity of Toronto. He reminds me of Okafor (if Okafor was a very, very angry man).

6: Wizards
Marcus Morris
After a couple of tumultuous years in DC the Wiz start to add high character, multi skilled players to surround Wall while looking to the future. Morris, with his outside shot and blue collar grunt work is a great compliment to McGee and pushes Blatche to a 6th man role (where he is best suited IMO). He reminds me of Rasheed Wallace (without the psycho).

7: Kings
Brandon Knight
The perfect PG to play next to their franchise guy in Tyreke. Knight brings the same sort of pesky D as Evans but with range on his J. They can both play the point or off the ball in a J.Kidd/Jet Terry type of way being on the floor together and causing the D confusion of who and how to guard them. He reminds me of Brandon Jennings (with more willingness to play within a team concept).

8: Pistons
Kemba Walker
Short of Greg Monroe, the Pistons are a mess. They have no identity, had a player revolt against the coach last season and are up to the eyeballs with bad contracts. Kemba comes in and instantly becomes the team leader with his swag and helps the boys in the big D to find themselves. He is a great fit at the point next to Gordon and his shooting with both being able to play a little point. Kemba runs the P&R pretty well - which will suit Monroe nicely. He reminds me of TJ Ford.

9: Bobcats
Alec Burks
The Bobcats go with the high upside wing who might help replace the skill set that Jax and Diaw bring (some point skills from a position other than the point) in preparation for when Jax and Diaw are long gone off this roster - which might happen sooner rather than later. Burks is a natural scorer with a knack of being able to get to the line and score easy points while putting pressure on the D - something the Bobcats have been lacking for a long time. He reminds me of Brandon Roy (but not quite as smooth).

10: Bucks
Klay Thompson
Sakmons is on the wrong side of 30, Redd the same with the added bonus of coming off a significant injury, Maggette is a slasher - you'd have to think that a pure shooter like Thompson would slide in as the Bucks starting SG from day #1. Thompson reminds me of Ray Allen.

11: Warriors
Kawhi Leonard
Leonard is the BPA, but he also fits nicely into what the Warriors have. I'm not sure that Ellis will be around too much longer and with the outside shooting of Wright, Leonard's defense and all round game is a nice fit at the SF position. His ability to play up tempo will really fit with the GSW's. He reminds me of Josh Howard (in his prime, at the absolute top of his game).

12: Jazz
Jimmer Fredette
The Jazz gamble pays off and their boy Jimmer is sitting pretty at #12 ready for them to snap him up. He provides a nice contrast to the playing style of Harris - and might even supplant him as the starting PG in a year or two. He reminds me of a stronger Steph Curry.

13: Suns
Tristan Thompson
The Suns have offensive minded PF's with Frye and Warrick so Thompson gives them a different look at the PF spot bringing fantastic offensive rebounding and shot blocking. His high motor will help him run the floor and his ability to find space will help him with his offensive limitations.......as will playing with Steve Nash! I see a lot of Jermaine O'Neal in him (not the busted one that played with the Celts, but not the prime Pacers one either - some where in the middle).

14: Rockets
Chris Singleton
Losing a glue guy like Battier can be hard to replace. A guy that is willing to, and does, all the small things that sometimes go unnoticed but helps to make good teams great. Singleton is a guy that adds many of the same dimensions as Battier and teamed with the more offensive minded Martin, Lee, Budinger etc, will create a nice wing rotation. He reminds me of a thicker set Tayshaun Prince (in the way he uses his length and lateral quickness to disrupt the offense of his opposition).

15: Pacers
Donatas Motiejunas
While Hansborough came along nicely towards the end of last season, the Pacers still need a long term solution at the PF position. Motiejunas provides great size and considerable upside. He can start next to Hibbert at the PF spot but also spend some time manning the C position - something the Pacers need seeing as though the Pacers only really have Hibbert as a C on the roster. It's hard not to see the comparison to Bargs here.

16: 76ers
Nikola Vucevic
Speights has never really worked out in Philly and the trade for Hawes has resulted much the same way leaving them pretty light on in the big man department. Because of that, the Sixers grab the guy who rise up the draft board since the end of last season was more rapid than any other prospect. With great intangibles, size and skill set, the Sixers hope they have finally locked in on a long term solution at their 5 spot. With his size and jump shot he reminds me of a smaller version of Big Z.

17: Knicks
Jonas Valanciunas
The big faller on draft night is Valanciunas - in part because he is so raw, but mainly because of his buyout situation. Luckily for Valanciunas, the Knicks have never concerned themselves with this relating to money and will have no problem forking over the cash to get their long term future starting C. They had such great success with Movgov and hope to get that and more with Valanciunas. They aren't in a hurry to win the 'chip right now (they will wait to sign CP3 before doing that) and can afford to stash Valanciunas overseas for 1 more year before bringing him over. He has a certain Tyson Chandler feel to him IMO.

18: Wizards
Nolan Smith
As mentioned earlier, the Wiz continue to draft high character guys who right the wrongs of teams past. Smith is a great addition as a back up to Wall who can come in and play a valuable leadership role. He can also play next to Wall at times in a two PG line up. His play style reminds me a lot of Maynor.

19: Bobcats
Jeremy Tyler
With the Bobcats going with a wing @ #( (Burks) they turn to the best available big @ #19. Tyler is a great unknown but his measurements and hopefully experience (the good and the bad) overseas has hopefully stood him in great stead to start his American professional career. When all is said and done, aside from Kanter, Tyler might even end up being the best big in the draft in 5 years time. I see Derrick Favors in him.

20: Timberwolves
Marshon Brooks
After drafting Kanter @ #2 and solidifying their front court the Wolves then turn to add to their stable of wings. With his ability to create his own shot Brooks will bring a nice dimension to a team that might not be the best shot clock managers. He will be a great 6th man and along with Webster got his mins behind SCB and Johnson. The similarities between Brooks and Jamal Crawford are obvious to me (although Brooks doesn't appear to be the passer Crawford is).

21: Trailblazers
Markieff Morris
The Blazers found themselves hurting badly last season with a lack of bigs. Drafting Twin #2 means they wont have to keep playing guys like Wallace and Batum out of position at the PF spot. He brings with him toughness and solid fundamentals knowing what he can do and what he can't do and playing within that. I think that he will have a Kris Humphries (the good Nets one of last season) type effect for his NBA team.

22: Nuggets
Kenneth Faried
Al Harrington is the only PF under contract on the Nuggets roster. I know, Al Harrington!! Faried will bring with him an intensity that the Nuggets will really thrive on. He wont do much offensively but with Lawson, Chandler, Gallinari and Nene on the roster he wont have to. He'll just have to do what he does well, which is clean the glass and run the floor. Faried reminds me a lot of Reggie Evans (if Evans could block shots and stay healthy).

23: Rockets
Lucas Nogueira
The writing is on the wall and the writing says that Yao isn't going to be around much longer in Houston (or maybe even in the NBA?). The Rockets look to find his eventual replacement and between him and Thabeet, hope to find a true C to help them replace the great Chinaman in the center for the next decade or more. Bebe might just be the next JaVale McGee.

24: Thunder
Tobias Harris
After deciding to trade away Jeff Green the Thunder look for a ready replacement for him in Harris - another tweener type player who has a Swiss Army like skill set. Harris, obviously, reminds me a lot of Jeff Green.

25: Celtics
Jordan Hamilton
Just like Rashard Lewis back in '98 questions about his shot selection and ability to control it results in Hamilton sliding down the draft. Unlike Lewis, Hamilton at least still goes in the 1st round, albeit all of the way down to the bottom part of the 1st round. That suits the Celts just fine. With Allen and Pierce not getting any younger the Celts fall into a fantastic prospect who in 3 years time might prove to be the steal of the draft. I see a lot of Danny Granger in Hamilton.

26: Mavericks
Jordan Williams
Since losing Brandon Bass the Mavs have really missed bench rebounding from the 4 spot. Not only that but outside of Dirk the Mavs don't really have any other PF's on the roster. Williams comes in as a very strong college rebounder who will give the Mavs much needed depth at the PF spot. I see a lot of similarities with Boozer - in both playing style and with the body transformation (although Williams doesn't have the mid range J of Boozer - yet).

27: Nets
Justin Harper
Humphries and Brandon Wright are the only real PF's currently on the Nets roster. Humphies is coming off the best results of his career so far (on and off the court!!) and Wright, well, he still sucks. Harper gives them a smooth shooting PF who will help spread the floor for D.Will and Lopez, opening up the lane for multiple P&R's between the two and offering a 2nd option should the D close the P&&R down. In Harper I see a slightly taller Korver.

28: Bulls
Josh Selby
The Bulls lack of a deadly type scorer to support Rose really hurt them in the playoffs - and has done ever since they let Gordon walk. They hope that in Selby they find a replacement. A kid who can play next to Rose and fill it up as a 2nd option. Selby is an undersized SG with some (limited) PG's skills who is a serious athlete but might have a questionable attitude. Because of that I see him in a Monta Ellis type mold.

29: Spurs
Kyle Singler
Two things: #1. Singler is SUCH a Spurs type pick and #2 Dicky is a knob so anyone who has a chance of taking his job and forcing him out of the NBA is ok by me. I see a lot of Luol Deng in his game (maybe without the D).

30: Bulls
Trey Thompkins
The Bulls have Gibson and Asik as great back up bigs but both are more defensive minded. Thompkins brings with him defense, but also offense in the form of outside shooting - a nice contrast to the two back up bigs they already have. Thompkins reminds me of a very, very, very poor mans Bosh.

Second Round
31: Heat
Iman Shumpert
With his size and athletic ability Shumpert fits right into the Heat's "defense transition to offense" type scheme. Bibby has been all sorts of awful so this kid is brought in to challenge Mario and to be his back up. Shumpert strikes me as a Larry Hughes type player (when Hughes was in Cleveland).

32: Cavaliers
Malcolm Lee
Cavs basically go with the BPA here and when you have guys like Manny Harris and Alonzo Gee holding down your SG spot, a guy like Lee seems pretty attractive. Lee reminds me as a Mo Pete type player (not the Mo Pete in his prime while at Toronto Mo Pete, a slightly lesser version of that).

33: Pistons
JaJuan Johnson
Charlie V and Austin Daye have presented questionable results at best and in vouge with trying to change the culture of the team the Pistons look to a senior with maturity as the Pistons continue their make over. When I think of Johnson I think of Tyrus Thomas (but weaker and with not as much upside).

34: Wizards
Travis Leslie
There are a lot of shooters on the Wizards roster with questionable D (Crawford, Evans, Howard, Yi, Lewis, Young etc) so with this pick the Wizards take the ultra athletic slashing wing who plays great D. Playing off the bench Leslie on the break with Wall finding him for oops will make many a Sportscenter top ten over the next several seasons. It's an obvious one, but Leslie is very much Tony Allen like (weather he likes it or not!!).

35: Kings
Tyler Honeycutt
The Kings aren't overly committed to Casspi, Garcia or Greene at the SF spot and after taking Knight in the 1st round are thrilled that Honeycutt (a somewhat local product from UCLA) falls to them in the 2nd. Honeycutt has that Tayshaun Prince type style to his game IMO.

36: Nets
Cory Joseph
BPA - in saying that the Nets could do with a 3rd string PG who might push Farmer for main back up duties. Joseph is a young PG with loads of potential and playing every day at practice against a guy of D.Will's quality might be just the thing to help bring him along. He projects to be a great defensive PG who can explode to the rim and because of that, I see Marcus Banks in him (much more athletic though).

37: Clippers
Davis Bertans
The Clippers are bringing along Aminu and can probably handle stashing Bertans overseas for the next few years as their young roster develops bringing Bertans over as the roster is ripe to hit their stride. There isn't a lot of base comparisons on, but from what I have seen in limited clips I see a little Peja in him.

38: Rockets
Keith Benson
The Rockets continue to go big with Benson who they hope might be able to log mins from day #1 to help out with their shortage of bigs while Bebe comes along. Very much a Birdman type player to me.

39: Bobcats
Reggie Jackson
Bobcats need a 3rd strong PG and Jackson provides that in the combo type style. He can play the point but equally the SG next to the smaller DJ for some up tempo small ball. Coach Silas wants athletes and guys who will get out and run. He finds that in Jackson, who IMO is like a more amped up Rodney Stuckey.

[Badd_Intentions]

I don't agree with all the picks but I can understand where you are coming from. In no way would I be comfortable taking Tyler in the first.

[ohara]

Good list. But for me, if Kawhi Leonard is available at #9, I like him over Burks. But either would be good. Just want to find out about the shoulder stuff with Burks and make sure he doesn't have a history of this happening. I would have for a congenital defect to have him suffering these too often.

As for Tyler at #19, I can say I have not done much homework on him yet. But he seems to be climbing in all the mocks. I know Chad Ford at ESPN has him at #29 to the Spurs. And given their incredible track record of getting very good players at the end of the 1st round, if they really do like him, then taking him at #19 might be a wise idea.

[Bassman]

I don't agree with all the picks but I can understand where you are coming from. In no way would I be comfortable taking Tyler in the first.

I also do NOT want to take a flyer on either Tyler or Burks. While Burks has some upside he is not a good shooter, and I'm SO tired of getting players who cannot shoot well. If Vucevic is indeed THAT hot a mover, why not take him at 9? He fills our greatest immediate need at the 5 and brings the potential of an actual POST game to this team. As most know I covet both the big V and Brooks. Again, the talent is a "pick em" from 6 through 22, as these players are arguably fairly equal in current value. The key is to identify the players from that group that will excel down the road, and I think Vucevic and Brooks are the 2 that will beccome starters n this league.

[ZackAttack23]

I'd rate that Mock a 6 out of 10. No way Marcus Morris goes ahead of Kawhi Leonard! Tyler will not go that high. I say Tyler goes anywhere from 25-40. Also we don't need Burks when we got Henderson. Now if Henderson improves his shot to the 3 point line, then we would not need a SG until 2 rd or wait for a free agent or get someone through a trade.

[SWedd523]

Good list. But for me, if Kawhi Leonard is available at #9, I like him over Burks. But either would be good. Just want to find out about the shoulder stuff with Burks and make sure he doesn't have a history of this happening. I would have for a congenital defect to have him suffering these too often.

I think you're confusing congenital defect with chronic (or reoccurring) injury

[BigSlam]

Good list. But for me, if Kawhi Leonard is available at #9, I like him over Burks. But either would be good. Just want to find out about the shoulder stuff with Burks and make sure he doesn't have a history of this happening. I would have for a congenital defect to have him suffering these too often.

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nba/1835/player?r=1

Colorado guard Alec Burks injured his shoulder in a workout with the Bucks on Saturday and missed a Sunday workout with the Bobcats.
Burks collided with forward Markieff Morris on Saturday and had to shut it down. "That's what he (Burks) told me," Bucks director of scouting Billy McKinney said. "He felt like it was OK. He just kind of banged it but he completed the workout. I thought he had a good workout." As of now it doesn't sound like this should be an issue on draft night.

[Badd_Intentions]

The thing with Burks is that he can create off the dribble and attack the basket. He needs to improve his long range shooting and shooting off the dribble mid-range.

[Marino]

I would prefer to have Thompson there over Burks, but I would be okay with Burks.

[ZackAttack23]

LOL! I just read a tweet by Klay Thompson to someone and said that if he lived in the south he'd weigh 250 lbs! I don't know what to think of that. If we draft him, we better not let Boris Diaw be his Nutritionist!

[Badd_Intentions]

Looks like Boris took a liking to Bojangles.

[ohara]

Good list. But for me, if Kawhi Leonard is available at #9, I like him over Burks. But either would be good. Just want to find out about the shoulder stuff with Burks and make sure he doesn't have a history of this happening. I would have for a congenital defect to have him suffering these too often.

I think you're confusing congenital defect with chronic (or reoccurring) injury

No. Congenital, as in something he has had from birth. Like a bone issue making him predisposed to this injury. Think Bo Jackson and his hip bone and socket. That was a congenital defect where the head of his bone was too small for the socket and once it displaced it was never going to be right again.

But I see what you are saying. Reoccuring can be due to a congenital defect or it can be from simply having happened a few times and the wear and tear of that on the bone makes it happen more often. Different causes, but the same result.

[SWedd523]

I think it's a pretty huge jump to go from a dislocated shoulder to a congenital defect though, don't you? One of my buddies had his shoulder dislocated countless times during wrestling, doesn't mean he was predisposed to it from birth.

If we haven't heard anything about him having injury concerns, much less reoccurring shoulder issues, it's fine. It happens.



Speaking of, has anybody broken their nose before? I had a pretty nasty break (3 spots) in December and that **** is still tender to the touch. I imagine it'd have healed by now.