Lather me with blather -- DRAFT thread 4

[fishercob]

As long as slather (and obviously) blather are in there I'm happy.

[Rafael122]

Ford's latest tidbits: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_ ... for-felton

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_ ... raft-picks

[sfam]

Ford's latest tidbits: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_ ... for-felton

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_ ... raft-picks

Ford's report just caused me to reverse Walker and JV for my draft board pick contest

Edit: Still not sold that the Cleveland #4 for Washington #6 and #18 will happen, but would be thrilled if it did - or Utah at the #3 for that matter. Kanter and McGee make for a great marriage of skillsets I think.

[Illuminaire]

The contrary reports on Vesely are fascinating. He's really quite the enigma.

I don't want any part of him because his bust potential seems uncannily high. He doesn't rebound, doesn't shoot, and has no touch from the FT line. Add in a high turnover rate and you wonder what he will actually be able to do on the offensive side of the ball that Javale McGee can't... and whether he'd just get in McGee's way most of the time.

Any lineup we have with him at the 3 would be so devoid of shooting, we might not score in the halfcourt at all unless the opposing defense fell asleep.

At the same time, I understand why people can think more highly of him. He appears to be able to finish, even if he shows signs of bad hands. (Seriously, can this guy be more of a paradox?) He seems to do well in isolation, but teams game plan to abuse him defensively. Is he a bad help defender? Are European scouts just stupid? What gives there?

IF Vesely learned to rebound better and IF he developed a passable jump shot, he'd be a useful weapon on both sides of the court. He's young, maybe he can do that. I'm certainly banking on the latter for Leonard, after all.

I just don't like the idea of sinking our draft hopes into Schrodinger's player.

[theboomking]

Finishing at 74% at the rim is pretty beast.

If we are able to trade up for Kanter, how would you guys split our frontcourt minutes between Kanter, Blatche, McGee, Booker, and Seraphin. I imagine that Kanter would get a significant number of minutes both at C and at PF, but that is a lot of players for not as many minutes.

[doc.end]

Schrödinger's player, lol. Veselý is enigmatic, I'm not saying he is a second coming of ...whoever but he is bashed here unfair way. It will surely influence a lot where he actually ends.

For a guy who doesn't rebound he was quite capable tio score double-double in Euroleaguwe final four a year ago. The average just won't tell the story - euro numbers are not the same as NBA ones. He should get more defensive rebounds though - he sometimes just secure his guy from getting the rebound or is out of the area guarding someone further from the basket. Crashes offensive boards though, he is no Bargnani.

Edit:

4.6 rebounds per game sounds fairly weak for 2.11m guy, but the advanced numbers tell a different story. It is a well-known phenomenon in European basketball, which is played at a slower pace and where most rotation players log no more than around 20 minutes a game. While he is not the elite rebounder on his position in the league, Vesely is Top10 in both defensive and offensive rebound percentage, grabbing an estimate of 9.31 in offensive rebound percentage and 16.22 on the defensive end, as good as fourth and eighth respectively among all small forwards that have played 150 minutes minimum this Euroleague season.

With the Czech forward going after every missed shot, determination is clearly not a problem. Defensive rebounding percentage could be higher, but Vesely’s tendency to get out on the break in a hurry probably plays a part here. Adding muscle will help improve his stability on the boxout. How playing on the best offensive rebounding team in the Euroleague – not only this season, but over the last three seasons – influences the rebounding stats is debatable.

http://www.in-the-game.org/?p=6979 that was written a yaer ago

[sfam]

I just don't like the idea of sinking our draft hopes into Schrodinger's player.

This may be my favorite line of the entire thread.

That said, I always like an enigma all wrapped up in an mystery.

[Cramer]

Finishing at 74% at the rim is pretty beast.

If we are able to trade up for Kanter, how would you guys split our frontcourt minutes between Kanter, Blatche, McGee, Booker, and Seraphin. I imagine that Kanter would get a significant number of minutes both at C and at PF, but that is a lot of players for not as many minutes.

Define 74% finishing at the rim? He finished 74% of the time he got to the rim (which ain't too impressive) or 74% of his buckets were at the rim (in which case can we discuss his overall shooting percentage)?

As for minutes, let me take a stab at it. 100% of Seaphin's minutes are the NBDL learning the game and 100% of Blatche's minutes are in another city learning the bars and strip joints?

I can dream can't I?

[hands11]

Anyone see this?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2011 ... ler-110618

"Please, I know you're going to write something. I'm just asking you, don't write it in a way that makes people feel sorry for me," he said. "I hate that. There's nothing to feel sorry about. I love what happened to me. It made me who I am. I'm grateful for the challenges I've faced. Please, don't make them feel sorry for me."

Can we please draft Jimmy Butler at 18? He's like the anti-knucklehead.

Very touching. A very lucky young man to find that. Props to his new found mother and father for being amazing people. Thanks for posting this. I think we could all use more of this kind of story in our lives. Very inspiring.

He reminds me of AD

[sfam]

Finishing at 74% at the rim is pretty beast.

If we are able to trade up for Kanter, how would you guys split our frontcourt minutes between Kanter, Blatche, McGee, Booker, and Seraphin. I imagine that Kanter would get a significant number of minutes both at C and at PF, but that is a lot of players for not as many minutes.

The combo most like is Kanter and McGee on the floor together. In my perfect world, we dump Blatche for a mid-to-late first round pick just to improve our all around professionalism and BBIQ. Hopefully we pick a wing with that pick, which would leave a nice rotation:

C: McGee, Seraphin
PF: Kanter, Booker

[keynote]

I just don't like the idea of sinking our draft hopes into Schrodinger's player.

This may be my favorite line of the entire thread.

That said, I always like an enigma all wrapped up in an mystery.

I agree that JV is a cipher. A cipher wrapped in an enigma . . . and smothered in secret sauce.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nZGjU245qM[/youtube]

[hands11]

Count me in as believing that Vesely is a better long-term running mate than Kanter. Vesely has a way higher basketball iq, and sprints back on defense. Reads defenses and loves posting up undersized small forwards at 7 feet. He has excellent hands at catching entry post past. I mean great hands. He really boost the perimeter defensive iq of this team and is a ball mover on offense. He really shows mastery of the offensive system they used in Partizan. We can get Vucevic or Tyler at 18 and shouldn't miss a beat. Tyler has beautiful arc on his shot, iso ability, shot blocking ability and raw post strength that our team doesn't have. Vucevic has a pretty sharp jumpshot, moves fluidity with a 9'4 standing reach. He may be soft but as a professional quality about him as a bench player. He is pretty close in talent to Kanter. If Kanter falls to 6 i would probably take him but we had to sacrifice alot and hope for alot to get atlanta 18 pick. If we are able to purchase another teens pick for a discount price I still would be hesistant about not getting vesely.
Vesely is Partizan's best defensive player, has the highest iq, sprints back on every possession to stop fast breaks hits turn around jumpers, loves posting up, has extensive playbook knowledge. He is an invaluable player to have on a team. I like Kanter's rebounding and touch inside but he isn't a defensive player and he isn't going to helpful getting back on transition defense. there is a drop off from tyler to kanter but Kanter and i think vucevic is a better defensive player than Kanter.

Thanks

[Dat2U]

I don't how Kanter plays PF unless your going to have McGee play that role for him defensively. Either way I'm skeptical. If McGee has a tendency to get lost when he's 5 feet from the basket, I shriek to imagine how lost he'd look 20 feet from the basket.

I'd see it as this:

PF Blatche (32 minutes) Booker (16 minutes)
CE McGee (28 minutes) Kanter (20 minutes)

The minutes breakdown might vary based on performance, injuries & foul trouble but going into training camp this is what my initial expectations would be.

[hands11]

He has excellent hands at catching entry post past. I mean great hands. He really
boost the perimeter defensive iq of this team and is a ball mover on offense.

I wish that were the case, but it's not. His biggest knock is his terrible hands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QZxGrVc ... r_embedded

Hey now. Go easy.

[adarsh1]

Twitterverse is reporting the Wizards have a deal to move up and take Kanter. Take that FWIW

[FAH1223]

Twitterverse is reporting the Wizards have a deal to move up and take Kanter. Take that FWIW

[JWizmentality]

He has excellent hands at catching entry post past. I mean great hands. He really
boost the perimeter defensive iq of this team and is a ball mover on offense.

I wish that were the case, but it's not. His biggest knock is his terrible hands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QZxGrVc ... r_embedded

Hey now. Go easy.

A lot of people use hands to jerk off.

[tontoz]

Finishing at 74% at the rim is pretty beast.

If we are able to trade up for Kanter, how would you guys split our frontcourt minutes between Kanter, Blatche, McGee, Booker, and Seraphin. I imagine that Kanter would get a significant number of minutes both at C and at PF, but that is a lot of players for not as many minutes.

The combo most like is Kanter and McGee on the floor together. In my perfect world, we dump Blatche for a mid-to-late first round pick just to improve our all around professionalism and BBIQ. Hopefully we pick a wing with that pick, which would leave a nice rotation:

C: McGee, Seraphin
PF: Kanter, Booker

That is what i am hoping. I would definitely be comfortable with those 4 bigs going forward.

[Wizardspride]

Finishing at 74% at the rim is pretty beast.

If we are able to trade up for Kanter, how would you guys split our frontcourt minutes between Kanter, Blatche, McGee, Booker, and Seraphin. I imagine that Kanter would get a significant number of minutes both at C and at PF, but that is a lot of players for not as many minutes.

The combo most like is Kanter and McGee on the floor together. In my perfect world, we dump Blatche for a mid-to-late first round pick just to improve our all around professionalism and BBIQ. Hopefully we pick a wing with that pick, which would leave a nice rotation:

C: McGee, Seraphin
PF: Kanter, Booker

That is what i am hoping. I would definitely be comfortable with those 4 bigs going forward.

I wouldn't be comfortable with that rotation at all.

Other than Kanter (maybe), you have limited offense.

[tontoz]

I wouldn't be comfortable with that rotation at all.

Other than Kanter (maybe), you have limited offense.

Booker and McGee are efficient scorers. Blatche is an inefficient scorer. Addition by subtraction.

Obviously if the opportunity to get a star big man was there then they should jump on it. I don't see the point of having Blatche if they are keeping Mcgee and they draft Kanter.