2012 NBA Draft

[Ruzious]

That's Al Saunders.

Either that or Flip Wilson.

Sorry, the devil made me say that.

[Dat2U]

Sullinger is falling down my rankings. Nothing based on his performance but more his ceiling in comparison to other prospects. I think he has better value more of a mid-to-late lottery pick IMO.

[7-Day Dray]

Sullinger is falling down my rankings. Nothing based on his performance but more his ceiling in comparison to other prospects. I think he has better value more of a mid-to-late lottery pick IMO.

I've also cooled on Sullinger. He's a skilled offensive player, but I he'll never become dominant offensively in the NBA because of his size & lack of athleticism. He's also projects to be a poor defender at the next level. I'm not as worried about that because we have a big that can protect the rim in JaVale, but I still think that we should ain at getting two-way players at all 5 of our starting positions.

[Ruzious]

Duke's playing Ohio State right about now, so hopefully there's a great matchup between Sullinger and Plumlee... or Plumlees. Right now, I think Sullinger is a top half of the lotto pick, because he's a real student of the game - and the more people say he has a low ceiling, the better he gets.

The 7'1 kid on Illinois - Meyers Leonard - showed a lot of abiity against Maryland tonight. He's a sure lotto pick, but he's raw and doesn't yet understand how to play with physicality. I think he should stay in school another year.

Marquette's got yet another underrated tough wing player - they've had Wes Matthews, Lazar Hayward, and Jimmy Butler, and now.... Jae Crowder. He kinda looks like a 6'6 version of Kenneth Faried, so CCJ should like him. He doesn't fit an NBA mold, so he's undervalued (not even ranked as a draft pick by Draftexpress.com), but there's a lot to like about him - projecting him as a complementary player in the NBA. He's extremely efficient, and he doesn't turn the ball over. Some of his numbers might be a bit inflated, because Marquette plays a very up-tempo game, but there's no doubting his efficiency - 72,7% of his 2 point FG's, 40% of his 3's on high volume, and 84,6% of his FT's - a huge improvement over his 61.6% last season. And he rebounds and passes well. How he matches up defensively to quick forwards is what to look for. He can certainly over-power most of them.

[Rafael122]

Not impressed with Jared so far. I wouldn't take this kid in the lottery. Good kid, good talent, just not a lottery talent. If we had a pick in the 20s, definitely. Not at say..6.

[mhd]

I'd put Quincy Miller as the 3rd best prospect. I like him better than Barnes. More potential. MUCH better ball handler.

[7-Day Dray]

Austin Rivers has talent as a scorer, and he's actually been making a few good passes in the drive-n-dish, but he still gets tunnel vision too much when he gets into the lane. He's pretty one-dimensional.

[Dat2U]

I think Sullinger is smart, crafty & skilled enough to be more than just a guy on the next level but the limitations will be apparent in two areas, low post scoring and challenging shots defensively. There just isn't enough lift or explosion for him to really dominate in the post. He struggles finishing against some of the top caliber college guys. Secondly he's not going to be a guy that's going to deter or make shots difficult for his opponent. He's a space eater and plays below the rim player.

Effectively I see him as a quality NBA player. Just not star. Not a player I'd spend a top 5 pick on. Now if were a late lottery team picking in the early teens, he's got much better value. I think he's somewhere in between Carlos Boozer (very productive but flawed) and Brandon Bass (productive but flawed).

[miller31time]

Effectively I see him as a quality NBA player. Just not star. Not a player I'd spend a top 5 pick on. Now if were a late lottery team picking in the early teens, he's got much better value. I think he's somewhere in between Carlos Boozer (very productive but flawed) and Brandon Bass (productive but flawed).

Agreed, which is why I'd compare him (at least in productivity) to a Paul Millsap-type player. Maybe a bit worse on defense, but not by much.

In a weak draft, you consider him with your early 1st rounder. But this draft should be far from weak.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Dat and miller, we all agree. I see Sullinger anywhere outside of the top-6 or so picks. Great kid and will be a solid but unspectacular pro. He will be able to help great teams with scoring off the bench and he won't ever be a liability to his team unless they have no shot blocking or perimeter defense.

[fishercob]

I don't think anyone is making the argument that Sullinger should be considered ahead of Davis, Drummond, Barnes or Beal. No one is saying he has elite athleticism, are they?

Did anyone happen to notice the TEAM for which he is the central figure dominated Duke last night? Did anyone happen to catch that? I know it was very subtle; you had to watch quite closely.

Here's what I like -- he's shown a proclivity for improvement, dedication, and thinking the game. He may never have, oh I don't know, say Andray Blatche's "athleticism" or "length", but he'll destroy a player like Blatche and beat his team every time. Would he have some trouble guarding Amare Stoudemire or Dirk Nowkitzki. Yes he would. And he'd be in good company. There's a lot of really good bigs who arent explosive, by the way: Horford, Boozer, Tim Duncan, Love, Bogut, Zach Randolph, etc.

Someone mentioned McGee. If McGee can grow on the defensive end, especially in terms of positioning and seeing the court (big ifs, I know), then he'd be the perfect complement for Sullinger.

If we picked Sully in the mid-late lotto, I think I'd be happy.

[REDardWIZskin]

The question we should be asking is, does he have the ability to be a Zach Randolph or Kevin Love type of player. Would be nice if sumone could pull up their college stats to try and project his skill and how it should transition. He's shown that he's adding range to his shot and a Love/Randolph type player would be worth top5 5 in any draft, but the potential of some of these other guys may be just too hard to pass up.

[Ruzious]

Not to be confrontational (Who me? Never!), but did you guys even watch the game last night? Sullinger was the main reason Ohio just demolished Duke - with Duke being the 2nd ranked team in the country. He set the tone early by showing that Miles Plumlee simply couldn't begin to guard him by himself- and Plumlee will likely be a starting big in the NBA. After that, Sullinger was mostly a decoy, and Ohio State did whatever else they wanted to do. Plumlee got virtually all his points really after the game was decided - which was early. And Ohio State manages to be a very good defensive team - even with Sullinger - and no other bigs. It didn't even matter that Austin Rivers was the best guard in the game. Guys, I'm telling you - Sullinger will be a stud in the NBA. And this is coming from someone who was skeptical about him at the beginning of his frosh year.

Btw, even though Craft got beaten off the dribble a few times by Rivers, I love the way he plays PG. There's got to be a spot for him in the NBA when his college career is over. And Deshaun Thomas is someone to keep an eye on for the future- a good (not great) athlete with a strong build who can do a little of a lot of things. He needs another year in college, but he could be something special.

Edit - according to NBADraft.net, Sullinger measured 6'10 with a 7'1 wingspan at the 2011 Amare Skills Academy.

[fishercob]

Wow, Ruz is agreeing with me! Let's go listen to the Allmans together to celebrate!

[Ruzious]

Wow, Ruz is agreeing with me! Let's go listen to the Allmans together to celebrate!

I loves listening to the Allman Bros. Yeah, I was skeptical about his ceiling, but every time I see him, he's better than he used to be. Look at Steve Nash. He's small, he's an average athlete... He's a freaking 2 time NBA MVP, because he's super-smart and has amazing instincts and self-confidence. Sullinger has those kind of intangibles.

[Rafael122]

I doubt Sullinger is 6'10''. But OK. On a couple of occasions, Sullinger got his stuff blocked by one of the Plumlee brothers. If he can't post up on them in college, he's not going to post up against bigger, and stronger players in the pros.

BTW, love Aaron Craft's game. Good defender, pure point guard. Would be awesome to get another pick in the 20s to get him.

[fishercob]

I doubt Sullinger is 6'10''. But OK. On a couple of occasions, Sullinger got his stuff blocked by one of the Plumlee brothers. If he can't post up on them in college, he's not going to post up against bigger, and stronger players in the pros.

BTW, love Aaron Craft's game. Good defender, pure point guard. Would be awesome to get another pick in the 20s to get him.

And here's Tim Duncan getting blocked by some Euro stiff:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbipPGGXUIk[/youtube]
How Sullinger measures is going to be pretty important, for sure. But Duke has a lot of big dudes and they usually play great D -- and he dominated them. That tells me something.

I wish we could see Sully against that Carolina front court.

[Ruzious]

I doubt Sullinger is 6'10''. But OK. On a couple of occasions, Sullinger got his stuff blocked by one of the Plumlee brothers. If he can't post up on them in college, he's not going to post up against bigger, and stronger players in the pros.

BTW, love Aaron Craft's game. Good defender, pure point guard. Would be awesome to get another pick in the 20s to get him.

You'd probably have to wait till 2014 to get Craft. I'd put a $2 bet out that whoever drafts Sullinger in 2012 will draft Craft in 2014.

Sullinger probably isn't a full 6'10, but I'll give him a hair over 6'9, and that's at least an inch taller than most people say he is.

[fugop]

Sullinger would be my #1 target. He's a sure thing with a good head on his shoulders, in contrast to the question marks that are Drummond and Davis.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Wow, Ruz is agreeing with me! Let's go listen to the Allmans together to celebrate!

I loves listening to the Allman Bros. Yeah, I was skeptical about his ceiling, but every time I see him, he's better than he used to be. Look at Steve Nash. He's small, he's an average athlete... He's a freaking 2 time NBA MVP, because he's super-smart and has amazing instincts and self-confidence. Sullinger has those kind of intangibles.

When is the last time the Wizards had a super-smart player? Juwan might have pilfered shades but he did maximize his ability in a big way one season. Is Sullinger better than Howard? Yes, I do think he is.

Put me onboard for liking another round PF.

There are better players and I'm not as excited by him as a player like Faried, but Sullinger will succeed at the next level. Whoever said Zach Randolph, that's better than the Boozer comparison I was making before. Sullinger can be a Randolph at the next level. Zach was labeled a thug for his off court stuff, but if you saw this last playoffs, you witnessed a very smart, confident player in Randolph.