2012 NBA Draft - Part II

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Keep an eye on Louisville's PF/C Gorgui Deing.

http://arizona.sbnation.com/2012/3/24/2 ... tournament

Louisville sophomore Gorgui Dieng is a lot more than he appears on the surface. Yes, he's 6-11 with a 7-6 wingspan and the mobility and timing to block shots and grab rebounds. He's also a living example of the globalization of the game and how talent and character from any corner of the Earth has the opportunity to rise up and achieve greatness.

Dieng, 22, arrived in the United States in late 2009 to play one year of high school ball at Huntington Prep Academy in West Virginia. His English, non-existent when he arrived, is now fully fluent which helps us get a glimpse into the charm, intelligence and passion of this amazing young man.

Can't quite put my finger on it (j/k) but the Wizards had a guy with that size and ability.

During the NCAAs, Louisville has defeated some big teams with some marquee players. They defeated Georgetown, Michigan State, and Florida.

The son of a former school principal (now a legislator) from a small town two hours outside the capital of Senegal, Dieng grew up a soccer player until he was too tall for that game. But basketball was present in his life from age five and while still improving, he's far more advanced in his skills than other young players from Africa.

That was evident Thursday night when Dieng was the best player on the floor in Louisville's Sweet 16 win over Draymond Green and the Michigan State Spartans. Dieng had seven blocks, nine rebounds and three steals in that game.

Hey, this guy sounds like he's smart! And he comes up big in big games.

According to Synergy Sports Tech, Dieng is rated "Very Good" on the offensive end, converting about 51 percent of his post chances and 71 percent in transition. His numbers are better than Florida's Patric Young, who's ranked as the 10th overall pick in a 2013 mock draft.

"I think he's pretty strong," Dieng said about playing against Young in Saturday's Elite Eight contest. "But basketball, you need to be skilled first. He might be stronger than me, you never know, but you need to be skilled first to play basketball...I think I have to use my mind."

Dieng blocked Brad Beal a couple times at the end in their win over FL.

I don't really know enough about him, yet, but he sounds like a guy to look at if he comes out this season. I believe a win over Kentucky will all but guarantee he does.

This guy is in NO WAY an Anthony Davis--he is three years older. However, Dieng might play Davis very well. He's already helped his team beat Draymond Green, Bradley Bealy, Patric Young, Kenny Boynton, Henry Sims and Hollis Thompson. It wouldn't be a huge shock to see them beat Kentucky.

[DCZards]

Consig, when I say I'm off the Beal bandwagon and on the MKG wagon it's only because I believe the bigger, stronger MKG has more upside, especially on defense and as a rebounder. I've also been impressed by MKG's offense the last 2-3 games. It would be awfully hard to take a SG like Beal with the second pick--if that's what the Zards end up with--and leave a potential stud like MKG on the board.

However, from what I've seen of Beal, I would be very happy to take him over the other big men, including Robinson, Drummond and Sullinger, because the Zards desperately need his shooting/scoring...and an athletic, rangy, physical backcourt of Wall and Beal would be awesome to watch.

[WizTom]

Since this entire thread is based on hypothetical situations in the future (and it's the second hundred pages on the subject -- way to go Wizards dreamers!), I have a hypothetical scenario to put before you as food for thought. I'm not sure I have an answer. So here goes:

Wizards win the 1st pick in the lottery;

Utah calls offering their 2 first rounders + Kanter (or Favors). That would be picks like 9 or 10 plus 13 at the moment, which could net us players like Henson, Sully, Zeller, PJIII, or any one else who's fallen, plus a backcourt shooter;

and then

Portland calls offering the better of their 2 first rounders + Batum, which would probably be pick 4 or 5, getting us someone like T.Robinson, Drummond, perhaps Beal, Barnes, etc...

Do we say "screw 'em all" and take Anthony Davis, even though we have bigger holes to fill?

Or do we have enough confidence in our post rotation as it is to pass on Davis and fill some other needs?

I loved Kanter for us last year. Kentucky connection, fundamentally strong big man which we desperately needed, etc... I also like Favors because now we have Nene to cover the fundamentals big guy but no high-riser in the post rotation, as we saw the other night against Hibbert. Plus two picks to take shots at the BPA and/or fill wing holes.

And I like Batum, especially if we could get Beal or T-Rob, or even MKG, which would definitely make us competitive, if not playoff bound next year.

Then again, a frontline of Davis with Keveeen/Book/Nene and any shooters from our second rounders would be a great future.

Tough call. Thoughts? What would Ernie do? (Almost hope we don't have to find out...)

[Ruzious]

I get Deing and Fab Melo mixed up, but Deing seems to have his head on straigher than Melo. Still, it sounds like Melo is coming out this year and Deing next year. I've seen a little of Melo. He kinda reminds me of Blatche in his 1st couple of years with the Wiz - when Blatche could jump over a phone book. Deing seems more like Chandler as his upside as he gets stronger; not really like McGee, imo.

[Ruzious]

Since this entire thread is based on hypothetical situations in the future (and it's the second hundred pages on the subject -- way to go Wizards dreamers!), I have a hypothetical scenario to put before you as food for thought. I'm not sure I have an answer. So here goes:

Wizards win the 1st pick in the lottery;

Utah calls offering their 2 first rounders + Kanter (or Favors). That would be picks like 9 or 10 plus 13 at the moment, which could net us players like Henson, Sully, Zeller, PJIII, or any one else who's fallen, plus a backcourt shooter;

and then

Portland calls offering the better of their 2 first rounders + Batum, which would probably be pick 4 or 5, getting us someone like T.Robinson, Drummond, perhaps Beal, Barnes, etc...

Do we say "screw 'em all" and take Anthony Davis, even though we have bigger holes to fill?

Or do we have enough confidence in our post rotation as it is to pass on Davis and fill some other needs?

I loved Kanter for us last year. Kentucky connection, fundamentally strong big man which we desperately needed, etc... I also like Favors because now we have Nene to cover the fundamentals big guy but no high-riser in the post rotation, as we saw the other night against Hibbert. Plus two picks to take shots at the BPA and/or fill wing holes.

And I like Batum, especially if we could get Beal or T-Rob, or even MKG, which would definitely make us competitive, if not playoff bound next year.

Tough call. Thoughts? What would Ernie do? (Almost hope we don't have to find out...)

I know those sound like good scenarios, but you gotta keep the pick if you get Davis. He's a phenom.

[Nivek]

WizTom -- If I was making the call, I'd stay at number one and draft Davis. I'd cut Lewis and amnesty Blatche, then go shopping in free agency for additional help.

Also (if DX is to be believed), I'd try to pick up an extra 2nd round pick and see if I could come away with Jae Crowder and Marcus Denmon (emphasis on Crowder).

[WizTom]

WizTom -- If I was making the call, I'd stay at number one and draft Davis. I'd cut Lewis and amnesty Blatche, then go shopping in free agency for additional help.

Also (if DX is to be believed), I'd try to pick up an extra 2nd round pick and see if I could come away with Jae Crowder and Marcus Denmon (emphasis on Crowder).

I think I agree, but it would at least make me think twice. Seeing a team like Indiana (and the early century Pistons) do well with an ensemble cast makes me wonder...

And wasn't Favors supposed to be a "phenom" as Ruzious called Davis?

It completely blows my mind that Ernie couldn't get Denver's 2nd rounder in the trade (currently #39). They look to be capped out as it is next year, with no room for what could be the nominally wasted salary of a 2nd rounder putting them in tax territory. Opportunity Lost, thy name is Grunfeld.

[nate33]

Since this entire thread is based on hypothetical situations in the future (and it's the second hundred pages on the subject -- way to go Wizards dreamers!), I have a hypothetical scenario to put before you as food for thought. I'm not sure I have an answer. So here goes:

Wizards win the 1st pick in the lottery;

Utah calls offering their 2 first rounders + Kanter (or Favors). That would be picks like 9 or 10 plus 13 at the moment, which could net us players like Henson, Sully, Zeller, PJIII, or any one else who's fallen, plus a backcourt shooter;

and then

Portland calls offering the better of their 2 first rounders + Batum, which would probably be pick 4 or 5, getting us someone like T.Robinson, Drummond, perhaps Beal, Barnes, etc...

Do we say "screw 'em all" and take Anthony Davis, even though we have bigger holes to fill?

Screw 'em all. Take Davis.

Nene, Davis and Seraphin would be a great front line once Davis fills out a bit. Vesely and perhaps Booker become trade bait to fill the vacancies at wing. It would also be time to start using that potential cap money. With Wall and Davis aboard, we'd have the talent base to eventually compete for a championship. The next task would be to fill up the roster with quality youngish vets as soon as possible.

[The Consiglieri]

Interesting article on Barnes at Grantland

Link:

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/773 ... -tar-heels

"...but the somewhat liberating truth is that Harrison Barnes just wasn't a great basketball player. He was good, sure, and shot the ball with a confidence that went far beyond his youth, but he never really developed any other part of his game....... he did not really improve as a basketball player.1 Before Kendall Marshall, the most gifted passer in college basketball, came along, Barnes was pretty much the player he was this past Friday and Sunday. It's not entirely fair to judge Barnes in two games without his point guard, but it's particularly damning that a lottery-bound perimeter scorer couldn't create his own shot against the mighty Ohio Bobcats. On Sunday, in the biggest game of his career, Barnes missed his last six shots and looked lost when the game was on the line..."

".......1.Here's the other problem, particularly for whatever NBA team drafts Barnes. It's possible that the reason why he didn't improve is that there just isn't much ceiling left. Barnes has no first step, he doesn't have a particularly great feel for the game, especially in the half court, and he doesn't play much defense. I guess he's technically a good rebounder for his size, but he's rarely showed sustained effort on the boards. He'll probably settle somewhere between Arron Afflalo and Jared Dudley, but definitely not much more than that. Carolina's other all-purpose super-recruit, Marvin Williams, had some of the same problems. He would show flashes in pretty much every part of his game, but could never find the one thing he could do to consistently affect the play on the court. Barnes is a much, much better shooter than Marvin was, but he's not the same level of athlete. It's just difficult to see where Barnes would really fit in an NBA roster — he'll shoot well from beyond the arc, but do you really want to spend a top-five pick on a jump shooter who couldn't get to the rim in college? ...."

[nate33]

It'll be interesting to see how Barnes performs in the combine. If he shows great athleticism, good quickness and hops, some teams will be fooled into thinking he can learn to slash and penetrate. He'll probably stay in the top 5-7 range.

If Barnes shows merely average athleticism, I wouldn't be surprised to see him fall into the teens.

[closg00]

WizTom -- If I was making the call, I'd stay at number one and draft Davis. I'd cut Lewis and amnesty Blatche, then go shopping in free agency for additional help.

Also (if DX is to be believed), I'd try to pick up an extra 2nd round pick and see if I could come away with Jae Crowder and Marcus Denmon (emphasis on Crowder).

I think I agree, but it would at least make me think twice. Seeing a team like Indiana (and the early century Pistons) do well with an ensemble cast makes me wonder...

And wasn't Favors supposed to be a "phenom" as Ruzious called Davis?

It completely blows my mind that Ernie couldn't get Denver's 2nd rounder in the trade (currently #39). They look to be capped out as it is next year, with no room for what could be the nominally wasted salary of a 2nd rounder putting them in tax territory. Opportunity Lost, thy name is Grunfeld.

We don't know that he didn't try to get that pick, but Ernie has a history of bending-over for some reason, even when he has the stronger bargaining position....it's a pattern.

[LyricalRico]

Haven't been following the discussion in this thread, so maybe I'm late...but...what's the concensus on Terrence Jones? I've liked watching him during the tournament. Seems more mature than a sophmore IMO. But is he a SF or PF? Saw him hit a couple 3's over the last few games, but is that actually part of his game?

[FAH1223]

Haven't been following the discussion in this thread, so maybe I'm late...but...what's the concensus on Terrence Jones? I've liked watching him during the tournament. Seems more mature than a sophmore IMO. But is he a SF or PF? Saw him hit a couple 3's over the last few games, but is that actually part of his game?

he's a PF in the NBA. He has solid rebounding and his style is way more PF than it is SF. He's gotten a lot bigger this year.

[fishercob]

Terrence Jones has long been someone I didn't want because of attitude concerns, tweenerness, too reminiscent of Antoine Walker. That said, he was extremely impressive against Baylor. best game I've seen from him.

[The Consiglieri]

I gotta admit MKG is growing on me too. He definitely has the benefit of playing with alot of other talent like Davis and Jones. And his shooting is certainly a concern for me... a forward collection of MKG, Booker, Singleton and Vesely next season would again leave us with terrible shooting, and again put the scoring focus into the hands of Jordan Crawford, which would be disasterous IMO. Athough it could be VERY good defensively.

It would be cool and alittle funny to me if Washington's big draft picks this spring are RG3 and MKG. But if MKG is the Wizard's pick... seems to me we may need to renew our hope in Blatche, as he's really the only offensively skilled option to pair with MKG in the frontcourt. And we all know how that has worked for us.

I do still like Beal alot. I would be happy with either. I think Beal fits more of a need, and I would love to see a Wall-Beal backcourt. I just think their skills mesh perfectly and that pair would be something to build on, like the Arenas-Hughes backcourt could of been.

If MKG is the pick, I think we could sign someone like UFA SG Belinelli to even out the lineup possibly.

We just really have a mess of a roster when you look at it. The pick of Vesely was just really terrible last year. And then following that pick with Singleton really seems to have put us in a hole. I like MKG, and Robinson both ALOT, but see Beal as the best pick for us. But any way to break it down, we have major holes at SG, SF, and PF and just need to take the BPA. We'll see where our pick ends up... if we end up at 5 or 6 our pick will basically be made for us anyway once again choosing whoever is left.

It wouldn't be funny, but PJ3 and RG3 from Baylor would be quite unusual. However, I've got no interest in PJ3 unless we get a second #1 and use it on him. Too passive, too beta.

[closg00]

Terrence Jones has long been someone I didn't want because of attitude concerns, tweenerness, too reminiscent of Antoine Walker. That said, he was extremely impressive against Baylor. best game I've seen from him.

Noted also, Jones has improved and he's a big body....could be a draft steal for where he likely will be picked.

[Rafael122]

WizTom -- If I was making the call, I'd stay at number one and draft Davis. I'd cut Lewis and amnesty Blatche, then go shopping in free agency for additional help.

Also (if DX is to be believed), I'd try to pick up an extra 2nd round pick and see if I could come away with Jae Crowder and Marcus Denmon (emphasis on Crowder).

I think I agree, but it would at least make me think twice. Seeing a team like Indiana (and the early century Pistons) do well with an ensemble cast makes me wonder...

And wasn't Favors supposed to be a "phenom" as Ruzious called Davis?

It completely blows my mind that Ernie couldn't get Denver's 2nd rounder in the trade (currently #39). They look to be capped out as it is next year, with no room for what could be the nominally wasted salary of a 2nd rounder putting them in tax territory. Opportunity Lost, thy name is Grunfeld.

We already have 2 2nd round picks this year, and another 2 2nd round picks next year. We've got 6 picks in the next two drafts, do we really need more?

[The Consiglieri]

Haven't been following the discussion in this thread, so maybe I'm late...but...what's the concensus on Terrence Jones? I've liked watching him during the tournament. Seems more mature than a sophmore IMO. But is he a SF or PF? Saw him hit a couple 3's over the last few games, but is that actually part of his game?

I remember reading a Ford chat where he said the plunging value of Jones was directly related to a player comp scouts and GM's around the league had told them they'd settled on, "Antoine Walker,". I personally think se he he represents value in that 10-20 area because its impossible to imagine him becoming a flat out bust, he knowns how to play the game on the offensive end and get his points. Problem is, he's not seen as much else.

[Nivek]

I'd forgotten Washington had Dallas' 2nd round pick. They don't need another one, then. If the DX rankings are reasonably accurate, they should be able to get a couple good players in the 2nd round.

[truwizfan4evr]

I'd forgotten Washington had Dallas' 2nd round pick. They don't need another one, then. If the DX rankings are reasonably accurate, they should be able to get a couple good players in the 2nd round.

I still rather move up and get in the first round. Trade both are secound round picks for a first rounder.