2012 NBA Draft - Part V

[Ruzious]

I'm impressed by Drummond's low body fat % - especially since his detractors like to call him lazy. The standing reach number wasn't particularly impressive, but I have to question the accuracy on everyone's standing reach numbers. Bruce, there's a delete button.

On MKG - bottom line, I hate to go by drills and workouts, but... if he can show he's changed his shooting motion, and it's relatively smooth, I consider him at 2. Otherwise - I don't think he's a better prospect than Ronnie Brewer was as a frosh. And I doubt a young player can be an effective leader in the NBA if he's not better than his teammates.

[rl25g]

Workout schedule: Robinson on Wednesday, Beal on Thursday, MKG on Friday.

link ???

[jivelikenice]

Did the agility measurements from the Combine get released yet?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Post-measurements and work-outs, Leonard has shot-up the mocks past Zeller, no-one knew ahout the T-Rex arms.

Zeller averaged 25 and 8 in the NCAAs. He improved his rebounding dramatically, and even had a 20/20 game with Henson out. He almost made 80% of his FTs. Tyler was the ACC POTY. He had a much higher PER than Harrison Barnes (but not John Henson, FWIW). He was also UNCs first Academic All America. He graduated with a 3.62 average. He consistently improved on the court, while excelling in the classroom and in life.

And all many detractors do is to hone in on a measurement that says Tyler Zeller has an 8'8" standing reach! It is inanely dumb and myopic IMO to conclude that his standing reach will hold Tyler Zeller back in the NBA.

When he is beating big men down the floor are his short arms going to slow him down? On a pick-and-roll, is he going to be unable to catch lobs for slams because of his short arms?

[7-Day Dray]

Did the agility measurements from the Combine get released yet?

No. Apparently they will by the end of the week.

[closg00]

Workout schedule: Robinson on Wednesday, Beal on Thursday, MKG on Friday.

link ???

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wiz ... _blog.html

[theboomking]

From a physical perspective i have to say wow to drummonds numbers. Someone whos 18 and 7 ft tall who weights 278 with little body fat who can jump 40 inches is monstrous. I would be curious about him from a defensive standpoint. I know we are debating between TROB, MKG and beal so the perrys seem out of the question so no surprises. We are working out rivers which makes me wonder..How much better is beal than rivers if at all? Rivers has a draft promise makes me think we will get him around 10 or 11

I really think Drummond is going to climb based on the vert, agility testing etc. Honestly, I know people here feel burned by McGee, and love Yoda, but as much as we need a potential star, I would consider Drummond pretty high. He's basically 7', 280 pounds, and is a Dwight Howard level athlete. He may be the kind of guy it is worth it to take a risk on. Even if he never gets it offensively, he is already a very good defender, and will probably turn the corner as a rebounder. Is a top 4 defensive center that rebounds worth a top 5 pick?

Anyone know when the athletic testing numbers will be made public?

[7-Day Dray]

From a physical perspective i have to say wow to drummonds numbers. Someone whos 18 and 7 ft tall who weights 278 with little body fat who can jump 40 inches is monstrous. I would be curious about him from a defensive standpoint. I know we are debating between TROB, MKG and beal so the perrys seem out of the question so no surprises. We are working out rivers which makes me wonder..How much better is beal than rivers if at all? Rivers has a draft promise makes me think we will get him around 10 or 11

I really think Drummond is going to climb based on the vert, agility testing etc. Honestly, I know people here feel burned by McGee, and love Yoda, but as much as we need a potential star, I would consider Drummond pretty high. He's basically 7', 280 pounds, and is a Dwight Howard level athlete. He may be the kind of guy it is worth it to take a risk on. Even if he never gets it offensively, he is already a very good defender, and will probably turn the corner as a rebounder. Is a top 4 defensive center that rebounds worth a top 5 pick?

+1 He disappointed his Frosh year, but UCONN was a mess and wasn't the right place for him to develop. I'm sure if he wasn't playing w/ two ballhog PGs that weren't looking for their own shots all the time and could hit him in the right spots, he would've had more confidence on offense. And he's a pretty good fit next to Nene, more than T-Rob IMO.

I think Barnes is getting slept on too, but I'm alone on that.

[DCZards]

Secondly, when you start talking about Wizards needs, you automatically lose me. The only need I see is talent. It's like I'm blind towards everything else right now.

Ok, let's talk talent. I believe Beal is as talented as TRob, MKG or anyone else who might be available with the third pick. The fact that he also addresses the Zards need for a great shooting wing player is an added benefit.

[willbcocks]

I'm solidly for Beal or MKG.

I don't like big men who aren't strong defenders. Robinson showed almost no potential to be a defensive presence in the middle in college, despite large physical advantages. No one was triple-teaming him on that end to prevent him from blocking shots, which is the reasonable excuse we hear about his fg%--he simply doesn't have it in his game. He'll be a good rebounder and possibly a very good scorer, but those type of big-men get paid big money (see Carlos Boozer, Al Jefferson) relative to their impact on the game.

Beal seems like a perfect fit with Wall and I just have a good feeling about him. OTOH, I'm very intrigued by the possibility of adding MKG to our defense. I think he's also likely to have the biggest impact compared to his salary over the next 10 years. Give me one of those two and I'm happy.

I'm more optimistic about our big man rotation than Dat, primarily because of Vesley's strong showing to end the year. In 15 games in April he averaged 8.5/7, 55% fg%, with 1.8 blocks/steals and a 1/1 assist/to ratio in 28 min/game. He also played very good defense when he wasn't matched up with physical bruisers, and had the same kind of infectious high energy play that is catapulting MKG to the top of the lottery.

His start to the season was predictly horrible, as he had no training camp, was a rookie, was injured, moved to a new country, and had his first coach promptly fired. He's also a system player who gets his points by cutting and moving without the ball, which made his problems even worse since we had no offense to start the year. Vesley is going to be an impact player for this team and a key rotation guy (either starting PF or super-sub) for the team moving forward.

[theboomking]

+1 He disappointed his Frosh year, but UCONN was a mess and wasn't the right place for him to develop. I'm sure if he wasn't playing w/ two ballhog PGs that weren't looking for their own shots all the time and could hit him in the right spots, he would've had more confidence on offense. And he's a pretty good fit next to Nene, more than T-Rob IMO.

I think Barnes is getting slept on too, but I'm alone on that.

I think Drummond is going to suck on offense. At least initially. He has nice soft hands, but just appears really uncoordinated shooting the ball, as exemplified by his FT shooting. Even early in his career however, he could be an utter beast on defense, and perhaps even on the boards.

I also think that Barnes is being slept on a bit. I think he is a better bet than a lot of lotto players, like Rivers, and even Sullinger. On the right team, like Cleveland, or Washington, a catch and shoot player, with size, that can also defend, would be a solid addition. Just not at the 3rd overall pick.

For a team that needs at least one more elite player, I could understand a swing for the fences approach with Drummond, or even PJIII in a trade down, . If we take a player like Beal, or Barnes, we are going to have to hope to consolidate talent later on to add that star.


I'm still not thrilled with Beal. As much as people on this forum want to discount measurements, length matters in the NBA. A player without length, that also isn't an explosive athlete, and also didn't shoot that well, has to raise red flags. Even Robinon makes me nervous. Given TRob's struggles against length in college, his only real shot at being an excellent offensive player, would be to develop his outside game a bit to try to emulate a player like Chris Bosh, who has 2 inches of height and 3 inches of standing reach on Robinson.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Chris-Bosh-1740/

[hands11]

i keep switching between Beal & MKG....right now im on the MKG bandwagon.....his passion & work ethic is what has me leaning towards him. It's definitely something the wizards are lacking. im still hoping we can pick up an additional 1st rd pick some how. im down w/ trading anybody but nene, seraphin, and wall.

I don't think this is true anymore. This isn't Andray Blatche's Wizards. With Nene, Seraphin, Booker, Vesely, Wall and Crawford, this team is full of guys who work hard and love to play. MKG would certainly fit into the new mindset, but I don't think we are a team that needs his leadership.

I was going to post the same type of thing when I read that.

As for leaders, it will depend on who they bring back. Nene is clearly the new vet leader. They also got a lot of maturity from having players like Mason, J SIngleton, Martin, Evans and even Cook.

Of all those vets, Mason seems to be very involved as a front court vet leader. He has a lot of good NBA experience and ties to the team. I would think they bring him back. He shouldn't cost to much and his leadership would be valuable along with his 3 ball.

After that, I think they have to bring back James Singleton. He also has a lot of experience and seems to be a mature leader. A vet that younger guys will listen to.

But this draft is not just about what fills the needs for next year. It is about the future. All those players listed above wont be leaders in 3 years. That is where I give Robinson some props. He seems to be that kind of guy. Beal is the right pick for fit but I'm not sure he has that leader thing that Robinson seems to have. Probably partly an age thing but even if was that, that give you Wall and Beal as future leaders. What about the post ? That is what tears me between the two. Suck we can't have both. We would be set for a long while.

Wall leads the guards and runs the team. Beal would be a great compliment.
Nene the team and the post players but who will replace him in 3 years. Kevin ? Ves ? Not sure I see them as that type. Maybe Kevin could grow into that kind of player as he matures and his English gets better. Same of Ves. Not sure. But I know Robinson is that kind of person.

Really tough call. Beal is clearly easier to add without having to move around a other pieces that we just added and are still learning about.

[hands11]

i keep switching between Beal & MKG....right now im on the MKG bandwagon.....his passion & work ethic is what has me leaning towards him. It's definitely something the wizards are lacking. im still hoping we can pick up an additional 1st rd pick some how. im down w/ trading anybody but nene, seraphin, and wall.

I don't think this is true anymore. This isn't Andray Blatche's Wizards. With Nene, Seraphin, Booker, Vesely, Wall and Crawford, this team is full of guys who work hard and love to play. MKG would certainly fit into the new mindset, but I don't think we are a team that needs his leadership.

This is why my money's on Charlotte taking MKG - they really need his leadership in a big way.

But Robinson would do that for them as well.

[hands11]

https://twitter.com/#!/TheHoopsReport

The Hoops Report ‏@TheHoopsReport


Who helped their stock the most in Chicago, according to sources? Draymond Green, Hollis Thompson, Will Barton, Damian Lillard, Meyers Leonard, Austin Rivers, Tony Wroten...

Damian Lillard seems to have a strong personality. I have a good feeling about him. He seems like a leader type.

[hands11]

I still think Drummond should be getting more recognition on this board. It seems that people forget that he was a Fr. and that he turns 18 y/o in August. He Freshman season was disappointing, but he still averaged double figures with two ball-hogging guards, had a solid rebounding rate, and was 2nd in the Big East in blocks. In comparison, a guy like T-Rob 2.5 ppg & 2.7 rpg as a freshman. T-Rob put in work to get to the point he is now (improved ball-handling and jumper), but what's not to say that Drummond can't improve the same way? Same thing applies for fellow Fr. MKG and Beal (but to a lesser extent because they only have solid/good physical tools).

And on T-Rob, he's a much worse fit than Drummond because a T-Rob/Nene frontcourt has no rim protection and would be a lay-up line for the other team. He would be a better fit for a team like Charlotte that has another rim protector beside him. Nene's touch would complement Drummond offensively, and Drummond's shot-blockling would complement Nene defensively.

My top 5 big board for the Wiz:

1. C Andre Drummond
2. SF/SG Harrison Barnes
3. SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
4. SG Brad Beal
5. PF Thomas Robinson

Funny how people see things differently. I would pretty much flip that list.

[FAH1223]

The Trail Blazers were one of "many teams" who were disappointed with Connecticut swingman Jeremy Lamb's pre-draft workouts.

Lamb acknowledged that teams want to see his "motor" and whether he can stand up to NBA contact, and he didn't help himself by failing to shoot well during drills. Another strike against him for Portland came during a media interview -- when asked whether he knew "anything about" the Blazers, he struggled to name LaMarcus Aldridge, then said he knew of "the light-skinned dude," who turned out to be Nicolas Batum.

[omegatronic3]

First of all when will the vert results be realeased.
Secondly Robinson's wingspan is a little bit of fools gold. The reason he has that big a wingspan is that he's very broad. As you can see by the reach his arms arent that long. Then again either are Blake Griffins.

I watched the combine and some interesting comments were made regarding measurements.
1) with big men scouts look at standing reach primarily and no step vert. That makes sense a big man needs to jump from a standstill and defends with hands straight up.

2) With wing players they look at runnung vert and wingspan because its more important for them to be able to block passing lanes

Other things i noticed Beal flubbed the agility test..had to do it over a couple of times. MKG had a hard time with the interview..gotta feel for him. Tobb has the physique of an NFL linebacker...dude is built

[hands11]

I feel confident that Wall at 21 and MKG at 18 will work to no end to become competent shooters. To write both off as being doomed to be nothing more than bad shooters seems a little presumptive.

And offensive skill is much more than just knocking down a jump shot.

Like most things in selecting draft picks it comes down to risk. There is a risk that Mkg won't develop a good shot, but I think the reward with MKG is higher than Beal and perhaps Robinson. I now think our lowest risk option is Beal, because he excels at a huge area of need for the Wizards. He's as close to NBA ready as he can be with one year of playing, and clearly can contribute big time next year. But three years down the road, we might be looking at MKG being an all-star level player (or perhaps, just a role player), while Beal is just a solid starter.

That said, EG seems to like to shoot for the fences as far as athletic types are, so it wouldn't at all surprise me if we went MKG if Robinson is taken second - in fact I would be surprised if he didn't.

I don't think there is a book on what Ted/EG will do. What people see as EGs past doesn't mean it is what will happen with Ted as the owner. You have two drafts to draw from. I would focus there. A Ted/EG team wouldn't draft a Nick Young. But with that said, I don't even think you can draw what they would do from those two drafts because that is what they did with an eye on being good a few years in the future. They went zero offense in the last draft because it was a PLANNED TANK. The tank is over and so is most of the tear down ( Lewis and dray remain). Now they are focusing on getting better now.

They are also focusing on fit and character/personality. I say there is zero chance they take a chance of a project like Drummond with a top pick. But I could see the Kings taking him at 5

CHA will most likely take Robinson so its going to come down to Beal or MKG and Beal. That is a tough call. There are valid reason to choice either.

If they go Beal, they would have PG and SG locked down for years to come. They have a stop gap post leader in Nene for a few years. KS is looking like a beastly scoring machine in the post with a feather soft touch from 12. Ves is the question that needs answered. What will be become ? Ves is that project that is all energy and intangibles that needs to add a shot. He only got part of one year with no summer camp. How much he grows over the summer and next year is going to have have a big impact on how this team is set up moving forward. Because they have their MGK project already in Ves, I think they go Beal.

To pick MKG is to ask on simple question. Can he significantly slow down LeBron or Durrant.

PS. Just watched the Royce White video. Very interesting. I will look forward to watching him in the NBA. Baby Griff meets Barkley.

[dangermouse]

The Trail Blazers were one of "many teams" who were disappointed with Connecticut swingman Jeremy Lamb's pre-draft workouts.

Lamb acknowledged that teams want to see his "motor" and whether he can stand up to NBA contact, and he didn't help himself by failing to shoot well during drills. Another strike against him for Portland came during a media interview -- when asked whether he knew "anything about" the Blazers, he struggled to name LaMarcus Aldridge, then said he knew of "the light-skinned dude," who turned out to be Nicolas Batum.

And this is why i want him the hell away from my Wizards.

He has no drive and he doesnt care. Talented as hell, physically gifted, but he just seems uninterested, lazy, and doesnt give a damn.

Will probably end up being worse than Nick Young.

[Knighthonor]

http://www.beltwaysportsblog.com/2012/0 ... he-choice/

good read