Official 2013 Draft Thread - Part II

[stevemcqueen1]

Nice clutch rebound and FTs from Shabazz to seal the big win against #11 Arizona. He's been getting pretty good looks at the basket tonight but his shot hasn't been falling. It was nice to see him dial in on the defensive end and make an impact even as he was cold on the other side of the floor.

[stevemcqueen1]

Porter with 18 FT attempts so far tonight. He's been as aggressive as I've ever seen him and he's really been going to work inside and from mid range. His mid range game is pretty diverse.

[AFM]

Word, steve. He straight killin' em tonight.

[stevemcqueen1]

Porter has also taken it to another level defensively down the stretch here to try and distance his team FTW. Great length and activity level. He's such a cerebral player, anticipates the game well. I'm thinking he's going to end up being a really good defender when he gets strong.

I'm feeling that Shane Battier comparison from a defense, body type, and intangibles perspective. Only let's say something like Nic Batum's offense with that potent mid range game and the command of the 3 ball.

He had a monster game tonight. Stuffed the entire box score.

I think we end up picking 6th or 7th or so. At that point, Zeller, Noel, and Muhammad going to be gone. I think that's the ideal range for Porter.

I think the fates are aligning and Porter is our guy. Just like with Beal last year. Great fit, big need, very likely an ideal value in our draft range. Picking him makes too much sense.

[stevemcqueen1]

We're third worst right now. I'm pretty confident we won't pass Detroit or Toronto in wins. Cleveland is close. They are pretty bad. Phoenix, New Orleans, Sacramento, and Minnesota are also bad. But I'd be shocked if we passed all of them. Orlando and Charlotte are horrible. They aren't passing us in wins.

I'm thinking we realistically finish fourth or fifth worst. That means our most likely draft pick is fifth or sixth.

1.) Charlotte - McLemore
2.) Orlando - Smart
3.) Cleveland - Noel
4.) New Orleans - Zeller
5.) Minnesota - Muhammad
6.) Washignton - Porter

[Ruzious]

He'd be ok in spot up shooting situation...but I'm not sure I believe "does try to play defense"=he plays defense. He's slow and injury prone, albeit an absurdly good shooter. I'd be ok spending a mid 2nd rounder on him. I don't know if I think he has as much upside as a poor man's Anderson. He's had a helluva half so far against Miami. If Kadji wasn't **** 25 years old he'd make a good 2nd round prospect as well.

Well, I think today's game de phenom made believers of a lot of people who sign checks. Imo, there's no way he gets past both Miami and San Antonio - if they have their 1st round picks on draft day. 14 shots taken; 36 points scored - against the 5th ranked team in the nation - in a close game. Your boy Kadji couldn't cover him to save his life. His release is so quick that you have to try to have someone stay on him out to the 3 point line at all times. And that quick release is going to make him not just a high percentage 3 shooter - but a high volume 3 point shooter - like Anderson. And you can talk about him being slow, but he gets a decent amount of steals/blocks, because he plays smart positional defense - which is fine if he plays on a good defensive team.

Larkin forced a bunch of shots but still played a heckuva game and competed very well.

First of all, Kadji isn't "my boy" and nor was he covering him all game. Although he should have stayed glued to him but they allowed the dribble drive penetration to kill em. When someone is THAT hot you have to stay glued to em. That and that fat bucket of lard in Reggie Johnson (I think that is his name) was about as useful as a bucket of lard. Their coach sabotaged their chances of winning by giving him any burn in the 2nd half.

He exaggerates contact on his "charges" he's a flopper. It'll eventually catch up to him if the NBA really cares about protecting their image (i imagine we'll see it regulated better with silver running the show). Anderson is a starting quality forward in this league, I don't Kelly will ever reach that point. He's matt bonner, without the red hair. Dead eye shooter, pretty mediocre to below average in every other aspect.

He's also going to be 23 by the time next season starts...I personally by the time a player is between 25-27, they aren't going to get much better...so I'm not sure what the upside is. If we could trade Vesely for a early 2nd, I'd absolutely do it, I don't mind having him on the team, but, and this is a big but, I'd like to focus on taking players with some room to grow and that have more utility then simply launching 3s (as direly as it may be needed in certain situations).

Ease up a little. I hope you know I didn't mean anything by calling Kadji your boy. Kelly's age is a non-issue. He's a 21 year old senior. His birthday is 4/9/91, so he'll be 22 when next season starts. As far as being a flopper, pretty much all Duke players are. Shane Battier is still the best in the NBA at it, and he's kindofa good defender. Speaking of the Blue Devil, Battier was 23 when he started in the NBA. As far as Anderson, I'd say he's more than just a starting quality forward. He's one of the most efficient and productive forwards in the NBA. Do I think Kelly's going to be as good as him? No. But I think he can become a very effective player in the same style as Anderson. Anyway, we can agree to disagree.

Speaking of shooters, Muhammad had another bad body language moment tonight - again when his team was doing well. PG Larry Drew failed to get him the ball on one possession. After time was out - and Bazz was going to get foul shots anyway, instead of going directly to the line, he appeared to confront Drew and tell him off - as Drew grimaced while listening. I appreciate that Bazz has a star mentality, but you don't tell off your senior PG on court - especially when you're a freshman - and Drew seemed to be having a very good game at the time.

[hands11]

I got Oladipo #1 and its not even close. I'm not worried one second about Oladipo fitting in with Wall / Beal. I would play any combination of them depending on match ups, with Oladipo / Beal playing 1-2 in certain situations.

Could you imagine Oladipo and Beal playing off each other? Both these guys just make the correct basketball play almost every time they touch the ball. We've seen how much better Beal makes the team by being a naturally smart and instinctive player. If we had two of those guys it could do wonders.

And just look at his numbers. You could argue his numbers as a junior are better than Jordan's junior year. The only place Jordan really has him is PPG (19.6 vs 14.1). But when you factor in the MJ took more than 6 more shots per game....it's debatable.

FG FGA FG% FT FTA FT% TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS

5.2 8.2 .633 2.9 3.9 .750 5.9 2.2 2.3 0.8 2.1 2.4 14.1 - Oladipo

8.0 14.5 .551 3.6 4.7 .779 5.3 2.1 1.6 1.1 2.2 2.3 19.6 - MJ

And thats not counting Oladipo's 3pt shooting numbers:

3P 3PA 3P%
0.9 1.8 .480

I'm not saying he's the next Jordan. I'm just saying I don't wanna be the Portland Trailblazers and end up with Bowie over Jordan because I just drafted Drexler.

VO is still my first choice as well. I have liked Otto also but VO is something special with the way he commands the floor. Otto is going to be good but he looks more like a system guy. More like a Prince or Trevor A type. We need to add a closers. Don't get me wrong. I like Otto and would be happy if they got him. He has been on my short list for a while now.

Victor Oladipo and Jeff Withey would be a solid draft. But honestly, there are several good player we can add from this draft. Lots of time to narrow it down still.

[nate33]

We're third worst right now. I'm pretty confident we won't pass Detroit or Toronto in wins. Cleveland is close. They are pretty bad. Phoenix, New Orleans, Sacramento, and Minnesota are also bad. But I'd be shocked if we passed all of them. Orlando and Charlotte are horrible. They aren't passing us in wins.

I'm thinking we realistically finish fourth or fifth worst. That means our most likely draft pick is fifth or sixth.

1.) Charlotte - McLemore
2.) Orlando - Smart
3.) Cleveland - Noel
4.) New Orleans - Zeller
5.) Minnesota - Muhammad
6.) Washignton - Porter

Porter has been playing too well lately. I thought he was safely going to end up in the 6-9 range, but now I think he might go top 3. Seriously, outside of Noel and McLemore, is there anybody out there who is a more productive player while having a prototypical NBA body? He is a guaranteed starter in the NBA, maybe not a star, but certainly not a guy you worry about. The other top prospects, Smart, Zeller, Muhammad, Oladipo, Bennett, all have big fat question marks.

Smart - What is he, a PG or a SG? Can he shoot?
Muhammed - Does he have the size for SF? Or the skills for a SG? Is he a bad teammate?
Zeller - Is he a tweener? Can he defend with those TRex arms?
Oladipo - Too small for SF. Not skilled enough for SG. His usage rate is extremely low for a top prospect.
Bennett - tweener forward. Can he defend?

I'm really worried that Noel and Porter will both be gone by the time we pick.

[hands11]

Holy crap McLemore is having a great game! He is just having a huge impact all around. He could go for 40 if Self keeps him in the game.

Very impressive. He now has 31 on 10-12 shooting, 7-9 from the line, 4-5 from 3. But I'm even more impressed with him getting 5 assists on a night when he is shooting so well.

Withey has 12 points, 8 rebounds and 8 blocks.

I been telling you Nate.

[jivelikenice]

Getting in the top 3 will be huge. That way we know we end up with McLemore, Nerlen, or Porter....if we end up outside of the top 3, I'd work the phones to try to jump back up....Maybe we take on some salary in exchange for moving up a couple spots??

[AFM]

Apparently you guys have forgotten we are Les Boullets. We will pick 6th.

[nuposse04]

if you're in the camp of wanting Porter, you kind of have to root against G-town in the tourney, if he continues stellar play like this and gets loads of national exposure, he's probably going top 3 unless we find out he as a 14 inch vertical. But judging from the fact he actually had a relatively decent put-back dunk...probably not something to bank on.

[stevemcqueen1]

Speaking of shooters, Muhammad had another bad body language moment tonight - again when his team was doing well. PG Larry Drew failed to get him the ball on one possession. After time was out - and Bazz was going to get foul shots anyway, instead of going directly to the line, he appeared to confront Drew and tell him off - as Drew grimaced while listening. I appreciate that Bazz has a star mentality, but you don't tell off your senior PG on court - especially when you're a freshman - and Drew seemed to be having a very good game at the time.

I think I saw what you're talking about. I don't think he told him off, he just stared Drew down. It was when he hoisted up a cockamamy shot in transition instead of passing Bazz the ball when he was open at the rim.

I think moments like that give a window into Bazz's mentality. And I don't think they are necessarily bad. First off, Drew is an awful PG. He deserves to catch some **** for the way he plays. He makes his team worse. He did it at UNC with . In general I think UCLA has significant identity and chemistry issues. If they don't have a rigidly defined set play to run, they won't work the ball around to get a good shot. The players play for themselves too often. I get the feeling Kyle Anderson would rather hoist a terrible shot rather than pass the ball to Shabazz when he thinks Shabazz has been too ball dominant.

Second, Bazz is an assertive, aggressive player. It doesn't matter what the score is, he's going full tilt and he's looking to score. I actually like that. I think that mentality is lacking in many of the top prospects.

[willbcocks]

Apparently you guys have forgotten we are Les Boullets. We will pick 6th.

Apparently you have forgotten that our GM is EG. We will pick first and select Shabazz.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Porter and Withey...

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Otto Porter is the pick for this team. He fills a need at SF, and he is a classic SF (no tweener) with ideal size and length, and all of the all-around skills wanted in a SF. He can shoot, he can handle, he can pass, he can rebound, he can defend, he can run, he can fit any tempo, he can play inside and out. His court IQ, his hustle, his demeanor and attitude, and his willingness to do the little things to benefit the team. This guy is a winner.

A Porter, Beal, Wall foundation would be worth building on. To have those 3 with the big vets Nene and Okafor inside would be fun to watch next season. In addition, Ted would love to add a popular local star player, especially from Georgetown. And he fits with Ernie's new model for this team of smart, team-oriented players who defend.

Unless Noel is there, I don't see how Porter isn't a Wizard next year. Although I could also see Ernie liking Zeller.
A replay of last year and getting the #3 pick wouldn't suck. Let the 1st couple picks unfold and see who's there for us like we did with Beal. That worked out pretty good.

[AWIZZINGBULLET]

Apparently you guys have forgotten we are Les Boullets. We will pick 6th.

I think the Wizards will be in good shape to get a real good player as long as they don't fall out of the top 7.

[Ruzious]

Speaking of shooters, Muhammad had another bad body language moment tonight - again when his team was doing well. PG Larry Drew failed to get him the ball on one possession. After time was out - and Bazz was going to get foul shots anyway, instead of going directly to the line, he appeared to confront Drew and tell him off - as Drew grimaced while listening. I appreciate that Bazz has a star mentality, but you don't tell off your senior PG on court - especially when you're a freshman - and Drew seemed to be having a very good game at the time.

I think I saw what you're talking about. I don't think he told him off, he just stared Drew down. It was when he hoisted up a cockamamy shot in transition instead of passing Bazz the ball when he was open at the rim.

I think moments like that give a window into Bazz's mentality. And I don't think they are necessarily bad. First off, Drew is an awful PG. He deserves to catch some **** for the way he plays. He makes his team worse. He did it at UNC with . In general I think UCLA has significant identity and chemistry issues. If they don't have a rigidly defined set play to run, they won't work the ball around to get a good shot. The players play for themselves too often. I get the feeling Kyle Anderson would rather hoist a terrible shot rather than pass the ball to Shabazz when he thinks Shabazz has been too ball dominant.

Second, Bazz is an assertive, aggressive player. It doesn't matter what the score is, he's going full tilt and he's looking to score. I actually like that. I think that mentality is lacking in many of the top prospects.

Yeah, that star mentality is a great thing in many ways - He's got cojones grandes when it comes to taking big shots. He demands as much as commands the ball. But I think he's going to have to tone it down some until he actually becomes a star. Otherwise, he may end up isolating himself from his teammates.

One scorer I've overlooked until now that I think might go in the lottery is Georgia sophomore Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (an all-star name anyway). He's listed as a 6'6 205 guard, but his rebounding suggests maybe he can play some small forward - he's averaged 9 boards a game the last 6 games. He's a gunner, but his shooting and scoring numbers have improved dramatically since his freshman year to the point where he has become reasonably efficient - his shooting percentages are solid, and he gets to the line twice as much as he did as a frosh. And he also averages 2.1 steals a game - showing along with his rebounding that he's not just a gunner. If he was 2 inches taller, he'd be nice fit for the Wiz, but if the Wiz do pick up a late lotto, he could push people (like Burke or McCollum) down - if he declares for the 2013 draft.

[Upper Decker]

Is porter big enough to play the pf spot for small stretches like ariza has been doing lately?

[mhd]

Smart will go early b/c he's a point guard with an NBA body and a really good leader. He may have question marks, but b/c he's young, PG needy teams like Orlando will take him (although I think Orlando takes Noel 1st no questions asked).

Noel is going #1 IMO. The Bobcats would take him #1 b/c, again, game changing bigs are too hard to find. So what if they have Biyambo? Noel is the superior prospect. The Cavs would certainly take Noel as well. Orlando would love to pair Noel with the floor-bound Vucavic. The only that would not would be Detroit b/c they already have Drummond and Monroe. I also think the Kings would take Smart for his leadership qualities.

IMO, here would be the picks and preferences of the teams (in order of preferences):

Bobcats: (Noel, Mclemore, Shabaaz)
Kings: (Smart, Noel, Porter)
Pistons: (Smart, Mclemore, Porter, Shabaaz)
Magic: (Noel, Smart, Mclemore, Porter)
Raps: (Noel, Smart, Zeller)
Cavs: (Noel, Porter, Olapido, Zeller)