Official 2013 Draft Thread - Part II

[Ruzious]

I wouldn't draft Bazz if we were picking 11th. Best bet is to go big. Olynyk reminds me of Chris Kaman. Steven Adams is 2nd best bet as a defensive center behind Noel. Cody Zeller may slip. Maybe Rudy Goubert is actually worth the look (I admittedly haven't checked on him recently). Alex Len may be there as well. Willie Cauley-Stein if he comes out too. We should have options for a young big late in the lottery. Right now I'd lean toward Adams, Zeller or Olynyk. No real solid favorite yet though.

I think it's a bad idea to reach for a big just because they need a big. Adams is nowhere near ready to play in the NBA. Cauley-Stein has not made me a believer. He will make some impressive plays that make you say wow, but he really does not have a good feel for the game on a consistent basis - and consistency always end up beating flash - except in dunk contests.

And there is the trade down option. If we're picking 10 or 11, keep in mind Atlanta has 2 picks - now at 17 and 20. Better to have the 17 and 20 picks than to reach badly picking 11th. And you can get a center with one of those picks - Dieng and/or Withey should be available. Plus you get another player where you can be freer to choose BPA.

[payitforward]

...And there is the trade down option. If we're picking 10 or 11, keep in mind Atlanta has 2 picks - now at 17 and 20. Better to have the 17 and 20 picks than to reach badly picking 11th. And you ...get another player ...you can be freer to choose BPA.

Looking at those kind of deals over the last bunch of years, it appears more likely they were "trade up" situations -- e.g. if Atlanta saw someone they really wanted at #11, they might offer their #s 17 & 20?

But wherever we pick, I hope we always choose the BPA. I suppose the hard part is knowing who that is!

[dandrews]

I'm not a believer in McDermett. He can shoot, but he is really bad at defense. It doesn't matter if you put him at the 4 or the 3, he's going to get torched.

[popper]

...And there is the trade down option. If we're picking 10 or 11, keep in mind Atlanta has 2 picks - now at 17 and 20. Better to have the 17 and 20 picks than to reach badly picking 11th. And you ...get another player ...you can be freer to choose BPA.

Looking at those kind of deals over the last bunch of years, it appears more likely they were "trade up" situations -- e.g. if Atlanta saw someone they really wanted at #11, they might offer their #s 17 & 20?

But wherever we pick, I hope we always choose the BPA. I suppose the hard part is knowing who that is!

I believe in BPA but there's also value in multi-position utility. For instance, Zeller like Nene, may be able to play both the 4 and 5 positions. That would be a good fit for the Wizards next year backing up both Okafor and Nene. Also, Oladipo may be able to play the 2 and 3 positions which would be great backup utility for Beal and Ariza or Webster. My point is is that rather than going so deep to your bench for mediocrity (i.e. Martin, Singleton, etc.) you can tighten the rotation with better quality players (who would get substantial minutes backing up two positions instead of one).

[No-Man]

This team needs scoring, at 9 right now, for me the best guy available looks like Anthony Bennett, he is awful on defense, but he can play next to Nenê, he has an advanced offensive game, and he's way better, WAY WAY BETTER than Olynyk, Gobert (please, the guy is just awful, McGee meets Ajinca), Oladipo, Len, Austin or Saric.

The best fit is Muhammad, but he isnt slipping that far with Detroit, Cleveland, Phoenix and Minnesota up there drafting before us, Porter would be gone too at 9.


Nenê-Okafor
Bennett-Seraphin-Booker
Ariza-Singleton-Vesely
Beal
Wall

Draft some shooters in the 2nd round and sign a vet PG, maybe try to trade Vesely/Booker and resign Webster too.

[Upper Decker]

I wouldn't draft Bazz if we were picking 11th. Best bet is to go big. Olynyk reminds me of Chris Kaman. Steven Adams is 2nd best bet as a defensive center behind Noel. Cody Zeller may slip. Maybe Rudy Goubert is actually worth the look (I admittedly haven't checked on him recently). Alex Len may be there as well. Willie Cauley-Stein if he comes out too. We should have options for a young big late in the lottery. Right now I'd lean toward Adams, Zeller or Olynyk. No real solid favorite yet though.

I think it's a bad idea to reach for a big just because they need a big. Adams is nowhere near ready to play in the NBA. Cauley-Stein has not made me a believer. He will make some impressive plays that make you say wow, but he really does not have a good feel for the game on a consistent basis - and consistency always end up beating flash - except in dunk contests.

And there is the trade down option. If we're picking 10 or 11, keep in mind Atlanta has 2 picks - now at 17 and 20. Better to have the 17 and 20 picks than to reach badly picking 11th. And you can get a center with one of those picks - Dieng and/or Withey should be available. Plus you get another player where you can be freer to choose BPA.

I'm sort of with Dat on this one. After the top 8-9 prospect it's really shooting bullets in the dark. When this is all over we'll be picking 11th. At that point every prospect worth a damn will be gone and the Wiz can go one of two routes. Project big or back up PG. I don't see why the Hawks would trade up for the 11th pick when there is virtually no difference between the 11th and the 20th in this years draft. At 11 why not go with Adams or Willie Cauley Stein and hope he develops into solid defensive big.

Honestly I don't care that the Wiz aren't tanking. There are absolutely no players worth tanking for in this draft. I don't even think this draft projects to have a lot of starters.

Noel will probably be the only above average starter in the league (but he comes with risks). Porter, will likely peak as a solid starter and I see him as a John Salmons type player. Beyond that I wouldn't be surprised if the next wave of McLamore, Smart, Bennett, Zeller, and Olidapo get relegated to bench rolls rather quickly in their careers.

[gesa2]

If we draft at the end of the lottery, I'd rather take BPA than a project big, unless you can at least project that big to be able to play good team defense. Dat2U, are you making the Olynik - Kaman comparison as praise or criticism? Cause Kaman has always been so bad at D that he hurts his team overall. If Zeller drops I'd take him, otherwise I'd think about McCollum.

[Upper Decker]

When I watch Bennett play. I see someone that looks like Larry Johnson, but honestly he reminds more like a young Rodney Rogers. I think he may be okay as a face up 4, but defense will always be a concern. Maybe I'm underestimating his offensive potential right now.

Dat, that is a very good comparison. Bennett is about the same size as Rogers was and their games are very similar. Rogers could score and with range but he wasn't a beast inside. He didn't rebound or defend particularly well in the NBA, and despite his body he settled for a lot of jumpers.

Good comp, but I think Rogers had better quicks. I see Bennett as a smooth athlete, which isn't the best when you're a bad tweener.

[nate33]

There are absolutely no players worth tanking for in this draft. I don't even think this draft projects to have a lot of starters.

Noel will probably be the only above average starter in the league (but he comes with risks). Porter, will likely peak as a solid starter and I see him as a John Salmons type player. Beyond that I wouldn't be surprised if the next wave of McLamore, Smart, Bennett, Zeller, and Olidapo get relegated to bench rolls rather quickly in their careers.

People are letting one lousy weekend influence their thinking too much. This draft is the same draft that we were looking at last week. Overall, the draft looks pretty deep with rotation caliber players, but has no stars (with the possible exception of Noel). It's actually a good draft to be picking in the 6-10 range. I'm sure there will be 8 to 10 quality starters to come out of this draft (though some of them might take some time). We just need to make sure we find one.

Whatever we do, I really hope EG is planning on acquiring a quality stretch four somehow. Whether that's drafting one or trading for one, I don't care. But this team really needs a closing lineup with Nene at the 5 and a good stretch 4. Lately, Wittman has been making it work with Trevor Ariza at PF, but he can only do that for a few minutes. Ariza can't bang against real power forwards for any length of time.

[popper]

This team needs scoring, at 9 right now, for me the best guy available looks like Anthony Bennett, he is awful on defense, but he can play next to Nenê, he has an advanced offensive game, and he's way better, WAY WAY BETTER than Olynyk, Gobert (please, the guy is just awful, McGee meets Ajinca), Oladipo, Len, Austin or Saric.

The best fit is Muhammad, but he isnt slipping that far with Detroit, Cleveland, Phoenix and Minnesota up there drafting before us, Porter would be gone too at 9.


Nenê-Okafor
Bennett-Seraphin-Booker
Ariza-Singleton-Vesely
Beal
Wall

Draft some shooters in the 2nd round and sign a vet PG, maybe try to trade Vesely/Booker and resign Webster too.

With respect I think your lineup is flawed in a couple of respects. Nene can't protect the rim and can't jump more than about 8 inches so Okafor should start at center and Nene at PF. Seraphin can't defend in space and is too slow to cover stretch four's so he needs to backup Okafor. BTW, you mention Gorbert being awful. I haven't seen anything but highlights so whatever insight you can provide would be appreciated. Have you seen some games? What are his flaws, etc. Thanks

[Upper Decker]

If we draft at the end of the lottery, I'd rather take BPA than a project big, unless you can at least project that big to be able to play good team defense. Dat2U, are you making the Olynik - Kaman comparison as praise or criticism? Cause Kaman has always been so bad at D that he hurts his team overall. If Zeller drops I'd take him, otherwise I'd think about McCollum.

At what point of the draft does the project big become the BPA? Most mocks I've seen have Plumlee, McAdoo, MCW at 12-14. If that's the case I'd rather roll the dice on a project big. I would take Burks or McCollum before any project big, but I think they'll sneak into the top 10 right before the Wiz select.

[gesa2]

Upper Decker, if McCollum and Burks go top 10, somebody will have to drop that I'd take over the project bigs you list. Len at 11 would be the worst case scenario.

[davidgrant]

I think we could use a 2nd PG, so Trey Burke looks like a solid option. I also wonder if Mitch McGary will consider coming out early. He looks like a young Bill Laimbeer.

[DCZards]

Keep an eye on McAdoo. He's had a tough year at UNC because he's been asked to play out of position at center on a so-so Tar Heel team. I think he'll be a very good pro and wouldn't be surprised to see McAdoo move up the board to a 6-8 pick as we get closer to the draft.

If there's a player in this draft, other than Noel, who I think will be a star at the next level it's McLemore. He already has a sweet shooting stroke and a NBA body.

[mhd]

I'd honestly go with CCJ and have strong consideration and take McDermott at this rate. I KNOW he'll be a good NBA player and he's a team first guy and can be a stretch 4 for some phases. He's a leader, elite shooter, and his defensive deficincies will be masked somewhat by our overall team defense.

Finding a good young big is a priority IMO still. We have none, especially if Seraphin doesn't revert to last year's play (he's been better recently).

[mhd]

There are absolutely no players worth tanking for in this draft. I don't even think this draft projects to have a lot of starters.

Noel will probably be the only above average starter in the league (but he comes with risks). Porter, will likely peak as a solid starter and I see him as a John Salmons type player. Beyond that I wouldn't be surprised if the next wave of McLamore, Smart, Bennett, Zeller, and Olidapo get relegated to bench rolls rather quickly in their careers.

People are letting one lousy weekend influence their thinking too much. This draft is the same draft that we were looking at last week. Overall, the draft looks pretty deep with rotation caliber players, but has no stars (with the possible exception of Noel). It's actually a good draft to be picking in the 6-10 range. I'm sure there will be 8 to 10 quality starters to come out of this draft (though some of them might take some time). We just need to make sure we find one.

Whatever we do, I really hope EG is planning on acquiring a quality stretch four somehow. Whether that's drafting one or trading for one, I don't care. But this team really needs a closing lineup with Nene at the 5 and a good stretch 4. Lately, Wittman has been making it work with Trevor Ariza at PF, but he can only do that for a few minutes. Ariza can't bang against real power forwards for any length of time.

Vesley+Singleton for Charlie V and a pick swap perhaps?

I thik the Pistons will clearly be ahead of us and they want more cap space. I don't think they will amnesty Charlie V, so this deal saves them roughly 4 million (which they have an ample amount of cap space). We pay 4 million to move up to take a big. It'll probably be 1-2 spots. Charlie V expires after next year, and he is a stretch 4 for sure.

[CLIN]

Man, now that the draft slot is slipping, people are all over the place. I could see EG looking at all the prospects he has to check out now, and just sayin "screw it, lets take the euro!"

i am partial to olynyk if you guys start slipping out of the top 8, and I still think there will be plenty of solid players in this draft. Just wish someone other then ernie could make the decision. Almost like whoever he picks is always the worst choice.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I'd honestly go with CCJ and have strong consideration and take McDermott at this rate. I KNOW he'll be a good NBA player and he's a team first guy and can be a stretch 4 for some phases. He's a leader, elite shooter, and his defensive deficincies will be masked somewhat by our overall team defense.

Finding a good young big is a priority IMO still. We have none, especially if Seraphin doesn't revert to last year's play (he's been better recently).

I think the Wizards need to do something along the lines of draft McDermott and trade Vesely, Singleton, or Booker with a 2014 unprotected 1st for John Henson. Washington is not going to be a lottery team next season IMO. They need to go all in on talent while they can.

I think the Bucks might be foolish enough to go for something like that.

In round 2 pick Wolters or Isaiah Canaan.

[mhd]

I'd honestly go with CCJ and have strong consideration and take McDermott at this rate. I KNOW he'll be a good NBA player and he's a team first guy and can be a stretch 4 for some phases. He's a leader, elite shooter, and his defensive deficincies will be masked somewhat by our overall team defense.

Finding a good young big is a priority IMO still. We have none, especially if Seraphin doesn't revert to last year's play (he's been better recently).

I think the Wizards need to do something along the lines of draft McDermott and trade Vesely, Singleton, or Booker with a 2014 unprotected 1st for John Henson. Washington is not going to be a lottery team next season IMO. They need to go all in on talent while they can.

I think the Bucks might be foolish enough to go for something like that.

Bucks won't trade Henson. He''s their future starting PF. He's limited minutes show BIG TIME production.

[mhd]

Current Mock draft based on standings:

1) Bobcats-Noel (will tank another year for Wiggins and let Noel heal, they have the worst frontcourt in the NBA)
2) Magic-Mclemore (I think they go Mclemore over the PGs. They can grab a young PG with their 2nd rounder)
3) Cavs-Porter (Zeller is tempting, but Porter fits in well with Irving and Waiters)
4) Suns-Shabaaz (they go for best scorer available and hope Shabaaz can play off of Dragic)
5) Detroit-Smart (the Brandon Knight experiment has not gone well)
6) Hornets-Olapido (perfect fit as a wing 3&D player)
7) Minnesota-Len (ugh, no wings left to pick, they take best big available. Pekovic is a UFA, so center may be a need).
8) Kings-Burke (they see the Chris Paul comparisons that Ruz has first noticed. I think Burke's tournament play elevates his stock big time).
9) Wiz-Zeller (most ready to play, but scared as heck about his T-Rex arms).