Official 2013 Draft Thread - Part VI

[AWIZZINGBULLET]

Question on bigs in the draft: If you had to rank Withey, Dieng, Plumlee, or Muscala for the Wizards - what's your order, and note if there's a significant difference between the 4 of them.

Dieng, Muscala, Plumlee, Withey

I want to rank Muscala first, but I'm not sure about his body in the NBA. His rebounds are excellent and he has range.

I am certain Dieng will be a serviceable rebounder and defender. He's a champion coming out of the NCAAs and has strong character and work ethic. I am more intrigued with the baller, Muscala, but l would take Dieng.

I would go Plumlee, Dieng, Withey, Muscala. I think Plumlee translates best to the NBA because of his athleticism and body. I think people are going a little overboard with Muscala as an NBA center. I think he'd be a huge upgrade as a PF. Would love him as the first guy off the bench over Booker and Vesely.

[AWIZZINGBULLET]

The wizards worked out some nice prospects today. Romero Osby and Ramon Galloway. Both would make nice second round picks.
Romero Osby - Great re-bounder, good defender, good scorer, I think he could be a Paul Millsap type steel in the second round.
Ramon Galloway - Nice shooter, and a good defender for his size. He could be a nice grab in the second round.

Osby's on the short side, I don't know I want another power forward that short. Falls into the mold of Trevor Booker. I think he's a tougher defender than he is a great rebounder.

If I could choose an under- the- radar player slated to go in the second round to push for backup PF it would be Jackie Carmichael. He's real mature, good post game, good post defender, good rebounder, nice shot---came off as a man playing with young guys in college and looks NBA strong now. He's the type of player the Spurs draft and look ultra- smart for doing so.

[stevemcqueen1]

Piece in SI today on Bennett:

link:
http://nba.si.com/2013/06/04/anthony-be ... t=uk_wr_a2

"....At the very worst, he should cause some matchup problems on the offensive end if utilized properly, and the upside is there for him to have a very good pro career. You don’t often see a guy of this size with this kind of handle and perimeter touch, plus the athleticism to get out and finish well on the break. Also, UNLV head coach Dave Rice swore by Bennett this past season, raving about him as a person and saluting him for his unselfishness in being willing to play minutes out of position to help the team. So the overall baseline seems pretty decent. Bennett is going to have to work to become a capable defender at the next level, and he’s also going to have to develop some post moves to go with his perimeter skills. If he can punish teams for trying to go “small” on him, he will become much more difficult to handle..."

Sure looks like a guy with an attitude problem in the McGee/Blatche mold. He should be firmly in the do not draft category.

It is funny to read that, and see other references the past few months and think back over posts the past two+ weeks which indulge in borderline character assasination (admittedly, perhaps that's too strong of languaged) based on well, nothing, they've been essentially invented 'out of whole cloth'. As suspected, Bennett is a great guy, just like all evidence suggests Porter is. May not play great or even good defense, but yes, is a great guy, and certainly not a character, chemistry, or locker room issue by any stretch whatsoever and the BBIQ issue is likewise, based on much at all, since we still don't know much other than that he does whatever his coache asks, and has a precocious offensive game for someone so young.

I've always thought Bennett seems like a sweet kid. He's a happy go lucky Canadian. He just seems a little immature/naive, understandable at 19 and ridiculously talented. He's different from guys like Porter/Zeller, who are old souls and probably more grounded. They don't wear their emotions on their sleeves like Bennett.

[stevemcqueen1]

Click to read the rest.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wi ... story.html

I take back what I said about him being soft. The kid is tough. I also like the methodical way he approaches everything.

Sounds like Ivan Drago the way they are training him.

I still think Zeller is a better player than him though. I am warming up to the thought of taking Len again, but that foot injury is pretty terrifying. I would rather move into that 8-11 range for Zeller than take Len at 3.

[WizarDynasty]

It's Adams and then Bennett. I have been telling you guys all along. Both of them fit the wizards perfectly in with Adams being tier one. Bennett fits with the wizard tier two. All of the other prospects fit in tier 4. There is no tier 3. I a know i am bending this concept from someone on the board but i just can't remember his handle to give him some credit. It's probably better that way because that's what I would prefer for myself hehe.
But yep, Adams is like a better younger version of Okafor signed longterm and cheap. that is absolutetly huge.
Bennett is like Corliss Williams, Larry Johnson, whoever you want to name except he meets might criteria for explosive first step. Definitely Wizard's Material.
The rest of the prospects in this draft are tier 4. Shabazz with his explosive first step and excellent 3 ball ability--outstanding size for small forward is definitely knocking on the door of tier 3 fit for the wizards. But Adams is even head and shoulders above Bennett and he is definitely is gone by 10th pick. He is going to rise and rise up to top 5 where he should be very very soon on these mocks.
A better younger version of Okafor is definitely top 3 in almost any draft.

[LyricalRico]

Bennett is like Corliss Williams(on)

Wow, that's a name I haven't heard in a while. But I remember liking his game - big enough to post up and play inside, but with an outside shot and some other perimeter skills (if IIRC he played some SF). He was a solid 12-14ppg scorer from what I remember (too lazy to lookup stats). Not saying we can't use a guy like that, but at #3 overall?

[AWIZZINGBULLET]

It's Adams and then Bennett. I have been telling you guys all along. Both of them fit the wizards perfectly in with Adams being tier one. Bennett fits with the wizard tier two. All of the other prospects fit in tier 4. There is no tier 3. I a know i am bending this concept from someone on the board but i just can't remember his handle to give him some credit. It's probably better that way because that's what I would prefer for myself hehe.
But yep, Adams is like a better younger version of Okafor signed longterm and cheap. that is absolutetly huge.
Bennett is like Corliss Williams, Larry Johnson, whoever you want to name except he meets might criteria for explosive first step. Definitely Wizard's Material.
The rest of the prospects in this draft are tier 4. Shabazz with his explosive first step and excellent 3 ball ability--outstanding size for small forward is definitely knocking on the door of tier 3 fit for the wizards. But Adams is even head and shoulders above Bennett and he is definitely is gone by 10th pick. He is going to rise and rise up to top 5 where he should be very very soon on these mocks.
A better younger version of Okafor is definitely top 3 in almost any draft.

How do you figure Porter doesn't fit the Wizards perfectly? Local ties aside, I don't see how anyone in this draft is a better fit for the Wizards than Otto Porter. There may be players at different positions that would impact the Wizards more but I'm not sure there's a better fit in the first round.

[verbal8]

Bennett is like Corliss Williams(on)

Wow, that's a name I haven't heard in a while. But I remember liking his game - big enough to post up and play inside, but with an outside shot and some other perimeter skills (if IIRC he played some SF). He was a solid 12-14ppg scorer from what I remember (too lazy to lookup stats). Not saying we can't use a guy like that, but at #3 overall?

I initially thought of him as being in the "great college player, disappointing pro-player", but he really ended up being more a solid pro player. He was 6th man of the year one season. He never had a 3 point shot in either college or the pros. His career PER is 14.9. His scoring rate was pretty good at about 17/per 36 with an TS% of 53.5%. Rebounding was so-so and everything else was unremarkable.

[Dat2U]

But yep, Adams is like a better younger version of Okafor signed longterm and cheap. that is absolutetly huge.
Bennett is like Corliss Williams, Larry Johnson, whoever you want to name except he meets might criteria for explosive first step. Definitely Wizard's Material.
....
A better younger version of Okafor is definitely top 3 in almost any draft.

Okafor is one of the smartest players in the league. His b-ball IQ and awareness are at a very high level. Adams generally doesn't have a clue of what he's doing out there and is considered incredibly raw.

Bad comparison.

I can't get a good feel for Adams. I don't buy his improved skill level he flashed at the combine. He showed absolutely no skill or awareness at Pitt. He's talented but he's a defensive prospect (who's a negative on the offensive end) who may not be able to impact the game defensively in his first few years because he won't know where to be half of the time.

I wouldn't feel comfortable enough to draft him very high.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

The deal I suggested is only shockingly bad if both Olynyk and Wolters are disappointments. I don't want Lamb.

The reason the deal is shockingly bad is that you have convinced yourself that we need to give up the third pick in the 2014 NBA draft in order to get Olynyk and Wolters.

Lets just put it this way: if an alien Battle Cruiser were hovering over Washington DC and threatened to neutron bomb the planet unless Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith figured out a way for the Washington Wizards to acquire the draft rights to Kelly Olynyk and Nate Wolters without giving up the Wall, Beal or the 3rd pick in the 2014 NBA draft, I feel fairly confident that the film would conclude with a happy ending.

Olynyk and Wolters could turn into Stockton and Malone and it would still be a poor value as a trade just based on the pre-draft evaluation of the assets as of now. That trade has us throwing away value for no good reason.

You can have predraft assets and value. I prefer the Stockton and Malone part, DMP.

Those two with Lamb would provide offense to a core that is strong defensively. The Wizards fall off terribly when Wall goes to the bench. Wolters is a very good passer who scores in a variety of ways, This provides two of the NCAA most proficient scorer with a guy who is a superior FG shooter. The ways they would improve offensive efficiency would be dramatic. Also, Vesely would return some value in trade after these players restore his confidence. On top of that, the Wizards marketing will improve. Wolters is going to be good.

All I can say is wait and see.

[AFM]

Look at the handle on the big guy.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzZG7iPlKXA[/youtube]

and a pointless highlight video

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmKRYS7tvDg[/youtube]

[AFM]

Was that a little bit of LJ in his celebration at the end?

[WizarDynasty]

Well if BBIQ is what is keeping you from drafting him top 3, his BBIQ was endorsed by Scalabrine, ex nba player well known for his basketball IQ.
Adams is a top 3 basketball talent. You might not like his background, or even his personality, but a better version of Okafor is top 3 talent in any draft. The rapid improvement he displayed in terms of awareness is similar to Beal. It's better to get on my bandwagon now, than to wait 2 weeks before the draft when he slips into top 5 consideration. The hornet definitely need a center next to Davis. Lopez lack of dominance on the offensive and defensive boards and inability to dominate the paint should push him to that the spot.
Orlando actually needs a center with Howard gone and if Adams get enough hype, he fits pretty well doing what Howard use to do. Dominate on the boards, protect the rim, and high IQ pass from the high post, and center outstanding screens, and finish in transition, something Okafor can not do, by the way.

[GhostsOfGil]

Look at the handle on the big guy.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzZG7iPlKXA[/youtube]

I don't like this play for 3 reasons.
He ignores the streaker and denies the outlet pass.
That dribble drive would get denied by most NBA athletes.
That kind of selfish move screams Andray Blatche to me.

[McGully Culkin]

Look at the handle on the big guy.


and a pointless highlight video

]

I also loved his handle in the UNLV/Cal clips. There was one instance where he stole the ball in the paint and brought the ball up the court quickly. Even switched hands to avoid a defender at one point. He then gave the ball up to the PG and proceeded on a 2 on 1. Dude ran HARD to the rack and got the ball back for an easy dunk.

His mobility/athleticism is ridiculous for a guy of his size. With the right NBA conditioning, he can become chiseled.

I love Porter, but I wouldn't be saddened in the least if we drafted Bennett.

*edit*

GoG - check this out:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5w2T6yqPRk[/youtube]

the instance I'm talking about starts at :22

[GhostsOfGil]

GoG - check this out:

Spoiler:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5w2T6yqPRk[/youtube]

the instance I'm talking about starts at :22

That play was impressive.

His first step to grab that ball was lighting quick.

[sfam]

Look at the handle on the big guy.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzZG7iPlKXA[/youtube]

I don't like this play for 3 reasons.
He ignores the streaker and denies the outlet pass.
That dribble drive would get denied by most NBA athletes.
That kind of selfish move screams Andray Blatche to me.

Dude, the outlet pass was covered - it would have been swatted away. And Bennett has more than enough speed to do this in the NBA. But the Blatche reference? Gimme a break. Haters are just gonna hate on Bennett I guess. I'm guessing he has a rockin career in the nba, whether or not we draft him.

[Deeptu McPullup]

^ Bennet definitely flash the Blatche, 'splay the Dray and might go full engulfed in Baltche from time to time.

Not selfish so much as doesn't know better.

[sfam]

^ Bennet definitely flash the Blatche, 'splay the Dray and might go full engulfed in Baltche from time to time.

Not selfish so much as doesn't know better.

I‘m guessing his stripper posse for the day were watching from the stands.

[Dat2U]

Look at the handle on the big guy.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzZG7iPlKXA[/youtube]

I don't like this play for 3 reasons.
He ignores the streaker and denies the outlet pass.
That dribble drive would get denied by most NBA athletes.
That kind of selfish move screams Andray Blatche to me.

Dude, the outlet pass was covered - it would have been swatted away. And Bennett has more than enough speed to do this in the NBA. But the Blatche reference? Gimme a break. Haters are just gonna hate on Bennett I guess. I'm guessing he has a rockin career in the nba, whether or not we draft him.

Anyone notice he went right around James McAdoo? LOL, that's not happenning in the NBA.