'14 Draft Thread - Now With a Poll: VOTE OR DIE.

[clownparade]

am i the only one not worried about the pick? theres one thing hammond has shown he can do and its draft well and evaluate talent for college players. frankly its the only reason he has a job. hes literally missed ONE pick in his entire career as a GM. hes 5 for 6 on 1st rounders.

our main worry shouldnt be that he screws up a pick, it should be that we finish outside one of the worst 2 records and have a chance to miss the big guns in this draft

[skones]

Why is everyone so down on Julius Randle? The guy is a legit double double every night. If we pick 4th and Embiid, Wiggins and Parker are all off the board, I'd be pretty happy to get Randle. He would be a great fit next to Sanders. I don't want Smart at all in the top 5 and I don't know too much about Exum yet to take him over Randle at this point.

My top 5

Parker
Embiid
Wiggins
Randle
Exum

His refusal to do anything with his right hand has raised a ton of question marks for me.

I get that, but that is something he can work on. His left is hard to stop as it is. From what I've seen from Exum is he has great size for a PG and a tremendous first step, but I've noticed he doesn't finish at the rim like someone of his size should, his free throw shooting looks spotty, and his passing is "decent" but not amazing. I guess I need to see more video on him. I do like him though, don't get me wrong. Just think Julius Randle isn't getting his due because of the lack of right hand.

It wouldn't give me so much pause if he was attempting to use it and just poor at it. It would give me hope for a foundation to build upon. Because it seems nonexistent I think he's going to have a very slow transition to the next level of play. You take away his left hand, and what happens? He'll be able to bully in the NBA to some extent, but not like he is in college. I still like him as a prospect, just not as much as I did at the start of the season.

[Nebula1]

am i the only one not worried about the pick? theres one thing hammond has shown he can do and its draft well and evaluate talent for college players. frankly its the only reason he has a job. hes literally missed ONE pick in his entire career as a GM. hes 5 for 6 on 1st rounders.

our main worry shouldnt be that he screws up a pick, it should be that we finish outside one of the worst 2 records and have a chance to miss the big guns in this draft

I only worry about not having the pick and the opportunity to change the future of the franchise. The evidence is overwhelming in suggesting the Bucks lack the ability to improve via free agency or trade while supporting the ability to draft. It is so unbelievably obvious the Bucks need this.

And I'm still with Wiggins at 1 and Exum at 4.

[Ayt]

His refusal to do anything with his right hand has raised a ton of question marks for me.

I get that, but that is something he can work on. His left is hard to stop as it is. From what I've seen from Exum is he has great size for a PG and a tremendous first step, but I've noticed he doesn't finish at the rim like someone of his size should, his free throw shooting looks spotty, and his passing is "decent" but not amazing. I guess I need to see more video on him. I do like him though, don't get me wrong. Just think Julius Randle isn't getting his due because of the lack of right hand.

It wouldn't give me so much pause if he was attempting to use it and just poor at it. It would give me hope for a foundation to build upon. Because it seems nonexistent I think he's going to have a very slow transition to the next level of play. You take away his left hand, and what happens? He'll be able to bully in the NBA to some extent, but not like he is in college. I still like him as a prospect, just not as much as I did at the start of the season.

I'm much more concerned about him having absolutely no jump shot and his terrible defense.

Fun fact. Randle has 1 steal on the year in 13 games and 385 minutes played. I've never seen anything like that. It makes some sense when you watch him on that end, but it is still unbelievable.

[paulpressey25]

For me, I see three tiers.....but again this can all change in the next week.

1. Embiid
2. Parker
3. Wiggins

4. Randle
5. Exum
6. LaVine

7. Smart
8. Gordon

LaVine is intriguing as heck. NBAdraft.net has him going #6, while DX doesn't have him listed yet in their mock.

[SupremeHustle]

For me, I see three tiers.....but again this can all change in the next week.

1. Embiid
2. Parker
3. Wiggins

4. Randle
5. Exum
6. LaVine

7. Smart
8. Gordon

LaVine is intriguing as heck. NBAdraft.net has him going #6, while DX doesn't have him listed yet in their mock.

DX has LaVine 23rd in '15.

[LUKE23]

Wiggins
Parker
Embiid

Exum

Randle
Smart
LaVine

[ChuckBros4Life]

If we land the worst record, here's who I think we'd take/get depending on what pick we land:

#1 overall: Joel Embiid
#2: Jabari Parker
#3: Andrew Wiggins
#4: Dante Exum

[jr lucosa]

DX has LaVine 23rd in '15.

ESPN 100 had LaVine the 11th PG and ranked 50th overall for the 2013 recruits, Maxpreps had him 58th on their top 100. He didn't have the same hype and expectations surrounding him as the other freshmen we've been discussing at the top of the draft and I don't know how many people thought he'd be in a position to cash in on great draft spot after only one college season.

If his stock stays this high through the rest of the season I would expect him to declare.

[msiris]

If we land the worst record, here's who I think we'd take/get depending on what pick we land:

#1 overall: Joel Embiid
#2: Jabari Parker
#3: Andrew Wiggins
#4: Dante Exum

The only problem I have with this is what do you do with Larry? I like Embild.

[braindazer]

I would keep Larry , maybe play him at the 4 some . A front court rotation of Embiid , Larry , Henson , Middleton , and The Greek Freak is enticing . Especially if we can some how get another pick and get Exum . Middleton could play some 2 guard along with Knight . I would find that team very watchable and exciting !!

[GOBsaysCOMEON]

My top tier is Embiid/Parker/Wiggins

My official vote is for Wiggins, although I'm not at all confident in that. Embiid probably has the highest ceiling of the three. I view Parker as a sure thing, or very close to it. It's difficult to see him not contributing at a high level for an NBA team. It is likely that I settle on Wiggins by trying to get some of both worlds. I think he's less likely to bust than Embiid and has a higher ceiling than Parker.

I'm intrigued by Embiid based on what I've seen, but his numbers aren't mind blowing. Post Duncan centers taken #1 have been a mixed bag. Injuries are a common theme.

98- Olowokandi
01- Kwame (although he was considered a PF when drafted if I remember correctly)
02- Yao
04- Howard
05- Bogut
07- Oden

That list troubles me.

As to the numbers, I acknowledge that bigs take longer to develop sometimes. Olajuwon/Shaq/Robinson/Ewing/Duncan didn't really have mind blowing numbers either as freshman. Interestingly, all of those guys made a pretty significant leap between their freshman and sophomore seasons.

[UWM_Brew_Buck]

Parker
Embiid
Wiggins

Exum


Randle
LaVine
Smart

We really need a top 3 pick but I would still be happy with Exum.

[SupremeHustle]

A fun video to watch with a little bit of hindsight.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oaw0_zw9LGs#t=45[/youtube]

[ChuckBros4Life]

If we land the worst record, here's who I think we'd take/get depending on what pick we land:

#1 overall: Joel Embiid
#2: Jabari Parker
#3: Andrew Wiggins
#4: Dante Exum

The only problem I have with this is what do you do with Larry? I like Embild.

During Larry's long injury recovery, I was proposing we trade him for whatever we could get for him, but he's actually really impressed me since returning and I can now see that he does provide a slightly different skill set than Henson despite the similarities in size and length. But we can draft for need at number 1 overall. It's gotta be BPA and I feel like Embiid has shown the potential to be that and it's only gonna get clearer the closer to the draft we get.

That being said, I think we can keep either Henson or Sanders if we draft Embiid. Keeping both would just be a waste of an asset, but keeping one would be crucial for depth. I don't have a preference either way at this point which is actually a refreshing feeling. We can trade whichever nets the biggest return and that's an exciting thought.

[ChuckBros4Life]

I've been watching a lot of international draft express scouting reports just for fun lately and I just stumbled across this guy whose name I haven't seen mentioned.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx2IXpr5Wzk[/youtube]

That a careful look at the stats he puts up that are shown at the beginning. They look solid, but not special until you see the MPG stat... 14.1 mpg. And he averaged 10 points and 4 rebounds in that time lol. Insane. He had a whopping PER of 44! He shows a solid post game with a go to quick spin move with nice tough on hook shots. His defensive potential segment was also intriguing as he hedges screens magnificently and moves the floor very well for a guy his size. Interesting to see where he could go.

[breakchains]

Noah Vonleh playing right now. Jabari coming up at the top of the hour.

[SupremeHustle]

Noah Vonleh playing right now. Jabari coming up at the top of the hour.

Channel?

[SupremeHustle]

...I would take Bogdan Bogdanović before Marcus Smart.

Bogdanovic has taken advantage of an injury to Partizan's starting point guard, Leo Westermann, to take on a much more prominent role in his team's offense as a primary ball-handler and facilitator. He's showcasing impressive versatility, leading the team in points, assists, blocks and usage, all while shooting 40% from 3-point range thus far.

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

Edit: 1.35 points per possession (!!!) in catch and shoots, AND is 6'6" with a 6'11" wingspan, and runs his team's offense. This is someone who you want playing a supporting role next to Giannis.

1.35 points per possession in catch and shoots. At that point, whoever guards him can't help off him. He's better in a catch-and-shoot than the NBA is at Corner-3s.

This kid looks impressive to me.

[breakchains]

Noah Vonleh playing right now. Jabari coming up at the top of the hour.

Channel?

CBS

Also, Marcus Smart on ESPNU in 15mins.