'14 Draft Thread - Parker Declares. List your top 4

[JustinCredible]

If only we could take Parker's offense and combine it with Wiggins' defense......

[JustinCredible]

Worst case senerio:
Parker will be Tobias with a little Melo
Wiggins will be Derozen with a little pippen defensivly

Honestly, I think Parker is a pretty safe pick. I would say his worst case is Glenn Robinson. I don't see any way he doesn't average 20ppg. However, worst case he is a scorer...and nothing else.

I would bet that he will be a 20 and 8 guy though. He seems to be a strong rebounder. His defense just scares me because his play just won't translate into wins unless he becomes at least average on that side of the ball.

[tski1972]

I can't believe people are concerned about Jabari's defense.

75% of NBA players don't play defense.

He plays defense a little worse than Monta Ellis. If you are okay with that then so be it. I'm not saying that he can't ever get better at it. Scouts just need to find out his desire on that end of the floor. If he is like Big Dog's mindset then he will never improve.

and yet Monta, with his poor defense, still managed to play on a team with 49 wins this season.

It's only a problem if everyone on the roster plays defense poorly. Golden St., outside of Bogut and Iguodala aren't what I would call a very good defensive team, yet with scorers galore they won 51 games in the West.

[Aaron It Out]

Parker
Exum
Embiid
Wiggins

I think Parker is the best player. I think Exum makes the best teammate with Giannis. Embiids back is worrying me less the more I learn about it. Wiggins is about as intriguing of a prospect as it gets.

There is no wrong answer.

[On_Wisconsin]

I don't worry about Embiid's back because he was going to play the 2nd weekend of the tournament. It's not like he was out until the combine or anything. He was ready to play.

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[MickeyDavis]

Back injuries scare the hell out of me

[skones]

Worst case senerio:
Parker will be Tobias with a little Melo
Wiggins will be Derozen with a little pippen defensivly

I agree with Parker's floor. But a 20, 4, and 4, guy with good defense is not Wiggins floor IMO.

[Waukee Taukee]

Great posts from everyone. My two cents on the draft:

(1) IMO, even though it's fun to speculate how these prospects will fit on our current roster, it's a mistake to draft for need. You must take the best talent available, regardless of fit.

(2) Value is everything. I saw Marcus Smart bumped up to #2 in someone's post above. Without getting into whether he's actually the second best prospect in this draft, it should go without saying that using the #2 overall selection on Smart is a terrible decision. If the front office is bent on getting Smart, they should trade back in order to obtain greater value for their pick. It makes me FUrious when teams reach in the draft.

I think Embiid tops my board right now, even though he's probably the worst fit in terms of need.

[UWM_Brew_Buck]

Assuming Embiid's back checks out

1) Embiid
2a) Wiggins
2b) Parker
4) Exum

I can't wait till lotto and draft day, I'll be very excited for any of those players.

[Ron Swanson]

Watching more tape now that the season is done, Embiid is still my guy at #1. 7'0 Centers that move like he does don't come around too often, and I just can't see how you pass on a talent like that. The back issues are a legitimate concern, but unless it comes out that it is/was a recurring or degenerative bone issue, that isn't enough of a red flag for me to drop him below the other 3 guys.

Embiid
Wiggins
Parker
Exum

Vonleh
Smart
Randle
Gordon

Saric
Payne
Ennis
Capela

[Godgers]

What a awesome draft to have the most lotto balls. 1 through 4 you can't go wrong.

[Newz]

Watching more tape now that the season is done, Embiid is still my guy at #1. 7'0 Centers that move like he does don't come around too often, and I just can't see how you pass on a talent like that. The back issues are a legitimate concern, but unless it comes out that it is/was a recurring or degenerative bone issue, that isn't enough of a red flag for me to drop him below the other 3 guys.

I really think people are overreacting to the back thing (not saying you, just people in general who keep bringing it up). If doctors look at him and they determine that it is caused by him just getting into basketball three years ago, the solution seems simple... just take it easy on him and let his body adjust for the first couple of years while he is in the league. Have him focus on strength and conditioning drills, have him working on his body and only play him 20-25 minutes a night. Even if he is healthy, then only play him 60-65 games for his first couple of years.

Get him built up, get him ready to go physically while he develops his skills as well and then go from there.

No need for him to be a superstar or a dominant players from day 1. The goal is to get him to that point eventually... it's more of a marathon than a sprint, especially with a prospect that young.

Everyone always has different opinions on prospects, so if you don't think Embiid is an excellent talent than I can see how you don't have him at 1. But if you see what I see, which is that he looks like he has the size, mobility and raw skillset that guys like David Robinson and Hakeem had... then there is no way you can pass on him at one unless doctors come out and tell you he is doomed to be hurt his entire career. In that case you have to gamble on the type of talent that could become a Hall of Fame center. If either of those guys that he gets compared to from time to time (Hakeem or Robinson) were in the NBA right now... they'd win MVP unanimously every year.

[Ill-yasova]

Is "Embiid's back" the new "Bogut's eye" or "Dajuan Blair's ACL". I'd hate to see the Bucks talk themselves out of taking him based on pure speculation.

Sent From My Rotary Phone

[JustinCredible]

I can't believe people are concerned about Jabari's defense.

75% of NBA players don't play defense.

He plays defense a little worse than Monta Ellis. If you are okay with that then so be it. I'm not saying that he can't ever get better at it. Scouts just need to find out his desire on that end of the floor. If he is like Big Dog's mindset then he will never improve.

and yet Monta, with his poor defense, still managed to play on a team with 49 wins this season.

It's only a problem if everyone on the roster plays defense poorly. Golden St., outside of Bogut and Iguodala aren't what I would call a very good defensive team, yet with scorers galore they won 51 games in the West.

Yes, Monta has been a proven winner his entire career. He is carrying that Mavs team. Where would they be without his ability to win. Just look at all of his career playoff series wins. Well, you can look at that list as soon as it begins.

[tski1972]

He plays defense a little worse than Monta Ellis. If you are okay with that then so be it. I'm not saying that he can't ever get better at it. Scouts just need to find out his desire on that end of the floor. If he is like Big Dog's mindset then he will never improve.

and yet Monta, with his poor defense, still managed to play on a team with 49 wins this season.

It's only a problem if everyone on the roster plays defense poorly. Golden St., outside of Bogut and Iguodala aren't what I would call a very good defensive team, yet with scorers galore they won 51 games in the West.

Yes, Monta has been a proven winner his entire career. He is carrying that Mavs team. Where would they be without his ability to win. Just look at all of his career playoff series wins. Well, you can look at that list as soon as it begins.

you brought up Monta, not me. I just pointed out that an offensive player like Monta, who is known as poor defensive player, can be PART of a winning team.

I don't see any of Parker, Wiggins, Embiid to be able to carry a team by themselves.

[JustinCredible]

you brought up Monta, not me. I just pointed out that an offensive player like Monta, who is known as poor defensive player, can be PART of a winning team.

I don't see any of Parker, Wiggins, Embiid to be able to carry a team by themselves.

Maybe not by themselves, but if you have a top 3 pick the idea is to get an alpha-dog or a guy that can be your second alpha-dog. You certainly aren't looking for a role player or someone that can be a PART of a winning team with a top 3 pick. We need this pick to be a cornerstone of the franchise along with Giannis. We need a star that can also win.

I have no idea which one of these guys will end up being that, but I'd be willing to bet that at least 1 of the top 4 will.

[HurricaneKid]

So much more Embiid love here than last time we had a thread. Which is amazing to me. Has his back been cleared that I don't know about? He has missed enormous time in the last two years due to a bad back, has STRESS FRACTURE in his back this year and played a total of 647 min on the season and probably ~1000 total the past two. He will be expected to play 2000+ min a season for the next 7 seasons to validate a top pick. He has to add 40 pounds to his frame over the next several years and that is going to worsen his back further. We are talking about a chronic issue and while I agree that he is at least 1b if he is healthy, its a non-starter. Because he never has been.

[Newz]

So much more Embiid love here than last time we had a thread. Which is amazing to me. Has his back been cleared that I don't know about? He has missed enormous time in the last two years due to a bad back, has STRESS FRACTURE in his back this year and played a total of 647 min on the season and probably ~1000 total the past two. He will be expected to play 2000+ min a season for the next 7 seasons to validate a top pick. He has to add 40 pounds to his frame over the next several years and that is going to worsen his back further. We are talking about a chronic issue and while I agree that he is at least 1b if he is healthy, its a non-starter. Because he never has been.

You think he has to add 40 pounds to his frame? You want him playing at 290 pounds?

[nmeurett]

if we get the 1st pick I think we should take Parker, he may be limited defensively right now but I think he has the physical attributes to become a good defender. His offense is just so versatile and I would love to see him and Giannis play together. I think he plays PF for us and i would love to see a core of:

PG Brandon Knight
SG Khris Middleton (reminds me alot of Michael Redd when he was just getting into the NBA)
SF Giannis Antetokounmpo
PF Jabari Parker
C John Henson or Larry Sanders (Trade one of them)

Thats a great core young core to start off the new franchise with!

[ChuckBros4Life]

Anyone see this pic of Exum on realgm? The dude looks ripped to the core.

Pretty sure that's Wiggins in the background for comparison. Not that being ripped is going to make him a great player but it should certainly help. Not bad for an 18 year old guy