At #6, who do you Like/Dislike if this happens: (poll added)

[Celtics_History_Lesson]

I selected McDermott, Rnadle and Gordon.

Randle - A smaller big Al, a more in the paint Walker, people should remember that a year ago the talk was Wiggins or Parker or maybe Randle for the top pick. Randle was only third for his college team in shot attempts, so he did get all the hype and silly ESPN mentions. If Randle can get 20 and 10 int he NBA with good percentages then at pick 6 it was a win.

McDermott - Him or Bradley shooting open 3s, him or Wallace shooting open 3s, McDermott would be an upgrade and would certainly help spread the floor.

Gordon - He won't be taking the technical free throws. His 3% isn't far from his FT%, which is more than a bit crazy. Like Randle, the Celtics could make the Olynyk-Sullinger, Gordon lineup work in an unconventional way.

Saric - Contract and "tennis father" stuff could be a disruption.

Vonleh - Measured shorter than he said he was, although many say the arm length more than helps. That is what they said about Elton Brand and while he had a solid career he didn't lead his teams to lots of wins.

Smart - He is horrible. Went back for another season to improve his game, his FT% went down to a pathetic 72.8% and his 3% went so far up, from 29% to 29.9%. So he can't shoot. He is a trouble maker who will complain if the team isn't all about him, plus he may be a tweener because he isn't a shooting guard and many NBA refs will foul him out for his so-called defending on quicker point guards in the NBA.

[tlee324]

if Randle somehow drops to 6, you take him. Point blank.

[bucknersrevenge]

Ill go with Smart or Gordon for all the reasons others have listed. But I agree with tlee that Dougie McDamage may not be getting enough play. You want a guy that can step out on the floor Day 1 and contribute to ANY team, it's this guy. McDermott has an ELITE-level skill that can takeover a game at any point. All the evidence you need of that is watching Danny Green and #20(I still refuse to say his name) in the last 2 playoff games. These guys can spread the floor. They get lost in transition and just burn you. I know his defense may be a problem but if you can put some decent defenders around him to mask him a little bit, what he can do at the other end can really demoralize a defense.

[FakeScreenName123]

My like order:

1. Noel for #6 and #17

2. Embiid (if he falls somehow)

3. Sanders for #17 + Clips 2015

4. Aaron Gordon

[tlee324]

Doug scores the ball Pierce style. I have a gut feeling people will regret letting him drop....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fpbKYyE ... ata_player

[EJay33]

I'm not a fan of Gordon. He does a lot if little things and his athleticism is great but he doesn't really have a position offensively or defensively at the next level. He doesn't have any touch or any dynamics to his offense that look like building block skills. He's a tweener, IMO.

Not sure I agree with that. Seems like Gordon can come right in and defend 3s, pick and rolls, and stretch fours and over time be a guy who can defend power 4s and possibly even some guards in a pinch. He doesn't foul in college ( or turn it over). I have questions about his offensive game and his shooting but to me he seems like a lock to have at least some NBA success due to what he projects to be able to do defensively in the NBA.

[humblebum]

I'm not a fan of Gordon. He does a lot if little things and his athleticism is great but he doesn't really have a position offensively or defensively at the next level. He doesn't have any touch or any dynamics to his offense that look like building block skills. He's a tweener, IMO.

Not sure I agree with that. Seems like Gordon can come right in and defend 3s, pick and rolls, and stretch fours and over time be a guy who can defend power 4s and possibly even some guards in a pinch. He doesn't foul in college ( or turn it over). I have questions about his offensive game and his shooting but to me he seems like a lock to have at least some NBA success due to what he projects to be able to do defensively in the NBA.

Not questioning whether or not he'll be able to defend effectively, my concern is that for all his ability and intelligence he may not have the strength/girth to defend true power forwards inside. With his poor shooting he needs to play PF for spacing reasons (and it's also best for his dribble drive game) so if he can't hold position inside it really hurts his long term potential.

[EJay33]

Doug scores the ball Pierce style. I have a gut feeling people will regret letting him drop....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fpbKYyE ... ata_player

Just beautiful.. I feel like if Adam Morrison never happened we'd all be in love with this guy. I feel like an abused dog when it comes to rooting for this guy. Scared to get burnt again.

[EJay33]

Not questioning whether or not he'll be able to defend effectively, my concern is that for all his ability and intelligence he may not have the strength/girth to defend true power forwards inside. With his poor shooting he needs to play PF for spacing reasons (and it's also best for his dribble drive game) so if he can't hold position inside it really hurts his long term potential.

Well don't you think the true power four is becoming a thing of the past? On the radio they were saying that no one around the league wants Jared Sullinger because he is viewed a complete liability defensively when he has to defend a stretch four. The PF position these days has Paul Pierce, Carmelo Anthony, Anthony Davis, LeBron/Bosh, Durant/Serge, Duncan, Griffin, etc. You can't afford to go into the next era of NBA basketball without a guy who can match up there.

[humblebum]

Not questioning whether or not he'll be able to defend effectively, my concern is that for all his ability and intelligence he may not have the strength/girth to defend true power forwards inside. With his poor shooting he needs to play PF for spacing reasons (and it's also best for his dribble drive game) so if he can't hold position inside it really hurts his long term potential.

Well don't you think the true power four is becoming a thing of the past? On the radio they were saying that no one around the league wants Jared Sullinger because he is viewed a complete liability defensively when he has to defend a stretch four. The PF position these days has Paul Pierce, Carmelo Anthony, Anthony Davis, LeBron/Bosh, Durant/Serge, Duncan, Griffin, etc. You can't afford to go into the next era of NBA basketball without a guy who can match up there.

Basketball is basketball and while things have shifted toward a more Euro style I still believe that inside toughness and scoring are highly valuable traits.

I also believe strongly that basketball is not just a game of athleticism but a game of wit, skill and will. A guy like Sullinger can become a plus defender by learning the tricks of the trade, positioning, etc. ditto Randle.

Just this season we saw Stevens coaching and attention to detail help Bass improve leaps and bounds as a team defender. Randle has more skill and is also a great athlete like Gordon. So if I have to choose between the two give me Randle because I'm confident he's young enough to learn from a great teacher like Stevens. But as good as Stevens is you can't teach touch or scoring savvy to a guy who simply doesn't have that in his game like Gordon.

[celticfan42487]

Not questioning whether or not he'll be able to defend effectively, my concern is that for all his ability and intelligence he may not have the strength/girth to defend true power forwards inside. With his poor shooting he needs to play PF for spacing reasons (and it's also best for his dribble drive game) so if he can't hold position inside it really hurts his long term potential.

Well don't you think the true power four is becoming a thing of the past? On the radio they were saying that no one around the league wants Jared Sullinger because he is viewed a complete liability defensively when he has to defend a stretch four. The PF position these days has Paul Pierce, Carmelo Anthony, Anthony Davis, LeBron/Bosh, Durant/Serge, Duncan, Griffin, etc. You can't afford to go into the next era of NBA basketball without a guy who can match up there.

Basketball is basketball and while things have shifted toward a more Euro style I still believe that inside toughness and scoring are highly valuable traits.

I also believe strongly that basketball is not just a game of athleticism but a game of wit, skill and will. A guy like Sullinger can become a plus defender by learning the tricks of the trade, positioning, etc. ditto Randle.

Just this season we saw Stevens coaching and attention to detail help Bass improve leaps and bounds as a team defender. Randle has more skill and is also a great athlete like Gordon. So if I have to choose between the two give me Randle because I'm confident he's young enough to learn from a great teacher like Stevens. But as good as Stevens is you can't teach touch or scoring savvy to a guy who simply doesn't have that in his game like Gordon.

Randle isn't a "great" athlete like Gordon. Randle is an inbetween athlete. Like Pierce was for his position. He isn't a slouch, but it's not going to be a strength in the NBA.

For a quick reference Vonhleh is virtually identical in height and has a higher standing and max vert. Even Doug McBuckets had almost identical vertical to Randle.

I don't know where this joke came out that Randle is an above the rim player. He's more Jared Sullinger then Blake Griffin. You're not going to see him going into a triple threat position and blow by guys. He's a power 4. And will never have comparable athleticism to Gordon or any of the modern stretch fours (the SFs playing PFs). I'm not saying he's earth bound, he doesn't play below or above the rim. He plays at the rim. Average athlete.


Im not hating on Randle saying he's isn't an athlete either. Here's a link to draftexpress's scouting page on him. Watch their scouting video and at 12:30 they spend an entire section on how him being a below the rim player is a huge barrier for him having success in the NBA. As well as another reason why he's a bully 4 college player who's skills will have great difficulty translating.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Julius-Randle-6294/

[EJay33]

Honest question - What is the difference between Morrison and McDermott?

Would Morrison have made it if he didn't have diabeetus and never tore his ACL? What are the things that McDermott does that Morrison couldn't do in the NBA? The steal/block rate and his height seem like ominous signs for his prospects as a pro. But on the other hand he scores so beautifully and efficiently in college that it is almost hard to believe that he will completely flop in the pros.

[sam_I_am]

Doug scores the ball Pierce style. I have a gut feeling people will regret letting him drop....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fpbKYyE ... ata_player

Just beautiful.. I feel like if Adam Morrison never happened we'd all be in love with this guy. I feel like an abused dog when it comes to rooting for this guy. Scared to get burnt again.

I agree with you but my gut and my eyes tell me McDermott is going to be a stud. He sure looks like a safer pick than KO did. I think Stauskas is a guy who doesn't put that fear into me. If we traded down with Philly to 10 and grabbed their 32 and 39 second round picks and drafted Stauskas, McDermoot or Saric I could live with that. Normally I think that is insane but 4-8 give us PFs and PG options we don't really need and maybe drop off in talent at 10 isn't so great. TJ Warren is another scorer that reminds me of Pierce.

[accelerator]

Never ever skip a guy who you thinks going to be a great player because you have someone at that position that's good. This is not how you make a pick. I like that we can get a possible great player, the last thing I think of is that we have Sullinger at power forward or Rondo at guard already- that's nuts!

[soxfan2003]

Honest question - What is the difference between Morrison and McDermott?

Would Morrison have made it if he didn't have diabeetus and never tore his ACL? What are the things that McDermott does that Morrison couldn't do in the NBA? The steal/block rate and his height seem like ominous signs for his prospects as a pro. But on the other hand he scores so beautifully and efficiently in college that it is almost hard to believe that he will completely flop in the pros.

McDermott has a game that transitions nicely to being role player/floor spacer in the NBA if he has any sort of star/good system that can get him some relatively open shots. Morrison had more of a scoring game in which he needed to be a star to succeed.

As long as McDermott can adjust to only taking 10-12 shots per game like a Kyle Korver, I can't see McDermott being a complete bust in the NBA. He seems like just too good of a shooter from all over the court. And he is stronger then Morrison and I believe a better defender despite the poor steal rate.

I may be wrong but I see McDermott as a pure shooter blowing Morrison away. And I think his whole college career has actually been playing a style very close to what he will be in the NBA but just with less usage.

Even though he was a real good college player his last year, to me Morrison was just a horrible pick anywhere in the top 10. Morrison was a very poor man's Bird and that fooled some people. He kind of looked like Bird and had a scorer's mentality. But he was shorter, slower for his height at least, much weaker so he wasn't going to be a rebounder and could not shoot the ball nearly as well. And unfortunately the diabetes made it tougher even though someone like Bobby Jones back in the day was a diabetic.

With McDermott, I think the worthwhileness of his pick -- I think he should be picked around 9-10 -- is almost based just as much as how quickly he adapts to the NBA and how other players picked after him perform then how good he eventually becomes. I don't think he will ever be a top 40 NBA player but if he is a good player by year 2, getting him for 3 cheap years is good value for the 10th pick unless you really think you can get a star at that spot. However if he isn't good until year 4, its a bad pick since then you are just developing him for some other team and not getting value out of him on that rookie deal.

And older Korver just signed a 4 year, 24 million dollar deal. Let's say prime Korver in today's market is worth 4 years 30 million. It wouldn't surprise me if McDermott in his first 4 years gives a team 25 million of production with him being paid around 9 million. Can teams do better then that? Of course but there is a risk of no production from trying to pick a player with more upside that just does nothing.

[wetsthebed]

Doug scores the ball Pierce style. I have a gut feeling people will regret letting him drop....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fpbKYyE ... ata_player

God, I wish I could figure out what to make of him. Sometimes I watch him and he totally reminds me of some kind of crazy Pierce/Dirk combination and sometimes I think his lack of athleticism and mediocre ballhanding skills will limit him to being Wally Szczerbiak or Kyle Korver. At worst, he's a good role player (he's much more fundamentally sound than Adam Morrison, both in his play and his head) but there's something in the back of my mind that says his scoring can really translate to the NBA. I just don't know which it's gonna be.

[Celtics_85]

Think I would take Saric over McDermott, but just my preference though.

[Marvel]

I like vonleh the most. He definitely has flaws, but imo he does not have to improve much on o to be a stud.

Don't really dislike any of the other options either. I feel outside of Wiggins it's a pretty safe top of the draft

Pretty much this. I'd be happy with anyone who falls inside the top 10.

Likes: Aaron Gordon, Smart, Vonleh, Saric because he's better than Jeff Green.

[Marvel]

Doug scores the ball Pierce style. I have a gut feeling people will regret letting him drop....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fpbKYyE ... ata_player

God, I wish I could figure out what to make of him. Sometimes I watch him and he totally reminds me of some kind of crazy Pierce/Dirk combination and sometimes I think his lack of athleticism and mediocre ballhanding skills will limit him to being Wally Szczerbiak or Kyle Korver. At worst, he's a good role player (he's much more fundamentally sound than Adam Morrison, both in his play and his head) but there's something in the back of my mind that says his scoring can really translate to the NBA. I just don't know which it's gonna be.

I know what you mean. White guys who can score the **** out of the ball in college, projected to go top 10 in the draft, but how often does that translate to the NBA?

[Marvel]

Never ever skip a guy who you thinks going to be a great player because you have someone at that position that's good.

Even if you have 3-4 PFs, if the BPA at 6 is a PF you take that PF with the 6th pick.