Official #2 Pick Thread - Ford #7: Parker

[jakecronus8]

For people looking at film on YouTube, watch the draft express scouting videos rather than highlight mix tapes. Much more thorough and gives you a better understanding of a prospects complete game, rather than his best moments of his season. Mix tapes can make anyone look like a Hall of famer.

[sneakerdust]

They haven't proven to possess a trained eye.

This type of thinking is over-rated because incompetent owners like Herb meddled.

Lasry has stared down Russian mafia figures playing poker. Edens has made billions while also climbing the Matterhorn. They both know hoops and the NBA. Again, this particular decision is so close, you don't need technical skill in trying to mine a gem, but rather analytical skill after looking at the huge blocks of knowledge that are already out there on these three prospects.

The only reason they didn't become John Hammond 30-years ago was because they didn't want to pay their dues for years and were likely also seeing it as a career where your advancement might be difficult if you weren't former jock. It wasn't because they weren't smart enough to make a reasoned decision re: Parker v. Wiggins v. Embiid

While an improvement these owners also got taken by the respects of Quiznos, John Edwards, the Drier Ponzi Scheme, amongst others and Fortress almost went belly up after Lehman. The new girlfriend infatuation is funny. They need to be questioned. As long as they spend their money and invest a lot more private money for an arena whether they make the right pick or not is secondary especially in this top 3 draft.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

NBADraft.net updated their mock today and have Embiid going #1 and Wiggins going #2. I know they aren't the best resource, but I thought it was interesting because they are going against the general consensus of Parker for our pick.

ETA:

Here is there explanation...

The Buck's best current prospect, Giannis Antetokounmpo, happens to play the 3 position, and a year later he's generally considered the best prospect to come out of the 2013 draft. So Embiid would likely fit their plans the best of any of the top 3, but barring a redflag of his back, he's likely to go first. Andrew Wiggins is never going to be confused for a shooting guard, so a trade with Philly swapping picks and adding a future first or a young player and then selecting and moving Parker to the 4 would make a lot of sense. Wiggins is as physically talented as any wing player to come along since LeBron James. He still has only begun to scratch the surface in terms of skill development and realizing his abilities. After inconsistency through the first half of the season, Wiggins answered his critics with a strong finish. He really emerged in the season's final month putting up a 41 and 30 in back to back games, though he struggled with just 4 points in Kansas' season ending tourney loss to Stanford. His defensive potential is far superior to Jabari Parker's, though he seems likely to struggle to score initially. NBA Comparison: Vince Carter

ETA2: They think Philly could trade up to #2...

The Sixers landed the third pick in a draft with 3 standout players, so the team's decision to tear things down (trading Jrue Holiday) and tank is looking brilliant. Jabari Parker is a bona fide franchise player to build around. There is also the chance that Philly attempts to move up to 2 for Wiggins. Despite an unimpressive tournament performance, Parker's stock remains high. He's a lock for the top 3, with a chance to go first depending on who lands the pick. Parker may lack the long term potential of a Joel Embiid or the freakish athleticism of an Andrew Wiggins, but his offensive polish and maturity makes him a highly regarded prospect. He's both polished and versatile and understands what it means to be a professional having grown up around the game with his father a former standout, Sonny Parker. Parker is a much better athlete than he appears at first glance. He's also sure to blow away the competition during team interviews, as he's a mature, high character guy. Parker lacks great foot speed and some scouts are worried about his ability to defend on the perimeter. NBA Comparison: Carmelo Anthony

[ReasonablySober]

I couldn't possibly care less about a prospect's charisma or national popularity.

If the goal is to rebuild a fan base, get an arena built, and fill the arena, you certainly should. All that being said, I think it would be awesome to have a core guy on the US Team because;
1. It means he is one of the best players in the league
2. It is great global exposure for the team
3. Could be used as a recruiting tool (which could work against us)

Not implying this is my number reasons for being a Parker guy, far from it, but for those of us that have the top 3 or 4 so close, the 'extra credit' points really build in Parkers favor.

You know what also helps fill seats? Winning. Get me the guy who helps the most in the W/L column.

[paulpressey25]

The new girlfriend infatuation is funny. They need to be questioned. .

Oh, these guys have made mistakes. And they'll make mistakes with the Bucks and maybe with this pick.

But the level of competence we need is someone who can take Ernie Grunfeld or the Clippers to the cleaners in a trade or two. That's not a high bar. A circus monkey could have figured out how to get us a much higher draft pick in 2012 while picking up Eric Bledsoe last summer. That's all we ask.

[M-C-G]

I couldn't possibly care less about a prospect's charisma or national popularity.

If the goal is to rebuild a fan base, get an arena built, and fill the arena, you certainly should. All that being said, I think it would be awesome to have a core guy on the US Team because;
1. It means he is one of the best players in the league
2. It is great global exposure for the team
3. Could be used as a recruiting tool (which could work against us)

Not implying this is my number reasons for being a Parker guy, far from it, but for those of us that have the top 3 or 4 so close, the 'extra credit' points really build in Parkers favor.

You know what also helps fill seats? Winning. Get me the guy who helps the most in the W/L column.

Right, I get Parker isn't your #1, but for some others on the board here, we think Parker will help us do exactly that...many of us even believe he will help us do that better than the Embiid, Wiggins and Exum, not just in the next 3-4 years, but for the next 10.

[europa]

I wouldn't count on the Clippers being poorly run for much longer. Hell, they made Hammond their bitch last summer in the Redick deal so they're already working ahead of Milwaukee in that regard.

[machu46]

So this Hill/Jabari comparison... we're really just trying to make the point that because of Jabari's ball-handling ability, he could potentially be a creator on top of being a scorer? Because he's pretty much a non-existent passer at the moment. If you watch the games, it was pretty obvious that he has some chucker potential, and his assist percentage certainly backs that up as well. His assist percentage is lower than Embiid, Randle, Jerami Grant, Aaron Gordon, James Young, Rodney Hood, Adreian Payne, and Jarnell Stokes just to name a few. But basically, in terms of assist percentage, Jabari's among the worst of any player likely to be drafted regardless of position, and that's not even considering that his assist percentage once they got to conference play was even lower.

Of players with a usage % over 20, only 4 players that are likely to be drafted had an assist percentage lower than Jabari's:

Noah Vonleh, Cleanthony Early, DeAndre Daniels, and Glenn Robinson III (and then you have 2 or 3 borderline draftable guys like CJ Fair and LaQuinton Ross). That's unbelievably bad. In conference play, Wiggins assist % was twice as high as Jabari's, but we think Jabari will be a solid creator and Wiggins can't create for teammates at all? I just don't buy it. Unless Jabari changes his game a ton in the NBA, he's probably going to be less of a passer than Carmelo.

[ReasonablySober]

If the goal is to rebuild a fan base, get an arena built, and fill the arena, you certainly should. All that being said, I think it would be awesome to have a core guy on the US Team because;
1. It means he is one of the best players in the league
2. It is great global exposure for the team
3. Could be used as a recruiting tool (which could work against us)

Not implying this is my number reasons for being a Parker guy, far from it, but for those of us that have the top 3 or 4 so close, the 'extra credit' points really build in Parkers favor.

You know what also helps fill seats? Winning. Get me the guy who helps the most in the W/L column.

Right, I get Parker isn't your #1, but for some others on the board here, we think Parker will help us do exactly that...many of us even believe he will help us do that better than the Embiid, Wiggins and Exum, not just in the next 3-4 years, but for the next 10.

If you feel that Parker is the best prospect, meaning he's the guy who's going to be the best player three, four or seven years down the road, then great. That's why you take him.

But I hope we don't have people here willing to take a B+ prospect over an A- prospect because one happens to smile more and speak more eloquently. That's **** stupid.

[WeekapaugGroove]

Why is everyone so convinced parker is a great leader? I get that he's supposedly a nice smart young man but that's not the same as being a leader. Being a good character guy is also not the same as having a crazy competitive drive. which I actually question a little bit with parker since I can't see someone like kobe with a crazy competitive streak letting themselves get out of shape or playing lackadaisical defense like parker.

Now I'm not trying to be a hater and I think parker is a great prospect I just think some of the assumptions about him are a little unwarranted.

Heck ray Allen was a great guy but I don't think he was a great leader.
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[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

Why is everyone so convinced parker is a great leader? I get that he's supposedly a nice smart young man but that's not the same as being a leader. Being a good character guy is also not the same as having a crazy competitive drive. which I actually question a little bit with parker since I can't see someone like kobe with a crazy competitive streak letting themselves get out of shape or playing lackadaisical defense like parker.

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Yeah I get a me-first, volume shooter type of vibe from him on the court. Off the court he's probably swell, but I'm not sure he's necessarily a great leader and teammate on the court. Is he going to be the guy making sure everyone is working out in the off season like a Kobe would? I see Giannis being more of a leader in that regard than Parker.

[HurricaneKid]

Grant Hill freshman yr per game:
11.2 pts, 5.1 trb, 2.2 ast, 1.4 stl, .5 blks

Parker:
19.1 pts, 8.7 trb, 1.2 ast, 1.1 stl, 1.2 blks

I'm not using Hills pro career vs Parker's freshman yr of college.

I like the hill comparison more than the pierce one.

Lets STOP comparing 1991 Duke with 2014 Duke.

Hill was a Frosh with two of the most decorated college players EVER in Hurley (all-time assist leader) and Laettner. On top of those two and Hill, 3 OTHER players were drafted by the NBA. They were so deep they had a guy transfer to Vandy (because he got no run) who became the Co-SEC player of the Year (with Mashburn). This was back when everyone stayed four years and the college game was 10X what it is today. I don't think its a stretch to say that team is 25-30 points better than this years' team, who managed to lose to Mercer in the 1st rd of the NCAA.

And you are going to look back at this post and laugh one day. I don't like Jabari but I don't dislike him either. I just KNOW he is no Grant Hill.

[M-C-G]

You know what also helps fill seats? Winning. Get me the guy who helps the most in the W/L column.

Right, I get Parker isn't your #1, but for some others on the board here, we think Parker will help us do exactly that...many of us even believe he will help us do that better than the Embiid, Wiggins and Exum, not just in the next 3-4 years, but for the next 10.

If you feel that Parker is the best prospect, meaning he's the guy who's going to be the best player three, four or seven years down the road, then great. That's why you take him.

But I hope we don't have people here willing to take a B+ prospect over an A- prospect because one happens to smile more and speak more eloquently. That's **** stupid.

I think that is fair...for what it is worth, while Parker is my #1 I really will be happy with whoever we end up with. Bright times ahead.

[HurricaneKid]

Why is everyone so convinced parker is a great leader? I get that he's supposedly a nice smart young man but that's not the same as being a leader. Being a good character guy is also not the same as having a crazy competitive drive. which I actually question a little bit with parker since I can't see someone like kobe with a crazy competitive streak letting themselves get out of shape or playing lackadaisical defense like parker.

Now I'm not trying to be a hater and I think parker is a great prospect I just think some of the assumptions about him are a little unwarranted.

Heck ray Allen was a great guy but I don't think he was a great leader.
Sent from my SM-N900V using RealGM Forums mobile app

I agree with a lot of this. I just laughed at the bolded part though. Because you would see PLENTY of that if you looked.

[JustinCredible]

For people looking at film on YouTube, watch the draft express scouting videos rather than highlight mix tapes. Much more thorough and gives you a better understanding of a prospects complete game, rather than his best moments of his season. Mix tapes can make anyone look like a Hall of famer.

Those are great. The first half of the videos always make me pumped that we are going to get a SUPERSTAR BABY! Then the 2nd half plays and I don't even want to draft the guy any more. It doesn't even matter who it is.

Once you watch them on a handful of guys though you can start to decipher who has less pitfalls or who has more correctable pitfalls.

[M-C-G]

Why is everyone so convinced parker is a great leader? I get that he's supposedly a nice smart young man but that's not the same as being a leader. Being a good character guy is also not the same as having a crazy competitive drive. which I actually question a little bit with parker since I can't see someone like kobe with a crazy competitive streak letting themselves get out of shape or playing lackadaisical defense like parker.

Sent from my SM-N900V using RealGM Forums mobile app

Yeah I get a me-first, volume shooter type of vibe from him on the court. Off the court he's probably swell, but I'm not sure he's necessarily a great leader and teammate on the court. Is he going to be the guy making sure everyone is working out in the off season like a Kobe would? I see Giannis being more of a leader in that regard than Parker.

From Chad Ford

Parker might be the most skilled offensive freshman in the country. Blessed with a well-rounded game that allows him to score from anywhere on the floor and a high basketball IQ that helps him pick his spots, Parker projects as one of the few players in this draft who could possibly step into the NBA right away and score 20 points per game. He also has proved to be a good rebounder and has high character and leadership abilities.

[WeekapaugGroove]

Why is everyone so convinced parker is a great leader? I get that he's supposedly a nice smart young man but that's not the same as being a leader. Being a good character guy is also not the same as having a crazy competitive drive. which I actually question a little bit with parker since I can't see someone like kobe with a crazy competitive streak letting themselves get out of shape or playing lackadaisical defense like parker.

Now I'm not trying to be a hater and I think parker is a great prospect I just think some of the assumptions about him are a little unwarranted.

Heck ray Allen was a great guy but I don't think he was a great leader.
Sent from my SM-N900V using RealGM Forums mobile app

I agree with a lot of this. I just laughed at the bolded part though. Because you would see PLENTY of that if you looked.

I should have totally said early career kobe because he basically became a DH the last few yrs. Although writers never seemed to notice and kept putting him on all d teams for 5 yrs after he deserved it.

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[europa]

If Parker can score like Melo/Big Dog but has a greater awareness of what it truly means to be a winner he's going to be a sensational pro.

[M-C-G]

I had mentioned this in another thread, and too lazy to find it, but while in college I did a lot coaching youth soccer....It was uncanny, but it never took more than 1 practice or game to see who the leaders were on any team...

In practice you see it, as the kid that gets there early and stay late, anyone can see that...but what really makes a leader, is the guy that drives others to get better around them. I've seen natural leaders, and leaders that had to work at to get there, and most importantly, I have seen people that were not leaders dubbed the leader. This never works, yet the Bucks have been trying this approach since Sam Cassel.

For some reason, I watch Parker, and I just see it...no analytic to back it up, but the kid just screams natural leader to me.

Would be interesting to see if Coach K ever made some comments on the subject though.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

Why is everyone so convinced parker is a great leader? I get that he's supposedly a nice smart young man but that's not the same as being a leader. Being a good character guy is also not the same as having a crazy competitive drive. which I actually question a little bit with parker since I can't see someone like kobe with a crazy competitive streak letting themselves get out of shape or playing lackadaisical defense like parker.

Sent from my SM-N900V using RealGM Forums mobile app

Yeah I get a me-first, volume shooter type of vibe from him on the court. Off the court he's probably swell, but I'm not sure he's necessarily a great leader and teammate on the court. Is he going to be the guy making sure everyone is working out in the off season like a Kobe would? I see Giannis being more of a leader in that regard than Parker.

From Chad Ford

Parker might be the most skilled offensive freshman in the country. Blessed with a well-rounded game that allows him to score from anywhere on the floor and a high basketball IQ that helps him pick his spots, Parker projects as one of the few players in this draft who could possibly step into the NBA right away and score 20 points per game. He also has proved to be a good rebounder and has high character and leadership abilities.

Yeah that really doesn't do much for me. I'm concerned about his work ethic, particularly if he is the leader in the lockeroom. If your leader gets fat in the offseason then the other guys aren't going to be very motivated to stay in shape either. That also doesn't really say anything about him not being a me-first, volume shooter type of player like Melo. Those guys aren't usually viewed as great teammates, especially when they don't play defense.