2015 Draft Thread - Part 1

[Severn Hoos]

Gotta go BPA, imo - particularly when the talent gap is wide. I agree on Lyles - I don't want a poor man's Juwan Howard. Here's a nice update on Upshaw. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2466 ... -wild-card It says the Wiz were one of several teams to interview him.

I didn't follow college ball as well as most this season, and while his numbers look ok to me at a glance, he played on what I thought was a stacked team, and seems physically deficient at the next level. Now...if I'm wrong about any of these assumptions, I'm willing to read some reasons why, but I honestly just don't see how he is:

1. Actually the BPA at 19

2. Someone who would really help this team

Upshaw intrigues me, but I wonder how much of a project he'll be. I'm also more in the favor of taking a project big in the 2nd round so long as we can secure a 4 or a 2 in the 1st round who has an off chance of being an impact player. Cause if he plan is to use Nene as a backup 5, I'm not sure how much minutes Upshaw would get, and I'd rather get minutes to develop if at all possible.

Why do you think Upshaw played on a stacked team? My recollection is they fell apart after he was kicked off the team, and the only other prospect on the team was the point guard - who's likely a future 2nd rounder. And how is he physically deficient? He measured as the biggest and longest player at the combine - with the biggest hands. He's not a speedster, but he runs the court as well as an average NBA center, and he's certainly agile enough. He can impact a game with his defense and showed good pick and roll skills when I watched him. Imo, there's no question about his physical abilities.

I think he was still referring to Tyus Jones - stacked team, underwhelming physical profile, and all that.

Of course, you could have said the former about another Dookie in Battier, and the latter about Steph Curry - maybe the both/and makes it tough to accept Jones as a top prospect?

[stevemcqueen1]

Curry has good size and length for the PG position and he's very quick for his height. Jones is three inches shorter. That's significant.

[JWizmentality]

And the basketball gods looked down upon the Knicks Realgm board, and behold there were many a Okafor and Towns threads. The basketball gods saw that it was unclean. In their wrath they smote the Knick fandom. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

[Ruzious]

SMH,

When is it not going to be suspicious, this lottery thing? Ever since the Lakers went into full tank mode after Kobe went down I figured the true test of the lottery would be in if the lakers moved up or not. Sure enough, top 2 pick (I'll grant the odds were certainly there, but was there anyone among us, who didn't think this would happen? that they'd jump up?). There doesn't seem to be a single year where the draft doesn't come out smelling rotten. Really annoying.

Lakers moved down last year in the lotto.

They basically have two lotto picks joining their team next year. Randle and either Okafor or Towns.

Flip supposedly is dead set on Okafor. TWolve fans want Towns cause their defense sucks.

Yup. And how does Phil Jackson feel?

The Lakers could be really interesting next year - if Kobe can work with the kids.

I don't have much faith in Flip's ability to build a team. I can't criticize him for picking Okafor, but then he's got to follow that up by trading big Pekovic. If he tries playing Okafor and Pek together and alternating Dieng with them, he's going to have a horrible spacing problem. He's got to trade Pek for a forward. My gut says he'll mess it up.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

This guy Richaun Holmes looks like a find...

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Ric ... mes-65912/

Has the physical profile and measurables, strong defensively (MAC Defensive POY) and shot 42% on 3s. At the combine had 5 blocks in 17 min.


I'm pushing for PF round 1 and SG round 2 (Portis, Frazier), but Holmes could be a 2nd round steal.


Regardless of position, players I wouldn't mind seeing with our picks...

19
Kaminsky
Portis
Dekker
Booker
Anderson
Jones
Harrison
Looney


49
Frazier
Holmes
Connaughton
Wells
Tokoto
Cook
Christmas
Mickey
A.Williams
Hanlan

[Ruzious]

Curry has good size and length for the PG position and he's very quick for his height. Jones is three inches shorter. That's significant.

1.75 inches shorter.

[AFM]

I'll show you 1.75 inches shorter

[nuposse04]

Gotta go BPA, imo - particularly when the talent gap is wide. I agree on Lyles - I don't want a poor man's Juwan Howard. Here's a nice update on Upshaw. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2466 ... -wild-card It says the Wiz were one of several teams to interview him.

I didn't follow college ball as well as most this season, and while his numbers look ok to me at a glance, he played on what I thought was a stacked team, and seems physically deficient at the next level. Now...if I'm wrong about any of these assumptions, I'm willing to read some reasons why, but I honestly just don't see how he is:

1. Actually the BPA at 19

2. Someone who would really help this team

Upshaw intrigues me, but I wonder how much of a project he'll be. I'm also more in the favor of taking a project big in the 2nd round so long as we can secure a 4 or a 2 in the 1st round who has an off chance of being an impact player. Cause if he plan is to use Nene as a backup 5, I'm not sure how much minutes Upshaw would get, and I'd rather get minutes to develop if at all possible.

Why do you think Upshaw played on a stacked team? My recollection is they fell apart after he was kicked off the team, and the only other prospect on the team was the point guard - who's likely a future 2nd rounder. And how is he physically deficient? He measured as the biggest and longest player at the combine - with the biggest hands. He's not a speedster, but he runs the court as well as an average NBA center, and he's certainly agile enough. He can impact a game with his defense and showed good pick and roll skills when I watched him. Imo, there's no question about his physical abilities.

I thought tyus jones played on a stacked team, I mean Okafor and Justice are pretty talented. My physical critique was of Jones, lol not upshaw, I think you completely misunderstood me >.> lol

I know nothing about upshaw. Just that he is a physical monster.

[JWizmentality]

I'll show you 1.75 inches shorter

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

2http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/ ... dismissal/

Let's just totally ignore multiple failed drug tests and dismissals from Fresno State and Washington.

Hell, he's 21 but he's tall. Let's sign this guy to big money because our risk paid off with Glen Rice Jr.

Errrr...wait.

Do not draft Upshaw. I would draft Williams 10 times out of 10 before Upshaw.

Instead of making assumptions, I'd do due diligence on Upshaw.

I'm not assuming that twice schools dismissed him.

The NBA does test for drugs. If you sign Upshaw how available will he be? How professional will he be?

There are a lot of people who have excelled for years without failing to comply with the rules. Given a choice, I think Rakeem Christmas or Ryan White, or Dez Wells, or Pat Connaughton or Trey Lyles--any of them are guys I pick before Upshaw.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

This guy Richaun Holmes looks like a find...

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Ric ... mes-65912/

Has the physical profile and measurables, strong defensively (MAC Defensive POY) and shot 42% on 3s. At the combine had 5 blocks in 17 min.


I'm pushing for PF round 1 and SG round 2 (Portis, Frazier), but Holmes could be a 2nd round steal.


Regardless of position, players I wouldn't mind seeing with our picks...

19
Kaminsky
Portis
Dekker
Booker
Anderson
Jones
Harrison
Looney


49
Frazier
Holmes
Connaughton
Wells
Tokoto
Cook
Christmas
Mickey
A.Williams
Hanlan

Holmes did too well to last to 49.

Edited: He did well at both Portsmouth and the NBA Combine. However...

He was relatively unproductive judging by his game logs. He was the best player in the MAC. Blocked a lot of shots, scored efficiently, and rebounded well. However, his stats don't match his recent dominance.

He could be a round one talent but his NCAA stat lines don't impress me that much.

The video highlights suggest he's a good pick at 19, but his production and conference make me wonder why he didn't do better.

[payitforward]

Curry has good size and length for the PG position and he's very quick for his height. Jones is three inches shorter. That's significant.

Oh, you bet -- tells the tale!

Tyus Jones' physicals -- size, etc. -- are virtually *identical* to Chris Paul coming out of college. And we all know what a terrible player Chris Paul is. Oh, and identical to Jeff Teague as well -- another bum.

Do I have that right? Or is your point that Jones may never be the league MVP, so he's not good value at the #19 pick?

[payitforward]

Holmes will be long gone by #49.

Right now, to me, the two most underrated guys (esp. among bigs) are Cliff Alexander and Alan Williams. If we could trade down and get them both plus a young guard prospect like Hanlan or Tyler Harvey, I'd be very happy. But, Ernie isn't going to go for 3 rookies. We'll be lucky if we get one rookie.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Holmes tests out well and dunks well, but I think I would rate Jordan Mickey higher. He is an even better shot blocker who I believe might play with a higher motor in the long run.

[Ruzious]

2http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/ ... dismissal/

Let's just totally ignore multiple failed drug tests and dismissals from Fresno State and Washington.

Hell, he's 21 but he's tall. Let's sign this guy to big money because our risk paid off with Glen Rice Jr.

Errrr...wait.

Do not draft Upshaw. I would draft Williams 10 times out of 10 before Upshaw.

Instead of making assumptions, I'd do due diligence on Upshaw.

I'm not assuming that twice schools dismissed him.

The NBA does test for drugs. If you sign Upshaw how available will he be? How professional will he be?

There are a lot of people who have excelled for years without failing to comply with the rules. Given a choice, I think Rakeem Christmas or Ryan White, or Dez Wells, or Pat Connaughton or Trey Lyles--any of them are guys I pick before Upshaw.

You're entitled to your opinion, and it's an obvious huge red flag - there's no argument on that. My opinion is that we need more information on him before making an important decision - just as MD did when they signed Wells and Sulaimon - and just as OKC did when they picked McGary.

[Dat2U]

Curry has good size and length for the PG position and he's very quick for his height. Jones is three inches shorter. That's significant.

Oh, you bet -- tells the tale!

Tyus Jones' physicals -- size, etc. -- are virtually *identical* to Chris Paul coming out of college. And we all know what a terrible player Chris Paul is. Oh, and identical to Jeff Teague as well -- another bum.

Do I have that right? Or is your point that Jones may never be the league MVP, so he's not good value at the #19 pick?

Maybe the same physical profile but Jones does not appear to have the quickness that both Paul & Teague have. He's not getting in the lane at will like Paul/Teague. His 2 pt % is a bit concerning as his inability to finish around the rim. I have mixed feelings about him honestly. How much better of a prospect is he than Tyler Ennis who had a similar run for Syracuse last year and struggled mightily in Phoenix/Milwaukee?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Instead of making assumptions, I'd do due diligence on Upshaw.

I'm not assuming that twice schools dismissed him.

The NBA does test for drugs. If you sign Upshaw how available will he be? How professional will he be?

There are a lot of people who have excelled for years without failing to comply with the rules. Given a choice, I think Rakeem Christmas or Ryan White, or Dez Wells, or Pat Connaughton or Trey Lyles--any of them are guys I pick before Upshaw.

You're entitled to your opinion, and it's an obvious huge red flag - there's no argument on that. My opinion is that we need more information on him before making an important decision - just as MD did when they signed Wells and Sulaimon - and just as OKC did when they picked McGary.

I don't like the Terps' decision on Sulaimon.

McGary? ...Now I see why Upshaw intrigues you so. Mitch did face suspension for testing positive for weed. He's reportedly a good kid. (Injury prone, however ).

Ruzious, I wish Upshaw well. If he smartly avoids positive tests, he can have a good NBA career.

[Ruzious]

Curry has good size and length for the PG position and he's very quick for his height. Jones is three inches shorter. That's significant.

Oh, you bet -- tells the tale!

Tyus Jones' physicals -- size, etc. -- are virtually *identical* to Chris Paul coming out of college. And we all know what a terrible player Chris Paul is. Oh, and identical to Jeff Teague as well -- another bum.

Do I have that right? Or is your point that Jones may never be the league MVP, so he's not good value at the #19 pick?

Maybe the same physical profile but Jones does not appear to have the quickness that both Paul & Teague have. He's not getting in the lane at will like Paul/Teague. His 2 pt % is a bit concerning as his inability to finish around the rim. I have mixed feelings about him honestly. How much better of a prospect is he than Tyler Ennis who had a similar run for Syracuse last year and struggled mightily in Phoenix/Milwaukee?

I think I've answered this comparison question a few times - and remember I was not at all a fan of Ennis - because he's not very good at basketball - regardless of him being older than Jones in their respective frosh years. Jones is a play maker, while Ennis is a guy who's a good decision maker who doesn't make plays. If you watched Jones, you saw how he does things like he's a step ahead of everyone else. He's also got a great first step and effectively does have the great quickness of the top PG's - just like Nash. Jones also had to switch between the point and the 2 - in deference to Cook. Also notice that Ennis started out the season great and went downhill as the competition got harder. Jones excelled in the NCAA tournament as the competition got tougher. And the eye test for a PG should be how they perform down the stretch when the game is on the line. Time after time, Jones showed he's the guy you want with the ball in those situations.

[Ruzious]

I'm not assuming that twice schools dismissed him.

The NBA does test for drugs. If you sign Upshaw how available will he be? How professional will he be?

There are a lot of people who have excelled for years without failing to comply with the rules. Given a choice, I think Rakeem Christmas or Ryan White, or Dez Wells, or Pat Connaughton or Trey Lyles--any of them are guys I pick before Upshaw.

You're entitled to your opinion, and it's an obvious huge red flag - there's no argument on that. My opinion is that we need more information on him before making an important decision - just as MD did when they signed Wells and Sulaimon - and just as OKC did when they picked McGary.

I don't like the Terps' decision on Sulaimon.

McGary? ...Now I see why Upshaw intrigues you so. Mitch did face suspension for testing positive for weed. He's reportedly a good kid. (Injury prone, however ).

Ruzious, I wish Upshaw well. If he smartly avoids positive tests, he can have a good NBA career.

That's fair. McGary did come to mind - you're right that he had the drug test failure and a back problem. Granted, Upshaw being kicked out of 2 schools trumps that, but if I was paid to be a GM, I'd do a major background check before making up my mind. Remember Chris Carter's background. And you're still a fan of Glenn Rice Jr - who got kicked out of school and reportedly showed a bad attitude with the Wiz.

[Ruzious]

Holmes tests out well and dunks well, but I think I would rate Jordan Mickey higher. He is an even better shot blocker who I believe might play with a higher motor in the long run.

If either somehow slip to 47, we better pick him and not sell the pick. It'll be Clarkson part dos. Dieu? Doody?