Thank Nation! Pre-Lottery: Denver 9th, NY pick 7th (PART 4)

[CoachJReturns]

Orlando pulled us out of a tough spot. That Milwaukee loss wasn't helping us. I'm quite alright with us picking 9-10. I actually like the guys in that range mote than a couple of the names that could be picked just ahead them. Mainly Poetl and Ellenson who I don't want. I'd prefer Rabb, Luwawu and maybe Korkmaz, though it would take longer to find a role for him. Not sold on Prince yet, but might be a good fit. He looks like he could fill a needed role and would fit in with Masai's approach of adding solid defenders to the roster.

[OAKLEY_2]

I wouldnt hate just taking prince if nobody falls, keep the youth movement going, have a successor at every position, and if we can land a kd, these young guys can be the bench for like 6 mil total lol

If Poetl falls I take him in a heartbeat. After that I think I take Luwawu. Luwawu is putting up respectable stats his first year in a good pro league. After that I take Rabb because I think he has the mindset and skills to be a Masai player. After that and trading down I take Sabonis. I like Sabonis' demeanor. A lot. Then Korkmaz also trading down. Then Prince and yeas trading down. Out of all that group I would evaluate all the possible trading down options.

[AbC?]

Last few games of the season:

New York
Toronto
Indiana

Should lose both, Pacers trying to avoid the Cavs first round. NY ends with 32 wins.

Denver
San Antonio (about to beat them)
Utah
Portland

Spurs down 10 right now to Denver, resting everybody. If they lose to Utah and Portland they end at 33. But for some reason they are still playing hard and I hate them for it.

Sacramento
OKC
Phoenix
Houston

I'd say best case OKC sits Durant/WB and they take 2 out of 3 to end up at 33 wins

Bucks
Philly
Orlando
Pacers

If they take the Philly game only they are at 33.

So if things work out perfectly NY remains at 7 and there is a 3 way tie for 8th spot.

[Omzz]

Dont mess this up spurs

[xAIRNESSx]

Really need SA to get their s*** together and pull out the win against the Nuggets.

[UnderdogRaptors]

[Omzz]

Wow eff off spurs

[TheGoodDoctor]

Oh well...at least the Knicks are ruining it for DEN too

[primopastalove2]

Really hate the spurs now, hope they get swept by OKC or GS.

[CoachJReturns]

Spurs rested most of their starters . This game meant nothing to them. Breaking my heart Pop. It's cool. The guys I want will be available at our pick. I just hope Murray or Bender or Brown doesn't go 1 spot before ours. That would really suck.

[ciueli]

Luwawu looks like a pretty obvious pick to me. I'll be surprised if he's still available at our pick tbh. He just doesn't seem to have any major holes in his game. Can defend, shoot, operate in the pick and roll, so his floor is quite high imo. Factor in his NBA caliber body and athleticism, and he could have a high ceiling as well.

From what I have read at DraftExpress, he can't dribble drive without turning the ball over. He looks like he'll be a good 3+D wing though, which would be a nice long term replacement for DeMarre Carroll when his contract is up. I wouldn't have a problem with taking him at the NYK/DEN pick.

[mad-man]

I have to agree with you here. Luwawu is not special by any means and taking him at 9 would be safe, but mediocre. This year we have a chance to truly swing for the fences for a guy ranked in the lottery. It's hit and miss, but you don't win championships with mediocre players. If I'm going safe at 9 I'd take Taurean Prince every time over Luwawu. Anyways, the point is to swing for the fences. You can't steal a base unless you don't fear being thrown out. Sure, Thon Maker or Skal Labissiere might be out of the NBA at the end of their rookie deals, and Luwawu might be a quality defender on a playoff team, but there's also the chance that Thon/Skal become defensive, shot blocking, floor stretching bigs while Luwawu is still just that solid defender. Screw that. You don't win championships by being safe and mediocre. Go hard or go home.

I'm not so sure Luwawu is mediocre. Excellent athlete, 3 point shot and good defender and excellent frame. I think his potential goes way beyond being just a quality defender.

The thing about Thon and Skal it they haven't shown anything yet. After combine and workouts I may warm up to them but right now they are about as Bruno as it gets. Complete high potential mysteries.

I don't believe you need to jump at every unknown to find high end talent. If we pick luwawu, Prince, Rabb, etc etc. it doesn't matter to me. I think we have a team in place that is very good at what it does.

If they pick Thon or Skal cool. But I'm not going to cheer for it without seeing something. At least with Luwawu and Sabonis I can see a body of work.

I shouldn't say Luwawu's ceiling is just a quality defender. I'd say his ceiling is someone like Danny Green or Josh Richardson, which is not a bad player by any means. I just feel like it's better to swing for the home run and miss than swing for a double and only make it to first.

With Thon it's the regular situation with high school prospects in that he's doing what he did against MUCH inferior competition to anyone else in this draft, and high school players always were and always will be humongous risks. Then again, some of the greatest players in league history have been drafted out of high school.

In terms of Skal, I posted in an earlier thread his stats when playing over 20 minutes per game. The most telling thing of all however was the fact that there was only a 10 game sample size! When given minutes Skal performed well. So, that tells me that Calipari really jerked him around this season. And to be honest, every game I watched for UK this season it seemed like as soon as he was getting a rhythm he found himself back on the bench. IIRC when he played over 20 minutes he averaged 13ppg, 4-5rpg, 3blk on 57% shooting. So, he leaves a lot to be desired rebounding wise but performs everywhere else that he needs to. His jump shot also leads me to believe that he'll be able to extend it to the NBA 3 with time. So what you end up getting is a shot blocking, stretch 4 which is very valuable in today's NBA.

Lastly, my fondness for Ivan Rabb is well documented. If I'm picking a solid player at the NYK/DEN I'd go with Rabb first, then Taurean Prince. But overall as of right now I'd go with Skal, Rabb, Thon and then Prince in that order.

P.S. if OG Anunoby declares those rankings change and he tops my list

I like Rabb too but just don't like his skill set in today's NBA. Reminds be a lot of Ed Davis, which IMO just doesn't fit the 4 spot anymore.

[raptor jesus]

Luwawu looks like a pretty obvious pick to me. I'll be surprised if he's still available at our pick tbh. He just doesn't seem to have any major holes in his game. Can defend, shoot, operate in the pick and roll, so his floor is quite high imo. Factor in his NBA caliber body and athleticism, and he could have a high ceiling as well.

From what I have read at DraftExpress, he can't dribble drive without turning the ball over. He looks like he'll be a good 3+D wing though, which would be a nice long term replacement for DeMarre Carroll when his contract is up. I wouldn't have a problem with taking him at the NYK/DEN pick.

Yeah, not sure he'll ever be a guy that can break down defenders with the dribble using advanced moves, but it doesn't look like a glaring weakness either. From what I've seen he's capable of making simple plays as a pick and roll ballhandler. Besides, when you're picking around 10th in what's supposed to be weaker draft, you're likely not going to find a flawless player. IMO, Luwawu's flaws are fewer and less glaring than others.

[BoyzNTheHood]

I'm not so sure Luwawu is mediocre. Excellent athlete, 3 point shot and good defender and excellent frame. I think his potential goes way beyond being just a quality defender.

The thing about Thon and Skal it they haven't shown anything yet. After combine and workouts I may warm up to them but right now they are about as Bruno as it gets. Complete high potential mysteries.

I don't believe you need to jump at every unknown to find high end talent. If we pick luwawu, Prince, Rabb, etc etc. it doesn't matter to me. I think we have a team in place that is very good at what it does.

If they pick Thon or Skal cool. But I'm not going to cheer for it without seeing something. At least with Luwawu and Sabonis I can see a body of work.

I shouldn't say Luwawu's ceiling is just a quality defender. I'd say his ceiling is someone like Danny Green or Josh Richardson, which is not a bad player by any means. I just feel like it's better to swing for the home run and miss than swing for a double and only make it to first.

With Thon it's the regular situation with high school prospects in that he's doing what he did against MUCH inferior competition to anyone else in this draft, and high school players always were and always will be humongous risks. Then again, some of the greatest players in league history have been drafted out of high school.

In terms of Skal, I posted in an earlier thread his stats when playing over 20 minutes per game. The most telling thing of all however was the fact that there was only a 10 game sample size! When given minutes Skal performed well. So, that tells me that Calipari really jerked him around this season. And to be honest, every game I watched for UK this season it seemed like as soon as he was getting a rhythm he found himself back on the bench. IIRC when he played over 20 minutes he averaged 13ppg, 4-5rpg, 3blk on 57% shooting. So, he leaves a lot to be desired rebounding wise but performs everywhere else that he needs to. His jump shot also leads me to believe that he'll be able to extend it to the NBA 3 with time. So what you end up getting is a shot blocking, stretch 4 which is very valuable in today's NBA.

Lastly, my fondness for Ivan Rabb is well documented. If I'm picking a solid player at the NYK/DEN I'd go with Rabb first, then Taurean Prince. But overall as of right now I'd go with Skal, Rabb, Thon and then Prince in that order.

P.S. if OG Anunoby declares those rankings change and he tops my list

I like Rabb too but just don't like his skill set in today's NBA. Reminds be a lot of Ed Davis, which IMO just doesn't fit the 4 spot anymore.

He's more Chris Bosh than Ed Davis. I can see where the comparisons come from with Rabb and Davis because they're both double-double machines who work hard on the glass and block some shots, but he's easily more Bosh than Davis.

One of the reason's he's more Bosh is because he actually has shooting touch. He can hit a 17 foot jump shot, unlike Ed who still can't shoot worth a lick. Rabb also has a pretty deadly turnaround where he fades over his right shoulder. And his jumper isn't like Ed's where it just looks like he's going to miss, his jumper looks nice. He sets his feet and goes straight up and down in a smooth motion.

Also, Rabb can drive to the hoop more effectively. Ed could basically take a dribble or two and then pick it up because he was afraid of getting stripped where Rabb/Bosh can drive to the hoop. Rabb has a little bit of a handle, unlike Ed.

My main issue with Rabb is he's left hand dominant. He hasn't shown the ability or desire to go right, except on his turnaround when he always goes right. He'll be locked up defensively in the NBA if he keeps that trend alive. However, guys like Zach Randolph have shown that you can go one way and succeed, but you need to be dominant in the post.

[Mark_83]

There will be good options for us here, and I'm surprised how few posters are considering Davis here (whom I favour with our pick). 3 to 12 in this draft is really a matter of taste. With the strength of our present roster, I strongly support the drafting of a high upside freshman who needs a year or two of seasoning. Deyonta Davis please.

I like Davis. In fact, he's the only legit big man I'd be comfortable with taking a chance on with the NY/ DEN pick.

He has a lot of work to do on his body (reminds me of Henson a bit), but I like everything else. His mid range jumper even looks pretty smooth.

I agree with you regarding 3-12 being a matter of taste (to some degree). Whoever we pick needs to be a 2 way player. We just need to pick the best one with the highest upside. I'm sure "fit" will play a role in who we pick.

I agree with pretty much everything here. Davis has a lot going for him with his size, length, athleticism and defensive potential. On offense he has good touch around the rim and his 15-18 footer looks pretty smooth when he has taken them.

Whoever we pick I think they have to either be two-way players or have reachable two-way potential to play on this team, especially with Val and Demar already in our starting lineup, to go along with Scola.

Brown/Prince/Davis/Rabb/Skal/Luwawu

I don't have Poetl on this list even though theoretically he's a two way player, since I don't think his defense will translate as well to the next level for reasons I've mentioned before, and his offense isn't anything special.

[kron100]

Deyonta Davis looks like Andrew Wiggins i'd stay away from him

[kron100]

Luwawu has a bad handle at 20 and we all know how that translates in the nba

[deeps6x]

Not a fan of Valentine..we need to find two way players and Valentine can't play D. His weaknesses seem like the type that will make his transition to the NBA tough as well.

Thon looks like a bust

Can you be more specific about the weaknesses you think Valentine has Volcano?

[deeps6x]

There will be good options for us here, and I'm surprised how few posters are considering Davis here (whom I favour with our pick). 3 to 12 in this draft is really a matter of taste. With the strength of our present roster, I strongly support the drafting of a high upside freshman who needs a year or two of seasoning. Deyonta Davis please.

I like Davis. In fact, he's the only legit big man I'd be comfortable with taking a chance on with the NY/ DEN pick.

He has a lot of work to do on his body (reminds me of Henson a bit), but I like everything else. His mid range jumper even looks pretty smooth.

I agree with you regarding 3-12 being a matter of taste (to some degree). Whoever we pick needs to be a 2 way player. We just need to pick the best one with the highest upside. I'm sure "fit" will play a role in who we pick.

I agree with pretty much everything here. Davis has a lot going for him with his size, length, athleticism and defensive potential. On offense he has good touch around the rim and his 15-18 footer looks pretty smooth when he has taken them.

Whoever we pick I think they have to either be two-way players or have reachable two-way potential to play on this team, especially with Val and Demar already in our starting lineup, to go along with Scola.

Brown/Prince/Davis/Rabb/Skal/Luwawu

I don't have Poetl on this list even though theoretically he's a two way player, since I don't think his defense will translate as well to the next level for reasons I've mentioned before, and his offense isn't anything special.

Davis has a great frame for adding mass in the future. His D is actually quite good, his rebounding is good, not great. Excellent blocker though. He will be a great pick for someone in the teens.

[RaptorsLife]

We got our 46th pick playing like a top 10 pick and delon is good. I trust masai