Absurdly early 2018 NBA Draft Thread

[Spud2nique]

I wouldn't take Carter in the 1st round at all.

[CP War Hawks]

I'm not sure how we could move up. Baze isn't going to net positive value. As much as we love Dennis, I think his value is seen more neutral or negative than positive. Our best bet is to take on a contract for an earlier 20s, then package that with 19 to try and move into the mid teens.

A 24 yo PG with last season avg on a very bad team: PTS: 19.4 ASST 6.2 REB 3.1 PER 17.41 on a good contract is neutral or negative? I hope you don't work in marketing or FO

He was 16th in PER this past season for all PGs. In terms of TS% he was tied for 47th in the league. He might have scored 19 ppg , but his percentages are horrible. He is considered a black hole on defenses (-2.2 d+/-). 15.5M fir the next 3 seasons is really not considering a good contract due to his production. He has to improve either his shooting or defense, he can't be bad at both and be a starting pg. Rondo (who he was compared to at the start of his career was a defensive anchor early in his career. Later he has developed a shot. Dennis has to do that.

If you think his value is high check the trade/transactions board and propose a trade.

For what, it's the same yahoos who've been there for years that will rate their players higher more times than not. Dennis still has a bit of potential to extract, and it's not ideal to trade him this offseason. If he can get 6 assists with this past bunch, I'd wait until the teams' talent level increases along with his trade value.

[kg01]

I wouldn't take Carter in the 1st round at all.

Just sign Taj gibson and be done with it.

[atlantabbq99]

I find myself now somewhat hoping we fall to #5 so we can grab this kid with no worry or risk:

2018 NBA Draft: 1 Surprise Prospect Each Lottery Team Should Target



Wendell Carter Jr. (Duke, C, Freshman)

Projected pick: No. 3

Expected candidates: Luka Doncic, Marvin Bagley III, Jaren Jackson Jr., Mohamed Bamba

Surprise option: Wendell Carter Jr.

Bagley's athleticism points to higher upside, but that's not always how it works, and Carter's fit can be easier to picture. His production and efficiency also went overlooked on Duke's loaded roster: 20.2 points, 13.5 rebounds, 3.1 blocks per 40 minutes on 56.1 percent shooting.

Scouts expect Carter to thrive in a more open NBA, especially if he's paired with a perimeter scorer like Harrison Barnes at the 4.

At 6'10", 259 pounds with 7'3" length, he has the size, post game and shot-blocking ability to play center, but also a developing jumper (19-of-46 3PTM) that's helped strengthen comparisons to Al Horford, who similarly compensates for limited explosiveness with inside-out skill and fundamentals.

Though his bounce and versatility don't match Bagley's, Carter offers more convincing rim protection and shooting touch, along with a strong back-to-the-basket game and overall physical inside presence.

Bleacher Report

I stopped reading when I saw projected pick #3...in his dreams.

I can see Wendell being the Kawhi or Klay of this draft. Which is basically just a very none flashy guy who gets no hype from casual fans, but his superior fundamentals end up making him a top 3 guy in his draft class 5 years down the line.

With that said, i have always rated Wendell high even before he signed with Duke (you can check my past posts). In high school i said he could be a poor man's DeMarcus Cousins. After watching a full season at Duke, I'm still ok with my Cousins comparison, but i'll also throw out that Carter could be the next prime Marc Gasol.

[Spud2nique]

I find myself now somewhat hoping we fall to #5 so we can grab this kid with no worry or risk:

Bleacher Report

I stopped reading when I saw projected pick #3...in his dreams.

I can see Wendell being the Kawhi or Klay of this draft. Which is basically just a very none flashy guy who gets no hype from casual fans, but his superior fundamentals end up making him a top 3 guy in his draft class 5 years down the line.

With that said, i have always rated Wendell high even before he signed with Duke (you can check my past posts). In high school i said he could be a poor man's DeMarcus Cousins. After watching a full season at Duke, I'm still ok with my Cousins comparison, but i'll also throw out that Carter could be the next prime Marc Gasol.

Kawhi or Klay??? Seriously? Man, we must be watching two different players. The guy is quiet and goes about his business perhaps like the aforementioned players but I’m not sure he’s going to be that elite.

I’m not gonna lie, I wouldn’t mind getting a second lottery pick between 9-12 and taking him, but only after we take a Porter jr. or a Trae. I’m on board with that. But if we walk away with Wendell Carter as our only lottery pick, I’m not going to be very happy. He’s a guy that would work well in a system but he isn’t going to be THE MAN on any team at any point in his career. We shall see.

[tbhawksfan1]

Upside is nice with a top 5 pick. Carter is enticing because he looks like a no nonsense solid starting C for years to come.

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

[Jamaaliver]

With that said, i have always rated Wendell high even before he signed with Duke (you can check my past posts). In high school i said he could be a poor man's DeMarcus Cousins. After watching a full season at Duke, I'm still ok with my Cousins comparison, but i'll also throw out that Carter could be the next prime Marc Gasol.

Oh, I remember you making that insane DeMarcus Cousins comparison...

Then I remember thinking in February you might not have been so far off.

I doubt he ever has that level of production, but his well rounded offensive game, combined with his size definitely have some similarities.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I'm gonna make a more insane/inflammatory/hyperbolic comparison.


Karl Malone.

Spoiler:

A poor man's Karl Malone, anyhow. He already has the girth. He has the mid range jumper, the rebounding, the IQ and passing.

I'm not predicting all time great or Hall of Fame career, but there are shades there. He just needs to take care of his body.

And we need to find his pass first point guard to feed him easy buckets all day every day. (Jalen Brunson, anyone?)

[CP War Hawks]

Not too high on wendell, not particularly low tho.

Should obviously be better, but cant shake the shellhead vibes I get.

[Spud2nique]

With that said, i have always rated Wendell high even before he signed with Duke (you can check my past posts). In high school i said he could be a poor man's DeMarcus Cousins. After watching a full season at Duke, I'm still ok with my Cousins comparison, but i'll also throw out that Carter could be the next prime Marc Gasol.

Oh, I remember you making that insane DeMarcus Cousins comparison...

Then I remember thinking in February you might not have been so far off.

I doubt he ever has that level of production, but his well rounded offensive game, combined with his size definitely have some similarities.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I'm gonna make a more insane/inflammatory/hyperbolic comparison.


Karl Malone.

Spoiler:

A poor man's Karl Malone, anyhow. He already has the girth. He has the mid range jumper, the rebounding, the IQ and passing.

I'm not predicting all time great or Hall of Fame career, but there are shades there. He just needs to take care of his body.

And we need to find his pass first point guard to feed him easy buckets all day every day. (Jalen Brunson, anyone?)

Supes? Is that you?

[kg01]

Carter and Isaiah Wilkins (who? exactly) will have similar careers. Jon Henson 2.0?

[Spud2nique]

Carter and Isaiah Wilkins (who? exactly) will have similar careers. Jon Henson 2.0?

I’m not drafting Wendell now...Female LaVar on our hands here..


https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/249800/Wendell-Carter-Jrs-Mother-Compares-NCAA-System-To-Slavery-Prison-System

[kg01]

Carter and Isaiah Wilkins (who? exactly) will have similar careers. Jon Henson 2.0?

I’m not drafting Wendell now...Female LaVar on our hands here..


https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/249800/Wendell-Carter-Jrs-Mother-Compares-NCAA-System-To-Slavery-Prison-System

I'm not sure she's that bad, but she's certainly talking too much for my liking. I mean, I hate the NCAA too and I think it's a major issue .. but I'd prefer Carter being outspoken about something like this, not his mom. Plus, with her being suspected of having received improper benefits, her objections could come across a little sour grape-y.

[Jamaaliver]

Supes? Is that you?

I don't know who that is.

And I can't reasonably say Wendell will be the caliber of player Karl Malone is.

But that style of play I think can be comparable. Overpowering smaller/weaker post players. Driving past slow footed defenders. And spacing the floor effectively from 18+ feet out.

But he'll need a strong, team oriented free flowing system.
And a PG capable of feeding him easy buckets.

Reasonable production in his prime: 16 ppg / 12 rpg / 4 apg / 1.5 bpg

Best Career season projection: 20 ppg / 12 rpg / 3 apg / 2 bpg

He can reasonably do everything Julius Randle can, but he can also shoot, pass, block shots, screen and play strong team defense. Things Randle can't consistently do yet.

[Jamaaliver]

Carter and Isaiah Wilkins (who? exactly) will have similar careers. Jon Henson 2.0?

I’m not drafting Wendell now...Female LaVar on our hands here..


https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/249800/Wendell-Carter-Jrs-Mother-Compares-NCAA-System-To-Slavery-Prison-System

I'm not sure she's that bad, but she's certainly talking too much for my liking. I mean, I hate the NCAA too and I think it's a major issue .. but I'd prefer Carter being outspoken about something like this, not his mom. Plus, with her being suspected of having received improper benefits, her objections could come across a little sour grape-y.

I agree she's not as bad as Lavar. But she and her husband have definitely become a red flag as far as being too involved/outspoken when it comes to their kid.

I read somewhere that they relocated to NC to be near their son during his freshman year of college.

(Yikes.)

And with them all being from Atlanta, and Wendell being a member of a very notorious/visible/vocal church (World Changers. A church I know very well), that definitely is something that concerns me.

[Spud2nique]

Supes? Is that you?

I don't know who that is.

And I can't reasonably say Wendell will be the caliber of player Karl Malone is.

But that style of play I think can be comparable. Overpowering smaller/weaker post players. Driving past slow footed defenders. And spacing the floor effectively from 18+ feet out.

But he'll need a strong, team oriented free flowing system.
And a PG capable of feeding him easy buckets.

Reasonable production in his prime: 16 ppg / 12 rpg / 4 apg / 1.5 bpg

Best Career season projection: 20 ppg / 12 rpg / 3 apg / 2 bpg

He can reasonably do everything Julius Randle can, but he can also shoot, pass, block shots, screen and play strong team defense. Things Randle can't consistently do yet.

Wait, seriously? I thought you were trolling Supes (in the old country). So there are actually two different people in this world that think Al Horford compares to Karl Malone? Oh myyyy...

[Jamaaliver]

Wait, seriously? I thought you were trolling Supes (in the old country). So there are actually two different people in this world that think Al Horford compares to Karl Malone? Oh myyyy...

LOL

Another former poster here pointed it out years ago, and it's proven a somewhat accurate assessment. In the most negative way possible.


Malone was surprisingly dependent on a system (and pinpoint passes from Stockton) to provide him easy buckets and create space for that dynamite mid-range jumper.

AL (and Wendell?) are similarly unable to create their own offense consistently and rely extensively on a system and a lead guard to create offense for them.

Malone was gonna be an All Star regardless. But he became an Hall of Famer in large part because John Stockton was there to feed him consistently down the stretch of tight games.

Wendell similarly will need a PG to provide him good looks in high pressure moments.

[Spud2nique]

Wait, seriously? I thought you were trolling Supes (in the old country). So there are actually two different people in this world that think Al Horford compares to Karl Malone? Oh myyyy...

LOL

Another former poster here pointed it out years ago, and it's proven a somewhat accurate assessment. In the most negative way possible.


Malone was surprisingly dependent on a system (and pinpoint passes from Stockton) to provide him easy buckets and create space for that dynamite mid-range jumper.

AL (and Wendell?) are similarly unable to create their own offense consistently and rely extensively on a system and a lead guard to create offense for them.

Malone was gonna be an All Star regardless. But he became an Hall of Famer in large part because John Stockton was there to feed him consistently down the stretch of tight games.

Wendell similarly will need a PG to provide him good looks in high pressure moments.

But couldn’t you conceivably say that about 17,878 other players the league has seen before? If they had a point guard to feed them the ball they’d be x and y type of players.

[kg01]

I’m not drafting Wendell now...Female LaVar on our hands here..

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/249800/Wendell-Carter-Jrs-Mother-Compares-NCAA-System-To-Slavery-Prison-System

I'm not sure she's that bad, but she's certainly talking too much for my liking. I mean, I hate the NCAA too and I think it's a major issue .. but I'd prefer Carter being outspoken about something like this, not his mom. Plus, with her being suspected of having received improper benefits, her objections could come across a little sour grape-y.

I agree she's not as bad as Lavar. But she and her husband have definitely become a red flag as far as being too involved/outspoken when it comes to their kid.

I read somewhere that they relocated to NC to be near their son during his freshman year of college.

(Yikes.)

And with them all being from Atlanta, and Wendell being a member of a very notorious/visible/vocal church (World Changers. A church I know very well), that definitely is something that concerns me.

I see both sides of it. Try to use the spotlight to effect change or w/e. But ... the kid is in the spotlight, not you. I mean, they're not putting the microphone in their own faces but you're not required to be available for the microphones either.

Back off and let the kid be what he'll be. Help him in the background but stop trying to be the story. That's my advice.

Him (them) in their hometown Atlanta would be a problem IMHO. Everyday in the ajc, "I don't know why they aren't playing Wendell blah, blah, blah." Nah, EZPass on that. Plus dude ain't that good anyway.

I know of World Changers but not much. Figured it was just another megachurch with all the trapings of megachurches. Anything in particular we should know? On a similar note, I remember vividly the rise and fall of New Birth.

[Jamaaliver]

I know of World Changers but not much. Figured it was just another megachurch with all the trappings of megachurches. Anything in particular we should know? On a similar note, I remember vividly the rise and fall of New Birth.

I attended in Middle School and HS in the mid-90s.

I loved every minute of it.

But after I went off to college and Creflo Dollar became more renowned (and notorious), a lot of the flaws I hadn't noticed as a teenager became much more apparent to me.

A lot of well intentioned people have been swallowed up into a very flawed organization.

Fame and wealth are largely at odds with the lifestyle Christ chose to live. Something many at this church have chosen to ignore.


Stepping off my soapbox.