Absurdly early 2018 NBA Draft Thread

Post #4481 » by **Jamaaliver** » Wed Jul 11, 2018 5:23 pm

I just swooned a bit:

Spoiler:

Post #4482 » by **Jamaaliver** » Wed Jul 11, 2018 5:32 pm

After three games at the Las Vegas summer league, everyone would agree Bulls rookie Wendell Carter Jr., has played well.

He delivered his best offensive performance on Tuesday in a 101-93 loss to Atlanta. The No. 7 overall pick from Duke finished with 23 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and hit 9 of 13 shots from the field.

Carter has shown some nice offensive versatility. In the fourth quarter alone, the 6-foot-10 center stepped into an open 3 at the top of the key and drained it, then pump-faked a defender in the air and hit a nice floater in the lane.

Carter doesn't force shots and is quick to pass out of trouble, which helps explain his 57 percent shooting at summer league and should be a helpful trait during the NBA season. Carter has also done a nice job of protecting the rim, collecting 11 blocks in three games.

kg01 · Post #4483 » by **kg01** » Wed Jul 11, 2018 5:43 pm

*yawn*

I guess you're ready to call Kevin Knox the reg. season MVP too.

Post #4484 » by **Jamaaliver** » Wed Jul 11, 2018 6:24 pm

Spud2nique wrote:Why are they in love with him if he’s a traitor like Al? Watch him stab the Bulls in the back like Al did us.

I stumbled upon this today. I thought you might get a kick out of it.

-Brad...I mean JamaaL
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Post #4485 » by **dms269** » Wed Jul 11, 2018 6:29 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:
Spud2nique wrote:Why are they in love with him if he’s a traitor like Al? Watch him stab the Bulls in the back like Al did us.

I stumbled upon this today. I thought you might get a kick out of it.

-Brad...I mean JamaaL
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Read on Twitter

Watch them shifting the blame to the fans. First Tito then sis.

What irks the fans, other than the whole "blame the fans" mantra was the, "I want the max to sign with Atlanta" then leave to Boston for less.

Post #4486 » by **Jamaaliver** » Wed Jul 11, 2018 6:48 pm

^I've always taken his departure as a result of no connection with the regime and bad team building.

After seeing the Hawks commit all that money to Dwight Howard and Kent Bazemore...I'd have run away as quickly as possible too.

Post #4487 » by **Jamaaliver** » Wed Jul 11, 2018 7:24 pm

What the what now?!?

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being touted as best PG from the 2018 NBA Draft class

SGA has been one of the best players in the NBA Summer League

SGA’s impressive play has The Ringer already touting him as the best point guard in the 2018 NBA Draft, despite the fact he was taken behind Trae Young (No. 5 to the Hawks) and Collin Sexton (No. 8 to the Cavaliers).

After the weekend action, it’s clear that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is going to be the best point guard in this draft. There’s something about Shai’s game that already feels destined for a bright future.

SB Nation

Post #4488 » by **Jamaaliver** » Wed Jul 11, 2018 8:19 pm

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Spud2nique · Post #4489 » by **Spud2nique** » Wed Jul 11, 2018 8:28 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:
Spud2nique wrote:Why are they in love with him if he’s a traitor like Al? Watch him stab the Bulls in the back like Al did us.

I stumbled upon this today. I thought you might get a kick out of it.

-Brad...I mean JamaaL
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Read on Twitter

Slob on my knob ...like corn on the cob Anna...Jamaal breaks a B...like China did Rob!

jayu70 · Post #4490 » by **jayu70** » Wed Jul 11, 2018 8:32 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:
kg01 wrote:
Spud2nique wrote:KG, looks like your Ed Davis comparisons might be a bit off. What’s lumpia huh? That’s exactly what a Filipino would say

Eggscuse me? I said he's Taj Gibson and I stand by that comp.

kg01 wrote:You won't know this until he plays in the league.

Wendell Carter = Ed Davis
Jan 2018

Jam has a search button in his back pocket Cagey....and he uses it. :lol:

Spud2nique · Post #4491 » by **Spud2nique** » Wed Jul 11, 2018 9:31 pm

jayu70 wrote:
Jamaaliver wrote:
kg01 wrote:
Eggscuse me? I said he's Taj Gibson and I stand by that comp.

kg01 wrote:You won't know this until he plays in the league.

Wendell Carter = Ed Davis
Jan 2018

Jam has a search button in his back pocket Cagey....and he uses it.

Luckily for me I don’t need that search button everything is in my head. If you said one word about a player in the past, I will associate that with you forever. Search button is for people that don’t remember shiiii.

macd-gm · Post #4492 » by **macd-gm** » Wed Jul 11, 2018 9:51 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:
Spud2nique wrote:Why are they in love with him if he’s a traitor like Al? Watch him stab the Bulls in the back like Al did us.

I stumbled upon this today. I thought you might get a kick out of it.

-Brad...I mean JamaaL
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Read on Twitter

I don't know what 'Come for Al' means. There was less complaining from Lebron's camp and they were burning his jerseys when he left Cleveland the first time. I'll never criticize Al as a Hawk player. He was great. But he left and was practically guilted into even thanking the Atlanta fans and then his pops and sister spent the next year dumping on the fans, city, and organization. He's supposedly this classy guy (and I always thought that) but he handled his departure horribly. I don't begrudge him leaving but do it with some class and tell your family to shut their traps.

Spud2nique · Post #4493 » by **Spud2nique** » Wed Jul 11, 2018 11:11 pm

macd-gm wrote:
Jamaaliver wrote:
Spud2nique wrote:Why are they in love with him if he’s a traitor like Al? Watch him stab the Bulls in the back like Al did us.

I stumbled upon this today. I thought you might get a kick out of it.

-Brad...I mean JamaaL
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Read on Twitter

I don't know what 'Come for Al' means. There was less complaining from Lebron's camp and they were burning his jerseys when he left Cleveland the first time. I'll never criticize Al as a Hawk player. He was great. But he left and was practically guilted into even thanking the Atlanta fans and then his pops and sister spent the next year dumping on the fans, city, and organization. He's supposedly this classy guy (and I always thought that) but he handled his departure horribly. I don't begrudge him leaving but do it with some class and tell your family to shut their traps.

Ok can I use this as a template everytime I wanna bash Alice. Because I get really nasty when all I’m feeling is what Mac wrote.

Post #4494 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Jul 12, 2018 11:43 am

Read on Twitter

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Spoiler:

Spud...so help me dude.

:nonono:

Post #4495 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Jul 12, 2018 11:54 am

As much as I love this kid, the hype machine might be growing too loud and too soon with praise.

Bulls' Wendell Carter Jr. could be best big in Las Vegas

Duke product Wendell Carter Jr. was the last of the five big men taken in the first seven picks of this year's NBA draft. So far during the NBA summer league in Las Vegas, however, Carter perhaps has been the best of the group. His game looks to translate well to the modern NBA. Carter has displayed atypical polish for a 19-year-old big man with one year of college experience.

Let's start at the defensive end, the strength of Carter's game right now. Chicago is comfortable switching Carter on anyone, even point guards, and he has more than held his own on those plays.

The downside of using Carter to switch pick-and-rolls is that it takes him away from the basket, where he's proved to be an excellent rim protector. Though Carter had no blocks on Wednesday, he's still averaging 2.8 blocks per game in four summer appearances, putting him among the leaders in Las Vegas.

Rather than just accumulating blocks by chasing after every shot, Carter has racked them up while remaining disciplined defensively.

In addition to posting up smaller defenders, Carter also has shown the ability to use a face-up game. As a screener in the pick-and-roll, Carter has good feel for where to go with or without the ball. His passing out of the pick-and-roll to open shooters on the weak side is far beyond his years, and Carter can put the ball on the ground if necessary or finish above the rim. And while it's not yet a big part of his game, Carter shows potential as a pick-and-pop option. He's made half of the six 3-pointers he's attempted thus far.

Reading too much into summer league is dangerous, however, the skills and instincts Carter has flashed at both ends of the court have been as impressive as we've seen from any rookie big man.

ESPN

Post #4496 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Jul 12, 2018 12:19 pm

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Trae Young, Hawks

After a poor shooting run in the Utah Summer League last week, Young picked up his play a bit in Vegas and was arguably the most gifted passer on display anywhere. With Young, his mixed efficiency and occasional turnover bouts are more a matter of situational recognition than any flaw in his game, and as he gains experience and adjusts to the level of competition, expect the quality of his play to keep improving and the mistakes to trend downward. Young is pacy off the dribble, hard to stay in front of, and almost too prolific a passer not to be successful to some degree. His size disadvantage might be the most glaring thing right now, but if he can stay healthy and get a little bit stronger it’ll help his case. Don’t expect him to be an overnight sensation as a rookie, but don’t overreact, either.

Jaren Jackson Jr., Grizzlies

There exists a school of thought among a few evaluators that Jackson had a legitimate case as the No. 1 pick in the draft, and at minimum, the Grizzlies made a terrific choice as he slipped to No. 4.

Turned loose by Memphis during games in Utah and Vegas, Jackson showcased himself as a legitimate set-shooting threat and a versatile, imposing defensive presence. His overall skill level and feel continue to improve, and while it may take a year or two for him to become a consistent scorer, there are a lot of positive things going on with his profile. Jackson’s development track is a bit longer than his peers, but everything he showed at Summer League points in the right direction.

Mohamed Bamba, Magic

Bamba’s play has been as expected: He scored somewhat infrequently, had dazzling blocks and dunked easy lobs, and showed improvement as a spot-up shooter from three-point range. He got the better of a Sunday matchup with Jaren Jackson Jr. at times as well, coming up with key defensive plays and rolling hard to the rim. His upside remains substantial, but it should be clear at this point there’s going to be a long-term process with his individual development.

Wendell Carter, Bulls

You’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone around the league who feels particularly negative about Carter’s game, and he’s poised to deliver immediate value on his No. 7 selection. Carter has so few weaknesses in his game at an early stage that it already seems foregone he’ll be in the NBA forever as long as he stays the course. He has an innate understanding of where to be and what to do at a given time, his jumper looks clean, and it all adds up to a highly versatile offensive presence that will make life easier for everyone else on the floor. He’s in terrific physical shape right now and notably looked more mobile defending guards on ball-screen switches. Expect him to be a useful rotation player for Chicago from the get-go and move into the starting lineup relatively early in his career.

macd-gm · Post #4497 » by **macd-gm** » Thu Jul 12, 2018 3:17 pm

I know it's only summer league but i think this draft will be considered a great one in a few years.

Spud2nique · Post #4498 » by **Spud2nique** » Thu Jul 12, 2018 3:56 pm

macd-gm wrote:I know it's only summer league but i think this draft will be considered a great one in a few years.

Ya I compared it it the other day to 84,96,03...we should have gotten in on another top 10 pick. Easier said ham done no doubt.

Post #4499 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Jul 12, 2018 4:53 pm

macd-gm wrote:I know it's only summer league but i think this draft will be considered a great one in a few years.

~Wretch~ wrote:On a side note... Losing aside, I really enjoy watching the top picks in the NBA grow. It's a part of the game that we never truly took part in and it's been over a decade since we took our one big shot at it in the 30 years I've followed the club.

Yeah, I spent more time researching these kids this year than even following our big league team. I'm pretty fond of more than a few a bunch of these guys and look forward to seeing how ALL of them do in the league FT.

Miles Bridges, Khyri Thomas and Bruce Brown in particular are underrated upperclassmen that could outplay their draft position.

Spoiler:

Post #4500 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Jul 12, 2018 5:06 pm

This now appears to be considered a factual part of draft lore. (For the record...I am skeptical.)

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Are you happy with the draft?