2014 Draft Prospect Thread II

[qianlong]

Thanks for the recap manram.
I like hood better than harris, who most seem to favour. For wings i have lavine first, and then I'm undecided between hood and young, then harris.

[PowerBull]

I would be very happy with Hood or Young (CHA pick) and Stauskas or Harris or Bogwhatever (our pick). We really should go with 2 wings. There simple aren't any good picks available at where we pick

[wonderboy2]

I like Lavine as a prospect but I think hes getting a little bit over-hyped on this board. He has a long way to go in terms of being a productive player in the league. He has gobs of potential and talent but he needs to show me more toughness. I would like to see him board better and tighten up his handle alittle. Theres no doubt he has talent. Right now I hope the bulls pick Hood,Harris,Mcdermott,Vonleh over lavine. I would choose lavine over young though.

[BullsFTW]

Bobby Portis just had a big game vs Alabama with 35 Points. Haven't seen him play that much. ManRam, what's your evaluation on Portis?

[P.C.]

What about this Cauley-Stein guy from Kentucky?

Sorry I haven't been following the thread and don't follow hoops but this guy looks projected in our range and very much fits a need. I just think we absolutely must draft a C with size with either our pick or the Charlotte pick because getting solid bigs for cheap in the NBA is damn hard and we're gonna need it without Boozer and Nazr most likely next year, even with Mirotic in the fold.

Maybe Cauley-Stein and either Stauskas or Hairston with our other pick, assuming we get the CHA pick?

I could also see us trying to trade up for either Gary Harris or maybe Exum, though Exum would take a lot - probably more than we're willing to give up. I'm all for trying to use Butler to move up if needed, if it makes sense.

Soft, hasn't shown any improvement, abysmal free throw shooter, no offensive game, disappointing rebounder given his advantages, needs to bulk up.

I liked him last year, but his sophomore season hasn't done him any favors. He might have the most red flags out of anyone projected in the lottery. I get why he's there though because teams love an athletic big guy who can protect the rim and that's what he does.

I hear where you're coming from, Red, but I'm not sure I can agree.

-- I don't think Cauley-Stein's rebounding abilities are reflected in his mediocre top line numbers. Cauley-Stein's pace adjusted per 40 offensive rebounding rate, 4.2 per game, is exceptional. That's better than Vonleh (4.1), Embiid (4.0), and Anthony Davis (3.7). I wouldn't be surprised if Cauley-Stein has the best offensive rebounding numbers of any prospect this year. What accounts for his pedestrian top line figures is his defensive rebounding numbers, which I view that as being tied to his role on Kentucky. Pitino has Cauley-Stein chasing blocks on almost every play, and Randle is staying home and grabbing the easy defensive boards. All of this is to say: I think Cauley-Stein is a very good rebounder who is not being put in a position to put up elite rebounding top line stats.

-- I interpret the term red flag to mean an issue with a player's makeup that will inhibit his ability to play in the NBA. Outside of Cauley-Stein's free throw shooting, which is abysmal even if he's made some year over year progress, I don't see a component of his game that would keep him off the court. His shooting is awful. But so is Chandler's, Noah's and JaVale McGee and they've made an awful lot of money over the years.

-- Cauley-Stein is mobile, is the right size, has a strong if inconsistent motor, and good hands. That's a solid start, even if he isn't the a well-rounded Euro style big man. All of this is to say, I'd be somewhat surprised if he's still on the board when the Bulls are picking with either potential selection.

[ManualRam]

Bobby Portis just had a big game vs Alabama with 35 Points. Haven't seen him play that much. ManRam, what's your evaluation on Portis?

i liked portis coming out of HS and thought he had the type of game to have a strong impact early on. he has some similarities with vonleh. underdeveloped up top but has a strong base. he plays very hard and is fundamentally sound. he changes ends extremely well, always looking for rim runs and early post up opps. he posts hard, has an understanding of positioning and doing work early. has the basic repertoire of drop steps and jump hooks, utilizes his mobility to also wheel around defenders. has been a tremendous finisher around the rim this yr. good, not great athlete, his mobility and relentlessness are greater than his explosiveness. also looks comfortable stepping away from the hoop out a little past mid-range. has a funky delivery on his shot that he might have to tweak as he develops. he kinda flicks the ball instead of following through with extension, but i guess it works for him. ft% is great for a big, but his jump shot from the field is just ok. tweaking it might allow him to extend his range.

i don't see him coming out this yr but you never know.

[Red Larrivee]

PC, by that same tune Joel Embiid shouldn't be averaging as many rebounds as he does per 40. Shot-blocking doesn't decrease rebounding numbers. Randle doesn't get gimme-boards, he's just a beast on the glass and can pull down in traffic too. Cauley-Stein didn't play with any elite rebounders last season either and his rebounding per 40 was the same as it is this year. I think a lot of scouts are going to look at why he didn't improve from his freshman to sophomore season. He could be crashing the glass a lot better. I've seen games where he's been outmuscled by much smaller players.

His mobility, athleticism and size are intriguing, so I get why he's projected where he is. I just wouldn't be surprised if there's better value later in the draft for the same type of role. Cauley-Stein hasn't looked like a starting big man this season.

[BullsFTW]

Bobby Portis just had a big game vs Alabama with 35 Points. Haven't seen him play that much. ManRam, what's your evaluation on Portis?

i liked portis coming out of HS and thought he had the type of game to have a strong impact early on. he has some similarities with vonleh. underdeveloped up top but has a strong base. he plays very hard and is fundamentally sound. he changes ends extremely well, always looking for rim runs and early post up opps. he posts hard, has an understanding of positioning and doing work early. has the basic repertoire of drop steps and jump hooks, utilizes his mobility to also wheel around defenders. has been a tremendous finisher around the rim this yr. good, not great athlete, his mobility and relentlessness are greater than his explosiveness. also looks comfortable stepping away from the hoop out a little past mid-range. has a funky delivery on his shot that he might have to tweak as he develops. he kinda flicks the ball instead of following through with extension, but i guess it works for him. ft% is great for a big, but his jump shot from the field is just ok. tweaking it might allow him to extend his range.

i don't see him coming out this yr but you never know.

Never knew he's physical down low. I like big men who's not afraid of contact, and has length. Portis seems to be a decent big who has good potential. I'd like the Bulls to consider drafting him or Tarczewski if we were to look for a big. I like Payne as well.

[DanTown8587]

I have watched UCLA play three or four times and never once been overly impressed with Zach Lavine. I think he has potential and all that, but the love people have for him I just don't see it. I think the hope for Lavine is that he becomes a Jamaal Crawford type scorer but Jamaal has insane handles and is a lot better at being a PG who can set up the offense and a two guard who can defend.

[DanTown8587]

PC, by that same tune Joel Embiid shouldn't be averaging as many rebounds as he does per 40. Shot-blocking doesn't decrease rebounding numbers. Randle doesn't get gimme-boards, he's just a beast on the glass and can pull down in traffic too. Cauley-Stein didn't play with any elite rebounders last season either and his rebounding per 40 was the same as it is this year. I think a lot of scouts are going to look at why he didn't improve from his freshman to sophomore season. He could be crashing the glass a lot better. I've seen games where he's been outmuscled by much smaller players.

His mobility, athleticism and size are intriguing, so I get why he's projected where he is. I just wouldn't be surprised if there's better value later in the draft for the same type of role. Cauley-Stein hasn't looked like a starting big man this season.

The thing about WCS is that he throws out a game about every two weeks where he puts it all together (offense, defense, etc) and you just think he's a Tyson Chandler clone for 20% the cost for four years. I mean he has exceptional ability to guard the P&R and that alone is going to make him go in the lottery (or close to it).

The thing about him is that even if he doesn't develop anything about his game, he could give you 10-20 minutes at the C spot and that's valuable in this league. I wouldn't want the Bulls to take him over a few guys, but if he's there at 18 or so and depending on how the first part of the draft went, I wouldn't be super upset with him.

[BuffaloBull]

I have watched UCLA play three or four times and never once been overly impressed with Zach Lavine. I think he has potential and all that, but the love people have for him I just don't see it. I think the hope for Lavine is that he becomes a Jamaal Crawford type scorer but Jamaal has insane handles and is a lot better at being a PG who can set up the offense and a two guard who can defend.

Yeah, it may be that LaVine has a lot of talent, but just by the numbers he isn't a guy that plays physical, which makes him less of a fit for the Bulls. I try to "scout" with a pair of Bulls goggles on, based on their current philosophy, and that means guys who are strong, and with + length for their position, are going to be preferred to more finesse types. Zach's got a lot of strength to gain before he is ready to defend at the team level necessary to get on the floor for the Bulls.

[Red Larrivee]

LaVine's biggest problem is opportunity; he doesn't have the ball in his hands much. Most of his three-pointers come off the ball and he doesn't get to showcase much of his ball skills either with Kyle Anderson and others doing the majority of the work. LaVine's combination of freak athleticism/explosion, three-point shooting and size (6'5) is what gets me excited. I agree though that he doesn't have many resume-builder games. If he gets opportunity, he could be a monster. Of course there's the question of how long will it take for everything to hit home.

I agree with you Dantown that Cauley-Stein in the mid-first isn't bad, I just don't view him as a Top-10 right now. I just wanted to see more improvement out of his game this season with him becoming the full-time starting center.

[Proven_Winner]

I have watched UCLA play three or four times and never once been overly impressed with Zach Lavine. I think he has potential and all that, but the love people have for him I just don't see it. I think the hope for Lavine is that he becomes a Jamaal Crawford type scorer but Jamaal has insane handles and is a lot better at being a PG who can set up the offense and a two guard who can defend.

well lavine doesn't have much of an opportunity to showcase his talent which is scoring. The offense is not ran for or through him and alot of guys like Jordan Adams chuck as soon as the ball touches their hands. But when coach tells lavine it's time to score he puts up points in bunches. He also has a nice handle and can get to the rim on a ISO play but the team makes him run off screens which he is good at. Defensively he's competent to know who to rotate towards and has really good length. Lavine has loads of potential to be really good especially on a team like ours.

[BuffaloBull]

Here's video of Bogdanovic's recent play:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMYYAX__Vok[/youtube]

I can see him, in the NBA, as a Bellinelli-type player, a 2 who can also run a pick and roll. I think he has more defensive potential though, with those long arms.

I'm looking International this draft a little more than I otherwise would for the Bulls, because the offseason feels so up in the air that if they did get two picks, it would be good to potentially have the option to defer for a season or so.

[Ralphb07]

Here's video of Bogdanovic's recent play:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMYYAX__Vok[/youtube]

I can see him, in the NBA, as a Bellinelli-type player, a 2 who can also run a pick and roll. I think he has more defensive potential though, with those long arms.

I'm looking International this draft a little more than I otherwise would for the Bulls, because the offseason feels so up in the air that if they did get two picks, it would be good to potentially have the option to defer for a season or so.

I like him, not sure I'd take him over Stauskas and that's probably because I haven't seen much of Bogdanovic play other than youtube videos.

[qianlong]

I have watched UCLA play three or four times and never once been overly impressed with Zach Lavine. I think he has potential and all that, but the love people have for him I just don't see it. I think the hope for Lavine is that he becomes a Jamaal Crawford type scorer but Jamaal has insane handles and is a lot better at being a PG who can set up the offense and a two guard who can defend.

Yeah, it may be that LaVine has a lot of talent, but just by the numbers he isn't a guy that plays physical, which makes him less of a fit for the Bulls. I try to "scout" with a pair of Bulls goggles on, based on their current philosophy, and that means guys who are strong, and with + length for their position, are going to be preferred to more finesse types. Zach's got a lot of strength to gain before he is ready to defend at the team level necessary to get on the floor for the Bulls.

Lets startby saying that Jamaal would be a great fit on this team.
As for Lavine, it is true that he is less ready, but he has all the tools and the skills. He is a very good athlete and shooter, has a good handle, altough not Crawford good, good frame, can create his shot and can make some plays for others. He needs more time, that's for certain, therefore he is more likely to bust than some other players.
That said I think his potential is a notch above the other guards in that range. A Crawford with better defense and better at attacking the rim would be a perennial all-star.

I agree Lavien is not much of a bulls type, and I won't mind not picking him since he is not going to be available at our spot and there are other very good and perhaps safer prospects. Speaking of which, while I prefer Lavine, I think Harris and Hood are the bulls player. If one of them is still on the board, or at close reach I think the bulls will pick them. Good charachter, good programs and coaches, one extra year of experience so more ready to play, good defenders and shooters. After those two I think the field is wide open but those are very bullish.

[Shogun12]

For all the talk about Cauley-Stein, I'm surprised no one has mentioned AJ Hammons as a bona fide first rounder. He's flying completely under the radar, as Purdue is just an average team this season, and Hammons seemingly can't shake off the tag of inconsistent, which has stuck with him since his high school days. Personally, I have been very impressed by his improvement this season, and he's playing very well in arguably the best conference in college basketball.

He actually has a pretty developed offensive game with a lot of tidy post moves, can step out and shoot from distance, and is a solid free thrower shooter. He isn't an elite athlete like Embiid, but he's got a huge frame. With NBA strength and conditioning, he'll be a starter in the NBA, I think. That is, if he's given a tough taskmaster of a coach to develop under.

[wonderboy2]

Heres Staukus Draftexpress scouting video for those who are insterested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-ymNs3Bce8

I like Staukus he is a knock down shooter and with improved ball skills. His defense is very concerning but he can improve in that area because he is a hard worker. My tier of players I want the bulls to select are

Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3
Vonleh- Lavine- Nick johnson
Ennis- Young- Pj Hariston
Mcdermott- Staukus- Jordon Clarkson
Harris- Delon wright- Semaj Christan
Hood- Tj Warren- Jerami Grant
K anderson- Adrian Payne- Aaron Gordon

[P.C.]

PC, by that same tune Joel Embiid shouldn't be averaging as many rebounds as he does per 40. Shot-blocking doesn't decrease rebounding numbers. Randle doesn't get gimme-boards, he's just a beast on the glass and can pull down in traffic too. Cauley-Stein didn't play with any elite rebounders last season either and his rebounding per 40 was the same as it is this year. I think a lot of scouts are going to look at why he didn't improve from his freshman to sophomore season. He could be crashing the glass a lot better. I've seen games where he's been outmuscled by much smaller players.

His mobility, athleticism and size are intriguing, so I get why he's projected where he is. I just wouldn't be surprised if there's better value later in the draft for the same type of role. Cauley-Stein hasn't looked like a starting big man this season.

Randle is putting up an absurd 5.0 pace adjusted offensive rebounds per game, so yeah, I was wrong about that. I see him as a mid-late or late lottery prospect, which sound like pretty close to where you have him.

[PerfecTommy07]

What player will a team reach on in the top 10 picks that is not generally regarded as a top prospect. I’m talking about a player that might be projected to go in the late teens or early 20’s some team falls in love with and takes at 8, 9 or 10. There always a GM that thinks he knows something that everyone else doesn’t.

Also what top prospect has the greatest chance to fall out of the top 10.

I think someone takes a chance on Dario Saric at 9 or 10 and Aaron Gordon or Zach LaVine fall out of the 10 into the early/mid teens.

Thoughts?