NBA Draft Discussion Thread

[gangsta207therevolution]

Originally Posted by commodity05

TJ Ford is an off the charts athlete...something Augustin is not. Both Chris Paul and Iverson struggle to guard bigger guards...its just they are elite level talents in other areas to make up for it. Would you put Augustin in that echelon? I certainly wouldn't. You bring up Jameer Nelson and thats the perfect comparison to me...because whats the one thing all the analysts have been saying in this Detroit series? Orlando's guards are TOO small for the Pistons guards and that they're going to have to get bigger guards eventually. Nelson was gettin WORKED by Stuckey and Afflalo...the league CERTAINLY doesn't cater to small guards right now. CP3 and AI are rare players and have the athleticism to make up for their size....make him about 6'2-6'3, and he is way ahead of derrik rose....imo

good points brought up.....size does affect him, no question, but based on talent...he is arguably the most talented pg in the draft....

Who said he would be ahead of Rose? thats crazy

 

[commodity05]

Who said he would be ahead of Rose? thats crazy
no one is saying that. He is a more talented pg than rose, the only thing is his height. If he were 6-2, he would def go ahead of rose no question

 

[allen3xis]

More talented?

To me, No way

Rose has things you just can't teach.

 

[commodity05]

Rose has things you just can't teach.
ya like height? DJ is a much better passer, and facilitator of the game, which is what a pg does. He can get to the hole at will, and can shoot itfrom the outside. Rose is a good scorer, but hes not a great passer like DJ.....which makes him a better PG

 

[lnmymind]

How do you figure that DJ is a better passer?

 

[mez 0ne]

Knicks need the #1 or #2 pick, start praying now.

That is all.

 

[commodity05]

How do you figure that DJ is a better passer?
have you seen him play?? PG wise, he is the best, but there is a case for Rose.... i mean after all DJ did win the Cousey award, but not sayingthat translates to the NBA, im just saying that one can argue he is the best PG..

 

[beallsfinest]

ESPN.com Chad Ford Insider for anyone interested...

With the deadline for underclassmen to declare for the NBA draft behind us, NBA scouts and GMs are ramping up for the Orlando predraft camp on May 27, and individual workouts after the camp ends three days later.
Right now, teams are prohibited from conducting draft workouts until after the camp ends. That means time is being spent in Europe (a number of GMs attended last weekend's Euroleague Final Four in Madrid), in the video room reviewing tape and on the phone doing background checks on prospects.

That might not sound like much, but interesting insights are being gleaned.

Draft prospects, meanwhile, are working hard in gyms in Chicago, Los Angeles and Las Vegas preparing for Orlando or workouts.

In the next few weeks, I'll be traveling to gyms throughout the country to give you a firsthand look at how players are preparing for the draft.

In the meantime, here's the latest word from around the league …

• It's not easy for a draft prospect's stock to move up much when teams can't watch him play. But I'm hearing significant movement is taking place for USC's OJ Mayo.

As more NBA teams watch his tape and do background checks, the more it looks like Mayo may become the consensus No. 3 pick in the draft.

Mayo's stock suffered at the start of the season based on some pretty unrealistic expectations. He's been on scouts' radars since the eighth grade, and many expected him to be a LeBron James-type dominant player as a freshman.

His per-game numbers were excellent for a freshman: 20.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 44 percent shooting from the field and 41 percent shooting from 3-point range. But they didn't blow anyone away.

Scouts complained about his shot selection and the fact that he didn't appear to have the point guard skills they thought he might have. Many dropped him from the top 10 on their draft boards.

But Mayo finished the season strong enough that teams had to go back and re-evaluate the tape. What they're seeing now is generating significant buzz. Multiple GMs are now telling me that Mayo's talent may be as good as advertised.

"When you start to reassess a kid like that and quit looking at just the flaws, you see a very talented basketball player," one prominent GM with a pick in the lottery said. "I think he's going to be great."

But there's another story, too, that's helping Mayo's stock. More and more teams are reporting that their background checks are coming back as positives for Mayo. Teams say that he earned good grades at USC and was a good citizen for coach Tim Floyd, and they report multiple instances of Mayo volunteering to help underprivileged kids.

"Everything that we're hearing is that he's basically a good kid," another GM said. "It's a big deal when you're drafting high. He's got to be good both on and off the court. I had my worries about OJ. But my people are telling me he's OK."

We've moved Mayo up to No. 3 on our big board and will do a more extensive report on him in the coming weeks.

• KU forwards Darrell Arthur and Brandon Rush, along with point guard Mario Chalmers, are all still seeing a bump in their draft stock off their NCAA championship run.

I've had a number of GMs and scouts tell me that I have all three ranked too low in our Top 100. GMs are now saying they have Arthur ranked anywhere from 10-15 in the draft. Rush is ranked as high as 15 on many boards and no lower than 25 on the boards of the teams I spoke with. Chalmers sneaks into the late first round on many of the boards and doesn't drop below 35 on any.

It will be interesting to see if the bump continues once they get into individual workouts. We now have Arthur at No. 13, Rush at No. 20 and Chalmers at No. 31 in our Top 100.

• A number of underclassmen said they would not hire agents when they declared for the draft. However, in the past few weeks, it appears that some of those players have moved off the fence and are strongly leaning toward staying in the draft.

Among those who said they're testing but are likely staying in the draft?

UCLA's Kevin Love, Texas A&M center DeAndre Jordan, Ohio State big man Kosta Koufos, Syracuse forward Donte Greene, Texas guard .J. Augustin and Florida forward Marreese Speights look like they want to stay in for good.

• A number of NBA GMs and scouts were in Madrid last weekend to watch the Euroleague Final Four. What did they find?

Only one serious draft prospect, Maccabi Tel Aviv's Omri Casspi, played in the event. Casspi saw just four minutes of action in the first game versus Montepaschi Siena and didn't do much. He was better in the finals versus CSKA, scoring nine points on 3-for-6 shooting in 12 minutes of play.

Casspi has great energy and toughness, but he's a borderline first-round pick. Much has been made of the Spurs' apparent interest in Casspi … it's possible, but some of that has to be taken with a grain of salt. Yes, they've made several trips to Israel this year, but many of the Spurs are involved in PeacePlayers International and like to make stops there when going overseas to support the program.

Nike also sponsors a junior tournament every year, and the two big names that came out of that were Serbia's Dejan Musli, a 7-foot-1 center who is just 17 years old, and England's Ryan Richard, another 17-year-old stud. Neither player is eligible for this year's draft.

Overall, the feeling among scouts and GMs is that the talent level in Europe is way down. Some of that is backlash from a number of seemingly high-profile Euro busts, including Darko Milicic, Andrea Bargnani and Marco Belinelli.

There is no question that the enthusiasm that surrounded international players five years ago has significantly waned -- despite the successes of players like Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Pau Gasol and Jose Calderon.

"These things are cyclical, but it's been a while since a young international player has come into the league and turned the league on fire," one GM said. "Then you have a strong collegiate class, and I think it's hard to get too excited about some of the prospects over here."

The main player suffering a bit right now is Italian forward Danilo Gallinari. Three years ago, Gallinari would've been a lock for the top five -- especially given how well he's been playing in the Euroleague. However, teams are worried about his average athleticism and streaky jump shot and how he'll handle the cultural change.

A few years ago, it was all about what international players could do -- the basketball IQ, the versatility and the experience playing in Europe. Now virtually everyone has reservations.

And here's the biggest proof that the Euro stock is at rock bottom. While a couple of teams told me that Gallinari would be a top-five or top-10 pick, I couldn't find one team that actually has him ranked that high on its own big board. Telling.

Next year, however, that could change with Spain's Ricky Rubio. There is already significant buzz about his being a potential No. 1 pick in the draft. As one GM said … these things are cyclical.



http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draf...ge=DraftWatch-080508&univLogin02=stateChanged

 

[10508 cardo jr ln]

"I'm built to destroy, homie"

 

[allen3xis]

Originally Posted by commodity05

Rose has things you just can't teach.

ya like height? DJ is a much better passer, and facilitator of the game, which is what a pg does. He can get to the hole at will, and can shoot it from the outside. Rose is a good scorer, but hes not a great passer like DJ.....which makes him a better PG

Height, strength, quickness, speed, athleticism..

I mean, did you see Rose pick him apart in the tournament?

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

• It's not easy for a draft prospect's stock to move up much when teams can't watch him play. But I'm hearing significant movement is taking place for USC's OJ Mayo.

As more NBA teams watch his tape and do background checks, the more it looks like Mayo may become the consensus No. 3 pick in the draft.

Mayo's stock suffered at the start of the season based on some pretty unrealistic expectations. He's been on scouts' radars since the eighth grade, and many expected him to be a LeBron James-type dominant player as a freshman.

His per-game numbers were excellent for a freshman: 20.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 44 percent shooting from the field and 41 percent shooting from 3-point range. But they didn't blow anyone away.

Scouts complained about his shot selection and the fact that he didn't appear to have the point guard skills they thought he might have. Many dropped him from the top 10 on their draft boards.

But Mayo finished the season strong enough that teams had to go back and re-evaluate the tape. What they're seeing now is generating significant buzz. Multiple GMs are now telling me that Mayo's talent may be as good as advertised.

"When you start to reassess a kid like that and quit looking at just the flaws, you see a very talented basketball player," one prominent GM with a pick in the lottery said. "I think he's going to be great."

But there's another story, too, that's helping Mayo's stock. More and more teams are reporting that their background checks are coming back as positives for Mayo. Teams say that he earned good grades at USC and was a good citizen for coach Tim Floyd, and they report multiple instances of Mayo volunteering to help underprivileged kids.

"Everything that we're hearing is that he's basically a good kid," another GM said. "It's a big deal when you're drafting high. He's got to be good both on and off the court. I had my worries about OJ. But my people are telling me he's OK."

We've moved Mayo up to No. 3 on our big board and will do a more extensive report on him in the coming weeks.

See, I told y'all doubters....

 

[beallsfinest]

^Yea, the Juice is going to be dangerous.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

I'll take Juice in New York if we don't get Rose.

 

[rsdplaya]

T'Wolves #1 pick ftw.

 

[nycknicks105]

the knicks will get the 5th-6th pick.

 

[b1lly hoyle]

@ Malik Hairston not even getting a mention...Has there been a bigger drop off recently?

And I'm a big OJ fan...hopefully he'll do well.

 

[N41D]

DJ Augustin ain't in any way, shape, or form a better PG than Derrick Rose. Nobody in this draft class is seeing Rose.

 

[airjordan jb23]

Read a report Jersey is interested with Kevin Love now with that 10 pick. If we could get him, he'd be solid for us (if Frank gives him PT)

& Rose > DJ...

And I'm a big OJ fan...hopefully he'll do well.
Same. Hope he gets put in a good situation with who drafts him.

 

[commodity05]

DJ Augustin ain't in any way, shape, or form a better PG than Derrick Rose. Nobody in this draft class is seeing Rose.
ya considering he won the award for best PG in the nation and was a first team all american....Dj was consistent the whole year, whereas peopleonly started putting Rose above him as the best pg in the nation when tournament time came around....and Rose wont go #1.... Beasley all the way, moreversatile and can play multiple positions.....its a no brainer to me

 

[ady2glude707]

Originally Posted by Bigmike23

why the hell are warriors fans even talking about getting the number 1 pick? thats a joke it self seen how the chances are slim and none


bulls better get a bigmen


and westrbook better be working on his jump shot and handles if he wants a NBA career

Yea im sure the Magic werent hoping for the 1st pick in 1993 eventhough they were the team with the least chance of getting the 1st selection.

 

[N41D]

Originally Posted by commodity05

DJ Augustin ain't in any way, shape, or form a better PG than Derrick Rose. Nobody in this draft class is seeing Rose.

ya considering he won the award for best PG in the nation and was a first team all american....Dj was consistent the whole year, whereas people only started putting Rose above him as the best pg in the nation when tournament time came around....and Rose wont go #1.... Beasley all the way, more versatile and can play multiple positions.....its a no brainer to me

Yeah, and Adam Morrison and JJ Redick were the two best college ball players in the country two years ago. None of that matters on the next level atall. DJ got absolutely WORKED by Derrick Rose in the tournament. There isn't anything DJ really does better than Rose. Rose is bigger, stronger, quicker,more athletic and explosive... Rose is in the Chris Paul/Deron williams class as far as prospects go. He just has every tool to succeed and be an absolutesuperstar on the next level. DJ isn't going to be an elite scorer in the NBA like he was in college. He will be a good player, but he isn't going to bea star like Rose has the opportunity to be.

 

[sohi 23]

Come on, if the Knicks DON'T get a top 3 pick I will never accuse the NBA of conspiracies again.
It's going to happen

 

[commodity05]

Yeah, and Adam Morrison and JJ Redick were the two best college ball players in the country two years ago. None of that matters on the next level at all. DJ got absolutely WORKED by Derrick Rose in the tournament. There isn't anything DJ really does better than Rose. Rose is bigger, stronger, quicker, more athletic and explosive... Rose is in the Chris Paul/Deron williams class as far as prospects go. He just has every tool to succeed and be an absolute superstar on the next level. DJ isn't going to be an elite scorer in the NBA like he was in college. He will be a good player, but he isn't going to be a star like Rose has the opportunity to be.
yea i know that, if you look back to my previous posts in this thread, you will see that i admitted awards dont mean anything on the next level,but as far as this years colleges pg's ( cuz thats all we have seen them play) you can make a case for DJ as the best college pg this year.... so thatwould translate him being the best PG in the draft, now mind you this is all before the pre-draft workouts and such.....but this is the point i was trying tomake

 

[allen3xis]

so that would translate him being the best PG in the draft
I don't think so..

Then if that's the case Hansbrough is a better pro prospect than Darrell Arthur.

 

[breakinyourankles]

I'm a DJ fan.

But Rose > DJ. I can't argue against that.