NBA Draft Thread 2011

[kevin cleveland]

I like Simmon's idea get Gortat, Dudley, #13 for #2.

He said that? I thought about almost that exact trade yesterday (but with Nikola Pekovic and Wayne Ellington going to Phoenix, too).

Perfect deal, I think.

Maybe Jonny Flynn over Ellington would be more fair. I'm quite certain that Pekovic is a stone cold bum, though, so it wouldn't be too much for Minnesota to give up. Gortat is really good, Dudley is the perfect role player and you stay in the lottery.

 

[kevin cleveland]

I like Simmon's idea get Gortat, Dudley, #13 for #2.

He said that? I thought about almost that exact trade yesterday (but with Nikola Pekovic and Wayne Ellington going to Phoenix, too).

Perfect deal, I think.

Maybe Jonny Flynn over Ellington would be more fair. I'm quite certain that Pekovic is a stone cold bum, though, so it wouldn't be too much for Minnesota to give up. Gortat is really good, Dudley is the perfect role player and you stay in the lottery.

 

[CP1708]

The Suns just trying to get the local kid to come in and play with Nash, that the angle? 

 

[CP1708]

The Suns just trying to get the local kid to come in and play with Nash, that the angle? 

 

[ValarMorghulis]

^^^ not necessarily if they get offered a deal for Nash that they cant pass up

Suns rise...

 

[ValarMorghulis]

^^^ not necessarily if they get offered a deal for Nash that they cant pass up

Suns rise...

 

[pmatic]

They need a PF.

 

[pmatic]

They need a PF.

 

[big j 33]

NEW YORK -- Suns president Lon Babby put the brakes on Steve Nash trade speculation Wednesday, saying, "We are not trading Steve Nash. Period. Exclamation point."

Despite the questionable syntax, the otherwise clear dictation from Babby to the Arizona Republic quashed the latest Nash trade discussions, which had him going to Minnesota for the No. 2 pick in Thursday's draft. The Timberwolveshave been among the most active teams in trade discussions leading up to the draft, offering the second pick to several teams with a list of demands that included Nash, the Lakers' Pau Gasol, and the Wizards' JaVale McGee, league sources said Wednesday. The proposed Gasol trade is "not happening," one of the sources said, and Washington has been unwilling to seriously discuss trading McGee.

A person close to Nash said of a possible trade to Minnesota, "I can't believe (Phoenix) would do that to Steve." Nash, 37, would be relegated to mentoring point guard Ricky Rubio on a rebuilding team that won 17 games last season.

If Minnesota is unsuccessful in procuring a veteran star for the second pick, sources said the Wolves are comfortable selecting Arizona's Derrick Williams, who team officials strongly believe will be on the board after the Cavaliersselect Duke point guard Kyrie Irving.

Babby also told the Republic that the Suns "are not trading Marcin Gortat," whose name was included in the discussions with Minnesota.

A source also said discussions between Atlanta and Orlando with Josh Smith going to the Magic are "totally legit." Executives say the Hawks have expressed an eagerness to move Smith and would like to shed salary in the process.

Several executives were surprised to learn the Spurs are fielding offers for point guard Tony Parker, whose infamous statement that San Antonio's championship window has closed could usher in some significant changes for the four-time champions. An integral piece of the puzzle for the Spurs is the pending early-termination option for Tim Duncan, who has yet to act on his $21.2 million option for next season. It would clearly benefit Duncan to agree to an extension before the collective bargaining agreement expires at 12:01 a.m. ET July 1, though Spurs officials are currently focused on the draft -- with one obvious priority being whether Parker or other assets could get San Antonio into the high lottery on draft night.

With top prospects in New York Thursday for media and service responsibilities, a person familiar with the draft discussions said the Pistons appear to have zeroed in on Texas small forward Tristan Thompson with the eighth pick. Thompson canceled other scheduled workouts after working out for the Pistons with five other players Wednesday.

Link

 

[big j 33]

NEW YORK -- Suns president Lon Babby put the brakes on Steve Nash trade speculation Wednesday, saying, "We are not trading Steve Nash. Period. Exclamation point."

Despite the questionable syntax, the otherwise clear dictation from Babby to the Arizona Republic quashed the latest Nash trade discussions, which had him going to Minnesota for the No. 2 pick in Thursday's draft. The Timberwolveshave been among the most active teams in trade discussions leading up to the draft, offering the second pick to several teams with a list of demands that included Nash, the Lakers' Pau Gasol, and the Wizards' JaVale McGee, league sources said Wednesday. The proposed Gasol trade is "not happening," one of the sources said, and Washington has been unwilling to seriously discuss trading McGee.

A person close to Nash said of a possible trade to Minnesota, "I can't believe (Phoenix) would do that to Steve." Nash, 37, would be relegated to mentoring point guard Ricky Rubio on a rebuilding team that won 17 games last season.

If Minnesota is unsuccessful in procuring a veteran star for the second pick, sources said the Wolves are comfortable selecting Arizona's Derrick Williams, who team officials strongly believe will be on the board after the Cavaliersselect Duke point guard Kyrie Irving.

Babby also told the Republic that the Suns "are not trading Marcin Gortat," whose name was included in the discussions with Minnesota.

A source also said discussions between Atlanta and Orlando with Josh Smith going to the Magic are "totally legit." Executives say the Hawks have expressed an eagerness to move Smith and would like to shed salary in the process.

Several executives were surprised to learn the Spurs are fielding offers for point guard Tony Parker, whose infamous statement that San Antonio's championship window has closed could usher in some significant changes for the four-time champions. An integral piece of the puzzle for the Spurs is the pending early-termination option for Tim Duncan, who has yet to act on his $21.2 million option for next season. It would clearly benefit Duncan to agree to an extension before the collective bargaining agreement expires at 12:01 a.m. ET July 1, though Spurs officials are currently focused on the draft -- with one obvious priority being whether Parker or other assets could get San Antonio into the high lottery on draft night.

With top prospects in New York Thursday for media and service responsibilities, a person familiar with the draft discussions said the Pistons appear to have zeroed in on Texas small forward Tristan Thompson with the eighth pick. Thompson canceled other scheduled workouts after working out for the Pistons with five other players Wednesday.

Link

 

[pmatic]

Informative analysis of each lottery team via Grantland

Edit:

@kpelton Today on BBP, the most similar player statistically to virtually every NBA Draft prospect: http://bit.ly/mJnC7H (free)

 

[pmatic]

Informative analysis of each lottery team via Grantland

Edit:

@kpelton Today on BBP, the most similar player statistically to virtually every NBA Draft prospect: http://bit.ly/mJnC7H (free)

 

[nestasprotege]

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

Why would they need Kyrie Irving? 

Trading McGee makes NO sense.  He's 22 years old and for all his boneheaded plays, he's got a %++# load of upside.  On top of it all, if you move McGee, there is a gaping hole at the 5.  I'm fine with packaging the 6/18 for the 2, but they need to hold on to McGee.  I'm glad the team said he's essentially off the table. 

Williams has stated over and over that he wants to be a 3....if anything, the 2012 draft will be MUCH deeper at the SF position and they can nab their 3 there.  A guy who is a more natural fit for the position.   Let's be realistic....this team is not going to compete for a playoff spot (hoping for 30 wins) and will most likely have a top-10 pick next year.  No need to mortgage the future. 

The little bit we saw of Kyrie showed Duke was best with him and Nolan on the floor at the same time. Wall and Irving are both 6 foot 4 and would have no problem matching up with any one or two in the league, size wise. This isn't a Felton/Lawson scenario where the lollipop kids could post them up. If they are committed to playing defense is another story. So you have the potential to land the two best point guards in two straight drafts, in a league dominated by point guards. One of the point guards is offense first and the other is more of a facilitator. Your backcourt can consist or John Wall and Kyrie Irving. And you aren't doing that because you want to hold on to Javelle McGee?

Derrick Williams is the best player in this draft in my opinion. He has the potential to play the 3 or 4, but most importantly HE CAN SHOOT. The likelihood that Kyrie doesn't go #1 is small so DW will be available at #2. If you have the ability to trade for the #2 and keep #18, you do it without hesitation. Gaping hole at the 5? Who started at center for the two teams in the Finals this year? Where was Dwight Howard when Dirk lifted the trophy? The most OVERRATED position in the NBA is the 5 because there are very few 5s who can impact the game. You're telling me you won't let go of JAVELLE MCGEE because he is going to have a serious impact on being successful in this league? That is complete nonsense. To sit here and think McGee will have more to do with winning games than DW is absolutely asinine. The Mavericks had some kid with about 3 years of basketball experience clocking heavy minutes in the NBA FINALS. And Joel Anthony was the starting center for the Heat.

I'm not saying Shaq and Dwight can't be cornerstones of a franchise whom you can build around to win championships (obviously). I'm saying Javelle McGee is not on that level. There is no reason in the world to sit here and say I'm not going to get one of the two best players in this draft because I'm holding on to McGee. I honestly don't understand how this isn't common sense.

Chalmers/Bibby
Wade
Lebron
Bosh
Anthony

Kidd/Barea
Stevenson/Terry
Marion
Dirk
Chandler

How do I get my team to compete with those teams? Either get STARS or assemble SHOOTERS with mismatch makers. Drafting Kyrie or DW will go farther than a euroleague project and a sf at 18 with Javelle McGee. It is simply a numbers game. There are far more, defensive minded tall guys who can rebound and disrupt an offense than there are top two picks in the draft.

 

[nestasprotege]

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

Why would they need Kyrie Irving? 

Trading McGee makes NO sense.  He's 22 years old and for all his boneheaded plays, he's got a %++# load of upside.  On top of it all, if you move McGee, there is a gaping hole at the 5.  I'm fine with packaging the 6/18 for the 2, but they need to hold on to McGee.  I'm glad the team said he's essentially off the table. 

Williams has stated over and over that he wants to be a 3....if anything, the 2012 draft will be MUCH deeper at the SF position and they can nab their 3 there.  A guy who is a more natural fit for the position.   Let's be realistic....this team is not going to compete for a playoff spot (hoping for 30 wins) and will most likely have a top-10 pick next year.  No need to mortgage the future. 

The little bit we saw of Kyrie showed Duke was best with him and Nolan on the floor at the same time. Wall and Irving are both 6 foot 4 and would have no problem matching up with any one or two in the league, size wise. This isn't a Felton/Lawson scenario where the lollipop kids could post them up. If they are committed to playing defense is another story. So you have the potential to land the two best point guards in two straight drafts, in a league dominated by point guards. One of the point guards is offense first and the other is more of a facilitator. Your backcourt can consist or John Wall and Kyrie Irving. And you aren't doing that because you want to hold on to Javelle McGee?

Derrick Williams is the best player in this draft in my opinion. He has the potential to play the 3 or 4, but most importantly HE CAN SHOOT. The likelihood that Kyrie doesn't go #1 is small so DW will be available at #2. If you have the ability to trade for the #2 and keep #18, you do it without hesitation. Gaping hole at the 5? Who started at center for the two teams in the Finals this year? Where was Dwight Howard when Dirk lifted the trophy? The most OVERRATED position in the NBA is the 5 because there are very few 5s who can impact the game. You're telling me you won't let go of JAVELLE MCGEE because he is going to have a serious impact on being successful in this league? That is complete nonsense. To sit here and think McGee will have more to do with winning games than DW is absolutely asinine. The Mavericks had some kid with about 3 years of basketball experience clocking heavy minutes in the NBA FINALS. And Joel Anthony was the starting center for the Heat.

I'm not saying Shaq and Dwight can't be cornerstones of a franchise whom you can build around to win championships (obviously). I'm saying Javelle McGee is not on that level. There is no reason in the world to sit here and say I'm not going to get one of the two best players in this draft because I'm holding on to McGee. I honestly don't understand how this isn't common sense.

Chalmers/Bibby
Wade
Lebron
Bosh
Anthony

Kidd/Barea
Stevenson/Terry
Marion
Dirk
Chandler

How do I get my team to compete with those teams? Either get STARS or assemble SHOOTERS with mismatch makers. Drafting Kyrie or DW will go farther than a euroleague project and a sf at 18 with Javelle McGee. It is simply a numbers game. There are far more, defensive minded tall guys who can rebound and disrupt an offense than there are top two picks in the draft.

 

[CP1708]

If the Suns stay with that "we're not trading Steve, ever" crap. 

Freaking clowns run that franchise I swear. 

 

[CP1708]

If the Suns stay with that "we're not trading Steve, ever" crap. 

Freaking clowns run that franchise I swear. 

 

[big j 33]

PMatic wrote:

---

Informative analysis of each lottery team via Grantland

For the Warriors they said their biggest need was "Interior Strength"

so naturally they have them picking Motiejunas

 

[big j 33]

PMatic wrote:

---

Informative analysis of each lottery team via Grantland

For the Warriors they said their biggest need was "Interior Strength"

so naturally they have them picking Motiejunas

 

[ricardo malta]

Originally Posted by nestasprotege

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

Why would they need Kyrie Irving? 

Trading McGee makes NO sense.  He's 22 years old and for all his boneheaded plays, he's got a %++# load of upside.  On top of it all, if you move McGee, there is a gaping hole at the 5.  I'm fine with packaging the 6/18 for the 2, but they need to hold on to McGee.  I'm glad the team said he's essentially off the table. 

Williams has stated over and over that he wants to be a 3....if anything, the 2012 draft will be MUCH deeper at the SF position and they can nab their 3 there.  A guy who is a more natural fit for the position.   Let's be realistic....this team is not going to compete for a playoff spot (hoping for 30 wins) and will most likely have a top-10 pick next year.  No need to mortgage the future. 

The little bit we saw of Kyrie showed Duke was best with him and Nolan on the floor at the same time. Wall and Irving are both 6 foot 4 and would have no problem matching up with any one or two in the league, size wise. This isn't a Felton/Lawson scenario where the lollipop kids could post them up. If they are committed to playing defense is another story. So you have the potential to land the two best point guards in two straight drafts, in a league dominated by point guards. One of the point guards is offense first and the other is more of a facilitator. Your backcourt can consist or John Wall and Kyrie Irving. And you aren't doing that because you want to hold on to Javelle McGee?

Derrick Williams is the best player in this draft in my opinion. He has the potential to play the 3 or 4, but most importantly HE CAN SHOOT. The likelihood that Kyrie doesn't go #1 is small so DW will be available at #2. If you have the ability to trade for the #2 and keep #18, you do it without hesitation. Gaping hole at the 5? Who started at center for the two teams in the Finals this year? Where was Dwight Howard when Dirk lifted the trophy? The most OVERRATED position in the NBA is the 5 because there are very few 5s who can impact the game. You're telling me you won't let go of JAVELLE MCGEE because he is going to have a serious impact on being successful in this league? That is complete nonsense. To sit here and think McGee will have more to do with winning games than DW is absolutely asinine. The Mavericks had some kid with about 3 years of basketball experience clocking heavy minutes in the NBA FINALS. And Joel Anthony was the starting center for the Heat.

I'm not saying Shaq and Dwight can't be cornerstones of a franchise whom you can build around to win championships (obviously). I'm saying Javelle McGee is not on that level. There is no reason in the world to sit here and say I'm not going to get one of the two best players in this draft because I'm holding on to McGee. I honestly don't understand how this isn't common sense.

Chalmers/Bibby
Wade
Lebron
Bosh
Anthony

Kidd/Barea
Stevenson/Terry
Marion
Dirk
Chandler

How do I get my team to compete with those teams? Either get STARS or assemble SHOOTERS with mismatch makers. Drafting Kyrie or DW will go farther than a euroleague project and a sf at 18 with Javelle McGee. It is simply a numbers game. There are far more, defensive minded tall guys who can rebound and disrupt an offense than there are top two picks in the draft.

I wanted to stop reading after you alluded to Kyrie and Nolan in the backcourt together, as if that was comparable to Wall and Kyrie playing together.  Then I stopped reading completely when you mentioned Kyrie was 6'4" and had the size to guard both guard positions.  He's 6'2, kid.  He's guarding a 1 and that's it.

Two, Nolan was a combo guard and an excellent catch and shoot and off the dribble, hence why he was able to play as an undersized 2 next to Kyrie.  Neither Kyrie or Wall are 2 guards, not even in spot duty.  Kyrie excelled behind the 3 point line because of the ball movement and system K ran that allowed him open looks.  He's not going to give you buckets from the outside playing off the ball and we damn sure know what John's shot is like.  I honestly can't believe you brought that idea to the table, fam

 

[ricardo malta]

Originally Posted by nestasprotege

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

Why would they need Kyrie Irving? 

Trading McGee makes NO sense.  He's 22 years old and for all his boneheaded plays, he's got a %++# load of upside.  On top of it all, if you move McGee, there is a gaping hole at the 5.  I'm fine with packaging the 6/18 for the 2, but they need to hold on to McGee.  I'm glad the team said he's essentially off the table. 

Williams has stated over and over that he wants to be a 3....if anything, the 2012 draft will be MUCH deeper at the SF position and they can nab their 3 there.  A guy who is a more natural fit for the position.   Let's be realistic....this team is not going to compete for a playoff spot (hoping for 30 wins) and will most likely have a top-10 pick next year.  No need to mortgage the future. 

The little bit we saw of Kyrie showed Duke was best with him and Nolan on the floor at the same time. Wall and Irving are both 6 foot 4 and would have no problem matching up with any one or two in the league, size wise. This isn't a Felton/Lawson scenario where the lollipop kids could post them up. If they are committed to playing defense is another story. So you have the potential to land the two best point guards in two straight drafts, in a league dominated by point guards. One of the point guards is offense first and the other is more of a facilitator. Your backcourt can consist or John Wall and Kyrie Irving. And you aren't doing that because you want to hold on to Javelle McGee?

Derrick Williams is the best player in this draft in my opinion. He has the potential to play the 3 or 4, but most importantly HE CAN SHOOT. The likelihood that Kyrie doesn't go #1 is small so DW will be available at #2. If you have the ability to trade for the #2 and keep #18, you do it without hesitation. Gaping hole at the 5? Who started at center for the two teams in the Finals this year? Where was Dwight Howard when Dirk lifted the trophy? The most OVERRATED position in the NBA is the 5 because there are very few 5s who can impact the game. You're telling me you won't let go of JAVELLE MCGEE because he is going to have a serious impact on being successful in this league? That is complete nonsense. To sit here and think McGee will have more to do with winning games than DW is absolutely asinine. The Mavericks had some kid with about 3 years of basketball experience clocking heavy minutes in the NBA FINALS. And Joel Anthony was the starting center for the Heat.

I'm not saying Shaq and Dwight can't be cornerstones of a franchise whom you can build around to win championships (obviously). I'm saying Javelle McGee is not on that level. There is no reason in the world to sit here and say I'm not going to get one of the two best players in this draft because I'm holding on to McGee. I honestly don't understand how this isn't common sense.

Chalmers/Bibby
Wade
Lebron
Bosh
Anthony

Kidd/Barea
Stevenson/Terry
Marion
Dirk
Chandler

How do I get my team to compete with those teams? Either get STARS or assemble SHOOTERS with mismatch makers. Drafting Kyrie or DW will go farther than a euroleague project and a sf at 18 with Javelle McGee. It is simply a numbers game. There are far more, defensive minded tall guys who can rebound and disrupt an offense than there are top two picks in the draft.

I wanted to stop reading after you alluded to Kyrie and Nolan in the backcourt together, as if that was comparable to Wall and Kyrie playing together.  Then I stopped reading completely when you mentioned Kyrie was 6'4" and had the size to guard both guard positions.  He's 6'2, kid.  He's guarding a 1 and that's it.

Two, Nolan was a combo guard and an excellent catch and shoot and off the dribble, hence why he was able to play as an undersized 2 next to Kyrie.  Neither Kyrie or Wall are 2 guards, not even in spot duty.  Kyrie excelled behind the 3 point line because of the ball movement and system K ran that allowed him open looks.  He's not going to give you buckets from the outside playing off the ball and we damn sure know what John's shot is like.  I honestly can't believe you brought that idea to the table, fam

 

[kevin cleveland]

@kpelton Today on BBP, the most similar player statistically to virtually every NBA Draft prospect: http://bit.ly/mJnC7H (free)
Yikes.

 

[kevin cleveland]

@kpelton Today on BBP, the most similar player statistically to virtually every NBA Draft prospect: http://bit.ly/mJnC7H (free)
Yikes.

 

[doublejs07]

Originally Posted by Ricardo Malta

Originally Posted by nestasprotege

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

Why would they need Kyrie Irving? 

Trading McGee makes NO sense.  He's 22 years old and for all his boneheaded plays, he's got a %++# load of upside.  On top of it all, if you move McGee, there is a gaping hole at the 5.  I'm fine with packaging the 6/18 for the 2, but they need to hold on to McGee.  I'm glad the team said he's essentially off the table. 

Williams has stated over and over that he wants to be a 3....if anything, the 2012 draft will be MUCH deeper at the SF position and they can nab their 3 there.  A guy who is a more natural fit for the position.   Let's be realistic....this team is not going to compete for a playoff spot (hoping for 30 wins) and will most likely have a top-10 pick next year.  No need to mortgage the future. 

The little bit we saw of Kyrie showed Duke was best with him and Nolan on the floor at the same time. Wall and Irving are both 6 foot 4 and would have no problem matching up with any one or two in the league, size wise. This isn't a Felton/Lawson scenario where the lollipop kids could post them up. If they are committed to playing defense is another story. So you have the potential to land the two best point guards in two straight drafts, in a league dominated by point guards. One of the point guards is offense first and the other is more of a facilitator. Your backcourt can consist or John Wall and Kyrie Irving. And you aren't doing that because you want to hold on to Javelle McGee?

Derrick Williams is the best player in this draft in my opinion. He has the potential to play the 3 or 4, but most importantly HE CAN SHOOT. The likelihood that Kyrie doesn't go #1 is small so DW will be available at #2. If you have the ability to trade for the #2 and keep #18, you do it without hesitation. Gaping hole at the 5? Who started at center for the two teams in the Finals this year? Where was Dwight Howard when Dirk lifted the trophy? The most OVERRATED position in the NBA is the 5 because there are very few 5s who can impact the game. You're telling me you won't let go of JAVELLE MCGEE because he is going to have a serious impact on being successful in this league? That is complete nonsense. To sit here and think McGee will have more to do with winning games than DW is absolutely asinine. The Mavericks had some kid with about 3 years of basketball experience clocking heavy minutes in the NBA FINALS. And Joel Anthony was the starting center for the Heat.

I'm not saying Shaq and Dwight can't be cornerstones of a franchise whom you can build around to win championships (obviously). I'm saying Javelle McGee is not on that level. There is no reason in the world to sit here and say I'm not going to get one of the two best players in this draft because I'm holding on to McGee. I honestly don't understand how this isn't common sense.

Chalmers/Bibby
Wade
Lebron
Bosh
Anthony

Kidd/Barea
Stevenson/Terry
Marion
Dirk
Chandler

How do I get my team to compete with those teams? Either get STARS or assemble SHOOTERS with mismatch makers. Drafting Kyrie or DW will go farther than a euroleague project and a sf at 18 with Javelle McGee. It is simply a numbers game. There are far more, defensive minded tall guys who can rebound and disrupt an offense than there are top two picks in the draft.

I wanted to stop reading after you alluded to Kyrie and Nolan in the backcourt together, as if that was comparable to Wall and Kyrie playing together.  Then I stopped reading completely when you mentioned Kyrie was 6'4" and had the size to guard both guard positions.  He's 6'2, kid.  He's guarding a 1 and that's it.

Two, Nolan was a combo guard and an excellent catch and shoot and off the dribble, hence why he was able to play as an undersized 2 next to Kyrie.  Neither Kyrie or Wall are 2 guards, not even in spot duty.  Kyrie excelled behind the 3 point line because of the ball movement and system K ran that allowed him open looks.  He's not going to give you buckets from the outside playing off the ball and we damn sure know what John's shot is like.  I honestly can't believe you brought that idea to the table, fam

Exactly.....Wall/Irving makes ZERO sense. 

Of course McGee is not on the level of Shaq/D12, but you don't trade away a young big (+ picks) who hasn't even scratched the surface of his potential, for a a SF in a weak draft.  McGee showed a ton of improvement in March/April...he was averaging something like 12/8/3.  I compare him to a young Tyson Chandler.  Sooner or later it's going to click with him.  I just hope it's in DC rather than in another city.  This franchise has a history of trading off young talent (Sheed, Webber, Rip, etc) for %$!*.  I love what Leonsis & Co. are doing and they are committed to building around the youth.  This team is going to have it's ups/downs for the next year or two, but they'll turn the corner.  Be patient. 

Irving, IMO, is the only absolute....but the Wizards have no need for him.  Draft Kanter and get a SF next year (Barnes, Gilchrist, Miller, Thomas, T. Jones, etc).

McGee
Kanter
Lewis
Crawford
Wall

FOR THIS YEAR makes a hell of a lot more sense than having a lineup of

5 - ?
Blatche
Williams
Crawford
Wall

Again...next year's draft is SF rich....and who exactly are you going to get to plug in McGee's spot?  KEEP HIM ON THE ROSTER!

oh yea...here's an interesting read from something PMatic posted:

Player comparisons are probably as old as the NBA Draft. As we seek to understand how players will translate to the NBA, using the experience of players with similar skills is helpful. Yet the danger is that subjective comparisons will be colored by irrelevant factors. Our similarity scores take a different approach, using NCAA statistical performance adjusted both for the transition from college to the pros and strength of schedule. Players are compared in 13 categories, including height and weight, to their predecessors within six months of the same age at the time they were drafted. (See here for more details on the process.)

Going by a single player comparison can be dangerous. Most players have a group of comparables that are diverse in terms of their NBA success. Using age at the time the player is drafted limits the pool of possible comparisons, as does the fact that our database goes back only to 2000 and is not complete until 2006 or so. (Before that, it was difficult to track down team statistics to adjust for pace.) If the next Michael Jordan really was in this draft, we wouldn't be able to make the comparison. So don't read more into these comparisons than is really there, especially in cases where the similarity score is low. (They're scored out of 100, with 95 indicating a decent match and 90 generally the cutoff for any real similarity.) Still, these comparison are fun and can be enlightening at times.

Players are ranked by their current spot in DraftExpress' mock draft. A handful of players from overseas, most notably Davis Bertans, are not listed because of insufficient stats.

 1  Kyrie Irving         Duke             PG    Derrick Rose       95.7 2  Derrick Williams     Arizona          PF    J.J. Hickson       95.4 3  Brandon Knight       Kentucky         PG    Jerryd Bayless     95.3 4  Enes Kanter          Kentucky         PF    -

Kanter too does not have a comparison because there are no stats by which to go by for him. From this perspective, he's the most mysterious draft prospect since the early entry rule was enacted.

 5  Kemba Walker         Connecticut      PG    D.J. Augustin      96.5 6  Jan Vesely           Partizan          F    Andrew Bogut       95.4

Link

 

[doublejs07]

Originally Posted by Ricardo Malta

Originally Posted by nestasprotege

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

Why would they need Kyrie Irving? 

Trading McGee makes NO sense.  He's 22 years old and for all his boneheaded plays, he's got a %++# load of upside.  On top of it all, if you move McGee, there is a gaping hole at the 5.  I'm fine with packaging the 6/18 for the 2, but they need to hold on to McGee.  I'm glad the team said he's essentially off the table. 

Williams has stated over and over that he wants to be a 3....if anything, the 2012 draft will be MUCH deeper at the SF position and they can nab their 3 there.  A guy who is a more natural fit for the position.   Let's be realistic....this team is not going to compete for a playoff spot (hoping for 30 wins) and will most likely have a top-10 pick next year.  No need to mortgage the future. 

The little bit we saw of Kyrie showed Duke was best with him and Nolan on the floor at the same time. Wall and Irving are both 6 foot 4 and would have no problem matching up with any one or two in the league, size wise. This isn't a Felton/Lawson scenario where the lollipop kids could post them up. If they are committed to playing defense is another story. So you have the potential to land the two best point guards in two straight drafts, in a league dominated by point guards. One of the point guards is offense first and the other is more of a facilitator. Your backcourt can consist or John Wall and Kyrie Irving. And you aren't doing that because you want to hold on to Javelle McGee?

Derrick Williams is the best player in this draft in my opinion. He has the potential to play the 3 or 4, but most importantly HE CAN SHOOT. The likelihood that Kyrie doesn't go #1 is small so DW will be available at #2. If you have the ability to trade for the #2 and keep #18, you do it without hesitation. Gaping hole at the 5? Who started at center for the two teams in the Finals this year? Where was Dwight Howard when Dirk lifted the trophy? The most OVERRATED position in the NBA is the 5 because there are very few 5s who can impact the game. You're telling me you won't let go of JAVELLE MCGEE because he is going to have a serious impact on being successful in this league? That is complete nonsense. To sit here and think McGee will have more to do with winning games than DW is absolutely asinine. The Mavericks had some kid with about 3 years of basketball experience clocking heavy minutes in the NBA FINALS. And Joel Anthony was the starting center for the Heat.

I'm not saying Shaq and Dwight can't be cornerstones of a franchise whom you can build around to win championships (obviously). I'm saying Javelle McGee is not on that level. There is no reason in the world to sit here and say I'm not going to get one of the two best players in this draft because I'm holding on to McGee. I honestly don't understand how this isn't common sense.

Chalmers/Bibby
Wade
Lebron
Bosh
Anthony

Kidd/Barea
Stevenson/Terry
Marion
Dirk
Chandler

How do I get my team to compete with those teams? Either get STARS or assemble SHOOTERS with mismatch makers. Drafting Kyrie or DW will go farther than a euroleague project and a sf at 18 with Javelle McGee. It is simply a numbers game. There are far more, defensive minded tall guys who can rebound and disrupt an offense than there are top two picks in the draft.

I wanted to stop reading after you alluded to Kyrie and Nolan in the backcourt together, as if that was comparable to Wall and Kyrie playing together.  Then I stopped reading completely when you mentioned Kyrie was 6'4" and had the size to guard both guard positions.  He's 6'2, kid.  He's guarding a 1 and that's it.

Two, Nolan was a combo guard and an excellent catch and shoot and off the dribble, hence why he was able to play as an undersized 2 next to Kyrie.  Neither Kyrie or Wall are 2 guards, not even in spot duty.  Kyrie excelled behind the 3 point line because of the ball movement and system K ran that allowed him open looks.  He's not going to give you buckets from the outside playing off the ball and we damn sure know what John's shot is like.  I honestly can't believe you brought that idea to the table, fam

Exactly.....Wall/Irving makes ZERO sense. 

Of course McGee is not on the level of Shaq/D12, but you don't trade away a young big (+ picks) who hasn't even scratched the surface of his potential, for a a SF in a weak draft.  McGee showed a ton of improvement in March/April...he was averaging something like 12/8/3.  I compare him to a young Tyson Chandler.  Sooner or later it's going to click with him.  I just hope it's in DC rather than in another city.  This franchise has a history of trading off young talent (Sheed, Webber, Rip, etc) for %$!*.  I love what Leonsis & Co. are doing and they are committed to building around the youth.  This team is going to have it's ups/downs for the next year or two, but they'll turn the corner.  Be patient. 

Irving, IMO, is the only absolute....but the Wizards have no need for him.  Draft Kanter and get a SF next year (Barnes, Gilchrist, Miller, Thomas, T. Jones, etc).

McGee
Kanter
Lewis
Crawford
Wall

FOR THIS YEAR makes a hell of a lot more sense than having a lineup of

5 - ?
Blatche
Williams
Crawford
Wall

Again...next year's draft is SF rich....and who exactly are you going to get to plug in McGee's spot?  KEEP HIM ON THE ROSTER!

oh yea...here's an interesting read from something PMatic posted:

Player comparisons are probably as old as the NBA Draft. As we seek to understand how players will translate to the NBA, using the experience of players with similar skills is helpful. Yet the danger is that subjective comparisons will be colored by irrelevant factors. Our similarity scores take a different approach, using NCAA statistical performance adjusted both for the transition from college to the pros and strength of schedule. Players are compared in 13 categories, including height and weight, to their predecessors within six months of the same age at the time they were drafted. (See here for more details on the process.)

Going by a single player comparison can be dangerous. Most players have a group of comparables that are diverse in terms of their NBA success. Using age at the time the player is drafted limits the pool of possible comparisons, as does the fact that our database goes back only to 2000 and is not complete until 2006 or so. (Before that, it was difficult to track down team statistics to adjust for pace.) If the next Michael Jordan really was in this draft, we wouldn't be able to make the comparison. So don't read more into these comparisons than is really there, especially in cases where the similarity score is low. (They're scored out of 100, with 95 indicating a decent match and 90 generally the cutoff for any real similarity.) Still, these comparison are fun and can be enlightening at times.

Players are ranked by their current spot in DraftExpress' mock draft. A handful of players from overseas, most notably Davis Bertans, are not listed because of insufficient stats.

 1  Kyrie Irving         Duke             PG    Derrick Rose       95.7 2  Derrick Williams     Arizona          PF    J.J. Hickson       95.4 3  Brandon Knight       Kentucky         PG    Jerryd Bayless     95.3 4  Enes Kanter          Kentucky         PF    -

Kanter too does not have a comparison because there are no stats by which to go by for him. From this perspective, he's the most mysterious draft prospect since the early entry rule was enacted.

 5  Kemba Walker         Connecticut      PG    D.J. Augustin      96.5 6  Jan Vesely           Partizan          F    Andrew Bogut       95.4

Link

 

[ex carrabba fan]

Originally Posted by Kevin Cleveland

@kpelton Today on BBP, the most similar player statistically to virtually every NBA Draft prospect: http://bit.ly/mJnC7H (free)

Yikes.

Pretty much

I was expecting to be intrigued, not offended