Official NBA Draft Lottery/ 2010 NBA Draft Thread Vol. June 24th 7ET

Originally Posted by JPZx

I wasn't aware that pregame dunks factor into whether or not a player will succeed in the league. Thanks for giving me the heads up.

Rude
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It’s almost a given there’ll be a player in this year’s NBAdraft that’ll take a slide.

It happens almost every year.

Last year, DeJuan Blair was the misfortunate one. The formerPittsburgh power forward was considered a lock to be a lotteryselection before teams got cold feet about his bad knees.

Blair wound up being taken in the second round by the SanAntonio Spurs, the 37th overall pick.

So, who could be this year’s slider?

There are whispers it could be former Kansas center ColeAldrich, not because of any physical issues or off-court problemsbut because many teams in the lottery have more pressing needs thancenter.

Just several weeks ago, the consensus among pro scouts was thatAldrich would be a top eight pick. There was speculation eitherPhiladelphia or Detroit would take him. 

But that was before the Draft Lottery and now Philadelphia,instead of picking sixth, is picking second and certainly won’ttake Aldrich.

Detroit is picking seventh and, considering the Pistons need fora big man, still figures to have an interest in Aldrich.

But what if the Pistons opt to take another big man likeDeMarcus Cousins, Ed Davis or Greg Monroe? 

If scenario unfolds, Aldrich could do a free fall. Consider:

-- The Los Angeles Clippers, who have the eight pick, have aquality center in Chris Kaman.

-- Utah, which picks ninth, and Indiana, which picks 10th,possess solid centers: Utah with Mehmet Okur and Indiana with therapidly improving Roy Hibbert.

-- The teams that pick 11 through 14 seem to be set at at centeras well. New Orleans has Emeka Okafor, Memphis has Marc Gasol,Toronto has Andrea Bargnani and Houston fully expects Yao Ming toreturn to action next season.

That brings us to No. 15 -- the Milwaukee Bucks’ pick. 

The Bucks have Andrew Bogut, who is unequivocally one of thebest centers in the business.

But Bogut has been plagued by injuries the last two years andthe Bucks haven’t had anyone remotely close to filling hisvoid.

Aldrich would appear to be a terrific insurance policy for theBucks, especially if veteran Kurt Thomas doesn’t return. 

But Aldrich told me at the recent pre-draft camp in Chicago thathe wasn’t scheduled to work out for the Bucks. 

If the Bucks’ brass doesn’t get an up-close and personal look atAldrich and acquire a real feel for his game and personality, wouldthey roll the dice and draft him anyway?

Suffice to say, things could get quite interesting in the Bucks’war room on June 24.

Bucks’ workouts on hold

The Bucks won’t be auditioning any draft prospects this week,but they will have a full slate of workouts the following week.

The June 16 workout could be especially intriguing as Butlersmall forward Gordon Hayward, Oklahoma State shooting guard JamesAnderson, New Mexico swingman Darington Hobson and Marquette smallforward Lazar Hayward will be among those on hand. 

Just asking!

The Washington Wizards have the No. 1 pick and you can go to thebank they’ll use it on John Wall, the electrifying guard fromKentucky.

Yet, Wizards officials are doing their homework and fielding asmuch information about Wall as possible. They’ve even asked otherdraft prospects about the top pick.

“I interviewed with Washington; I don’t think they’re going totake me with the No. 1 pick,’’ Gordon Hayward said smiling. “Theyasked me who I think they should take?  That was kind ofweird.’’

And did Hayward say himself?

“No,’’ Hayward said. “(I told them) whoever fits your system thebest.’’

Another probing question

A question posed by a member of the Utah Jazz didn’t quite addup for former Nevada small forward Luke Babbitt.

“He asked me. ‘What does two and two means?’ ’’ Babbitt said. “Isaid two things: four, obviously, and a .500 record. That was theweirdest question anyone asked me.’’

Babbitt, by the way, has found out that all NBA measuringdevices aren’t created equal.At the pre-draft camp, Babbitt saidNBA officials measured his wingspan at 6-11½. When he recentlyworked out for the Bucks, his wingspan grew to 7 feet.

Said Babbitt: “Every time they measure me, they get somethingdifferent.’’

Sampson gets support

The scuttlebutt from the West Coast is that several Los AngelsClippers players are lobbying management to hire Bucks assistantcoach Kelvin Sampson as its next head coach.

Sampson coached Oklahoma and Indiana before joining the Bucksand has a good rapport with Clippers power forward Blake Griffin(Oklahoma) and Clippers shooting guard Eric Gordon (Indiana).

There was also a report Sampson is drawing consideration for thevacant Cleveland Cavaliers’ job, although LeBron James hasn‘t setup a formal interview with him yet.

From way down town

The perception is Butler’s Hayward will be chosen somewhere inthe vicinity of where the Bucks are picking at No. 15. However,Hayward’s stock appears to be rising with Minnesota, at No. 4, andGolden State, at No. 6, taking a close looks at him. … MitchellButler, the agent for Texas guard Avery Bradley, said his clientwon’t be working out for the Bucks. Bradley has worked out with, orwill work out with, several lottery teams, including Detroit,Toronto, Utah, Houston and Indiana … Kellen Sampson, KelvinSampson‘s 24-year-old son, has been hired as an assistant coach atStephen F. Austin University … Portland, which has the 22nd overallpick, is investigating ways in which to move into the lottery. … Along-time Eastern Conference scout claims Greg Monroe is the bestpassing big man since Bill Walton. … Former Wisconsin star guardKirk Penney has been working out at the Cousins Center in St.Francis. Bucks officials gave Penney permission to use thefacilities while he’s in Milwaukee waiting to get to married toAudra Jeffers, an ex-Badgers volleyball standout fromHartford. 


Since Walton? you don't say..
 
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It'd be tough to get done, but good to see we're looking to be aggressive with making moves.

http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/smith_100607.html

[h1]New Jersey Nets could look to pursue Chris Paul with No. 3 pick[/h1]
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Chicago Bulls. All opinions expressed by Sam Smith are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Chicago Bulls or its Basketball Operations staff, parent company, partners, or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Bulls and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
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The talk around the NBA is the New Jersey Nets intend to make a major run at Chris Paul with the No. 3 draft pick, who would most likely be Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors, a freshman power forward talked about as a future star.

By Sam Smith | [email protected] | 06.07.10 | 9:35 a.m. CT

There’s going to be a lot of trade talk around this year’s NBA draft, though it most likely will begin at No. 3. It’s almost certain the Wizards take John Wall with the first overall selection. While there have been rumors of trading Elton Brand and the No. 2 pick, the 76ers are most likely to take Evan Turner since new coach Doug Collins likes the big guard to go with point guard Jrue Holiday.

With the Nets seeking to make a big splash with new ownership, that cannonball I’ve been hearing about lately is Chris Paul.

The New Orleans Hornets are set to announce Monty Williams as their new coach this week after new Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau passed on the job. The Hornets, who are likely to be sold, have insisted they will keep Paul, who supposedly has expressed a preference for Williams.

But the fact remains Paul can become a free agent after two more seasons, so his value never will be higher. And if you have a rookie coach and the chance to start fresh, especially since it’s difficult to believe the Hornets can compete now in the loaded Western Conference, doesn’t it make sense to get a great young core in place? Maybe not to the Hornets.

Still, the talk is the Nets intend to make a major run at Paul with the No. 3 draft pick, who would most likely be Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors, a freshman power forward talked about as a future star.

The Nets pretty much know they have no shot at LeBron James playing in Newark at least the next two years. So how much excitement do you get from Amar’e Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer or David Lee, the trio most likely considered Nets possibilities.

The informed speculation is the Nets will make a bold run at Paul.

The thinking goes like this: You get Paul and can play Devin Harris at shooting guard. Harris isn’t a great three-point shooter, though he has had decent seasons at 34 percent. But he is more a scoring guard than point guard. Plus, the way the game is played these days, it is useful to have a shooting guard who can handle the ball and make plays as opposed to just spotting up. The other, perhaps more likely, possibility is a sign-and-trade with the Hawks of Harris for Joe Johnson.

Harris would be a much cheaper alternative to Johnson and could play with Jamal Crawford, who really is better at getting his own shot than Johnson, though less a defender.

So how do they get Paul? The Nets mostly absorb the salary in their cap space, along with some of Johnson’s salary from the sign-and-trade if that is included. The Hornets get the No. 3 pick and likely a potential future star in Favors. The Nets have a few other pieces the Hornets might want, perhaps Yi Jianlian, Courtney Lee or the talented, if erratic, Terrence Williams.

It’s a two pronged benefit for the Hornets.

They have a highly regarded potential young backcourt in Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton. They add to that Favors and with a rookie coach it’s a heck of a core to build with. So what of David West?

He’s a highly regarded talent, so the Hornets would be in position to make another deal. One of the keys, of course, is finances. The new potential owner has been said to be looking for minority financing, which suggests the franchise still is facing operating losses. Plus, they’re in luxury tax territory already. It’s bad business to be there without a chance to seriously compete, which would be difficult to project now with the Hornets. Plus with still another natural disaster hitting the Gulf and the economy, there could be further financial woes for the small market Hornets.

The fact is they’ve had their run and it’s time for change. Jeff Bower is regarded as one of the league’s top general managers. With a chance to get pieces and move West, who only has one year left on his deal with an opt out he’d likely exercise as his contract declines, the Hornets could get in position to be making another run and build together with a promising young group.
 
there is no damn way that they trade Chris Paul for the just the #3, but I would love it if the Nets could get him.
 
The more I think about that, the more I just can't resist.

Derrick Favors and yet another power forward to go along with he and David West, or the guard version of Julian Wright? Robbery.
 
Is it just me or did Greg Monroe seem REALLY out of shape? Like he could barely get up and down the court and didn't seem to have any lift to speak of. I could hear him breathing heavy every time he was trying to start running. So many question mark guys in this lottery.....
 
Originally Posted by Buc Em

Is it just me or did Greg Monroe seem REALLY out of shape? Like he could barely get up and down the court and didn't seem to have any lift to speak of. I could hear him breathing heavy every time he was trying to start running. So many question mark guys in this lottery.....

I was thinking the same thing
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Sidenote: Was it just me or does Daniel Orton look pretty good
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Originally Posted by JPZx

I wasn't aware that pregame dunks factor into whether or not a player will succeed in the league. Thanks for giving me the heads up.

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I was thinking the same thing
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well, unless the Jazz move up for him, that's who you're drafting.

Petrie + Carrill =  Monroe. (see; Patrick Ewing, JR.)
 
^Pat JR was a King for like 30 minutes though
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I actually wanted the Kings to keep Ewing too
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I'm sure he would have had a Casspi-like impact minus the shooting *Kanye Shrug*
 
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