:: Official NBA Draft Thread - June 26, 7PM EST ::

[lnmymind]

Mbah a Moute's an idiot

 

[Arthur Shelby]

aka Quicks wrote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
unc's 08-09 lineup:

pg: lawson, drew
sg: ellington, ginyard
sf: green, graves
pf: hansbro, davis, thompson
c: zeller

09 class: strickland, mcdonald, henson, wear twins
10 class: bullock, golden

NORTH CAROLINAAA, come on 'n raise up
10 class is bullock, kendall marshall unc should have two national championship in the next six years or its true that roy is a overrated coach

 

[al3xis]

Someone tell me what's really good with Jason Thompson? The new RealGM Mock has us taking him at #31 so I'm interested.
I can't say enough good things about him.

He runs the floor better than anyone his size, he can step out and hit a 17ft jumper, he's a great rebounder, blocks shots, and has developed postmoves....He's still only 21 too.

Yes, he played in the MAAC....but look what he did against Hickson and Beasley...

Thing with him this year, his guards were AWFUL. I mean just terrible, had no clue how to get him the ball. He single handedly took over and won games.

I think he's one of the Top 15 players in the draft and has the ability to play from Day 1.

....
Roy...



There was a time when Hibbert was considered a potential lottery pick. But a so-so senior season really hurt his draft stock and NBA scouts began questioninghis ability to be anything more than a solid backup in the pros.

That view is slowly beginning to change. We're getting more and more feedback from workouts that Hibbert is starting to look like a lottery prospect again.Hibbert has lost roughly 15 pounds, is moving much better and has shown he is much more skilled than several of the younger, higher-profile big men in thedraft, such as McGee and DeAndre Jordan.

"You watch him work out against the upside guys and you start to say to yourself, 'Maybe he has some upside left in him, too,'" one GM said."I'll tell you right now, he's much better than most of the big men in the draft right now. I think he could play from Day 1."

One team to watch early could be the Sacramento Kings. The Kings, sources say, were set to take Hibbert last year before he unexpectedly decided to withdrawhis name from the draft. While the Kings drafted another center in Spencer Hawes last year, sources say the team is still very high on Hibbert.

//

"You watch him work out against the upside guys and you start to say to yourself, 'Maybe he has some upside left in him, too,'" one GM said. "I'll tell you right now, he's much better than most of the big men in the draft right now. I think he could play from Day 1."
Geez, who knew a kid who is still only 21 and finally has got his conditioning in order and is getting stronger by the day could have anypotential left?

 

[enlightened thought]

Someone tell me what's really good with Jason Thompson? The new RealGM Mock has us taking him at #31 so I'm interested.
I can't say enough good things about him.

He runs the floor better than anyone his size, he can step out and hit a 17ft jumper, he's a great rebounder, blocks shots, and has developed post moves....He's still only 21 too.

Yes, he played in the MAAC....but look what he did against Hickson and Beasley...

Thing with him this year, his guards were AWFUL. I mean just terrible, had no clue how to get him the ball. He single handedly took over and won games.

I think he's one of the Top 15 players in the draft and has the ability to play from Day 1.
i agree 100%

 

[this is carter]

is anybody selling any tickets for the draft? im looking to buy some, and if not, where can i get them. i know a couple people in here were saying they aresold out, but to anyone thats gone before, how much do scalpers sell them outside the garden before the draft? whats the price range? thanks

 

[ValarMorghulis]

time to bring this back up....Lakers season is over
im really looking foward to who the Sonics take to pair with Durant...should be good

 

[bhzmafia14]

I think its getting kinda serious between the Grizz/Heat about swapping picks. Timberwolves also more interested in Love, so they might take him at 3 whichmeans Mayo would fall to 5. I can't see Seattle picking anybody other than Bayless.

 

[jpzx]

Originally Posted by bhzmafia14

I think its getting kinda serious between the Grizz/Heat about swapping picks. Timberwolves also more interested in Love, so they might take him at 3 which means Mayo would fall to 5. I can't see Seattle picking anybody other than Bayless.

You don't know what you're talking about

 

[franchise3]

Saw on Realgm that there's speculation that Walker has a promise from the Pistons to select him at #29

 

[ValarMorghulis]

Bayless and Durant are friends which will work well....but i LOVE Mayo's offensive game with Durant sharing the scoring load 2 20+ppg plus the intangiblesof J.Green

AI3Xi you agree??

 

[i nasmatic i]

Riley Considering Mayo With Second Pick?

Jun 18, 2008 5:37 PM EST

Pat Riley has reportedly considered taking O.J. Mayo with the second overall pick in next Thursday's NBA Draft, according to The Miami Herald.

Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley have been considered the consensus top-two prospects for quite some time.

Miami star Dwyane Wade has reportedly jumped on the Mayo bandwagon, but there is still speculation that Riley could just be trying to confuse people as DraftNight approaches.

 

[the wizard]

Sounds like Riles is trying to create the modern day Dumars/Isiah backcourt with Mayo/Wade

 

[lnmymind]

/\ And which one of the two can distribute the ball like Zeke could?

 

[ValarMorghulis]

^^haha no one....
Did Budiger pull his name out??

 

[lnmymind]

Word on the Street: Who's Moving Up or Down?

by: Jonathan Givony - President
June 19, 2008
Trade Talk

Numerous teams we spoke with today discussed the rumors of a potential draft-night trade that is making the rounds in NBA circles. Presuming that Derrick Rose goes #1, Miami would select Michael Beasley at #2 regardless, and wait to see if O.J. Mayo were to fall to the 5th overall pick. If that indeed was the case, Memphis would select him, and then trade him to Miami along with Mike Miller in exchange for Mark Blount and Beasley.

Seattle is also reportedly trying hard to move up to #2, and is dangling Chris Wilcox as bait (in exchange for the cumbersome contract of Mark Blount). The Supersonics would also take Beasley there. This is all assuming that O.J. Mayo doesn't go third to Minnesota, which is not something teams should take for granted just yet based off what we know so far.

Memphis' additional first round selection, the #28 pick, acquired from the Lakers in the Pau Gasol trade, is also reportedly in play. Rumors have the Grizzlies potentially trading this pick to Denver along with Kyle Lowry in exchange for the #20 pick. It's possible that they would try and leap-frog the Orlando Magic and select Courtney Lee, who reportedly had a terrific workout there last week.

Other picks that we're hearing rumors about include #6 (New York, trying to move up, or back), #19 (Cleveland, possibly to move up and take Brandon Rush), and #29 (Detroit, who supposedly isn't enamored by anyone in this area). Two teams that are reportedly looking to acquire an additional first round pick are the Spurs (who unfortunately have very little to offer) and the Suns. The Wizards wouldn't mind moving out if someone would offer them a good deal involving a point guard, but at this point that doesn't seem likely to happen. Cleveland is trying to buy their way into the mid-first round, but unlike in years past, it won't be Phoenix that is selling.

Look for the Los Angeles Lakers to try and land an early second round pick (possibly from Seattle) in order to draft IUPUI's George Hill. He worked out in Los Angeles and reportedly was very impressive. His college team actually ran the triangle offense, and that is always a big factor in the Lakers' workouts.

Who's Gonna Slip?

As we continue to work the phones to discuss with teams who they hear is going where, we first of all need to establish which prospects will be on the board. At this point it's clear that there is a fairly significant drop-off in this year's draft class right around the 12th (Sacramento) or 13th (Portland) pick, as all the prospects that are getting mentions have some serious "warts" in the words of one NBA executive, which make teams hesitant about drafting them. The question is which will be overlooked, and which will cause players to slip.

Players that might find themselves being drafted a bit lower than they hoped include DeAndre Jordan, JaVale McGee, and possibly even Anthony Randolph. If Sacramento selects Darrell Arthur at #12 like many NBA sources we spoke with anticipate (this was his last workout stop before cancelling numerous workouts), then Randolph could be in for quite a tumble, as he would likely continue to slip past Portland at #13, Golden State at #14, Phoenix at #15, until reaching Philadelphia at #16. That's about 10 spots lower than some mocks have him projected right now, but isn't out of the question depending on how things play out next week. Randolph is not helping himself reportedly with the way he's working out, being very average so far according to numerous people who've watched him, looking "laid back" or even "out of shape." Compounding the problem is that he may have recently hurt his shoulder.

Another player who could crash the lottery unexpectedly and even shockingly go just one spot below his twin brother is Stanford center Robin Lopez. Lopez reportedly canceled all his remaining workouts (with the Pacers, Kings, Sixers, and more) with a supposed "sprained ankle" after working out for the New Jersey Nets this past week. Although the tenth pick is widely believed to be Danilo Gallinari's, no one would know better about where the Italian small forward will get drafted than his agent Arn Tellem, who also happens to represent the Lopez twins. Robin being promised to go tenth (a speculatory rumor that is definitely making the rounds) almost surely means that Gallinari is going sixth to the Knicks. The Nets can't expect to wait and pick Lopez at #21, as there is very little chance he gets past Phoenix at 15, or at the very worst (if Donte Greene slips past Golden State), Toronto at 17, where he is extremely coveted.

While DeAndre Jordan and JaVale McGee are refusing to conduct workouts with certain teams drafting outside of the lottery (McGee's mother foolishly won't let him visit anyone past 12 from what one frustrated team told us), there is no shortage of workout warriors on the prowl looking to take their spot in the teens portion of the draft. One of those is Alexis Ajinca, who may be working himself into that 12-14 range, based off the workouts he's having.

One executive who recently watched him expressed shock at his combination of physical tools (7-1 in shoes, 240 pounds, with a near 7-7 wingspan), coordination and agility. "If he were in college, let's say at Nevada instead of JaVale McGee, he would be a sure-fire top 10 pick," the executive noted. "He's bigger than McGee, and he's also more skilled…with that length, he is going to be able to bother some people for sure" Ajinca is answering question marks about his toughness by not backing down from anyone he's faced so far, particularly in an outstanding workout in Charlotte where he matched up with Jordan, McGee and Roy Hibbert. His experience playing against grown men all season long in the French league is certainly showing in workouts so far it seems.

The safest pick amongst players being projected to go from 13-19 is likely Brandon Rush. He could seemingly be picked by any of those teams, and be able to find a way to be productive thanks to his size, shooting ability and defensive skills. He's probably not going to be a star, but as you'll be able to read in the research conducted by Heather N. Allen and Paul Gearan tomorrow, that's not such a bad thing in this range

 

[ValarMorghulis]

Originally Posted by lnMyMind

Word on the Street: Who's Moving Up or Down?

by: Jonathan Givony - President
June 19, 2008
Trade Talk


Seattle is also reportedly trying hard to move up to #2, and is dangling Chris Wilcox as bait (in exchange for the cumbersome contract of Mark Blount). The Supersonics would also take Beasley there. This is all assuming that O.J. Mayo doesn't go third to Minnesota, which is not something teams should take for granted just yet based off what we know so far.

HAVE I NOT BEEN SCREAMING THIS FOR 2 MONTHS NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#4 which very well could be Mayo(if he's there TAKE HIM not Bayless it gives you more leverage and if you can't get Beasley you can get Baylesslater via trade)
you have; Mayo, Wilcox, Watson and maybe a future 1st(maybe) for #2 Beasley and a bad contract(Blount)

Come on SONICS...im officially hyped for the draft... 6 days

 

[the wizard]

Originally Posted by lnMyMind

/\ And which one of the two can distribute the ball like Zeke could?

neither, but when i say that i mean that if in fact they do that, then the 1 and 2 position for the Heat will be interchangeable sorta like it was for theBad Boy back then.

 

[scottsauce88]

I think the Heat should do the deal with the Sonics. Not only do they get Mayo, but they also get a very underrated Wilcox.

A team of:

PG - Mayo
SG- Wade
SF - Marion
PF - Wilcox
C - Haslem???

Not a bad lineup at all depending how Mayo turns out. Wilcox is crazy athletic and the Heat team would be a little undersized but they would run people offthe court.

 

[willinc]

, im so sick of all these BS Rumors

Riley is setting smoke screens wherever he can

At the end of the day I still say Beasley ends up in a Miami uniform

 

[the wizard]

Originally Posted by Scottsauce88


I think the Heat should do the deal with the Sonics. Not only do they get Mayo, but they also get a very underrated Wilcox.

A team of:

PG - Mayo
SG- Wade
SF - Marion
PF - Wilcox
C - Haslem???

Not a bad lineup at all depending how Mayo turns out. Wilcox is crazy athletic and the Heat team would be a little undersized but they would run people off the court.

They would get bodied defensively. A interior of Wilcox and Haslem is not getting it done. Plus there would be no low post presence. This team would be acompletely perimeter oriented team.

TERRIBLE IDEA.

 

[lnmymind]

You need a legit low post THREAT in the NBA to be successful. Wilcox and Haslem aint gonna get it done.

 

[the wizard]

Plus I don't know what the Bulls are doing.

A rookie PG + rookie Head Coach. Plus it's not like Del Negro played PG in the League, he was basically what Ben Gordon was. A 6'3 2 guard.

Yes, Rose is a physical phenomenon, but he still needs to learn the intricacies of playing point guard in the league. Plus he can't shoot, if he'sstruggling, do you bench him or do you keep playing him? The learning curve is way greater for a PG than a SF/PF like Beasley.

The Bulls are going to be under the pressure to win next year, and if Rose struggles, the Bulls will.

The Bulls are a team of the future, but with an urgency to produce this year. If they are able to trade Hinrich, is the post player that they get for himgoing to make a difference similar to Beasley does in his first year.

I think Hinrich/Beasley is a better fit for the Bulls over Rose/whoever they get if they trade Hinrich

 

[doublejs07]

Part 1 of a 10 part series that follows Michael Beasley around as he prepares for the draft

 

[j steezzz]

lame dude: yea yo B-EZ and DJ, yea man i been following both of ya like crazy!

B-EZ: watch this, wat school he go to?

lame dude: (pause)

GOT EM!

 

[sick ik 23]

Damn I hope the Sonics and Heat can get this trade done. Beasley, Durant, and Green would be a great combo. I'm getting hyped up now