I always like messing around with the NBA Draft machine – and here is my first crack, and boy is it different than others!
I tend to do these by reading about who teams are looking at, and then picking who I would take out of that group. So it is a combination of facts and opinion.
Here goes…
My comments…
- I know everyone has Irving going first, but I don’t think it’s a stone-cold lock, and I personally like Williams better. So – I have him there, for now. Also – If they do it this way, they can take Brandon Knight at #4 and get their PG anyway.
- That would put Minny in a really tough spot. I gave them Vesely over Kanter because I’ve been reading unimpressive things about him (Kanter) recently.
- I’ve got Marcus Morris slipping a bit since I have Charlotte taking Singleton, who would give them a lot of what Gerald Wallace did.
- I have the Sixers taking Vucevic. Now, we know that’s not who I want, but that’s who I think we are going to take.
- I have Jimmer falling to the Knicks.
- JaJuan Johnson and Jon Leuer sneak into the first round, both guys I’d love to see the Sixers grab in the 2nd.
OK – that’s it, this is mostly here to get your thoughts on how you think the draft will play out. I will do another one of these before next Thursday and it will likely have many changes.
Maybe since this is as close as Minny has been to actually getting Rubio over here they won’t draft another PG if Irving does in fact drop to them. Wouldn’t put it pass them to think – “they can play together, Irving can play the 2!”
I don’t fully understand why Kawhi Leonard is rated so high?
What is really his upside? Andre Iguodala at best, right? Not that, that is a bad thing – but I don’t see him being much better at all.
Bismack Biyombo had a bad workout and right now his ceiling is projected at 8th but doesn’t really have a definitive floor. If he drops to 16 I’d think the Sixers would have to take him.
If you’re impressed with Faried’s measurables you’ll be blown away by Bismack’s. We don’t know his athletic numbers but from what I’ve seen and read they are at a minimum on par if not better.
He lacks an offense game right now. He is 100% a dunker and he tries to throw down everything. But defensively he is a stud and has the potential to be a Dwight Howard type defender and rebounder.
At 18 years old if he drops I’d consider making a deal to move up a couple spots to snatch him up.
Pete – Nice list! Always fun to take a stab at this stuff.
Judging from what I’ve read/heard on various websites and podcasts, I think you may have Vesely going a bit high; seems like he’s more in the 5-8 range. Knock on him seems to be lack of a good shot and any semblence of a polished offensive game, but people seem to love his energy, high flying athleticism, and the fact he’s a scrapper/energy/banger guy. Wizards are apparently high on grabbing him to pair with John Wall.
By the same token, I can’t see Enes Kanter falling out of the top 6. Him erupting for 35 points at the Nike Hoops Summit game made a huge impression, his individual team workouts by all accounts are phenomenal, and it’s compounded by the fact that there’s the whole “”If he played a year at Kentucky, put up 16 and 10 (or whatever), he’d be the #1 pick,” factor. While a huge mystery given the total dearth of games he’s played, I think any team scrambling for a big with legit post skills, rebounding, and ability to hit a shot (aka: T-Wolves, Toronto, Washington…possibly Utah) won’t pass the risk/reward opportunity up.
Dannie – With Leonard, I think it’s less how high is ceiling is (I agree with you, I don’t think it’s high either), but more the fact that he’s a given to be a solid rotation player. Dude hustles his ass off, plays good D, can rebound the hell out of the ball, is a decent scorer (will be great at getting points without needing plays called for him, lots of putbacks) and is a tough motherfucker. In this crap-ass draft, I think banking on a top-7 rotation guy makes sense if you’re picking in the 7-14 range. And if he ever develops a jumpshot, he could get real good fast.
Pete – I think Singleton to Charlotte replacing G Wallace is a good call. If Morris slides to the Warriors, that is a total steal for them. Marshon Brooks to Indy is also a great call…they either need Brandon Rush to start improving big time, or have another young buck in there to give them some scoring punch. Although I could also see them just playing Paul George more at the 2 next year, and draft a big to backup Hansbrough/Hibbert like our beloved Mr. Faried.
Kyrie Irving vs. Brandon Knight should be an interesting retrospective debate for years to come. What’s especially great is that, unlike past uber-talented and young PG’s in the 90s (Kenny Anderson, Stephon Marbury, etc) both Irving and Knight seem shockingly mature for their age, and have an enormous drive and work ethic by all accounts. I’m curious if Brandon Knight can learn to be an ACTUAL PG, and distribute the ball more effectively instead of being more of a shooter/streaky scorer, and just as curious to see if Kyrie Irving is going to be a “solid, polished, falls in the top 7-12 PG’s in the league”, or whether he has the moxy and mojo to really be a top flight, scary talent that develops in the league as time goes on.