Posted by JohnWallace44:

Posted by SupremeCommander:

The realistic draft pick I want is Eric Maynor, and I'd be okay rolling the dice on BJ Mullens... Earl Clark is starting to look real appealing too. Griffin/Rubio (if available)/Hill/DeRozan would all be welcomed.

[Edited by - supremecommander on 03-27-2009 8:57 PM]

Supreme, are you worried about Maynor's shot at all? I don't get to see him play that often, but it looks flat to me. Think he can work that out? Everything else about this kid looks great.

I'm not a big fan of his shot, but I think it will improve. VCU has a good program, but not a great one, and VCU was always seemed destined for a tournament upset. Maynor is an elite distributor and is huge for a legit point prospect. Maynor has flaws, for sure, but he is he seems like a smart/talented enough player to improve. I want him on the team mostly because of how he plays when the game is on the line, because no one on the Knicks right now plays well with the game in the balance

I thought this tribute video got the awesomeness of his game down pretty well. My concern is that he looks better than he is because of the competition he goes up against... but then again he's played well in the tournament. Anyway, at the end of the tribute, they show his 2007 Duke shot (surprise, surprise), but right before that his 2007 performance against George Mason... if you haven't seen that, it was just awesome





[Edited by - supremecommander on 03-29-2009 08:10 AM]

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=531357

Here's a preview from the Sporting News

1. Sacramento Kings. Blake Griffin, PF, Oklahoma. He's been firmly at the top of every NBA draft board all season. Griffin has taken a couple of hard falls in the NCAA Tournament already, and you can bet that, when he did, every lotto-bound general manager held his breath until he got up.

2. Washington Wizards. Jordan Hill, PF, Arizona. Hill was extremely raw when he arrived at Arizona, but his quick development into a premier post player and rebounder, plus his instinct for blocking shots, has pushed his stock into the top 5. The Wizards are desperate for depth everywhere, especially in the frontcourt.

3. Los Angeles Clippers. Ricky Rubio, PG, Spain. GMs have been shuffling across the Atlantic to have a look at Rubio, who's a near guarantee to enter this year's draft. The Clippers have a long commitment left for PG Baron Davis, but they've already been looking to trade him.

4. Memphis Grizzlies. Hasheem Thabeet, C, Connecticut. With this pick, cap space and attractive contracts like that of C Darko Milicic, the Grizzlies could be in position for a major overhaul this summer. They have C Marc Gasol, and ideally, they'd take a power forward here. But it never hurts to stock up on big men. Memphis badly needs to upgrade its defense, and Thabeet is an intimidator inside.

5. Oklahoma City Thunder. Al-Farouq Aminu, SF/PF, Wake Forest. The Thunder could go with a shooting guard at this spot, which would signal an intention to keep G/F Kevin Durant at small forward and F Jeff Green at power forward. More likely, though, they'll stick with SG Thabo Sefolosha if they want to go small and look to draft someone to play with F/C Nenad Krstic up front. Aminu would be a good fit, because, like Green, he can play either the three-spot or the four-spot.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves. Earl Clark, SF, Louisville. The Timberwolves would love to grab a point guard, but with multiple picks available down in the draft and a weak point guard crop, it would make more sense to add wing depth at this point. Clark is a big, athletic small forward who is still developing offensively. But scouts love his raw tools and potential.

7. Golden State Warriors. Brandon Jennings, PG, Italy. The Warriors are bustling with talent at just about every position, but point guard remains the big problem. G Monta Ellis' future is unclear -- it's not certain he will play point guard, and it's not certain the Warriors want to keep him. Jennings has struggled in Italy, and he's a gamble, but Golden State is desperate enough for point guard help to take a chance.

8. Toronto Raptors. James Harden, SG, Arizona State. Maybe it's the beard, but Harden seems to have a certain toughness that the Raptors lack. The Raptors are desperate to upgrade on the wings, and should be in good position to do so in this draft. Harden is a nifty scorer who also has the size and strength to play in the post. He's not afraid to take the big shots, which is the kind of guy the Raps are missing.

9. New York Knicks. Tyreke Evans, PG/SG, Memphis. The Knicks might not keep either of their point guards -- Chris Duhon or Nate Robinson -- beyond the 2009-10 season. Evans is not a pure point guard, but he has been running the position for the Tigers this year, and he has big-time scoring skills, no matter where he plays. Mike D'Antoni likes that kind of versatility, and GM Donnie Walsh likes surprise picks.

10. Indiana Pacers. Chase Budinger, SG, Arizona. Aminu would be a great fit with Indiana, but assuming he does not make it to the Pacers' draft spot, Indy could add another versatile, talented shooter. The NCAA tourney run that Arizona is on should help keep Budinger in the lottery.

11. New Jersey Nets. Gerald Henderson, SG, Duke. Henderson is a smooth, polished off-guard who was a prospect just based on his ballhandling and floor leadership. But, this year, his shot has gotten a lot better, and that will probably move him into the lottery. The Nets still will be looking to move SG Vince Carter in the offseason, and will be looking to replace him.

12. Milwaukee Bucks. DeJuan Blair, PF, Pittsburgh. Blair is undersize (6-7), but he has a long wingspan and is Scott Skiles' kind of player -- tough, hard-nosed, willing to chase rebounds and throw his body around defensively. He has a nice post game and makes his jumpers.

13. Charlotte Bobcats. Stephen Curry, PG/SG, Davidson. Not many scouts are buying the notion that Curry can be an NBA point guard, but with the way he can shoot, he's still a likely back-of-the-lottery pick. Charlotte would like to add another power forward, but they'll continue to field offers for restricted free-agent PG Raymond Felton, and picking a combo guard here to back up PG D.J. Augustin makes sense.

14. Phoenix Suns. Evan Turner, SG, Ohio State. Keep and eye on Turner. It's likely that he will test the NBA draft, and if he can get a promise from a lottery team, he'd probably remain in the draft. He is very smooth with the ball and breaks down defenders easily -- if he can show he can make the outside shot, he will pop up on draft boards. If not, it's back to school.

Posted by JohnWallace44:

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=531357

Here's a preview from the Sporting News

1. Sacramento Kings. Blake Griffin, PF, Oklahoma. He's been firmly at the top of every NBA draft board all season. Griffin has taken a couple of hard falls in the NCAA Tournament already, and you can bet that, when he did, every lotto-bound general manager held his breath until he got up.

2. Washington Wizards. Jordan Hill, PF, Arizona. Hill was extremely raw when he arrived at Arizona, but his quick development into a premier post player and rebounder, plus his instinct for blocking shots, has pushed his stock into the top 5. The Wizards are desperate for depth everywhere, especially in the frontcourt.

3. Los Angeles Clippers. Ricky Rubio, PG, Spain. GMs have been shuffling across the Atlantic to have a look at Rubio, who's a near guarantee to enter this year's draft. The Clippers have a long commitment left for PG Baron Davis, but they've already been looking to trade him.

4. Memphis Grizzlies. Hasheem Thabeet, C, Connecticut. With this pick, cap space and attractive contracts like that of C Darko Milicic, the Grizzlies could be in position for a major overhaul this summer. They have C Marc Gasol, and ideally, they'd take a power forward here. But it never hurts to stock up on big men. Memphis badly needs to upgrade its defense, and Thabeet is an intimidator inside.

5. Oklahoma City Thunder. Al-Farouq Aminu, SF/PF, Wake Forest. The Thunder could go with a shooting guard at this spot, which would signal an intention to keep G/F Kevin Durant at small forward and F Jeff Green at power forward. More likely, though, they'll stick with SG Thabo Sefolosha if they want to go small and look to draft someone to play with F/C Nenad Krstic up front. Aminu would be a good fit, because, like Green, he can play either the three-spot or the four-spot.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves. Earl Clark, SF, Louisville. The Timberwolves would love to grab a point guard, but with multiple picks available down in the draft and a weak point guard crop, it would make more sense to add wing depth at this point. Clark is a big, athletic small forward who is still developing offensively. But scouts love his raw tools and potential.

7. Golden State Warriors. Brandon Jennings, PG, Italy. The Warriors are bustling with talent at just about every position, but point guard remains the big problem. G Monta Ellis' future is unclear -- it's not certain he will play point guard, and it's not certain the Warriors want to keep him. Jennings has struggled in Italy, and he's a gamble, but Golden State is desperate enough for point guard help to take a chance.

8. Toronto Raptors. James Harden, SG, Arizona State. Maybe it's the beard, but Harden seems to have a certain toughness that the Raptors lack. The Raptors are desperate to upgrade on the wings, and should be in good position to do so in this draft. Harden is a nifty scorer who also has the size and strength to play in the post. He's not afraid to take the big shots, which is the kind of guy the Raps are missing.

9. New York Knicks. Tyreke Evans, PG/SG, Memphis. The Knicks might not keep either of their point guards -- Chris Duhon or Nate Robinson -- beyond the 2009-10 season. Evans is not a pure point guard, but he has been running the position for the Tigers this year, and he has big-time scoring skills, no matter where he plays. Mike D'Antoni likes that kind of versatility, and GM Donnie Walsh likes surprise picks.

10. Indiana Pacers. Chase Budinger, SG, Arizona. Aminu would be a great fit with Indiana, but assuming he does not make it to the Pacers' draft spot, Indy could add another versatile, talented shooter. The NCAA tourney run that Arizona is on should help keep Budinger in the lottery.

11. New Jersey Nets. Gerald Henderson, SG, Duke. Henderson is a smooth, polished off-guard who was a prospect just based on his ballhandling and floor leadership. But, this year, his shot has gotten a lot better, and that will probably move him into the lottery. The Nets still will be looking to move SG Vince Carter in the offseason, and will be looking to replace him.

12. Milwaukee Bucks. DeJuan Blair, PF, Pittsburgh. Blair is undersize (6-7), but he has a long wingspan and is Scott Skiles' kind of player -- tough, hard-nosed, willing to chase rebounds and throw his body around defensively. He has a nice post game and makes his jumpers.

13. Charlotte Bobcats. Stephen Curry, PG/SG, Davidson. Not many scouts are buying the notion that Curry can be an NBA point guard, but with the way he can shoot, he's still a likely back-of-the-lottery pick. Charlotte would like to add another power forward, but they'll continue to field offers for restricted free-agent PG Raymond Felton, and picking a combo guard here to back up PG D.J. Augustin makes sense.

14. Phoenix Suns. Evan Turner, SG, Ohio State. Keep and eye on Turner. It's likely that he will test the NBA draft, and if he can get a promise from a lottery team, he'd probably remain in the draft. He is very smooth with the ball and breaks down defenders easily -- if he can show he can make the outside shot, he will pop up on draft boards. If not, it's back to school.

IMO Derozan doesn't go any lower than #5 in the draft

that would be a no brainer for us, i've always said Jordan Hill will easily replace D Lee's production on the court, but i don't think we're getting any top 3 pick for D Lee when he's a RFA & the season will be over & done with... the time to trade him was at the trade deadline when teams could have gotten some burn out of him for the stretch run, but now any hopes of trading Lee or Nate will probably net us unfair returns unless we get involved in some kinda sign & trade scenario for an already established player, someone like Amare or Bosh is probably the best possible scenario but it would take more than D Lee & our lottery pick to get those deals done IMO.

[Edited by - TMS on 03-29-2009 6:39 PM]

Posted by TMS:

that would be a no brainer for us, i've always said Jordan Hill will easily replace D Lee's production on the court, but i don't think we're getting any top 3 pick for D Lee when he's a RFA & the season will be over & done with... the time to trade him was at the trade deadline when teams could have gotten some burn out of him for the stretch run, but now any hopes of trading Lee or Nate will probably net us unfair returns unless we get involved in some kinda sign & trade scenario for an already established player, someone like Amare or Bosh is probably the best possible scenario but it would take more than D Lee & our lottery pick to get those deals done IMO.

[Edited by - TMS on 03-29-2009 6:39 PM]

TMS, how is Jordan Hills defense? I have never seen him play but I read he sometimes loses focus on both ends. What do you and others think of that?

people say Hill loses focus at times on the court but really IMO that's not a major problem w/him... personally i don't think it's so much him losing focus as it is the fact that his team has a G who dominates the ball at times in Wise & Budinger who is also an able scorer, so the ball doesn't always go through him in the paint... he's got very nice shotblocking instincts & he's a very lively body down low... he goes after rebounds w/the same kinda tenacity that D Lee does, & he isn't afraid to bang & get dirty down low in the paint... he runs the court really well & IMO would be a perfect fit for this system... i'll tell u right now tho Hill's defense is a lot better than D Lee's just w/his shotblocking presence alone, & IMO his low post defense is better as well... he would probably need some work on improving his help D but really do u think it can possibly get any worse than Lee's help D no matter how lacking he might be in that area? i don't.

from the beginning of the season i was riding Patrick Patterson's bandwagon but Hill really grew on me halfway through the season... now that Patterson is staying at Kentucky for another season, Hill would be my 1st bigman pick in this draft w/o a doubt.