Juice wrote:For those of you not up on basketball

2008 Draft in Comparison to 2011 draft

1.Derrick Rose=Kyrie Irving

2.Micheal Beasley=Derrick Williams

3.O.J. Mayo=Alec Burks

4.Russell WestBrook=Brandon Knight

5. Kevin Love=Kenneth Faried

6.Danilo Gallinari=Chandler Parsons or Kawhi Leonard

7.Eric Gordon=Kemba Walker

8.Joe Alexander=Marcus Morris

9.Brook Lopez=Enes Kanter

10. D.J. Augustin=Jimmer Fredette

11. Jerryd Bayless=Reggie Jackson

12. Jason Thompson=Markeif Morris

13. Brandon Rush=Kyle Singler

14. Anthony Randolph=Justin Harper

15. Robin Lopez=Donatus Montiejunas

16. Mareese Speights=Tobias Harris

17. Roy Hibbert=Bismack Biyombo

18. Javele Mcgee=Lucas Noguiera

19. J.J. Hickson=Tristan Thmpson

20. Alexis Ajinca=Jonas Valanciunas

21. Ryan Anderson=Jan Vesely

22. Courtney Lee=Klay Thompson

23. Kosta Koufos=Jeremy Tyler

24. Serge Ibaka=Justin Harper

25. Nicolas Batum=Chris Singleton

26. George Hill=Nolan Smith

27. Darell Arthur=Keith Benson

28. Donte Green=Jordan Hamilton

29. D.J. White=JuJuan Johnson

30. J.R. Giddens=Tyler Honeycutt

No

Marshon Brooks
Shelvin Mack
Josh Shelby
Darius Morris
Travis Leslie
Jimmy Butler
Charles Jenkins

all possible 1rst round leapers....As you can see pound for pound equal to the 2008 draft which was a very good draft. Now is it because we have pick 17 that some of you think this?

Juice wrote:

SupremeCommander wrote:I don't think this year's draft will be big on stars, but it will be deep in terms of good players being available late. LOok at this year's NCAA tournament... there really wasn't much in the way of big name talent with a true NBA body, but it was a fun tournament to watch

I see 5 players who could turn out to be franchise caliber talent or at the very least huge building blocks with a 2-3 possible in the wings. Not sure what fans expect out of each draft every year. The 2006 draft produced about 3 franchise caliber players and about a half a dozen starters and clear bombs throughout but this draft IMO will be clearly better than the 2006 draft. Just because a draft doesn't produce a clear cut Superstar or even Superstars does not make it weak nor does a team's draft position make it weak.

For most teams, the best you can hope for is obtianing a meaningful roation player in the draft. I think a lot of teams will have the chance to obtain that this year. Assuming a superstar would or should be available seems a bit naive to me.

I agree that this years darft appears better than the 2006, and I don't think that the 06 draft was that bad either. In a few years, when LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay, Paul Millsap and, to a certain extent Thabo Sefolosha, Kyle Lowry, and Shannon Brown, accomplish things on par with Rondo and Roy, well, people will discuss that draft class differently

Juice wrote:Looks like Stern took care of Cleveland...The Clippers just handed them pick 8 which turned into pick 4...WOW!

yeah, does anyone really believe that Stern didn't have a hand in this. Much of this whole collective bargaining crap is the result of small markets having a difficult time attracting and keeping free agents.

I just hate the message it sends....hate seeing teams benefit from tanking.Seems contrary to the spirit of the game.

y2zipper wrote:

nixluva wrote:I'm actually kind of happy for the Cavs. I know that city really needs a lift. I remember reading how that city lost 10% or more of its business after Lebron left and those fans were really supportive of the team. There gonna be good again in a short time.

If Cleveland would have spent the last two lottery picks right and got good players, they'd probably still have LeBron.

Anyway, this is setting up Cleveland for when LeBron opts out of south beach and goes back in 3 years. You heard it here first.

no offense, but also probably last.

DurzoBlint wrote:

Juice wrote:Looks like Stern took care of Cleveland...The Clippers just handed them pick 8 which turned into pick 4...WOW!

yeah, does anyone really believe that Stern didn't have a hand in this. Much of this whole collective bargaining crap is the result of small markets having a difficult time attracting and keeping free agents.

I just hate the message it sends....hate seeing teams benefit from tanking.Seems contrary to the spirit of the game.

They traded MO williams for a 2.9 chance of going from 8th to 1st. They ate Barons contract which can go either way depending on Baron. He could be Marbury or Tim Hardaway in prime for next two years.

Even if they stayed at he 8 they could still have done well.

There is no clear cut franchise player even at the top spot.

Cleveland can trade either pick for multiple ones if they feel good about some players in this draft.

Most likely they draft.

Most important is they can sell this to the fan base. Irving is not Lebron and he might not light it up out of the gate but a young team can be marketed for two years before the natives get impatient. Cavs fans bought in thinking lebron might stay but they might not opt out of seaosn tix as this is exciting for them.

Im not making fun of Clippers cuz Im not sure we have done any better the last ten years either.

Juice wrote:

BigDaddyG wrote:I think the weakness comes from the fact that there are no superstars. As good as Irving is, no one believes he will touch Rose or that Knight will be at Westbrook's level. But, the good thing about this is that there isn't too much of talent gap from mid-lottery to the end of the first round, possibly early second round.

Once again that's not what makes a draft weak because it doesn't produce a Superstar. Do you feel the 2008 draft was weak without Derrick Rose in it? If so you'd be wildly off base. Go check the 2005 NBA draft which produced one of the greatest Superstars of our current generation does this make that draft strong? That was a weak draft. The second part about what you said is another reason the draft isn't weak. A guard like Shelvin Mack may be there in the second round who has a Chauncey Billups/Rodney Stuckey type of game to him or Chandler Parsons who could be a second rounder
who's game is reminiscent of a Mike Miller meets Gallinari

A strong draft is one that produces quality players reaching the second round and/or produces multiple Superstars/All-Stars. A weak draft is one with barely serviceable talent and/or a couple Superstars and busts

Kyrie Irving continues to get comparisons to CP3 in his shortened Collegiate season. Now if the Hawks had the #1 pick in this year's draft and passed on Irving do we have 2004 all over again? Cavs probably won't make this mistake. Also if the draft is weak then why the jokes at the Clippers for giving up the pick for cap space?

Trust had the Clippers not given up their pick more than likely we wouldn't have saw the results yesterday. Clippers probably stay at pick 8 and the Cavs may have still got the # 1 pick

agree. this draft may be weak at the top, which is bad for teams like cleveland or toronto who are looking for a guy to build their team around (and i think cleveland will be very happy with irving), but i think top to bottom this draft will be solid. there are a lot of guys who will be NBA rotation players, which is really breaking even when it comes to the draft. i like where the knicks are at 17 and hope that the perception that the draft is weak because it lacks star power allows us to buy up a pick or two.