martin
Posts: 67903
Alba Posts: 108
Joined: 7/24/2001
Member: #2 USA
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Atlanta Hawks Boris Diaw Shooting Guard | 6-9, 220 Pau Orthez | France Andy Katz's Pick: Diaw is a combo guard and is considered quite a passer. The Hawks weren't thrilled with last year's first-round pick Dan Dickau. But Dickau was hurt and never really given the chance to flourish. He has to get more minutes next season to re-discover his shot. Drafting Diaw would put less pressure on Dickau than a ready-made senior who doesn't have as much time to develop. The Hawks could be patient with Diaw and not force his maturity on the court. Chad Ford's Take: No one knows for sure what the Hawks are doing here. They still don't have an owner or a GM, which makes it a little hard to project what they want. Diaw is really a 6-foot-9 point guard, which should get Hawks fans smiling. Diaw isn't really a threat to score, but with Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Glenn Robinson and Jason Terry in the house, who needs him to be? Pair him in the backcourt with Terry, and the Hawks' point-guard woes could be over.
New Jersey Nets Viktor Khryapa Small Forward | 6-9, 220 Autodorozhnik Saratov | Russia Chad Ford's Pick: Last year the Nets drafted Yugoslavian center Nenad Kristic sight unseen. It turned into a major, major home run when Krstic went from project to Euroleague star last year. The word in Chicago is they're high on Khryapa, a versatile forward who can play the three or four with a nice shooting touch, long arms and great defense. Khryapa plans on staying in Moscow one more year. That won't scare the Nets away after the way Krstic played last year. Andy Katz's Take: The Nets were successful in getting one of the sleeper Europeans out of last year's draft with Krstic. They didn't need him last season and kept him overseas. They would do the same with Khryapa and not have him come over for a season or two because of contractual issues. But that's fine with the Nets, since they would be getting a future 3-point shooter and small forward. New Jersey doesn't need immediate help. If the Nets wanted to take someone for next season, they would have some tantalizing prospects like David West, Josh Howard or Brian Cook still on the board.
Portland Trailblazers David West Power Forward | 6-9, 226 Senior | Xavier Andy Katz's Pick: Portland has to think image with this pick. David West comes with no baggage, and he's a legit scoring forward. The Blazers have made too many picks that involved question marks on a personal level. West was a model citizen at Xavier, was a four-year guy and enters the NBA as a mature and developed forward. Portland could get a similar good-character player in Josh Howard, if it wanted to go for a big guard. Chad Ford's Take: I don't think David West will sneak into the first round. I understand West is a good guy and a proven college commodity, but as long as Bob Whitsitt is hanging around (he was in Chicago at the pre-draft camp), I still don't believe the Blazers have changed their stripes. Besides, West hasn't proven to anyone he can play small forward in the pros. The review from a few recent workouts was that he's still not comfortable on the perimeter. I think the Blazers either try to trade up into the lottery to get their hands on Podkolzine, Bosh or Lampe, or they take a chance on Illinois' Brian Cook, another guy with lottery talent and a questionable head.
Los Angeles Lakers Sofaklis Schortsianides Center | 6-10, 287 Greece Chad Ford's Pick: Nicknamed "Baby Shaq" by the Greeks, this 6-10 (or 6-8, depending on who you believe) power forward is the type of bruiser Shaq has always wanted at his side. At 17, he won't get any playing time in L.A. next year, but he is the type of talent who can help the Lakers tremendously down the road. If his agent really believes he's falling this far, however, he may pull him out of the draft before the June 19 deadline. If Sofaklis is gone, the Lakers will probably grab Zarko Carbakapa. Andy Katz's Take: If Baby Shaq drops this low, agent Marc Fleisher might pull him out of the draft. The big questions continue to be how tall he is, with various reports listing him 6-6 to 6-10. The Lakers will likely go out and get a free-agent power forward, but they could do with a project at the same position. If Schortsianides ends up being a hit, the Lakers have struck gold with a late first-round pick. And, why shouldn't the team with Shaq get his namesake?
Detroit Pistons Travis Hansen Shooting Guard | 6-5½, 200 Senior | BYU Andy Katz's Pick: Someone always makes it into the first round out of the Chicago camp. Bell, Hansen and James Lang seem to be the most discussed candidates. Hansen fits the profile of a hard-working guard who can do just about anything. He can make 3s, hit the mid-range jumper, dive on the floor for loose balls and take a charge. He would fit in well with Detroit's system under Larry Brown and be a hit on a team trying to win a title next season. Chad Ford's Take: BYU's "Eminem" has wowed scouts with his great combination of athleticism, strength, defensive prowess and long-range shooting skills. The Pistons have to replace Jon Barry with someone, and at 25, Hansen has the maturity to contribute now. Still, I have a sneaking suspicion the Pistons' international scouts are in Dumars' ear, urging him to take another foreign player. Guys like Zaur Pachulia, Zoran Planinic, Alexsander Vujacic, Zarko Cabarkapa and Carlos Delfino are still on the board here.
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