newyorker4ever wrote:

smackeddog wrote:One thing we should add to these case threads maybe should be what free agents you'd target to complement the draft pick.

Oh good job you just gave Briggs another thread to start. Lol

I have no idea myself- ha! I think it's tougher to fill in the roster if you pick him- we'd have to make do with Gallo, Shved or Calderon at PG, and then use money on PF/C. Is a team based on Melo, Winslow and Monroe something to build on? I wouldn't be very excited by that. Maybe Winslow, Melo and Milsap, but again not exciting.

PG- Beverley
SG- Winslow
SF- Carroll
PF- Love or Aldridge
C- whoever we can afford

or

PG- crap we've already got
SG- Winslow
SF- Melo
PF- Brandon Wright
C- Monroe

I just can't form a team I'd be happy with. Any suggestions?

callmened wrote:my point was stackhouse was a bonafide scorer no questions asked. all i know about winslow is that hes a beast physically, thrives in transition and plays good defense. heis learning how to shoot and his scoring can improve. but stackhouse was more polished offensively coming out of UNC

Think College Stackhouse, the guy with questionable ball skills who played out of position and constantly attacked the basket. Winslow is the better defender, but I see similarities between him and Stack in college. He was referring to Winslow's ability to slash and draw fouls. Here is an pre-draft old scouting report of Stack I found:

Offensively, Stackhouse is great at driving to the basket, either finishing
or drawing a foul (he gets to the line a *ton*). He has really worked
hard at improving his range (from 2 for 20 to 37 for 90). He has a real
nice looking shot, however it is still a little flat and takes to long to
get off (not a real quick release). Still it got better as the year went
on and I expect him to have a great outside shot before his career is
done. Stackhouse turns the ball over way to much and will need a much
better dribble to be a NBA guard. Stackhouse is a *great* offensive
rebounder.

Here is a snippet from draftexprrss.como Winslow:

Offensively, Winslow is not the most prolific scorer around, with his 17 points per-40 ranking towards the bottom among wing players in this draft, but he's efficient, with a 58% TS%, and also is a solid passer who rarely turns the ball over. He's excellent in transition, where he finds himself frequently with his aggressive style of play, and can also go down to the low post and punish opposing players with his strong frame. He is very intelligent operating off the ball, showing a great knack for being in the right place at the right time and making strong cuts to the rim when the opportunity presents itself.

While not the fanciest ball-handler, he can create a little off the dribble as well thanks to his quick first step, strong frame and incisive nature. Even though he's mostly a straight-line driver, he's developed his ability to operate at different speeds and will mix in some simple change of directions to keep defenders off-balance. He will often lower his shoulder and just bulldoze his way to the basket with pure strength, showing decent touch with either hand once he gets there, even if he's not the most vertically explosive guy around.

Winslow was considered a mediocre shooter coming into college, as he made just 26 of the 86 [30%] 3-pointers he attempted in 1900 minutes and 82 games in the many events (FIBA, EYBL, Adidas Nations, etc) he participated in prior to Duke that we have on record. He clearly put a lot of time into improving his shooting mechanics, and came into the year with a much more compact stroke than in the past, which resulted in him shooting 46/111 [41%] from beyond the arc as a freshman, a significant improvement.

He's mostly a catch and shoot guy who needs time and space to get his shot off, but that's nonetheless a very encouraging sign. The next step for him will be developing his ability to shoot off the dribble, where he struggles badly, only hitting 2 of 19 pull-ups on the season.

nixluva wrote:I think the case for Winslow is that he has already proven he can play effectively next to a star who is the focal point of the offense. Winslow is the most perfect Robin or Pippen, if you will, that there is in this draft. He's not a #1 option but he's exactly the guy you want as your #2. He doesn't need the ball to be effective. Mudiay is likely to be a very clear #1 IMO. He's going to have the ball creating for himself and others. He's gonna be a late in the shot clock, end of qtr and crunch time option due to his breakdown ability. That's basically the main difference. This team could use both players.

If Melo truly wants a vet at PG and Phil agrees.....Then the pick is either Russell (who I see as a SG) that can play with a vet PG. Winslow, who's the best Pippen comparison in the draft. He's not like Pippen, but he will play the same role. He's the best player to have (next to Towns) that can play next to a star, and not have any plays run for him. He's a proven talent with experience at the Championship level. Mudiay is nice, but he comes with more risk. If Winslow doesn't improve much from what you saw in the tournament, he's still a valuable pick. But like all 19 year olds coming off a championship, he will improve on his weaknesses. If Russell doesn't improve, he's still a solid shooter and passer. If Mudiay doesn't improve, I hate to say this but it's a wasted pick. Right now, he's not polished at anything.....Maybe attacking the rim would be his true skill.....But with so many turnovers, he's not a reliable PG to have in crunch time. So worse case, he's a terrible pick. Best case, he's a star.

If we really want Butler and think Butler would put us over the top, then Winslow is a cheaper version, with instant chemistry with Melo. Winslow and a vet PG and vet Center would be the most ideal pickups to me. And if anybody has followed me during the season, I've raved about Winslow and Towns all year. I'm even coming around to a WCS pick at #4. Right now, unless and this is a big unless.....if Phil thinks Mudiay is the next MJ or Kobe, you pick him up. If his ceiling is Tyreke Evans, you pass and get somebody less risky. What I like about WCS or Winslow, is that they can come in and find a role right away. WCS will play the same role that D.Jordan plays for the clippers. A big who has enough lateral quickness to guard 5 positions.....Let me repeat.....5 positions. I don't care if he doesn't have a jump shot, he will score on put backs and alley oops. His defense alone will bring value.

Winslow is the same way.....doesn't need the ball to impact the game.....He can also guard multiple positions, which allows Fisher to play different lineups. Mudiay doesn't play as affective off the ball.....and that scares me, assuming he doesn't improve in that area.

Knicks1969 wrote:Strengths: Big time athlete with elite level speed and athleticism ... Shows the ability to score in a variety of ways, with spot up shooting as well as scoring off the dribble ... Can finish at the rim with highlight dunks, and does a good job of utilizing his great body strength to absorb contact ... Very dangerous in the open floor with his speed and leaping ability ... Tremendous basketball body with solid wingspan and great body strength considering his age ... One of those rare kids that had an NBA ready body coming out of high school ... Lefty shooter with nice touch ... Has knocked down the college 3 ball at a good clip and with steady volume (39% with 1.4 makes per game) ... Excellent on ball defender showing great lateral speed and awareness as well as a high effort level. Even blocks some shots, making use of his great quickness and timing ... Has done a solid job of avoiding turnovers and making solid decisions with the ball, as evidenced by his positive a/to ratio ... Comfortable handling the ball on the break ... Has exhibited a nice ability to create off the dribble from the perimeter and get to the rim and finish ... Also has good body control and touch on the move. His ability to convert plays while operating at such a high rate of speed is very intriguing ... Smart kid and considered a high character individual ...

Weaknesses: Throughout his high school and AAU career he flashed tremendous talent but struggled to sustain a high level of consistency ... Can lose focus at times during games, but has been a lot more consistent and prepared then expected ... He needs to continue to show a high level of aggression and intensity in order to realize his immense talent ... Shot shows high potential but still has some minor kinks in his mechanics that need to be ironed out in order to add range and consistency ... Should look to improve upon his current 62% FT shooting ...

Weaknesses: Ended the season with two very poor performances in the NCAA Tournament, which has unfairly taken some luster off of a great season (he faced zone defenses on both occasions and it forced him to play out of his comfort zone)… Does not posses the great size that many have at his position … His leaping ability and quickness are only marginal, which forces him into tough and contested drives and makes it hard for him to get by people … Even though he has worked on his drives going right, he is still not nearly as comfortable and effective as he needs to be … Defenders have a much easier time cutting of his driving lanes when he does go right … His midrange game will need to become more polished, his ability to make shots off the dribble before the helpside D rotates will be key … He has become turnover prone at 3.4 per game, but this is mostly a result of being asked to do too much …

Borko Popic - 5/17/2009