I view him above Taft, and mostly anyone else at 8, other than the possibilities of Bynum and green. the Knicks will have a great opportunity in a month to See Andrew workout in about 3 weeks right here in metro-he lives in NJ and wont be flying around the country.
If this kid shows signs that he is going to be a dominant C in this league for years to come, I think he's the obvious choice. From everything I have seen and read, and listened to from Jim calhoun[who said Bynum had a higher upside the ok4] if things work out well, if he is ready to work hard to get his body and game in great shape from day 1 on, if he shows the skills in the workouts, maybe raw right now, but that is not unexpected from anyone 17. The main thing is the mentality. Coach Calhoun says this kid is smart and has a nastines to him. the game has a lot to do with MENTAL preperation, thats why I question Taft. Obviously Green is the best run-jumop athlete in the draft and has a sweet stroke, but will need time to also blend in-

martell Webster and Granger are very close, both bring assets we need. Martell is a pure 6-7 235 pd 2G who has a nice stroke and can do other thinsg physically and athetically well

In granger you get what I would refer to as BPA. he would be the BPA at 8 IMHO right now over any of these guys as well IMHO. Its the upsde of Bynum and green that trump Granger and the fact that Granger has had a couple of injuries to his knee, nothing bad, but still taken into account. The part about Granger that is great is that he really is a two way basketball player and has the size
6-8 225 and the wingspan--something freaky like 7-3 along with really sold athletic ability that makes guys stands out and he has proven himself with 4 years of college and making adjutmenets to his game while he is there--moving hsi range out and increasing his ballhandling to the point he can play 2G at times for sure.


30 I love Nate--not going to rehash it. This guy is a winner and will be appreciated from day 1 and will contribute of the bench in an impactful way from day 1. I have no doubt in my mind that nate will be a great chemistry player, a guy who is a warrior and a freak athlete, but has the skill package as well. On top of that, hes the most exciting player in the draft, a real box office type draw.

personally I would put Granger above all the HS kids including Green. The ??? with Danny is his health. He's missed a lot of games over the last 3 years with back/knee problems. Now it hasnt slowed him when he's played, but thats a real concern.

What Danny may lack in star potential athleticism he makes up for with what he's got between his ears. The guy he reminds me of is Xavier McDaniels. He's a BIGTIME gamer. A tough tough tough player with a mean streak, especially on the glass. He gets hurt... I think if he was healthy his college career he would be a top 5 lock.

Posted by diderotn:

You would pick a guy with the 8th pick that perhaps would not be ready to produce until after 3 years???? are you insane??? Yes the kid has talent, but does he have the body that can wistand 82 NBA games? At 6'8" 225 lbs, he would be fighting with Ariza and TT for playing time....

Posted by fishmike:

personally I would put Granger above all the HS kids including Green. The ??? with Danny is his health. He's missed a lot of games over the last 3 years with back/knee problems. Now it hasnt slowed him when he's played, but thats a real concern.

What Danny may lack in star potential athleticism he makes up for with what he's got between his ears. The guy he reminds me of is Xavier McDaniels. He's a BIGTIME gamer. A tough tough tough player with a mean streak, especially on the glass. He gets hurt... I think if he was healthy his college career he would be a top 5 lock.

first of all ,we need to ship TT out of here, then we can play granger and Ariza at the SF spot and when we want both on the floor at the same time, move ariza to SG, there are a lot of opportuinities here...

Posted by fishmike:

personally I would put Granger above all the HS kids including Green. The ??? with Danny is his health. He's missed a lot of games over the last 3 years with back/knee problems. Now it hasnt slowed him when he's played, but thats a real concern.

What Danny may lack in star potential athleticism he makes up for with what he's got between his ears. The guy he reminds me of is Xavier McDaniels. He's a BIGTIME gamer. A tough tough tough player with a mean streak, especially on the glass. He gets hurt... I think if he was healthy his college career he would be a top 5 lock.

Agree, he has every asset. Mental, physical, skills set, experience, size, strength


If you heard JC talk about Bynum, you would flip your lid-comments like I havent seen a prospect like him at the C spot in ten years. he's a real C he stands above 7-1 and is a hard worker, mature beyond his years. Has all the skills, footwork, soft shot, attacks the rim in traffic, rebounds, blocks shots, intimidates the lane, runs the floor, called him an instant impact player and likely starter even though there were highly regarded seniors who have a chance to get drafted next year no matter what in 6-11 250 Armstrong. His arms were 4 inches longer than Emeka and i thought Emeka had the longest arms I have ever seen. Surprisingly athletic and agile.

you hear all these things from Jim Calhoun, you see how big he is in the all star games--he puts up big numbers in limited minutes, what else is there to say?

now from the premium rivals board, apparently up to an MANy as 5 TEAMS IN THE LOTTERY made overtures to JIm Calhoun and the Bynum family that they would seriously consider taking him--this is why the about face on the last day, although it was in the works. he is going to be having private workouts in NJ after going through a second month of two a days workout sessions. these teams want to go in and talk with him and see him workout a little closer, which is very understandable. the *mental* part of the game is so important, my belief now is teams dont want a Kwame Brown mess. So we will have to take a back seat here and see what happens. If they 5 teams , likely there are teams ahead of us in that fray. or maybe he doesnt play well, things dont workout for now and he goes to school--but im doubting it

Have a Granger in Ariza.....Granger is a monster outweighs trevor by about 25 pounds has good outside range and well be a force on the block that isn't exactly Ariza

Excellent post Briggs! I also love Danny Granger. He's actually my choice at 8th over Chris Taft, Tiago Splitter, Fran Vazquez, Hakim Warrick and the other big's.

Believe it or not, SF is a position of need. Tim Thomas, Penny Hardaway and Trevor Ariza are all FA's next summer. We need some depth. Granger has the body and most important the attitude to be a very good NBA player. Can he be a Star? Nobody knows. It's obvious he's not Vince Carter athletically but he's no stiff either. One thing I love about Granger is his shotblocking ability (2 bpg) and his three point shooting (43%). That's not easy to do. I look at Granger and his size, length and I think he's the ideal SF for Stephon Marbury and Jamal Crawford.

Posted by BRIGGS:

Posted by fishmike:

personally I would put Granger above all the HS kids including Green. The ??? with Danny is his health. He's missed a lot of games over the last 3 years with back/knee problems. Now it hasnt slowed him when he's played, but thats a real concern.

What Danny may lack in star potential athleticism he makes up for with what he's got between his ears. The guy he reminds me of is Xavier McDaniels. He's a BIGTIME gamer. A tough tough tough player with a mean streak, especially on the glass. He gets hurt... I think if he was healthy his college career he would be a top 5 lock.

Agree, he has every asset. Mental, physical, skills set, experience, size, strength


If you heard JC talk about Bynum, you would flip your lid-comments like I havent seen a prospect like him at the C spot in ten years. he's a real C he stands above 7-1 and is a hard worker, mature beyond his years. Has all the skills, footwork, soft shot, attacks the rim in traffic, rebounds, blocks shots, intimidates the lane, runs the floor, called him an instant impact player and likely starter even though there were highly regarded seniors who have a chance to get drafted next year no matter what in 6-11 250 Armstrong. His arms were 4 inches longer than Emeka and i thought Emeka had the longest arms I have ever seen. Surprisingly athletic and agile.

you hear all these things from Jim Calhoun, you see how big he is in the all star games--he puts up big numbers in limited minutes, what else is there to say?

now from the premium rivals board, apparently up to an MANy as 5 TEAMS IN THE LOTTERY made overtures to JIm Calhoun and the Bynum family that they would seriously consider taking him--this is why the about face on the last day, although it was in the works. he is going to be having private workouts in NJ after going through a second month of two a days workout sessions. these teams want to go in and talk with him and see him workout a little closer, which is very understandable. the *mental* part of the game is so important, my belief now is teams dont want a Kwame Brown mess. So we will have to take a back seat here and see what happens. If they 5 teams , likely there are teams ahead of us in that fray. or maybe he doesnt play well, things dont workout for now and he goes to school--but im doubting it

Bynum has a ton of baby fat, reminds me of a bigger curry, less post moves, but fast as HS guards in the All-star games this year - which was damn impressive. Bynum seems quiet, but could be straight nasty.

Posted by Caseloads:

Posted by BRIGGS:

Posted by fishmike:

personally I would put Granger above all the HS kids including Green. The ??? with Danny is his health. He's missed a lot of games over the last 3 years with back/knee problems. Now it hasnt slowed him when he's played, but thats a real concern.

What Danny may lack in star potential athleticism he makes up for with what he's got between his ears. The guy he reminds me of is Xavier McDaniels. He's a BIGTIME gamer. A tough tough tough player with a mean streak, especially on the glass. He gets hurt... I think if he was healthy his college career he would be a top 5 lock.

Agree, he has every asset. Mental, physical, skills set, experience, size, strength


If you heard JC talk about Bynum, you would flip your lid-comments like I havent seen a prospect like him at the C spot in ten years. he's a real C he stands above 7-1 and is a hard worker, mature beyond his years. Has all the skills, footwork, soft shot, attacks the rim in traffic, rebounds, blocks shots, intimidates the lane, runs the floor, called him an instant impact player and likely starter even though there were highly regarded seniors who have a chance to get drafted next year no matter what in 6-11 250 Armstrong. His arms were 4 inches longer than Emeka and i thought Emeka had the longest arms I have ever seen. Surprisingly athletic and agile.

you hear all these things from Jim Calhoun, you see how big he is in the all star games--he puts up big numbers in limited minutes, what else is there to say?

now from the premium rivals board, apparently up to an MANy as 5 TEAMS IN THE LOTTERY made overtures to JIm Calhoun and the Bynum family that they would seriously consider taking him--this is why the about face on the last day, although it was in the works. he is going to be having private workouts in NJ after going through a second month of two a days workout sessions. these teams want to go in and talk with him and see him workout a little closer, which is very understandable. the *mental* part of the game is so important, my belief now is teams dont want a Kwame Brown mess. So we will have to take a back seat here and see what happens. If they 5 teams , likely there are teams ahead of us in that fray. or maybe he doesnt play well, things dont workout for now and he goes to school--but im doubting it

Bynum has a ton of baby fat, reminds me of a bigger curry, less post moves, but fast as HS guards in the All-star games this year - which was damn impressive. Bynum seems quiet, but could be straight nasty.

Bynum is not fat. He had a bone bruise that limited his conditioing and PT. We have to remember Andrew turned 17 4 1/2 months ago. I think he HAS to be our prioity, we need to do serious due dilligence and not feed into the guy HAS to perfrom in year 1 yadyada. Bynum is 7-1 290 with a lot of skill. He's a hard worker and intelligent. Just think, he is doing two a days right now with a personal trainer that the family is paying for, that shows a lot for what is a kid.
Its not what Andrew is today, its what Andrew will be tomorrow. there are soem good picks there at 8, but NONE and I mean NONE, no one nada, have the upside Bynum has if he actually lasts till 8. Its like playing the futures market, in two years, this guy would cost you WINNINg the entire lottery. Like I said, 6-8 guys can be had EVERY year. Guys who are 7-1 290 with his potential are not. Im not enthralled with isiah, Im holding out hope, but I feel that his direction has been a big circle, almost like he has no idea what he is doing, hes just doing it. In the back end of my mind, Im holding out hope we get pick 1 just to shut everyone up and put pressure on the front office to take Bogut, but you know idiots upon idiots will still be throwing names out there to trade for like odom and worst part I think isiah would be too.

Posted by gunsnewing:

I'm dying to land Bynum but don't you think him weighing 290LBS at barely 17 is a little bit of a concern? Then again Nazr used to weight 300LBS so you never know. As long as he doesn;t have a Curry-like lack of work ethic.

he's 290 but he's not fat, that is the thing. i don't know JC was VERY VERY VERY high on him, and JC is 10 times the talent evaluator than anyone working for the Knicks

Posted by diderotn:

Who is J.C.???

Jim Calhoun.

Bynum was 16 just 4 1/2 months ago. 290 is a lot but he'll turn it into muscle mass unlike Sweetney who we were hoping would do the same only he's still 6'8 and close to 300

Posted by diderotn:

WHO IN THE WORLD IS THIS BYNUM KID? IS HE BLACK OR WHITE? DOES ANYONE HAVE A PICTURE OF THIS SPECIMEN????? 7' 290 FOR A 17 YEAR OLD KID IS A HELL OF A LOT

3


http://hoopmasters.com/photos/1091021361.jpg


you can clearly see he's not a fat kid, quite the opposite, he's just huge