Prospect watch 2011

[Kingster]

Williams

He just looked great to me today. Very strong, very good balance; excellent finisher because of the combination of outstanding balance and strength, has a touch, can shoot from the outside, good free throw shooter, great offensive rebounder, has an athletic bounce to his step. This guy makes an impact on the game. I think he's above Sullinger because he's more athletic and is more comfortable with an outside game. Would immediately make the Kings a better team if we were lucky enough to get him.

 

[=LarryLegend=]

He just looked great to me today. Very strong, very good balance; excellent finisher because of the combination of outstanding balance and strength, has a touch, can shoot from the outside, good free throw shooter, great offensive rebounder, has an athletic bounce to his step. This guy makes an impact on the game. I think he's above Sullinger because he's more athletic and is more comfortable with an outside game. Would immediately make the Kings a better team if we were lucky enough to get him.

Derrick Williams?

 

[asakkings]

Ferdette if he falls to our 2nd round pick would be awesome, high BBIQ, great Jump Shooter and ball handler. He kind of reminds me off Steph Curry a little bit.

 

[bajaden]

Ferdette if he falls to our 2nd round pick would be awesome, high BBIQ, great Jump Shooter and ball handler. He kind of reminds me off Steph Curry a little bit.

I would be a happy man if we could land Fredette with a second round pick. I think he's a better shooter than Curry. He's a very fiesty competitor. He's also a little bigger than Curry..

 

[bajaden]

He just looked great to me today. Very strong, very good balance; excellent finisher because of the combination of outstanding balance and strength, has a touch, can shoot from the outside, good free throw shooter, great offensive rebounder, has an athletic bounce to his step. This guy makes an impact on the game. I think he's above Sullinger because he's more athletic and is more comfortable with an outside game. Would immediately make the Kings a better team if we were lucky enough to get him.

You don't have to sell me on Williams. And yes Larry, were talking about Derrick Williams.. He's an entirely different player than Sullinger. I disagree on impact in the NBA in general terms. There are very few low post player coming out of college with the skill level of Sullinger. As a matter of fact, there are very few low post players period. So when you find one like Sullinger, you've found a rare commodity. Look around the NBA and you tell me how many bigs are true low post players? Whereas PF's that can play away from the basket are more easily found.

Now having said all that, its not my intention to demean Williams in any way. I really like the kid. He's one of those fundamentally sound players that just lets the game come to him. He seldom makes mistakes, and I would be very happy with him. But I would be happy with Sullinger as well. Doesn't mean we can't argue over who is the better fit. But both guys are very talented.

 

[bajaden]

Josh Hamilton, a 6'7" SF/SG sophmore from Texas had another great game. He scored 27 pts on 10 of 14 shooting. He added 8 boards. For the year he's averaging 19.7 PPG, 2.3 APG, 7.1 RPG, while shooting 47.4% overall and 42.4% from beyond the arc. He was highly touted as a freshman, and to some degree disappointed. But this year he's really showing why he was considered so highly coming out of highschool. I don't see him as a top ten pick at the moment, but one never knows. He would be a good reason to have another 1st round pick in the middle of the round.. I really like this kid.

His running mate Tristan Thompson, a 6'8" freshman PF also had a nice game. He contributed 18 pts, 6 boards, and 4 blocked shots.

Speaking of players that don't necessarily get the spotlight, I thought I'd mention Austin Freeman of Gerogetown. He's a 6'3" SG that can really shoot the rock. In his last game he had 28 pts on 10 of 13 shooting and was 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. For the year he's averaging 18.5 PPG, 2.4 APG, 3.3 RPG, while shooting a blistering 54.8% overall and an unbelivable 47.9% from beyond the arc. Yep, I know he's a little undersized, but if the dude can shoot like that all the time, I'll find a spot on my team for him.

That brings me again to Demetri McCamey, a 6'3" pure PG that can shoot from Illinois. In his last game he had 15 Pts, 11 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. For the year he's averaging 16.2 PPG, 7.2 APG, 1 SPG, 3.5 RPG while shooting 48.3% overall, and an even more unbelievable 52.5% from beyond the arc. At first sight he doesn't look like an athlete, but he has surprising quickness and great court vision. He's an excellent passer and you don't dare leave him open. And for those that think a pure PG has to dominate the ball, just watch McCamey play. I think you'll find he doesn't dominate the ball, but chooses he's spots, and makes good decisions.

 

[TheWileyVet]

Anyone nice enough to provide a college basketball noob a short list of big name prospects for this draft? In browsing the forum I've picked up Kemba Walker, Harrison Barnes, and Kyrie Irving.

Any others I should know about?? I'd like to watch some games to get a look at some potential Kings

 

[MANoICE]

If K. Irving doesn't come out or gets drafted by someone else, the kings probably go wing (P. Jones, T. Jones or D. Williams.) If they end up with a second first rounder or have to use the first second round pick I think Demetri McCamey is the way to go. He is a senior and a little more experienced than most of the guys coming out of college. I love his D and his shooting and decision making. He has matured a lot in school. The milwaukee pick should be for an overseas player to stash for a few years or traded, to a team trying to get someone they want, for a future pick. We will have enough youngsters and most of our houls filled (temporarly at least.) If not, they have the young tallent, cap and picks to swing a deal. If you include my proposed deal for Alexis Ajinca, I see the lineup like this:

PG-McCamey (Mid to late first round pick to be acquired), Beno
SG-Reke, Cicso, Greene
SF-T. Jones, Casspi, Greene
PF-Thompson or FA/Trade PF, Whiteside
C-Cousins, Ajinca, Early second round pick, FA

Thoughts?

 

[Dime Dropper]

Kenneth Faried would be a great pick up in the second round if he's there. Not ideal size, but has the athleticism to make up for it. Could be a very solid player.

Haven't seen McCamey play but I like what I hear. Obviously Irving would be my pick if he enters, which I don't think will happen at this point (although I hope I'm wrong).

Barnes reminds me somewhat of DeRozan. Alot of hype coming out of HS, doesn't quite live up to it college, but still could go on to have a very good career. DeRozan's game seems to be more suited to the pro's - could be the same for Barnes.

Of course I like Fredette too. There are quite a few guys I like that can be had outside of the lottery. I think Fredette's stock will rise, and he'll probably be a mid-late first rounder. Same is possible for Faried.

Still alot of guys that I haven't seen enough of. Damn college! Once march madness arrives I'll have to fix that.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

If K. Irving doesn't come out or gets drafted by someone else, the kings probably go wing (P. Jones, T. Jones or D. Williams.)

I'm not terribly convinced that Derrick Williams ends up as a wing. Kind of a tweener who seems lean towards post player, but I don't really know. Haven't watched enough of him. But I think I'd go with Vesely over Williams given the opportunity.

I do think Irving should be our #1 target, but if he's not there and we want a point it would be hard to ignore Kemba Walker.

 

[bajaden]

I'm not terribly convinced that Derrick Williams ends up as a wing. Kind of a tweener who seems lean towards post player, but I don't really know. Haven't watched enough of him. But I think I'd go with Vesely over Williams given the opportunity.

I do think Irving should be our #1 target, but if he's not there and we want a point it would be hard to ignore Kemba Walker.

At best I would call Williams a stretch 4. He's a very good athlete, but does almost all of his scoring inside. So at the moment, he's a PF. He's also a little undersized for the position. I don't see him as a perimiter player at all. He seldom takes a shot more than 10 feet from the basket. If he can develop some game out to the 15/18 ft area, then I see him as a Landry type player with a little more aggression and quickness. He's a much better rebounder than Landry, and has better hops. I really like him, and I have no doubts he can play in the NBA, and could eventually be a star. The las part is a maybe of course.

Since Kenneth Faried was mentioned and he's another one of my favorites, I thought I would post this nice article on him for those who don't know much about him..

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebas...enneth-faried-of-morehead-state-eagles-012011

 

[bajaden]

Kenneth Faried would be a great pick up in the second round if he's there. Not ideal size, but has the athleticism to make up for it. Could be a very solid player.

Haven't seen McCamey play but I like what I hear. Obviously Irving would be my pick if he enters, which I don't think will happen at this point (although I hope I'm wrong).

Barnes reminds me somewhat of DeRozan. Alot of hype coming out of HS, doesn't quite live up to it college, but still could go on to have a very good career. DeRozan's game seems to be more suited to the pro's - could be the same for Barnes.

Of course I like Fredette too. There are quite a few guys I like that can be had outside of the lottery. I think Fredette's stock will rise, and he'll probably be a mid-late first rounder. Same is possible for Faried.

Still alot of guys that I haven't seen enough of. Damn college! Once march madness arrives I'll have to fix that.

Barnes has been somewhat of a disappointment this year. However, lets remember he plays for North Carolina, and thats a school that has the great ability to hide a players true potential because of their system. Not excusing him, but he could be better than he's been playing. Duke is another school that makes it hard to judge a player. Both schools are more a sum of their parts, than they are about individual performances. I think DeRozen is a better athlete than Barnes, but I think Barnes is more skilled than DeRozen was at the same time period.

 

[bajaden]

Anyone nice enough to provide a college basketball noob a short list of big name prospects for this draft? In browsing the forum I've picked up Kemba Walker, Harrison Barnes, and Kyrie Irving.

Any others I should know about?? I'd like to watch some games to get a look at some potential Kings

I'm not about to give you a who's who, but here are a few guys that could or will be in the top ten.

Jared Sullinger of Ohio St.
Terrence Jones of Kentucky
Perry Jones of Baylor
Kyle Irving of Duke
Harrison Barnes of North Carolina
Derrick Williams of Arizona
Kemba Walker of UCONN
Josh Selby of Kansas
Brandon Knight of Kentucky
Trey Tompkins of Georgia

I've ommited all the european players since its hard to actually see one of their games. I'm not saying all these guys will be top ten, but most will and some are borderline and it depends on how they play the rest of the season and how their teams fare in the tournament.

Some players just below the top ten are:

Josh Hamilton of Texas
Chris Singleton of Florida St.
Alex Burks of Colorado
Kyle Singler of Duke
C. J. Leslie of North Carolina St.
JaJuan Johnson of Purdue
Marcus Morris of Kansas
Tristan Thompson of Texas
Gilbert Brown of Pittsburg
Tyler Honeycutt of UCLA
Kawhi Leonard of San Diego St.
Elias Harris of Gonzaga
Jeffery Taylor of Vanderbilt
Rodney Williams of Minnesota

This last group is in no particular order and its possible that guys like Jimmer Fredette of BYU, Kenneth Faried of Moorehead St., Demetri McCamey of Illinois, and Austin Freeman of Georgetown will slip into the first round.

Hope that helps...

 

[bajaden]

Here's a pretty good write up by draftexpress on McCamey.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Demetri-McCamey-5306/

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

I'm watching Ohio St vs Illinois, checking out Jared Sullinger's game. He's having a decent game 11pts 9 rebs by halftime. But he will be an undersized PF in the NBA. Unless he shows more, I wouldn't use a top 5 pick on him.

 

[bajaden]

I'm watching Ohio St vs Illinois, checking out Jared Sullinger's game. He's having a decent game 11pts 9 rebs by halftime. But he will be an undersized PF in the NBA. Unless he shows more, I wouldn't use a top 5 pick on him.

Yeah, they said the same thing about Kevin Love... He may or may not be top five, but he will be top ten. He's listed at 6'9". Of course we don't know if thats true or not, but we will find out at the combine. If he is truely 6'9", then I doubt he'll have too much trouble with all those other giant PF's like Landry, Milsap, Boozer, Love etc. In truth there aren't that many guys in the NBA that are huge playing PF. Whats Glen Davis, 6'7"/6'8"? Having said that, I'm not sure he would be a good fit for the Kings, nor a particular need. But I wouldn't count him out just yet..

 

[Vlade4GM]

I can see Boozer being Sullinger's BCS since he seems to have a long reach, but Boozer has a very good jump shot that's hard to block.

 

[hrdboild]

In terms of physical tools he's not the most impressive prospect out there, but as for putting his team on his back and carrying them to wins I'd say Jared Sullinger is second only to Kemba Walker so far this year. And he's only a freshman. You can question whether he'll be able to score and board as effectively in the NBA at his size, but you have to be impressed with his will to win if nothing else. I don't think he's an ideal fit for this team but I rank him very highly as a prospect for intangibles alone.

 

[bajaden]

I can see Boozer being Sullinger's BCS since he seems to have a long reach, but Boozer has a very good jump shot that's hard to block.

True enough, but remember that Boozer didn't have that great jumpshot when he came into the NBA. A lot of people forget that Boozer was a second round pick. Sullinger reminds me more of Al Jefferson in style of play. Jefferson wasn't a lottery pick either. Both guys suffered in the draft because of suspossed lack of athleticism and being ground bound. Not saying that Sullinger is going to be the next Jefferson, but I think he's going to be a pretty good player. He has a solid base, and never drops his shoulder when he makes his move, he always uses his hips to move the defensive player. Pure textbook.

 

[TheWileyVet]

I'm not about to give you a who's who, but here are a few guys that could or will be in the top ten.

Jared Sullinger of Ohio St.
Terrence Jones of Kentucky
Perry Jones of Baylor
Kyle Irving of Duke
Harrison Barnes of North Carolina
Derrick Williams of Arizona
Kemba Walker of UCONN
Josh Selby of Kansas
Brandon Knight of Kentucky
Trey Tompkins of Georgia

I've ommited all the european players since its hard to actually see one of their games. I'm not saying all these guys will be top ten, but most will and some are borderline and it depends on how they play the rest of the season and how their teams fare in the tournament.

Some players just below the top ten are:

Josh Hamilton of Texas
Chris Singleton of Florida St.
Alex Burks of Colorado
Kyle Singler of Duke
C. J. Leslie of North Carolina St.
JaJuan Johnson of Purdue
Marcus Morris of Kansas
Tristan Thompson of Texas
Gilbert Brown of Pittsburg
Tyler Honeycutt of UCLA
Kawhi Leonard of San Diego St.
Elias Harris of Gonzaga
Jeffery Taylor of Vanderbilt
Rodney Williams of Minnesota

This last group is in no particular order and its possible that guys like Jimmer Fredette of BYU, Kenneth Faried of Moorehead St., Demetri McCamey of Illinois, and Austin Freeman of Georgetown will slip into the first round.

Hope that helps...

Thanks alot! Wasn't even expecting that much

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

Yeah, they said the same thing about Kevin Love... He may or may not be top five, but he will be top ten. He's listed at 6'9". Of course we don't know if thats true or not, but we will find out at the combine. If he is truely 6'9", then I doubt he'll have too much trouble with all those other giant PF's like Landry, Milsap, Boozer, Love etc. In truth there aren't that many guys in the NBA that are huge playing PF. Whats Glen Davis, 6'7"/6'8"? Having said that, I'm not sure he would be a good fit for the Kings, nor a particular need. But I wouldn't count him out just yet..

We basically got rid of close to every player from the old glory day Kings in order to rebuild. I want to do it right. Yes Kevin Love is doing well this year, but height is a big factor in the NBA. You see guys like KG, Gasol, Aldridge etc having a huge advantage over smaller PFs.

Example in last night's Nuggets vs lakers game. Gasol seriously had about a foot of reach over Kenyon Martin. All KM could do was stand there with his arms fully extended and gasol still got his shots off in the post WIHTOUT EVEN JUMPING. No matter how well a guy like Love plays on the boards, he will never be able to guard "full size" and sized guys that are much taller in the post. Guys like Big Baby, he can do well on the boards or even score a couple buckets, but he has no chance in the post against Pau. All he can do is stay in front of him and extend his arms upwards and watch Pau shoot another one over him.

If you are using a top 5 or even top 3 pick, and knowing this year will be the absolute last year we get a pick this high for many years, I don't want a player that can match up well only against some of the "undersize" PFs. I want a guy that can match up well against PFs of ALL sizes including Pau, KG, LA, Dirk, etc.

 

[Vlade4GM]

In terms of physical tools he's not the most impressive prospect out there, but as for putting his team on his back and carrying them to wins I'd say Jared Sullinger is second only to Kemba Walker so far this year. And he's only a freshman. You can question whether he'll be able to score and board as effectively in the NBA at his size, but you have to be impressed with his will to win if nothing else. I don't think he's an ideal fit for this team but I rank him very highly as a prospect for intangibles alone.

I'm not worried about his rebounding. His motor, hands, and fundamentals are going to translate, they typically do with players like him. His scoring? He's very skilled, way more skilled than most big men his age, but he's not a very fluid athlete and he does look a little stuck in the mud at times (he's no Michael Sweetney though), but he knows how to move off the ball. He may not be able to develop a high post game as good as Boozer's since Boozer is a more fluid athlete. However, like most players who carry a little too much body fat, Sullinger has the potential to become a slightly better athlete once he gets his body in better shape. I have no doubt that he'll work as hard as he can. His upside as a scorer may depend on what his standing reach is, but he should be a pretty productive player in the NBA at least. I mean, Sean May could've been a pretty productive player in the NBA if he kept his body in shape, but he didn't and he broke down. Sullinger has a lot more going for him skills-wise than Sean May, and he should have a much stronger work ethic and motor as well.

Luis Scola is averaging 19 ppg in the NBA, does Scola really have that much more going for him physically and athletically than Sullinger?

 

[Vlade4GM]

True enough, but remember that Boozer didn't have that great jumpshot when he came into the NBA. A lot of people forget that Boozer was a second round pick. Sullinger reminds me more of Al Jefferson in style of play. Jefferson wasn't a lottery pick either. Both guys suffered in the draft because of suspossed lack of athleticism and being ground bound. Not saying that Sullinger is going to be the next Jefferson, but I think he's going to be a pretty good player. He has a solid base, and never drops his shoulder when he makes his move, he always uses his hips to move the defensive player. Pure textbook.

That's definitely true about Boozer, but the fact is he did do it and we don't know if Sullinger can do the same. The special thing about Boozer's jump shot is that the way he shoots from behind his head makes up a lot for his lack of height and athleticism since it's much harder to block. I don't know if Sullinger will be able to say the same, but we'll see.

As far as comparing him to Jefferson, I think we should point out that Jefferson has a 9'2 standing reach. Which helps a lot with that lack of athleticism. We don't know how for sure how long Sullinger is until the combine.

 

[Vlade4GM]

We basically got rid of close to every player from the old glory day Kings in order to rebuild. I want to do it right. Yes Kevin Love is doing well this year, but height is a big factor in the NBA. You see guys like KG, Gasol, Aldridge etc having a huge advantage over smaller PFs.

Example in last night's Nuggets vs lakers game. Gasol seriously had about a foot of reach over Kenyon Martin. All KM could do was stand there with his arms fully extended and gasol still got his shots off in the post WIHTOUT EVEN JUMPING. No matter how well a guy like Love plays on the boards, he will never be able to guard "full size" and sized guys that are much taller in the post. Guys like Big Baby, he can do well on the boards or even score a couple buckets, but he has no chance in the post against Pau. All he can do is stay in front of him and extend his arms upwards and watch Pau shoot another one over him.

If you are using a top 5 or even top 3 pick, and knowing this year will be the absolute last year we get a pick this high for many years, I don't want a player that can match up well only against some of the "undersize" PFs. I want a guy that can match up well against PFs of ALL sizes including Pau, KG, LA, Dirk, etc.

You may not have the luxury of being picky. That's why you have to pick BPA if the difference in value is big enough, because I'd rather end up with a really good player that doesn't fit than with an okay player that does fit. You can always make trades and move stuff around. There are always teams that will want a good post scorer and rebounder, even if they are undersized.

 

[bajaden]

We basically got rid of close to every player from the old glory day Kings in order to rebuild. I want to do it right. Yes Kevin Love is doing well this year, but height is a big factor in the NBA. You see guys like KG, Gasol, Aldridge etc having a huge advantage over smaller PFs.

Example in last night's Nuggets vs lakers game. Gasol seriously had about a foot of reach over Kenyon Martin. All KM could do was stand there with his arms fully extended and gasol still got his shots off in the post WIHTOUT EVEN JUMPING. No matter how well a guy like Love plays on the boards, he will never be able to guard "full size" and sized guys that are much taller in the post. Guys like Big Baby, he can do well on the boards or even score a couple buckets, but he has no chance in the post against Pau. All he can do is stay in front of him and extend his arms upwards and watch Pau shoot another one over him.

If you are using a top 5 or even top 3 pick, and knowing this year will be the absolute last year we get a pick this high for many years, I don't want a player that can match up well only against some of the "undersize" PFs. I want a guy that can match up well against PFs of ALL sizes including Pau, KG, LA, Dirk, etc.

Perhaps in todays league, guys like Gasol, Aldridge and Garnett are oversized PF's. Both Gasol and Garnett are 7 feet tall and Aldridge is around 6'11". Now to start with, I never said I wanted to draft Sullinger for the Kings. But if I needed a PF he would certainly be someone I'd look at, and I'm not going to not draft him because I'm worried about him guarding the few tall PF's in the league, and two of which could actually play center. Gasol did and still does play center from time to time. Amare Stoudemire was listed at around 6'8" without shoes at the combine. Karl Malone measured 6'9" with shoes. Sullinger is listed at 6'9". Using your approach, you wouldn't have drafted either Malone or Stoudemire.

You would have passed on Charles Barkley who was listed at 6'6" and was really around 6'5". Adrian Dantley was only 6'7". David Lee is around 6'8", Paul Milsap at 6'7.5", Boozer at 6'8". Elton Brand was only 6'7.75" without shoes. I'm all about good defense, but I'm not about to pass on a guy that can give me a possible 20 and 12 night after night. I'll worry about getting the defense from somewhere else.

Gasol is on the downside of his career. So is Garnett. I'm certainly not going to let a few guys that happen to be taller than the norm decide who I pick in the draft. As I said, I look for what a player can do, not what he can't do. And if what the player can do is exceptional, than I'll worry about the rest later.

 

[bajaden]

You may not have the luxury of being picky. That's why you have to pick BPA if the difference in value is big enough, because I'd rather end up with a really good player that doesn't fit than with an okay player that does fit. You can always make trades and move stuff around. There are always teams that will want a good post scorer and rebounder, even if they are undersized.

Bingo! Lest we forget, Love was drafted by Memphis, who then traded him to Minny for O.J. Mayo. Now one can argue the thinking behind that trade when looking at it with hindsight. But it does prove your point. Boston aquired Garnett because they had Jefferson. I'm a belivier in always taking the best player available and figure the rest out later.

 

[bajaden]

That's definitely true about Boozer, but the fact is he did do it and we don't know if Sullinger can do the same. The special thing about Boozer's jump shot is that the way he shoots from behind his head makes up a lot for his lack of height and athleticism since it's much harder to block. I don't know if Sullinger will be able to say the same, but we'll see.

As far as comparing him to Jefferson, I think we should point out that Jefferson has a 9'2 standing reach. Which helps a lot with that lack of athleticism. We don't know how for sure how long Sullinger is until the combine.

They say that Sullinger has a big wingspan, and in the games I watch he does seem to be able to get his shot off with little trouble in the post. The fact that he's such a good rebounder also solidifies what I've read about his reach. If he measures out to have a reach at 7'4" or more, then his actual height doesn't matter that much. As Jerry Reynolds said, you don't rebound with the top of your head.

I remember when Griffin was a freshman. I really liked the kid and said so. I was told by people on this fourm that he was too short. That he wasn't athletic. That he couldn't jump. Etc. I've certaiinly made enough mistakes on players. I didn't think Durant would be as good as he is. But if there's one thing I've learned, its that when a player dominates game after game in a major conference, that means the dude can play. And thats especially true when its a big man, because the don't get to handle the ball nearly as much as the little guys do. Thats what Sullinger is doing. And he's doing against every opponet he comes up against. I think at some point people have to give him his due..

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

You may not have the luxury of being picky. That's why you have to pick BPA if the difference in value is big enough, because I'd rather end up with a really good player that doesn't fit than with an okay player that does fit. You can always make trades and move stuff around. There are always teams that will want a good post scorer and rebounder, even if they are undersized.

Yes I understand the chips may not fall correctly, my point was IF there is someone who has the size of a KG and skills/potential then thats the ideal situation. If Sullinger is the BPA at our spot, then so be it, we pick him. In a perfect world, I would love to get someone that has better size and can play. Can you imagine a KG type player + DMC in the front court? Thats what I envision, or hope can happen to us.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

Perhaps in todays league, guys like Gasol, Aldridge and Garnett are oversized PF's. Both Gasol and Garnett are 7 feet tall and Aldridge is around 6'11". Now to start with, I never said I wanted to draft Sullinger for the Kings. But if I needed a PF he would certainly be someone I'd look at, and I'm not going to not draft him because I'm worried about him guarding the few tall PF's in the league, and two of which could actually play center. Gasol did and still does play center from time to time. Amare Stoudemire was listed at around 6'8" without shoes at the combine. Karl Malone measured 6'9" with shoes. Sullinger is listed at 6'9". Using your approach, you wouldn't have drafted either Malone or Stoudemire.

You would have passed on Charles Barkley who was listed at 6'6" and was really around 6'5". Adrian Dantley was only 6'7". David Lee is around 6'8", Paul Milsap at 6'7.5", Boozer at 6'8". Elton Brand was only 6'7.75" without shoes. I'm all about good defense, but I'm not about to pass on a guy that can give me a possible 20 and 12 night after night. I'll worry about getting the defense from somewhere else.

Gasol is on the downside of his career. So is Garnett. I'm certainly not going to let a few guys that happen to be taller than the norm decide who I pick in the draft. As I said, I look for what a player can do, not what he can't do. And if what the player can do is exceptional, than I'll worry about the rest later.

KG and Pau may be big PFs and thats why I want us to have that same luxury. If you noticed both of these guys won the last 3 championships and they are arguably the most important part of their team's run. Its a great luxury to have when your PF can play center just as effectively if your center is getting a rest or injured.

There are guys name Donatas Motiejunas and Enes Kanter that intrigues me more because they are BIG. Of course I'm not saying we should pick them just because they are big, or pass on an obviously better player because he is a couple inches shorter. But Sullinger hasn't shown me enough to get that benefit of the doubt, yet. With all things close to equal, yes I would always go for the bigger player. I rather us be the bully then the victim of trying to defend Pau, Dirk, KG with kenny thomas, Landry or Darnell Jackson type. Its undeniable that the SIZE of the lakers front line (when bynum is healthy) is the biggest asset of their team. They lose when they don't exploit that advantage. How many times have you seen Pau or Bynum dominate the boards by getting one offensive reb after another and end up winning the game down the stretch with second chances..

Obviously its too early to tell whether Kanter is good enough to be that guy of the future for us. But if the chips fall correctly and we can get another big front line player that can play, we can really dominate. Its been a long long road to get to this point where we have cap space, 2 main pieces to build around and another top pick coming. I just want it to be perfect. I want to push it to the limit so we are the bullies in the future if you will. I know obviously things may not happen perfectly like that. But that would be the perfect scenario.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Perhaps in todays league, guys like Gasol, Aldridge and Garnett are oversized PF's.

I'm coming around to the conclusion that the 6'10" PF is a myth. Not that there aren't 6'10" PFs, but rather that the idea that any PF that isn't 6'10" is undersized is wrong. I'm not sure how I (and I'm sure many others) got that idea into my head, but a long string of Boozers and Horfords and Jeffersons and Millsaps and Loves and Lees and Brands and Griffins and Stoudemires and Wests and Landrys and who knows who else have started to convince me that height is not the primary factor in the post. The primary factor is skill. I bought into the myth for a while. But I'm getting better now.