It's early, but anybody have a draft wish list yet?

[Gary]

Said this a while ago and will say again.. I agree with you about Drummond. I wouldn't touch him with a 10ft pole in this draft.

If we don't get the 1st pick I would be looking at MKG, Robinson and Barnes.. (depending on where we pick). I am not going to even touch Jones (either of them), Drummond, Sullinger, Henson or Zeller... I wouldn't mind taking Beal over all of those players of the three above that I want are gone. That's how much I dislike the other picks.

If there was ONE person though that I have the strongest feelings against though it's Drummond.

 

[bajaden]

Said this a while ago and will say again.. I agree with you about Drummond. I wouldn't touch him with a 10ft pole in this draft.

If we don't get the 1st pick I would be looking at MKG, Robinson and Barnes.. (depending on where we pick). I am not going to even touch Jones (either of them), Drummond, Sullinger, Henson or Zeller... I wouldn't mind taking Beal over all of those players of the three above that I want are gone. That's how much I dislike the other picks.

If there was ONE person though that I have the strongest feelings against though it's Drummond.

I happen to like Terrence Jones, and my gut tells me he'll be a better pro than he was a college player. And he wasn't a bad college player. After watching Withey totally shut down Sullinger, I had to ask myself, just what is his position? His skill level lends itself to the center position, but I can't see him being successful at center in the NBA. An image of Sheldon Williams keeps springing into my mind, which is very scarey. I'm sure he'll be a better player than Williams, but what position does he play. Power Forward? Small Forward? Corliss played center at Arkansas, and eventually became a SF in the NBA.

I like Zeller as a backup center, and Henson as a bench defender. Of the two, perhaps Henson can be a starter. I wouldn't mind either of them on my team, but not where we'll be picking. I think Beal will be a star in the league, and I really like Jeremy Lamb as well. I'm fascinated by Meyers Leonard's potential, and I think Moultrie could be the dark horse that surprises everyone. Or not! Thats what makes this fun...

 

[bajaden]

For those living in a closet, I just thought I mention that the entire starting five for the Kentucky Wildcats, Davis, Jones, Gilchrist, Lamb and Teague, have declared for the draft. Which by the way, means there's no going back, thanks to the NCAA's new rule that you have to pull your name out of the draft by early april (don't remember the date), a date that has already passed. So anyone that declares now, is in the draft. By the way, I didn't mention Darius Miller of Kentucky because he's a senior, who I think will be picked in the second round.

 

[Section 101]

I'm curious how many of you that are in love with Drummond, have seen him play? And if so, how many games? This kid has no idea of how to play even college basketball. He has little or no offense. Could you stick him out there for defense alone? Sure, but he still has to be able to operate on the offensive side of the ball. I'm not saying he can't eventually turn into a good player, but thats the kind of guy you take in the bottom of the first round, or high in the second round. I had these same arguments about Thabeet. I said this kid wasn't ready to play in the NBA. So far, he hasn't proven me wrong.

Now I'll grant you this. Drummond is a far better athlete than Thabeet. And thats in his favor. Jordan is a decent comparison, and in my humble opinion, Jordan still has a ways to go. But he was a second round pick. Therefore, he has value at that pick. I agree whole heartedly with boogie. Drummonds basketball IQ is very low. I don't like hammering on young players, but this guy, along with Perry Jones, really scares me as a high pick.

So how much if any of an upgrade is he over Whiteside at this point?

 

[Kingster]

For those living in a closet, I just thought I mention that the entire starting five for the Kentucky Wildcats, Davis, Jones, Gilchrist, Lamb and Teague, have declared for the draft. Which by the way, means there's no going back, thanks to the NCAA's new rule that you have to pull your name out of the draft by early april (don't remember the date), a date that has already passed. So anyone that declares now, is in the draft. By the way, I didn't mention Darius Miller of Kentucky because he's a senior, who I think will be picked in the second round.

I've got a question for you. What are the top 5 players (that are talented) in terms of maturity, work ethic, coachability, BB IQ, and leadership potential? Call it the Intangible Quotient, or IQ for short.

 

[bajaden]

So how much if any of an upgrade is he over Whiteside at this point?

Interesting question. There's no doubt that he far stronger than Whiteside, but, although he's proven to at least be a good shotblocker, he isn't as good a shotblocker as Whiteside, who until recently held the single season NCAA record for blocked shots. I'd also have to say that Whiteside is more aggressive than Drummond. Maybe stupidly so at times, but at least he's willing to make mistakes.

If I knew nothing about the two players and had to just go on workouts, then Drummond would win hands down. He's almost an athletic freak. To be that big and move, and jump the way he can is rare. But, if you can't put those attributes to use, they're worthless. Drummond is one of those guys, that if you pass on him, you could be kicking yourself big time down the road. Or, you could have the same result if you chose him.

If, I'm picking in the top five, especially the top three, then I think the risk outweighs the reward. But beyond that, the reward starts to outweigh the risk. If I'm sitting with the 4th pick and my choice is between Robinson and Drummond, I take Robinson and don't even think about it. So getting back to your original question, in the immediate future, I don't think Drummond would be an upgrade over Whiteside because Drummond is a project. Two years from now, all things being equal, Drummond should be the better player. But there are no guarantee's..

 

[Uncia03]

Interesting question. There's no doubt that he far stronger than Whiteside, but, although he's proven to at least be a good shotblocker, he isn't as good a shotblocker as Whiteside, who until recently held the single season NCAA record for blocked shots. I'd also have to say that Whiteside is more aggressive than Drummond. Maybe stupidly so at times, but at least he's willing to make mistakes.

If I knew nothing about the two players and had to just go on workouts, then Drummond would win hands down. He's almost an athletic freak. To be that big and move, and jump the way he can is rare. But, if you can't put those attributes to use, they're worthless. Drummond is one of those guys, that if you pass on him, you could be kicking yourself big time down the road. Or, you could have the same result if you chose him.

If, I'm picking in the top five, especially the top three, then I think the risk outweighs the reward. But beyond that, the reward starts to outweigh the risk. If I'm sitting with the 4th pick and my choice is between Robinson and Drummond, I take Robinson and don't even think about it. So getting back to your original question, in the immediate future, I don't think Drummond would be an upgrade over Whiteside because Drummond is a project. Two years from now, all things being equal, Drummond should be the better player. But there are no guarantee's..

Drummond is impossible to position correctly.

The simple fact of the matter is that he hurt his draft stock by playing in the NCAA last season. If he had been allowed to come out of high-school he might have been the 2nd pick after Kyrie, and who knows, he might have even gone overall #1 ahead of Kyrie.
So what do you do with that?

What are you supposed to do with a player with phenominal athletic gifts who comes in basically sharing the top-spot in the rankings, who then proceeds to hurt his draft stock the more he plays basketball?

The more I watched him play last year, the more I felt his stock suffered. The TV analysts would mention him before every broadcast, then they would wait for him to have some sort of positive impact on the basketball floor, and those moments were minimal at best.

I personally probably have him ranked too high. Ideally he'd be the perfect fit next to Cousins if he is able to put things together.
So if we're sitting with the 5th pick and Anthony Davis, MKG, Thomas Robinson & Harrison Barnes are all off the table, then I'd probably take a chance. I wouldn't jump in with both feet, but I'd take a chance. If Thomas Robinson measures out and is still on the board then I take him over Drummond with-out hesitation. If Barnes is still on the board, I go with Barnes because at worst he'll be a solid NBA player and he shores up the weakest hole on the team.

Drummond just scares me as does Perry Jones III, and I really wanted to like both of these guys...

As far as Whiteside vs Drummond...you only draft Drummond if you think he will pan out, and if you think that, then you have to draft him regardless of having Whiteside on the roster. Drummond would be a project, but if he's drafted in the top 10, he'll get a lot more playing time to prove himself than Whiteside has received so far.

 

[rhythmless]

Not sure why people are saying Robinson is undersized.

"Listed at 6-10 this season (he measured the same in shoes at the LeBron James Skills Academy over the summer) with a 7-1 wingspan"

So, he's got prototypical height for a PF and slightly below average wingspan, great body and is very athletic. Chris Webber measured 6'9" w/out shoes, so Robinson should be about .25" shorter than Webber.

 

[bajaden]

Not sure why people are saying Robinson is undersized.

"Listed at 6-10 this season (he measured the same in shoes at the LeBron James Skills Academy over the summer) with a 7-1 wingspan"

So, he's got prototypical height for a PF and slightly below average wingspan, great body and is very athletic. Chris Webber measured 6'9" w/out shoes, so Robinson should be about .25" shorter than Webber.

Well your preaching to the choir with me. I looked up where they came up with the measurements, and those are usually very realable. But when Uncia03 and I watched the NCAA tournament together, it was the topic of conversation a few times. I wouldn't say that a 7'1" wingspan is below average. I'd say its average to slightly above average for a 6'9" player. Average is usually considered your height. Player average might be a little more. But if you go and check the measurement listings, you'll find that the wingspans of players around 6'9" to 6'10" varys from around 6'8" to 7'4".

What I'm interested in seeing what Robinsons vertical is. I know he can run the floor well. And he has very good handles for a big. He's athletic enough that if he refines his jumpshot, which isn't bad, he could play some SF. I wouldn't want him there permanently, but just saying.

 

[bajaden]

I've got a question for you. What are the top 5 players (that are talented) in terms of maturity, work ethic, coachability, BB IQ, and leadership potential? Call it the Intangible Quotient, or IQ for short.

Another good question. I'll have to give this one some thought. Those top five players may not necessarily be those considered the top five in the draft. It appears that what your looking for, is the safest bet. And thats not a bad idea, but, you also might end up with a Doug McDermitt. I'll get back to you on this one..

 

[bajaden]

Drummond is impossible to position correctly.

The simple fact of the matter is that he hurt his draft stock by playing in the NCAA last season. If he had been allowed to come out of high-school he might have been the 2nd pick after Kyrie, and who knows, he might have even gone overall #1 ahead of Kyrie.
So what do you do with that?

What are you supposed to do with a player with phenominal athletic gifts who comes in basically sharing the top-spot in the rankings, who then proceeds to hurt his draft stock the more he plays basketball?

The more I watched him play last year, the more I felt his stock suffered. The TV analysts would mention him before every broadcast, then they would wait for him to have some sort of positive impact on the basketball floor, and those moments were minimal at best.

I personally probably have him ranked too high. Ideally he'd be the perfect fit next to Cousins if he is able to put things together.
So if we're sitting with the 5th pick and Anthony Davis, MKG, Thomas Robinson & Harrison Barnes are all off the table, then I'd probably take a chance. I wouldn't jump in with both feet, but I'd take a chance. If Thomas Robinson measures out and is still on the board then I take him over Drummond with-out hesitation. If Barnes is still on the board, I go with Barnes because at worst he'll be a solid NBA player and he shores up the weakest hole on the team.

Drummond just scares me as does Perry Jones III, and I really wanted to like both of these guys...

As far as Whiteside vs Drummond...you only draft Drummond if you think he will pan out, and if you think that, then you have to draft him regardless of having Whiteside on the roster. Drummond would be a project, but if he's drafted in the top 10, he'll get a lot more playing time to prove himself than Whiteside has received so far.

Dead on! Its also why I'm hoping we don't end up with the 5th pick in the draft. My gut tells me Drummond will be there.

 

[mac]

Drummond is impossible to position correctly.

The simple fact of the matter is that he hurt his draft stock by playing in the NCAA last season. If he had been allowed to come out of high-school he might have been the 2nd pick after Kyrie, and who knows, he might have even gone overall #1 ahead of Kyrie.
So what do you do with that?

What are you supposed to do with a player with phenominal athletic gifts who comes in basically sharing the top-spot in the rankings, who then proceeds to hurt his draft stock the more he plays basketball?

The more I watched him play last year, the more I felt his stock suffered. The TV analysts would mention him before every broadcast, then they would wait for him to have some sort of positive impact on the basketball floor, and those moments were minimal at best.

I personally probably have him ranked too high. Ideally he'd be the perfect fit next to Cousins if he is able to put things together.
So if we're sitting with the 5th pick and Anthony Davis, MKG, Thomas Robinson & Harrison Barnes are all off the table, then I'd probably take a chance. I wouldn't jump in with both feet, but I'd take a chance. If Thomas Robinson measures out and is still on the board then I take him over Drummond with-out hesitation. If Barnes is still on the board, I go with Barnes because at worst he'll be a solid NBA player and he shores up the weakest hole on the team.

Drummond just scares me as does Perry Jones III, and I really wanted to like both of these guys...

As far as Whiteside vs Drummond...you only draft Drummond if you think he will pan out, and if you think that, then you have to draft him regardless of having Whiteside on the roster. Drummond would be a project, but if he's drafted in the top 10, he'll get a lot more playing time to prove himself than Whiteside has received so far.

Assuming of course, some second round pick of ours doesn't out play him. Or maybe we'll draft another superb guard in the second round and have Smart play 4/5 guard lineups!

 

[Boogie-havoc]

I've got a question for you. What are the top 5 players (that are talented) in terms of maturity, work ethic, coachability, BB IQ, and leadership potential? Call it the Intangible Quotient, or IQ for short.

I'd say MKG and Davis tops that list.

 

[Sac.1989]

my biggest fear is MKG falls to us and GP lets him pass because of his defensive orientation in favour of a scorer

 

[Boogie-havoc]

Thats not gonna happen.

I mean I don't think highly of pretty much anyone in our organization now that Coachie is gone - but I refuse to believe anyone up there would make such a choise and fail to see the urgent need for defense and team-oriented players more then an offensive individual player.

Lucky for us the 2 best prospect in this draft are exactly in the mold that we need on and off the court.. now we just gotta land that pick.

 

[Kingster]

Another good question. I'll have to give this one some thought. Those top five players may not necessarily be those considered the top five in the draft. It appears that what your looking for, is the safest bet. And thats not a bad idea, but, you also might end up with a Doug McDermitt. I'll get back to you on this one..

Yes, I think lower risk is part of it. I keep thinking that when you are assessing the risk of a player with a lower Intangibles Quotient (IQ), you can't assess that low IQ risk independent of the team that you have. If you have a team composed of very young guys without a solid veteran core, adding a lower IQ player is riskier than adding him to a team with a solid veteran core. All the more reason to weigh IQ more heavily in the evaluation of potential draftees for this young Kings team.

Why don't you take the top 20 players in terms of talent, and then out of that group give me the top 5 in IQ.

 

[gunks]

Thats not gonna happen.

I mean I don't think highly of pretty much anyone in our organization now that Coachie is gone - but I refuse to believe anyone up there would make such a choise and fail to see the urgent need for defense and team-oriented players more then an offensive individual player.

Lucky for us the 2 best prospect in this draft are exactly in the mold that we need on and off the court.. now we just gotta land that pick.

GP would. Happened last year. We had the same need for defense, we could have had Leonard (who Pop compares to Bowen), instead we get Jimmer.

If Barnes and MKG are both on the table when we pick, I'm going to be very worried.

 

[bajaden]

GP would. Happened last year. We had the same need for defense, we could have had Leonard (who Pop compares to Bowen), instead we get Jimmer.

If Barnes and MKG are both on the table when we pick, I'm going to be very worried.

With all due respect Gunks, I sincerely hope your wrong. I perfer to believe that the Kings had made up their minds that they wanted a PG. And by Kings, I have no idea who is pulling the strings. But since I know someone that works in close proximity, and thats all I will say, that told me the Maloofs fell in love with Jimmer at the workouts, as did Westphal. Petrie I don't know about. Now I think Jimmer is going to be a fine player down the road, but, your absolutely right, he doesn't help defensively.

I was also told that Westphal lobbied hard for aquiring John Salmons, which isn't news, and was also reported in the Bee. So if you already have Salmons, Greene, and Cisco, your probably not going to draft another SF with your first pick. I find it hard to believe that Petrie, who has been such a good judge of talent in the past, has lost his ability to figure out who the best player available is. I find it much easier to believe his hands have been tied by the Maloofs to some extent. If he passes on Gilchrist, and takes Barnes instead, then the man is an idiot. Down the road, Gilchrist may end up being the best player to come out of this draft. I admit to be biased. I've followed Gilchrist since his sophmore year of highschool, and he's the real deal.

And I might add. Much has been made of Gilchrist's lack of a consistent 3 pt shot. While that may be currently true, he has a very good midrange game which people tend to overlook. Its not as if he can't score the ball. He just chooses not to at times as long as his teammates are scoring. But he can put points on the board in a hurry, which he did several times this year. Barnes can do one thing Gilchrist can't do, and thats consistently hit the 3 pt shot. In every other facet of the game, Gilchrist is superior to Barnes. And that includes athleticism.

 

[Uncia03]

And I might add. Much has been made of Gilchrist's lack of a consistent 3 pt shot. While that may be currently true, he has a very good midrange game which people tend to overlook. Its not as if he can't score the ball. He just chooses not to at times as long as his teammates are scoring. But he can put points on the board in a hurry, which he did several times this year. Barnes can do one thing Gilchrist can't do, and thats consistently hit the 3 pt shot. In every other facet of the game, Gilchrist is superior to Barnes. And that includes athleticism.

Since I don't follow High School ball, I only followed Barnes last year and this year, and MKG this year.

I had Barnes in my 3rd slot last year after Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams. He had a horrendous 1st part of a freshman year, but he really surged in the 2nd half of that season.

This year, the very first game I saw MKG I walked away un-impressed.
Having said that, after watching him play over and over again as the season progressed I am now utterly sold on him.
As much as I liked Barnes last year, and think at worst he'll be a solid pro in the NBA, I think MKG is by far the better basketball player.
And MKG is such a winner, that I have no doubts at all that he'll kill himself to become a consistent outside jump shooter.

He might never be as good as Barnes from the 3pt line, but in every other facet he has Barnes beat.

Bringing a tough-nosed winner like MKG onto this team would do wonders, especially since he'd fill the gaping wound that has been our SF position for the last few years.

 

[bajaden]

Yes, I think lower risk is part of it. I keep thinking that when you are assessing the risk of a player with a lower Intangibles Quotient (IQ), you can't assess that low IQ risk independent of the team that you have. If you have a team composed of very young guys without a solid veteran core, adding a lower IQ player is riskier than adding him to a team with a solid veteran core. All the more reason to weigh IQ more heavily in the evaluation of potential draftees for this young Kings team.

Why don't you take the top 20 players in terms of talent, and then out of that group give me the top 5 in IQ.

Let me do it this way. I'll list the attributes you mentioned, and I'll add athleticism, and then list players that have those particular attributes. I'll start with maturity, and I'm talking about basketball maturity, and how the player handles himself on the court. I think Coachabiltiy and work ethic sort of go together to some extent, but I'll list them separately. I think its possible for a player to be coachable, but not necessarily translate that into results with the proper work ethic. I also think its possible for a player to have a good work ethic, but be difficult to coach.


Maturity: Anthony Davis, Michael Gilchrist, Thomas Robinson, Jared Sullinger, Harrison Barnes, Ty Zeller, John Henson, Kendall Marshall, Bradley Beal, Jeffery Taylor, Doron Lamb, Festus Ezeli, Terrence Ross. (there are others I could add, but I'm listing those at the top of the food chain)

Work Ethic: Anthony Davis, Michael Gilchrist, Thomas Robinson, Jared Sullinger, Ty Zeller, John Henson, Kendall Marshall, Bradley Beal, Jeffery Taylor, Doron Lamb, Terrence Jones, Jeremy Lamb, Marquis Teague, Festus Ezeli, Arnett Moultrie, Austin Rivers, Terrence Ross.

Coachability: Anthony Davis, Michael Gilchrist, Thomas Robinson, Jared Sullinger, Harrison Barnes, Ty Zeller, John Henson, Kendall Marshall, Bradley Beal, Jeffery Taylor, Doron Lamb, Terrence Jones, Marquis Teague, Festus Ezeli, Arnett Moultrie, Meyers Leonard, Terrence Ross.

BBIQ: Anthony Davis, Michael Gilchrist, Thomas Robinson(much improved), Jared Sullinger, Ty Zeller, Kendall Marshall, Bradley Beal, Jeffery Taylor, Doron Lamb, Jeremy Lamb, Austin Rivers, Terrence Jones.

Freak Athleticism: Anthony Davis, Michael Gilchrist, Thomas Robinson, Jeffery Taylor, Perry Jones, Andre Drummond.

Above Average Athleticism: Terrence Jones, Bradley Beal, Terrence Ross, Arnett Moultrie, Marquis Teague, Meyers Leonard, Festus Ezeli, Fab Melo, John Henson, Harrison Barnes, Jemery Lamb, Doron Lamb

Average Athleticism: Kendall Marshall, Jared Sullinger, Ty Zeller (he almost made the above average group), Austin Rivers.


Five most overall skilled players in the draft: Michael Gilchrist, Anthony Davis, Perry Jones, Bradley Beal, Jeremy Lamb. I listed this particular five, because all of them can handle the ball. They can all shoot the ball and score from different parts of the floor. They're all good passers, and all five are good defenders.

Now in Perry Jones case, this doesn't add up to results. But the skill level is there none the less. Of course this is all subjective, and I'm sure others will disagree with some of my assessment. One could also argue that I have no proof that Drummond isn't coachable. That may be true, but I think that if he were, then you'd see some results to confirm it.

I think you'd have to ask yourself why isn't Jeffery Taylor listed higher on the draft boards. Its a very good question. Perhaps being older hurts him. And he only has a 6'6" wingspan at 6'7" tall. Unlike Gilchrist who is 6'7.5" tall, but has a 6'10" wingspan. Who knows, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him taken higher than he's listed.

 

[ParniValjak]

Thats not gonna happen.

I mean I don't think highly of pretty much anyone in our organization now that Coachie is gone - but I refuse to believe anyone up there would make such a choise and fail to see the urgent need for defense and team-oriented players more then an offensive individual player.

Lucky for us the 2 best prospect in this draft are exactly in the mold that we need on and off the court.. now we just gotta land that pick.

Jimmer over Leonard?!

Jimmer's jumpshot will ensure that he will stick around in the league for some time (if he gets better, a better version of Steve Kerr) but Leonard would have been a perfect SF on this team. When Greg Popovich trades away one of his favourites (George Hill) to get Leonard, it should tell you something about the kid.

 

[gunks]

With all due respect Gunks, I sincerely hope your wrong. I perfer to believe that the Kings had made up their minds that they wanted a PG. And by Kings, I have no idea who is pulling the strings. But since I know someone that works in close proximity, and thats all I will say, that told me the Maloofs fell in love with Jimmer at the workouts, as did Westphal. Petrie I don't know about. Now I think Jimmer is going to be a fine player down the road, but, your absolutely right, he doesn't help defensively.

I was also told that Westphal lobbied hard for aquiring John Salmons, which isn't news, and was also reported in the Bee. So if you already have Salmons, Greene, and Cisco, your probably not going to draft another SF with your first pick. I find it hard to believe that Petrie, who has been such a good judge of talent in the past, has lost his ability to figure out who the best player available is. I find it much easier to believe his hands have been tied by the Maloofs to some extent. If he passes on Gilchrist, and takes Barnes instead, then the man is an idiot. Down the road, Gilchrist may end up being the best player to come out of this draft. I admit to be biased. I've followed Gilchrist since his sophmore year of highschool, and he's the real deal.

And I might add. Much has been made of Gilchrist's lack of a consistent 3 pt shot. While that may be currently true, he has a very good midrange game which people tend to overlook. Its not as if he can't score the ball. He just chooses not to at times as long as his teammates are scoring. But he can put points on the board in a hurry, which he did several times this year. Barnes can do one thing Gilchrist can't do, and thats consistently hit the 3 pt shot. In every other facet of the game, Gilchrist is superior to Barnes. And that includes athleticism.

Hey man, me too!! I dont want us to suck for another ten years!

And I agree with you on your take on what our FO was going for last offseason, I just think that GP and co. overestimated the skills of both Jimmer and Salmons. While at the same time grossly underestimating the skills of Kawhi and Beno. We could have just as easily kept Beno (rather than draft a new shoot first PG), and gone SF in the draft with Kawhi. Ergo, IMHO the FO screwed up.

Ah well, hindsight is 20/20 as they say! Kawhi (allegedly) had a horrible workout showing with us, and add in Jimmer's marketing appeal, you can see why the FO went the way it did.


I'm just bitter we didnt get Leonard (who was my pick).

 

[rhythmless]

Well your preaching to the choir with me. I looked up where they came up with the measurements, and those are usually very realable. But when Uncia03 and I watched the NCAA tournament together, it was the topic of conversation a few times. I wouldn't say that a 7'1" wingspan is below average. I'd say its average to slightly above average for a 6'9" player. Average is usually considered your height. Player average might be a little more. But if you go and check the measurement listings, you'll find that the wingspans of players around 6'9" to 6'10" varys from around 6'8" to 7'4".

What I'm interested in seeing what Robinsons vertical is. I know he can run the floor well. And he has very good handles for a big. He's athletic enough that if he refines his jumpshot, which isn't bad, he could play some SF. I wouldn't want him there permanently, but just saying.

I think average population wingspan is slightly higher than 1:1. We're talking inches, so he would have about average wingspan population wise, which translates to below average wingspan for a basketball player.

As for last year's draft, Petrie/Maloofs demonstrated they just don't get it. They shipped off one of the few players that fit Tyreke in the backcourt, overpaid an undersized 2 guard (never smart), skipped on a defensive athletic small forward (biggest need), to go lower in the draft, take on more money and pick one of the biggest busts thus far. I'm not saying he won't succeed, I'm not saying he hasn't improved. But at the spot he was picked, for the hype he was getting, for us to say we wanted him @ 7, to take a tweener of a scoring guard (because we were in need of those), just really goes to show how absolutely horrible this team is ran. It's incomprehensible. Isiah Thomas (Zeke) is even shaking his head at us. Petrie is a ditzy little girl who gets distracted with shiny things (shooting) and neglects that he needs food, water and shelter. I have no confidence in the logic of this FO. The only way we can't screw up is to take 1st. And hindsight may be 20/20, but it sure as damn well was at least 20/40 when that draft crap was going down. Horrible. Roundly criticized as one of the worst moves of the draft.

 

[Boogie-havoc]

Baja I pretty much agree with most - but, Drummond only as an above average athlete?

He's by far and away the best athlete in this class imo, if it's quickness, speed, lateral movement and ofcourse jumping.

A 6'11 260-270 pounds bigman with 41 inch vertical is a once in a generation type athlete, moreso with his lateral quickness and speed(what i'm most impressed about him. the way he moves his feet on defense when he's switch on perimeter guys, and the way he runs the floor like an NBA wing are just absurdly good)

 

[Big Cuz 15]

if drummond and barnes are available at our pick.. who do you go with?

 

[Gilles]

They are very close in value. Barnes could be the answer to Kings' SF woes, Drummond might just be the perfect frontcourt partner to Cousins. I think it's close and when it's close go "big".

 

[Uncia03]

if drummond and barnes are available at our pick.. who do you go with?

At this point I go with Barnes. At his worst he'll be a solid pro, and I like the Luol Deng comparisons. I don't expect multiple all-stars from him, but he could easily become an important cog to a championship team.

I wish Drummond would stay another year, but with what UCONN is going through, having him stay is unrealistic. He could end up being like DeAndre Jordan, who would compliment Cousins perfectly, or he could end up being like Hasheem Thabeet and spend his time in the D-League before getting traded for scraps.

Regardless of where Drummond ends up, it's probably going to take a couple of seasons for him to figure it all out, if he ever does. I'd say at this point Whiteside might be further along in his development than Drummond, not to say that Drummond isn't the better player right now, but neither really showed me much this year.

At this point I'd only take Drummond if Davis, MKG, Thompson, & Barnes were off the table. I'd probably take Taylor over Drummond as well, but since I'm probably the only person in the world who would do that, it's not really relevent.

I classify Drummond as: High Risk/Very High Reward
I classify Barnes as: Low Risk/High Reward

And it always takes a couple of years before you see which player ends up being the better pro, but in this case, unless we are planning on bringing in a full-sized SF via trade/free-agency, I go with Barnes.

 

[Uncia03]

I think average population wingspan is slightly higher than 1:1. We're talking inches, so he would have about average wingspan population wise, which translates to below average wingspan for a basketball player.

I'm basically going to be looking at his measurements and comparing him to Blake Griffin's measurements. If he's remotely in the range then I have him along-side MKG as the 2/3 selection.
If he has measurements which were as disappointing as Cole Adrich (as an example), then he drops down, probably outside my top 5 and maybe outside the top 10 if they are really bad.

He just seems too quick for someone of legitimate PF size, so if he is a legit size, then you've got something really special there.

 

[bajaden]

They are very close in value. Barnes could be the answer to Kings' SF woes, Drummond might just be the perfect frontcourt partner to Cousins. I think it's close and when it's close go "big".

Lets hope it doesn't come to that. Funny, a year ago I would have been happy with that choice. Now, not so much. Drummond is the kind of player that will give GM's indegestion before the draft. Of the two, Barnes is the safer bet. You have a much better idea of what your getting, and you know he'll improve, you just don't know how much. Not so with Drummond. His high end is Dwight Howard. And thats damm hard to pass up. But his low end is Eddie Curry, and thats a scarey thought. If he ends up somewhere in between, then he's still worth the 7th or 8th pick in the draft.

If for some reason, we end up picking 7th, and he's there, I think you have to take the gamble. But you know what? I don't think he'll slide that far. I think some team picking in the top five will take a gamble on him. He has the ability to be a franchise changer. Or not!

 

[Uncia03]

Let me do it this way. I'll list the attributes you mentioned, and I'll add athleticism, and then list players that have those particular attributes. I'll start with maturity, and I'm talking about basketball maturity, and how the player handles himself on the court. I think Coachabiltiy and work ethic sort of go together to some extent, but I'll list them separately. I think its possible for a player to be coachable, but not necessarily translate that into results with the proper work ethic. I also think its possible for a player to have a good work ethic, but be difficult to coach.

I think that this is a very good break-down.

Since you had Ezeli there, I would probably also toss Jeff Withey out there as far as Work Ethic and Coachability and I'd probably give him an edge in athleticism over Zeller. I wouldn't be surprised if Withey played himself into a late 1st round pick during the tournament.

At this point I'd be happy with any of the five most overall skilled players except for Jones for reasons you stated above, though with Beal and Lamb, we'd probably have to make some roster moves to get things to fit properly.

As far as Jeffrey Taylor goes, I do expect his stock to rise after the combine, but it's hard when you're looking at a 22 year-old senior vs say a 19 year-old sophomore in Barnes/Lamb as you still have more 'potential' with the youngsters.

The waiting is hard. Waiting for the combine...then after that furious weekend, waiting to see what happens in the work-outs, and finally waiting to see what will take place on draft day.
Hopefully this time next year we won't be talking about a high draft pick, but instead be focusing on the play-off hunt.