It's early, but anybody have a draft wish list yet?
- Thread starter bluntsnbball
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I'm sure my thoughts on this will change at least 20 more times before the draft, but right now my top 5 are actually pretty even. I think there are a lot of reasons to like Davis, MKG, Robinson, Drummond, and Barnes and the differences between them are mostly in style of play. If we actually do win a top 3 pick, I would have a tough time ranking them -- personally I'm not locked into Davis as the top pick yet. In theory he's a great fit for us but so are the other 4 guys.
This is the first time in 7 years I think that I won't be able to watch the lottery live. Maybe that'll bring us some good luck, who knows.
This is the first time in 7 years I think that I won't be able to watch the lottery live. Maybe that'll bring us some good luck, who knows.
I hope that was his problem. In any case, it shows determination and the amount of determination is the big question mark on him. The better he gets, the more comfortable our draft becomes.
In any case, it shows determination and the amount of determination is the big question mark on him. The better he gets, the more comfortable our draft becomes.
I'm sure my thoughts on this will change at least 20 more times before the draft, but right now my top 5 are actually pretty even. I think there are a lot of reasons to like Davis, MKG, Robinson, Drummond, and Barnes and the differences between them are mostly in style of play. If we actually do win a top 3 pick, I would have a tough time ranking them -- personally I'm not locked into Davis as the top pick yet. In theory he's a great fit for us but so are the other 4 guys.
This is the first time in 7 years I think that I won't be able to watch the lottery live. Maybe that'll bring us some good luck, who knows.
This is the first time in 7 years I think that I won't be able to watch the lottery live. Maybe that'll bring us some good luck, who knows.
It's not that I don't love Davis. But in reflecting on past drafts, sometimes the guy who dominates in college becomes a huge star and sometimes they don't. Sometimes guys who didn't perform exceptionally at the college level for whatever reason, manage to put it together in the pros. My thinking is that if you have the talent to be a star, there's a chance. And there are guys who are going to go in the mid to late first round this year who do have that kind of talent. From all the basketball I've watched, I'd say any of those 5 guys plus a half dozen others could end up being the best player from this draft class.
Probably when all is said and done I would still take Davis #1, but I'm open-minded at this point. I don't like being wrong and my intuition says that singling out Davis as the no-doubt best player in this class right now would be a mistake. I wish we had 10 first round picks so we can just draft them all and see.
Probably when all is said and done I would still take Davis #1, but I'm open-minded at this point. I don't like being wrong and my intuition says that singling out Davis as the no-doubt best player in this class right now would be a mistake. I wish we had 10 first round picks so we can just draft them all and see.
You have nothing to go on except what you know. Davis is a defensive monster, can handle the ball, and has an outside shot. He is learning to play a big man role because a few years ahgo he was a guard. Any of the top 10 could be a very special player 5 years down the road but at the time of the draft all you know is who is most likely to be special and that is Davis. If you have a way of figuring out right now which of the top 10 or 15 are going to be far better than they are showing now, you better share your secret with the scouts and make a lot of money. There is an aspect to the draft that is a crap shoot but all you can know is what is going on now and doing the best you can based on character, etc. and try to project forward.
If I thought that quickness was the problem then I would agree. Cousins was definitely overweight at Kentucky, but when he played, he went 100% until he ran out of gas. So you could tell he had a stamina problem, not a desire or skill problem. With Drummond its different. Sometimes he just becomes a spectator. He won't fight for post position. He won't block out for rebounds. And yes, he still rebounded fairly well, but it was all athleticism, and not skill. He showed little or no offense other than dunking the ball.
He's very raw when it comes to knowing how to play basketball. Its as though his teammates don't exist for him at times. He has no concept of team play. This is a kid that got benched in a highschool all star game for lack of effort. Now everyone can dream what they want about him, and envision this great player next to Cuz, but I just don't see it. If we end up drafting him, I sure hope I'm wrong.
He's very raw when it comes to knowing how to play basketball. Its as though his teammates don't exist for him at times. He has no concept of team play. This is a kid that got benched in a highschool all star game for lack of effort. Now everyone can dream what they want about him, and envision this great player next to Cuz, but I just don't see it. If we end up drafting him, I sure hope I'm wrong.
Honestly, Drummond is the only guy in the top 10 prospects I would absolutely hate to see us draft. I believe in the notion that if you want to be good at something, you have to work at it and give that thing the very best effort you got. Drummond does not do that. He coasts along everyone else because he's bigger, stronger, and more athletic than everyone. I'll take the less talented guys who will work there butt's off on every play (MKG, Robinson), over guys like Drummond every day of the week
All I said was that I don't know who the best player in this draft is, it might be Davis or it might be someone else. Somehow that got turned into me having insider knowledge? If there's one thing I maybe do a little differently, I tend to put more emphasis on a player's performance before college and also what they're like off the court. I'm just trying to consider all the information that's out there. In a month after workouts and interviews and the draft combine I'll have a better idea of where I rank them, but right now I'm still undecided.
And I give Davis a ton of credit for moving up a level and dominating right away. This isn't about me doubting Davis' potential, I just value highly MKG's basketball IQ and intangibles, I think Robinson could be an ideal NBA PF with ability to score inside or outside and have an impact on defense, and Drummond and Barnes both have superstar potential if they work hard. I'm still a little iffy on Drummond because I know less about him than the other four players, but the potential there is undeniable. Like I said, I'll see where I stand in a month. I try not to get too involved until after the lottery anyway because we don't know yet if we're drafting 1st or 8th.
(And as an aside, I think if you go through every draft of the last 20 years, the consensus top picks don't always pan out. I don't think I'm smarter than NBA scouts. Well not all of them anyway. But as a fan of basketball rather than a paid employee, I'm sometimes looking for specific attributes and skills that I appreciate which are different than what the professionals are looking for.)
And I give Davis a ton of credit for moving up a level and dominating right away. This isn't about me doubting Davis' potential, I just value highly MKG's basketball IQ and intangibles, I think Robinson could be an ideal NBA PF with ability to score inside or outside and have an impact on defense, and Drummond and Barnes both have superstar potential if they work hard. I'm still a little iffy on Drummond because I know less about him than the other four players, but the potential there is undeniable. Like I said, I'll see where I stand in a month. I try not to get too involved until after the lottery anyway because we don't know yet if we're drafting 1st or 8th.
(And as an aside, I think if you go through every draft of the last 20 years, the consensus top picks don't always pan out. I don't think I'm smarter than NBA scouts. Well not all of them anyway.
But as a fan of basketball rather than a paid employee, I'm sometimes looking for specific attributes and skills that I appreciate which are different than what the professionals are looking for.)
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I see Travis Outlaw. He can run and score pretty well. He is long and athletic, but doesn't get his hands on the ball on D. He doesn't look great defending the perimeter.
I prefer guys like Terrence Jones. If Terrence Jones doesn't develop, you still have a solid role player like Dominic Mcguire or Donyell Marshall. His height doesn't jumpout like Perry (6-8), but he still has a great wingspan and supporting numbers on D. His handle, shot, and passing are just as good if not better too.
But guys like Perry Jones, if they can't use their length to alter shots or bother wings by defending the perimeter, what good are they?
I prefer guys like Terrence Jones. If Terrence Jones doesn't develop, you still have a solid role player like Dominic Mcguire or Donyell Marshall. His height doesn't jumpout like Perry (6-8), but he still has a great wingspan and supporting numbers on D. His handle, shot, and passing are just as good if not better too.
But guys like Perry Jones, if they can't use their length to alter shots or bother wings by defending the perimeter, what good are they?
It's not even worth fretting over. The Lakers made it impossible for us to lose that game. We would have had to bench every legitimate NBA player on our roster and bring in some emergency D-league callups to even have a chance of losing that game (which incidentally, is pretty much what New Orleans and Cleveland did so at least we have karma on our side).
