Dime Dropper
All-Star
Hood is very impressive. People would be a lot higher on him if Parker wasn't on the team because he's very talented and has a lot of tools.
Kings possible draft picks game
- Thread starter Glenn
- Start date
Dime Dropper
All-Star
I think this is the first year I've ever watched Duke where I haven't been bored stiff. They're actually fun to watch for once.
Dime Dropper
All-Star
I might just have a breakdown if we don't end up with Parker in the draft. I'm getting my hopes up and I shouldn't. He just outsprinted a PG easily, he eats the ground up. Deceptively athletic.
Might sound like I'm exaggerating everything he does, and maybe I am, but he's just so impressive. He has no holes in his game. He even has shot-blocking instincts, though obviously it's not his calling card.
Might sound like I'm exaggerating everything he does, and maybe I am, but he's just so impressive. He has no holes in his game. He even has shot-blocking instincts, though obviously it's not his calling card.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
There's an endless supply. At this moment, his parents are working hard at producing another. You just can't have too many.. We could use more Zellers as well..
bajaden
Hall of Famer
As I said, he's the most skilled player in the entire draft. He could start for a lot of NBA teams right now. Somehow, we have to find a way to acquire him. I'm lighting another candle!!
Glenn
Hall of Famer
Cousins could develop a deep thigh bruise and be out three weeks.
randymoss1881
Starter
[quote="Glenn, post: 1021201, member: 1419"Cousins could develop a deep thigh bruise and be out three weeks.[/quote]
Save that for the first 2 weeks of January our weakest stretch I think
Phil
Char
Port
Orl
Cleve
We have a great tank schedule to finish the season
La(L)
@gs
Dal
Okc
@port
@La(C)
Mn
Phx
We could lose all 8 and finish between 22-26 which would be bottom 5
Save that for the first 2 weeks of January our weakest stretch I think
Phil
Char
Port
Orl
Cleve
We have a great tank schedule to finish the season
La(L)
@gs
Dal
Okc
@port
@La(C)
Mn
Phx
We could lose all 8 and finish between 22-26 which would be bottom 5
Dime Dropper
All-Star
Duke are playing Vermont right now for anyone wanting to see Parker (and Hood/Cook/Sulaimon). Already has all 5 of Duke points.
Glenn
Hall of Famer
Sounds good to me.
Dime Dropper
All-Star
Marcus Smart had another strong game tonight with 25pts, 4asts, 4stls, 3rebs and a block.
randymoss1881
Starter
His defense and intangibles are amazing
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Smart has been very impressive so far this season. Didn't shoot the three ball very well in the last game, but his overall FGP was fine. I'd like to see him up his assist totals. I still see him as more of a combo guard than a true PG, but there's nothing wrong with that. He's obviously worked on his shot this past summer. He's really not what I'd call a great athlete, but he does have excellent lateral quickness. He reminds me of Aaron Craft in that regard.
Dime Dropper
All-Star
Smart doing everything he can to be talked about as a top pick. Another big game with 30pts, 4rebs and 4asts against Purdue (50%fg and 4-6 from 3).
C
Cold
Guest
That oklahoma state team looks ordinary when smart is on the bench. He is essentially their team.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
I agree! The only other player of note is Nash, and he's very streaky. Cobbins has shown some moments. But your right, take Smart off the team, and they drop like a rock. In some way's, it hurts Smarts ability to get his assist numbers up. He reminds me of Jimmer in that regard at BYU. Jimmer would do his best to get his teammates involved, and then eventually just take matters into his own hand. I'm not comparing the two talent wise though.
I know everyone is in love with Smart, and I can see why. He's been especially impressive so far this season. But I'm still not sold on him, and I can't really tell you why at this moment. Believe me, I want to drink the Kool-Aid, but for now, I'm leaving the cup sitting on the table. I'm going strictly on gut right now, and for some reason my gut is telling me to reserve judgement. I will say this, my gut on players has been more right than my brain has. Of course when my brain and my gut tell me to love a player its a lot easier. I think the worse thing you can do is over analyze a player. I say that, knowing that I have a tendency to do just that.
Dime Dropper
All-Star
Call me crazy, but I like Markel Brown as a 2nd round pick. Probably more than Nash. Brown has solid roleplayer written all over him.
To be honest, I don't think everyone is in love with Smart. I think I just post about him regularly, and it makes it seem like a lot of people are
I've only seen one or two others who really like him, and a couple others have mentioned him, but negatively. I think his game is more suited to the NBA, and he's a very smart kid. My main two worries with him right now are shooting (even though he's shooting well so far this year, it's still a worry) and possibly his shot selection. But I don't think either of those two things are major hurdles.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Call me crazy, but I like Markel Brown as a 2nd round pick. Probably more than Nash. Brown has solid roleplayer written all over him.
To be honest, I don't think everyone is in love with Smart. I think I just post about him regularly, and it makes it seem like a lot of people are
Sorry, when I said everyone was in love with him, I wasn't referring to you or this forum. But nationally. If you listen to, or read articles by pundits, there's a lot of love for Smart, and deserving so. He worked hard on his game this past summer, and it shows. Especially in his shot and ballhandling. Sometimes we, I, forget how young these kids are and that their far from being the finished product. I thought Smart was crazy when he decided to stay another year at Oklahoma St. and to some extent I still do. I think he could have been the first pick in the draft last season, and I seriously doubt he'll be number one this year. But who knows, he's on determined young man.
C
Cold
Guest
marcus smart will be a top 10 pg in the nba. i feel very comfortable saying that.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Here's the question. regardless of what you, anyone else, or I think personally about Smart, how do you think he was fit in with Cousins and the rest of the team? You've watched him play, and he's one tough kid, who has the mentality of getting the job done himself. I guess what I'm saying, is that if he lives up to expectations, he's a major star, and therefore is competing for being the number one option on the team. Smart is a scorer, and there's nothing wrong with that, if that's what your want.
For instance, a lot of people don't want IT in the starting lineup because of his shoot first mentality. So how do you think Smart would fit? I should qualify my point by saying that its entirely possible that Smart would take an entirely different approach with better scorers around him.
C
Cold
Guest
smart's court vision is severely under appreciated in that system. i know hes been scoring quite a bit and assists have been low but remember last year people were raving about his passing. IT's size limits his court vision. smart wont have that problem. i really like his floor leadership.
another issue that makes IT not suitable for starting is his d. smart is one of the very best perimeter defenders in all of college.
another issue that makes IT not suitable for starting is his d. smart is one of the very best perimeter defenders in all of college.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Personally, I think people make a little too much out of this so called pure point guard thing. If you look at teams that have won the championship over the years, how many have had a pure PG? When the Kings came close, they had Bibby, who brought the ball up the court, passed it into either Webb or Vlade, and then played off the ball. Similar role for Derick Fisher on the Lakers. Who was the great PG on the Heat last season. So if you have a PG that can handle, and shoot, and play good defense, that's really all you need from that position, as long as you have a couple of stars and solid players around him.
Which brings me back to my one problem with Smart, and it may not stay a problem, but that's his outside shot. I just want to feel comfortable if we end up taking him. I'd still take Exum over him right now, and that's only because I saw them go head to head in the U19 games, and Exum just destroyed Smart. But again, it was just one game.
Dime Dropper
All-Star
For what it's worth, I would take Exum over Smart right now too. That may change but I don't know if it will. I like Smart a lot as most will know but I'm a huge fan of Exum.
randymoss1881
Starter
I wouldn't sleep on Noah Vonleh from Indiana. He is another great fit next to Cousins 6'10-245 ( 7'4 wingspan 8'10 reach) he can shoot to 18ft and is a good defender. He could be an elite pick and role defender with his athletisicm and agility. He was suppose to be a SF until he grew 2inches to 6'10
randymoss1881
Starter
Add in another star potential player zach Lavine from ucla. Unlike smart and Exum this kid can shoot he is shooting 57% from 3 it will come down but jeez. He looks more athletic than exum too. He has adams and Anderson who have the ball a lot so his numbers won't look to sexy. Chad ford has him at 12 coming in from nowhere that is pretty high
@chadfordinsider: UCLA's Zach LaVine jumped into the lottery. Few scouts calling him “Russell Westbrook w/ a jumper.” http://t.co/pGGixkvtep (insider)
Really athletic with major hops
Nbadraft.net
Rising
Zach LaVine 6-5 185 PG/SG UCLA Fr.
Zach LeVineWhat would you get if you could somehow combine Stephen Curry's shooting ability with Russell Westbrook's freakish agility and explosiveness? The answer could be something similar to Zach LaVine.
The UCLA freshman is a player that we have been extremely high on since before the season began, placing him in the top 5 picks for the 2015 mock draft. He has made us look good making an immediate impact for UCLA and appears to be the top overall long term prospect in the Pac 12.
LaVine is the hottest name among scouting circles at the moment as scouts have suddenly taken notice of him after his performance in the Las Vegas Invitational, blowing up for 21 and 18 in games against Nevada and Northwestern and hitting a combined 8 of 11 on 3s in those games.
We compared LaVine to Westbrook in the summer after seeing him, and even though he was not considered a top 50 recruit by many scouting services, the elite level talent was evident. LaVine grew a couple of inches and has really become automatic with his outside shot.
On an undefeated team that suddenly appears to be a Final Four contender, LaVine is second in scoring, averaging 14.3 ppg 2.3 apg, 0.7 to and a blazing 57% 3 point shooting.
What makes him so difficult to defend is that jumpshot is nearly indefensible as he gets it off so quickly and with great elevation. Combine that with his freakish speed and athleticism and the fact that he seems to never miss and he becomes a real problem for opposing defenders.
He's currently playing the off guard position with Kyle Anderson running the point. So if he indeed would like to transition to point in the league, a la Westbrook, returning for a sophomore year would be beneficial. That is provided teammate Anderson follow through with his intention to leave after this season. It would also give him a chance to add weight and develop better ball handling, vision and play making skills. But with the way he's currently playing, a top 7-10 pick is well within his reach for this year's draft.
LaVine has moved up to #1 on the 2015 mock and will surely have to consider declaring for this year's draft at season's end if he continues to play at his current ability.
@chadfordinsider: UCLA's Zach LaVine jumped into the lottery. Few scouts calling him “Russell Westbrook w/ a jumper.” http://t.co/pGGixkvtep (insider)
Really athletic with major hops
Nbadraft.net
Rising
Zach LaVine 6-5 185 PG/SG UCLA Fr.
The UCLA freshman is a player that we have been extremely high on since before the season began, placing him in the top 5 picks for the 2015 mock draft. He has made us look good making an immediate impact for UCLA and appears to be the top overall long term prospect in the Pac 12.
LaVine is the hottest name among scouting circles at the moment as scouts have suddenly taken notice of him after his performance in the Las Vegas Invitational, blowing up for 21 and 18 in games against Nevada and Northwestern and hitting a combined 8 of 11 on 3s in those games.
We compared LaVine to Westbrook in the summer after seeing him, and even though he was not considered a top 50 recruit by many scouting services, the elite level talent was evident. LaVine grew a couple of inches and has really become automatic with his outside shot.
On an undefeated team that suddenly appears to be a Final Four contender, LaVine is second in scoring, averaging 14.3 ppg 2.3 apg, 0.7 to and a blazing 57% 3 point shooting.
What makes him so difficult to defend is that jumpshot is nearly indefensible as he gets it off so quickly and with great elevation. Combine that with his freakish speed and athleticism and the fact that he seems to never miss and he becomes a real problem for opposing defenders.
He's currently playing the off guard position with Kyle Anderson running the point. So if he indeed would like to transition to point in the league, a la Westbrook, returning for a sophomore year would be beneficial. That is provided teammate Anderson follow through with his intention to leave after this season. It would also give him a chance to add weight and develop better ball handling, vision and play making skills. But with the way he's currently playing, a top 7-10 pick is well within his reach for this year's draft.
LaVine has moved up to #1 on the 2015 mock and will surely have to consider declaring for this year's draft at season's end if he continues to play at his current ability.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
He's played on the Aussies national team since he was 16 years old. Recently he was on their U18 team. He also played in the Nike summit challenge, and a couple of other all star games. Zach La Vine was mentioned above, and I've been very impressed with him, and he's working his way into and possibly up the first round, but to say he's a better athlete than Exum is just nonsense.. Exum is a terrific athlete, but he's also extremely skilled. And that's not to take anything away from La Vine, who is also a very good athlete. Exum is also a terrific defender. Just ask Smart. By the way, the player that's impressed me the most so far on UCLA is Jordan Adams.
Bottom line is that this isn't a contest between this player or that player in my mind. I don't have to downgrade one player to upgrade another. The way I look at it, is the more the merrier. Zach La Vine has been compared by some scouts to Westbrook. Now that ought to tantalize you a bit. Remember though, that Exum has been compared to Penny Hardaway.
Right now LaVine is not attacking basket at all, and that despite the fact that he was recruited as a PG, who got big growth spurt his senior year. He has very good handles and is shifty enough, but just prefers to roam on the perimeter. So for now I would lay off mentioning Westbrook and used as a comparison, say, "much more athletic" JJ Reddick. I'm pretty sure he can showcase his moves during workouts, if he still remembers how to dribble by then, so LaVine certainly might be a dark horse to challenge for Top-5.
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