The Official Let's Talk 10th Pick (and 41st)

[europa]

DX's new mock has the Bucks taking Hill at 10 and Pendergraph at 41. I like both of those picks but I'm not sure it would happen. That would be 3 PFs acquired and the Bucks still would like to bring Ilyasova back which would make four. Or five if you include Thomas. I think the Bucks badly need to load up in the frontcourt but that might be overkill.

[LUKE23]

I still don't see Hill falling past GS, but I'd love a Sessions/LRMAM/Hill/Bogut/Alexander core. Find a wing next year.

[paul]

DX's new mock has the Bucks taking Hill at 10 and Pendergraph at 41. I like both of those picks but I'm not sure it would happen. That would be 3 PFs acquired and the Bucks still would like to bring Ilyasova back which would make four. Or five if you include Thomas. I think the Bucks badly need to load up in the frontcourt but that might be overkill.

Maybe this thread should be re-titled "The Official Yes we can discuss these guys thread".

Yeah don't see us taking two PF's, nor do I think Hill will fall to 10. Pendegraph I can see, but I think the BPA at 10 will likely be one of those 3 PG's we've discussed for weeks, or possibly Derozan.

[LUKE23]

I'm all about DeRozan if he falls, over any of the other guys actually, including Hill/Flynn/Holiday. But I think the pick will be Holiday personally.

[europa]

DX's new mock has the Bucks taking Hill at 10 and Pendergraph at 41. I like both of those picks but I'm not sure it would happen. That would be 3 PFs acquired and the Bucks still would like to bring Ilyasova back which would make four. Or five if you include Thomas. I think the Bucks badly need to load up in the frontcourt but that might be overkill.

Maybe this thread should be re-titled "The Official Yes we can discuss these guys thread".

Yeah don't see us taking two PF's, nor do I think Hill will fall to 10. Pendegraph I can see, but I think the BPA at 10 will likely be one of those 3 PG's we've discussed for weeks, or possibly Derozan.

If the Bucks believe Ilyasova can play SF, then taking Hill and Pendergraph and loading up at PF is not a bad idea. I've been begging for improved talent and depth at PF and that would certainly provide it. But I'm not optimistic Hill falls to 10. I think it'll be Holiday or Flynn there. But I'm all for Pendergraph at 41. I'd be very happy with that pick.

If DeRozan fell to 10 and Hammond was able to turn Ridnour and/or Alexander into 18 or 21 and grab Lawson or Maynor there and then take Pendergraph at 41, I might not stop celebrating anytime soon.

PG: Sessions/Lawson
SG: Redd/DeRozan/Bell/Stoudamire
SF: M&M/Ilyasova
PF: Pendergraph/Johnson/Allen
C: Bogut/Thomas/Elson/Gadz

I'd take that.

[Nebula1]

I don't see how Hill can fall to us.

Crazy that Rubio is falling. I imagine Memphis should draft him and then trade him elsewhere. Maybe a trade with Oklahoma City so he can run with Durant.

I don't like a Flynn pick. Holiday, only due to his potential blend with Sessions, but still seems like a waste of a high pick. I'd consider using the 10 on Gerald Henderson if Redd isn't ready or is set to be traded.

I think Curry is the interesting pick to watch. He shouldn't drop lower than 4 imo, but just might.

I keep asking myself how many All Star games Griffin will make and I can't come up with an answer. I'm not sure how/if he's any better than Carlos Boozer. It's more than possible that Rubio becomes the player of this draft.

[Nebula1]

Europa, I like Pendergraph too, but to start him in the NBA next season wouldn't help this team. You'd have to get Villanueva back for a season.

I'm hoping Ridnour and/or Alexander can bring us back a pick.

I think trusting Prince and Ilyasova as your 2 primary SFs is dangerous.

Also like Maynor and Lawson as well. Both would work as backups to Ramon.

While Clark may bust, I'd rather roll the dice this early in the process and take him. Or Henderson a little early.

[LUKE23]

Is there any way we draft a PG and keep Ridnour with Sessions? I just don't see it. Have to think Rid is gone by Friday.

[europa]

I don't think Villanueva's coming back, neb. I think the Bucks will re-sign Ilyasova instead.

If the Bucks got the 18th pick and Clark was on the board, I'd gamble on him. I don't think the Bucks would, though. I think there's too much Villanueva there for them to stomach.

[europa]

Is there any way we draft a PG and keep Ridnour with Sessions?

Only way I see it is if the PG comes in the second round.

But I think Ridnour and Alexander are VERY much in play right now.

[paul]

Europa, I like Pendergraph too, but to start him in the NBA next season wouldn't help this team. You'd have to get Villanueva back for a season.

I'm hoping Ridnour and/or Alexander can bring us back a pick.

I think trusting Prince and Ilyasova as your 2 primary SFs is dangerous.

Also like Maynor and Lawson as well. Both would work as backups to Ramon.

While Clark may bust, I'd rather roll the dice this early in the process and take him. Or Henderson a little early.

I actually have no trouble trusting Luc as our starting SF, none. I think JA will be his primary backup provided he has a good summer, I actually wonder how much him working hard in the offseason and improving his attitude has had to do with the RJ move. Also I wouldn't be surprised at all to see a vet presence like Bogans who can pickup some SF minutes as well as SG return now, or perhaps if another move or two is made either Bowen can do that or we'll bring another vet back in a deal.

Point being as long as there's a little bit of veteran cover I'm happy to run with Luc as our starting SF.

[paul]

Is there any way we draft a PG and keep Ridnour with Sessions?

Only way I see it is if the PG comes in the second round.

But I think Ridnour and Alexander are VERY much in play right now.

Any chance they move these two to gain a pick in the late first for a Mills or Maynor you think Europa? I suppose they could probably just buy a pick there if they choose to, which I hope they do.

[trwi7]

Yeah, I'm absolutely fine with LRMAM as our starting SF. I'd like to see him work on his range on offense, preferrably out to 3 point range. He already knows how to do that defense thing.

[Newz]

No Holiday, Lawson, Hansborough, Henderson or Blair, please.

Flynn is officially the guy I want, unless Evans/DeRozan somehow slips to us.

[europa]

Is there any way we draft a PG and keep Ridnour with Sessions?

Only way I see it is if the PG comes in the second round.

But I think Ridnour and Alexander are VERY much in play right now.

Any chance they move these two to gain a pick in the late first for a Mills or Maynor you think Europa? I suppose they could probably just buy a pick there if they choose to, which I hope they do.

I think they can move Ridnour and/or Alexander. I think there are so many teams looking to deal and a lot of teams looking to get rid of picks and that could play right into Hammond's hands. I think the PGs they like after 10 are Lawson, Maynor and Teague. No idea how they feel about guys like Mills or Douglas.

I think if Hammond can get a pick in the 18-25 range, who he picks there will be determined by who he gets at 10. If he gets a PG at 10, I think he'll be pursuing Blair or Hansborough to get a PF. If he gets Hill at 10, I think he'll look PG.

[paul]

Personally I think Hansbrough in the early 20's would be a very very solid pick - could be the most solid pick of the draft in that position, and I'm not a huge fan of his. Call the Hornets, buy the pick, get er done.

[Nebula1]

I don't think Villanueva's coming back, neb. I think the Bucks will re-sign Ilyasova instead.

If the Bucks got the 18th pick and Clark was on the board, I'd gamble on him. I don't think the Bucks would, though. I think there's too much Villanueva there for them to stomach.

I don't think Villanueva is coming back either, but if it's 1 more year with Villanueva or starting Pendergraph, then I'm running Villanueva another go. I think we'll see Ersan as well, which is something I'm excited about.

Clark and Villanueva might be similar, but I think Clark would be in a much better situation with Sessions as the PG and Skiles as coach. And he'd practice against Prince every day, which would be excellent for his game. Guy has raw talent and a good body. He's not a bad kid, but I guess I'm willing to gamble more on a player with his upside. If not Milwaukee, Phoenix would be a good place for him to grow as well. Nash would make it work.

Nice artice on ESPN about Clark yesterday:

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-4 ... Clark.html

What We Think We Know About Earl Clark

June 22, 2009 11:59 AM


Watch Earl Clark play basketball, and it's clear he could have the most potential of any player in the 2009 draft. He's 6-10, can do just about everything, and starred on the best team in one of the toughest conferences in NCAA history. So why is he projected to go in the middle of the first round? Kevin Arnovitz investigates.

The summer after eighth grade, Earl Clark's knees started to hurt. Really hurt. His folks took him to a doctor to see if there was something structurally wrong with his body. it turned out to nothing more than growing pains -- the kind a 6-foot kid gets when he sprouts six inches in matter of months.

"I couldn't play for a while," Clark said. "I was growing too fast."

As a 6-foot guard in middle school, Clark excelled at running his team's offense from the perimeter. He could handle the ball and pass. "Before I started growing, I was a guard, so I always had those skills," Clark said. "They never stopped being there."

The growth spurt morphed Clark into a big man, even if only by stature. He went from being a guard's guard in eighth grade to, at 6-6, one of the bigger players on the floor in his freshman year. Size like that invites certain expectations by coaches, teammates, and recruiters. Nobody cares that in your formative basketball years, you cultivated a specific set of skills and sculpted your game around them. A basketball team has tasks that need to be performed by big men. If you're tall, those responsibilities are going to fall to you, even if you remain the best perimeter player on the floor, with a love of playing outside.

"I needed him to be a post presence," Clark's coach his senior year at Rahway High School, Chris Remley, said. "That took the ball out of his hands, and he didn't like that very much."

Clark achieved a steady balance during his high school career. He still thrived on the perimeter, where he was a comfortable and practiced player. He gradually learned how to exploit his length up front, even though that project was less fun for him. What emerged was one of the most versatile talents in the nation by his senior year of high school. Clark took his game to Louisville, where he starred for Rick Pitino. Last season, the Cardinals were the regular season champions of the best league in college ball -- the Big East -- and 6-9 junior forward Earl Clark was their best player.

When team executives and player development people talk about Clark, they rhapsodize about his tools as a basketball player. Then, in the same breath, they qualify that praise with a litany of ifs: If he can apply those tools all the time. If he wants it bad enough. If he can learn how to compete at an NBA level. It's these lingering doubts about his inner desire, the observers say, that have Clark projected to go in the teens on Thursday, rather than in the two-through-eight range.

Something strange happens when you ask where these impressions come from. The observers back off a little and, almost uniformly, tell you that they're just relaying the conventional wisdom on Clark.

Conventional wisdom doesn't manifest itself out of nowhere, right? It has to come from someplace. Finding that place can be a bit of a scavenger hunt........

[worthlessBucks]

DX with James Johnson jumping above of Derozan. Yes please?

[MikeIsGood]

Is there any way we draft a PG and keep Ridnour with Sessions?

Only way I see it is if the PG comes in the second round.

But I think Ridnour and Alexander are VERY much in play right now.

Any chance they move these two to gain a pick in the late first for a Mills or Maynor you think Europa? I suppose they could probably just buy a pick there if they choose to, which I hope they do.

How about turning them for the apparently free-falling DeJuan Blair? I've been one of the most vocal against him for quite some time, though I eventually gave up my fight as it just got old, but I think he could be a useful pick late in the first.

As MFS said, DX now has the Bucks passing on DeRozan as he falls to 11.

[Ayt]

Just say no to DeRozan.