Draft Countdown: DeMar DeRozan

[basketball royalty]

Personally I do think that Delfino will be more than adequate as a starting 2 guard for this team. I felt he would have doe a great job this season had he not gone to Russia.

I think it is very important to keep Marion here if we are to keep Bosh and not start all over an d rebuild. He is the perfect compliment to our frontcourt and is still a ways away from a rocking chair unlike most of you seem to want to believe.

That being said, DeRozan if available is my pick at 9 because I believe he has the best potential and would be able to be brought about slowly. We no longer have SMitch out there where DeRozan would be left to sink or swim without being taught first. We should only give him minutes he can handle and make sure he is developing the way we want in practice.

That philosophy would apply to any rookie we draft, even Harden who is the only SG I would draft ahead of DD. I think we have to remember that like it or not Kapono will have some minutes coming to him and if his role is limited, they could be quality minutes. We also should be looking at resigning one of either AP or Joey as well. IMO if we get someone like DD who may be a bit more raw we have to keep AP. If we get more NBA ready guy like Harden we should keep Joey. Eitherway, quality minutes should not be expected by whomever we draft so I would go with the guy that could have potential to be an allstar rather than get a guy to fill a role.

How do we keep Marion? at what price? How long is his deal?

What do you see in Derozan that suggests he will be an allstar someday? How much of a project is he? Is he a good fit at the 2? a SG that can't shoot and has no NBA handles?

Overall you're just presenting ideas with no foundation or substance... Why do we need to keep Joey(and I HIGHLY doubt that happens) if we draft Harden?

1) I'd be willing to offer Marion 32 MIL over 4 years. With hopefully the 4th year being a team option but either way, unless you are looking to rebuild it is worth it to keep Marion in the fold.

2) We all can see that DD has the athletic ability on par with the NBA's top athletes as well as great size for his position. Those cannot be taught, however a jumper can, as we have seen in the past with guys like VC, JRich, even Josh Smith (work in progress). The point is, if you are willing to learn, and there is nothing to imply he isn't, you can improve those skills.

3) I like keeping AP to mentor DD and to show him how to play the game the right way. If Harden is drafted however, I think he doesn't need a mentor and would probably be able to play some good minutes right away thus AP is not needed and I would like to hold onto Joey to take minutes at the 3/4 spots.

[sh00n]

Jason Richardson part deux.

At 9, I would not complain about that at all.

[The Notic]

people over analyze different parts of the game for extremely young prospects too much. "he has a hard time finishing 18 footers driving left". who cares? around this time last year oj mayo was projected in this exact range. the overall package of size+athleticism+age in such a humble, mentally tough guy is too much to pass up.

derozan the package is awesome. he's going to wow scouts and gm's in interviews and individual workouts.

[Dennis P]

Personally I do think that Delfino will be more than adequate as a starting 2 guard for this team. I felt he would have doe a great job this season had he not gone to Russia.

I think it is very important to keep Marion here if we are to keep Bosh and not start all over an d rebuild. He is the perfect compliment to our frontcourt and is still a ways away from a rocking chair unlike most of you seem to want to believe.

That being said, DeRozan if available is my pick at 9 because I believe he has the best potential and would be able to be brought about slowly. We no longer have SMitch out there where DeRozan would be left to sink or swim without being taught first. We should only give him minutes he can handle and make sure he is developing the way we want in practice.

That philosophy would apply to any rookie we draft, even Harden who is the only SG I would draft ahead of DD. I think we have to remember that like it or not Kapono will have some minutes coming to him and if his role is limited, they could be quality minutes. We also should be looking at resigning one of either AP or Joey as well. IMO if we get someone like DD who may be a bit more raw we have to keep AP. If we get more NBA ready guy like Harden we should keep Joey. Eitherway, quality minutes should not be expected by whomever we draft so I would go with the guy that could have potential to be an allstar rather than get a guy to fill a role.

How do we keep Marion? at what price? How long is his deal?

What do you see in Derozan that suggests he will be an allstar someday? How much of a project is he? Is he a good fit at the 2? a SG that can't shoot and has no NBA handles?

Overall you're just presenting ideas with no foundation or substance... Why do we need to keep Joey(and I HIGHLY doubt that happens) if we draft Harden?

1) I'd be willing to offer Marion 32 MIL over 4 years. With hopefully the 4th year being a team option but either way, unless you are looking to rebuild it is worth it to keep Marion in the fold.

2) We all can see that DD has the athletic ability on par with the NBA's top athletes as well as great size for his position. Those cannot be taught, however a jumper can, as we have seen in the past with guys like VC, JRich, even Josh Smith (work in progress). The point is, if you are willing to learn, and there is nothing to imply he isn't, you can improve those skills.

3) I like keeping AP to mentor DD and to show him how to play the game the right way. If Harden is drafted however, I think he doesn't need a mentor and would probably be able to play some good minutes right away thus AP is not needed and I would like to hold onto Joey to take minutes at the 3/4 spots.

VC shot 36% from 3 in college. Josh Smith is not a jumpshooter at all he does do other things that make him extremely attractive though like defend and is very strong... Outside of athleticism I don't see anything about Derozan that is even remotely attractive. He can't shoot and he can't defend, he doesn't have the handles to get into the lane. He looks more like a Graham without the jumper or a G Green IMO but again only time will tell. There seem to be too many ifs attached to this guy to take him at 9. To be honest with you I know this won't be popular in these parts but right now I have

Harden
Curry
Williams

in that order I do agree that with Williams we should trade down to get him.

The rest you wrote is plausible but keeping Joey Graham just to eat mins is not a very good idea given the economy. He has shown glimpses of goodness but not enough of it to warrant another contract. AP will be in the fold regardless I think. off the bench he isn't a bad option.

[basketball royalty]

VC shot 36% from 3 in college. Josh Smith is not a jumpshooter at all he does do other things that make him extremely attractive though like defend and is very strong... Outside of athleticism I don't see anything about Derozan that is even remotely attractive. He can't shoot and he can't defend, he doesn't have the handles to get into the lane. He looks more like a Graham without the jumper or a G Green IMO but again only time will tell. There seem to be too many ifs attached to this guy to take him at 9. To be honest with you I know this won't be popular in these parts but right now I have

Harden
Curry
Williams

in that order I do agree that with Williams we should trade down to get him.






The rest you wrote is plausible but keeping Joey Graham just to eat mins is not a very good idea given the economy. He has shown glimpses of goodness but not enough of it to warrant another contract. AP will be in the fold regardless I think. off the bench he isn't a bad option.

9th pick in a draft that is considered weak you may as well take the guy with the unlimited potential. I mean, barring any sort of personality issues, he is a great high risk, high reward pick.

As for Joey, what can I say? I like the guy and still think he has some potential now that his growth isn't being stunted.

[TiKusDom]

Anyone have video footage of him at USC? All the stuff I've seen is high school

VC shot 36% from 3 in college. Josh Smith is not a jumpshooter at all he does do other things that make him extremely attractive though like defend and is very strong... Outside of athleticism I don't see anything about Derozan that is even remotely attractive. He can't shoot and he can't defend, he doesn't have the handles to get into the lane. He looks more like a Graham without the jumper or a G Green IMO but again only time will tell. There seem to be too many ifs attached to this guy to take him at 9. To be honest with you I know this won't be popular in these parts but right now I have

Harden
Curry
Williams

in that order I do agree that with Williams we should trade down to get him.

The rest you wrote is plausible but keeping Joey Graham just to eat mins is not a very good idea given the economy. He has shown glimpses of goodness but not enough of it to warrant another contract. AP will be in the fold regardless I think. off the bench he isn't a bad option.

What makes you such an expert if you havent even seen him at USC until the beginning of this page? You yourself said you hadnt seen a single piece of footage of him at USC until this thread started, and now you are an expert on him? There are people around here who have been following this kid since day one, if you haven't even seen him play at USC until SS made this thread, do you really know what much about DeRozan to be so critical? Maybe you don't " see" anything cause you haven't even "seen" a single whole USC game with him... apart from like you said some high school highlights. Between now and the start of this thread all of the sudden you're an expert on his shooting? Hes a Joey G without the shooting? Maybe you didn't know this but Joey Graham entered the league when he was 24, at 19 DeRozan is leaps and bounds of what Joey was when he was 19 . Sorry I cant take you seriously enough, if you hadn't even done the research on this kid before this thread started, and now youre trashing him.

[TiKusDom]

people over analyze different parts of the game for extremely young prospects too much. "he has a hard time finishing 18 footers driving left". who cares? around this time last year oj mayo was projected in this exact range. the overall package of size+athleticism+age in such a humble, mentally tough guy is too much to pass up.

derozan the package is awesome. he's going to wow scouts and gm's in interviews and individual workouts.

Yes I definitely agree. the package he brings to the table is tremendous, combine that with a hard work ethic, quality family son character, and being a very intelligent well spoken young man, you cant pass up an unlimited upside prospect like this if hes available at 9.

[Dennis P]

Anyone have video footage of him at USC? All the stuff I've seen is high school

VC shot 36% from 3 in college. Josh Smith is not a jumpshooter at all he does do other things that make him extremely attractive though like defend and is very strong... Outside of athleticism I don't see anything about Derozan that is even remotely attractive. He can't shoot and he can't defend, he doesn't have the handles to get into the lane. He looks more like a Graham without the jumper or a G Green IMO but again only time will tell. There seem to be too many ifs attached to this guy to take him at 9. To be honest with you I know this won't be popular in these parts but right now I have

Harden
Curry
Williams

in that order I do agree that with Williams we should trade down to get him.

The rest you wrote is plausible but keeping Joey Graham just to eat mins is not a very good idea given the economy. He has shown glimpses of goodness but not enough of it to warrant another contract. AP will be in the fold regardless I think. off the bench he isn't a bad option.

What makes you such an expert if you havent even seen him at USC until the beginning of this page? You yourself said you hadnt seen a single piece of footage of him at USC until this thread started, and now you are an expert on him? There are people around here who have been following this kid since day one, if you haven't even seen him play at USC until SS made this thread, do you really know what much about DeRozan to be so critical? Maybe you don't " see" anything cause you haven't even "seen" a single whole USC game with him... apart from like you said some high school highlights. Between now and the start of this thread all of the sudden you're an expert on his shooting? Hes a Joey G without the shooting? Maybe you didn't know this but Joey Graham entered the league when he was 24, at 19 DeRozan is leaps and bounds of what Joey was when he was 19 . Sorry I cant take you seriously enough, if you hadn't even done the research on this kid before this thread started, and now youre trashing him.

I'm not an expert at all this is based strictly on scouting reports and youtube vids. What leg up do you have 3 games?

[The Notic]

lol @ going 6 pages blasting a guy you've never seen play.

[TiKusDom]

I'm not an expert at all this is based strictly on scouting reports and youtube vids. What leg up do you have 3 games?

About 1 year of scouting him in the NCAA, Ive known and researched him since he was a high school phenomenon coming out of Compton high school before attending USC. Watched about 20 USC games including his Pac-10 Tournament MVP performance and the NCAA tournament. Hes been on every scouts radar since high school. Lets just say a helluva a lot more time invested into scouting him than the time you spent looking at him between the start of this thread and now .

[Dennis P]

lol @ going 6 pages blasting a guy you've never seen play.

LOL at what I have seen him play and I'm not blasting him either I like him just not at 9

[TiKusDom]

lol @ going 6 pages blasting a guy you've never seen play.

+10000 how can anyone take someone who is crapping on a player and his body of work seriously that hasn't even seen him play a single full game

[Dennis P]

I'm not an expert at all this is based strictly on scouting reports and youtube vids. What leg up do you have 3 games?

About 1 year of scouting him in the NCAA, Ive known and researched him since he was a high school phenomenon coming out of Compton high school before attending USC. Watched about 20 USC games including his Pac-10 Tournament MVP performance and the NCAA tournament. Hes been on every scouts radar since high school. Lets just say a helluva a lot more time invested into scouting him than the time you spent looking at him between the start of this thread and now .

All the more reason why you have such a strong opinion on him already. you've clearly invested way too much of your time in this prospect... but hey to each his own. I on the other hand rely on scouting reports footage when looking at mediocre players in weak drafts I am a bit older though so my time is money...

[TiKusDom]

All the more reason why you have such a strong opinion on him already. you've clearly invested way too much of your time in this prospect... but hey to each his own. I on the other hand rely on scouting reports footage when looking at mediocre players in weak drafts I am a bit older though so my time is money...

Yeah except Ive seen that much and more of other players including Louisville, since its in my home state, Duke , Oklahoma , you name it. I watched every every NCAA tourney game with every lottery talent . Some of us around here actually watch the NCAA and its games as much as they do the NBA. If your time is money then why are you wasting it trashing 19 year old kid you've never even seen play in a college game until SS's thread a few days ago.

[basketball royalty]

I'm not an expert at all this is based strictly on scouting reports and youtube vids. What leg up do you have 3 games?

About 1 year of scouting him in the NCAA, Ive known and researched him since he was a high school phenomenon coming out of Compton high school before attending USC. Watched about 20 USC games including his Pac-10 Tournament MVP performance and the NCAA tournament. Hes been on every scouts radar since high school. Lets just say a helluva a lot more time invested into scouting him than the time you spent looking at him between the start of this thread and now .

I have to admit, I am closer to Dennis P in knowledge regarding DD but I think I have a pretty good sense of what type of players guys are when I read about them and watch some clips. That being said, I do take what guys who like you who may have scouted players a lot more in depth. That being said, what chances do you think we have in him dropping to us at 9?

I am beginning to feel more confident that he will be there barring anything weird happening and teams hopping us to get into the top 3. I think there is really only one team ahead of us that might be looking to take a SG and I would think they would take Harden.

Also, If both Harden and DD were available when we are picking, who would you choose?
I lean towards Harden though I think DD has more upside. I think Harden will very good but at the very least he will be steady and more of a guarantee to be a contributer. With DD I think he could potentially be a great player but there is no guarantee that he just doesn't get it and ends up an unfullfilled talent.

[TiKusDom]

I have to admit, I am closer to Dennis P in knowledge regarding DD but I think I have a pretty good sense of what type of players guys are when I read about them and watch some clips. That being said, I do take what guys who like you who may have scouted players a lot more in depth. That being said, what chances do you think we have in him dropping to us at 9?

I am beginning to feel more confident that he will be there barring anything weird happening and teams hopping us to get into the top 3. I think there is really only one team ahead of us that might be looking to take a SG and I would think they would take Harden.

Also, If both Harden and DD were available when we are picking, who would you choose?
I lean towards Harden though I think DD has more upside. I think Harden will very good but at the very least he will be steady and more of a guarantee to be a contributer. With DD I think he could potentially be a great player but there is no guarantee that he just doesn't get it and ends up an unfullfilled talent.

If Harden falls to 9 obviously you have to take him, but the chances of him falling to 9 are very slim. Most likely he is gone in the top 5, after that I say take the best wing prospect available who is DeRozan.

[TheDunc]

people over analyze different parts of the game for extremely young prospects too much. "he has a hard time finishing 18 footers driving left". who cares? around this time last year oj mayo was projected in this exact range. the overall package of size+athleticism+age in such a humble, mentally tough guy is too much to pass up.

derozan the package is awesome. he's going to wow scouts and gm's in interviews and individual workouts.

OJ mayo is on another skill level. Derozan could be good but lets be honest right now. If he wasnt as athletic as he is then he wouldnt even be going into the first round. His whole game is based off of great athletism. Oj mayo actually had skill to go along with his athletism. Demar Derozan should of stayed at USC and refined his game.

I think he might wow scouts when he does the athletic tests. But 1 v 1 and stuff like that i cant see him wowing them. Terence williams is a comparable athlete with a better offensive game and he didnt even wow people when he worked out with the raptors. Hopefully people are patient with him though cause people calling him a future star already before hes even played an nba game are getting ahead of themselves.I can see him averaging like 8/5 in his first year. Hes got alot of work ahead of him to be a great player in this league. Can he do it? sure why not. Will he do it? thats the real question about him

[Dennis P]

All the more reason why you have such a strong opinion on him already. you've clearly invested way too much of your time in this prospect... but hey to each his own. I on the other hand rely on scouting reports footage when looking at mediocre players in weak drafts I am a bit older though so my time is money...

Yeah except Ive seen that much and more of other players including Louisville, since its my home state, Duke , watched every every NCAA tourney game with every lottery talent . Some of us around here actually watch the NCAA and its games as much as they do the NBA. If your time is money then why are you wasting it trashing 19 year old kid you've never even seen play in a game.

easy buddy nobody is trashing anyone. I think you've developed a bit of a man crush here; don't take it as a personal attack if I don't like him for the Raps doesn't mean I don't like him.

But since you are the Czar you claim to be why is it that scouts are saying this about his game?

Whichever team drafts Demar DeRozan will be picking him in the hopes that he’ll growing into their system, and not because he’s already a great fit.

Unlike every other player in our analysis, DeRozan doesn’t make a living in any one situation, though he is one of the most efficient players on our list. In our last piece we discussed the new %Score stat which indicates how frequently a player scored a point based on their logged possessions. DeRozan ranks first amongst the nineteen players on our list at 54.4%. However, he ranks only 16th in overall PPP. This disparity stems from the fact that he shoots nearly three less three-pointers per game than the average player on our list (4.3 vs. 1.3) and ranks last in terms of three-point percentage at just 16.7%. He doesn’t get to the free throw line at a great rate to compensate and only converts on a mediocre 65% of his attempts once there. He makes up for that by shooting 49% from the field on his isolation opportunities (4th), knocking down his catch and shoot jumpers at a 43% clip (6th), and hitting 41% of his pull ups as well (4th). Clearly DeRozan has a solid knack for operating in the mid-range area, which should serve him well in the more spacing-friendly NBA. He’s also a good offensive rebounder—a testament to his excellent physical tools.

Outside of those areas, DeRozan proves a very average player across the board. His defensive rebounding totals sit just below the mean as does his assists numbers, PPP working off of cuts (1.22) and as a finisher around the rim in general (1.14). He sits a bit further below the average in a number of other situations including spot up (1.02 vs. 0.93) and transition opportunities (1.19 vs 1.03). Considering that he didn’t do almost any posting up (0.3 Pos/G) or shooting coming off of screens (0.7 Pos/G), the weight teams put on how significantly they believe he can improve his range and ability to improve his efficiency in a defined system will likely determine where he lands on draft day. A freak athlete, DeRozan has some natural offensive talent, but he’s essentially a blank canvas in terms of what kind of player he can be in the long run. Whoever picks him will obviously need to be patient, although he may more upside that arguably any wing player in this draft.

What is it you see that they don't in terms of upside I mean. What is so attractive that keep scouts from projecting him nothing more than a project.

[TiKusDom]

But since you are the Czar you claim to be why is it that scouts are saying this about his game?


What is it you see that they don't in terms of upside I mean. What is so attractive that keep scouts from projecting him nothing more than a project.

Thanks for posting DraftExpress's scout report that many on here have probably read many a time. I didn't claim to be a Czar I just find it ridiculous you're trashing this 19 year old stud who has been a phenom since high school and you haven't even seen him play in college until SS made this thread. Its a bit ridiculous.

Outside of athleticism I don't see anything about Derozan that is even remotely attractive. He can't shoot and he can't defend, he doesn't have the handles to get into the lane. He looks more like a Graham without the jumper or a G Green IMO but again only time will tell.

So you compared him to a 24 year old Joey entering the NBA, who at 19 DD is miles ahead of , and then you compared him to Green whose attitude, work ethic, and character are of extremely questionable value. Not to mention GG was a toothpick compared to DD in high school and in College. DD could break GG over his knee. That rhymes doesnt it . Either way those two comparisons are so out there for someone who has scouted DD , its just mind boggling.

[Dennis P]

But since you are the Czar you claim to be why is it that scouts are saying this about his game?


What is it you see that they don't in terms of upside I mean. What is so attractive that keep scouts from projecting him nothing more than a project.

Thanks for posting DraftExpress's scout report that many on here have probably read many a time. I didn't claim to be a Czar I just find it ridiculous you're trashing this 19 year old stud who has been a phenom since high school and you haven't even seen him play in college until SS made this thread. Its a bit ridiculous.

Just answer the question. I have already said I haven't trashed him most people here will not admit it but they are relying on the same bit of info I am. I've been doing it for years and it hasn't let me down too much.

I'd like to know what you know that the reports don't since you are in the know!