The RealGM Wizards Board Draft Thread 2008/2009

[mhd]

Repeat after me...Blake Griffin!

[mohammed10]

Well, we are on-pace for picking in the next lottery. Did they change the lottery rules after the Miami tanking season last-year?

In any case, I will start paying attention to DX and NBSdraft.net a-lot sooner than last year.
http://www.draftexpress.com/

closg: sad, but true. I have started to do the same (watching college prospects, surfing on draftboards, etc.) Seems like an annual rite of passage for us Wiz fans.

[Severn Hoos]

GRIF-FIN! GRIF-FIN! GRIF-FIN! GRIF-FIN!

I wanna hear some kickin' BeeGees tunes at the Phone Booth next year....

Edit to add: I'm watching the OU-Davidson game now. Griffin is a monster. It's not like Davidson has a great front line, but he's just toying with them. If he plays the rest of the game, he'll probably be averaging 20-20 after the first 3 games. And he's shooting 7-11 from the floor. That's 64%. And it's 20% lower than his season average. (Curry's having a nice game too, but he's having to work for it.) But Griffin is off the charts. Please, Mr. Stern, please hook us up this year!

[doclinkin]

Maybe, but shoot I want Dell Curry's boy more than ever. By year's end I expect he'll be in contention for #1 overall. Kid can score, has game recognition, will demonstrate his Point skills this year. Plays biggest on the biggest stage. I'd tank the rest of the year if it meant we guaranteed pulling his name. That's the kid. His stat progression is impeccable, gets better every year in all the little intangibles you want to see in a guard. And come tournament time he singlehandedly wins games despite defenses designed to deny him. Calm under fire. Scurry. Kid is something special.

[EDIT-spelling]

[Arenas4Three]

I love Curry but we dont need any more scorers....we will have Gil, DeBrick, and N1 in 2009. Griffin is a monster in the paint and has a very high basketball IQ. Staying at OU this season was a great decision and his game will develop nicely. I wouldnt mind tanking the season knowing we'd have a great shot to land Griff. If not, we can target Curry or James Harden (from Arizona State).

[jholmbe1]

I'm not so sure that Rubio is a terrible defender. He went up against the best guards in the world in the Olympics and I don't remember him getting torched but correct me if I'm wrong. Also, he is so young and has so much room for improvement. I'd seriously consider him with the #1 pick.

[jholmbe1]

I love Curry but we dont need any more scorers....we will have Gil, DeBrick, and N1 in 2009. Griffin is a monster in the paint and has a very high basketball IQ. Staying at OU this season was a great decision and his game will develop nicely. I wouldnt mind tanking the season knowing we'd have a great shot to land Griff. If not, we can target Curry or James Harden (from Arizona State).

I don't know if Debrick can be considered a scorer but I get your point. Hopefully we find a way to move him over the course of this season or the summer, he certainly is not a starter. As far as tanking goes, I think that will take care of itself. This team is definitely going to be in contention for the #1 pick.

[Ruzious]

Repeat after me...Blake Griffin!

Blake Griffin!

Right now, he's looking like Beasley last year - except he's got no questions about his size or attitude. And yes, we might be up there in ping pong balls - like someone thought.

Curry is a ton of fun to watch, but he's a scoring specialist - not a great all around player - and his size at the 2 will always be an issue in the NBA. Maybe in the right situation he could be special in the NBA - playing with a stud like Roy - who could share the PG duties with him. It would be fun to watch him play with Arenas. They might not defend anyone, but they'd outscore pretty much everyone.

[fishercob]

Repeat after me...Blake Griffin!

Blake Griffin!

Right now, he's looking like Beasley last year - except he's got no questions about his size or attitude. And yes, we might be up there in ping pong balls - like someone thought.

Curry is a ton of fun to watch, but he's a scoring specialist - not a great all around player - and his size at the 2 will always be an issue in the NBA. Maybe in the right situation he could be special in the NBA - playing with a stud like Roy - who could share the PG duties with him. It would be fun to watch him play with Arenas. They might not defend anyone, but they'd outscore pretty much everyone.

I think TSQVT gets props for being the first one literally shouting about Griffin.

Certainly seems like the guy can score. Can he defend? To me, that's the key question that needs to be answered to determine whether I'd pick him or trade him for someone else's vets (assuming we had the opportunity).

[Ruzious]

I think TSQVT gets props for being the first one literally shouting about Griffin.

Certainly seems like the guy can score. Can he defend? To me, that's the key question that needs to be answered to determine whether I'd pick him or trade him for someone else's vets (assuming we had the opportunity).

Too early to tell. From what little I've seen of him, he's got more defensive ability than Beasley and Love - though I don't see him being a top defender. He is a physical rebounder.

Has anyone seen Aminu, the frosh on Wake Forest? I've only seen highlights, but he looks like a prototypical SF - who may end up being big enough to play some PF. That WF team has a ton of talent. I can see them challenging Duke and UNC.

[doclinkin]

I love Curry but we dont need any more scorers....we will have Gil, DeBrick, and N1 in 2009. Griffin is a monster in the paint and has a very high basketball IQ. Staying at OU this season was a great decision and his game will develop nicely. I wouldnt mind tanking the season knowing we'd have a great shot to land Griff. If not, we can target Curry or James Harden (from Arizona State).

Scorers? I want him for Antonio Daniels' spot/DeShawn's spot. He's on a team where he has to carry the load offensively, but he's also an improving defender, ballhandler, passer, and a low-ego guy. First game out this year, and his first game as the full-time PG (after playing an off-ball catch & shoot role most often) the kid drops 9 dimes.

He just has the situation-recognition wetware that every team needs. To me that's a rarer skill than rebounding, but one that similarly makes the players around you better. Don't get me wrong I'd by no means cry about landing Griffin. Dell's boy just has that intangible thing you know when you see it. Quiet confidence, raising his game when that's what's needed. Winning more important than ego. Born to do this thing. This team is missing that more than anything else. Certainty.

[closg00]

Currently Curry is the 19th pick on the DX board. I'm confindent that he will end up a top-10 pick minimum. Next years draft is not going to be as sucky as people are saying now.

[fugop]

Repeat after me...Blake Griffin!

Blake Griffin!

Right now, he's looking like Beasley last year - except he's got no questions about his size or attitude. And yes, we might be up there in ping pong balls - like someone thought.

Curry is a ton of fun to watch, but he's a scoring specialist - not a great all around player - and his size at the 2 will always be an issue in the NBA. Maybe in the right situation he could be special in the NBA - playing with a stud like Roy - who could share the PG duties with him. It would be fun to watch him play with Arenas. They might not defend anyone, but they'd outscore pretty much everyone.

I'm sorry, but I watched OU get destroyed -- utterly and completely humiliated -- in the tournament last year by my Cards. I don't know what his problem was that game, but Earl Clark just destroyed him, particularly from the perimeter. Clark looked like a much, much better player.

Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs0TNlrXJZ0

[miller31time]

With Arenas, the Wizards simply cannot afford to draft an undersized combo guard, no matter if he's a bench scrub or the 2nd coming of Jordan on offense. This team needs three things - defense, rebounding and consistent interior scoring. No matter if Curry is starting or not, he'd be in our immediate and long-term plans, meaning he'd be playing many of his Wizards minutes paired with Arenas in the back-court. I don't care if Curry is 'improving' or not on defense. He's 6-1 (IIRC) and with Gilbert, would make our already woeful perimeter defense possibly the worst in the history of professional basketball.

Just my 2 cents, though.

[doclinkin]

Curry listed 6'3", son of 6'5" Dell, and still growing/thickening out.

[miller31time]

Curry listed 6'3", son of 6'5" Dell, and still thickening out.

Meh, 2 inches isn't changing my stance. The only way you can have a combo guard that small is if you have another guard who can cover for them defensively (ala Hinrich and Gordon / Baron and Monta when they were in GS, etc).

BTW: ESPN has him listed as 6-2, Sports Illustrated.com has him at 6-2 and Rivals.com (subsidiary of Yahoo sports) has him at 6-0.

Seems like his height is anywhere from 6-0 to 6-3 and probably somewhere in the middle.

[doclinkin]

Curry listed 6'3", son of 6'5" Dell, and still thickening out.

Meh, 2 inches isn't changing my stance. The only way you can have a combo guard that small is if you have another guard who can cover for them defensively (ala Hinrich and Gordon / Baron and Monta when they were in GS, etc).

BTW: ESPN has him listed as 6-2, Sports Illustrated.com has him at 6-2 and Rivals.com (subsidiary of Yahoo sports) has him at 6-0.

Seems like his height is anywhere from 6-0 to 6-3 and probably somewhere in the middle.

Rivals has his highschool height. He's still growing. And again I'm saying, best player available, no matter his height he's on the list.

[Da HomeTeam]

Greg Monore.

YES RIGHT NOW.

[doclinkin]

Another note on Stef Curry: kid spent his summer at camps hosted by Chris Paul and Steve Nash, teaching for a week at each camp and picking their brains.

Then comes to Davidson as the starting point guard after his PG graduated, and drops 10 dimes the first game (to go with _9_ steals and a block, only 29 pts) nine dimes the next (4 steals, 33 pts on 14-19 shooting) before his 44 pt outing vs Griffin the next night. It's axiomatic but guards from small schools who can both score efficiently and drop dimes have the markers of being good players in the NBA. Especially if they do play well when matched against top competition. It's hella easier to rack assists at big time schools with big time players, if you can collect assists on a small school you show true ball IQ. And no question it'll look even better next to real NBA finishers. Rodney Stuckey's another example.

Point being, I think the kid will prove to be one of the better PGs in the draft, the game just plays slow for him, he may not look as athletic as he is because he's economical, no wasted motion, but he has the game recognition of guys like JKidd or Chris Paul, he sees the game before it's played. That plays well on offense, defense, etc. He may not be a big time rebounder at his height, but game 'smarts' he's got in spades. It's an underrated quality but one this team desperately needs.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

doc, I'm with you on Curry.

He's going to score it like Ben Gordon, and is about the same height as Gordon. The guy also reminds me also of Mahmoud Abdul Rauf. Scoring the basketball is a talent that he just has.

I also would love to see the Wiards draft Earl Clark (if they slip too low for Griffin). Clark's a live body and a very active defender who looks to have good size for SF.

Rubio's a guy the Wizards could draft if they're considering trading Gilbert. Otherwise, I don't see drafting him.

Another guy I like is Gerald Henderson. Plays the same position as Nick, but I think he's a better slasher and a more physical player than Young.