The RealGM Wizards Board Draft Thread 2008/2009

[mhd]

I don't think blowing by Greg Paulus is an indication of talent. 80% of the PGs in the country should easily blow by him. He sucks.

I just don't see Lawson as anymore than a sparkplug. He's surrounded by seasoned college talent. Augustine didn't have much of anything at Texas after Durant left.

No way is Lawson a top 10 pick IMO.

1) Hill
2) Griffin
3) Monroe
4) Holliday
5) Rubio
6) Thabeet
7) Harden
8) Tyreke Evans (REALLY loved him coming on since he switched to PG)
9) Aminu
10) Teague

That's a sample that I feel that simply are superior picks.

[WizarDynasty]

order of preference for the wiz.

1. -Create his own shot and block 3pointers--Aminu-(instantly best s/f on team and 2 way player)
2. Griffin--above the rim carlos boozer--also non shotblocking-(is a one way player)
3. Hill--got similarities to Bosh but McGee and Blatche are better now and have a higher ceiling.(2way)
4. Earl Clark--but only because its a position of need. Very unimpressed with Clark's explosiveness (but upgrade of caron and dmac-maybe-better than caron defensively even now)-(2way maybe but not dominating in his nightly college matchups)
5. --I don't even consider 5 because there is no way we are falling out of the top 4 with our record--and there aren't any 2 way 6'9 s/f on the market..and teams definitely aren't trading them.

-McGee Young and Crittenton--could easily be lottos this years.

[dobrojim]

like I said...he looked great against over-rated dookie talent

if he starts regularly dominating games in the tourney, he'll
help himself a lot. He got to the rim/glass, and he finished
when he got there.

[dobrojim]

Teague didn't help himself last night from what I could tell
(basically by the fact that his team lost against unranked(?)
competition.

Wake appears to have been WAY over-rated when they were #1.

[Mr. Grundle]

Teague didn't help himself last night from what I could tell
(basically by the fact that his team lost against unranked(?)
competition.

Wake appears to have been WAY over-rated when they were #1.

I still think they're the most talented team in the country. They are just so young and inexperienced. They make a a lot of mistakes and turnovers, usually at the ends of games. They could beat or lose to any team in the country on any given day. Good luck predicting them in the tourney...

But if these guys stayed in school for a couple years this team would be a force like Florida was a couple years ago.

[pancakes3]

that florida team was just as young as Wake for their first championship but probably more talented overall. what's holding the Wake squad back i think is a low post presence. Aminu and Johnson are talented but they're swingmen, and their center, although big, is not a force defensively at all.

[Ruzious]

I don't think blowing by Greg Paulus is an indication of talent. 80% of the PGs in the country should easily blow by him. He sucks.

I just don't see Lawson as anymore than a sparkplug. He's surrounded by seasoned college talent. Augustine didn't have much of anything at Texas after Durant left.

No way is Lawson a top 10 pick IMO.

1) Hill
2) Griffin
3) Monroe
4) Holliday
5) Rubio
6) Thabeet
7) Harden
8) Tyreke Evans (REALLY loved him coming on since he switched to PG)
9) Aminu
10) Teague

That's a sample that I feel that simply are superior picks.

That's a pretty good list but... It doesn't look like Rubio's coming out - $6 mil buyout and he's supposedly told players... he's waiting another year. Right now, I'd guess Monroe's staying. Holliday needs another year. Aminu is so up and down and 18... I'd guess his decision is 50/50. So, 3 or 4 of your top 10 need to be replaced, imo. Do you have 3 more you'd put ahead of Lawson?

[barelyawake]

I'll be happy with Griffin, Hill, Aminu, Holiday or Rubio (though, as I said, I'm not the biggest Rubio fan at all). I have a feeling that if we weren't in need of a PF (or if a surefire PF were available in trade), that many more of us would think Aminu could be the best player in the draft. Not saying he will be, but there is much more of a chance of that happening than I believe this thread and many draft sites give credit.

Arenas/Crit
Defensive SG/Young
Aminu/Dom
Bosh/McGee
Haywood/McGee

That's another very appealing line-up. Especially if you can make that defensive SG Stephen Jackson. The more I look at the draft, the more I get upset we didn't take Rudy (or trade down for Marco and Splitter).

And I still think Tyler Smith will be the biggest steal of the draft, in terms of draft position against production.

[no D in Hibachi]

that florida team was just as young as Wake for their first championship but probably more talented overall. what's holding the Wake squad back i think is a low post presence. Aminu and Johnson are talented but they're swingmen, and their center, although big, is not a force defensively at all.

When Florida won the Tourney they didn't have overly impressive regular season's. They were solid, but didn't kick it into gear until the very end of the season and into the SEC tourney. I wouldn't say that in either championship season they were more impressive than Wake has been during the regular season. I still think Wake has potential.

[doclinkin]

Nice to see Bob Knight agrees on Curry.

[doclinkin]

Watching Jrue vs Harden right now.

[mhd]

Jordan Hill tonight at 10:30 on CSN. Everyone please watch and confirm what I have been saying all year,

[mhd]

Demar Derozen really impressed me. He's not nearly as wild and chaotic as he was billed. He's a good defender too.

Chase Budinger continues to play in a fashion that makes me a fan of his. I wouldn't mind picking up a 2nd 1st rounder to nab him.

[doclinkin]

Nice to see Bob Knight agrees on Curry.

"Best passer in college basketball... Take a good look at him cause he's as good a passer as has ever played college basketball."

This is the guy who told the Portland GM to select Michael Jordan not Sam Bowie, and when they said 'but we need a center' he said: "Look take Michael Jordan and play him at center".

He also likes Griffin of course, but seems to think he should stay until his senior year. On the other hand he also thinks that Tyler Hansborough is the greatest current college player at his position than any other player at their position. Bob Knight is great as an analyst. Nice to see him relaxed into his new role.

[WizarDynasty]

no way is curry a point. He is making passes from set plays. He isn't breaking down the defense and seeing the floor, he's making passes based on set plays. Good shooter, way to undersized to be sg...and a horrible defender. He's a offensive spark off the bench, not a lottery pick.

[Dat2U]

Watching Jrue vs Harden right now.

Yeah, i got to watch most of that game. See this is why I can't depend on scouting reports. I got a total different opinion on Jrue. He's good athlete and a good defender but he can't score! He can't throw it the ocean. I didn't see him create off the dribble or anything like that. Maybe that's not his role right now but I'd be scared to draft someone and expect him to do something totally different at the NBA level than what he did in college.

Jrue needs to stay in school. Heck if he keeps playing like that, he won't have a choice but to stay in school.

As for our boy James Harden, my opinion on him doesn't change. The 11 assists were impressive. The 8 TOs were not. UCLA was overplaying him which allowed him to set up some teammates for easy baskets but he had a real tough time getting the ball and getting off a shot. He only took 8 shots tonight. He doesn't have the lift or explosiveness to shoot over guys or go past him. His handles are crafty enough to get to the lane but he's not going to finish against bigger guys, he's more likely to pass at the stage.

Basically I see a nice role player. He's not Brandon Roy. He's pure SG. Slightly undersized and not very athletic. Very skilled, smart & heady guy but not the type you can rely on to create a shot at the end of a possession or game. He may be better coming off of screens on the next level.

As a top 3 pick, he'll be a bust. I think he can have a productive career but he doesn't belong in the top half of the lottery. He looks like a mid-first rounder at best to me. My guess is Kevin McHale will think the world of him.

I'd take Stephon Curry over Harden 10 times out of 10. Not sure how Harden gets rated as a better prospect.

[Dat2U]

no way is curry a point. He is making passes from set plays. He isn't breaking down the defense and seeing the floor, he's making passes based on set plays. Good shooter, way to undersized to be sg...and a horrible defender. He's a offensive spark off the bench, not a lottery pick.

Um, have you seen him play or are you just shooting **** out your ass again? I've seen him break defenses down off the dribble and create. I've seen him drop some of the sweetest dimes out there. He's got all the requiste skills you'd want in a PG. His handle is tight, his vision is excellent, his acumen and court awareness are off the charts.

My only concern about him is his frame and body type. He'll get knocked around a bit on the next level and posted up by more physical PGs. I'd like to see him get stronger but mentally he's tough as nails and was born with the clutch gene. Like doc says, he's a winner. He'll find a way to get it done on the next level and I think he's one of a handful of guys in his draft class with all-star potential.

He's not an exact need for the Wizards but he'd make them alot better. Put him beside a healthy Gil and that backcourt would be damn near illegal for the rest of the league.

Someone made the John Stockton comparison about Critt and we all sorta chuckled, I think Curry is a guy who actually does have alot of Stockton in his game.

[doclinkin]

no way is curry a point. He is making passes from set plays. He isn't breaking down the defense and seeing the floor, he's making passes based on set plays. Good shooter, way to undersized to be sg...and a horrible defender. He's a offensive spark off the bench, not a lottery pick.

Fluent Asstriloquism. Nice guess, but wrong as usual.

The only set play in Davidson's offense is to run a triple screen off a baseline curl to get Curry free to receive the ball when he's triple teamed-- then let him do whatever he wants to do.

Curry is a great shooter not because he's more athletic than anyone else, not because he can absorb contact, jump higher, etc. He's a great shooter because he has great vision, great anticipation. It's the same reason why he's a solid positional defender, is among the steals leaders in the NCAA, same reason why he often rebounds better than the forwards on either team in a game. Same reason why he's among the assist leaders. He simply knows the game and sees the floor better than most. Smart kid, with a natural calm and poise, raised around the game, with professional ballers in the family, as family friends, mentors, advisors.

Viewers make the mistake of thinking he isn't as athletic or skilled as he is simply because he's so calm out there, seems unaggressive or less competitive. He's poised, economical, doesn't waste a ton of energy on pointless showboating herkyjerk. He makes the smart play, which most often is relatively unremarkable. But the same thing I was seeing is what Coach Knight pointed out: he makes the right play before anyone else sees it. Gets the ball where it ought to be before you even knew you were open. Jason Kidd has the same anticipation and poise.

What's funny is the rare case when the Curry calm cracks a bit. In watching video I saw Curry make a bad cut on a pass and the defender (Appalachian State IIRC) jumped the pass made the steal, sprinted upcourt for the bucket. Curry collects the ball afterwards & passes in-- then when the other kid turns his head to follow the action, Curry ducked his shoulder into the kid's solar plexus and runs through him. Walks him backward chest to chest, while pretending to look up court towards the action 'til the kid shoved backwards, stumbling. Must have been pissed at the steal, he disengaged after the refs looked. But that chippy stuff, while it shows up, is mostly under the radar. S'Curry Clearly hates to lose, he just manages the emotion well. And that's a pure talent that's tough to teach, veteran poise.

And skinny as he is I see him take the contact off screens and picks and lean into it. He doesn't seem to mind getting bounced around a bit. He'll build a bit of weight yet, muscle, but it's a good sign that he seems not to notice the contact beyond breathing a little heavier in the timeouts.

It's still tough to tell how good he may be overall because of the subaverage level of competition, but he has played well on the biggest stages. And that vision & anticipation thing is as good as anyone else's at any level.

[doclinkin]

Jrue needs to stay in school. Heck if he keeps playing like that, he won't have a choice but to stay in school.

As for our boy James Harden, my opinion on him doesn't change. The 11 assists were impressive. The 8 TOs were not. UCLA was overplaying him which allowed him to set up some teammates for easy baskets but he had a real tough time getting the ball and getting off a shot. He only took 8 shots tonight. He doesn't have the lift or explosiveness to shoot over guys or go past him. His handles are crafty enough to get to the lane but he's not going to finish against bigger guys, he's more likely to pass at the stage.

Basically I see a nice role player. He's not Brandon Roy. He's pure SG. Slightly undersized and not very athletic. Very skilled, smart & heady guy but not the type you can rely on to create a shot at the end of a possession or game. He may be better coming off of screens on the next level.

As a top 3 pick, he'll be a bust. I think he can have a productive career but he doesn't belong in the top half of the lottery. He looks like a mid-first rounder at best to me. My guess is Kevin McHale will think the world of him.

I'd take Stephon Curry over Harden 10 times out of 10. Not sure how Harden gets rated as a better prospect.

On Jrue, draft site murmurs suggest he'll stay in school anyway. If not, I doubt he'll go as high as he has been marked. There's something there but it hasn't yet taken root. Right now he's deferring to Collison, next year it's his team. Yeah he can't finish much, incomplete offensive game. This is the sort of stuff why scouts and cognoscenti like him. This wasn't his best game though.

As for Harden, he reminds me of the offensive version of a guy like (defensive roleplayer/glue guy) Aaron McKie. Necessary Roleplayer. A solid piece to add, nice to have on your bench, a chemistry helper, but yeah, not strictly lotto, top shelf. I wouldn't hate him with a late-round pick. He's not worth where he's ranked, but I wouldn't cry if the Wiz landed him later.

On offense though, many of the calls and whistles he gets at the college level will go the other way in the pros. And his midrange game/inside game will suffer from the longer shotblockers. He's smart enough to adjust. He'll have an impact, but he won't be as first tier a player. I love his college game though. Smart, good shake and anticipation. Hard to believe he's as young as he is. He looks like Gilbert's dad or something. "Let me show you how we used to do it back in my day'. The same distance on the three, same shake and shimmy and fearlessness as Agent Zero, only on VHS tape speed. The 8-track Gilbert. Slower by a fullstep. He makes up the difference with cunning. The over-40 guy at the rec league who makes the youngsters look silly.

I still think he could slim up a little and speed up a notch without losing his game. Thing is the Sendek match-up zone defense lets him get away with doing next-to-nothing defensively beyond snatching rebounds away from 2-guards and the occasional SF. I expect he could become a better defender, but right now he barely moves 8 feet on D. Not bad, but doesn't have to use an ounce of energy on D, doesn't matter that he may be a little thick around the middle. Unless my eyes deceive me.

But he does have a deep and fluid NBA three ball. And from three on in, he can hit any open shot you give him. In a pick-and-roll-heavy system with bigs who can pass back he could really piss off an opponent. And maybe next to a big pure point, with bigs inside to keep defenses distracted, he'd shine. (Philly's second unit, halfcourt unit, with Andre Miller and Elton Brand. You could build an interesting offense out of that. Methodical, mistake free. If they weren't running uptempo with the youth movement).

Hmmn. Thinking. Man. If his defense were a strength not an iffy question mark, this is the exact kind of player I'd want to do something with. On a trade down, for a power frontcourt upgrade.

Dunno. Still thinking.

[Ruzious]

Sorry I missed the game. But looking at the scoreboard - the great Holliday - who is typically in the top 5 on most mocks - 0 points, 1 assist, 3 to's. And who guarded him most of the game? Wouldn't that have been Harden? The same Harden who nearly had a quadruple double? Was he trying to be Superman?

The reason you take Harden over Curry is size. Harden has what - 50 pounds on Curry - and 3 inches. Doc's point is right - about Harden's conditioning - once he gets in real shape, he's going to get even better. It's hard to believe this guy is just 19 years old. And the fact that getting in shape will make him even more productive - there's no question in my mind that he'd be a better fit for the Wiz than Curry. Curry is not going to be the off the ball player in the NBA that his father was - He needs the ball to be at his best. Obviously, Arenas does, too. And neither of them are going to guard... the Hardens of the NBA. And Harden's rebounding will be a big plus for a poor rebounding team like the Wiz.

Curry will likely slip in the draft, but Harden will definitely be in the top 5 - with an outside shot at being the 2nd pick.