The RealGM Wizards Board Draft Thread 2008/2009
Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 10:00 pm
Jumping Headlong off that Ledge and into the NBA Draft
The Wizards are exactly one game into this NBA season, and it was a loss to the Nets. The team has a roster that's propelled it into the playoffs each of the last four years, but beyond the first round only once, and that was against a Bulls team pretty similar to the squad that managed to pick first in last years draft. Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison are a triumvirate of talent as unstoppable as any in the NBA, except by injuries, those'll stop them by December. We have eighty games of Wizards basketball to look forward to but we lost to the Nets.
So, what's a fan to do when the local team looks like it might be in for a rough year? Stop watching, stop caring? Stop overreacting? Short of sticking a fork up your nose and manually rebooting I'm not sure that's an option for most of us, so options are we left with? What a silly question! It's always a good time to complain about Eddie Jordan look ahead to the draft!
What's Up with the Tread?
This is the Wizards board draft talk thread for the next year or until ya'll fill it with so many fawning tributes to my uncanny scouting eye that we reach the page limit. Within this thread goes whatever thoughts or questions you might have about the draft, about draft eligible prospects, eligible draft prospects, and general drafting philosophy. Feel free to evaluate prospects in whatever manner you so desire, after all Doc likes to read horoscopes, CCJ uses stats and I'm from the future, and we all manage to get things right every once in a while. But if you want to be a huge nerd take a look at some of these fine links before forming your opinions.
Draftexpress:
A nice draft site with everything from scouting reports to detailed statistics.
NBAdraft.net:
How much do you love Connor Atchley?
John Hollinger's Statistical Method of Prospect Evaluation:
The Big Sexy explains why math makes Adam Morrison terrible.
The Second Draft Thread from 07/08:
A pale shade of the Ed Wood produced first thread, but a good read nonetheless.
You again? Are draft threads all you do?
No, I broke the news of Mike Halls signing way back in 05/06. Thanks for asking!
So, let's get fantasizing, I'll start us off:
Name: Austin Daye
Position: Small Forward/ Power Forward
Height: 6'10”
Weight: 200 lbs
Current Affiliation: Gonzaga University
Date of Birth: 06/05/1988
Why he's fly:
You might not know it, hidden as he is in the Western Athletic Conference and having played less than twenty minutes a contest during his freshman year but Austin Daye is a BAMF. Austin is already the most talented player on a pretty talented Bulldog squad, and this fact should become increasingly evident as he's given more burn and a more featured role this year, even if Mark Few continues to emphasize court balance with his deep roster.
Daye will almost certainly find himself checking power forwards most of the time in college, but with such a slight frame, and a perimeter oriented game, small forward would seem to be his best fit at the next level. Daye is a good athlete with more than enough height for the position, and the the agility and coordination to take advantage of it. Last year he managed the second best rate of blocks in his conference, and a more than respectable defensive rebounding rate as well. Some scouts are less than impressed with his defensive fundamentals, however, so he might have to make an adjustment this year in order to sell evaluators on his NBA readiness.
Offensively Daye is equally impressive. He's already a solid shooter, with the range to score from anywhere, and the form to do so with consistency. Daye demands constant defensive attention because of that range but is unfortunately less effective when taking outside shots on the move. He's not a shooting specialist necessarily, he shot less than two three point shots a game last year, but he hit 41% of those he took and is already so reliable at the line (88%) that there's every reason to be optimistic going forward. Daye is a good ball handler for his size, but not yet better than good, and while he can score in the post it's not terribly hard to push someone as thin as he is away from the basket.
Gonzaga has a lot of talent this year, particularly on the offensive end, so while Daye might be the best of the bunch, particularly when viewed as a pro prospect a opposed to a college player, but the Zags might not need much help scoring, so don't expect a statistical explosion. But Daye is too good not to be a big part of even a good college team, and should be the same in the NBA one day.
Quick Comparison: Rashard Lewis
The Wizards are exactly one game into this NBA season, and it was a loss to the Nets. The team has a roster that's propelled it into the playoffs each of the last four years, but beyond the first round only once, and that was against a Bulls team pretty similar to the squad that managed to pick first in last years draft. Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison are a triumvirate of talent as unstoppable as any in the NBA, except by injuries, those'll stop them by December. We have eighty games of Wizards basketball to look forward to but we lost to the Nets.
So, what's a fan to do when the local team looks like it might be in for a rough year? Stop watching, stop caring? Stop overreacting? Short of sticking a fork up your nose and manually rebooting I'm not sure that's an option for most of us, so options are we left with? What a silly question! It's always a good time to complain about Eddie Jordan look ahead to the draft!
What's Up with the Tread?
This is the Wizards board draft talk thread for the next year or until ya'll fill it with so many fawning tributes to my uncanny scouting eye that we reach the page limit. Within this thread goes whatever thoughts or questions you might have about the draft, about draft eligible prospects, eligible draft prospects, and general drafting philosophy. Feel free to evaluate prospects in whatever manner you so desire, after all Doc likes to read horoscopes, CCJ uses stats and I'm from the future, and we all manage to get things right every once in a while. But if you want to be a huge nerd take a look at some of these fine links before forming your opinions.
Draftexpress:
A nice draft site with everything from scouting reports to detailed statistics.
NBAdraft.net:
How much do you love Connor Atchley?
John Hollinger's Statistical Method of Prospect Evaluation:
The Big Sexy explains why math makes Adam Morrison terrible.
The Second Draft Thread from 07/08:
A pale shade of the Ed Wood produced first thread, but a good read nonetheless.
You again? Are draft threads all you do?
No, I broke the news of Mike Halls signing way back in 05/06. Thanks for asking!
So, let's get fantasizing, I'll start us off:
Name: Austin Daye
Position: Small Forward/ Power Forward
Height: 6'10”
Weight: 200 lbs
Current Affiliation: Gonzaga University
Date of Birth: 06/05/1988
Why he's fly:
You might not know it, hidden as he is in the Western Athletic Conference and having played less than twenty minutes a contest during his freshman year but Austin Daye is a BAMF. Austin is already the most talented player on a pretty talented Bulldog squad, and this fact should become increasingly evident as he's given more burn and a more featured role this year, even if Mark Few continues to emphasize court balance with his deep roster.
Daye will almost certainly find himself checking power forwards most of the time in college, but with such a slight frame, and a perimeter oriented game, small forward would seem to be his best fit at the next level. Daye is a good athlete with more than enough height for the position, and the the agility and coordination to take advantage of it. Last year he managed the second best rate of blocks in his conference, and a more than respectable defensive rebounding rate as well. Some scouts are less than impressed with his defensive fundamentals, however, so he might have to make an adjustment this year in order to sell evaluators on his NBA readiness.
Offensively Daye is equally impressive. He's already a solid shooter, with the range to score from anywhere, and the form to do so with consistency. Daye demands constant defensive attention because of that range but is unfortunately less effective when taking outside shots on the move. He's not a shooting specialist necessarily, he shot less than two three point shots a game last year, but he hit 41% of those he took and is already so reliable at the line (88%) that there's every reason to be optimistic going forward. Daye is a good ball handler for his size, but not yet better than good, and while he can score in the post it's not terribly hard to push someone as thin as he is away from the basket.
Gonzaga has a lot of talent this year, particularly on the offensive end, so while Daye might be the best of the bunch, particularly when viewed as a pro prospect a opposed to a college player, but the Zags might not need much help scoring, so don't expect a statistical explosion. But Daye is too good not to be a big part of even a good college team, and should be the same in the NBA one day.
Quick Comparison: Rashard Lewis