At some point this afternoon, I’ll be submitting my pick to Ridiculous Upside for whom the Pistons should select with the 29th pick of next week’s draft. So far, 22 picks have already been made (you can see them all below the jump), and six more will be posted on the site before I’m officially on the clock at 3:30pm.
I’m leaning toward Bill Walker — Arnie Kander eats knee injuries for breakfast, and the Pistons really, really need a backup small forward — but feel to try changing my mind by campaigning for your pick in the comments.
Update: I went with DeVon Hardin. Let the cheering and/or gnashing of teeth commence.
1. Chicago Bulls- Blog-A-Bull: Derrick Rose
2. Miami Heat- Peninsula is Mightier: Michael Beasley
3. Minnesota Timberwolves- Canis Hoopus: OJ Mayo
4. Seattle Supersonics- Ridiculous Upside: Eric Gordon
5. Memphis Grizzlies- 3 Shades of Blue: Kevin Love
6. New York Knicks- Posting and Toasting: Russell Westbrook
7. Los Angeles Clippers- Clips Nation: Jerryd Bayless
8. Milwaukee Bucks- BrewHoop: Anthony Randolph
9. Charlotte Bobcats- Queen City Hoops: Joe Alexander
10. New Jersey Nets-Nets Daily: Brook Lopez
11. Indiana Pacers-Indy Cornrows: DJ Augustin
12. Sacramento Kings- Sactown Royalty: Marreese Speights
13. Portland Trailblazers-Blazers Edge: Brandon Rush
14. Golden State Warriors- Golden State of Mind: DeAndre Jordan
15. Phoenix Suns- Bright Side of the Sun: Danilo Gallinari
16. Philadelphia 76ers- Ridiculous Upside: Darrell Arthur
17. Toronto Raptors- The Dinosty: Chris Douglas Roberts
18. Washington Wizards- Bullets Forever: Roy Hibbert
19. Cleveland Cavaliers- Waiting For Next Year: Courtney Lee
20. Denver Nuggets- PickAxe and Roll: Mario Chalmers
21. New Jersey Nets- Nets Daily: Donte Green
22. Orlando Magic- Third Quarter Collapse: Kosta Koufos
What about Nicolas Batum if he’s still available? I’ve also liked the D.J. White possibility since he’d be the best offensive threat of our young big men or Robin Lopez would be a nice hustle “true center” that a lot of DBBers have been calling for. I also like Walker, but Batum would be the guy I’d call for.
Update:
At 23, the Utah Jazz take F/C Jason Thompson (Rider)
At 24, the Seattloma Superboomers take C Robin Lopez (Stanford)
I was hoping Thompson would be available. In the actual draft, he probably will be around when the Pistons pick. I don’t want D.J. White; the Pistons have enough power forwards with limited ability to play center. Walker would be a good pick. If Batum falls to the Pistons, though, Matt should snatch him up. He’d be a great value at 29.
Matt…
Either go SF or big man. Walker is definitely intruiging, although his knees worry me a bit even if we have Arnie. From what I’ve read Batum is very talented, but he’s a couple years away. There are a group of intruiging big men as well in Hardin/Ajinca/McGee/Anderson/White. All of those guys bring something different to the table.
Joey Dorsey! I think there are so many backup SFs available in free agency every year that you don’t need to draft one unless you’re sure he’s going to be a stud. Teams always need good young bigs, though. I think Dorsey is a truly unique player w/ his defense & rebounding.
I’ve said this many times before on DBB and I’ll say it again (and probably again and again until Thursday night): DeVon Hardin. Joe D. apparently made a promise to him last year for the #27 pick had he come out. He had another solid year and we showed how desperately we need a back-to-the-basket center. DJ White would be a stud with our squad, but he’s built quite similarly to Baby Eater so it’s quite redundant. Gotta disagree, respectfully of course, with Birdman re: Jason Thompson. I absolutely think he’s a nice player, but I think there are a couple better fits for the Stones in this draft.
I like what Omer Asik brings as he’s the most conventional of the other center prospects. Ajinca has mad gifts but I just think he’ll get bulldozed by stronger NBA players (Kendrick Perkins’ fat ass would squash him). Love Hardin’s teammate Ryan Anderson, but I’m not sure he’s a good fit either. Like Ajinca, I’m very weary of these big guys who tend to drift out to the perimeter on offense. Bill Walker could be an excellent choice should we choose to go backup SF and I certainly wouldn’t be disappointed if we took him. However, if we draft Walker, we better (to the dismay of many DBBers) sign Diop (or someone comparable) to play some defensively-inclined minutes at backup center. I think that’s our squad’s biggest hole and probably the hardest to fix.
By some accounts Hardin had a disappointing season but he would have to be the pick. The Piston sneed some young athleticism at the 5 and he would help.
In reality I would love to see them try to move up and nab CDR. Slasher with a midrange game who can defend. Some might also point to the fact that in his brief collegiate career he has been on a winning team, is from Michigan and although slight, could probably bench more than Tay.
Glad you mentioned Hardin, LB. I think he also would be a good pick. I would prefer Batum, but what do I know? It’s not like I’ve seen either play; I just read things and formulate a slightly informed opinion.
Hardin could be good. Anyone know why his stock seems to have dropped so badly? Also, Ty Lawson could still be available when we pick and would be a great value (especially if we ship out Chauncey). Any thoughts?
Love Hardin. Can you imagine he at the 5 and Amir at the 4? Blocked shots and fast break dunks all game long.
However, if Walker checks out fine at the physical (knee not to serious) then I see a guy playing with a chip on his shoulder. Got lost behind Mayo as a college prospect, didn’t have great reviews before he hurt his knee. Has something to prove.
Shinons: Lawson is going back to UNC. Pulled his name out of the draft along with Ellington and Green (2009 NCAA Championship, much?).
Birdman: With you re: Batum just not Thompson (who I agree is likely to be there on Thursday at #29, as you said). The last thing I want to see the Pistons do, is go for a C who averages (at the very least) a three-point attempt/game. Perhaps it’s petty, but the fact that Hardin knows he can’t (and so he won’t) drift out to the perimeter makes me so much more excited at the prospect of drafting him.
MarkButter: I’d still take Hardin over Walker (I think we need Hardin’s experience and development more than Walker’s bonkers upside) but I like what you’re saying.
I am surprised that JaVale McGee has not been selected yet in the Ridiculous Upside mock draft. I’m not even advocating Matt taking McGee if he is there, but it would make for a tremendous “value” pick if you subscribe to such a theory (which I do not subscribe to).
Ah…we probably shouldn’t draft Lawson then. Thanks for the info. I hadn’t seen anything on McGee, but he looks interesting. But I’m with you on no perimeter big men. They’re just always too soft. Offensive game is good, but mean streak is better.
I’d like to see the Pistons trade up to around 20 to get Mario Chalmers.
Sell it for cash! This will give us more flexibility to move some starters and being in new and HUNGRY blood.
Okay here goes my latest Pistons fantasy.
Pistons draft Walker at #29
They then trade Wallace, Maxiell and Prince to the Lakers for Odom and Bynum.
In 2008-09 our starting lineup would be
Amir
Odom
Bynum
Billups
Hamiltion
Odom’s contract of #14.5 million expires after 2008-09. We do not resign him.
Then in 2009-10 our starting lineup would be
Amir
Bynum
Walker (replaces Odom)
Stuckey
Rip
At this point we would have knocked about $23 million off of our salary cap for 2009-10.
Rip’s contract expires after 2009-10. Then we would knock another $10 million off for 2010-11 which would give us over $30 million (LOL) in annual salary to go after Lebron in 2010-2011. So maybe in 2010-11
Amir
Drew
Lebron
Walker
Stuckey
Well I can always dream. LOL
Actually, if you have to pick. I like Robin Lopez. He’ll be a solid presence in the paint.
Whoops. I didn’t see Robin is already off the board…and..we’re not getting Bynum. No way the Lakers trade him unless his injury is worse than expected.
How about 22 years old 6′10″ SF/PF Pat Calathes of St. Joseph’s with the 29th pick? Draft Express says, “Not only a shooter, Pat is a surprisingly effective slasher for a player his stature. He goes left and right equally well, using his high basketball IQ to compensate for his lack of verticality.” He’s a good passer too.
Not that quick but he seems like he would be a solid pro with the potential to be a Hedu Turkolu-type player. He’s a older so I think he could step in and play minutes now.
Mike - I was looking at Laker trades on RealGM last night. I don’t want Odom on my team but some team will be willing to deal because his number comes off the cap for 2010. I don’t think it will be the Pistons because I think any deal for Odom sets back the Pistons next year and Detroit has a legit chance to win an NBA championship with some tweaks and improvement from the young guys.
Regarding DBB’s mock draft.
I compared it to DraftExpress and DBB’s mock draft makes more sense to me with one exception.
DBB has the Magic taking Koufos at 22. I would imagine that this is based upon the best talent available theory because I can not see Koufos and Howard together in the starting lineup.
Therefore I would have the Magic trade down at #22 to the early second round and then take Ryan Anderson whose offense is a lot more varied than Koufos is.
I don’t think it will be the Pistons because I think any deal for Odom sets back the Pistons next year and Detroit has a legit chance to win an NBA championship with some tweaks and improvement from the young guys.>>
I agree with that, but that 2010-11 lineup looks pretty darn good and non of the guys would be over 24 years old.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again — DJ White.
I’ve said this many times before on DBB and I’ll say it again (and probably again and again until Thursday night): DeVon Hardin.>>
Nothing personal here but,
I can tell you about DeVon Hardin. I saw him play a number of times last year and you couldn’t tell he was even on the floor when watching the game or looking at his box score line.
He is a 4 year senior who at the end of last year was coming off the bench for a lousy Cal team.
Hardin has no offense and plays soft on defense. He has one great quality. He has a physic that would be ideally suited for WWE. Hardin and his game belong in the YMCA league.
Everything I’ve read about Hardin leads me to believe he’s on the soft side. I’m not sure he fits the Pistons profile.
I tried reading as many scouting reports as I could and Bill Walker was the only one that really excited me.
John Hollinger has an article up on ESPN, ranking the draft’s big men. Hollinger did this last year, but has changed his system to get better results. His numbers hate DeVon Hardin, for what it’s worth.
Birdman: Makes me all the more convinced that Hardin is the right guy then.
then Amir Johnson must not be the answer
If mocks have you anywhere between early to mid 2nd round, then you’re not worth a #29 pick and a guaranteed rookie contract.
Pass on DeVon Hardin… take a real big body like Nathan Jawai or any of the other 5 big men listed ahead of the 9.3 ppg averaging DeVon Hardin.
Jawai is a legit presence at 270lbs and 6′11″.
Hollinger’s stuff is awesome. I think using his numbers is as good a starting point as you are going to find, but obviously not the end answer. I’d be weary of anyone who doesn’t rank favorably compared the draft position they are expected to be in.
I don’t see how acquiring Odom does us any good. Watch him alot here in SoCal and he just disappears in games. That might have something to do with Kobe, but Kobe made a good effort this season to get everyone involved and Odom still disappeared. I’d rather keep Sheed and have his contract come of the books.
I think Joe has his eye on one or two players and if the opportunity is available, he trades up in a major way. I mean big time surprise trade to the point where he might weaken the bench to get a player he wants. Just a gut feel.
I haven’t heard or seen much on Chuck Siambe (sp) and know he has a year of D leauge at least. Does he help us at all in 09-10?
Also, I hear Stuck, Amir and Max playing in the Vegas summer league. Any of that true? Am planning on attending a game or two with my kid(s) if possible.
Finally, I love the way B. Davidson stepped up and said he also wanted Flip gone. I think it takes a bit of heat off Joe D around the league..particularly since B. Davidson is picking up the check.
MB in SoCal…From what i’ve read Cheik Samb will be spending next year part time in the D-League, in order to get a lot of PT, and part time with the Pistons so that he can practice against our big guys and maybe play a little too. I would expect him to be up full time with us in 09/10.
I believe the summer league roster will include Amir, Stuckey, Afflalo, Samb, but I don’t think Max is playing.
Boney: Jawai seems to have some excellent gifts I grant you, but I worry a great deal about his defense. I’m thinking he’ll bring Maxiell’s offense (ie: legit post-up game w/a beautiful shooting touch) with Kendrick Perkins’ defense (ie: the occasional solid block in the paint on occasion, but generally just a confused/frustrated look on his face when he gets beat on defense). Perkins has 3 Hall of Famers so he never has to answer to any blame for how awful he truly is. Jawai may not have any Hall of Famers on the court with him if he suits up for the Pistons. I’d still rather take Hardin’s (plentiful) shortcomings on offense so that we can maximize his defensive skill and intensity.
P.S.: Boney, um, Hardin is ahead of Jawai in plenty (but not all) of (reputable) mock drafts. so by your own logic, a #29 is certainly not worth Jawai either.
Thanks Jim. Looks like I better start making reservations now for a hotel.
My Draftboard at 29 going off the guys who havent been taken yet;
1. Alexis Ajinca- A legit 7 foot C that is highly athletic, he has the toughh mentality that Dumars looks for in players can hit a long range J but can also play in the low post and not get pushed around. According the draftheads he has outplayed likely green room candidates Deandre Jordan and JaVele McGee and is moving up the board. He is similiar to Cheick Samb but is 5 years younger and more NBA ready. Detroits in good hands if they can get him at 29
2) JaVele McGee- going off this mock, looks like this kid will be the lost one standing in the green room. He was projected an early lotto pick but his stock is slipping because he declared a year too early and his mother is mishandling him. But in anycase, McGee is a legit 7 footer with a 7′6′ wingspan, he is fast and athletic and has range on his jumper out to 3 pt lane. He is a project, but if given time to develop he will likely be very very good, but if he doesnt get the time he is going to bust. Very good value at 29
3)JJ Hickson- Now, although Hickson is a 6′9” PF he is the best player available. He is a beast in the post and on the boards and could be picked as high as 16 to Phili, who apparently has been very impressed by him. He doesnt really fill a need but he could push Amir Johnson to play C since AJ is 6′11” and has room to get stronger.
4)Serge Ibaka-6′10 PF- Ibaka is a highly athletic 19 year old PF, he is also a project at 29 but has high upside due to his athleticism, and range on his shot. He, like Hickson doesnt fill a need but is the best available player and would also push AJ to play C.
IMO All of those guys are much better value than Bill Walker, although he is my 5th choice.
I’m likeing DJ White.
Some interesting numbers crunching by Hollinger over at ESPN regarding how good a player potential draftees will become. He highlights only the big men in his article. He will have a separate article about the smaller guys.
You can read the whole article on the link but here is what his numbers say about DeVon Hardin.
Quote:
Better Update That Passport
—————————–
Greg Stiemsma, Wisconsin, 11.96; Joey Dorsey, Memphis, 11.87; James Mays, Clemson, 11.79; Aleks Maric, Nebraska, 11.73; David Padgett, Louisville, 11.51; Ryan Anderson, California, 11.43; Charles Rhodes, Mississippi St., 11.11; Shawn James, Duquesne, 10.97; Will Thomas, George Mason, 10.84; Will Daniels, Rhode Island, 10.61; Othello Hunter, Ohio State, 10.45; Kentrell Gransberry, South Florida, 10.42; DeVon Hardin, California, 10.39; Brian Butch, Wisconsin, 10.20; Darian Townes, Arkansas, 10.25, Longar Longar, Oklahoma 10.10.
Chances are we won’t see any of these players get a second contract, but one or two might defy the odds.
The only one seen as a potential first-rounder is Hardin, but his stock has dropped for the same reason that his rating is so low — his college production never kept up with his reputation.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=DraftRater-080620&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsid er.espn.go.com%2fnba%2fdraft2008%2finsider%2fcolum ns%2fstory%3fcolumnist%3dhollinger_john%26page%3dD raftRater-080620
Another thing for the Pistons to consider if they do take an international player such as Ajinca or Jawai is that they will play for their national teams. I see this as a good thing for seeing what a player is capable of if they get solid minutes against the worlds best.
LB: Jawai will most definitely struggle his first few years in the league defensively. From what I have read about him he only started playing at 15 so that would mean he has a lot more to learn about the game.
*Extreme Aussie Fanaticism Alert*
Also if you want to watch some exciting basketball talent that may be in next years draft, keep an eye on Andrew Ogilvy and Patrick Mills during the Olympics. Those two will probably be joined by Jawai on the Australian national team, which I am hopeful will finish top five.
The most troubling thing about Hardin is that his numbers got a bit worse from his junior to senior seasons. That tells me his foot injury either capped or hindered his performance. He may be the only big man in the draft with real DOWNside.
I would opt for Jason Thompson. He reminds me of Craig Smith with a bit more size (height, not girth). His rebounding and blocking has improved substantially each year, which leads me to believe he may not yet have peaked.
I am of the mind that it is best to gamble this late in the draft. No sense drafting for a bit player. One has to think the Pistons are willing to take a chance on a player from a relatively unknown college.
Boney makes a good point about picking 29th. If you aren’t sure you want the pick on your roster for 3 years then dump the pick and sit 2nd round or D-league guys at the end of your bench. Otherwise the guaranteed contract is an albatross.
I remember the Bulls picking Travis Knight with the 29th pick of the 1996 draft and just renouncing his rights. They didn’t even bother trading the pick!
None of these guys we are talking about strikes me as very good. I’d rather trade the 29th pick and sign Nick Fazekas as a cheap free agent for the bench. I spent enough time worrying about how Alex Acker and Sammy Mejia will fit in with the Pistons roster to know that projecting these project guys is best left for the Detroit front office.
Update: The Rockets take Batum. Darn.
joejoejoe: I admit it’s a crapshoot, but Josh Howard was the #29 pick in 2003. I know that 2003 is basically the ultimate draft of the past 20 years (heck, Barbosa was #28), but you can find guys at any point (even undrafted free agents) if you just evaluate successfully. I mean, Korver was the #52 pick (#22 in the 2nd round) in that draft. Damn.
My point being, Joe has a tendency to evaluate correctly in these slots. Here are his late first rounders (23 or later) since becoming President of Basketball Operations in 2000: 2002 - Tayshaun @ #23; 2003 - Delfino @ #25; 2005 - Baby Eater @ #26; 2007 - Afflalo @ #27. Plus, you can tack on Okur in 2001 @ #37 and Amir in 2005 @ #56. Joe’s only blown 3 of 8 first round picks since being here (2000, 2001, #2 overall in 2003) and all of those flubs were in the top 15 AND at least five years ago. I like Joe to get things right with a #27 pick.
The guy essentially has had a midas touch the last 5 years (and when he picked Tay). Whoever he picks, I’ll trust it instantly. I remember last year on draft night hearing that we picked Afflalo and I was absolutely livid. I was screaming about going for Fazekas. Long story short, I’m an idiot and Joe’s not. I suppose we could’ve picked Carl Landry, Big Baby or Ramon Sessions at that pick in hindsight, but Afflalo was a damn good choice considering what was left available. No knowledgeable fan can complain about that pick, really.
If I had my druthers, Joe would take DeVon Hardin this year. If he chooses to take someone else, I’ll get behind it that instant. If he chooses to deal the pick (even if it’s for cash, a player he can waive to avoid a two year guaranteed contract, or a pair of future second round picks), I’ll feel comfortable in his conclusion that no player left at #27 deserved at the very least a two-year deal. I kind of think that Joe will keep the pick, but it could simply be wishful thinking toward a Hardin, Walker or D.J. White.
I don’t know why a player at the end of the first round would have a contract that’s considered an albatross. It guarantees the player about $750K in the first, and about $800K in the second, and those are generous estimates. The 3rd year option is only $850K as well. Without any other moves, I think Joe D can use the full MLE, the full-biannual, AND sign the first round pick without going over the tax threshold.
2nd round pick.
At #59 any guy you get here will be a definite long shot.
I think that there might be two guys at #59 that we could look at. Not very likely we could trade that pick.
1. Luc Mbah a Moute - Another Howland guy who played with Afflalo. Like Afflalo he is an excellent defender but at 6′8″ can guard more positions than Afflalo. His offense is work in progress to say the least but if he is available at #59 Joe D. and Curry might want to take a chance because of his excellent defensive skills.
2. Keith Brumbaugh - I think he has already been discussed. His history of brushes with the law as well as his history of smoking herbal medicine do give cause for concern and in that regard he does not fit the Pistons player mold. He is a local kid whose physical build is very similar to Tays including being a left handed shooter. He lit up the stats sheet at Hillsborough JUCO last year including about 35 ppg aand over 10 rpg and over 5 assists a game. At #59 he Joe D. might think he is worth the risk even though he is 23. He could start in the D-league and go from there. The downside is very little and the upside would be immense.
Corr:
Brumbaugh averaged only about 7 rpg.
http://www.nba.com/draft2008/profiles/KeithBrumbaugh.html
i read something the other day that golden st might be willing to draft jason thompson at #14. so it seems the likelihood of him being there at 29 is about the same as javale mcgee being there.
here’s the update on the denver trade possibility:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3455530
sounds like my iverson dream is dead. though it would seem like he’s more likely to be a trade asset for denver in the final year of a monster contract. i don’t know if i like the chauncey and tay for melo deal. i think melo’s just too soft to be a piston.
I think Jawai has a strong chance of becoming a rich man’s Nene, while Nene takes the role of being a poor man’s Jawai…
I’d rather take athleticism and potential over a soft pac-10 big man, if we’re taking anyone at all with that pick. We have problems dressing guys right now as it is, if it’s not someone we can use (Bill Walker, DJ White) almost immedinately then put a wad of cash in your back pocket and let the Spurs draft the next Manu Ginobili
If one makes the big assumption that the core will still be together next season, this team has two glaring needs personnel-wise that I think most of us would agree upon: a dominant starting center or a viable backup for Tay at SF. Thinking about what we’ll most likely be able to accomplish by drafting this late in the first round leads me to believe Bill Walker would be the best choice.
This late in the draft, the remaining big men are such huge question marks. I at least see some probability of Walker stepping in next season and seeing the floor a few minutes. He’d be a competent backup for Tay (assuming he’s still a Piston) who can at least score and provide athleticism. He’s proven he can get to the basket against legitimate NCAA competition.
To expect any of the potential remaining center prospects to battle another team’s veteran bigs is asking a lot. Any of the remaining guys are going to take multiple years of development before they’re NBA-ready. And the core isn’t getting any younger. I think this team as-is would be better served finding a STARTING a center for next season (shifting Sheed to the 4 and Dyess to the bench). That’s only going to happen via free agency or a trade.
However, if this becomes drafting for upside rather than trying to improve next year’s roster, I’ll go for Ajinca as an alternate. It’d be a fun race to see if he or Cheick turns out to be the better Piston.
Mike - Keith Brumbaugh played HS ball in Deland, Florida. I don’t think he has local ties to Detroit unless he grew up in that area. I believe Brumbaugh is worth a shot with the #59 pick. He’s got work to do with his shot selection and disciplining his game but from everything I’ve read he’s a very coachable player who just got in off court trouble, that is what delayed the growth of his game. I also think he’d be happy to play in the D-League if the Pistons didn’t have a roster spot available. I’m not sure that’s how most D-I players feel even if they are late 2nd round picks.
My Pistons minor deal wish list is…
1) swap the 29th pick + whatever to move up to around 20 and Mario Chalmers
2) sign Nick Fazekas as a cheap free agent for front court depth and defensive rebounding
I’m surprised Patrick Ewing Jr. is rated so low. He goes undrafted on most Mocks. I thought he was considered a productive player with good athleticism.
what’s so god damn special about Nick Fazekas? He would provide 0 depth on that front line, especially considering that the Mavericks ran him out of town at a time they needed big men the most (after the Kidd trade).
I’m beginning to think Fazekas is your brother or cousin joejoejoe…
Another intriguing prospect for the second round is Marcus Dove. He’s a great athlete that plays good defense. Has very little offensive game though.
QD: Low-down on PEJ from our two coincident years at Indiana:
- Very solid defensive player, especially in one-on-one situations with good instincts to create steals or block shots
- Gets in trouble big time when he plays help defense in the paint, as his overzealousness often results in quick, silly fouls
- Has Zoo Crew attitude written all over him: high-energy, defensive-minded player
- Offensive game has some nice weapons but is extremely inconsistent, and apparently this has only improved marginally in his two years as a Hoya
- Had what most people consider to be the most awe-inspiring dunk in IU Midnight Madness/Hoosier Hysteria dunk contest history (aka the JR Smith special) seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J8oY3RkYbk
Other facts to consider:
- Highest vertical leap (no-step = 35″ w/step = 42″ [tied with Mayo]) in this year’s combine
- Apparently he has a seven-foot wingspan
- DraftExpress also had this to say though:
“Patrick Ewing Jr. recorded the highest max vertical leap on the day recording 42”, but struggled on the bench, finishing with only 2 reps. His 9.4% body fat was surprising for a player of his build as well. At only 6’6 without shoes, he’s between positions with his measurables and game very much in conflict.”
That all being said, I have been a big PEJ fan at times. In spite of the fact that I’ve found him to be very polite and humble in my handful of encounters with him, despite being “Patrick Ewing Jr.”, I just don’t think he has NBA potential. He might’ve if he’d had a solid four-year run at one school that did an excellent job refining his game, but he’s twenty-four and a lost cause to me.
With that, DraftExpress had this to say about DeVon Hardin in the same June 3rd article:
“DeVon Hardin stands 6’10.75 in shoes with a 7’3 wingspan, he had 20 reps on the bench and recorded a 32” max vertical leap.”
Perhaps Hardin has gotten stronger than people think. Gooooooooo Hardin!
Boney - Detroit was 27th in the league in defensive rebounding last year. Nick Fazekas was a better defensive rebounder than any Piston (in limited minutes) and projects out as Reggie Evans with some offensive game. The Pistons can get him without losing a player in a trade and he projects out much higher than any of the bigs we are discussing in this years draft. I think there is a good chance he pans out as a Udonis Haslem or David Lee-type player. John Hollinger had him highly rated last year in the same system that projected Stuckey as a near lottery pick so I think the Pistons could really get a steal by picking up Fazekas.
And that Mavericks trade was incredibly stupid. How’d it work out for Dallas?
Living in Los Angeles I got to see Nick Fazekas play last year in maybe 15-20 games.
1. He was 3rd on the their depth chart at the center position behind Kaman and Josh Powell. Josh Powell? I am not sure that the Pistons want someone who can’t beat out Josh Powell who is only 6′9″ for backup center on the Clippers.
Most of his work was done in garbage time.
Depending on who we draft in the first round, whether it is a big or Walker then PEJ might be an option with our #59 pick. For most of last year PEJ was Georgetown’s first guy off of the bench. He only started 12 of 34 games.
Based on LB and Mike’s comments, sounds like the Pistons can do better than PEJ.
Wonder what the deal is with Mamadou Samb?
I don’t put any stock in Dallas’ player assessments. It’s clear to me that they have no clue as to how to evaluate personnel. Fazekas would be good to have if we move Sheed.
I’m not going to be heartbroken if the Pistons don’t get Nick Fazekas but you can’t say garbage time doesn’t count for Fazekas and then project players like Amir Johnson into stars based on the same small sample sets. PER 48 minute NBA stats project a lot better than subjective “upside” projections. Fazekas’s numbers look a lot like David Lee’s rookie numbers in about 1/3 the sample size. The reason I keep bringing up Fazekas is the big players being mentioned in this draft are all projects and Fazekas shot 57% in 1/3 of an NBA season and his numbers project out to 14 pts and 12 rebounds in 36 minutes. That’s much better than Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson last year. I know there are other aspects to the game of basketball then scoring and defensive rebounding but it’s not like I’m picking obscure stats here.
Note - Just about every minute of Clipper basketball for the last 30 years has been garbage time.
Update:
26. San Antonio Spurs- Ridiculous Upside: JaVale McGee
27. New Orleans Hornets- At The Hive: Ryan Anderson
28. Memphis Grizzlies- 3 Shades of Blue: Bill Walker
It seems to me it’s between D.J. White and DeVon Hardin now. Whom do you prefer, guys?
D.J. White would be a nice, safe choice - he was the heart and soul of IU. Something seems weird about Hardin. Alexis Ajinca and J.J. Hickson both seem to have a ton of upside and are what we’re looking for (especially Hickson).
I think I’d go with Hickson. He seems to give us the same toughness and scoring ability that D.J. White would, only with more potential. Anyone know much about him?
I’d rank the three players…
1) J.J. Hickson
2) D.J. White
3) DeVon Hardin
White is slightly better now but Hickson is only 19 years old vs. White being 21 years old. Hardin is the right size and athletic but he just doesn’t seem to be a very good basketball player after 4 years in a major conference D-I program. That’s a red flag to me.
Yay Tayshaun. Way to get selected for Team USA. Just watching the press conference now, and it looks like Dunkin’ Donuts might be taking up all 5 spots of Dwyane Wade’s Fave Five.
If we’re talking Ridiculous Upside mock draft, value pick here is Ajinca. Surprised no one mentioned the Frenchman since there’s no way he should last to 29 in this draft. I would have a hard time turning a blind eye to a legit seven footer with a nasty wingspan. That being said, I think Hardin’s upper body strength is far superior to Ajinca, who’s like a seven-foot noodle. If these were the twenty-eight guys taken prior to our pick I’d be a little indecisive about picking a favorite. DJ White would be a solid pick here in terms of talent and projected NBA success, but isn’t Maxiell the heir apparent to McDyess? Why would we want another? With Walker off the board (was hoping he wouldn’t be), I have to give the slightest edge to Ajinca, because even if he ends up sucking as bad, he can’t be nearly as unathletic as Brezec. I say, go international at pick #29.
I’d go with Alexis Ajinca, since he is still available (which he will not be on draft night). With Walker off the board, the opportunity to fill a need is no longer there, unless we have a need for a very bad center, in which case Hardin should be the pick.
The Pistons can afford to wait on Ajinca, stowing him in Europe or the NBDL until he beefs up. Besides, if we need to get tougher, what better way than to draft a center named Alexis?
I also think Joey Dorsey would be interesting, but we might be able to snare him in the second round, if need be.
LB posted while I was writing, I didn’t mean to be redundant.
Lots of talk on the internets about Joe D. angling for Josh Smith. As huge as my soft spot is for Dice or Tayshaun, the $11 million per or so that is being talked about for Smith’s new contract, that guy is worth trading one of the aforementioned studs (and more) for it.
All I know is these next few weeks should be very exciting and really interesting.
DraftExpress update yesterday.
They have us taking Bill “Sky”Walker.
Fropm HoopsHype.
Pistons
Bill Walker 6-6 SF Kansas State / Freshman
A physical specimen at the small forward spot. Strong, and incredibly athletic forward with superb toughness and leaping ability. Creates shots thanks to his strength and terrific first step, and finishes incredibly well in the paint. Extremely aggressive player who competes on both ends of the floor. Makes his impact felt on the glass, as well as being a pesky defender when he puts his mind to it. Perimeter jumper is very streaky, and lacks any real mid-range game he can rely on at this point. Ball-handling could still stand to improve. Has already suffered two ACL injuries in his short career
http://hoopshype.com/draft.htm
Walker actually has a nice quick release on jump shot. His mechanics need work to make him more consistent but he definitely has NBA 3 point range.
Hollinger’s got his numbers up for point guards and wing players. The numbers love Joe Alexander and hate Bill Walker. Hollinger conceeds that a low projection for Walker is probably due to injuries. Also, O.J. Mayo and Derrick Rose fare well but not that well. Mario Chalmers is a Hollinger sleeper.
Birdman, look at the position by position analysis of the draft candidates on draftexpress.com. Bill Walker rates fairly well.
This is from NBAdraft.net. It is from 2006 but according to report I have read his jumping ability and athleticism at the I believe it was Orlando camp are almost back to where they were before the ACL injuries.
Strengths: An absolutely jaw dropping, electrifying dunker capable of getting air like the greatest dunkers of all time, Jordan, Dominique, Vince Carter, Josh Smith etc. … His leg strength and explosiveness is off the charts … His skill level is still catching up, but he has shown tremendous progress over the past year … Improvements have been seen in shooting, feel for the game, as well as creating offense off the dribble … Over powers opponents with his body strength, and it will only get better as he’s just a 18 year old pup … Has a killer instinct, with a real nasty side to his personality. Has no problem dominating inferior competition, competes hard … His upside is incredible, but for now he’s a superstar athlete developing into a quality basketball player …
Amir, Josh Smith and Sky Walker. These of the best leapers active today and all of them can play.
Oh, and I agree that Alexis Ajinca should be the pick in this mock draft.
Hollinger makes a comment that Walker’s numbers may be low due his still get his leg strength back.
Walker has also lost 20 pounds since March which has helped a lot.
Also, don’t forget Hollinger’s numbers don’t take into account mental and physical toughness, one on one defensive ability, leadership quality, which Walker has in abundance. If you watch some KSU games toward the end of the year Walker was directing on court traffic regarding positioning on almost every play in both offensive sets and on defense. This includes directing Beasley where to go on the floor. Walker has a very high basketball IQ and according to at least one scout spends hours watching tape and preparing for games. Definitely a Curry type guy.
Alex Ajinca, and I have seen him play is another Cheikh Samb. With Amir becoming our next center Ajinca would be a project that we have no need for.
I don’t think that Joe D. wants another Darko project.
QD, I am a fan of Bill Walker. I hope my posting Hollinger’s criticisms doesn’t give a contrary appearance. I’m not sold on any of the bigs that would be available at #29; they’d either replicate what we already have on the roster (D.J. White, J.J. Hickson) or failed to produce in college (Hardin).
In the Ridiculous Upside mock, count me in for Alex Ajinca. Stash him away in Europe for a little while.
i would prefer to mock trade the mock draft pick to another mock team so we don’t have to pay the mock salary on the mock guaranteed contract.
Ajinca and Samb have a lot of the same qualities.
THey are both 7′1′ C with 7′8” wingspans that can block shots and shoot jumpers out to the three point line.
THe onlhy difference is that Alexis is 20 Samb is 25, and Ajinca is far more NBA ready than Samb is at this point. He has outplayed Deandre Jordan, Javele McGee repeatedly in heaad to head workouts and is wowing over personnell with his mental toughness and demeaner. THere is a reason why Ajinca is moving up into the lottery in most mocks and he is a no brainer for Detroit at 29
I’ve got to think that if Walker hadn’t suffered two ACL injuries, he’d be a lock to go in the lottery. I think he’s a really high value pick if he’s there at 29 for real on Thursday. If Amir had gone to college instead of coming straight from high school, he probably would have gone a LOT higher than 56. Perhaps we could get the same kind of “steal” (technically Amir hasn’t actually produced anything consistent worth raving about yet, though of course I agree that the potential is there) because of bad timing in terms of entering the draft.
I think Hardin’s ceiling is quite low by comparison to a lot of the players being discussed, but I think a lot of DBBers are putting WAY too much stock in his offensive production and dismissing him too quickly. I don’t think we need much offense at all from the guy for him to be worthwhile on our team. All we really need Hardin to do on offense is clean the glass, occupy space in the paint. Amid the DBBers’ proclivity toward hating on Hardin, no one has seemed to claim that Hardin can’t handle the aforementioned tasks competently. On defense, Hardin should be able to body up most centers and get an occasional block.
The really undervalued thing about Hardin is that despite his multiple limitations, he plays within them. He doesn’t try to do too much, as evidenced by his 50+ career field goal percentage at Cal and the fact that he turns the ball over only half as much as JaVale McGee or Jason Thompson. He strikes me as a heady player who would reach his fullest on a squad like the Pistons. The Celtics get a lot out of Perkins’ ability to fill space and just put back misses despite having no real offensive skill. Perkins doesn’t have any true defensive mastery either; he just works hard. If the Pistons had a guy like that (who certainly could counterattack Perkins should it come in the playoffs), I believe it would do us a lot of good. We’ve had a center who hasn’t really played to his strengths in the paint a lot, it’d be nice to have one that does. DraftExpress calls him a “garbage man”. Before I get all the cute puns telling me he is “garbage”, think about how that fits in with our team.
2 words…
JaVale McGee
Guess he was already taken…
He would have been a steal.
Perkins was a stiff before Allen and KG were there to spread the floor. He was also a high schooler, DeVon is 4 years into the game now.
If you cannot dominate Pac 10 centers in any statistical category:
points
rebounding
shot blocking
shots defensed
Then you’re not worth a 1st round contract. See Brook and Robin Lopez’ steady fall from top lottery pick and top 15 (for Robin).
“Walker has also lost 20 pounds since March which has helped a lot.”
This is encouraging, though a lot of players are able to get it together to lose weight in time for the draft, then celebrate their first-round status at the buffet. I’m warming up to Walker, but we have to be prepared for the possibility that he’ll be a total dud.
“All we really need Hardin to do on offense is clean the glass, occupy space in the paint. ”
But he’s a bad rebounder, which tells me he’s a bad defender. If we are looking for someone to occupy space, we should dig Oliver Miller out of retirement.
Ford has Ajinca in the lottery now.
This is a bit off-topic, but on Bill Davidson, he must be about 85 years old. Should he pass away, will the franchise stay in his family? There must be some contingency plan.
LB, I think the DBB reservations about Hardin are not about his lack of offensive ability but about a reported lack of aggression.
He clearly has the athletic gifts but without some toughness he’ll never be a great rebounder. Big Ben would go after the ball above the rim. He just wanted it more than anyone else. I don’t think it’s something you can develop when you get into the pros.
In contrast, Kwame Brown is one of the most impressive physical specimens I’ve ever seen (and I still think the Lions should try to sign him) but he never got the memo that no one’s going to out muscle him.
I haven’t seen Hardin play but everything I’ve heard about him is that he’s a great athlete but is passive.
I value power and aggressiveness over anything else. Hell, Perkins can barely jump over the rim, but when he puts his mind to it, he can get 20 boards in a game.
Has to be Ajinca now. Like another poster said, value pick at this point in the Ridiculous Upside draft. No way this is how it plays out on real draft night though.
According to DraftExpress, Ajinca has been really impressing scouts, so much so it looks like he will now be a lottery pick.
It appears I was wrong about my assessment of him. Sorry about that.
-Another player that Portland could very well take a long look at (since Alexander and Westbrook are apparently out of reach) is Alexis Ajinca, who they are reportedly extremely intrigued by. Other teams that have worked him out recently have come away raving not just about Ajinca’s exciting combination of skills and physical tools, but also about his strong intangibles. He is reportedly impressing teams with his terrific personality and motivation to succeed, and is believed to have excellent leadership skills. There is an outside chance he could be drafted as high as 9th by Charlotte. Teams who did not do their research on Ajinca during the season (and there is no shortage of them unfortunately) beyond what he showed at the Hoop Summit are frantically trying to get him in for a workout, but to no avail. Ajinca last visited the Utah Jazz and will likely turn down a workout with the Phoenix Suns in favor of the 76ers on Tuesday. It’s possible that Portland goes full circle with the French connection and selects him and Nicolas Batum, should he slip to the early 2nd round.
http://www.draftexpress.com/blog/Jonathan-Givony/
Here’s Hoopshype on Hardin:
Promising big man with the physical tools and upside NBA scouts crave. Excellent wingspan, combined with great frame and fantastic athleticism, makes him the type of big body every team needs inside. Runs the floor well, hits the glass, and is a very good finisher inside. Excellent lateral quickness defensively. A bit of a tease, doesn’t always play up to potential. Very limited offensively– average hands, no face up-game, no left-hand, and unpolished footwork in post. Intensity wavers, gives up space inside, and is often in foul trouble. Not productive enough in senior year. Average shot-blocker. Young for his age, has solid intangibles, and still has great upside if the light bulb ever comes on.
The comparison is to Brendan Haywood. Color me skeptical with that comparison and the disclaimer of “if the light bulb ever comes on”. I kind of like Walker, but he’s definitely a boom-bust type and we can ill afford another bust at the 3.
Other Matt: If we could get a Brendan Haywood type (you know, one that blocks shots on occasion, rebounds well, and stays in the paint) without having to give anything up (except for a two-year guaranteed deal under $2 million/per), color me ecstatic. We could use a guy on our team who shoots over 50% from the field and is a legit 6′11 and 250 (ie: not named Amir Johnson or Jason Maxiell).
Young for his age is an interesting comment. Young for his class, perhaps?
LB,
Pretty much everything I’ve read on Hardin says that he’s essentially the homeless man’s Ben Wallace. We don’t need that. We need somebody who can play legitimate minutes at the 3, defend, and not make us all go “shit, we’re not going to win a title without Tay playing 234546 minutes per night”. Now, if Hardin had the light bulb go on, then we can talk. But I’m not taking a guy with wavering intensity who “sometimes plays to his potential”. This is the exact kind of attitude we’re trying to rid ourselves of. If we got another guy like that, we’d all go mental.
Other Matt: I call to your attention (and to that of the DBB community collective) as to what DraftExpress had to say about the DBB-beloved Amir on June 26th, 2005 (two days before he was drafted). You might find this a bit strange to read this excerpt about Amir considering it’s pretty much par for the course in terms of the criticism Hardin has received by you and many others here at DBB since I started lobbying strongly for him (whole thing here - http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Amir-Johnson-293/):
“Inconsistency is the next big thing that sticks out to me about Johnson. Whether it be his effort or his actual play, it seems to [be] really hard to predict what Amir Johnson you will get night in and night out, as he doesn’t always seem to be 100% focused on the task at hand.”
DX then goes on to talk about how frail he is, something we all know and have complained about at times, but don’t have to really worry about with Hardin. That being said, I think the last thing people question about Amir these days is his effort and/or willingness to improve and follow direction. Despite DX’s penchant for leaving out small words like “be” in their evaluations, they tend to evaluate fairly competently. They call Hardin a bit of a project, but I think though much less so than Amir (obviously with less upside). Fine by me since all indications say Hardin is marked as an extremely eager pupil with a desire to improve (again, much in the vein of Amir) even if he has a low ceiling. I don’t care that Hardin is a 21 year-old college senior whereas Amir was an 18 year-old high school senior on draft night (the type of argument I’ve heard against Hardin 100 times, four years of college, blah blah blah). Age is the most overblown thing in evaluating rookies. Of the ten members of last year’s All-Rookie Teams only Durant and Young were the ones to play before their 21st birthday and only Stuckey joined them as ones who left before completing three years of college ball or some sort of equivalent. If Hardin learns on the fly how to bring it consistently every night (and what better guy to preach than Michael Curry?), it will benefit us majorly, especially in the future.
That being said, Thursday is Joe’s night to shine, not mine. Whoever Joe picks (and if he picks Hardin it will absolutely validate my view in my mind and you’ll all hear about it), whether it’s Hardin or not or the pick is dealt, I’m getting behind the decision 100%.
On a separate note, I found this article on Blaha quite worthwhile to add to the speculation pool in terms of offseason moves:
http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/2008/06/blaha_on_wdfn.html
Again:
If you cannot dominate Pac 10 big men during any of your 4 years in college, you’re not worth a 1st round pick.
High School is high school, and rating guys in high school who are 3-4 years away from making an impact is totally different than rating a 22 year old rookie who had 4 years at a Pac 10 school where if you can’t dominate like Leon Powe, then you’re going to be a homeless man’s Leon Powe, not even reaching the level of homeless man’s Ben Wallace.
Here’s 3 Shades of Blue on DJ White:
The rest is here.
Josh Smith? YES PLEASE.
Did you just say Josh Smith?
I think I wet myself.
“read this excerpt about Amir”
I read this:
“Put up great numbers in the NBADL.”
I don’t think you’ll read anything about Hardin having put up great numbers. The article also notes that he has potential as a ball-handler and has a nice touch, which you also will not read about Hardin.
Saying a player’s light bulb is out is a nice way of saying that player is stupid and lazy. Hardin has had four years at an amateur level to prove that he is not.
He’s not stupid and lazy, but he is unproductive and not a post presence.
4 years in the Pac 10 and not a single run of domination until what, the last 4 games of his career?
If we take him, I’ll support it. If we take him in the 2nd round, then I’ll give it a standing ovation.
The fact remains that as a 4 year senior last year Hardin was not even good enough to start for a mediocre Cal team.
The fact remains that in two games against UCLA Hardin got totally dominated by K. Love a 19 year old non-atheletic, overweight shorter guy than Hardin.
Hardin is terrible in games, regardless of how he performs in workouts.
It was at the end of year that he was not starting
Weak in the Pac 10 = doesn’t translate well in the NBA.
Jawai for Australian Prime Minister
A lot of people are under the misconception that because the Celtics dominated the Lakers front line that the only way to beat them is to have guys with WWE bodies playing on your front line.
Atlanta beat the Celtics 3 times at home with a front line of players with athleticism, energy and skill. Odom and Gasol are not athletic and mostly not energy type players. Atlanta would have won the series if their team had a deeper bench and their young athletic guys were more experienced in the playoffs
I believe that Joe D. will draft athletic, high energy guys, with who have a lot of skill. Hardin at best has only one of those qualities
JAWAI FOR AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER!
Aha! I’m not going to bite on that Boney. You just want me to say how much I like him and think he should be our pick in the draft. You won’t trick me into talking about his wingspan that is bigger than a bald eagles! I simply refuse to say that Jawai will be a fine player at some point and that we should draft him because his upside is ridiculous and he has only being playing since 15.
Wont get me this time.
Laughton,
I’m sorry you won’t bite on a guy that is going to make Nene become the “poor man’s” Nathan Jawai.
He’s a physical specimen and he will clog the paint. I trust “Australian rules” anything over Pac 10 whipping boy who appears to only be playing basketball right now because a high school coach told him to play because he was tall.
I’d rather trade our #29 pick on Brendan Haywood than take a guy who we hope “could be as good as” Brendan Haywood. Haywood isn’t special, but at least he’s solidified his value.
OBAMA/JAWAI ‘08!!!
Brenden Haywood may not be bad, but I find him terribly irritating to watch.
LB, I get what you’re saying about Amir and his projection and all that, but this is 2008 where our needs are slightly different than they were in 2005 when we took AJ. I don’t “hate” Hardin the way many people here apparently do, I think getting a competent backup at the 3 is a way way way more pressing need than front court depth. As of now we have Maximus, Sheed, Dyess, Amir, and random-veteran-yet-to-be-signed, I don’t see how Hardin fits in without wasting away in the D-League or taking away minutes from Amir. Which, by the way, was a contributing factor to Flip getting booted, and would probably cause mass chaos here. If Walker or CDR (or by some miracle Brandon Rush who would be freaking perfect for this team) are still on the board, you have to take one of the swingmen/3s. If there’s nothing available, you take the best available player, and if it’s the homeless-man’s-Leon-Powe than that’s who it is (sorry, I couldn’t resist, that nickname made me laugh out loud when Boney used it).
Anyway, I’m looking forward to draft night, it should be good fun around here.
Also, everybody’s gotta read the Chad Ford-Bill Simmons chat from today, Ford murderized Simmons to the point where I’m not sure I can take his NBA stuff (the only good thing he does) seriously anymore.
Other Matt: I have absolutely nothing against Walker, let me be clear about that. I really think he would’ve benefited from another year in college, but he would be a guy I would recommend picking. I agree that a backup 3 is a big priority. I also want a guy who shows Sheed where a center belongs in half-court offensive sets. Whether that guy is Brendan Haywood (I wish), DeVon Hardin or Sheed himself, I think that is a very important adjustment needing to be made.
That being said, I’m fairly positive that Nathan Jawai will never amount to anything in the NBA. He couldn’t even whoop a bunch of kiwis in an elimination game in Australia’s NBL. He put in 4 points, 3 boards and shot 2/9 over 31 minutes in (presumably) his last game ever in the NBL. No signs of Stuckey-like excellence under pressure there. Now one game does not a bust make, but I don’t know how a person could be so encouraged by a guy putting up solid numbers in the Australian NBL.
If he can get 17.7, 9.6 and 57.5% over the course of a season in a real league (say, the Spanish ACB league or a large chunk of the Euroleague season) and not just the Australian league (sorry Laughton), I’ll be impressed. There’s a reason why his competition plays in Australia. It’s because not a one of them is good enough to get a sniff of the NBA. I don’t think any Australian NBL alum has ever ended up in the NBA, so I’m not going to put much stock in Jawai putting up nice numbers in that league. Hell, even Kwame Brown could probably have nice numbers in the Australian NBL.
I mean jeez, I’d way rather have Omer Asik who at least played in the Euroleague. Maybe he’s one of those upside gambles that pans out. Jawai? Doubt it.
LB: My heart aches at such a put down of my beloved Jawai
Seriously though, yes he did have a crap-tastic game but the kid was a rookie (ROY) and was MVP of the NBL All Star game. I’m not saying the NBL is a strong league, it isn’t nearly as strong as the European leagues. Up-tempo is the best way to describe it I think. Hell, we just had one of the foundation clubs (Sydney Kings) fold due to a prick owner that didn’t pay players.
However, the NBL did produce one of the best international players my humble little country has ever seen, Andrew Gaze. He also happened to win a championship with the Spurs (not on playoff roster due to injury) and I believe is also the greatest point scorer in Olympic history and the second greatest scorer in World Champs.
Shane Heal played for the Timberwolves, Luke Schenscher played for the Bulls (and cant make the Olympic team). Shit, even Luc Longley who is from Denmark (which is 30 min from my home home town) played and won some champs. Brad Newley was drafted by the Rockets last year, David Anderson by the Hawks in 2002 and he dominates Euro league play for CSKA Moscow.
I can agree with your argument LB on all points except for the one regarding the talent that the NBL has to offer. Kwame would still get owned here because it is closer to FIBA rules and physicality than people realise. For a league that pays players peanuts compared to many others and can’t even be seen on most people’s TVs here, it has produced and can produce bloody good players.
Jawai can play in the NBA, at what level remains to be seen. I would welcome him with open arms to Detroit, the kid is a fine individual as well as a basketball player.
LB I enjoy your comments and your analysis of everything basketball, so I look forward to further discussion on all topics here on DBB.
I could care less which new actors are selected when.
The newest Chad Ford mock draft has CDR falling to the Pistons.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=MockDraft-080625
Oh, to dream…
If we wind up with CDR and Darnell Jackson, that would be a very solid draft.
CDR would be a great pick at #29, but whatever Joe does I’ll back it. I remember how pissed I was when he took Afflalo, but he was obviously a very solid pick at that spot.
Has anyone ever seen Richard Hendrix from Alabama play? I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on him since I’ve never seen him play. In 30 mpg as a junior he avg. 18/10 on 60% fg with 1.3 spg and 2 bpg. I’m reading his draft profile on ESPN and he sounds exactly like the type of player Joe D likes;
Positives: A man child. NBA body and huge catcher’s mitts for hands. Physical player who works hard on the boards. Long arms allow him to play taller than he is (He’s 6′9 250 lbs). Good athlete. Developing a nice midrange game.
Negatives: Lacks great foot speed. Undersized for his college position for center.
Summary: Hendrix had an excellent junior season at Alabama, but NBA scouts have been skeptical in the past. They think Hendrix succeeds because of his strength. Once he gets to the NBA, he’ll look much more average. Still, given the numbers he’s put up at Alabama, you have to give him a look.
jim-i remember going through the measurement chart of the various draft picks and hendrix’s wingspan leaping out at me: 7′3″. that’s a lot like jason maxiell. i always like guys who have that extra reach especially for the defensive end of the court. there’s a number of 2nd rounders like that and hendrix is one of them, along with james gist from maryland and othello hunter from ohio st (who nbadraft.net has us taking in the 2nd) and then at guard, demarcus nelson from duke and lester hudson, who has a longer wingspan than derrick rose. i wouldn’t mind using #59 on any of those guys.