Draft Prospects thread

[FArting]

Do you think Serge or Allen Morrill will get drafted?

 

[JCSunsfan]

Atlanta, Charlotte, and Milwaukee are locked at 22-37 for the 4-6th worst records in the league. Hope Atlanta doesn't get lucky.

 

[overseascardfan]

I would like Horford, Law, and Nick Young w/ our picks. PF that does what KT does but is alot younger, a smooth 2-way PG, and a high flying 2 guard that would provide alot of athleticism to the backcourt.

 

[joshstmarie]

i have a very VERY good feeling about rudy fernandez. i see manu written all over that kid. heres hoping he drops to us in the later first round.

 

[Divide Et Impera]

I would like Horford, Law, and Nick Young w/ our picks. PF that does what KT does but is alot younger, a smooth 2-way PG, and a high flying 2 guard that would provide alot of athleticism to the backcourt.

That would be an AWESOME draft. Immediate depth and added youth and athleticism across the board. Unfortunately, Young will be gone by the CLE pick and Law could also be gone by then as well....

If we came out of this draft with Horford and Young, I wouldn't care if they drafted Oliver Miller with their pick - it just wouldn't matter who they picked at the end....

 

[azirish]

I honestly think the Suns will use all three picks, although this may be to trade up. My feeling is that there will be some farily strong talent in the late 20's. If I was putting together a "needs list", it would be:

Athletic big man who can defend, rebound, block shots, and shoot free throws.

Point guard who can push the ball.

An athletic "make his own shot" SG/SF who can play defense and is a decent ball handler. The Suns are too dependent on Nash and struggle to score when the game slows down. A JJ who will pass the ball to Amare would be nice.

 

[cly2tw]

A JJ who will pass the ball to Amare would be nice.

Hahah. To become a great JJ, you gotta have some ego. JJs without an ego are way too common that we already have two of them on our roster.

 

[B-Dogg]

Not sure if this has been posted yet but this kid from China in some of the limited action I have seen looks to be a good fit for the Suns and is now outside of Oden and Durant my favorite player in the draft. For a seven footer has a nice handle, passes the ball well, and shoots the ball well.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6plJTvMW04

 

[jbeecham]

Not sure if this has been posted yet but this kid from China in some of the limited action I have seen looks to be a good fit for the Suns and is now outside of Oden and Durant my favorite player in the draft. For a seven footer has a nice handle, passes the ball well, and shoots the ball well.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6plJTvMW04

He looks like he has a pretty good offensive game with great agility and good quickness and overall speed. His ball handling and post moves look pretty good as well. There were very few defensive highlights and his looks pretty thin for a 7ftr so he'd probably struggle defensively, but on our team he could work.

NBA Draft reviews say he isn't a strong defender, gets pushed around, not strong enough to play PF and not quick enough to play SF (he'd have to play C on the Suns). There are conflicting reviews on his shot blocking ability. Uses his agility to get rebounds rather than positioning (like Amare used to). At times he can be too laid back on the floor. Slow release on his jumper. Weak hands (ball slapped away, bad catching). May actually be 2-3yrs older than he is listed.

 

[Russ Smith]

I would like Horford, Law, and Nick Young w/ our picks. PF that does what KT does but is alot younger, a smooth 2-way PG, and a high flying 2 guard that would provide alot of athleticism to the backcourt.

Young is kind of a tweener though he's never really played SG at USC because they've always played 3 guards and he's guarded SF's. He's a great talent and I love his improvement this year on his outside shot and defense but he's still not really played much guard. He's actually played games at PF both this year and last year.

Great leaper but he's not particularly quick and doesn't handle the ball that well. Has upside but he needs work on his guard skills.

 

[jlove]

Speaking of Yi Jianlian, here's some more videos of him below. I agree with a poster earlier that said besides Oden and Durant, Jianlian is my next favorite for the Suns in this draft. I honestly think he'd be awesome for the Suns. A LOT better fit and player that Noah too. Just think of a front line of Amare, Marion and Jianlian. His shot is great from 18 on in, with some decency behind the 3pt line. He wouldn't neccessarily have to be a great defensive presence with the way the Suns play because of Marion and Amare's defense. With those 3 on the frontline, defensive switches wouldn't be a huge problem. I can Jianlian as a good weekside defender like AK47 is for Utah. Unless Iavaroni leaves this summer for a head coaching job, bulking Yi up and getting him defensively with help from Iavaroni and Amare helping him out.

Here's all the relevant videos of Yi Jianlian. This kid, IMO, looks like a better prospect for the Suns than Noah does.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3lF3Vgs53o8

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6fVJpeo7PvE

http://youtube.com/watch?v=QxOTfZg2wjU

http://youtube.com/watch?v=TxHjuRoTLxA

http://youtube.com/watch?v=A6plJTvMW04

 

[JoRain]

Here's another name for you - Spencer Hawes 7 footer from Washington
Saw his name in draftexpress.com - right with the Suns (Atlanta) pick. They also say, he's one of the best offensive centers at the collegiate level in recent memory.
I don't have really an opportunity to follow college basketball, so...
Has anyone seen this guy ? any thoughts about Suns drafting this guy ?

yeah - and better Suns stay away from that China guy Jianlian. He doesn't have any post moves at all, and is pretty terrible defender - really his all game depends on his jumpshot and if he struggles with that... also with all that he is not a very good shooter from behind the arc. Also, there were reports earlier, that this guy is not really coachable and doesnt like to work hard. With all that, I would hate to see the Suns take him with a top 10 pick. If he would fall to the area of Cleveland's pick....then that's another story

 

[azirish]

Hawes never looked quick enough for Suns basketball in the games I've seen him in.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Hawes never looked quick enough for Suns basketball in the games I've seen him in.

harumph.

also, yi looks really soft. that said, he also looks rather fluid putting the ball on the floor, which is really surprising given his stature.

i'm still pining for brendan wright or al horford.

 

[OldDirtMcGirt]

I guess I'm in the minority when I say that I really like Yi Jianlian. Of course I have B. Wright and Horford ranked ahead of him, but I believe that both of those guys will be gone by the time we pick. One of Jianlian's best attributes is his speed and athleticism, which is exceptional for a 7 footer. But probably my favorite part of his game is his passing ability and basketball IQ. This guy is going to be a stud in the NBA, and would make a great long term investment.

 

[OldDirtMcGirt]

Just a few more things about Yi that I think are important (from www.nbadraft.net):

"Fundamentally sound player with a decent basketball IQ and court awareness"

"Runs the floor especially well considering his size"

"His perimeter shooting is very impressive as he can stretch the defense out to 18-20 feet comfortably"

"Excels in an open court offense that promotes fast breaks thanks to his mobility and leaping ability"

"Plays with solid aggressiveness, competitive player with a high level of energy and intensity"

"Can face the basket from 12-15 feet and get by bigger players off the dribble as well as knock down shots out to 18 feet with consistency"

"Has a fiery side(unlike Yao), if he gets elbowed he will get payback."

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3lF3Vgs53o8

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6fVJpeo7PvE

http://youtube.com/watch?v=QxOTfZg2wjU

http://youtube.com/watch?v=TxHjuRoTLxA

http://youtube.com/watch?v=A6plJTvMW04

that first one is hilarious. the "18 moves of yi?" gimme a break. what the hell does that show? that he can do certain orchestrated moves with no defenders? just hilarious.

i will say this though, he definitely has some athleticism. i'm somewhat impressed with his aggressiveness as well.

anyone else notice that he routinely jumps too late? he should be taking off much earlier given where he ends up on his jump when he makes contact with the rim. also, the kids gonna be a regular dunking technical foul with all his acrobatics on the rim.

 

[Russ Smith]

Hawes never looked quick enough for Suns basketball in the games I've seen him in.

Hawes is VERY skilled, great hook shot with either hand, can shoot the ball, good passer. Also incredibly soft, he's getting a bit tougher now that he's healthy but he doesn't get near enough rebounds or blocks for his size. and he's not a great athlete.

He's a lot like Smits but shorter and more athletic, maybe Jack Sikma to go way back.

Earlier in the year everyone expected him to stay at UW but the rumor now is he's gone. I've even read he's esssentially told romar he's gone and that's why Artem Wallace is suddenly seeing time at backup C, they need him next year.

Brook Lopez is a better prospect than Hawes imho, much tougher kid, has a mean streak, plays harder. Very skilled offensively not as much as Hawes but close, just a much more physical kid.

 

[panfolk]

does anyone know much about Bellinelli?

 

[azirish]

does anyone know much about Bellinelli?

++

Draft Express says he's under contract until 2008.

 

[joshstmarie]

does anyone know much about Bellinelli?

i watched him all through the tournament this year. i have a few problems with him.

1. his favorite player is kome bryant.

2. they raved about his long rang shooting, and he did have some bombs, but at a clip of like lower 30%.

3.) if you take a look at his profile on nbadraft.net they compare him to ray allen. honestly i watched him about 5 or 6 times and i see nothing that makes me think of ray allen, i guess he slashes pretty good but i never really saw any great finishes that impressed me.


on a positive note i think he was like 18 last summer. lots of room/time for improvement. he DOES seem to have the tools. but i dont think hes anything the suns would look at IMO.

 

[JoRain]

I guess I'm in the minority when I say that I really like Yi Jianlian. Of course I have B. Wright and Horford ranked ahead of him, but I believe that both of those guys will be gone by the time we pick. One of Jianlian's best attributes is his speed and athleticism, which is exceptional for a 7 footer. But probably my favorite part of his game is his passing ability and basketball IQ. This guy is going to be a stud in the NBA, and would make a great long term investment.

from what I have seen and heard of that guy, he looks more like a potential bust to me. Yes, he has some skills, witch fit the Suns style, but i also have heard plenty about his questionable work ethic and attitude problems. Besides, he plays more like a small forward, not a big !

 

[Chaplin]

from what I have seen and heard of that guy, he looks more like a potential bust to me. Yes, he has some skills, witch fit the Suns style, but i also have heard plenty about his questionable work ethic and attitude problems. Besides, he plays more like a small forward, not a big !

Nowadays, MOST bigs play like small forwards. Heck, Dirk Nowitzki does and he's probably the MVP!

 

[OldDirtMcGirt]

from what I have seen and heard of that guy, he looks more like a potential bust to me. Yes, he has some skills, witch fit the Suns style, but i also have heard plenty about his questionable work ethic and attitude problems. Besides, he plays more like a small forward, not a big !

He's definitely one of those players who will either be a boom or a bust in the NBA. But because we're already a very good team without him, I think that we're in a position to take a chance on a player of his type. As for attitude problems, I don't know many (the scouting report that I read talked about his fiery attitude), but I'd assume that it comes from playing against inferior competition.

 

[azirish]

U of W is playing ASU tonight. It will give us a chance to see Hawes, but not in an uptempo environment.