Draft Prospects thread

[Ollie]

Looks like Ali Traoré's stock skyrockets.

He was a late second rounder at best and he's now on the first round bubble. Interesting...

 

[azirish]

Looks like Ali Traoré's stock skyrockets.

He was a late second rounder at best and he's now on the first round bubble. Interesting...

This may be, but I'm skepical whether he's on the Suns' radar.

http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=1052

January 23, 2007
Let’s state from the beginning that Traore pretty much looks like the same player he was in Treviso. He’s a very inside oriented big man, usually looking for production in the low post, even with more emphasis than ever. He’s a strong guy who easily establishes a good position to receive the ball, and even if his post moves are not the most polished and fancy, he gets the job done with simple spins and nice aggressiveness using his body. The good news is that he can finish with both hands there, relying on semi-hooks that work well even against bigger defenders; the bad news, that he doesn’t seem to enjoy any remarkable soft touch, particularly with his right hand. As observed in Treviso, despite being a right-handed player, he prefers to go left and finish near the rim with his left hand. Able to put the ball on the floor, he can attack his rivals from the mid-range area going for short slashing efforts, although he barely showed any of this in this All Star Game. Concerning his jumper, he looked very inconsistent shooting from mid-range. He did better playing without the ball, setting picks and rolling towards the basket, where he found good scoring options.

At the end of the day, Traore earns a living near the rim on the offensive end. Given his strength and nice athleticism, that’s fine for European basketball, but if we consider NBA potential, the fact that he’s only 6-9, not an outstanding athlete and barely shows any perimeter game, may severely hurt him. He will probably draw interest in the second round, but it’s highly unlikely anybody will invest a first-round pick in him unless he shows something else.

 

[Delmon Young]

So, it appears as though Horford measured out at 6'10 in shoes with a 7'3 wingspan.

 

[azirish]

So, it appears as though Horford measured out at 6'10 in shoes with a 7'3 wingspan.

That's pretty much what was expected. There were rumors that Horford was a lot shorter, but he played pretty tall. IMHO, he'd have to have been measured at no more than 6'7" for his stock to drop much.

Change in subject, Mark Berman of the New York Post rates Byars higher than most of the mock drafts when talking about Knick's workouts "Tuesday, Vanderbilt's Derrick Byars, who likely won't last until No. 23," http://www.nypost.com/seven/0602200...ry_grows_at_draft_camp_knicks_marc_berman.htm

Byars is not the only prominant bubble player who did not participate at Orlando camp either in the games nor in the workouts, but may lose more than the others. This was apparently by his agent's decision. Draft Express commented on this "-The next three American players on our mock draft who were left off the physical only list and are not on the pre-draft roster are Marcus Williams, Morris Almond and Derrick Byars. There is a very valid case to be made that all of them should be here in Orlando playing at the pre-draft camp."
http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=2085

Of the three, Byars is most difficult to understand. Marcus Williams and Morris Almond are the kind of players who might very well look better in workouts than in games. Marcus is a great athlete whose inconsistency wore out his welcome in Tucson. Almond is an amazing shooter who is held back by his limited defense. But Byars is a classic "gamer" who is neither a super athlete nor a lights out shooter. We'll see, but Byar's agent may be hurting his stock.

 

[Delmon Young]

That's pretty much what was expected. There were rumors that Horford was a lot shorter, but he played pretty tall. IMHO, he'd have to have been measured at no more than 6'7" for his stock to drop much.

I couldn't care less if he was 6'8 or 6'10, that's not that big a deal. As is the case with guys like Brand and Boozer, undersize PFs who thrive in the league, the wingspan is the more important measurement. And 7'3 is a damn good wingspan.

Horford is a stud.

 

[azirish]

I couldn't care less if he was 6'8 or 6'10, that's not that big a deal. As is the case with guys like Brand and Boozer, undersize PFs who thrive in the league, the wingspan is the more important measurement. And 7'3 is a damn good wingspan.

Horford is a stud.

And damnit, he should have been our stud.

 

[Goldfield]

I couldn't care less if he was 6'8 or 6'10, that's not that big a deal. As is the case with guys like Brand and Boozer, undersize PFs who thrive in the league, the wingspan is the more important measurement. And 7'3 is a damn good wingspan.

Horford is a stud.

agree completely

 

[slinslin]

Lots of positives about Thaddeus Young so far I think.
- No posse following him around
- apparently works out hard all the time
- Corey Maggette-like Body
- Still 18 years old

The guy is much better than his freshman season indicates. Lets get him.

 

[sunsfn]

Write-ups on Thaddeus Young, Morris Almond, Marco Belinelli, and Derrick Byars.
Note thier rankings.


http://members.tripod.com/nbadrafter/

 

[slinslin]

Young sounds just perfect...

Long armed, muscular, "nuclear athleticism", left handed, great kid, good grades, hard worker, not even 19 years old yet, great passer... What is there not to like except he didn't have a monster freshman season like Durant but in highschool he was almost as highly rated.

 

[gonashcanada]

i say we get Green from Florida

 

[azirish]

i say we get Green from Florida

Green is not viewed as being more than backup type, but he is a first rate three point shooter, decent defender, and is experienced in an up tempo offense. I like him at #29 but quite at #24 in a strong draft.

Slin: Young sounds just perfect...

Long armed, muscular, "nuclear athleticism", left handed, great kid, good grades, hard worker, not even 19 years old yet, great passer... What is there not to like except he didn't have a monster freshman season like Durant but in highschool he was almost as highly rated.

nbadraft.net has him at #13
draftexpress.com and hoopshype has him at #18
about.com has him at #20
Hoopsworld uses five sports writers who have going at #18, #24, #20, #13, and #16

There is an outside chance he'll slip, but the reviews he's getting would not suggest it likely.

http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=450

May 28, 2007
Another player who seems to be working just as hard here is Georgia Tech freshman Thaddeus Young. He also passes the “eye test” even more than Wright does probably, with an unbelievable frame and wingspan, huge shoulders, and solid athletic ability. He also reportedly has a similar attitude, although I did not get the chance to speak with him myself.

Young’s shooting mechanics are coming along very nicely, showing a high release point, good elevation on his jumper, solid arc, and very nice touch. It is a fundamentally sound shot, although a bit on the deliberate side. When pulling up off the dribble, he’s not nearly as fluid as Wright is for example. His shot at times fell very consistently for him, and at times didn’t. If he keeps working on it, it should steady out for him.

Young has been working on his ball-handling skills extremely hard in his time here—that much is not hard to tell. He’s polished up his technique considerably, to the point that he looks very smooth in the drills. There is a big difference between a “workout handle” and a “game situation handle,” when it comes to reacting to unexpected movements and being fluid changing directions and such, but this is something we really weren’t able to evaluate due to the non-competitive structure of the workout (like Wright, he did not play in the 5 on 5). Regardless, Young realizes what his biggest weakness is and is working very hard to improve on it. Procopio and Grover say they are most concerned with getting Young to maximize his excellent physical attributes near the basket more than he did in college, and from what they say, he is responding extremely well to their challenges. (Procopio: “I’m wearing a UNLV jersey Thad…show me what you got!”). They both mentioned on more than one occasion how much they enjoy working with him.

Young’s uncle, Kenneth Carter, is the one who is handling the NBA draft process for him. He does not seem to be rushing into things at all from what we can tell, saying that Thaddeus “needs to be a top 15 pick for him to stay in.” He understands the arguments for and against him staying in, and when we spoke, it seemed like he was still weighing both sides of the argument equally.

 

[JoRain]

how about this guy at 59 ?!

from draftexpress

Antanas Kavaliauskas, 6-10, Senior, PF/C, Texas A&M

One of the nicer surprises of this camp, Antanas Kavaliauskas pulled off a feat we see a few times every year seemingly, having a much stronger showing at the Orlando pre-draft camp than against the weaker competition found at Portsmouth.

A Lithuanian born player through and through, Kavaliauskas combines a nice shooting touch with the rugged tough-nosed mentality his countrymates are known for to make his presence felt on the basketball floor despite not being the most naturally talented player on the floor. He kicks, fights and scraps his way to plenty of rebounds (6 per game in 23 minutes per) and loose balls, throwing his body around and not being afraid of a cheap shot or two to gain the slight advantage he needs to get what he wants.

Playing alongside two excellent point guards in Jared Jordan and Taurean Green, Kavaliauskas took full advantage, playing the pick and roll or pick and pop nicely to finish efficiently around the basket or step outside to the elbow and knock down a shot.

His efforts here probably won’t get him drafted, but he at the very least will get some serious summer league love and a couple of six-figure offers from Europe thanks to his Bosman status.

 

[hcsilla]

how about this guy at 59 ?!

I liked Kavaliauskas at the Aggies.

A solid offensive C, with good mid-range J and decent post-up moves and mobility. Not much of a rebunder/defender/athlete. He knows his role. He would challenge Burke for the roster spot so don't expect big things from him.

 

[JoRain]

I liked Kavaliauskas at the Aggies.

A solid offensive C, with good mid-range J and decent post-up moves and mobility. Not much of a rebunder/defender/athlete. He knows his role. He would challenge Burke for the roster spot so don't expect big things from him.

yeah, but it would be nice to have a guy who could and wouldn't be afraid to make a hard play or even a cheap shot against Bowen or Duncan.

 

[azirish]

Fernandez and Bellnelli

http://www.draftexpress.com/blogs.php?blogid=4

Rudy Fernández couldn’t stop Gran Canaria Grupo Dunas from tying the quarterfinal series in the ACB playoffs, despite scoring 23 points and grabbing 4 rebounds in the fourth game. It’s impressive to see how Rudy has been able to reach double digits in scoring in the last 16 games in the ACB league.

We had missed in previous roundups the disappointing final run delivered by Marco Belinelli in the Italian League. Probably lacking any kind of motivation as Climamio Bologna was out of contention for the playoffs, he couldn’t reach double-digits in scoring in the last five games of the regular season, which is like a huge backlash for a scorer like him. Marco is yet to secure a spot in the first round for the next draft, and he can certainly use the Reebok Treviso EuroCamp, where he’s provisionally inscribed, to improve his currently damaged stock.

 

[Russ Smith]

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2007/06/greg_oden_is_a_freak_of_nature.html

Looks like Oden really outperformed Durant in tests, faster, quicker, better vertical jump etc. Durant was the only player who tested who failed to bench 185 even once.

 

[azirish]

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2007/06/greg_oden_is_a_freak_of_nature.html

Looks like Oden really outperformed Durant in tests, faster, quicker, better vertical jump etc. Durant was the only player who tested who failed to bench 185 even once.

I suspect that a test on outside shooting skills might not be so one sided.

There are a lot of people who saw Oden early in the season and were not terribly impessed. This is not just another big guy.

 

[Russ Smith]

I suspect that a test on outside shooting skills might not be so one sided.

There are a lot of people who saw Oden early in the season and were not terribly impessed. This is not just another big guy.

Who expects a pure center to be a better outside shooter than a SF? What was surprising is that Oden was nearly as fast as Aaron Brooks in the 3/4 court run. What everyone liked about Oden was his freakish athleticism, he kind of proved it's true.

Both will be great players.

I've said all along the guy Durant most reminds me of is George Gervin, he's got some Reggie Williams(georgetown) too but he's better. He's a bigger Gervin.

 

[sunsfn]

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2007/06/greg_oden_is_a_freak_of_nature.html

Looks like Oden really outperformed Durant in tests, faster, quicker, better vertical jump etc. Durant was the only player who tested who failed to bench 185 even once.

It probably does not matter, but it is hard to believe that Durant is not strong enough to lift 185 pounds. I would think he would have been working on this knowing they were going to test him on it, just to make himself look a little better. He is not very strong and will get banged around pretty good his first year without a doubt.

 

[slinslin]

Considering how thin Durant is and how freakishly long his arms are, it's no surprise he can't benchpress.

6'10 in shoes , 215lbs, 7'5 wingspan (bigger than Oden).

 

[azirish]

Here is a link to the combine stats:

http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=2095

Ordinarily these measurments don't change much, but one guy whose stock may rise is Chris Richard (Florida) whose standing reach is 9' 2.5''. For a guy who is listed as 6'8 3/4" in shoes, that's pretty impressive. Hawes and Durant are at 9'2".and both were considered to be quite long.

http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=416

Richard does not have much in the way of offensive skills, but he's a very hard nosed in the Anderson Varejao mode. I'm not sure he'll last to 59, but he's the kind of guy I'd like to have on the deep bench.

 

[hcsilla]

Richard does not have much in the way of offensive skills, but he's a very hard nosed in the Anderson Varejao mode. I'm not sure he'll last to 59, but he's the kind of guy I'd like to have on the deep bench.

Neither I.

Richard reminds me rather of Etan Thomas and I also would love to have him at #59.

 

[slinslin]

Mike Conley is short, under 6' without shoes.

Daquean Cook is 2 inches taller with shoes, cheater.

Spencer Hawes shoes add more than 2 inches.

I bet everyone that adds more than 1 1/2 inch with shoes is cheating... No way the shoes vary from adding just 1 inch to over 2 inches.

Noah has a very very short standing reach at 8'10 1/2, that's not good. Jason Smith as well. They give up half a foot to Oden and even Hawes has 4 inches or so on them.

Al Thornton is just 6'7 in shoes, not good. Good Vertical stats.
Julian Wright surprisingly bad vertical stats.

Brendan Wright short at just barely 6'10 in shoes

Brewer has just a 6'8 wingspan, which is something that people were supposedly raving about. His wingspan is average at best. Young, Green, Wright, Thornton all have bigger wingspans. Brewer has the shortest arms of all high profile swingman.

One of the gems is Nick Young!
Measuring 6'7 in shoes, 39.5 standing vertical and 7' wingspan. His standing reach being kinda low though, 4 inches shorter than T.Young despite not even giving up 1 full inch in size and having 1/4 in wingspan on him.
Thaddeus Young measuring at 6'7 3/4 being just 18 years old with basically the same standing reach as Noah. Young beats Brewer across the board.

Nick Young and Thaddeus Young, these are the 2 guys to get for us. Nick Young having good size at the 2, really good shooter, great athlete.
Thaddeus Young, decent size at the 3, just 18 years old, great athlete, great kid.

Both are perfect fits.

Kevin Durant finished just 78th among all tested athletes.

Mike Conley #4
Thaddeus Young #7
Jason Smith #8
Nick Young #12
Al Thornton #17
Jeff Green #18
Al Horford #21
Corey Brewer #29
Joakim Noah #43
Brendan Wright #61
Greg Oden #62
Julian Wright #66
Spencer Hawes #72
Jared Jordan #75 - that is very bad for a PG, usually guards finish high

The Florida boys all measured worse than what I would have expected. Both Wrights horrible for someone who was supposed to be a great athlete.

Wow Julian Wright just 2 reps at the benchpress. His measurements are really horrible.

You can cross off all the top propects off my personal list except the 2 Youngs, Horford, Oden, Durant, Yi, Conley those would be the guys I would target and possibly trade up for if possible.

Wow, I still cant get over how badly some tested. Biggest surprise is definately Jason Smith, but I wouldnt want him anyway.

 

[slinslin]

Thaddeus Young and Nick Young are now really the 2 players we should try everything to get , if we can't I dont see why we must stay in the draft.

Splitter and Thornton would be other options to get but thats really it outside of Oden, Durant and Conley.