Draft Prospects thread

[slinslin]

And on the bright side, Atlanta will find a way to screw this draft. It's so easy...

They will end up with B.Wright and Crittenton two absolute non-factors next season at least and probably down the road too.

 

[mathbzh]

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.

Did he even tried?
Oden seems to be a lock at #1 and nobody would pick Durant later than #2.

 

[mathbzh]

Is anyone interrested in Ali Traore?

NBADraft.net have him in their top 5 of the camp.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 5. Ali Traore 6-9 239 PF/C France 1985 -- 14.7 ppg, 19-27 fg (70.4%), 6-8 ft (75%), 3.3 rpg. He's a bigtime athlete with a great combination of length and strength. Although he's probably just 6-9.5, his tremendous wingspan will likely allow him to play center. He doesn't mind contact and has the right attitude to play inside. Fouled out of 2 of the games so foul problems are something he needs to work on staying out of. [/FONT][/FONT]

And from draft express:
Traore didn’t show much in the athleticism department, but it’s been learned that Traore suffered from a foot injury and has only been working out again for the past few weeks, so he may not be fully up to speed just yet.
This could explain his poor rebounding numbers (in French ProA he is a decent rebounder with 0.27 rbds/min) during the camp.

When he is in shape he is quiet athletic. It is probably a good news to see ha can be dominant even playing with conditioning issues.

The problem is that #28 is too high for him and he may not be available at #59. But I think he could be a 2nd round steal.

 

[azirish]

I would think trading down might make sense. Portland has four second round picks to go with an expensive #1. The #37 and #42 might be worth having.

I'd like to see the Suns pick up a big man in the second round. I'm watching to see if Chris Richard may be around at #59 or as a rookie free agent. However, it may be that it would take getting an earlier second round pick.

Chris Richard might turn out to be this year's version of Milsap. Richard has been a backup to Horford and Noah at Florida, so he was hardly featured. He averaged 3.7 rpg in 18.4 minutes this year and just 2.3 ppg on 69% shooting (mostly put backs). He could easily be overlooked.

What interests me is that Richard with shoes is just under 6'9" with a 9'2.5" in creach (Noah has 8' 10.5" standing reach). Weighing in at 253 and bench pressing 185 15 times, he seems to have the physical size to be a low post defender in the NBA. I'm not sure how much a guy like that would play, but it is clearly something the team did not have after KT. http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=416

 

[Ronin]

I would be excited if the suns Chris Richards in the Second round. IMO Richards did the best job guarding Greg Oden in the Championship Game. The only knock it seems is that he has bad hands.
From Draft express

Richard actually started off this game fairly slowly, bobbling a couple of potential rebounds and losing the handle on a good pass off his very poor hands.

 

[azirish]

I would be excited if the suns Chris Richards in the Second round. IMO Richards did the best job guarding Greg Oden in the Championship Game. The only knock it seems is that he has bad hands.
From Draft express

I don't remember him being all that fumble fingered during the tournament, but it is true the Gators did not give him the ball very much. Still, you can't get 8 rebounds in 20 minutes if your hands are total stone.

He definitely has little in the way of offensive skills and would not play much. But unlike Burke, who is not much of a defender, it is easy to see situations where having a physical player to throw into the fray could be useful. What I see is a reasonably athletic version of Reggie Evans with a really long standing reach.

This is not the typical Sun, but that's what is missing.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

i like richards for a conventional team, but he will get ZERO burn with dantoni. he has NO offensive game. he cannot shoot a jump shot, has no hook, no post moves. he's all about the put back. coach d wouldn't know what to do with him and hence never play him. thus he'd be a waste of a draft pick unless we were drafting for post-dantoni days.

 

[azirish]

i like richards for a conventional team, but he will get ZERO burn with dantoni. he has NO offensive game. he cannot shoot a jump shot, has no hook, no post moves. he's all about the put back. coach d wouldn't know what to do with him and hence never play him. thus he'd be a waste of a draft pick unless we were drafting for post-dantoni days.

I could easily see Richard playing less than 250 minutes during the regular season, but he'd be available for those brief periods when the Suns need 10 minutes to keep from Amare being put in a position to get fouled out.

To the point, the Suns got killed in game 6 when KT got into foul trouble. All that D'Antoni could do was double Duncan which opened their three point deluge. D'Antoni had absolutely no options.

A case can be made that the Suns style works fine against 28 teams. Even against the Spurs they can do an adequate job some of the time. But there are just too many situations against the Spurs when the Suns need a physical defender to keep Duncan out of the paint.

Like everybody else, I'd like to get somebody who could play a lot. I was hoping Horford would be that guy. But that didn't happen. So what's left? IMHO, Oden and Horford were the only inside guys worth looking at. None of the guys I checked on appear to have the size, strengt, and athleticism to even irritate Duncan.

Trade? I am not convinced Camby is going to be any better than KT at stopping Duncan (based on watching the NUggets Spurs series). But even with the trade, it does not give any more size off the bench than we currently have.

Who else? Magloire migh help, but there is no way the Suns can afford him. As it is, most free agent bigs wouldn't come to Phoenix even if the Suns could afford them because they'd want to play. Elson wen to the Spurs because he was promised minutes.

Is Richard the answer? He's obviously very limited. But the only qestion is wherher he could help against Duncan. If he could, he'd be vastly more valuable than the Fittness Club.

 

[azirish]

Byars Drawing Interest

http://www.nypost.com/seven/0606200...uld_be_in_byars_market_knicks_marc_berman.htm

KNICKS, NETS COULD BE IN BYARS' MARKET

By MARC BERMAN

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June 6, 2007 -- Nets and Knicks brass sat among each other yesterday, watching Vanderbilt shooting guard Derrick Byars. But it will be the Nets with first crack at Byars on NBA Draft night, June 28.

Because of the shorter window for individual workouts, and because the cross-river rivals pick in a similar range of the first round, the Nets and Knicks are holding pre-draft workouts together in unprecedented fashion. The Nets select 17th, the Knicks 23rd. Yesterday was the first date teams were allowed to work out players.

Byars, who led the unsung Commodores to the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 before a controversial last-second loss to Georgetown, has been projected as a mid-first-round pick who may not reach No. 23. Byars, (6 feet, 7 inches) is not considered a great outside shooter, something Isiah Thomas has said the Knicks need.

Scouts consider Byars to be solid, athletic and smart, but does nothing spectacular. As such, the Nets may have more interest.
"He had a terrific year," Nets GM Ed Stefanski said. "He's a very strong kid and athletic."

Thomas was not made available to the media.

Byars said, "My team wasn't on TV as much as other teams. But I can do a lot of things."

Vanderbilt has been a weak sister in the Southeastern Conference, until this season.
"Playing against that caliber of competition gets you ready," Byars said. "I get underestimated in a lot of ways. I'm a better shooter than people think."

New Jersy is at #17 while the Knicks are at #23.

nbadraft.net has Byars at #16 while draftexpress has him at #30.

 

[hcsilla]

Byars reminds me of Damien Wilkins. A solid all-around benchplayer but nothing more.

 

[azirish]

Byars reminds me of Damien Wilkins. A solid all-around benchplayer but nothing more.

Which is why I think he might drop to #24.

What I see is a guy with all round good skills, physical defender who attacks the basket, an OK shooter who relies on smarts rather than pure athleticism for his success. His profile reminds me a lot of Josh Howard when he almost slipped out of the first round.

The trait that comes up when reading about Byars is that he plays hard every second he's on the floor. IMHO, toughness and relentless effort is the kind of traits I'm looking for. Obviously he has to be good enough at everything to make these traits useful, but another guy with a Bell's temperment would be a very nice addition.

 

[azirish]

NBA Private Workouts Kick Off

http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=2098

by: Jonathan Givony - PresidentJune 6, 2007NBA teams were allowed to start working players out on the 5th of June...DraftExpress has been burning up the phones to find out who is working out where:

DraftExpress Workout Page

Interesting workouts from June 5th...

-Houston's mega 12-player workout which was attended by as many as 12 NBA teams (including the Mavs, Pacers, Kings and others). Since teams aren't allowed to have four players on the court at one time, the 12 players were split into three different sessions:

Guards: Bobby Brown, Dominic James, Jeremy Hunt, Brandon Heath

Wings: Morris Almond, Brad Newley, Reyshawn Terry, Jared Dudley

Bigs: Devon Hardin, Aaron Gray, Nick Fazekas, Jason Smith


-Sacramento's super small forward workout that fizzled...also conducted in Orlando. Originally scheduled to attend were Corey Brewer, Al Thornton, Jeff Green and Julian Wright..except the later two reportedly canceled, which gave Ron Lewis and Sun Yue a chance to attend instead.

-New York and New Jersey interestingly joining forces to take a look at a few wing players, including Demetris Nichols, Derrick Byars, Curtis Sumpter and Sammy Mejia.

-The Miami Heat working out their two biggest positions of need-- a tall, long point guard and an athletic wing player. Javaris Crittenton and Zabian Dowdell against D.J. Strawberry and Nick Young.

-Speaking of Javaris Crittenton,, it's interesting to note that he's scheduled to work out with the Portland Trailblazers the day before the draft, June 27th. He obviously won't be working out for the #1 pick, and can't be planning on Portland's next pick at #37 either. So what does that mean? Deductive reasoning tells us that his people have almost certainly been convinced that there is a very good chance that the Trailblazers will have a draft pick in his range, AND will have a need for another point guard besides the two very good ones they already have in Jarrett Jack and Sergio Rodríguez. It goes without saying that the day before the draft is a VERY valuable spot on the calendar of a player like Crittenton.

A couple of quick calls made indicate that Crittenton isn't the only one who might feel that way. Two agents with draft prospects in the 5-15 draft range conveyed to DraftExpress that they feel that Portland is sending out messages implying that they may already have a late lottery pick locked up. The rumor emerging is that Portland can secure the #11 pick belonging to Atlanta, in return for Jarrett Jack if they so desire.

Portland will also (tentatively) be hosting Nick Young and Al Thornton two days before the draft, on the 26th. The Young and Crittenton workout dates were released by a Portland beat writer, Jason Quick.

 

[panfolk]

Rodney Stuckey is rumored to be working out for the Suns soon. DraftExpress says he is a combo guard in the Randy Foye/Dwyane Wade mold. Needless to say I am horrified. He is only 6'4" and 205 lbs. I like LB despite my not liking combo guards in general. I hope we don't get another one. Ugh.

 

[azirish]

Rodney Stuckey is rumored to be working out for the Suns soon. DraftExpress says he is a combo guard in the Randy Foye/Dwyane Wade mold. Needless to say I am horrified. He is only 6'4" and 205 lbs. I like LB despite my not liking combo guards in general. I hope we don't get another one. Ugh.

Stuckey has been on the mocks all year due to his incredible scoring skills: Freshman 24.2% on 49% shooting with 4.1 assists per game; Sophmore 24.6% on 45.3% and 5.5 assists per game. Playing on Eastern Washington, he did not have especially strong opposition, but a year ago he played a very good Washington team an in one half scored 21 points in 17 minutes.

http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=1015

On the offensive end of the court, Stuckey can do it all. He is a combo guard in the mold of Ben Gordon and Dwayne Wade (before you laugh, check the stats, remembering the Wade also had to sit out his first year at Marquette) who can shoot the deep ball, drive to the hoop, and make the extra pass. He’s not the best shooter in the country, and he’s not the best slasher in the country, and he’s not the best ball handler in the country, but he might just be the best scorer in the country. He has that un-teachable, God-given knack for putting the ball in the basket.

Like Wade, Stuckey’s biggest strength is creating his own shot off of the dribble. He uses his strong body and superior quickness to get past his man and then either pull up for the jumper, or take the ball all the way to the rack, where he can finish with either hand and absorb contact. Because of this, he gets an unusual amount of and one’s for a guard, and he almost always makes good from the charity strike (89%). Like Wade and Gordon, Stuckey has no problem moving over to the point and running the team. For a guy who does the bulk of the scoring, and doesn’t have a whole lot of other options, 5 assists is more then respectable.

On the defensive end of the ball Stuckey is still more about potential then anything else. With his size and strength he has the capability of being a lock down defender at the next level. He also has the frame to add bulk as he gets older, which is going to be important in his NBA development. A lot of players just don’t have the genetics to add a lot of size, but again like Gordon and Wade, he should be able to put on muscle without sacrificing speed and quickness.

draft express has Stuckey at #21, RealGm at #22, nbadraft.net has him at #19

One interesting item. Stuckey had the fastest time in the 3/4 court sprint of anyone at the Orlando camp. http://www.draftexpress.com/measurements.php?year=2007

 

[hcsilla]

His profile reminds me a lot of Josh Howard when he almost slipped out of the first round.

Howard was a much more athletic NCAA player, than Byars. Also a better defender, IMO.

 

[azirish]

Howard was a much more athletic NCAA player, than Byars. Also a better defender, IMO.

You may be right. I did not see Howard in college and Byars only briefly. But I saw Brandon Roy quite a number of times and he was not a super athlete either (he wasn't even the best defender on his own team). However, Roy proved himself by being very savy and tough as nails.

Maybe I'm reading too much into Byars. I'm waiting for more information, but I like his type of player.

 

[hcsilla]

But I saw Brandon Roy quite a number of times and he was not a super athlete either (he wasn't even the best defender on his own team).

Agreed. I never really understood why people thought that he will be a defensive stopper in NBA. In NCAA he rather seemed to be the next Jalen Rose not the next Iggy.

However, Roy proved himself by being very savy and tough as nails.

I haven't seen much of Roy in NBA but he still didn't look like a defensive stopper but a talented, matured, all-around scorer.

Maybe I'm reading too much into Byars. I'm waiting for more information, but I like his type of player.

I see where are you coming from but Roy was definitely more athletic and skilled than Byars. Also a better shooter.

 

[azirish]

Stuckey to Be Worked Out By Suns On 18th

http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=2102

Stuckey to Detroit?

-Does Rodney Stuckey have a promise from Detroit? That’s what some people are starting to believe, even though we don’t really buy these types of rumors, since it makes very little sense. Some people (including one NBA team) say that Stuckey is privately claiming to have received the guarantee, while others believe he is one of a handful of players Detroit is considering with the 15th pick.

Stuckey's agent, Aaron Goodwin, told us in response that "This rumor was started and perpetuated by other agents, and all will see that Stuckey will continue to workout and definitely for teams with picks before the 15th. I’ve heard it from teams also, and I have told them this also. "

Interestingly enough, Stuckey has one workout scheduled with the Seattle Supersonics, who hold the #2 and #31 picks, neither of which are in his range. That workout, to be held on June 11th, will be conducted with Acie Law, who isn’t really in that range at all either. We were told to “draw our own conclusions” from that, while being assured that there is a “method behind the madness.”

Similarly to what we discussed yesterday with Portland, this could very well be another situation where Seattle could easily jump up and land a late lottery pick if they so desire. Stuckey is also scheduled to work out for the Phoenix Suns on the 18th. The Suns are telling people that they are planning on packaging the picks to move up and nab the player they like most, which is exactly what they said last year as well (holding the #21 and #27 spots) before selling/trading both picks.

Is he the guy they are going after?

On the surface it sounds improbable, since he's an undersized #2 guard on a team which has a couple of very good ones. However, his offense is totally different than anyone on the Suns.

Stuckey is another scary fast player. He had the by far the fastest three quarter court sprint time at Orlando and decent jumping stats (though not through the roof). The reviews are that he COULD be a very good defender, but playing at Eastern Washington did not create much of a test.

What gets everyone's attention is that he is incredibly good at breaking down defenses and routinely making difficult shots.

http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=1015

Like Wade, Stuckey’s biggest strength is creating his own shot off of the dribble. He uses his strong body and superior quickness to get past his man and then either pull up for the jumper, or take the ball all the way to the rack, where he can finish with either hand and absorb contact. Because of this, he gets an unusual amount of and one’s for a guard, and he almost always makes good from the charity strike (89%). Like Wade and Gordon, Stuckey has no problem moving over to the point and running the team. For a guy who does the bulk of the scoring, and doesn’t have a whole lot of other options, 5 assists is more then respectable.

Playing for a small school without a tournament run means none of us have seen him. But he's been on the mock lists for a long time and looks to be a late lottery player. No one thinks he drops to #24, so he MIGHT be one of the people the Suns would like to move up to get.

 

[azirish]

Chad Ford's List of Prospects

http://nbadrafter.tripod.com/new_page_1.htm

RANK NAME POS HT WT AGE SCHOOL/COUNTRY PROJECTION
1 Greg Oden C Jul-00 245 19 Ohio State Top 2 The consensus No. 1 pick in the draft despite Kevin Durant's amazing season. Draws comparisons... more

2 Kevin Durant SF 10-Jun 190 18 Texas Top 2 Some scouts are calling him a mixture of Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki. Others say... more

3 Yi Jianlian PF Jul-00 246 19 China Top 10 Yi is the best international prospect in the draft this year. He has a ton... more

4 Al Horford PF 9-Jun 235 20 Florida Top 10 Horford has the body and skill set needed to play in the NBA right away.... more

5 Brandan Wright PF 10-Jun 210 19 North Carolina Top 10 On potential, he has the chance to be a NBA All-Star. And so far he's... more

6 Corey Brewer SG 8-Jun 185 21 Florida Top 10 An excellent NCAA tournament this season helped Brewer's stock perhaps more than anyone else. He... more

7 Jeff Green SF 8-Jun 225 20 Georgetown Lottery Scouts love his versatility and all-around game. But he doesn't really have one standout skill... more

8 Julian Wright SF 9-Jun 220 20 Kansas Top 10 Wright may be the most versatile player in the draft. He can guard and play... more

9 Mike Conley PG Jun-00 170 19 Ohio State Top 10 Conley quickly asserted himself as the best young college point guard in the country. His... more

10 Al Thornton SF 7-Jun 210 23 Florida State Lottery to mid first round A few big games against Florida and North Carolina this season have given him some... more

11 Joakim Noah PF 11-Jun 230 22 Florida Lottery Noah capped an amazing NCAA tournament in 2006 with a near-perfect championship game -- a... more

12 Spencer Hawes C Jul-00 230 19 Washington Lottery Hawes doesn't have the athletic upside of many of the top prospects in the draft,... more

13 Nick Young SG 6-Jun 200 22 USC Lottery to mid first round Young has the potential to be a lottery pick with his skills. But scouts are... more

14 Thaddeus Young SF 8-Jun 210 18 Georgia Tech Lottery to mid first round Young is another big-time prospect whose upside is only limited by questions about position and... more

15 Acie Law PG 3-Jun 185 22 Texas A&M Lottery to mid first round Law has quietly developed into one of the top point guards in the country. His... more

16 Rodney Stuckey SG 4-Jun 205 21 Eastern Wash. Mid to late first round He's considered a serious draft sleeper by some NBA scouts who think he has legit... more

17 Javaris Crittenton PG 5-Jun 180 19 Georgia Tech Mid to late first round Most big point guards are really two guards with some ball handling skills. Not Crittenton.... more

18 Tiago Splitter PF Jul-00 240 22 Brazil Lottery to mid first round His stock was hurt in previous drafts over serious questions about whether an NBA team... more

19 Jason Smith PF Jul-00 230 21 Colorado State Lottery to mid first round A sleeper. Scouts are always looking for skilled big men and they believe Smith has... more

20 Sean Williams C 10-Jun 230 20 Boston College Late first to early second Williams was having an impressive season before he was dismissed from the team. The kid... more

21 Ante Tomic C 2-Jul 237 20 Croatia Mid to late first round Tomic is big-time prospect. He has a rare combination of size, skill and athletic ability.... more

22 Gabe Pruitt PG 4-Jun 170 21 USC Mid to late first round A sleeper. A number of NBA scouts commented that they were very intrigued with his... more

23 Josh McRoberts PF 10-Jun 230 20 Duke Mid to late first round McRoberts had a chance to be a Top 10 pick in the 2006 NBA Draft... more

24 Morris Almond SG 6-Jun 215 22 Rice Late first to early second Almond was impressive last year in the Orlando predraft camp and was on fire for... more

25 Marco Belinelli SG 6-Jun 200 21 Italy Late first to early second Belinelli turned heads last season and this summer with very mature play at the highest... more

26 Derrick Byars SF 7-Jun 220 23 Vanderbilt Late first to early second Has had a solid senior season and NCAA tournament which has him on NBA radar... more

27 Rudy Fernandez SG 6-Jun 172 22 Spain Late first to early second He fell out of good graces with many GMs last season. He's got all the... more

28 DeVon Hardin C 11-Jun 235 20 California Late first to early second Hardin got off to a slow start for Cal, raising more questions about how ready... more

29 Daequan Cook SG 5-Jun 210 20 Ohio State Mid to late first round Cook came on strong at the start of the season, but then took a back... more

30 Aaron Gray C Jul-00 270 22 Pittsburgh Late first to early second For a second straight season, Gray continues to prove that he's a legit NBA center... more

31 Marcus Williams SF 7-Jun 207 20 Arizona Late first to early second
32 Glen Davis PF 9-Jun 290 21 LSU Late first to early second
33 Taurean Green PG Jun-00 177 21 Florida Late first to early second
34 Marc Gasol C Jul-00 265 22 Spain Late first to early second
35 Demetris Nichols SF 8-Jun 210 22 Syracuse Second round to undrafted
36 Alando Tucker SF 5-Jun 205 23 Wisconsin Late first to early second
37 Wilson Chandler SF 8-Jun 230 20 DePaul Late first to early second
38 Kyrylo Fesenko PF Jul-00 245 20 Ukraine Late first to early second
39 Ali Traore PF 10-Jun 247 22 France Second round to undrafted
40 Jared Jordan PG 2-Jun 187 22 Marist Second round to undrafted
41 Jared Dudley SF 7-Jun 220 21 Boston College Second round to undrafted
42 Arron Afflalo SG 5-Jun 210 21 UCLA Second round to undrafted
43 Nick Fazekas PF 11-Jun 225 21 Nevada Late first to early second
44 Trey Johnson SG 5-Jun 218 22 Jackson State Late first to early second
45 Renaldas Seibutis SG 6-Jun 180 21 Lithuania Second round to undrafted
46 Zabian Dowdell PG 3-Jun 200 22 Virginia Tech Second round to undrafted
47 Dominic James PG 11-May 175 20 Marquette Late first to early second
48 Dominic McGuire SF 8-Jun 215 21 Fresno State Late first to early second
49 Stanko Barac C 1-Jul 235 20 Bosnia Second round to undrafted
50 D. J. Strawberry SG 5-Jun 201 21 Maryland Second round to undrafted
51 Kyle Visser C 11-Jun 244 21 Wake Forest Late first to early second
52 Artem Zabelin C 2-Jul 200 19 Russia Late first to early second
53 Reyshawn Terry SF 8-Jun 235 23 North Carolina Second round to undrafted
54 JamesOn Curry SG 3-Jun 190 21 Oklahoma State Second round to undrafted
55 Ramon Sessions PG 3-Jun 190 21 Nevada Second round to undrafted
56 Herbert Hill PF 10-Jun 240 22 Providence Late first to early second
57 Petteri Koponen PG 4-Jun 194 19 Finland Second round to undrafted
58 Joao Gomes SF 7-Jun 200 22 Portugal Second round to undrafted
59 Chris Richard C 9-Jun 255 22 Florida Second round to undrafted
60 Sun Yue SF 9-Jun 205 21 China Second round to undrafted
61 James Mays PF 9-Jun 225 21 Clemson Second round to undrafted
62 Marcelus Kemp SG 5-Jun 210 23 Nevada Second round to undrafted
63 Stephane Lasme PF 8-Jun 220 24 Massachusetts Second round to undrafted
64 Ron Lewis SG 4-Jun 200 22 Ohio State Second round to undrafted
65 J. R. Reynolds SG 3-Jun 197 23 Virginia Late first ro early second
66 Bobby Brown PG 1-Jun 170 22 CS Fullerton Second round to undrafted
67 Jermareo Davidson PF 10-Jun 230 22 Alabama Second round to undrafted
68 Marko Tomas SG 8-Jun 210 22 Croatia Second round to undrafted
69 Russell Carter SG 4-Jun 220 22 Notre Dame Second round to undrafted
70 Brad Newley SG 6-Jun 190 22 Australia Second round to undrafted
71 Nikita Shabalkin SF 9-Jun 210 20 Russia Second round to undrafted
72 Ivan Radenovic PF 10-Jun 224 22 Arizona Second round to undrafted
73 Carl Landry PF 7-Jun 252 23 Purdue Second round to undrafted
74 Bo McCalebb PG Jun-00 180 22 New Orleans Second round to undrafted
75 Brandon Heath PG 4-Jun 200 23 San Diego State Second round to undrafted
76 Darryl Watkins C 11-Jun 260 22 Syracuse Second round to undrafted
77 Coby Karl SG 5-Jun 209 Boise State Second round to undrafted
78 Ryvon Corville PF 9-Jun 243 Detroit Second round to undrafted
79 Aaron Brooks PG 11-May 160 22 Oregon Second round to undrafted
80 Mario Boggan PF 7-Jun 235 23 Oklahoma State Second round to undrafted
81 Joseph Jones PF 9-Jun 260 21 Texas A&M Second round to undrafted
82 Sean Singletary PG Jun-00 175 21 Virginia Second round to undrafted
83 Mustafa Shakur PG 3-Jun 183 22 Arizona Second round to undrafted
84 DaShaun Wood PG 11-May 180 21 Wright St Second round to undrafted
85 Sammy Mejia SG 6-Jun 195 24 DePaul Second round to undrafted
86 Coleman Collins PF 9-Jun 243 20 Virginia Tech Second round to undrafted
87 Quinton Hosley SG 6-Jun 210 23 Fresno State Second round to undrafted
88 Marcel Jones SF 8-Jun 215 Oregon State Second round to undrafted
89 Roy Bright SG 6-Jun 225 21 Delaware State Second round to undrafted
90 Curtis Sumpter SF 7-Jun 223 23 Villanova Second round to undrafted
91 Cartier Martin SF 8-Jun 220 22 Kansas State Second round to undrafted
92 Adam Haluska SG 5-Jun 210 23 Iowa Second round to undrafted
93 Mohamed Abukar C 10-Jun 220 22 San Diego State Second round to undrafted
94 James Hughes C 10-Jun 217 23 Northern Illinois Second round to undrafted
95 Larry Blair PG Jun-00 185 Liberty Second round to undrafted
96 Avis Wyatt SF 10-Jun 215 22 Virginia State Second round to undrafted
97 Milovan Rakovic PF 10-Jun Serbia Second round to undrafted
98 Mirza Teletovic PF 8-Jun 235 21 Bosnia Second round to undrafted
99 Ekene Ibekwe PF 9-Jun 220 21 Maryland Second round to undrafted
100 Marko Lekic PF 11-Jun 265 22 Serbia Second round to undrafted

 

[cly2tw]

Let's get Pistons' #15 in a deal Marion for Rasheed and select Stuckey or one of the Youngs!

If Stuckey is really Gordon/Wade clone, with Amare/Rasheed ancoring the inside presence, the perimeter scoring from Nash/LB/Stuckey could be scary!

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

I feel we are in more need of a backup PG than another SG. If someone can handle the ball and pass better than barbosa, wouldnt he be better focusing on being a SG?

 

[Ronin]

Today's workout is slated to include Maryland's 6-foot-5 guard D.J. Strawberry, son of Darryl Strawberry, and 19-year-old Petteri Koponen, a 6-4 point guard from Finland

 

[azirish]

I feel we are in more need of a backup PG than another SG. If someone can handle the ball and pass better than barbosa, wouldnt he be better focusing on being a SG?

The problme is that there really aren't any PG's in this draft after Conley that could help. IMHO, Law is too limited while Crittenton and Pruitt are too raw. There are several "nice" players in the second round, but they are in the second round for very good reasons.

Drafting for "need" is not usually feasible outside the early lottery if you mean for the hightest need. My read on it is that most teams rank players into tiers. When the top tier is gone, they'll take the bet fit the next tier but won't go down a teir (reach) to get a guy who fits a priority need. They may fool themselves into thinking a guy is better than he is because he's such a good fit, but that's a receipe for staying in the lottery.

 

[sunsfn]

ESPN Draft notes and rumors.

Suns/Celtics possible trade

http://nbadrafter.tripod.com/

 

[Russ Smith]

Agreed. I never really understood why people thought that he will be a defensive stopper in NBA. In NCAA he rather seemed to be the next Jalen Rose not the next Iggy.



I haven't seen much of Roy in NBA but he still didn't look like a defensive stopper but a talented, matured, all-around scorer.



I see where are you coming from but Roy was definitely more athletic and skilled than Byars. Also a better shooter.

Roy was a good college defender who happened to play with Bobby Jones who was one of the better defenders his size in the country. Thats why UW gave UCLA fits that year while the rest of the Pac 10 struggled with them. UW was the only team that could take away Farmar and Afflalo because they had bigger guys that were more athletic that were able to stay in front of them.

Roy is not a lock down defender but he's pretty good at it. He's not an elite athlete but he's good enough, and there's more to defense than just being a great athlete.

Don't forget critical things like stomping on feet, stepping under the shooter etc that Bowen brings to the table.