Draft Diary

Posted on | June 24, 2010 | 14 Comments

In honour of The Sport’s Guys draft diary, which is probably one of the best articles of the year, every year, I thought I would do something similar.  I wrote down my thoughts while I was watching the draft.

I didn’t write down the time, which I probably should have, but you can probably figure out when each comment is.

- Blah, blah, blah.  Why does it take half an hour of pointless banter before the draft can begin. I have to pick up my oldest daughter at 6 PST.  Hopefully the Raptors will have picked by then.

- Why are they showing former Blazers VP Tom Penn’s resume? Is he looking for a job? Oh, I guess he is. My wife is looking for a new job.  Any chance I could get her resume up there, too?

- Wall, Turner, Favors, Johnson, Cousins…this draft is starting to become incredibly predictable. And no trades yet. It’s starting to feel like every Christmas, when it finishes and I wonder why the hell I looked forward to it for so long.

- Finally, a shake up. Isn’t Odoh possibly the least Golden State-type player available? Is this a sign that Don Nelson may, in fact, not be running the franchise? If I didn’t know any better, I’d start to think that they are actually trying to be a good team by picking a player who actually plays defense.

- What’s up with Jay Bilas? He seems to like everyone. It’s sickening. What I’d give for Charles Barkley and some honest opinions about now.

- Was Flip Saunders wearing a hairpiece?

- Hilarious. The Clippers “select in the lottery nearly every year”. I can’t even add to that.

- Bilas actually seemed to show less than normal enthusiasm for Aminu. “Needs to improve skill level.” Is that really something you want to hear about an 8th pick?

- Am I the only one who thinks that Aminu looks like Erkel with those glasses? Was it supposed to be a joke, because it certainly doesn’t look stylish.

- Why am I not surprised that Utah drafted a fundamentally sound white guy with little upside?

- Apparently Xavier Henry is “somewhat lefthanded”. What does that mean?

- I can’t believe I was right about Ed Davis falling. Man I feel smart. If the Raptors don’t select him, I will take back everything good I have ever said about Bryan Colangelo. This is a gift. It reminds me of when Iguodala unexpectedly fell to the Raptors, but instead Babcock chose Aruajo. I remember listening to the draft on the internet and was momentarily confused, thinking they had actually picked Iguodala. I was a little disappointed when I realized that it was a different Spanish sounding name called.

BASKETBALL/NCAA- Wow. All I have to say is wow. I can’t believe my number one guy fell and they picked him. I am officially a happy man. No matter what else happens, this was a good draft for the Raptors.

- Since my wish came true with Davis, does that mean Bargnani should be packing his bags?

- All these guys who I remember recently watching having sons come into the NBA makes me feel old.

- DeRozan’s favourite player was Vince, Ed Davis’ favourite player was Bosh.  I’m sensing a pattern, here.

- Why am I not surprised Patterson went to Houston?  They seem to like solid, unspectacular players.

- Patterson looks like he’s got massive shoulders in that suit. It’s cartoonish. He looks like the guy in the wheelchair on Family Guy.

- Bilas says Patterson is “a very good defender”?  He needs to read more scouting reports, apparently.

- Larry Sanders went higher than expected.  ”He still needs to learn the game”??  Isn’t that really something you should do BEFORE you get drafted in the first round in the NBA? Can you imagine a law firm hiring a guy with potential even though he still needs to learn about the law?

- Wow.  Luke Babbitt, the player no one seems to care about, going to the city no one seems to care about.  Good match.

- I have to go pick up my oldest daughter now. At the rate it’s going I won’t miss much.

- Crap, I missed quit a bit. Bledsoe and Bradley went one after another. Why do I think Oklahoma hit another home run? And look at all the guys who I have absolutely no opinion about.

- Babbitt got traded to Portland? Well that screws with my witty comment. This doesn’t seem like a Kevin Pritchard move, for some reason.

- Pointdexter danced the Nutcracker? Did you notice the ESPN announcer say “basketball player and dance”, and could barely keep a straight face. Sure, it’s not as manly as getting made up and sitting in front of a camera, stating the obvious, but whatever.

- The Nets get Derrick Favors and Damion Jones. I think they’ve done very well and if nothing else, they’ll be harder to score on, now.

- Wow. Greivis Vasquez’s mother looks like Catherine O’Hara.

- Orlando selects Daniel Ortez. Could that pick upset more people, do you think? Both Gortat and Ortez are probably pissed.  I smell a trade.

- Why did David Stern have to read “First Round”. There are only two rounds. Did he forget which one it was?  Do you think he’s rethinking holding the draft in New York every year? I think the fans booed at everything, and chanted USA when the Raptors were picking. Way to come across as classy, guys.

- Look at how far some of the guys fell! Whiteside, once a lottery pick, goes to the second round. The Raptors were looking at grabbing Alabi in the late first round and he lasts until 50. Willie Warren almost wasn’t drafted! That’s a long way to fall in one year. He was a projected lottery pick last year.

- Nice. The Raptors get Alabi and only give up a future second rounder and cash. They’ve done very well, despite not making any big trades. Raptor fans on some of the sites are looking like idiots, complaining about the Ed Davis pick and the lack of big trades. Apparently they believe that today is the only time trades are allowed to happen. I’m amazed by the pessimism.

- Well, that’s it for me. I’m actually a little shocked that no top 15 picks were traded. I was sure a couple of big deals would go down.

- Tomorrow I’ll do a report card of the draft.

—————–

I just thought I’d share a couple of quotes from Draft Express about Ed Davis, which might explain why I am so excited about him…

Defensively and as a rebounder is where Davis shows the most potential, thanks to his rare combination of fundamentals and physical tools. He ranks as one of the best shot-blockers in college basketball, being a major presence in the paint with his terrific length and timing, and should be able to make big strides as a post-defender and rim-protector as he continues to add strength to his frame. His wingspan allows him to go well outside of his area for rebounds as well, again being very productive in this area on both ends of the floor with his 12.4 rebounds per-40 minutes pace adjusted.

STRENGTHS:
- Executes offensively
- Excellent hands
- Excellent Touch
- Ability to contest shots
- Commitment to playing defense
- Defensive fundamentals
- Shot-blocking tools
- Basketball IQ
- Potential
- Role-player potential
- Strong Intangibles
- Above average athleticism
- Solid frame
- Wingspan
- Rebounding ability

——————-

Last minute update:

Kevin Pritchard was fired on draft night. Isn’t that kind of like being dumped on prom night? Sure, there might have been reasons, but I don’t think there could be a worse time to fire a GM. The guy turned the team around and now he gets the shaft. Id really like to know what went on behind the scenes there.

Category: Draft, NBA, Raptors

Last Minute Wish List…

Posted on | June 24, 2010 | No Comments

In order, the player’s I’m hoping the Raptors draft are…

Ed Davis  6′10″ PF, North Carolina

Paul George  6′9″ SF, Fresno State

Xavier Henry  6′7″ SG, Kansas

Cole Aldrich  6′10″ C, Kansas

Eric Bledsoe  6′2″ PG, Kentucky

Damion James  6′8″ SF, Texas

Daniel Orton  6′10″ C, Kentucky

Kevin Seraphin  6′10″ PF, France

Solomon Alabi  7′1″ C, Florida State

Willie Warren  6′4″ PG, Oklahoma

Or if they move up…

Evan Turner  6′7″ SG, Ohio State

Derrick Favors  6′10″ PF, Georgia Tech

I’m keeping my fingers crossed….

Category: Draft, Raptors

The Draft Is Here!!! The Draft Is Here!!!

Posted on | June 23, 2010 | 8 Comments

The new phonebook's here!NBA Draft day is one of my favourite days of the year. It’s the day that separates the optimists and the pessimists. Optimists see this as a a chance to get a future All-Star, pessimists simply see this as another chance for their GM to screw up. I’m guessing there aren’t a lot of pessimists whose favourite team is the Spurs.

Since I consider myself a realistic, I guess I’m somewhere in between.

So as always happens, there are more rumours flying around than at any other time of year. Some is misinformation spread by teams wanting to throw other teams off the scent, some is made up stuff that somehow gets mistaken for real stuff and some is the truth. Unfortunately, it’s virtually impossible to separate the truth from the rumours now, unless you bowl with Chad Ford’s brother-in-law and are in the loop. Unfortunately, I ‘m not, so I have no idea.

A couple of deals have gone down…

- The Thunder have acquired Miami’s 18th pick  and Daequan Cook in exchange for their 38th pick. It pays to have cap space around draft time. And for all you Raptor fans that wonder why Colangelo couldn’t pull that off, it’s because the Raptors couldn’t have absorbed Cooks contract.

- The Bucks traded their 2012 second round pick to the Nets for Chris Douglas-Roberts. Between trading for Maggette and getting Douglas-Roberts, it’s appearing that they aren’t banking on bringing Salmons back.

Some of the more interesting rumours flying around include…

- Toronto trading their 13th pick to Portland for Rudy Fernandez and the 22nd pick. My take? If Paul George, Ed Davis or another surprise player doesn’t drop to 13, I’d take this deal. I’m not excited about who else is available and Fernandez is probably better than anyone available there. Of course they’d have to figure out how to play four SGs, but they did that last season with Wright. Well, not very well, I guess. Still, if Turkoglu is traded, DeRozan and Weems could play the 3 and Fernandez and Belinelli man the 2.

- Orlando trading Vince to Washington for Gilbert Arenas. My take? Wow, is this how far Vince has fallen, and is this how desperate the Magic are? What exactly does this mean for Jameer Nelson, who was easily the second best player for the Magic during the playoffs.

- The Clippers trading the 8th pick to the Bulls for Deng. Well, the Clippers would have to actually select for the Bulls, since the Clippers aren’t under the cap until July 1st. This would take them out of the LeBron sweepstakes, but Deng would be a nice piece for them.

- The Nets may surprise everyone and take Wesley Johnson instead of Derrick Favors at the 3rd spot. The thinking, apparently, is that the Nets could simply sign an All-Star free agent (Boozer) and pair him with Johnson. I like Favors a lot more than Johnson, but the rumour does make sense. This summer there are a plethora of All-Star PFs available (Bosh, Stoudamire, Boozer, Dirk and David Lee) so they could pick up an All Star PF and then draft a potential All Star at SF. Still, it’s always best to draft the best player and in my opinion, it’s Favors.

- The Thunder may trade Eric Maynor and their 18th and 21st picks to Indiana for their 10th pick. That would give the Thunder to draft a legit big man, like Udoh, Ed Davis or Cole Aldrich, basically exactly what they need to take the next step. Presti might very well be best GM in the NBA right now.

We’ll see how many of those rumours come to fruition, and how many more start flying around tomorrow.

As for the draft itself, I’m not going to do a mock draft since everyone does that and it’s all basically guesswork. I’m going to take a quick look at some of the players, including which ones I like and which one’s I don’t like.

THE SURE-FIRE ALL-STARS:

John Wall: No explanation needed.

Evan Turner: I think he’s going to be a special player in the NBA.

Derrick Favors: The last player I think is a can’t miss prospect. If he doesn’t go third, the Nets are going to regret it, in my opinion.

POTENTIAL ALL-STARS:

Wesley Johnson: He doesn’t excite me, but he’ll probably end up being a good pick.

Ed Davis: It wouldn’t surprise me if he ended up winning a Championship one day. He’s got a very high basketball IQ and an underrated game.

Paul George: He’s got some bust potential, but I read an article that said he might end up being the best player from this draft 5 years from now. That’s saying something. If he falls to the Raptors, I’ll be thrilled.

PLAYERS I’M UNSURE ABOUT:

DeMarcus Cousins: He’s got the talent to be the best player in the draft, but might have motivational issues and be a knucklehead. These are the types of players that get coaches and GMs fired, get traded around as teams get enticed by his potential, and usually end up disappointing everyone. Yes, he scares me.

Greg Munroe: I was tempted to put him in the previous category, but there’s just something about him that makes me hesitate. He’s certainly got the talent, but is the desire and heart there?

Al-Farouq Aminu: Like the players above, he’s got loads of talent, but he seems so painfully shy and quiet, I wonder how he’ll do in the NBA.

SAFE PICKS:

Cole Aldrich: He’s never going to be an All-Star, but I can see him as a ten year starter and a guy who is going to be a solid defender and rebounder.

Xavier Henry: There’s little spectacular about him, but he’s a very good shooter who also players defense. I wouldn’t be upset in the least if the Raptors take him at 13.

MAYBE, JUST MAYBE:

Eric Bledsoe: He had to play off guard beside Wall, but he’s apparently a true PG with blazing speed, good defensive and half decent scoring ability. He’s one of my sleepers.

I’LL GET BACK TO YOU:

Luke Babbitt: He’s a 6′7 small forward whose game might be better suited for power forward, but not his body. Guys like this never seem to work out.

Ekpe Udoh: He’s a fairly raw 23 year old athletic big man who is best at the defensive end. If he was 3 years younger, I’d be more enthusiastic, but at 23, you have to wonder why he hasn’t polished his game more.

Patrick Patterson: He’s a tough, undersized PF who isn’t a great rebounder or defender. So if he isn’t a great rebounder or defender, who cares how tough he is?

Gordon Hayward: If he didn’t surprise everyone and lead his team to the final game of the NCAA’s, would he be rated as high as he is? Why can’t I get Luke Jackson out of my head?

NO THANKS:

Avery Bradley: The fact that his name is so often connected with the Raptors scares the hell out of me. He’s got no PG skills, is undersized at the 2 and doesn’t finish well or draw contact when he drives. People love his defense, but Marcus Banks plays great defense, too. And he barely got off the bench. Oh, and they’re about the same size.

Hassan Whiteside: He’s extremely long, blocked 5.4 shots per game last season and is pretty mobile. Of course, i’ve heard he couldn’t even get really motivated during workouts. How do you think he’s going to do once he’s paid?

INTRIGUING PROSPECTS:

Damion Jones: A tough, excellent rebounding, athletic SF who plays very good defense. He’s not great on the offensive end, but he brings some talent to the table.

Larry Sanders: He’s got great length and athleticism, but he’s painfully thin. And you have to wonder if Hank Kinglsey is going to be part of his entourage.

Solomon Alabi: Again, great length but very raw. Apparently he’s a great teammate and might motivate his teammates.

Kevin Seraphin: See Alabi, but he’s shorter but stronger.

Willie Warren: You think he kicks himself for not coming out last season? I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up being one of the top 15 players in the draft….or craps out after his rookie contract is done.

FINAL PREDICTIONS?

Well, I really have no clue who the Raptors are going to end up with. This draft seems to be far to difficult to gauge. I would be surprised if a big name falls in their laps, or if they end up trading the pick. If nothing else, I think the night will be more full of surprises than usual. And in the end, it’s all about entertainment, isn’t it?

Category: Bucks, Clippers, Draft, Heat, Magic, NBA, Nets, Pacers, Raptors, Thunder, Wizards
keep looking »