The Raptors and the 2014 Draft

[OldSkoolCool]

Rodney Hood IS one dimensional. He's a great shooter and that's about it. The only reason he really did any damage off the dribble in college is because he went up against 4s a lot. Good luck doing that against proper NBA-level wing defenders. Not that athletic, short wingspan and not a good defender at all. Doesn't rebound the ball well either.

I will give you short wingspan. But he is pretty athletic. He has a good first step and by all accounts that I have seen is he has good lateral quicks. He needs to get a stronger upper body to muscle through contact, but so does nearly every kid.

Also Hood played the three, and Parker played the four, so I have no idea where you got that from. He has his holes and is a bigger project than the rest of the guys on that list, but he has the potential to do a lot at the pro level. If it came down to GR3 or Hood, I take GR3 9 times out of 10.

No shit he will... the only players that don't need better players around them to win are superstars. The same can be said for Stauskas and company.

Parker, Smart, Randle and Vonleh are all a tier above Stauskas as prospects. Those are guys who have legitimate all-star potential, while Stauskas is really not in that category.

My statement was meant as Smart wont be more than a role player (like a Patrick Beverly), and not one of the top 3/4 talented players on his team.

Stauskas carried his team while being extremely efficient. That is a lot more than all those guys you listed. Parker didn't carry his team to anything, Smart was a loser, Randle got carried and Vonleh is a huge project.

[Chr1s1anL]

Daniels is too short to be a SF. His standing reach is in the SG range and he won't be able to contest people who decide to shoot over him.

I think Stauskas becomes the best player in this draft not named Wiggins, Embiid or Exum. I would do a lot to move up to grab him.

I think I've narrowed down the list of players I would draft to these guys.

PG: Ennis/Payton
SG: Stauskas
SF: Hood, GR3
PF:
C: Bachynski

If Ross can contest shots well with his 6'7" wingspan. I think McDaniels will be fine with his 6'11.5" wingspan.

[imanshumpert]

I will give you short wingspan. But he is pretty athletic. He has a good first step and by all accounts that I have seen is he has good lateral quicks. He needs to get a stronger upper body to muscle through contact, but so does nearly every kid.

His lateral quicks and athleticism are just average, and he has a low motor/poor hustle on the defensive side of the ball. There's no indication that he's going to be a good defender at the NBA level.

Also Hood played the three, and Parker played the four, so I have no idea where you got that from. He has his holes and is a bigger project than the rest of the guys on that list, but he has the potential to do a lot at the pro level. If it came down to GR3 or Hood, I take GR3 9 times out of 10.

Actually you're completely wrong. Jabari Parker played CENTER for Duke. He doesn't have good potential, physical tools are just meh and that's about it. Also he's old for a rookie at 21 years old.

My statement was meant as Smart wont be more than a role player (like a Patrick Beverly), and not one of the top 3/4 talented players on his team.

Stauskas carried his team while being extremely efficient. That is a lot more than all those guys you listed. Parker didn't carry his team to anything, Smart was a loser, Randle got carried and Vonleh is a huge project.

Smart has a much better chance of being a star than Stauskas. He's incredibly strong, has a lightning-quick first step, an elite wingspan, and gets to the free throw line at an incredible rate. Rebounds at an elite level for his position. Can create off the bounce for himself and his teammates as well. Also has incredible two-way potential as an amazing defender and is a total pickpocket averaging 2.9 steals per game in college. Also not sure how he's a loser. Yes his team didn't well in the tournament, but he's known as a great leader and team player.

I really would like a fucking explanation for how Randle got "carried". He averaged 15-10 on 50% FG during the season, and put up about the same numbers in the tourney, including 16-11 against Stauskas' Wolverines in the elite eight. He was the best player, leading scorer and rebounder on the Wildcats so I'm really not sure what in the hell you're talking about.

Yes Vonleh is a project but he has tremendous upside. Only 18 years old, has elite length and athleticism. Can shoot the ball incredibly well for his position. Has already shown the ability to block shots and be a significant factor on the defensive side of the ball. Tremendous rebounding ability. The only real knock on Vonleh is basketball IQ and that should improve as his feel for the game gets better with age and proper coaching. Stauskas doesn't even compare as a prospect.

[imanshumpert]

I seriously cannot believe that you're trying to argue that Stauskas is the 4th best prospect in the draft. Just ridiculous. Almost as bad as your "Dion Waiters is better than DeMar" episode.

[magoon]

I think I've narrowed down the list of players I would draft to these guys.

PG: Ennis/Payton
SG: Stauskas
SF: Hood, GR3
PF:
C: Bachynski

My list right now is:

PG: Ennis, Napier
SG: Stauskas, Harris, T-Po, Dinwiddie
SF: McDaniels, Inglis, Ejim, Early
PF: Payne, Powell, Birch
C: Bachynski

[ceez]

i'm really coming around on tj warren

i know i said i didn't like him before but he's just so natural a scorer and already has so many offensive moves i'd find it really hard to pass on him. he'd be a perfect 6th man, filling it up off the bench.

[OldSkoolCool]

I seriously cannot believe that you're trying to argue that Stauskas is the 4th best prospect in the draft. Just ridiculous. Almost as bad as your "Dion Waiters is better than DeMar" episode.

Hey imanshumpert

Dion >>> DeMar

[OldSkoolCool]

i'm really coming around on tj warren

i know i said i didn't like him before but he's just so natural a scorer and already has so many offensive moves i'd find it really hard to pass on him. he'd be a perfect 6th man, filling it up off the bench.

I think I want to move away from ball dominant scoring guards who lack high level passing skills. Personal choice.

But if you want to draft a guy who can put the ball in the bucket, Warren is a pretty good option.

[Chr1s1anL]

Hey imanshumpert

Dion >>> DeMar

All about situation. Personally think that there wasn't a best place DD could have went to other than Toronto. Him being drafted by Toronto was the best thing in his career. Don't get me wrong he still would of been good just cause of his work ethic.

But still DD>Waiters

[ceez]

I think I want to move away from ball dominant scoring guards who lack high level passing skills. Personal choice.

But if you want to draft a guy who can put the ball in the bucket, Warren is a pretty good option.

that's really my only qualm with him, though it is a big one. his decision making is pretty suspect.

kind of the thing with the players after the lotto picks, they all have issues. it comes down to what you can live with.

[Chr1s1anL]

McDaniels vs Hood

K.J. McDaniels: The Clemson forward showed one of the reasons why he was able to register 1.4 steals and 3.3 blocks per 40 minutes as a small forward last season as he measured with a 6-11 ¼ wingspan. McDaniels' wingspan measured 1 ¾ inches longer than it did in 2013, when he measured 6-6 with a 6-9 ½ wingspan at LeBron James Camp. McDaniels' “new-found” length is important, as it should allow him to defend small forwards comfortably, despite standing just 6-6 in shoes and weighing 196 pounds. McDaniels' build is similar to that of Gerald Green (6'6 without shoes, 192 pounds, 6'9 ¾ wingspan) or Josh Childress (6'5 ¾ without shoes, 196 pounds, 6'11 wingspan).

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz3450OxqsC
http://www.draftexpress.com

[blackjitsu]

Yes I do, nice catch. McDaniels not DeAndre

Why do you think Hood is very one dimensional? He is a very good shooter and playmaker out of the PnR, can handle and run the offense from the SF position. I thought he out played Parker at Duke.

GR3 and Nik comparison is poor because they have completely different skills and roles in the team. GR3 is not going to be an elite shooter or a good ball handler/playmaker/PnR/DHO guy like Stauskas. He is going to be a cutter and spot up shooter who focuses on defense.

Bachynski is a late second round pick, who if he turns into a solid end of bench guy I would be super happy. Not everyone is going to be a superstar, especially at those really late picks.

It wasn't the best Duke team so I could be holding him to an impossible standard. That being said, he faded to the corner way too much for my liking. By the end of the season it felt like all he could do was wait in the corner to take jumpers. Also, very little off the ball motion. It is assumed that Hood played the 3 because Parker isn't that good on defense (It's possible that Parker is actually a 4, and his measurements at the combine make that a possibility), but I wasn't terribly impressed on that end of the court either. Could it just be a weak supporting cast? It's not like he had a legit 5 to guide his player to...

No doubt GR3 and Stauskas have significantly different games, my point is that they were given equal opportunity to be the man, and Stauskas shined brightly with opportunity while GR3,for all the tools he has, hasn't put it all together. He has a solid base of tools for sure, but right now he's a really athletic player, with an excellent shot who can't consistently put together solid games back-to-back. I should probably explain what I mean; to me the best player on the court isn't necessarily the guy who scores the most, but the player whose play seems to motivate the players around him. Sometimes you could see that motivation behind GR3's game, you could always see that intent behind Stauskas'. I know it's not a tangible explanation but that's what I got...

Of course not everyone is going to be a star. But should the goal of a deep 2nd round pick be to go safe, or try for a very high risk-high return player? After pick 50 you might as well gamble. There will be other NCAA senior free agents available after the draft. Might as well try to find the next Isaiah Thomas (the Sac player, not the legend), instead of a Robert Sacre. Furthermore, with a good scouting staff you can find a legit end of bench big from Europe, Asia, South America, or a minor league for league minimum. That's a grown man with pro experience, why use the draft for a similar player with less experience so deep in the draft? Will I get upset if they draft Bachynski? No, I just don't agree with that type of scouting philosophy.

Also, I'm not for drafting a Canadian because they're Canadian. I've said it before, but if the Raps really want to be Canada's team they need to take advantage of the lawlessness of the CIS. It's a huge pool of players that other teams do not have the ability to scout. Every year the CIS sends a handful of kids to leagues around the world. What if the best CIS prospects (no matter their nationality) ended up on Rap summer league teams? That would be big. That would create motivation for every kid playing CIS -- to know that someone is potentially watching them.

As for drafting Canadians, the Raps should only draft them if they are the best player available at the pick. They get to see a lot of these kids at National camps because either games are played in Toronto, or training is done at the ACC. If they think, for instance, Melvin Ejim is worth buying a 2nd round pick for, THAT would get me excited. THAT would tell me that the Raps wanted a player, made a move to get him, and his being Canadian only mattered because it allowed them to scout his game more thoroughly than if he wasn't.

[ceez]

count me amongst the "rodney hood? MEH" contingent of boarders. he's a poor man's rashard lewis.

[white men can't jump]

I think I want to move away from ball dominant scoring guards who lack high level passing skills. Personal choice.

But if you want to draft a guy who can put the ball in the bucket, Warren is a pretty good option.

That's also why I'm not big on Early. He just doesn't even try to pass the ball.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

[Joey]

Hey imanshumpert

Dion >>> DeMar