2012 Draft Thursday, June 28th: Raptors select Terence Ross

[MangoKid]

If the Raptors end up with Drummond, you won't hear me complaining. A Valanciunas-Drummond pairing would be the end of the Eastern Conference. Going into the paint for opponents would be a nightmare.

[Bendit]

Davis and Lamb are both noodles right now. Realistically speaking, how much weight could they possibly gain over the course of their first 3-5 years in the league?

The only player in recent memory that was a legitimate force down low, yet still maintained a pencil-thin frame, was Garnett.

That's because he would file his elbows before a game and practice scowling/sneering/trashing in front of a mirror.

[Joey]

Apparently Matt and I aren't the only ones who feel Davis is looking like the best prospect right now...


It's from an ESPN Insider article.

Also, Lamb is getting some love...

Not sure anyone has said you and Matt were the only ones that were high on Davis.
Many of us have already acknowledged the guy is playing out of his mind.

But when guys like Anthony Randolph (lesser extent Austin Daye) have had whole seasons in the NCAA of equal/better numbers, and their game still hasn't translated for whatever reason, I'm not one to get overly high on them as prospects just because we haven't seen a player like him in a while.

I'm not saying Anthony Davis' game will not translate; but more than a handful of "uniquely" gifted players have been hyped throughout College and just not Materialized in the NBA.

[MangoKid]

Davis reminds me a lot of Chris Bosh. Bosh showed he had similar skills when he was at Georgia Tech for his freshman year. I mean, Davis has shown to be a very good player early on in his collegiate career, and he could be an excellent pro (much like Bosh currently is), but will he follow that same path? Will people be calling him soft 5-6 years from now?

[Apollo]

It's the Bosh comparisons that turns me off. We've been there, the Raptors are strong in the paint now. If they get the top pick and Davis is the consensus #1 I'd rather see them try to trade down to get a guy like Barnes along with landing a good vet in the trade. This draft is not 2006. There looks to be a much stronger top ten and with a consensus 1 or 2 top picks. If the Raptors get the top spot again they will have leverage, unlike 2006 when you could argue four or five guys for the top pick.

[Nilanka]

Davis is said to have good handles, passing skills, and incredible shot-blocking ability. Not sure if any of that describes Bosh's game.

[mcHAPPY]

Davis reminds me a lot of Chris Bosh. Bosh showed he had similar skills when he was at Georgia Tech for his freshman year. I mean, Davis has shown to be a very good player early on in his collegiate career, and he could be an excellent pro (much like Bosh currently is), but will he follow that same path? Will people be calling him soft 5-6 years from now?

I disagree on the Bosh comparison.

I've watched 2 full Kentucky games and he is not Bosh in my opinion. He is a much better defensive presence and he certainly does not shy away from contact in any way, shape, or form. His motor is non-stop when he plays.

His handle and passing skills are much better than Bosh but Bosh was a much better shooter at the same age.

It is still very early (Terrence Jones at this time last year, I was all over him) and things can and will change.

In my opinion though, you pick the best player available regardless of position and work out the roster later. If you trade down it better not be a Foye for Roy type deal.

[mcHAPPY]

It's the Bosh comparisons that turns me off. We've been there, the Raptors are strong in the paint now. If they get the top pick and Davis is the consensus #1 I'd rather see them try to trade down to get a guy like Barnes along with landing a good vet in the trade. This draft is not 2006. There looks to be a much stronger top ten and with a consensus 1 or 2 top picks. If the Raptors get the top spot again they will have leverage, unlike 2006 when you could argue four or five guys for the top pick.

His game is not Bosh though. It my opinion it is much more Garnett than Bosh.

Let Davis go through a year of NCAA ball and then, if he declares, let his agent hook him up with some personal training from March until the draft and then his team take over from July until training camp.

This is a very young, long, and athletic player with a skill set that comes along very rarely in his frame.

I do agree with the analysis of this draft compared to 2006. When it comes to lottery draft picks, BC is a guy who I have complete faith in so if he dealt down I would definitely not rush to judgement. However I would not trade a superstar talent, regardless of who it is, for two starter level or borderline All-Star talents. Superstar talent is few and far between and, if Davis has it as some people who are much more informed than I have said, I would not trade him given an opportunity to select him.

[mcHAPPY]

Good advice from DraftExpress for us all - especially me, read from bottom up:

Via Twitter:

DraftExpress More so than others perhaps, we care about our archives. Every tweet, article and movement in our mocks is recorded in each player's profile

DraftExpress One game they play well. The next game (or 2-3) they won't. Changes very little for their long term outlook. Experience tells us be patient.

DraftExpress People asking why has DX been passive in evaluating freshmen? Just don't think its productive to ride the roller coaster of snap judgments.

[mcHAPPY]

If the Raptors end up with Drummond, you won't hear me complaining. A Valanciunas-Drummond pairing would be the end of the Eastern Conference. Going into the paint for opponents would be a nightmare.

If Drummond reaches his potential long term, you wouldn't hear me complain either.

I wouldn't complain about Anthony Davis either.

Could you imagine JV with his 6'11" frame and 7'5" wingspan and Davis with his 6'10" frame and 7'4" wingspan in the starting lineup?

Teams would not be able to cheat because they'd get killed with the lob and the help defense would be insane. Jose could play until he was 45 - lol.

[Apollo]

Let Davis go through a year of NCAA ball and then, if he declares, let his agent hook him up with some personal training from March until the draft and then his team take over from July until training camp.

This is my stance as well but when we're crowing him "the guy" right now while our toes are figuratively just testing the water, well, let's talk about the potential good and also the potential bad. If he is the next Kevin Garnett, they're still without a elite wing. I can't count off many teams in modern times who have won a ring without an elite guy coming off the wing who can create on offense and take on the opposing team's top wing on defense.

I do agree with the analysis of this draft compared to 2006. When it comes to lottery draft picks, BC is a guy who I have complete faith in so if he dealt down I would definitely not rush to judgement. However I would not trade a superstar talent, regardless of who it is, for two starter level or borderline All-Star talents. Superstar talent is few and far between and, if Davis has it as some people who are much more informed than I have said, I would not trade him given an opportunity to select him.

I'm not sold on him being a Superstar. Personally I'd like to see a lot more. I'd like to see the tournament. Tough pressure situations. What he does in the face of tense adversity? Those situations separate the Kobe Bryants from the Vince Carters.

[Nilanka]

Those situations separate the Kobe Bryants from the Vince Carters.

As much of a douche Carter is, he did have his fair share of clutch, late-game heroics.

[Apollo]

I'm not just talking about scoring. I'm talking about defense, leadership and playing through adversity, such as injuries and your Mom losing her parking spot that was better than the GM's.

[Tim W.]

Not sure anyone has said you and Matt were the only ones that were high on Davis.
Many of us have already acknowledged the guy is playing out of his mind.

But when guys like Anthony Randolph (lesser extent Austin Daye) have had whole seasons in the NCAA of equal/better numbers, and their game still hasn't translated for whatever reason, I'm not one to get overly high on them as prospects just because we haven't seen a player like him in a while.

I'm not saying Anthony Davis' game will not translate; but more than a handful of "uniquely" gifted players have been hyped throughout College and just not Materialized in the NBA.

To me, it's not a big mystery why guys like Austin Daye and Anthony Randolph never reached their "potential" in the NBA. When evaluating whether a player can make a successful NBA transition, I tend to think his weaknesses tell far more.

Let's look at Austin Daye's weaknesses, as listed on Draft Express:

- Ability to get to free throw line
- Inability to establish position in post
- Ability to defend position at next level?
- Ability to fight through screens
- Foul prone
- Gets backed down in post
- Lateral quickness
- Avoids contact
- Body language
- Maturity
- Mental/Physical toughness?
- Bad knees?
- Ability to finish through contact
- Average athleticism
- Core strength
- Frail frame
- Lacks explosiveness
- Lower body strength
- Strength
- Slow release

I highlighted the red to show which one's are HUGE red flags for me. They're fatal flaws, as in flaws that are nearly impossible to change. Obviously it's not 100%, but if I'm looking at a player and he's got some of these flaws, I would pass. And I've almost never been wrong about guys like this.

Let's look at Anthony Randolph's weaknesses:

- Shot-selection
- Turnover prone
- Inability to establish position in post
- All-around defense
- Defensive awareness
- Gets backed down in post
- Doesn't always play hard
- Fundamentals
- High bust potential?
- Questionable intangibles
- Winning mentality
- Tweener?
- Ability to finish through contact
- Frail frame
- Strength
- Lacks great range on jumper

Again, you see a lot of those red flags. And they're hard to overlook. Especially when you've got so many of them. I can overlook a lack of intangibles of the guy plays hard and is a good defender, but he's got none of those.

Being successful in the NBA is hard. The more things you have working against you, the less likely you're going to be successful. And players who don't work hard, who don't understand the fundamentals and who don't have the mental toughness are most likely not going to succeed.

Anthony Davis has no red flags, as far as I see. He's skinny, but very young, so that's likely to change. He doesn't have a great post game, but since he was playing the guard position just two years ago, that's not really surprising. Besides, his ability to finish very well around the rim help a lot. And while he's physically weak, he doesn't shy away from contact and has shown good toughness.

[mcHAPPY]

This is my stance as well but when we're crowing him "the guy" right now while our toes are figuratively just testing the water, well, let's talk about the potential good and also the potential bad. If he is the next Kevin Garnett, they're still without a elite wing. I can't count off many teams in modern times who have won a ring without an elite guy coming off the wing who can create on offense and take on the opposing team's top wing on defense.

True. But if they drafted another 'big' they would have some assets (future draft picks, ED, Bargnani) to acquire one via trade or valuable cap space to sign a guy like Batum or take on a bloated contract like Gay.

I'm not sold on him being a Superstar. Personally I'd like to see a lot more. I'd like to see the tournament. Tough pressure situations. What he does in the face of tense adversity? Those situations separate the Kobe Bryants from the Vince Carters.

I am sold on him being a Superstar if he reaches his potential. He needs time to adjust to his late growth spurt to hone his perimeter game and develop more of an inside game.