Seniors in the draft

[smushmush]

Guys, I was checking a CNN SI article and they mentioned Top 15 seniors in the upcoming NBA draft. I feel that most of these seniors can be acquired in the second round by cash or granting them a tryout as a free agent if they went undrafted. Here`s the link:-


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mul...content.1.html


I feel it is the time to start looking for gems of our own a la San Antonio Spurs with Gary Neal or Utah Jazz with Wes Matthews among the seniors who might bring something immediate to the table(what`s more, most of them go in the second round or undrafted which means we give them an unguaranteed contract).


Of the list above, I chose number 14 - Gilbert Brown(he might have off court issues(most basketball players do but that should not be a criteria -they had to choose between basketball/football or drug dealing, gangs. I feel as long as they have the talent a la the New York Jets, I am good) but he is a swingman that can shoot the ball and is an excellent perimeter defender - what we exactly need at the 3.)

[grindhouse]

justin holiday is jrue brother, they have him listed as a sg/sf but I don't see a reason why he couldn't play point guard like his brother.

jimmer can't possibly play worst D than calderon?

[Joey]

justin holiday is jrue brother, they have him listed as a sg/sf but I don't see a reason why he couldn't play point guard like his brother.

jimmer can't possibly play worst D than calderon?

The dudes leading the team in steals. I don't like the catergory much as it can be VERY deceptive, but Jose has certainly improved his foot speed and defensive focus this year. Can't see Jimmer leading the team in steals.. ever. Man can that guy shoot the rock though. Holy cow.

[smushmush]

justin holiday is jrue brother, they have him listed as a sg/sf but I don't see a reason why he couldn't play point guard like his brother.

jimmer can't possibly play worst D than calderon?

Jimmer's D would make him a huge liability in the NBA - I only see him on a contender as a 6th man a la Jamal Crawford or more specifically JJ Reddick. If Jimmer is able to play passable team defense, show some effort and is adequate in the zone, I can see him as a starting SG on a team like the Bulls where he will shoot 3s and give Boozer more space and rebounds under the basket due to his ability to spread the floor.

I am okay with Justin Holiday as a PG - we are having more of the scoring PGs with average assists numbers in the NBA a la Devin Harris, DJ Augustin, Deron Williams and Russell Westbrook. I am also keeping an eye on Nolan Smith of Duke(he can be close to Russell Westbrook if he gets under a mentor PG for a few years to know how to pass coupled with his scoring which makes him a double threat as Russell Westbrook is(although Westbrook is a triple threat, he can also get offensive rebounds).

Like your idea, grindhouse. Guys keep it coming.

[albertan_10]

I don't think defense will be a liability for Fredette. The kid has worked really hard to become who he is. His older brother used to take him to jails and have him play against the rough guys there. He's willing to do whatever it takes to get better. Plus if he's leading his team in steals then he must play the passing lanes really well.

[smushmush]

I don't think defense will be a liability for Fredette. The kid has worked really hard to become who he is. His older brother used to take him to jails and have him play against the rough guys there. He's willing to do whatever it takes to get better. Plus if he's leading his team in steals then he must play the passing lanes really well.

Hope so, I hope he is able to defend adequately in the next level which is the NBA L. If he is able to do that, he might even go in the lottery(because let us face it who would not want a guard that can score and fill up stats and can play at least passable defense - it is the reason guys like Manu Ginobili have been in the laegue for a long time).

[Tim W.]

Damn. I thought this thread was about old people in the draft. I thought it was going to give me some hope for the future. Oh, well.

[smushmush]

Damn. I thought this thread was about old people in the draft. I thought it was going to give me some hope for the future. Oh, well.

Lol.

[octothorp]

I think a guy like Gilbert Brown would be worth acquiring if we could grab a late second-rounder: a perimeter defender who can knock down the 3. To me, this is one of the types of role-players that we're really going to need going forward. Of course, it's hard to project how these guys will develop, and there's a reason that he's not in most mock drafts right now. There are other potential picks that have a similar skillset with more upside.

[smushmush]

I think a guy like Gilbert Brown would be worth acquiring if we could grab a late second-rounder: a perimeter defender who can knock down the 3. To me, this is one of the types of role-players that we're really going to need going forward. Of course, it's hard to project how these guys will develop, and there's a reason that he's not in most mock drafts right now. There are other potential picks that have a similar skillset with more upside.

+1. The problem mostly with college basketball seniors is that they have peaked skill wise but I am good with that as long as they bring needed skills to my team.

[slaw]

I feel it is the time to start looking for gems of our own a la San Antonio Spurs with Gary Neal or Utah Jazz with Wes Matthews among the seniors who might bring something immediate to the table(what`s more, most of them go in the second round or undrafted which means we give them an unguaranteed contract).

I don't follow college hoops close enough to comment on specific players but I do agree that, generally, the Raps should adopt an approach with respect later first rounders and second round picks that values guys who were productive in college rather than simply taking flyers on 'potential' players. I understand both schools of thought but with the salary cap you need to have cheap players that produce and you can't afford to tie up a lot of spots on projects.

For example, if you can find a player in the second round that can give you 15-20 mins/game, then that saves you from having to give some 30-year old free agent a guaranteed $20 or $30 million for the same level of production. It's why a guy like DeJuan Blair is great value - even if his knees give out after 4 or 5 years, you've paid him probably half (or less) of what you would have had to pay a Drew Gooden type for the same production (or less).

Of course, I question management's ability to identify the 'gems' given the rather spotty drafting history of this team going back over the last decade.

[smushmush]

I don't follow college hoops close enough to comment on specific players but I do agree that, generally, the Raps should adopt an approach with respect later first rounders and second round picks that values guys who were productive in college rather than simply taking flyers on 'potential' players. I understand both schools of thought but with the salary cap you need to have cheap players that produce and you can't afford to tie up a lot of spots on projects.

For example, if you can find a player in the second round that can give you 15-20 mins/game, then that saves you from having to give some 30-year old free agent a guaranteed $20 or $30 million for the same level of production. It's why a guy like DeJuan Blair is great value - even if his knees give out after 4 or 5 years, you've paid him probably half (or less) of what you would have had to pay a Drew Gooden type for the same production (or less).

Of course, I question management's ability to identify the 'gems' given the rather spotty drafting history of this team going back over the last decade.

We can largely put that on Jim Kelly and his team of draft scouts lol. That draft team sucks - we always getting fatally flawed players when good players are still on the board lol.