2011 Draft Rumors & Discussion

[Tim W.]

our only options are , Knight and Kemba.

If those are the only options, then I'd trade the pick. Thankfully, they're not.

[MangoKid]

How is he inconsistent? Did you watch Burks play in the Big 12 last year? He was one of the best players in that conference. He has flaws in his game like all players but he was a consistent performer for the Buffs.

I do agree that the Raps already have a 2 guard in Derozan that they are grooming but in this draft if Burks is clearly the best player at 5, which he may well be, then you draft him and worry about the positions later on. Talent is talent.

Did I watch him play? Yes. Was I impressed? Not really. I caught him on the night his jumper wasn't going down, and when that wasn't working for him, he didn't put much effort out on the defensive end. While he's a good slasher and a good leaper, that's all he really adds. For guys on this board who are screaming out for defensive minded players or guys who can at least put in the effort, Burks isn't really that guy. In most mocks, he's slated to go at the 10th spot, so unless he absolutely kills it at the combine and or at the workouts, that's where he'll stay. If we reach to get him at #5, I'd be disappointed. I'd rather bring in Biyombo (especially if we're not going to re-up Evans) or Leonard and bring in a guy who's defense first, than a guy like Burks. And if we're going to reach on someone, I'd bring in a defensive minded swing (Singleton) than Burks.

In terms of him being inconsistent, look at the stats. One night he's up, the other night, he's down - it could be said that such is the life of a collegiate player, but one of the knocks on him is that when he doesn't have the ball, he's pretty lost in the play. That doesn't bode well for a team like ours.

[MangoKid]

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Alec-Burks-5819/

Thanks for posting the link, but I'm full aware of who he is and what his game is like. He's like Jamal Crawford in the sense that he plays the 2-guard and the 1 in a pinch or in certain situations, however, his near 1:1 AST-TO ratio doesn't make me want to draft him in the hopes that he could become a half-decent PG. The kid is a scorer, notsomuch a distributor.

[mcHAPPY]

Crazy thought which is highly unlikely but I'll throw it out there anyway:

What if Burks was able to play PG?

He might have the ability on offense.... I highly doubt defense.

[ceez]

i disagree. id say he has the ability, he just needs to be coached up on it. buffalo was a scoring team, that didn't really both with D to begin with. hes certainly got the lateral quickness and size to be a factor.

[MangoKid]

i disagree. id say he has the ability, he just needs to be coached up on it. buffalo was a scoring team, that didn't really both with D to begin with. hes certainly got the lateral quickness and size to be a factor.

While I do say he's got the size, his motor and his playmaking skills are kinda questionable. If he showed real signs of it in college, I'd be intrigued, but it leaves a lot to be desired. He just doesn't have the skills to be a prime playmaker. He certainly wouldn't be better than Bayless or Calderon. Like I said before, if it's a situation where we drop down in the draft and acquire an asset in the process, then I wouldn't be opposed to selecting him if he's the BPA, but at this particular juncture, I would be really disappointed if we reached for him at #5.
Also, why just draft a guy who's one dimensional? All I've been reading for the past 8 months is how bad Bargnani's D is and how people can't wait to get rid of him, so why all hot under the collar for a guy who doesn't play very good D and gets caught standing around when he doesn't have the ball?

[hateslosing]

How about Vesely? Guy would definitely fit at small forward and he is ridiculously athletic. Some quotes from various articles.

Said a Northwest Division executive: "He plays hard and he cuts off the ball. He's going to survive because of that. He plays like (Andrei) Kirilenko when he was super athletic."

Read more: http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap...#ixzz1MptYYDkl

From a physical standpoint, Vesely remains the same extremely intriguing athletic specimen. He has terrific size and length for a small forward at 6-11 and couples that with incredible explosiveness. He looks a lot more confident in trying to utilize his athleticism as of late, as he's been responsible for a number of unbelievable dunks this season. He's gaining a reputation for being somewhat of a Blake Griffin-type spectacle at this level, doing things that people just aren't accustomed to seeing in European basketball.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/...#ixzz1MpuEFZY2
http://www.draftexpress.com

I'm a big Kirelenko fan so whenever I see comparisons to him I get a little excited. David Aldridge has us taking him (http://www.nba.com/2011/news/feature...aft/index.html) and after doing a bit of reading, I have to say that I am on board with that idea. The thing I like most about him is he is a little bit older than others which gives us a better idea of what he is capable of. There is none of this in 5 years crap, Vesely will likely show us what he is within the first two or three years. His potential as a defender is very very high because of his length and his high motor and competitiveness will help in that department as well. He isn't really a possible franchise guy like Val or Kanter but he definately has the potential to be a key piece and has a lot less bust potential then a guy like Val.

[MangoKid]

Personally, I like Vesely. The kid tries to dunk everything from the clips I've seen. He's got a great motor, solid finisher, decent range on his shot, a great feel for the game, good handles, He just needs more time overseas and he needs a bit more strength as he's rail thin.

[Raptors_]

Personally, I like Vesely. The kid tries to dunk everything from the clips I've seen. He's got a great motor, solid finisher, decent range on his shot, a great feel for the game, good handles, He just needs more time overseas and he needs a bit more strength as he's rail thin.

i think we need a more bulky player out of the draft.

[hateslosing]

Some more Vesely

He's a little thin but boy oh boy...I think he is now the guy I hope we pick.

[Raptors_]

Some more Vesely

He's a little thin but boy oh boy...I think he is now the guy I hope we pick.

hell naw. I've seen derozan throw down more exciting dunks. And right now i'm going with kemba walker or Kawhi leonard

[hateslosing]

hell naw. I've seen derozan throw down more exciting dunks. And right now i'm going with kemba walker or Kawhi leonard

To each their own, I just really like the fearless freak athletes I guess. DD has had some better dunks but then DD probably should have won the dunk contest this year so it's not a fair comparison. I don't really like Walker at this point, he's good but he just seems too small to be a difference maker in the NBA and Leonard doesn't impress me overly much: he's basically the same size as Derozen and I prefer a bigger guy a the three.

[MyMomLovesMe]

Some more Vesely

He's a little thin but boy oh boy...I think he is now the guy I hope we pick.

Ouch that alleyoop looked akward, he looked like he was giving it everything he had, and there was no one on him. Most NBA players would make it look effortless.


I don't see anything impressive in these video's other than a dude dunking unopposed.

[MyMomLovesMe]

Some video about combine from ESPN

http://search.espn.go.com/2011-nba-d...ombine/video/6

[hateslosing]

Ouch that alleyoop looked akward, he looked like he was giving it everything he had, and there was no one on him. Most NBA players would make it look effortless.


I don't see anything impressive in these video's other than a dude dunking unopposed.

The third dunk was contested. Sure the guy was short but he did try to stop the dunk and got pulverized for his trouble. As for the alleyoop, I thought he made it look pretty effortless, but maybe I'm watching the video wrong.