PG or SF?

[Ruuuuu]

Yeah I see Burks as a Westbrook type PG. Not much of a shooter in college (Westbrook, Rose) but you can develop that. It's his creativity when driving and getting into the paint I'm high on.

Well if he can play PG he becomes a lot more intriguing.

If he is only a SG in the NBA, he is not good enough to displace DD.

[mattscottnelson]

The raps have only one consideration heading into this draft. Who is the best asset. Period. You can always parlay redundancies into positional assets...

Why has Derrick Williams not been mentioned in the top group here? I see him and Irving as 1a, 1b...

[Joey]

I really like Kemba but I don't know how he'll do against the PG's in the NBA, especially considering how much bigger the majority of them are. I'm not saying he's going to fail I just like Knight and Burks more at the NBA level.

Chris Paul, Isiah Thomas and Allen Iverson.
All roughly Kemba's height. None of whom managed to put up the numbers that Kemba has in the tournament.
I think he's going to be juuust fine in the League. Though I do like Knight, I think Kemba is the best PG in the NCAA.

[Tim W.]

no Kemba?

Kemba's not a PG. He just plays one on TV.

[Tim W.]

Chris Paul, Isiah Thomas and Allen Iverson.
All roughly Kemba's height. None of whom managed to put up the numbers that Kemba has in the tournament.
I think he's going to be juuust fine in the League. Though I do like Knight, I think Kemba is the best PG in the NCAA.

Unfortunately, with the exception of Iverson, Kemba never approached their assist numbers. Walker is a great scorer, but I've never seen an ability to run an offense from him. And I really don't want my PG to not be able to run an offense. No matter what he can score, there are four other guys on the court, and you're not going to win many without getting them involved.

[Apollo]

Take the best guy on the board. I don't care what position he plays. I hope it's SF or PG but if it's not I don't care. Always take the best player.

[pesterm1]

JJ is not the answer for SF. He belongs to the bench and the 2nd unit. We need to move Amir for SF and use Draft for PG.

how so?? explain your comment. the way i see it, JJ has gotten the first real minutes of his career and he is putting up solid numbers. if his jumper comes aroud next season and he is getting something like 14 ppg 5 rebs 5 assists 1 stl 1 block , how would that not be a starting small forward, not to mention his great defense. ill have to disagree with you friend.

also i think this topic should be changed to " PG, SF, or C ?"

after hearing about raps possibly being open to trading bargs then guys like valanciunas and kanter are draft candidates for us. after watching some videos of valanciunas and he is absoloutley HUGE( listed at 6'11 but he is only 18 and i wouldnt doubt he is still growing and will most likely hit atleast 7 feet). he needs to put on muscle but he has a huge frame to him. and he is said to be the best euro prospect and is a true center that blocks rebounds and has a solid IQ. i tihnk thats what we need on our team and bargs can bring in a solid pg (felton or rubio for example).

i said this in another thread but i tihnk BC is being told to trade bargs or your gone, but thats just my 2 cents.

go to 1:50 and look at valanciunas on the foul line, hes a big kid and could be a dominant center in a few years.also with the looming lockout he will have extra time to adjust and train. i think center has been a need for a long time and the bargs experiment is over. i like bargnani but the araptors simply cant put the right center beside him and i tihnk his time is up here. his stock is high right now and there is still potential with bargnani with moving him to PF or playing with a big center. i think he will have a better career on a team with a big center.

in the begining i wanted to draft irving, barnes, williams. ... now i think we take irving with a top pick or valanciunis. IMO- irving and barnes will be picked first and second.

[e2thed]

I think that they are shopping Bargs for a PG, and are drafting Valanciunas as his replacement.

[cbowlby]

the problem I have with Kemba is that he looks for his shot first and pass second. I feel like this is not what the Raptors need right now and that we need a facilitator.

[Joey]

Kemba's not a PG. He just plays one on TV.

I disagree with this.
Just because a PG can score doesn't mean he's not a PG that can run an offense. If anything it means he has a better understanding of how a proper offense should function and can make better decisions based of off this.
If you watch the UConn games (not saying you haven't been) you can see the leadership and poise with which he plays. He scores the ball because Coach C asks him too. If they had someone like T Jones or Sullinger etc, then he'd be passing off to them; but besides him and JLamb, no one on the Huskies can score with Regularity. So Kemba does it.

But if you watch the willingness with which he gives up the rock, combined with his ability to put the ball in the hole, shows, to me anyway, a level of leadership rarely seen at the NCAA level.

Unfortunately, with the exception of Iverson, Kemba never approached their assist numbers. Walker is a great scorer, but I've never seen an ability to run an offense from him. And I really don't want my PG to not be able to run an offense. No matter what he can score, there are four other guys on the court, and you're not going to win many without getting them involved.

But he has shown to be a willing passer when the situation calls for it, but if you've got 4 other guys on the floor who are trash, or playing like trash, I personally would rather have a PG on the floor who can take over the game himself. He gets his teammates involved, so I'm not sure where this comes from. And his 4.5 assists per game over the season, and putting up more during the tournament (7apg), is a testament to that.

But like I said, when he's the best player on the floor and EVERY play is drawn for you by the coach, what would you expect?

[mcHAPPY]

how so?? explain your comment. the way i see it, JJ has gotten the first real minutes of his career and he is putting up solid numbers. if his jumper comes aroud next season and he is getting something like 14 ppg 5 rebs 5 assists 1 stl 1 block , how would that not be a starting small forward, not to mention his great defense. ill have to disagree with you friend.

also i think this topic should be changed to " PG, SF, or C ?"

after hearing about raps possibly being open to trading bargs then guys like valanciunas and kanter are draft candidates for us. after watching some videos of valanciunas and he is absoloutley HUGE( listed at 6'11 but he is only 18 and i wouldnt doubt he is still growing and will most likely hit atleast 7 feet). he needs to put on muscle but he has a huge frame to him. and he is said to be the best euro prospect and is a true center that blocks rebounds and has a solid IQ. i tihnk thats what we need on our team and bargs can bring in a solid pg (felton or rubio for example).

i said this in another thread but i tihnk BC is being told to trade bargs or your gone, but thats just my 2 cents.

go to 1:50 and look at valanciunas on the foul line, hes a big kid and could be a dominant center in a few years.also with the looming lockout he will have extra time to adjust and train. i think center has been a need for a long time and the bargs experiment is over. i like bargnani but the araptors simply cant put the right center beside him and i tihnk his time is up here. his stock is high right now and there is still potential with bargnani with moving him to PF or playing with a big center. i think he will have a better career on a team with a big center.

in the begining i wanted to draft irving, barnes, williams. ... now i think we take irving with a top pick or valanciunis. IMO- irving and barnes will be picked first and second.

Valaciunas certainly looks to be a 'true' C. If BC did draft him I'm sure Raps fans would immediately tar him as another 'euro' in the most vile of context possible. Nevermind the many bruisers that have come from the other side of the Atlantic.

I liked the video you linked. I've read a lot on him but have not seen such a game focused clip i.e. non-highlight. He has great hands, boxes out everytime, great frame, he had a classic dropstep post move after faking middle, keeps the ball high. It is clear he is a boy among men in the video but he is only 18! I wonder if a Bargnani to UTA for Okur and NJ draft pick would be possible. Okur could tutor him for one year and is an expiring contract (yes Okur is a jump shot C but he also rebounds and plays D).

[Tim W.]

Valaciunas certainly looks to be a 'true' C. If BC did draft him I'm sure Raps fans would immediately tar him as another 'euro' in the most vile of context possible. Nevermind the many bruisers that have come from the other side of the Atlantic.

I liked the video you linked. I've read a lot on him but have not seen such a game focused clip i.e. non-highlight. He has great hands, boxes out everytime, great frame, he had a classic dropstep post move after faking middle, keeps the ball high. It is clear he is a boy among men in the video but he is only 18! I wonder if a Bargnani to UTA for Okur and NJ draft pick would be possible. Okur could tutor him for one year and is an expiring contract (yes Okur is a jump shot C but he also rebounds and plays D).

I like what I've seen from Valaciunas, but he's going to be beaten up down low for a couple of years. THis is a bit worrisome because he'd be paired with two slight PFs who also need to get stronger, in Amir and Davis. That means drafting him will require patience not only for him but for the team as a whole.

And anybody who criticizes this pick based on him being a "Euro" is an idiot and doesn't deserve any consideration. Players should be judged on skill and potential, not on where they were born and raised.

[Raptors_]

how so?? explain your comment. the way i see it, JJ has gotten the first real minutes of his career and he is putting up solid numbers. if his jumper comes aroud next season and he is getting something like 14 ppg 5 rebs 5 assists 1 stl 1 block , how would that not be a starting small forward, not to mention his great defense. ill have to disagree with you friend.

also i think this topic should be changed to " PG, SF, or C ?"

after hearing about raps possibly being open to trading bargs then guys like valanciunas and kanter are draft candidates for us. after watching some videos of valanciunas and he is absoloutley HUGE( listed at 6'11 but he is only 18 and i wouldnt doubt he is still growing and will most likely hit atleast 7 feet). he needs to put on muscle but he has a huge frame to him. and he is said to be the best euro prospect and is a true center that blocks rebounds and has a solid IQ. i tihnk thats what we need on our team and bargs can bring in a solid pg (felton or rubio for example).

i said this in another thread but i tihnk BC is being told to trade bargs or your gone, but thats just my 2 cents.

go to 1:50 and look at valanciunas on the foul line, hes a big kid and could be a dominant center in a few years.also with the looming lockout he will have extra time to adjust and train. i think center has been a need for a long time and the bargs experiment is over. i like bargnani but the araptors simply cant put the right center beside him and i tihnk his time is up here. his stock is high right now and there is still potential with bargnani with moving him to PF or playing with a big center. i think he will have a better career on a team with a big center.

in the begining i wanted to draft irving, barnes, williams. ... now i think we take irving with a top pick or valanciunis. IMO- irving and barnes will be picked first and second.

+100000000.You my friend are the first person to see eye to eye with me. I feel the exact same way, i think JJ can become a great player for the Raps. Next season we'll see him put up crazy numbers if he gets that Jumper down.

[Bendit]

the problem I have with Kemba is that he looks for his shot first and pass second. I feel like this is not what the Raptors need right now and that we need a facilitator.

Not that I am a talent evaluator but I heard it said that KW is in fact a good passer but sometimes looks like he is looking for his shot because his team is not the most talented. I believe that before their season started they were not slated to go far in their conf. let alone be where they are today. Its been mostly due to him. The games I have watched him start out with him trying to distribute but thru a combination of his mates not making their shots or opposing teams denying the pass/double teaming him his coach subs another pg in and he becomes the off guard to set himself free for the shot and the score. He is a great character guy I hear and is probably "the" goto player in the tournament when the chips are down though Brandon Knight is giving him a run there. If I have a question its his size and this unfortunately one cant teach. A difficult call as a high pick. You cant make a mistake picking in our spot.

[mcHAPPY]

I like what I've seen from Valaciunas, but he's going to be beaten up down low for a couple of years. THis is a bit worrisome because he'd be paired with two slight PFs who also need to get stronger, in Amir and Davis. That means drafting him will require patience not only for him but for the team as a whole.

And anybody who criticizes this pick based on him being a "Euro" is an idiot and doesn't deserve any consideration. Players should be judged on skill and potential, not on where they were born and raised.

What if they traded for a veteran such as Okur or another C on a shorter term contract to give him time to fill out and develop? He is listed at 240lbs right now and 6'11". From everything I"ve read his development the last 2 years has been nothing short of phenomenal. Regardless of his lack of strength and size he is still getting 5.4rebs in 14.9mins and shooting 70% from the field and 91% from the free throw line. Given the basic fundamentals on D and O that he has shown he could be special in a day and age with few true C's in the league.

Patience for the team as a whole will be required no matter who they draft, in my opinion. For those who use the OKC template of how to build a winner, think of Rashard Lewis leaving in 2007 equal to Bosh and Allen leaving in 2008 equal to Bargnani (possibily). It is not a perfect example but there are few such things. We know that after Allen left they won 20 games (with Durant and Green) and only managed 23 the next season (with Westbrook).

Got on a ramble there, sorry.

Tim - Okur for a year, what say ye?