PG or SF?

[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?

[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.

[e2thed]

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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[Tim W.]

no Kemba?

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

[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.

[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...

[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.

[e2thed]

Dude, look at Ty Lawson, hes like Kemba's size , and hes taking fools out. But I rather get Knight because hes clutch and he got size.

[ceez]

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.

[MangoKid]

How about we take whoever's the best at that possible time, regardless of position? Last time I checked, there were no franchise players, all-stars or 1st/2nd/3rd team NBA players on our squad.

[ceez]

Jonas is far and away my top big man, but I don't feel it's a pressing need right now, even if Bargs leaves. Frankly there's a couple FA/RFA's out there I'd rather overpay for.

[Ruuuuu]

I think it comes back to the principle of "best player available"

I'd like to see how Barnes measures out (length, speed, vert jump etc) and how he does in workouts. But if all that checks out, I'd put Barnes ahead of Knight, based on his head for the game and the fact that he has basically been the best SF/SG in his age group his whole life. If his measurements are at least average, he should be a good bet in the NBA.

Knight is definitely high on my draft board though. I know its not good to get hung up on one thing, but I cant get over how long he is (in terms of just physique, he looks like Rondo). And he is a knock down shooter. Those two aspects alone make him so damn valuable.

You sure Burks is a PG though?

Also I think you're sleeping on Valanciunas a bit. Based on clips and what Givony of DX says about the guy, he looks really good. Will have to see how he measures out and looks against competition too, but if its all good, I would take the chance to lockup that frontcourt (Davis + Valanciunas). Next year's draft is full of SF (Quincy Miller) too.