Draft

[ppierce34]

I'm up and down on Lawson. Some days I think he can effectively run the point in the NBA, some days I can't.

I like Teague as well, but I can see him playing himself into a top 15 pick. Maynor would be next on the list for me.

Really, my hope is Jennings somehow throwing on a Sixer uni. Don't see it happening though.

[GOBB]

By the way, I'm still hoping that it's neither Lawson nor Maynor. Give me Jeff Teague. Go upside. A back up PG in the NBA is a dime a dozen. Take the kid who has the best chance of developing into a good starter or better. That of course is presuming he'll be there at 17, which is far from guranteed.

I think Jeff Teague does has the biggest upside and he may even fit the kind of offense Eddie Jordan runs since he likes combo guards. And Teague is just that. But him being there at 17? Unsure.

[SixersFan76]

Right now, he's projected to be there at 17, but he's exactly the type of kid who can dominate a few workouts and end up going much higher come draft time. There is at least one scheduled workout I've seen so far that pegs Teague versus Maynor head to head. Usually, the more athletic, faster player prevails in these one on ones, although not sure that would necessarily make the kid a better overall player. That being said, many GMs do give stock to these matchups or they wouldn't schedule them.

Teague is only 20 and after 2 years, he's not ready to be a full time PG yet. That being said, he has played the point his entire life unlike some other guys who become combo guards in the NBA because of height without ever having played the position. He's a combo guard in the same sense Arenas and Mo Williams are combo guards. Williams averaged 3.9 assists versus 3 turnovers his second season at Bama. Arenas actually had more turnovers than assists. They are both offensive minded NBA point guards now. Teague is in the same exact boat. Not clear if he will ever end up being a pure PG, even if a shoot first one (he'll never be a traditional PG from the look of his game) or will end up being a combo guard like a Delonte West or Lou Williams. Obviously, the Sixers don't need another Lou Williams, although they could use Mo Williams as long as he played better defense. Teague does have the offensive upside and maybe he turns into a solid PG - some even compare him to Devin Harris. Not sure if I'd go quite that far. But with Iggy and Brand, I'm not so sure we need a classic PG either.

It's not an easy call by any stretch.

[GOBB]

What prospects you really like in this draft and which prospects you think would be good fits for the Sixers?

[Posterize246]

What prospects you really like in this draft and which prospects you think would be good fits for the Sixers?

If we were ranking point guards I would go...

Rubio
Curry
Flynn
Holiday
Maynor
Teague
Lawson
Mills
Collison

None of that has anything to do with "potential" because that's impossible to measure and it's the reason Holiday is even in the lottery. Jennings fits in somewhere after Rubio and before Collison I like his flair, but from gametape I've seen of him some of it I hate. Has a tendency to jack up shots when a guy is right in his face and miss badly, and his form is really ugly. Watch this vid, some of it almost made me sick.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Twl2F5iB7sA

I see the first play of the game, a beautifully run pick n roll, and I'm in awe. Then on the 2nd play I see one of the ugliest forced jumpers/bricks I've ever seen. Next play he spots up in the corner, wide open, nothing but net trey with great rotation. Then at 1:43 he makes a gorgeous pass to a big man for a layup. Then at 2:08 he goes back into his scorer's mentality and shoots a tough contested fadeaway for no reason (though he did make it). Then at 3:20 another beautifully run pick n roll even though his teammate got blocked. But then at 3:32 what the **** is he doing shooting that shot??


I'm pretty much at a point where whoever we take, as long as it's the best PG they believe to be available, I won't be upset. As long as they don't go against the obvious like picking Collison over Curry I'll be fine.

[GOBB]

Man he made some sweet passes...but some of those shots were ugly. I'd put Jennings right before Holiday on your list.

2 more weeks until we see what the Sixers do/draft.

[ppierce34]

Apparently Jennings doesn't think much of Rubio. Called him all hype in an interview after a workout with the Kings.

[SixersFan76]

I remember Stephon Marbury talking sh*t some years back about Steve Nash. I think Jennings, whose competitiveness and maturity were already on the radar, did himself a disservice by bashing a fellow prospect for no good reason. What Jennings doesn't seem to realize, is that head to head numbers don't mean sh*t - it's whose team wins. So he was bragging about the one game he played against Rubio, when Rubio just returned from a serious injury and was playing at half strength. Jennings, whose team was heavily favored, scored some points. His team lost. He eventually lost his spot and by the time his team turned things around, he rode the pine. Rubio meanwhile kept improving as the season went on and he got healthier, and his small market team did a lot better than expected. The role of a PG is to make players around him better and to help the team win, not to jack up a bunch of shots and pad ones stats while the team goes nowhere. Stephon Marbury is the poster child for that. Jennings has given a few NBA GMs some additional concerns about himself with his statements. If that means he somehow drops down to us at 17, great. He is still young and probably has the biggest upside out of anyone in the draft outside Griffin. But he could very well turn out to be one of those kids who has a 12 to 15 year career with great numbers who is known as a team cancer and a loser. Hopefully that won't be the case, because nothing is sadder than wasted talent, but he certainly did himself no favors. As is, I think he'll impress people in workouts and someone will take a flier on him. Phoenix in a lot of ways could be an ideal fit. He could learn the PG role from Nash for a year and not have the pressure of performing right away. Although I think he goes even higher.

GOBB, I'm presuming you want to know about the guys Sixers could realistically hope to get at 17 and not guys in the entire draft we would want. Obviously, I'd love Griffin here, even if Brand is still on the roster, but it's not happening. I'm guessing you don't want to know about guys who might be a good fit in the second round if we get a pick or as unrestricted free agents. Presuming I'm not misinterpreting your question, of the guys we've talked about, who might be at 17, I think the following could pan out:

Teague - I don't think he will be able to start at PG on a good team right away, but in a few seasons, he should be a Maurice Williams type scoring PG.

Terrance Williams - he's a 4 year senior. Immense talent, but character issues and his output has never matched his ability, which is obviously a huge red flag. That being said, he seems to be a kid who should be an excellent NBA defender at the 2 and 3. He's also a stellar rebounder and passer for his size and position. He is not however a good shooter and for some reason is an absolute putrid free throw shooter. Still, if the will and heart is there, he could be a better version of Bruce Bowen - an offensively limited player who can hit 3's from the wing and get some put backs and buckets in transition, but who can take the other team's best perimeter scorer on and also move the ball efficiently in the Princeton offense and give us a rebounding edge from the backcourt.

James Johnson - I know this will seem like a head scratcher because the kid is a PF, a position where we don't seemingly have a need. At the same time, if he is there at 17, I'd think long and hard. He only played two years of college ball and yet is already 22. He's also a bit undersized. Still, with Brand coming back after a second straight season of serious injuries and Smith coming back from a torn ACL, depth could be a good thing. This kid has a world of talent. He has a long wingspan and is a solid shooter for the 4, is very athletic, and someone who would fit Jordan's system well as a poor man's Jamison.

Chase Budinger - another white guy who can't defend when we already have Kapono? Well, yes. One shooter isn't enough and while Kapono can barely get off the ground, Budinger is a stellar athlete. There are questions about his heart, but it very well could be a kid who never felt comfortable being a star - he wouldn't have to be one in Philly. He can play both the 2 and the 3, and has a chance to develop into a Rex Chapman type guard one day.

Darren Collison - he is short, he's too skinny, he lacks great floor vision, and as far as NBA point guards go, he probably isn't a particularly adept ball handler if there is press defense. He does have long arms and he can shoot spotting up. Reminds me a bit of Mario Chalmers. He's not as big or as strong as Chalmers, but he seems to be quite a bit quicker and with a better shot, so perhaps that evens out. He'll struggle to defend some of the bigger PGs - guys like Billups and Miller for example would post him to death, but he could stick with some of the quicker guys like CP and Rondo.

Eric Maynor - he is not super quick or super athletic. He's not a great passer, not a particularly creative ball handler. He needs to tack on some pounds and he is far from a great shooter. But he seems to be NBA ready - he had a lot of responsibilities on his team and perhaps he would actually improve if he had less on his plate with a team like Philly, where he could feed Brand in the post, allow Iggy to handle the ball a lot, and make the simple passes, play defense, and get to the basket and hit some open shots. If he could be an Eric Snow in his prime type, it wouldn't be the worst value at 17.

Finally, BJ Mullens - he's two years away from being a contributor and is a kid is likely to spend the next year at NBDL or wearing a suit on the bench. Still, he's one of two guys in the first round who could one day be a legitimate starting C in the NBA. Considering that in theory, we still have Sammy here for two seasons, it wouldn't be bad if we could draft and mold his replacement. Mullens doesn't know how to play the game yet, but you can't teach 7-1, 260 and he's no stiff - has good athleticism for the position and nice form on his jumper. With some work, he could be a legit starting C one day and if by next season he can show a pulse, he would also have some serious trade value.

[artificial]

What prospects you really like in this draft and which prospects you think would be good fits for the Sixers?

Prospects I like:

Griffin
Rubio
Harden
Stephen Curry
DeJuan Blair (I don't know how good he can be, but I like the way he plays)
Milan Macvan (2nd round pick - I believe he can be the Paul Millsap type of this draft regarding game and (probable) draft position)


Prospects that would be good fits for the Sixers (PGs)

Rubio
Curry
Flynn
Evans
Maynor
Lawson
Teague
Jennings

Apparently Jennings doesn't think much of Rubio. Called him all hype in an interview after a workout with the Kings.

What's funny is that I remember reading in Jennings' blog not so long ago, how good an impression Rubio had made on him as a person, when he met him for a SLAM photo shoot (near the time they matched up).

[ppierce34]

I imagine a lot of it is self-promotion by Jennings. Rubio is the big name in the draft and getting all the attention, he's also universally ranked above Jennings, so I imagine Jennings is competitive due to that.

[GOBB]

GOBB, I'm presuming you want to know about the guys Sixers could realistically hope to get at 17 and not guys in the entire draft we would want. Obviously, I'd love Griffin here, even if Brand is still on the roster, but it's not happening. I'm guessing you don't want to know about guys who might be a good fit in the second round if we get a pick or as unrestricted free agents. Presuming I'm not misinterpreting your question, of the guys we've talked about, who might be at 17, I think the following could pan out:

Kinda 2 questions in one. Probably shouldve seperated. But just in general are there any prospects you're high on in this draft? Blake is one you mentioned. Anyone else you like. Could be first round, second round guys.

[Posterize246]

I'm usually not down on any draftees because you never know how they'll turn out. That and because I'm a huge college fan so it's hard to be objective when you like all these guys. But one guy that I didn't like that I'll throw out there is Tyler Smith from Tennessee. I was at the Temple/Tennessee ESPN game and saw Tyler get absolutely shut down by the slowest player in college basketball, 7'0" Sergio Olmos. Smith got easily frustrated and got out of the game mentally too.

Looking up the boxscore now. He finished 6-16 (but went 2-2 when the game had a minute left and out of reach, so more like 4-14) and 1-5 from three. That game I'll always remember. It was weird seeing a guy 6'7" and athletic getting absolutely shut out by a guy 7'0" who can't move his feet. Imagine a 6'7" athletic NBA player being guarded by Ilgauskas. Something like that.

[SixersFan76]

Not a great draft this season.

I think Griffin should be a star, albeit not a super star. Hill can turn himself into a solid defender and rebounder - a Horace Grant type, but it will take some time. Rubio I'm a little on the fence about. Jennings might have the most star potential in this draft, but he also could be a total bust. Harden looks like a poor man's Brandon Roy. I think Flynn will be a solid starting PG for 10 years. Not a huge fan of Evans or Holiday, although both have a lot of potential. See them as athletes who aren't yet players and might never be. Same with DeRozan, although he has ridiculous athleticism and fluidity and is very young, so if he works on his game, he could be a star player in 3 years. Curry I like quite a bit because of his shooting and his basketball IQ. He's not talented enough athletically and not enough of a PG to succeed no matter where, but in the right system and with the right group of players around him, he could become a very nice player. I think Jack McClinton will end up being a nice 6th man who can play a little 1 and a little 2 and put up points.

Tough to project some of the European players because I've only seen glimpses of most of them. Victor Claver is probably a kid who can become a solid starter. Nando DeColo is very intriguing to me because he seems to be developing from a combo guard into a PG and at 6-5, he'd have great size for the position.

I really like Danny Green in the second round. He is a kid who while not starter quality talent, seems like he could be a nice back up swingman for some team. Nothing spectacular but a kid who will play solid, if unspectacular defense, who won't rebound or pass much, but also won't hurt you on the boards or with silly turnovers or failure to make the right pass, and who while not a great shooter, will hit the open shot consistently and should get better with work. Fact is, most guys who get drafted in the second round either don't make the league or get only a few years of burn before they are gone. He seems like a kid who if he stays healthy throughout, might have a 15 year NBA career, and not too many second rounders can say that.

[SixersFan76]

By the way, one of the most important things I'll be watching for in the draft is what Memphis does. The way I look at it, if they don't take Thabeet number 2 or trade the pick without getting a center in return and don't draft Thabeet with a lower pick they might get in any trade deal, they would be one of the first teams I would call.

Here is what we could offer them - Dalembert and Ivey for Milicic and Jaric. We would also send them $3 million in cash. Here is what it would do for them. They are a team that has salary cap space, but they do not have a market or a team that is likely to land a huge free agent. If they like Boozer and think he's healthy, this is the best time for them to get him. If he opts out, they could add a low post scoring PF to a team that already has two very good perimeter offensive players in Mayo and Gay. However, Boozer has some limitations as a player. He's not a very good defender and he's a bit on the slow, plodding side. Right now, Memphis has a nice young C in Gasol, but Gasol is primarily an offensive player who doesn't play very good defense and also doesn't move very well. Memphis could add a center who they can effectively pair up in a tandem with Gasol and play 24 to 30 minutes a game, get shot blocking and rebounding. Memphis would also free up a bit more cap space for this season because if Dalembert agrees to waive the trade kicker (and I'm sure we could convince his agent to do just that as it would give him a chance to start and rebuild his value for the next contract rather than sit the pine and get a minimum deal from someone in two years), coupled with Ivey, total just over $12 million, while Milicic and Jaric combined total just over $14.5. In the long term, Memphis would have to pay about $2.5 million extra, which is where the cash we send them would come in.

The big benefit to the Sixers is that we get to free up cap space for next season after Milic expires. In Jordan's system, Milicic is likely to be just as effective as Dalembert will be. Even if Milicic, who himself is still only 23 years old, doesn't improve, he can still give us 24 minutes, 8 points, 7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks or so. Jaric is a better back up than Ivey and is a veteran who can play some point, some SG and some SF. Moreoever, there is the double bonus of him having an expiring contract after next season - with a continued lack of playing time, he might be persuaded to leave his last year on the table and get a nice contract from some team in Europe - in which case we'd have money to spend next off-season.

All of this of course hinges on Memphis's pick. If they take Thabeet, there is no conversation to be had. If they don't, perhaps there is a window through which we can squeeze Dalembert out the door and likely not suffer ill effects in terms of performance this season while having a potential bonanza on our hands for 2010.

[ppierce34]

SF you are a long-winded SOB.