Draft thoughts?

[WayOutWest]

I don't know anything about the current crop of kids.

I'm not sure about the Lakers pick.  West had the pattern of drafting the best talent available, he never drafted for need.  The commentators spoke alot about better players available but it looks like the Lakers drafted the best center available.  He's definately a project and there could be issues with his weight and conditioning so I'm not holding my breath.

[Joe Vancil]

As a Jazz fan, I'm ECSTATIC about what we did in the first round!  Deron Williams is a great guy to get, and we didn't have to give up Giricek or Boozer to get him.

I was less pleased with our second round picks.  A high-school kid who hasn't signed with an agent?  A career wash-out?  Considering my guy - Martynas Andriuskevicius - was out there for us, that's who I'd have grabbed.  If you're going to make a mistake, a 7-3 Lithuanian mistake who you can leave overseas to develop for a while isn't all that bad of a mistake to make in the second round.  And the second pick, I was really eager for us to go after Drake Deener out of DePaul - who wasn't drafted.  Then I heard something I couldn't believe:  JOHN LUCAS III was out there!  That's another kid we could use (since, as I hear it, Raul Lopez screwed up his knee by answering the telephone last week and is probably looking at surgery...)  (Credit to Wolverine for the "answering the phone" line.).

Jazz draft grade:  B+  - A for the first round, F for the second round.

Draft winners:  Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte (PR standpoint)
Draft losers:  Toronto (do they still have a team?  Well, they won't for long if they keep drafting like this...)

 

[jn]

I know we have some gun owners on this board so I was wondering if one of you would be so kind as to fly up to Mpls and put me out of my misery.   :cry:

So let's see we have Spree who is a lazy malcontent and is still hated for his comment about "I have to feed my family."  In order to replace him the Wolves draft a a lazy malcontent who said playing at UNC is like being in prison.  The Wolves are a team that was sorely lacking in heart and to correct the situation we drafted a guy who, in a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME couldn't even be bothered to move toward loose balls, much less dive for them.  :puke:  

Unflockingbelievable.....

We should have taken Joey Graham.  A little undersized for a PF yes, but he has some HEART and attacks the rim with an athleticism the Wolves desperately need.  I would have been happier with Hakim Warrick as well and although I have never seen him play the cat the Pacers took sounded like a winner.

Kudos to the Bobcats for getting solid players who will help on the court and with the fans.  Count me among those who think May will be a fine player.

I'm surprised by the Knicks/Suns deal.  I just can't picture Kurt Thomas playing on a high octane team.  When I saw the Suns drafted Nate Robinson my thought was that with his furious play the Suns would actually score even more this year.  

Did the French win an Olympic gold and I missed it?

Second Round finds, IMHO, are Turiaf to the Lakers and Ryan Gomes to Boston.  



 

[Derek Bodner]

Considering my guy - Martynas Andriuskevicius

Gr....he's the one I wanted the Sixers to get.  And he went 1 before us.

Boston had a great draft.  Gomes was a steal, and they really lucked out with Green.

I'm scratching my head at the Knicks.  Both of their draft picks could have been had 10 picks later.  And Nate Robinson on the Knicks?  Don't they have enough pg's?

Great pickup by the Jazz.  Didn't cost much and filled a tremendous position of need.

[JoMal]

So let's see we have Spree who is a lazy malcontent and is still hated for his comment about "I have to feed my family."  In order to replace him the Wolves draft a a lazy malcontent who said playing at UNC is like being in prison.  The Wolves are a team that was sorely lacking in heart and to correct the situation we drafted a guy who, in a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME couldn't even be bothered to move toward loose balls, much less dive for them. 

 

Come on, jn - he isn't as bad as all that. I heard that he once tied his own shoelaces prior to a big game without any warm ups or anything.

Besides, the NBA has a way for players to find their own level. If McCants turns out to be a lazy bum with little motivation, his pride, if he has any, will take a huge hit, and that can make sensible people grow up in a hurry. So...if he has any sense, he will turn into a good pick.

The King's drafting of Garcia is right up Petrie's style. A solid citizen with a versitile offensive game who has questions about who he can defend. Doug Christie was not considered much of a defender either, but having long arms on a skinny frame did him no harm until he made himself into a top notch defender. Garcia is thin and wiry, and of course the NBA experts question his build fitting into the NBA style of basketball.

Huh?

He may not fit in, but his frame mirrors Reggie Miller, Tayshaun Prince's (not to mention Christie's) and a few others who somehow still managed to take the pounding and put up decent numbers.

He also fills a need on the Kings for a shooting guard, though, as last year's pick, Kevin Martin, found out, filling the shooting guard need still meant lots of bench time. However, if Cutino Mobley opts out (likely), there is little in front of him on the Kings, unless the Kings resign Maurice Evans (hopefully). Otherwise, Petrie is going to need to sign a veteran free agent guard this summer.

You know what? We should always analyze drafts two years after the fact. That is just about the only way you can judge them.

Let's see, two years ago, the Kings drafted...... Oh, yeah. The Kings traded their first round pick years earlier in a trade with Detriot that got them.....Mateen Cleeves... then traded their second round pick as part of the deal with Boston to get Darius Songaila.  

Okay, let's NOT go back and analyze old drafts.

[ziggy]

I was happy, but seemingly like everybody here I was hoping we would take Martynas Andriuskevicius as he dropped like a rock.

The guy we wanted was Webster, and we traded down 3 picks, and still got him, plus we got 2 more first rounders.  Overall we traded #3 and #35, for #6, #22, and probably a #25 next year.  I am very very happy with Webster.

Jarret Jack is a big long PG, which is great.  Damon is bye bye, and Jack is 5 to 6 inches taller, and has the wing span of a 6-7 player.  Good defender and tough, and in the various mack drafts I saw he was projected as going as high as #13 and #14, and as low as #19, and all we gave up was #27 and #35.

I have heard rumors that the Ruben Patterson for Gordon Giricek deal is still on, just waiting for the new collective bargining agreement, and teh new trade rules to finalize it.  GOD I HOPE SO!!!!!!!!

[Joe Vancil]

jn,

     I'm not about to fly up there to shoot you.  I think you're going to be VERY pleasantly surprised by McCants.  This is a guy who can play the game, and while, yes, he has a bit of an attitude, it's the kind of attitude that will be appreciated as a breath of fresh air in Minnesota.  I can see him stepping in immediately at the 2-guard for you guys, and putting up good numbers all across the board.

     Unlike Sprewell, who is understood clearly, McCants is somewhat misunderstood.  If I were to say, "Playing at North Carolina is time-intensive, highly regulated, and scrutinized," most people would nod their head and agree with my statements.  Sum that up in a single word - "prison" - and now folks are upset.  Give McCants a chance, and you'll find out he's a talented ball-player who can really help you.  He's a bit more contemplative than most, and might even seem a bit "moody," but that "moodiness" is more than anything a desire to WIN, and KEEP WINNING.  That was Sprewell's biggest problem - that winning didn't matter to him.  When a player asks, "Why should I help my team win a championship?"  this is a player with no place in the league.  That's not the kind of guy McCants is.

Plus, look at the history of Carolina 2-guards.  Heck, even throw Jordan out of the equation.  Vince Carter, Jerry Stackhouse, Rick Fox (a 2/3 combo guy)...these guys do well.  The only real bust recently was Joe Forte.

You're getting a productive player out of a good system.

[Joe Vancil]

I can't understand the Patterson/Giricek deal from Utah's standpoint.

We can't use Patterson.  We have Harpring and Kirilenko at the 3, with Raja Bell capable of playing the 3, and we've got Boozer and Humphries at the 4.  Patterson doesn't address our outside shooting problem, whereas Giricek at least helps in that area.  We can't really use Harping at the 2 long-term, and at the 2, we've got just Snyder and Bell other than Giricek.  Trading Giricek is a mistake for us.

That said, I don't get why SOMEBODY doesn't want Ruben Patterson.  Yes, there's the checkered past.  But this guy is a RELENTLESS worker on the boards and a good defender, and I'd have to think that someone like a Miami, Philadelphia, Sacramento, or Houston could really use him.  We've already got Harpring in that role, and he's a perfect fit for us.

If this were to clear us some cap room, I might like the deal if we could sign a Ray Allen, Michael Redd, or Cuttino Mobley.  But otherwise, I think it's a mistake.
 

[Reality]

What is the latest draft "legalities"?
Do foreign players have to enter the NBA via the draft?

I'd like to know across the board, but specifically I'm wondering since Scola was not drafted by the Spurs, does he now have to wait till 2006 draft?  Or can he sign as a *free agent* anytime with any team?

Or for that matter can a foreiner walk on at a teams open tryouts or minicamps?

[ziggy]

What is the latest draft "legalities"?
Do foreign players have to enter the NBA via the draft?

I'd like to know across the board, but specifically I'm wondering since Scola was not drafted by the Spurs, does he now have to wait till 2006 draft?  Or can he sign as a *free agent* anytime with any team?

Or for that matter can a foreiner walk on at a teams open tryouts or minicamps?

Everybody must go through the draft, US or foreign.  If you are not drafted you are a FA, able to sign with any team.  If you are drafted the team  that drafts you owns your draft rights forever, and you are their "property" until they release you.

Scola was drafted by the Spurs in the 2002 draft, with the 56th pick overall.  He is still the "property" of the Spurs, until he is "officially" released by the Spurs.  His playing in Europe in 2002-03, 2003-04, and 2004-05, has not effect on the Spurs rights.

[ziggy]

I can't understand the Patterson/Giricek deal from Utah's standpoint.

We can't use Patterson.  We have Harpring and Kirilenko at the 3, with Raja Bell capable of playing the 3, and we've got Boozer and Humphries at the 4.  Patterson doesn't address our outside shooting problem, whereas Giricek at least helps in that area.  We can't really use Harping at the 2 long-term, and at the 2, we've got just Snyder and Bell other than Giricek.  Trading Giricek is a mistake for us.

That said, I don't get why SOMEBODY doesn't want Ruben Patterson.  Yes, there's the checkered past.  But this guy is a RELENTLESS worker on the boards and a good defender, and I'd have to think that someone like a Miami, Philadelphia, Sacramento, or Houston could really use him.  We've already got Harpring in that role, and he's a perfect fit for us.

If this were to clear us some cap room, I might like the deal if we could sign a Ray Allen, Michael Redd, or Cuttino Mobley.  But otherwise, I think it's a mistake.

"IF" it happens, and it is all just rumors at this point, it was part of the cost of getting Deron Williams.  Simple as that nothing more.

As far as Ruben, I am surprised that there isn't more interest in the guy.  I agree that he would be an ideal guy for a lot teams, but he is a "PAIN IN THE ASS".

As far as his rebounding, he is an excellent offensive rebounder, excellent, but he is a BAD defensive rebounder.  Damon is a better defensive rebounder.  He is a bad FT shooter, a poor decision maker, and he turns the ball over way to much.

[Ted]

"IF" it happens, and it is all just rumors at this point, it was part of the cost of getting Deron Williams.  Simple as that nothing more.

As far as Ruben, I am surprised that there isn't more interest in the guy.  I agree that he would be an ideal guy for a lot teams, but he is a "PAIN IN THE ASS".

As far as his rebounding, he is an excellent offensive rebounder, excellent, but he is a BAD defensive rebounder.  Damon is a better defensive rebounder.  He is a bad FT shooter, a poor decision maker, and he turns the ball over way to much.

Funny that we haven't smelt a whiff of this putrid Patterson rumor in our media down here, and our radio talk show hosts and journalists have been talking to the Portland media A LOT.

The Jazz already paid plenty to get Deron. If Patterson is indeed part of the deal, O'Connor got royally broomsticked by Nash. Why would the Jazz want Ruben? We've already got a Ruben who can shoot some, Harpring. This whole thing sounds like some floppy-eared, saggy-skinned, canine wishful thinking if you ask me.

[ziggy]

"IF" it happens, and it is all just rumors at this point, it was part of the cost of getting Deron Williams.  Simple as that nothing more.

As far as Ruben, I am surprised that there isn't more interest in the guy.  I agree that he would be an ideal guy for a lot teams, but he is a "PAIN IN THE ASS".

As far as his rebounding, he is an excellent offensive rebounder, excellent, but he is a BAD defensive rebounder.  Damon is a better defensive rebounder.  He is a bad FT shooter, a poor decision maker, and he turns the ball over way to much.

Funny that we haven't smelt a whiff of this putrid Patterson rumor in our media down here, and our radio talk show hosts and journalists have been talking to the Portland media A LOT.

The Jazz already paid plenty to get Deron. If Patterson is indeed part of the deal, O'Connor got royally broomsticked by Nash. Why would the Jazz want Ruben? We've already got a Ruben who can shoot some, Harpring. This whole thing sounds like some floppy-eared, saggy-skinned, canine wishful thinking if you ask me.

Woof woof Ted, woof woof.

I, like you, will believe it when I see it, but this was in Todays Oregonian

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/oregonia...ll=7&thispage=2

The Blazers are close to an agreement on a deal to send forward Ruben Patterson to the Utah Jazz for shooting guard Gordan Giricek. Giricek averaged 20.5 minutes and 8.8 points last season


At the same time this came from another writer from the Oregonian in his Blog

http://www.oregonlive.com/canzano/

How the Utah-Portland deal went down
Utah GM Kevin O'Connor told the Salt Lake media: "I've got John Nash's phone number memorized. He got who he wanted and will collect some assets because the ping-pong balls fell the way the did."

The Jazz are believed to have sealed the deal by throwing in that conditional first-round pick in 2006.

Several media outlets reported players from both teams were talked about in the deal, namely the Blazers' Ruben Patterson and Utah's Kirk Snyder and Gordan Giricek. An NBA agent also told yours truly that Zach Randolph and Carlos Boozer were rumored to be part of a possible deal.

Nash told me that wasn't true, though. And O'Connor is going with that, too.

Said O'Connor to the Salt Lake papers: "There were absolutely never players involved in the trade. Not even discussed. Ruben Patterson's name, in 20 conversations, was never mentioned."


So in other words
"who the hell knows", but I will keep the mustard out for you just in case.

[Ted]

Oh crap. Now I'm hearing that Jerry Sloan can't stand Giricek. Still haven't heard Ruben's name mentioned, but I have heard from a guy who's friends with the Sports Editor at the Deseret News that Sloan is tired of Giricek's black hole/gunner style and is especially fed up with his unwillingness to listen to coaching.

This deal may actually have a chance. Please no.

[Skandery]

I couldn't come on the board because I had the draft on tape and wanted to be surprised.  Then I just got really, busy.

On to the draft thoughts.  The biggest winner in this year's draft was the Boston Celtics.  The Celtics had Ryan Gomes down for their 18th pick, Gerald Green falls into their lap, and Ryan Gomes is still around at #50!!  I think Sean Deveney of Yahoo said it best, to paraphrase:  It's funny how each team's draft organizers here the idea that a certain player is going in the top 10 so they plan their strategy without that player.  Then when that player falls into their laps, they go into brain-freeze mode and select the player they previously strategized for instead of the top talent.  There was no cause for Gerald Green to drop like he did, that guy looks ridiculous.  

Indiana did good with Granger.  Charlotte did good, financially speaking, whether Felton and May were the correct picks, basketball-wise, we'll wait and see.  I think Yaroslav Korolev for the Clips is very intriguing.  He plays for CSKA Russia, AK-47's team.  Andrew Bynum, Huh??  If you're gonna make a mistake, make it a BIG one I guess?  I love Milwaukee's pick of Andrew Bogut.  People say Bogut now, Williams for the future.  I say Bogut, Bogut for the future.  And I think the biggest steal of the draft may very well turn out to be Salim Stoudamire, which means if Marvin does pan out.  Atlanta did well for themselves.  

So about this Charlie Villanueva, put me down as a guy with the dissenting opinion from the entire world.  What's wrong with that pick.  This guy is the best player on UCONN!!  Not New Mexico State, Lanier High School, or Mt Zion Academy.  UCONN for heaven's sake.  How many people out of UCONN have busted.  Ray Allen, nope, Rip Hamiltion, uh-uh, Donyell Marshall, not him, Emeka Okafor, ROY, Ben Gordon - best 4th quarter player in the NBA last year.  Khalid el-Amin, okay so you got one!  This is freakin' UCONN people, you can play Bosh at Center and Villanueva at PF and start your own little PHX club in Canada.  The one drawback is that it'll be tougher to re-sign Bosh since rumor has it, he hates playing Center.  Fine, have Bosh guard the PF's, Villanueva guard the C's and if they beat Charlie Bosh is a help-defending shot-blocker.  Call me crazy but I don't think Toronto deserves the shelacking they've received by EVERYONE........but I've been wrong before.