Official 2014 NBA draft thread

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I recognize that some of you will be offended by this thread and say it is too early to be having this discussion. I understand this and suggest that you just ignore this thread. I don't understand the interest in the various "let's trade X for Y" threads, because 99% of these deals never happen, so I just don't read or participate in them. But I accept that there are many others who enjoy them. I suspect that there will be many who will enjoy this thread too.

First of all, I think it is almost a certainty that the Wolves will have a draft pick this year. The absence of Pek and Martin ensures that we will be several games out of the playoffs by the All Star break, and the presence of JJ and Adelman ensures that we will struggle to get back to .500 the rest of the year. A record like that puts us in little danger of losing our pick. Thus, the relevance of this thread.

Second, what position should the Wolves be targeting? I'm convinced that we are set at PG and C, and surprisingly, also at SF with Shabazz, Bud and Brewer. I think our priorities in this draft should be:

1) A SG who can either be a prolific scorer off the bench, or allow Martin to move to the role of bench scorer.

2) A PF who can effectively back up Love, and even provide some security if Love opts out.

This thread will get too long if I discuss each of these players, but these are the guys who fit into the two categories and might be available at 11 or 12:

SG: James Young, Gary Harris, Zach Lavine, PJ Hairston
PF: Doug McDermott, Aaron Gordon, Dario Saric

I think there are enough great choices that we are going to be very happy with the draft this year. It's getting to be the time of year when interest in the Wolves wanes, and college basketball becomes more compelling. I invite draft fans to use this thread to discuss the players we should be targeting in the draft.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

LaVine and Harris are at the top of my wishlist for us. Not to say Parker, Wiggins, Randle, Smart are lesser than them, but we won't be that high in the lottery to get them.

After those two, I like McDermott, but I have my worries that I've talked about before. Lack of athleticism and size. We already have a problem in both areas. Can't play above the rim. Worried about strength when battling NBA PFs; can't guard NBA SFs.


My thoughts copy/paste from a different thread:

- Shabazz Napier, PG, UCONN. Not sure if he's getting lottery love, but I'll go ahead and say I'd really like to have him. Would be a hell of a pickup and one that would hopefully force Flip to give Barea the boot. Napier's gotten better at practically everything each year. FG%, 3P%, FT%, PPG, APG, RPG, SPG and FTs made (gets to the line). Can score in different ways. Pull-up jumper, three pointer off the dribble, step-back jumper, penetrating the lane, drawing the foul. Exceptional ball-handler. Can get anywhere on the court. Just from watching him on TV you can tell he's got a really good feel for the game. Oh, and he's money in big moments. Several game-winners already this year.

- Kyle Anderson, SF, UCLA. This guy does it all. Points, boards, assists, defense. Averaging 16/9/7 (15/9/7 now) on the year with 52/53/76 (49/50/74 now) shooting slashes. If he comes out in such a deep draft, somebody's getting a steal. Plays the game at his own pace. Never seems too ahead of himself. Court vision for a guy his age is off the charts. Reminds me a lot of Chandler Parsons except not as thin. Anderson's about 230-235. Not an excellent athlete, but a really good basketball player. I'd like to hear LST's thoughts on him. Pretty sure he watches more Bruin hoops than I do.

- Chris Walker, SF/PF, Florida. He's an unknown prospect in the college ranks right now. Hasn't played a game this year due to academic setbacks coming out of high school, but he's about to be set free. Seems like a good guy, though, if you talk to him (which I have). Wants to live in the paint. Shot doesn't look like it'll ever be considered great, but can be improved. One of the best HS recruits in his class. Freakish athlete with length. Again, we don't have many, if any, above the rim players right now. That has to change. Potential is very high with him, though. Most mocks have him low first round, but I expect his stock to shoot up quickly.

To add to Walker, he's a much better defender than I previously expected. Active hands, protects the rim. Uses his length to a big advantage. Will likely be the better athlete than the guy he's guarding even at the NBA level. Keep him on your radar.

There's other prospects I like and I'll touch on later in the day.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I completely agree with your wishlist of Harris and Lavine, and believe right now that we will end up with one of them. Currently Harris is out of range and Lavine is in range, but that is likely to change by draft day. Harris is scoring better but shooting worse this year, and that may both drop him out of the top ten and give us reason to be concerned. But he is so much more NBA ready physically than he was last year. And Lavine has the potential to be a true star at the next level. I'm quite excited about what the Wolves can be with the nucleus they currently have, a new coach, and the piece they pick up in the draft this year.

[Coolbreeze44]

LST - It's a little too early for me to engage in this type of discussion. But I appreciate the point you made in regards to far fetched trade threads:

I don't understand the interest in the various "let's trade X for Y" threads, because 99% of these deals never happen, so I just don't read or participate in them

I know a lot of guys like those type of threads, but I just don't see the sense in it. But I will eventually get on board in this discussion.

[Phenom]

God dammit.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

LST - It's a little too early for me to engage in this type of discussion. But I appreciate the point you made in regards to far fetched trade threads:

I don't understand the interest in the various "let's trade X for Y" threads, because 99% of these deals never happen, so I just don't read or participate in them

I know a lot of guys like those type of threads, but I just don't see the sense in it. But I will eventually get on board in this discussion.

I get that and respect it, Cool. I suspect we'll start getting your input around the time the NCAA's kick into high gear. Meanwhile the draftaholics like myself will continue with our research and keep this thread going, and the tradeaholics will keep those threads going for those that enjoy them. Unfortunately, I need the prospect of a good draft pick to keep my interest level in this squad.

[BloopOracle]

Marcus Smart will fall right into our hands now, this is perfect

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Marcus Smart will fall right into our hands now, this is perfect

Marcus Smart will fall right into our hands now, this is perfect

I suspect you're right, bloop, that Smart is going to drop now. But as much as I like his game, I don't think he's what we need...just isn't a very good shooter, and hasn't improved his shot in his second year. I hope he doesn't fall too far and push one of our SG or PF targets out of our range.

[worldK]

I like lavine the most. Like Lst said, he has the potential to be a star. and he would be a fan favorite. harris is solid, he will be my 2nd option.

[WildWolf2813]

James Young or Kyle Anderson