Official 2014 NBA draft thread

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

4/7/13

1. Bucks - Jabari Parker SF/PF

2. 76ers - Joel Embiid C

3. Magic - Andrew Wiggins SG/SF

4. Celtics - Dante Exum PG/SG

5. Jazz - Noah Vonleh PF/C

6. Lakers - Julius Randle PF

7. Kings - Marcus Smart PG/SG

8. Pistons - Tyler Ennis PG

9. Cavs - Willie Cauley-Stein C

10. 76ers (via Hornets) - Gary Harris SG

11. Hawks - Aaron Gordon SF

12. Nuggets - Doug McDermott PF

13. Wolves - Nik Stauskas SG

14. Suns - Rodney Hood SF

15. Magic (via Nuggets via Knicks) - Kyle Anderson SF

First 1-15 I've done to this point on paper, so to speak, but there you have it. Questions?

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

What if the Harrison twins decided after tonights game to jump to the NBA? They are not getting much love from a draft standpoint right now but I could see them declaring especially if they win tonight. Where would those 2 fall on the SG rankings with the others mentioned?

- Wiggins SG/SF
- Smart PG/SG
- Stauskas SG
- Harris SG
- Hairston SG
- Ja. Brown SG
- Hood SG/SF (more of a SF though)
- J. Adams SG
- Aaron Harrison SG
- Zach LaVine SG (risky, high potential)
- James Young SG
- Andrew Harrison PG/SG

My SG big board.

Whoa cam!!!! No love for this year's scoring leader in the Big Ten, the strongest basketball conference? You gotta have Petteway ahead of the Harrison twins! He also plays about twice as much defense as Jordan Adams.

I don't know what to make of him, LST. Like I said, you know more about him than I do and I like his stat line across the board for 2013, but I need to watch him. I'd like to know if he's a volume scorer, if he can create for others, how he defends and why he threw a punch in that game against Kansas when he was at Texas Tech. Unfortunately I didn't get many opportunities to watch him for myself.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

What if the Harrison twins decided after tonights game to jump to the NBA? They are not getting much love from a draft standpoint right now but I could see them declaring especially if they win tonight. Where would those 2 fall on the SG rankings with the others mentioned?

- Wiggins SG/SF
- Smart PG/SG
- Stauskas SG
- Harris SG
- Hairston SG
- Ja. Brown SG
- Hood SG/SF (more of a SF though)
- J. Adams SG
- Aaron Harrison SG
- Zach LaVine SG (risky, high potential)
- James Young SG
- Andrew Harrison PG/SG

My SG big board.

Whoa cam!!!! No love for this year's scoring leader in the Big Ten, the strongest basketball conference? You gotta have Petteway ahead of the Harrison twins! He also plays about twice as much defense as Jordan Adams.

I don't know what to make of him, LST. Like I said, you know more about him than I do and I like his stat line across the board for 2013, but I need to watch him. I'd like to know if he's a volume scorer, if he can create for others, how he defends and why he threw a punch in that game against Kansas when he was at Texas Tech. Unfortunately I didn't get many opportunities to watch him for myself.

Yeah, Nebraska didn't show up much on TV this year. I only became familiar with him because I follow Gopher basketball so closely (go NIT champs!). Since I get a chance to see Adams a lot too, my opinion is Petteway is a better offensive and defensive player...Adams is a better pure shooter though. I don't know many details about the Kansas punch, but knowing more about it could sway my opinion...either way frankly.

[Porckchop]

Im assuming this team gets more athletic thru free agency then? With the money available is there anyone out there that takes this team from below the rim to atleast touching it? Or is the potential of Dieng enough to compensate for a bunch of white guys that can pass , shoot and play no defense?

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Im assuming this team gets more athletic thru free agency then? With the money available is there anyone out there that takes this team from below the rim to atleast touching it? Or is the potential of Dieng enough to compensate for a bunch of white guys that can pass , shoot and play no defense?

Do you want the best athlete possible or the best basketball player possible? Those two are rarely the same. I'll take the guy with skills other than dunking and try to win that way. The structure of this team is what it is right now.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

"More athletic". What does that even mean? We are still one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. That has absolutely nothing to do with running fast and jumping high. We have interior length with Dieng and Turiaf, but one is a rookie that didn't play much until recently and the other was hurt most of the year. Both will be back next season. And finally, we lacked players that could put the ball on the floor and make plays/score off the dribble. You can do this without being an above the rim high-flyer.

There are some very specific needs we have. Being more athletic doesn't mean much of anything to me.

[Porckchop]

To me being more athletic means the ability to dribble drive, catch passes in traffic and in the air. Also the ability to stay in front of people on the defensive end with the ability to block a shot every once in a while. I understand the need for a perimeter shooter but does that trump finding a player that may mask the deficiencies of this teams best players? I understand ur guys point of view but lets not act like a perimeter shooter will fix all ills for a high scoring team that cant stop anyone. IMO
Im not expecting a Wade type player in this draft or else where but a wing that can swat a shot away or break his defender down from time to time would really improve this team. More so than a guy that camps out on the perimeter waiting for open threes. Dont tell me that Michigan guy is stoppin anyone from goin to the hole only to have Love and Pek stop him.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

To me being more athletic means the ability to dribble drive, catch passes in traffic and in the air. Also the ability to stay in front of people on the defensive end with the ability to block a shot every once in a while. I understand the need for a perimeter shooter but does that trump finding a player that may mask the deficiencies of this teams best players? I understand ur guys point of view but lets not act like a perimeter shooter will fix all ills for a high scoring team that cant stop anyone. IMO

Well, you just included dribble drive as an athletic move when really it's a skill. Catching passes above the rim, dunking, finishing alley-oops, blocking shots in transition, etc. All athletic moves. These are things that KJ McDaniels does very well and I wouldn't be mad taking him. He's never going to be the player Stauskas is, though, and I've never seen Nik record a chase down block.

Perimeter shooting is this teams BIGGEST flaw right now. We only have three good/decent shooters. That's it. We can work around our defense and lack of high flyers. If you can't shoot as a team, you will never be championship caliber. That's the long term goal is it not?

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

"More so than a guy that camps out on the perimeter waiting for open threes."

Damn it. If this is all you think Stauskas does then you haven't watched him nearly enough to have a valid opinion on him.

[Porckchop]

Perimeter shooting is a team flaw but they still found a way to be one of the highest scoring teams in the league. What they couldnt do is stop teams from going to the basket at will with no one there to detest shots.
Cam, I get that ur championing for ur guy. I wouldnt hate him on this team but I certainly worry about him goin the way of the Jimmers of the league.
I saw Jimmer have his way getting to the basket in college too.