<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Sir Desmond:</div><div class="quote_post">Charlotte and Toronto both had two picks before the 18th.</div> Refer to username... oh wait. I am a harsh critic of Gerald Green's, but the draft is all about potential and there are a lot of teams that picked before the Celtics that had the time to develop a player like Green. I personally don't think he'll be better than DeShawn Stevenson or Dajuan Wagner, but I have to think that he'll be better than Joey Graham.
Me and someone else did mention Garcia. The dude's a New Yorker, and there isn't a better place to come from in basketball. I also mentioned he reminded me of Tayshaun Prince, who turned out to be a steal for Detroit. Although IMO, Garcia has a better offensive repertoire than Prince does. Woody Paige of ESPN2's "1st and Ten" said the Lakers got a good pick with Bynum. Paige also said Bynum has a 7'3 wingspan, which reminds me a bit of Amare Stoudemire at 6'11 with a 7'2 wingspan, but I don't know if Bynum is as agressive as Stoudemire. I saw Bynum roll off a real smooth hook in the Jordan classic game.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">Wait a minute, you think he's a steal because of his trade value? That's a whole nother story. In your original post, you just said that he fits our system and is a good replacement for Stromile Swift. You know what? Your side of the argument sounds eerily similar to when they drafted Troy Bell in 2003. I said, "They don't have a need for him. We should have drafted size." Everyone else said, "But he is the most athletic player in the draft. It doesn't matter if he doesn't fill a need because the Grizzlies are bound to trade and free up space this offseason." We all know how that went... Seriously though, do you really think it's a good move for the Grizzlies to add anything but bulk in the draft? They have some of the most athletic players in the NBA with Andre Emmett, Dahntay Jones, James Posey, etc. Their only post player who can bang with the other bigs in the NBA is Lorenzen Wright. In theory, it sounds like a picture perfect scenario that they could just trade for size in the offseason. Be realistic though. There are not many servicable bigs out there that are up for trade, and especially not many servicable bigs out there that you can get by dangling a Point Guard like Jason Williams as trade bait. There are rare exceptions, but usually you have to give size to get size in return. I realize that Lorenzen Wright "demanded a trade", but I think that was a very soft demand and don't see it happening. Bottom line is that if I'm Memphis, I don't want a tweener on my team. Some teams need the most athletic or the most talented player available on their team, but not the Grizzlies. They had a definite need and it wasn't satisfied.</div> No I did not say Warrick should be drafted for a trade, I said he would be part of their core. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">This leaves a core of Gasol-Battier-Miller-Warrick, with Cardinal-Jones-Emmett-Burks-Tsakalidas rounding out the bench.</div> I think the Grizzlies can add the size through trading and free agency. Troy Bell was athletic, but injuries killed his NBA career before it got started. Trading is always an option and there are servicable free agents out there who can be added for the MLE. Jerome James, Reggie Evans, Haslem, Songalia, Donyell Marshall, Nazr Mohammed The Grizzlies have Bonzi Wells expiring contract and Lorenzen Wright, plus Emmett & Burks have only 1 year remaining.
In my opinion the Raptors won the draft overall. Ukic was great, Graham was a steal at 16 and CV, despite all the stupid idiots complaining about the pick, was very good at #7. I think Babcock had the best insight to how the draft was going to unfold cause CV never would of been there at 16...no chance. Everyone complained about how CV was bad at 7 thanks to those ESPN guys...but no one makes peep about Bynum at 10. Then the Lakers go out and pick Von Wafer instead of Ukic when they could really use a PG. Yet people are listing the Raptors has the only draft loosers and the Lakers as one of the beter faring teams. My next gripe is that everyone, and obviously including the idiots doing commentary for the draft, was that after freaking out about CV to the Raps at 7 because "dont they have Chris Bosh at PF?!?" They go out and say May was a great pick for Charlotte. But wait DONT THEY HAVE OKAFOR AT PF!?!? We're talking about a Charlotte team with even more dire needs at the 2 and 3 spots and they passed on Granger, Graham, Green, Wright to get a player that can only play one NBA position realistically speaking and who's very undersized at it. It makes no sense to me other than to put butts in seats and i dont think that can be a consideration when talking about steals or "great picks". If CV was in your opinion a bad pick for Toronto at #7 then i think May has to be a bad pick to Charlotte at 13.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">No I did not say Warrick should be drafted for a trade, I said he would be part of their core. I think the Grizzlies can add the size through trading and free agency. Troy Bell was athletic, but injuries killed his NBA career before it got started. Trading is always an option and there are servicable free agents out there who can be added for the MLE. Jerome James, Reggie Evans, Haslem, Songalia, Donyell Marshall, Nazr Mohammed The Grizzlies have Bonzi Wells expiring contract and Lorenzen Wright, plus Emmett & Burks have only 1 year remaining.</div> You know what I meant. Your original post wasn't based on the idea that they'll be making trades this offseason, but rather that he fit the system and was a good replacement for Stromile Swift, which isn't true. Again, you're not going to be able to get that much size in Free Agency or trade. The best place to get size is through the draft, and there were five or six highly qualified big men available. Jerome James, Nazr Mohammed, Darius Songaila, etc. are all mediocre role players at best. The Grizzlies don't just need a 7-0 stiff; that's why they have Jake Tsakalidis. Besides, you know how overpaid those players will be in the offseason. I don't think we could land any of them except Songaila for the mid-level exception. And Troy Bell never suffered any career-ending injuries.
Hakim is a good replacement for Swift, because of the athleticism. Of course Hakim will never be able to play C like Swift and I doubt he can be an intimidating shotblocker, but Hakim will bring consistent effort each night. Hakim can still add bulk to his frame, he's only 219 now. If he can add 20lbs he would be the same size as KMart, which is adequate at the 4, especially with their leaping ability. Hakim is capable of replacing Swift's athleticism in the frontcourt, I'm going to stick by that. I'll admit Troy Bell was a wasted pick, and the Grizzlies had to pay him around $2.5M after they waived him. The draft night trade to the Sonics was also a stupid move.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting 44Thrilla:</div><div class="quote_post">It was actually 17 teams, but why don't we all step off to the side and let you answer your own question. The floor is yours...</div> I DON'T know, that's what I'm trying to say. There must be something unknown about him that made him slide from being projected as the 3rd overall to the 18. Not sure if it's his agent refusing to let him go one on one, or his rawness, but there's gotta be something.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">Refer to username... oh wait. I am a harsh critic of Gerald Green's, but the draft is all about potential and there are a lot of teams that picked before the Celtics that had the time to develop a player like Green. I personally don't think he'll be better than DeShawn Stevenson or Dajuan Wagner, but I have to think that he'll be better than Joey Graham.</div> your quite hilarious and i think Hakim Warrick is a GREAT steal if hes traded.Remember that Amare Stoudemire was criticized and thought of as a bust and is very athletic(that means hes good at dunking just so ya know) and good at rebounds just like Hakim. Plus Hakim has college experiance so he'll be prepared.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Captain Hilarious:</div><div class="quote_post">Charlotte and Toronto both had two picks before the 18th</div>Thanks, and I knew that, but it doesn't change the fact that he was passed up 17 times. Both Charlotte and Toronto had 2 chances at him, so that's what I really meant. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Purple Fever:</div><div class="quote_post">I DON'T know, that's what I'm trying to say. There must be something unknown about him that made him slide from being projected as the 3rd overall to the 18. Not sure if it's his agent refusing to let him go one on one, or his rawness, but there's gotta be something.</div>Here's the thing...Nobody knew he'd be available to them when they were trying to determine who they would pick. In reality, it was only a few teams that passed him up because he was billed as a "definite top 8 pick". There are reasons why the teams who picked from 8-17 didn't pick him. They could be... 1) They had a need at a different position. 2) They didn't want to draft a project. 3) They didn't see enough of him because they never thought he'd be there. 4) They already fell in love with another player, a player that they had in numerous workouts and had watched hours of tape on. 5) They had to fulfill a guarantee that they made to a player. Just a few things that I would think might stray teams away. In this day and age, where GMs are highly regarded or criticized on their draft picks, I don't think anybody was ready to make a blind, risky move like drafting Green. That is until it was time for pick #18, and Ainge stepped up to the plate. It's also not like teams were drafting high school players left and right in between picks 6 and 18. The only high school player drafted in that range was Bynum, a 7-foot center. And the only swingmen drafted in that range had completed 3 or more years of college, so I have a feeling these teams that passed on Green were looking for help right away, not down the road.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Bynum has a 7'3 wingspan, which reminds me a bit of Amare Stoudemire at 6'11 with a 7'2 wingspan, but I don't know if Bynum is as agressive as Stoudemire. </div> Have you seen Andrew Bynum play? He doesnt have a tenth of the athleticism of Amare. Not even close. He has size, period. He could NEVER do half the things on the floor that Stat can. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">In my opinion the Raptors won the draft overall. Ukic was great, Graham was a steal at 16 and CV, despite all the stupid idiots complaining about the pick, was very good at #7. I think Babcock had the best insight to how the draft was going to unfold cause CV never would of been there at 16...no chance. Everyone complained about how CV was bad at 7 thanks to those ESPN guys...but no one makes peep about Bynum at 10. Then the Lakers go out and pick Von Wafer instead of Ukic when they could really use a PG. Yet people are listing the Raptors has the only draft loosers and the Lakers as one of the beter faring teams. My next gripe is that everyone, and obviously including the idiots doing commentary for the draft, was that after freaking out about CV to the Raps at 7 because "dont they have Chris Bosh at PF?!?" They go out and say May was a great pick for Charlotte. But wait DONT THEY HAVE OKAFOR AT PF!?!? We're talking about a Charlotte team with even more dire needs at the 2 and 3 spots and they passed on Granger, Graham, Green, Wright to get a player that can only play one NBA position realistically speaking and who's very undersized at it. It makes no sense to me other than to put butts in seats and i dont think that can be a consideration when talking about steals or "great picks". If CV was in your opinion a bad pick for Toronto at #7 then i think May has to be a bad pick to Charlotte at 13.</div> Their picks, with the exception of Ukic, sucked, period. I have nothing against CV3, except who was passed up to select him. Again, I love Joey Graham, thought he was a good pick and once had him at 16 in a mock, however, that mock did not have Green or Granger left on the board. It had nothing to do with the ESPN gentlman, (who by the way, get paid to say what they say, and get paid for their opinion, so it's more accurate than most, even if you disagree) Secondly, if you were to read my article on Draft Winners and Losers, I tabbed the Lakers there, not just for the Bynum choice at 10, but for who they passed on in the second round aswell. And to top it all off, attacking May being a bad choice for Charlotte, cuz he plays the same position as Okafor is a 2 fold false hood. #1 May will play PF and Okafor is being played at C. Which at 6-10 and his wingspan, he can do in the East. #2 picking the NCAA Tourney MOP and a First Team All American who averaged a double double, at pick 13, his WAY better drafting that picking a questioned heart, desire, work ethic player who couldnt put up decent numbers on a team he should have been the go to player. I'm done now. Class is dismissed.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting KICKSDADDY613:</div><div class="quote_post">Have you seen Andrew Bynum play? He doesnt have a tenth of the athleticism of Amare. Not even close. He has size, period. He could NEVER do half the things on the floor that Stat can. Their picks, with the exception of Ukic, sucked, period. I have nothing against CV3, except who was passed up to select him. Again, I love Joey Graham, thought he was a good pick and once had him at 16 in a mock, however, that mock did not have Green or Granger left on the board. It had nothing to do with the ESPN gentlman, (who by the way, get paid to say what they say, and get paid for their opinion, so it's more accurate than most, even if you disagree) Secondly, if you were to read my article on Draft Winners and Losers, I tabbed the Lakers there, not just for the Bynum choice at 10, but for who they passed on in the second round aswell. And to top it all off, attacking May being a bad choice for Charlotte, cuz he plays the same position as Okafor is a 2 fold false hood. #1 May will play PF and Okafor is being played at C. Which at 6-10 and his wingspan, he can do in the East. #2 picking the NCAA Tourney MOP and a First Team All American who averaged a double double, at pick 13, his WAY better drafting that picking a questioned heart, desire, work ethic player who couldnt put up decent numbers on a team he should have been the go to player. I'm done now. Class is dismissed.</div> Oh my god.. you think their opinions were 'more accurate than most'? If so, why aren't teams itching to get their hands on those ESPN puppets to work for them as scouts or some sort of front office personnel? The only reason the Bobcats weren't being bashed was because they aren't planning to win any time soon, and they drafted two hometown guys. Have you even watched any games of Charlie Villanueva and Sean May? It just seems like you're reading and copying off the scouting reports of both, and that doesn't do anything to support your argument.
I think that the warriors had the best draft by far charlotte`s and bostons picks were bad choices...i think they`ve ballsed up there. charlotte will sell a lot of jerseys cos they`ve got local products but the UNC team was a strong unit and i think that once seperated the players(cept marvin) will become exposed for their real abilites Unless Green turns into mcgrady then i think boston have blown out because their other picks are not good
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Oh my god.. you think their opinions were 'more accurate than most'? If so, why aren't teams itching to get their hands on those ESPN puppets to work for them as scouts or some sort of front office personnel? The only reason the Bobcats weren't being bashed was because they aren't planning to win any time soon, and they drafted two hometown guys. Have you even watched any games of Charlie Villanueva and Sean May? It just seems like you're reading and copying off the scouting reports of both, and that doesn't do anything to support your argument.</div> I'm going to take the opinions of people who are close to the scouts, players, GM's and once played in the NBA WAY before anyone that you know. And if you wanna CHECK THE PUPPETS facts, Greg Anthony is, and has in fact interviewd for several front office positions. So, know your info. And have I watched Villanueva and May? #1 I've played against CV3, and he played the same way in HS and AAU. I have watched every game May played in 3 years at UNC. FINALLY, I dont copy scouting reports of anyone. If you knew me AT ALL, you would know that not only was I IN CHICAGO and NY for camps and workouts, but I talked to several scouts and GM's during the pre-draft process. Nothing I have er posted has been copied, falsified, and has without a doubt, eventually at one point become fact. Testing my accuracy and information would not be a wise decision. Not attacking, just saying, do not come at me with such attempts to downplay my authenticity. And I find it humorous how the people who TALK the most, and come up with the most outlandish comments and rude remarks, always seem to have that particular team as their favorite listed under their name. Don't be so offended that your team has the worst GM in the NBA, and that they were listed as the worst run NBA franchise from 2000-2005. Just accept it, and next time challenge an amature when you wanna pick a "knowledge fight". My sources always hold true, and I didnt go to school nor do I go on interveiws with major sports sources because I "copying off the scouting reports". Know a persons history and background before you make such stupid comments.
Granger has to be a steal,A Pippen type who does many things well,able to step in soon and help you where you need help. In terms of size,and what's in the toolbox,Blatche compares well with Charlie V. What I saw of him was limited,but I didn't see any real negative,and did see a lot of good stuff. I'd advocated the Warriors take Diogu since I saw him play vs Arizona. It's hard to call a guy the steal when there's a pretty good chance the W's dould have done a trade down and got him 5 slots later-and yet,based on the player he will be-he gets mention as a bargain at 9. The obvious steal is G Green. This kid hit 60% of his 3's. Granted,it's HS stats but I doubt ANY current NBA sharpshooter hit 60% in HS while launching more than a few 3's. Look at the assist and rbd stats and it appears he has done the team player stuff,values having a total game. There is ALWAYS some risk factor when the player is a kid in HS,but Green has displayed some unique talent and appears to want to perfect his game. I think he's gonna be THE impact star of this whole draft-and I think he will get there quicker than expected as well-and if you get that after the top few-it's quite a steal I have disagreed with KICKSDADDY a few times-but he is one poster here who I find has solid and original information and generally comes to logical conclusions. True,he is almost as sarcastic and arrogant as I am, but that's understandable-as he's right almost as often as I am----
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I have disagreed with KICKSDADDY a few times-but he is one poster here who I find has solid and original information and generally comes to logical conclusions. True,he is almost as sarcastic and arrogant as I am, but that's understandable-as he's right almost as often as I am---- </div> Thanks for the backup on this one. As anyone can see, you can disagree and remain smart and civil about it. When people disagree, but have enough information on the other poster and have the maturity capacity to except people dont always agree, it's more fun to have witty banter. However, when a person posts with no knowledge of a member's accuracy or the respect from other members I have genuinly received, you only come off rude, immature, and hostile. Me, Rerem, VooDoo, SirDes, even Shape and Thrilla, at times, dont all agree, however, we respect one another's knowledge and history. Although mine may not go back as far as most, my spots background and current life situation, few people have as much access and first hand info from scouts, GM's and players acroos the globe than myself. So, in closing, to come at me and question my legitimacy, just cuz YOU don't like the facts, well then I pitty you. In addition, I've reported info on this site, such as the Utah draft trade, the Knicks secret West Coast visit with Frye, aswell as several Chicago Camp info, which I took the time, in the middle of the night to post, sometimes days before NBADRAFT.net, and DRAFTCITY.com and in some cases even ESPN Insider. So, to question me and claim I "read reports and copy them" is flat out disrespectful and in no way shows any appreciation for the information I've provided everyone with. I would like to however, thank all of you who DID show your appreciation, replied to all the things I dropped on this site, and always welcomed what ever I could find out during my NY, Chicago, and Florida tips. You are all very welcome. And REREM, I could never be as sarcastic and arrogant as you. I concede on that one. I will however say I am right, much more often, but it's ok, you come in a VERY close second place!
I appreciate all the draft stuff you hooked us all up with. I must say, if Frye does turn out well, I must hold you against your word.
