Where to start with these lotto results? Guess Darth made his exit just in time after trading away what turned out to be the #1 overall pick and missing the playoffs anyway. Also, the cat in me is pretty annoyed that 4 of the first 5 picks wound up in the Central... and 6 of the top 7 are in the East. The West was bad last year and it isn't going to improve this season in the draft apparently. Maybe I should look into a realignment that puts Atlanta into the West...
Regardless, after what seemed to be an interminable offseason, with a new first time champ, it is time to start reading and reacting to the lotto picks proper... the live blog is up and going!
Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
ACTION: The Pistons select Anthony Davis with the #1 pick.
REACTION: I heard some chatter that this could be the best front court pairing in league history... how soon we forget. It was just over a season ago that the Chandler/Stoudamire offense/defense combo was regarded as a buzzsaw In the East and Boozer/Bosh was tearing up the West. And we have had other great pairings in the pretty recent past too... The Celtics' Hunter/Boozer combo comes to mind as well without even having to look back at the historical record (I am sure they had a great PF next to Mourning for instance since they had Donyell off the bench in Mourning's reign of terror). No doubt the Pistons have a scary front court now but it is important to note they are not going to be in their primes at the same time (like Bosh/Boozer for instance) so let's hold off on the "best front court pair in History" until we see them actually play together a bit, eh?
REACTION: I heard some chatter that this could be the best front court pairing in league history... how soon we forget. It was just over a season ago that the Chandler/Stoudamire offense/defense combo was regarded as a buzzsaw In the East and Boozer/Bosh was tearing up the West. And we have had other great pairings in the pretty recent past too... The Celtics' Hunter/Boozer combo comes to mind as well without even having to look back at the historical record (I am sure they had a great PF next to Mourning for instance since they had Donyell off the bench in Mourning's reign of terror). No doubt the Pistons have a scary front court now but it is important to note they are not going to be in their primes at the same time (like Bosh/Boozer for instance) so let's hold off on the "best front court pair in History" until we see them actually play together a bit, eh?
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
ACTION: The Hornets select Damian Lillard with the #2 pick.
REACTION: Okay, let me put a scenario out there. You're in a division with Chris Paul, Deron Williams, James Harden, Tony Parker, Kemba Walker and (playing out of position) Kyrie Irving - some of the best point guards in the league. Fortunately, last season you signed an expensive (some would say overpaid) young point guard in RFA who has some pretty good defensive chops to help you handle those guys defensively. You have another expensive (some would say) overpaid young SG and a decent young scoring PG to steady your backcourt rotation. At present, you have nothing to speak of in the front court, but lucky for you, on the draft board is (option a) a do-it-all forward with a mean defensive streak who happens to also be a nice passer who can create matchup problems all over the court, (option b) a defensive-focused center who can help cover when your perimeter guys get beat and hoover up rebounds, or (option c) an offensive-minded wing who looks like he might develop into a substantial scoring threat. Which option are you going to take? I guess if you're the Hornets, you're going to choose option d - select an offense-heavy point guard who doesn't project to have the defensive ability to slow down all those other point guards and then attempt to shop your expensive RFA stopper in hopes of getting a good frontcourt player. Nick gonna Nick.
In all seriousness, I think I see where the Hornets are going here - they're trying to get an offensive option at PG to match all the other offensive options in the division but Lillard is probably never going to be better than the third-best point guard among the group mentioned above. As a fellow Central team, I've conceded that I simply can't match the other point guards in the division and am trying to just make sure I have a point guard who will give some defensive resistance then go create mismatches elsewhere on the court. I felt Draymond or Drummond would have been the right pick here (probably Draymond) but I see why the Hornets went the way they did.
REACTION: Okay, let me put a scenario out there. You're in a division with Chris Paul, Deron Williams, James Harden, Tony Parker, Kemba Walker and (playing out of position) Kyrie Irving - some of the best point guards in the league. Fortunately, last season you signed an expensive (some would say overpaid) young point guard in RFA who has some pretty good defensive chops to help you handle those guys defensively. You have another expensive (some would say) overpaid young SG and a decent young scoring PG to steady your backcourt rotation. At present, you have nothing to speak of in the front court, but lucky for you, on the draft board is (option a) a do-it-all forward with a mean defensive streak who happens to also be a nice passer who can create matchup problems all over the court, (option b) a defensive-focused center who can help cover when your perimeter guys get beat and hoover up rebounds, or (option c) an offensive-minded wing who looks like he might develop into a substantial scoring threat. Which option are you going to take? I guess if you're the Hornets, you're going to choose option d - select an offense-heavy point guard who doesn't project to have the defensive ability to slow down all those other point guards and then attempt to shop your expensive RFA stopper in hopes of getting a good frontcourt player. Nick gonna Nick.
In all seriousness, I think I see where the Hornets are going here - they're trying to get an offensive option at PG to match all the other offensive options in the division but Lillard is probably never going to be better than the third-best point guard among the group mentioned above. As a fellow Central team, I've conceded that I simply can't match the other point guards in the division and am trying to just make sure I have a point guard who will give some defensive resistance then go create mismatches elsewhere on the court. I felt Draymond or Drummond would have been the right pick here (probably Draymond) but I see why the Hornets went the way they did.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
ACTION: The Raptors select Draymond Green with the #3 pick
REACTION: First off, did I mention I wasn't happy that the Central got 4 of the top 5 picks? The Raptors add Draymond to a team that already featured three young guys with some pretty nasty defensive potential (Whiteside, Bynum, Aminu). Tony Parker will still be called upon to carry the offense for now and they'll need to find one more offensive piece to put with Parker and Bynum... but when this team grows into their potential in a couple of years, they look positively frightening defensively - A and B defenders at almost every position and the potential to steal a lot of balls and block a ton of shots. If they choose to bring back Wade and TC goes the way I expect it will for their younglings they could make some noise this season - but man, if they can hold the team together long enough for all these guys to mature and find a young offensive sparkplug, they will be downright filthy down the road.
REACTION: First off, did I mention I wasn't happy that the Central got 4 of the top 5 picks? The Raptors add Draymond to a team that already featured three young guys with some pretty nasty defensive potential (Whiteside, Bynum, Aminu). Tony Parker will still be called upon to carry the offense for now and they'll need to find one more offensive piece to put with Parker and Bynum... but when this team grows into their potential in a couple of years, they look positively frightening defensively - A and B defenders at almost every position and the potential to steal a lot of balls and block a ton of shots. If they choose to bring back Wade and TC goes the way I expect it will for their younglings they could make some noise this season - but man, if they can hold the team together long enough for all these guys to mature and find a young offensive sparkplug, they will be downright filthy down the road.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
ACTION: The Grizzlies select Andre Drummond with the #4 pick.
REACTION: The Grizzlies remind me a lot of the Raptors. Adding Drummond to last year's haul of Butler and Leonard gives them three imposing defensive pieces. The difference here, of course, is that Butler and Leonard have a lot of offensive potential, too (and even Drummond's offensive potential isn't awful). The Grizzlies have three cornerstone pieces in place to form a nasty defensive squad, and have them on the cheap for three more seasons, which gives them plenty of time to fit a couple more pieces around them and form a truly formidable team... the team that's taking shape now (especially if they keep Bledsoe) is a team that once everyone grows into their potential, will be a suffocating defensive nightmare of its own. I think this is another team that will take a step in TC but is probably two TCs away from really growing into their potential - but the Grizzlies have a team concept that looks like a "Grind-it-Out" team that is going to make it not-very-fun to play against them and hard to beat them when they mature.
REACTION: The Grizzlies remind me a lot of the Raptors. Adding Drummond to last year's haul of Butler and Leonard gives them three imposing defensive pieces. The difference here, of course, is that Butler and Leonard have a lot of offensive potential, too (and even Drummond's offensive potential isn't awful). The Grizzlies have three cornerstone pieces in place to form a nasty defensive squad, and have them on the cheap for three more seasons, which gives them plenty of time to fit a couple more pieces around them and form a truly formidable team... the team that's taking shape now (especially if they keep Bledsoe) is a team that once everyone grows into their potential, will be a suffocating defensive nightmare of its own. I think this is another team that will take a step in TC but is probably two TCs away from really growing into their potential - but the Grizzlies have a team concept that looks like a "Grind-it-Out" team that is going to make it not-very-fun to play against them and hard to beat them when they mature.
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ACTION: The Bucks select Khris Middleton with the #5 pick
REACTION: At one point this season, Middleton was projected as the top overall pick, so the Bucks, I'm sure, will find a use for him. A lot of people called the Bucks a lot of very not nice names last season and I think Doug will be content with another piece that needs some seasoning before becoming dangerous. The Bucks have put together an interesting collection of young pieces but as last season showed, I'm not sure all the pieces fit together right. They tried running a two-point-guard lineup last season with Kemba Walker and Kyrie Irving and neither player was particularly efficient. Enes Kanter, their "center of the future" was also awful with his shot selection - only veteran Brandon Bass had anything resembling a decent season statistically and he 50 games with injury. Middleton strikes me as another "lots of points on even more shots" guy - the Bucks had better hope that another year of seasoning is all these guys need to improve their shot selection because if they don't, it's going to be another very long, inefficient year in Milwaukee. I know the potential looks like it's there, but I just have an uneasy feeling that these Bucks are the kind of "all potential, no production" team that gets GMs in the real world fired.
REACTION: At one point this season, Middleton was projected as the top overall pick, so the Bucks, I'm sure, will find a use for him. A lot of people called the Bucks a lot of very not nice names last season and I think Doug will be content with another piece that needs some seasoning before becoming dangerous. The Bucks have put together an interesting collection of young pieces but as last season showed, I'm not sure all the pieces fit together right. They tried running a two-point-guard lineup last season with Kemba Walker and Kyrie Irving and neither player was particularly efficient. Enes Kanter, their "center of the future" was also awful with his shot selection - only veteran Brandon Bass had anything resembling a decent season statistically and he 50 games with injury. Middleton strikes me as another "lots of points on even more shots" guy - the Bucks had better hope that another year of seasoning is all these guys need to improve their shot selection because if they don't, it's going to be another very long, inefficient year in Milwaukee. I know the potential looks like it's there, but I just have an uneasy feeling that these Bucks are the kind of "all potential, no production" team that gets GMs in the real world fired.
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ACTION: The Pistons trade Nikola Vucevic to the Knicks for the #7 pick.
REACTION: I think Vucevic is a really underrated piece - this is a great pickup for the Knicks. The guy shot 48% from the field last year playing heavy minutes on bad teams (Sonics, Pistons) - imagine what he'll do with better teammates! I'd say he could go from an 8-and-8 guy last season to a 12-and-10 guy this season but with the Knicks he'll be playing next to Faried so his rebounds may not take a big jump. What he does give the Knicks is a polished offensive inside threat to complement Faried's energy-based game. There were no Centers of Vucevic's caliber on the board, so this is a great get for New York. It might not give them a dominant big man pair, but at worst the Knicks now have a solid big man combination that are both young and can grow together. It's easy to see why the Pistons did this too... adding AD to LMA means that their starting C and PF are now going to get 40 minutes a game and rather than have a good backup big for 15-20 minutes a night, they're hoping to get a good starter at another position for 35 minutes per night. It's a deal that makes a lot of sense for both teams and the "winner" will probably take a few seasons to shake out since both are going to get good production out of this deal.
REACTION: I think Vucevic is a really underrated piece - this is a great pickup for the Knicks. The guy shot 48% from the field last year playing heavy minutes on bad teams (Sonics, Pistons) - imagine what he'll do with better teammates! I'd say he could go from an 8-and-8 guy last season to a 12-and-10 guy this season but with the Knicks he'll be playing next to Faried so his rebounds may not take a big jump. What he does give the Knicks is a polished offensive inside threat to complement Faried's energy-based game. There were no Centers of Vucevic's caliber on the board, so this is a great get for New York. It might not give them a dominant big man pair, but at worst the Knicks now have a solid big man combination that are both young and can grow together. It's easy to see why the Pistons did this too... adding AD to LMA means that their starting C and PF are now going to get 40 minutes a game and rather than have a good backup big for 15-20 minutes a night, they're hoping to get a good starter at another position for 35 minutes per night. It's a deal that makes a lot of sense for both teams and the "winner" will probably take a few seasons to shake out since both are going to get good production out of this deal.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
ACTION: The Knicks draft Kent Bazemore with pick #6.
REACTION: You figured once they made a trade for Vucevic the Knicks were going to draft small. This draft set up as one that was mostly wings (Drummond, Davis, and Lillard were the exceptions) and Bazemore shows signs of having an average to slightly-above-average two-way game... but has the added bonus of having great rebounding potential from the wing. It will take a couple of seasons but if he develops that potential, the Knicks could really dominate teams on the glass with Vucevic, Faried, and added help coming from Bazemore. I always like a guy that has an "out of position" skill and if the Knicks drafted a shooting guard who is passable offensively, pretty good defensively, but surprises with that "out of position" rebounding skill, this makes Bazemore a good pickup for them. Lack of a refined offensive player means the Knicks as presently constituted can probably be expected to struggle again this season but you can see their roleplayers starting to take shape for when they are able to bring in a star. It's a nice pickup and I look forward to seeing what else the Knicks do this offseason.
REACTION: You figured once they made a trade for Vucevic the Knicks were going to draft small. This draft set up as one that was mostly wings (Drummond, Davis, and Lillard were the exceptions) and Bazemore shows signs of having an average to slightly-above-average two-way game... but has the added bonus of having great rebounding potential from the wing. It will take a couple of seasons but if he develops that potential, the Knicks could really dominate teams on the glass with Vucevic, Faried, and added help coming from Bazemore. I always like a guy that has an "out of position" skill and if the Knicks drafted a shooting guard who is passable offensively, pretty good defensively, but surprises with that "out of position" rebounding skill, this makes Bazemore a good pickup for them. Lack of a refined offensive player means the Knicks as presently constituted can probably be expected to struggle again this season but you can see their roleplayers starting to take shape for when they are able to bring in a star. It's a nice pickup and I look forward to seeing what else the Knicks do this offseason.
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ACTION: The Pistons select Bradley Beal with pick #7.
REACTION: This gives me a fuller look at the Pistons' plans when they traded Vucevic and sure enough, they went small. Beal is really raw right now but looks like he could turn into an elite scoring threat down the road - but his defense doesn't look like it's ever going to be great. Perspective, though - if you can outscore your guy at will, does it really matter if you can defend him? Plus, the Pistons at present have a wide open backcourt so they need to put something in there. While a lot of other teams we've looked at so far are building defense-first squads, it looks like the Pistons are focused on offense first (not to say AD and LMA are defensive slouches, by the way, it's just that offensively LMA is a mismatch most nights for other teams and AD will soon become so as well). I'm a little concerned Beal might be undersized as a SG though - the comparable to me for him in the current PBSL is Ben Gordon... a guy who can score given minutes but never has done so efficiently and often gives up big nights. All that said, the Pistons clearly seem to have a plan in place and will have to spend Free Agency trying to come up with both a small forward and - worse - a point guard in a Central division that with the Lillard selection is pretty much stacked at PG everywhere outside of Detroit and Atlanta.
REACTION: This gives me a fuller look at the Pistons' plans when they traded Vucevic and sure enough, they went small. Beal is really raw right now but looks like he could turn into an elite scoring threat down the road - but his defense doesn't look like it's ever going to be great. Perspective, though - if you can outscore your guy at will, does it really matter if you can defend him? Plus, the Pistons at present have a wide open backcourt so they need to put something in there. While a lot of other teams we've looked at so far are building defense-first squads, it looks like the Pistons are focused on offense first (not to say AD and LMA are defensive slouches, by the way, it's just that offensively LMA is a mismatch most nights for other teams and AD will soon become so as well). I'm a little concerned Beal might be undersized as a SG though - the comparable to me for him in the current PBSL is Ben Gordon... a guy who can score given minutes but never has done so efficiently and often gives up big nights. All that said, the Pistons clearly seem to have a plan in place and will have to spend Free Agency trying to come up with both a small forward and - worse - a point guard in a Central division that with the Lillard selection is pretty much stacked at PG everywhere outside of Detroit and Atlanta.
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ACTION: The Kings select John Henson with pick #8.
REACTION: Not at all surprised with this pick from the Kings. Henson is a shot-blocker and rebounder with a non-awful offensive game... kind of a Tyson Chandler light. He fits right in with Greg Monroe and whichever of the two has the better training camp will likely start at PF this season in Sacramento (whoever has the worse TC will be the backup PF/C spelling Boogie as well), giving the Kings a strong, defined three-big rotation where all three bigs excel at traditional big man skills. Given the Kings' depth chart, this is EXACTLY what Tani needed. It never ceases to amaze me that the Kings have a steady stream of young quality players to keep their rotation deep and cheap. But then, maybe it shouldn't surprise me, considering he is the career wins leader too. I look for the Kings to take a leap this year and return to the playoffs.
REACTION: Not at all surprised with this pick from the Kings. Henson is a shot-blocker and rebounder with a non-awful offensive game... kind of a Tyson Chandler light. He fits right in with Greg Monroe and whichever of the two has the better training camp will likely start at PF this season in Sacramento (whoever has the worse TC will be the backup PF/C spelling Boogie as well), giving the Kings a strong, defined three-big rotation where all three bigs excel at traditional big man skills. Given the Kings' depth chart, this is EXACTLY what Tani needed. It never ceases to amaze me that the Kings have a steady stream of young quality players to keep their rotation deep and cheap. But then, maybe it shouldn't surprise me, considering he is the career wins leader too. I look for the Kings to take a leap this year and return to the playoffs.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
ACTION: The Jazz trade pick #9 to the Bucks for the Jazz' 2013 first-round pick and cash (points)
REACTION: The Jazz have a young squad that should be getting better next year - meaning in theory, their pick next year should be worse than this year's pick. I know exactly why the Bucks made this move - the #9 is better than what they'd be getting next year. What I can't figure out is why the Jazz made this move. Normally when I see a team trade to get its own pick back, it sets off alarm bells - this team is about to blow things up, tank, and get some solid young pieces to rebuild around. The thing is, the Jazz already HAVE young pieces (Valanciunas, George, and Rubio) to build around so this can't really be the explanation, can it? Either that or the Jazz think they're going to get worse... which also seems off. Really can't wrap my head around this one.
REACTION: The Jazz have a young squad that should be getting better next year - meaning in theory, their pick next year should be worse than this year's pick. I know exactly why the Bucks made this move - the #9 is better than what they'd be getting next year. What I can't figure out is why the Jazz made this move. Normally when I see a team trade to get its own pick back, it sets off alarm bells - this team is about to blow things up, tank, and get some solid young pieces to rebuild around. The thing is, the Jazz already HAVE young pieces (Valanciunas, George, and Rubio) to build around so this can't really be the explanation, can it? Either that or the Jazz think they're going to get worse... which also seems off. Really can't wrap my head around this one.
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ACTION: The Bucks select Harrison Barnes with pick #9.
REACTION: Barnes has lots of offensive potential, but his defense leaves me a little flat. He's a lot like the pick the Bucks made at #5, Khris Middleton. As I mentioned when looking at the trade that got them this pick, I assume the Bucks did this because they feel the Jazz will be better next year so whatever they get out of that 2013 pick won't be as good as Barnes. And there's always room on teams for guys that can score. I know the Bucks have stated that their philosophy right now is to accumulate as many young assets as they can and hope that one of them surprises with a TC jump, so I guess this fits right into that mold. The only thing that would worry me if I'm the Bucks is that to use insurance on all my young assets would currently run me 60 points. They're going to have to pick and choose and hope they guess right and that TC doesn't erode some of their unprotected assets.
REACTION: Barnes has lots of offensive potential, but his defense leaves me a little flat. He's a lot like the pick the Bucks made at #5, Khris Middleton. As I mentioned when looking at the trade that got them this pick, I assume the Bucks did this because they feel the Jazz will be better next year so whatever they get out of that 2013 pick won't be as good as Barnes. And there's always room on teams for guys that can score. I know the Bucks have stated that their philosophy right now is to accumulate as many young assets as they can and hope that one of them surprises with a TC jump, so I guess this fits right into that mold. The only thing that would worry me if I'm the Bucks is that to use insurance on all my young assets would currently run me 60 points. They're going to have to pick and choose and hope they guess right and that TC doesn't erode some of their unprotected assets.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
ACTION: The Phoenix Suns select Dion Waiters with pick #10.
REACTION: The Suns have frontcourt RFAs and Aaron Brooks at PG so a SG or SF - which this draft offered a lot of - was right up their alley. Waiters in some earlier draft projections was slotted as a top-5 pick so you'd think the Suns would have found a diamond in the rough, no? I'm not so sure. Waiters is a lot like Barnes (heck, a lot of swingmen available late in the lottery) in that he shows some nice offensive potential but defensively is questionable. That said, Waiters projects to have decent handles and passing so could grow into a nice combo guard. It's hard to fault the pick, though, because I'm not sure I could strongly recommend picking someone else. Waiters is pretty much the same guy as Beal and Barnes who went before him and they're all pretty much the same guy as (still-on-the-board) Fournier and Ross. Hard to get excited here, you know?
REACTION: The Suns have frontcourt RFAs and Aaron Brooks at PG so a SG or SF - which this draft offered a lot of - was right up their alley. Waiters in some earlier draft projections was slotted as a top-5 pick so you'd think the Suns would have found a diamond in the rough, no? I'm not so sure. Waiters is a lot like Barnes (heck, a lot of swingmen available late in the lottery) in that he shows some nice offensive potential but defensively is questionable. That said, Waiters projects to have decent handles and passing so could grow into a nice combo guard. It's hard to fault the pick, though, because I'm not sure I could strongly recommend picking someone else. Waiters is pretty much the same guy as Beal and Barnes who went before him and they're all pretty much the same guy as (still-on-the-board) Fournier and Ross. Hard to get excited here, you know?
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
ACTION: The Chicago Bulls select Jared Sullinger with pick #11
REACTION: On the plus side, Sullinger is not the same offensively above-average, defensively questionable swing man as Beal, Barnes, Waiters, et al. Instead, he's a guy with some size with a ceiling of "competent defensive big." You've seen the guy. Averages 10 points and 7 boards when given minutes. Sullinger isn't the most exciting pick, but the Bulls needed a young banger since most of their frontcourt outside of Millsap is getting up there in years. Not a sexy pick but gets the job done. A lot like Sullinger.
REACTION: On the plus side, Sullinger is not the same offensively above-average, defensively questionable swing man as Beal, Barnes, Waiters, et al. Instead, he's a guy with some size with a ceiling of "competent defensive big." You've seen the guy. Averages 10 points and 7 boards when given minutes. Sullinger isn't the most exciting pick, but the Bulls needed a young banger since most of their frontcourt outside of Millsap is getting up there in years. Not a sexy pick but gets the job done. A lot like Sullinger.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
ACTION: The Knicks select Chris Copeland with pick #12
REACTION: Let me guess, another shooting/scoring but defensively dubious wing? That's what I... wait. Defensively dubious? Check. Shooting/scoring? Not so much. Looks like we have a wing that can hit the occasional three and not much else. This is really going to be a hard draft to stay excited about for another 17 picks. You mean to tell me we're already into the Shandon Anderson "but the scouting report says he has (insert color here) potential so he must be good" territory?
REACTION: Let me guess, another shooting/scoring but defensively dubious wing? That's what I... wait. Defensively dubious? Check. Shooting/scoring? Not so much. Looks like we have a wing that can hit the occasional three and not much else. This is really going to be a hard draft to stay excited about for another 17 picks. You mean to tell me we're already into the Shandon Anderson "but the scouting report says he has (insert color here) potential so he must be good" territory?
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
ACTION: The Suns select Festus Ezeli with pick #13
REACTION: Festus looks like he can be a solid role-player off the bench. His role is to get offensive rebounds, block a shot now and then, and generally create havoc with his athleticism. Will be interesting to see if the Suns use him as a backup to Love or push him into a starting role since they are so thin up front outside of Love.
REACTION: Festus looks like he can be a solid role-player off the bench. His role is to get offensive rebounds, block a shot now and then, and generally create havoc with his athleticism. Will be interesting to see if the Suns use him as a backup to Love or push him into a starting role since they are so thin up front outside of Love.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
ACTION: The Rockets select Patrick Beverly with pick #14.
REACTION: Beverly has a nice stroke, all the way out to three, and looks like he'll become a defensive bear on the perimeter. Unfortunately not much of a passer and a bit undersized but could turn into a nice bench player for the Rockets.
REACTION: Beverly has a nice stroke, all the way out to three, and looks like he'll become a defensive bear on the perimeter. Unfortunately not much of a passer and a bit undersized but could turn into a nice bench player for the Rockets.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
ACTION: The Nuggets select Thomas Robinson with pick #15.
REACTION: The Nuggets got a steal here. Robinson is an elite defensive rebounder and his post defense shouldn't take too long to develop. He's won't contribute much else but it's quite possible to start a 5 who is an elite rebounder and not much everywhere else - heck, the Nuggets already do that with Kendrick Perkins! (I kid, Perkins also blocks shots, but only slightly kid.)
REACTION: The Nuggets got a steal here. Robinson is an elite defensive rebounder and his post defense shouldn't take too long to develop. He's won't contribute much else but it's quite possible to start a 5 who is an elite rebounder and not much everywhere else - heck, the Nuggets already do that with Kendrick Perkins! (I kid, Perkins also blocks shots, but only slightly kid.)
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
ACTION: The Hornets send Patty Mills and cash (points) to the Suns for pick #16
REACTION: Mills is just a body to ride the pine on either of these teams behind Lillard (Hornets) and Brooks (Suns) but the Suns needed the depth, probably didn't think they could find a better PG this late in the draft (they're right) and got some points out of it. It won't take long to see what the Hornets get out of it.
REACTION: Mills is just a body to ride the pine on either of these teams behind Lillard (Hornets) and Brooks (Suns) but the Suns needed the depth, probably didn't think they could find a better PG this late in the draft (they're right) and got some points out of it. It won't take long to see what the Hornets get out of it.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
ACTION: The Hornets take Terrence Jones with pick #16.
REACTION: Jones' ceiling looks to me like "a guy." Doesn't project to improve much and is a poor rebounder for a big. Has a slightly developed offensive game but this is the kind of guy that averages 8 points and 6 rebounds in 35 minutes per game. Maybe he'll get more minutes that Patty Mills based on his size and position but I'm not sure the Hornets really improved themselves by acquiring this pick.
REACTION: Jones' ceiling looks to me like "a guy." Doesn't project to improve much and is a poor rebounder for a big. Has a slightly developed offensive game but this is the kind of guy that averages 8 points and 6 rebounds in 35 minutes per game. Maybe he'll get more minutes that Patty Mills based on his size and position but I'm not sure the Hornets really improved themselves by acquiring this pick.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
ACTION: The Pistons take Terrence Ross with pick #17.
REACTION: Ross' potential reads to me like "spot up shooter" and that's it. He's got more size than Bradley Beal and already has a decent jump shot but like Beal he's really raw. He isn't a bad project to stash on your bench if you don't need him to play minutes right now, but as presently constituted, he's get minutes right now in Detroit and that's not a good thing.
REACTION: Ross' potential reads to me like "spot up shooter" and that's it. He's got more size than Bradley Beal and already has a decent jump shot but like Beal he's really raw. He isn't a bad project to stash on your bench if you don't need him to play minutes right now, but as presently constituted, he's get minutes right now in Detroit and that's not a good thing.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
ACTION: The Suns take Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with pick #18.
REACTION: One of the most athletic prospects in the draft, and has potential to become a nice defender. Unfortunately is an offensive mess. Reminds me a bit of Eric Snow in the sense of being in the "great defender but even worse offensive player" mold even though he can play big guys and Snow was strictly a perimeter defender.
REACTION: One of the most athletic prospects in the draft, and has potential to become a nice defender. Unfortunately is an offensive mess. Reminds me a bit of Eric Snow in the sense of being in the "great defender but even worse offensive player" mold even though he can play big guys and Snow was strictly a perimeter defender.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
ACTION: The Hornets select Jae Crowder with pick #19.
REACTION: Crowder shows some nice defensive instincts and can probably rack up a lot of steals, and looks like one day he might have a nice three point shot. A narrowly-focused situational piece who will get more minutes than he deserves in New Orleans.
REACTION: Crowder shows some nice defensive instincts and can probably rack up a lot of steals, and looks like one day he might have a nice three point shot. A narrowly-focused situational piece who will get more minutes than he deserves in New Orleans.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2012 draft
ACTION: The Warriors let time expire and get Evan Fournier as an autopick.
REACTION: Just when I thought nobody could care about the draft at this point less than I do... congratulations Warriors for proving me wrong!
REACTION: Just when I thought nobody could care about the draft at this point less than I do... congratulations Warriors for proving me wrong!
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