#8 pick prospects

JV will not drop that far. A gift will be at 8.

I think it's going to end up coming down to these three players for us at # 8:

J. Valanciunas, B. Biyombo, A. Burks

...And I think that we should go with J. Valanciunas. It sounds like that's who the Spurs want to trade Parker to get. It sounds like they think he can be an eventual replacement for T. Duncan. I trust them and their talent evaluators more than anyone elses, including ours. It also sounds like that's who the Cavs would be taking - over Kanter - at #4 if he wasn't going to be overseas next season. If we're lucky enough to get a shot at him (i.e. the Spurs aren't able to move up), I think we HAVE to take him. Who cares if he's going to be overseas next season? It's not like we're going to win the championship next year anyways. First or last. If we don't have a chance to win it all, I'd rather see us with the #1 overall pick than the second place trophy. Gotta take the best guy on the board, especially in this draft.

...The only other two guys that I think we'll consider with the pick are B. Biyombo and A. Burks. B. Biyombo has the potential to be a great defensive player, but J. Valanciunas has a chance to be something much more rare. A. Burks might be able to run the point. He might be a better pick than Biyombo. But I don't think that either will be a better pick than Jonas.

...I don't think that we'll be considering K. Walker or J. Ferdette. Both are too similar to B. Gordon. I don't think that we'll be considering K. Thompson or M. Brooks either. If we're going to draft another shooting guard, then I think it's going to be someone like Burks who has the point guard skills to compliment Rodney. There's an outside chance that T. Thompson slips to us (I think he'll end up going #4 to the Cavs), but I think that we rate Biyombo higher.

...I don't think that we'll get a shot at these guys: K. Irving, he'll probably go #1, #3 at the latest. D. Williams, he'll probably go #2, #3 at the latest. E. Kanter, he'll probably go #3, #4 at the latest. T. Thompson, he'll probably go #4...but COULD SLIP. B. Knight, he'll probably go #5...it'd be a very strange set of circumstances that led him to slip further than that. J. Veseley, he'll probably go #6...it'd be a very strange set of circumstances that led him to slip further than that. K. Leonard, he'll probably go #7...it'd be a very strange set of circumstances that led him to slip further than that. HOWEVER, if San Antonio is able to trade up ahead of us to take J. Valanciunas, KNIGHT, VESELEY, or LEONARD COULD SLIP TO US.



Here's how I think the draft goes:

#1) CLE - K. Irving
#2) MIN - D. Williams
#3) UTA - E. Kanter
#4) CLE - T. Thompson
#5) TOR - B. Knight
#6) WAS - J. Veseley
#7) SAC - K. Leonard

BOBCATS VIDEO: 6/22 Bismack Biyombo Dunk Drill
(sorry about the 30 second commercial beforehand)

Way better touch than Ben Wallace has right now.

The Biz looks relatively comfortable. And the ease of the dunking is impressive.

By the time Jonas gets here, our roster will be looking good. Lot of talented young players chalk full of potential, plus another likely lotto pick. Then some bad contracts are starting to wind down as well.

2012/2013 Detroit Pistons:

C: G. Monroe(3.2-5.5, 3yrs)
PF: J. Valanciunas(?)
SF: A. Daye(3.0-4.1, 2yrs)
SG: R. Stuckey(?)
PG: 2012 1st rd. pick? (M. Teague, M. Kabongo, A. Rivers?)

6th: PF/SF J. Jerebko(?)
7th: SG B. Gordon(12.4-13.2, 2yrs)
8th: PG W. Bynum(3.5, 1yr)
9th: PF C. Villanueva(8.1-8.6, 2yrs)
10th: SG R. Hamilton(12.7, 1yr)
11th: PF J. Maxiel(5.0, 1yr)

The Pistons have to get an immediate player in this draft as well as coach who is compatible with Stuckey or else he will flee to greener pastures. They don't have time to wait a year for somebody. Next year is right now!

Like

IMO, that's so foolish.

Is there even going to be an NBA season next year?? Maybe. If there is, are we going to have a chance to win it all?? No. And that's the goal, isn't it?? We've finished in the top 4 plenty of times. Was that enough? No. Second place means nothing. You play to win THE BIG game.

If drafting JV and sucking next year (not that we'd be awesome next year with Biyombo or Burks anyways) gives us a better chance to ultimately win it all...then that's what you do. NO QUESTION about it.

top five picks of chad ford's mock draft 7.0 are out: Latest draft buzz: The top five picks ... - TrueHoop Blog - ESPN

looks like

#1) CLE - Irving...Williams
#2) MIN - Williams...Kanter
#3) UTA - Williams/Kanter...Knight
#4) CLE - Kanter/Thompson...Valanciunas
#5) TOR - Knight...Leonard/Biyombo

that leaves us with

#6) WAS
#7) SAC

...I think that WAS would take Veseley...and SAC would take Leonard...leaving us with a choice of Valanciunas/Biyombo/Burks.

Good find on the video. He looks smooth. It was killing me waiting for him to use his left hand!

He looked smooth in the low post drills. Of course, gotta see if he can pull those moves off against an NBA defender, not just a big fat dude.

i really, really don't want leonard or walker. hopefully sac takes leonard so we don't even have a choice. he just looks like a good college power forward to me. doesn't seem to have translatable skills. i like daye's potential more, along with a lot of other guys in the draft. as for kemba, idk...maybe he ends up being a great point guard. but i really don't seem him as being much better than willy b.

if we're not willing to wait for valanciunas, and he's the top guy on our board, that's a real shame. thompson might not make it past pick #4 it's sounding like. morris talk i don't believe for a second.

those rumors are obviously conflicting, so one or both isn't accurate.

I'm still thinking Byombo is our guy. I will be surprised if they pass on the second coming of Big Ben. Especially since we still have Ben. I mean, who better to mentor and split minutes with this kid? After Biyombo, take Jonas (who prob is the best player we might have avail) and then Thompson. Thompson has looked really good in his workouts too, but Biyombo has a contagious fire that could really benefit a team full of primadonnas that could use a good shot of passion and heart. He just seems like the best fit, as well as the highest risk.

What big white stiff stopped him? Was it Jimmerrrrrrr??

J/K

I just hope we don't do what the Lakers did...they hire Mike Brown without consulting their superstar. I'm hoping Gores is letting Stuckey call the shots when it comes to getting a coach. Otherwise Rodney will not be happy and it could effect his willingness to enter games.

mock draft 7.0 is out...accurate as of early this thursday morning: free link - Chad Ford Mock 7.0 - Pacers Digest

JV goes 4th to the Cavs

SAC takes Kemba over Kawani #7

***interesting note*** ford seems to imply that we would have zero interest in drafting kemba. also seems to imply that SAC might be willing to deal with SA if JV is still on the board, which, well, sucks.

DET takes Thompson at #8...but with Leonard on the board...trading down with Houston is a possibility.

(Please read the following using Marv Albert's voice for your internal monologue)

Yes!

For all our sakes I hope to see an eyeglass wearing Rodney Stuckey flipping through index cards in the Pistons war room right before he announces the Pistons first pick.

Looks like JV is going 4th:

2011 NBA draft: Cleveland Cavaliers expect to take Jonas Valanciunas No. 4, sources say - ESPN