NBA Draft thread

[1908]

I'm not sure what the Bulls got out of the deal.

Cap space, and cutting ties with a borderline personality before they were forced to pay him significant money.

[Exile on Waveland]

Randolph for either Gordon/Hinrich would work for me.

 

Neither of those trades could occur straight up, until well after the draft (July 10th ends this years moratorium) as neither would fit under the trade restrictions based on last years cap. Trading Hinrich for Randolph would work out decently in terms of the cap ($11mil for $13.3mil) but trading away Gordon ($4.88mil) would handicap the team to no end when attempting to fill out the bench.

 

Oden is Slow and that does not bode well in the West. I understand that he is good but the same was said for Sam Bowie.

 

How horrible and snake bitten would Portland feel (and maybe they're gunshy now) to take the big man again, and have the following pick(s) go on to a remarkable HOF-like career. This morning they compared the upside of Oden to Robert Parrish. I like that comparison, and think it's where Oden will perform when all is said and done. Bill Russell's the ceiling, Eric Montross (also an LNHS alum) is the floor. But Parrish is the player he's likely to resemble the most, in my untrained eye.

 

I really don't know where to begin here. Eric Montross is the floor? Is that a joke? Oden is so far above Eric Montross it's not funny. Oden is also nothing like Sam Bowie. Just because they will be drafted by the same team (or went to the same HS like Montross) doesn't mean they're the same player.

 

I don't understand this too slow for the west business, either. First, Oden is quite mobile and athletic for someone his size (though he does need to work on his stamina). Is Tim Duncan too slow for the west? Was Shaq? Is Yao? Portland won't be Phoenix with Oden, but they won't need to be. They'll dominate the halfcourt game -- which those types of teams keep winning in the playoffs, even as much as I would've preferred the Suns to advance.

 

I'd say it's very likely Oden will be much better than Robert Parrish. Oden is going to be a dominating defensive presence and, in the future, a big time offensive force as well.

 

Portland won't be gun-shy -- and they'd be foolish if they were. They'll take Oden and he'll be a star leading them to NBA championships.

[Hosak8]

Randolph for either Gordon/Hinrich would work for me.

 

Neither of those trades could occur straight up, until well after the draft (July 10th ends this years moratorium) as neither would fit under the trade restrictions based on last years cap. Trading Hinrich for Randolph would work out decently in terms of the cap ($11mil for $13.3mil) but trading away Gordon ($4.88mil) would handicap the team to no end when attempting to fill out the bench.

 

Oden is Slow and that does not bode well in the West. I understand that he is good but the same was said for Sam Bowie.

 

How horrible and snake bitten would Portland feel (and maybe they're gunshy now) to take the big man again, and have the following pick(s) go on to a remarkable HOF-like career. This morning they compared the upside of Oden to Robert Parrish. I like that comparison, and think it's where Oden will perform when all is said and done. Bill Russell's the ceiling, Eric Montross (also an LNHS alum) is the floor. But Parrish is the player he's likely to resemble the most, in my untrained eye.

 

I really don't know where to begin here. Eric Montross is the floor? Is that a joke? Oden is so far above Eric Montross it's not funny. Oden is also nothing like Sam Bowie. Just because they will be drafted by the same team (or went to the same HS like Montross) doesn't mean they're the same player.

 

I don't understand this too slow for the west business, either. First, Oden is quite mobile and athletic for someone his size (though he does need to work on his stamina). Is Tim Duncan too slow for the west? Was Shaq? Is Yao? Portland won't be Phoenix with Oden, but they won't need to be. They'll dominate the halfcourt game -- which those types of teams keep winning in the playoffs, even as much as I would've preferred the Suns to advance.

 

I'd say it's very likely Oden will be much better than Robert Parrish. Oden is going to be a dominating defensive presence and, in the future, a big time offensive force as well.

 

Portland won't be gun-shy -- and they'd be foolish if they were. They'll take Oden and he'll be a star leading them to NBA championships.

 

Agreed. I don't think the drama is in what Portland will do with their pick. I will be interested to see waht Seattle will do with theirs. If I can broker a 3 way deal with Houston and, say, Milwaukee, then I would. Send Rashard Lewis to Milwaukee and my first pick to Houston for TMac and Milwaukees pick, and Houston's pick goes to Milwaukee. Then, I draft Hawes, a good young center with more offensive presence than Oden, who's also a local kid.

 

Net effect would be Durant to Houston, TMac and Hawes to Seattle, Lewis and the 22nd(?) pick to Milwaukee.

[1908]

Agreed. I don't think the drama is in what Portland will do with their pick. I will be interested to see waht Seattle will do with theirs. If I can broker a 3 way deal with Houston and, say, Milwaukee, then I would. Send Rashard Lewis to Milwaukee and my first pick to Houston for TMac and Milwaukees pick, and Houston's pick goes to Milwaukee. Then, I draft Hawes, a good young center with more offensive presence than Oden, who's also a local kid.

 

Net effect would be Durant to Houston, TMac and Hawes to Seattle, Lewis and the 22nd(?) pick to Milwaukee.

Lewis is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, so he's have to want to go to Milwaukee (or wherever) in a sign-and-trade for something like this to work.

[mhuber92211]

How horrible and snake bitten would Portland feel (and maybe they're gunshy now) to take the big man again, and have the following pick(s) go on to a remarkable HOF-like career. This morning they compared the upside of Oden to Robert Parrish. I like that comparison, and think it's where Oden will perform when all is said and done. Bill Russell's the ceiling, Eric Montross (also an LNHS alum) is the floor. But Parrish is the player he's likely to resemble the most, in my untrained eye.

 

This is why a trade might be the best option. Portland has seen it before. An incredibly hyped big man or an incredibly talented G/F? We know how the 1st time worked out but have they learned? A trade to capitalize on the hype could work out similar to the herchsel walker trade in the NFL would be a great idea and still keep the team on the path with an excellent young core. Trading down in this deep of a draft is not a bad alternative.

[Mark_R]

If the Blazers or Sonics deal the top two picks, they should be removed from the lottery for the rest of time.

 

And for whoever said that Oden was slow missed the new report on espn.com about how he's murdering people with his athleticism they didn't think he had. He was the second best player in the country last year WITH HIS OFF HAND. What is so incomprehensible about this?

 

Maybe the Spurs should have dealt Tim Duncan 10 years ago; I bet they could have gotten Jerry Stackhouse or Damon Stoudamire and a first for him

 

Oden could be as dominant as Tim Duncan. And that ceiling isn't all that out of the question.

[Exile on Waveland]

How horrible and snake bitten would Portland feel (and maybe they're gunshy now) to take the big man again, and have the following pick(s) go on to a remarkable HOF-like career. This morning they compared the upside of Oden to Robert Parrish. I like that comparison, and think it's where Oden will perform when all is said and done. Bill Russell's the ceiling, Eric Montross (also an LNHS alum) is the floor. But Parrish is the player he's likely to resemble the most, in my untrained eye.

 

This is why a trade might be the best option. Portland has seen it before. An incredibly hyped big man or an incredibly talented G/F? We know how the 1st time worked out but have they learned? A trade to capitalize on the hype could work out similar to the herchsel walker trade in the NFL would be a great idea and still keep the team on the path with an excellent young core. Trading down in this deep of a draft is not a bad alternative.

 

Who was the incredibly hyped big man that didn't work out for the Blazers? It's not Sam Bowie. He wasn't incredibly hyped by any means. In fact, that failed decision actually implies they should take Oden. Bowie was a need pick -- they already had Clyde Drexler so didn't think they needed a G/F, they thought they needed a big man.

 

Repeat after me: you never, never, NEVER pass up the opportunity to take a franchise big man. G/F's are almost a dime a dozen, big men win in the NBA. Oden isn't Bowie. He's not. Just because it'd be same team drafting the two doesn't make it so. If they don't draft Oden, then history will repeat itself -- the Blazers will have passed up a once-in-a-generation player.

 

Also, comparing football to basketball is pointless. The Herschel Walker deal isn't comparable. One player simply cannot have the same impact in football as basketball. A basketball player is 20% of the lineup on the court, and, in the one-on-one NBA, one player can mean even more than it does in college.

[DCNashville]

Repeat after me: you never, never, NEVER pass up the opportunity to take a franchise big man. G/F's are almost a dime a dozen, big men win in the NBA.

 

Who was the great big man on all those Bulls teams? What about the Pistons, both the 90's version and today's version?

[CoolHandLuke]

Repeat after me: you never, never, NEVER pass up the opportunity to take a franchise big man. G/F's are almost a dime a dozen, big men win in the NBA.

 

Who was the great big man on all those Bulls teams? What about the Pistons, both the 90's version and today's version?

 

I don't know much about basketball, but it seems pretty foolish to include the team with the best player of all time in forming your argument.

[Exile on Waveland]

Repeat after me: you never, never, NEVER pass up the opportunity to take a franchise big man. G/F's are almost a dime a dozen, big men win in the NBA.

 

Who was the great big man on all those Bulls teams? What about the Pistons, both the 90's version and today's version?

 

1. Where did I say every team to win the NBA championship featured a great big man? There are obviously exceptions, and the fact that only a couple teams fit the exception helps prove my point. Having a great big man greatly increases your chances for a title and your chances of sustaining a great team.

 

2. Surely you understand the difference on those Bulls teams: Michael Jordan. You know, the single greatest player of all-time? I didn't add "except Michael Jordan" when saying G/F's are almost a dime a dozen, I thought that would be assumed and superfluous.

 

3. Rasheed Wallace is easily one the of the most talented PF's in recent NBA memory. While he doesn't fit the definition of "franchise big man" necessarily, it's not like the Pistons were devoid of interior talent. Ben Wallace was also pretty decent. The late 80's Pistons teams also featured multiple good big men. But, clearly, I agree that both Pistons team are an exception.

 

4. Recent NBA champions: Shaq-Duncan-(Pistons)-Duncan-Shaq-Shaq-Shaq-Duncan-Jordan-Jordan Jordan-Olajuwan-Olajuwan-Jordan-Jordan-Jordan. Notice a trend? If not, it's you almost always need 1) a dominant big man or 2) Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan isn't in this draft, so I think I might take the dominant big man. Or, I suppose, the Blazers could try to be like the one team in the past 16 years to win a championship and not feature a dominant big man or Jordan.

[SouthSideRyan]

Didn't we have this same argument about dominant PGs like 3 months ago?

 

Championship teams have some dominant players???

[mhuber92211]

Who was the incredibly hyped big man that didn't work out for the Blazers? It's not Sam Bowie. He wasn't incredibly hyped by any means. In fact, that failed decision actually implies they should take Oden. Bowie was a need pick -- they already had Clyde Drexler so didn't think they needed a G/F, they thought they needed a big man.

 

Repeat after me: you never, never, NEVER pass up the opportunity to take a franchise big man. G/F's are almost a dime a dozen, big men win in the NBA. Oden isn't Bowie. He's not. Just because it'd be same team drafting the two doesn't make it so. If they don't draft Oden, then history will repeat itself -- the Blazers will have passed up a once-in-a-generation player.

 

Also, comparing football to basketball is pointless. The Herschel Walker deal isn't comparable. One player simply cannot have the same impact in football as basketball. A basketball player is 20% of the lineup on the court, and, in the one-on-one NBA, one player can mean even more than it does in college.

 

Errr, I lived in Oregon at the time. Bowie was an extremely hyped player and the blazers heeded your advice and took the big man because G/F are a dime a dozen. That one didn't really work out too well. If Durant was the only player in this draft then the hype would be that he is a once in a generation player.

 

My point about the football trade analogy is proven by what you just said. 20% of your lineup is on the floor in 1 person. If you can trade 20% for 40% of equal talent you do that to better your overall TEAM. Remember, basketball is the quintessential team sport. If you have an option to double your talent level you MUST look at that VERY hard

[Exile on Waveland]

Who was the incredibly hyped big man that didn't work out for the Blazers? It's not Sam Bowie. He wasn't incredibly hyped by any means. In fact, that failed decision actually implies they should take Oden. Bowie was a need pick -- they already had Clyde Drexler so didn't think they needed a G/F, they thought they needed a big man.

 

Repeat after me: you never, never, NEVER pass up the opportunity to take a franchise big man. G/F's are almost a dime a dozen, big men win in the NBA. Oden isn't Bowie. He's not. Just because it'd be same team drafting the two doesn't make it so. If they don't draft Oden, then history will repeat itself -- the Blazers will have passed up a once-in-a-generation player.

 

Also, comparing football to basketball is pointless. The Herschel Walker deal isn't comparable. One player simply cannot have the same impact in football as basketball. A basketball player is 20% of the lineup on the court, and, in the one-on-one NBA, one player can mean even more than it does in college.

 

Errr, I lived in Oregon at the time. Bowie was an extremely hyped player and the blazers heeded your advice and took the big man because G/F are a dime a dozen. That one didn't really work out too well. If Durant was the only player in this draft then the hype would be that he is a once in a generation player.

 

My point about the football trade analogy is proven by what you just said. 20% of your lineup is on the floor in 1 person. If you can trade 20% for 40% of equal talent you do that to better your overall TEAM. Remember, basketball is the quintessential team sport. If you have an option to double your talent level you MUST look at that VERY hard

 

Yes, Bowie was hyped -- he was the #2 pick in the draft. However, he was a question mark. He missed TWO full seasons because of leg injuries. Again, two full seasons. In college, he averaged 12.9 ppg, 17.4 ppg, then missed two years and came back to average 10.5 ppg. Please stop comparing Oden to Bowie. While Oden is coming off an injury, he missed only a few games and still dominated. A player who missed two of the three previous seasons can't be hyped like Oden, nor could a player not taken #1 in the draft. Olajuwan was clearly a better prospect than Bowie, just as Oden is a better prospect than Olajuwan.

 

No, your point is not proven because you will not get equal talent. There is no such thing as equal talent for a dominant big man. It does not exist (unless you think the Blazers are going to get Tim Duncan back, which still wouldn't be smart considering the age difference). In the NBA, that one position outweighs the others immensely. Also, the Blazers already have some extremely talented players at a few positions, so I'm not sure how much of a talent upgrade they could even get.

[Mark_R]

 

My point about the football trade analogy is proven by what you just said. 20% of your lineup is on the floor in 1 person. If you can trade 20% for 40% of equal talent you do that to better your overall TEAM. Remember, basketball is the quintessential team sport. If you have an option to double your talent level you MUST look at that VERY hard

 

This is assuming that the two players you get back for Oden are as good as he is. They won't be. If you're talking about them getting Yi or somebody else in this draft, they are an absolutely unknown quantity. Sure, he could be a very good player, but his game has a lot of flaws that people have no idea how they'll translate into the NBA. I'm a big Yi fan, but I'm not naive enough to think he has potential to be a bust.

 

Oden was the second best player in college basketball with using one hand. His off hand.

 

Quality over quantity. I bet the Spurs are sure glad they didn't consolidate Tim Duncan into two players, one who was very good at the time, and an international man of mystery.

[1908]

Nothing is more valuable in the NBA than a superstar on his rookie scale contract. Portland and Seattle would have to be run by absolute fools to trade the rights to either Oden or Durant. It won't happen. Not even Isiah would do it.

[SouthSideRyan]

Nothing is more valuable in the NBA than a superstar on his rookie scale contract. Portland and Seattle would have to be run by absolute fools to trade the rights to either Oden or Durant. It won't happen. Not even Isiah would do it.

 

Not even if he could get a guy who can score 50 points once a month and turn it over 8 times per game the rest of the time?

[imb]

Nothing is more valuable in the NBA than a superstar on his rookie scale contract. Portland and Seattle would have to be run by absolute fools to trade the rights to either Oden or Durant. It won't happen. Not even Isiah would do it.

 

This is really all that needs to be said.

[HenryBlanco]

Brandon Rush returning to Kansas after he injured his knee.

 

LAWRENCE - Less than a week before Kansas' Brandon Rush was scheduled to take part in the NBA pre-draft camp, he injured his right knee and decided Friday to withdraw his name from the draft and will return for his junior season.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Brandon Rush returning to Kansas after he injured his knee.

 

LAWRENCE - Less than a week before Kansas' Brandon Rush was scheduled to take part in the NBA pre-draft camp, he injured his right knee and decided Friday to withdraw his name from the draft and will return for his junior season.

 

Well, another year of letting him have it when he comes to Columbia. Hopefully this has negative implications on their recruitment of Releford, although I don't know why it would.

[illiniguy]

Brandon Rush returning to Kansas after he injured his knee.

 

LAWRENCE - Less than a week before Kansas' Brandon Rush was scheduled to take part in the NBA pre-draft camp, he injured his right knee and decided Friday to withdraw his name from the draft and will return for his junior season.

 

Well, another year of letting him have it when he comes to Columbia. Hopefully this has negative implications on their recruitment of Releford, although I don't know why it would.

I wonder if Bill will take back the mean words he had about him now. Time for all the Jayhawk fans I know who badmouthed him to forget they did it.

[snoodmonger]

Brandon Rush returning to Kansas after he injured his knee.

 

LAWRENCE - Less than a week before Kansas' Brandon Rush was scheduled to take part in the NBA pre-draft camp, he injured his right knee and decided Friday to withdraw his name from the draft and will return for his junior season.

 

Well, another year of letting him have it when he comes to Columbia. Hopefully this has negative implications on their recruitment of Releford, although I don't know why it would.

I wonder if Bill will take back the mean words he had about him now. Time for all the Jayhawk fans I know who badmouthed him to forget they did it.

 

may be a torn ACL. Don't know how that will affect his NBA future.

[Outshined_One]

Yes, Bowie was hyped -- he was the #2 pick in the draft. However, he was a question mark. He missed TWO full seasons because of leg injuries. Again, two full seasons. In college, he averaged 12.9 ppg, 17.4 ppg, then missed two years and came back to average 10.5 ppg. Please stop comparing Oden to Bowie. While Oden is coming off an injury, he missed only a few games and still dominated. A player who missed two of the three previous seasons can't be hyped like Oden, nor could a player not taken #1 in the draft. Olajuwan was clearly a better prospect than Bowie, just as Oden is a better prospect than Olajuwan.

 

To me, this is key with Oden and any big man in general.

 

When you're talking about guys who are extraordinarily tall, that tends to lend itself to questions about injury problems. In particular, with guys that big, anything involving the back, knees, hips, and feet should give teams reason to heavily scrutinize all medical records and whatnot. Let's face it, the human body can only take so much strain. When everything is that spread out, certain injuries can be much more difficult to recover from. When you play so many games a year on hardwood floors with guys giving you hard fouls on a regular basis, it takes a toll. Those particular parts of the body have to support a lot of weight as it is; injuring them just makes things more difficult.

 

Injury-wise, all Oden has to his name is a wrist injury. That's about it. While that kind of an injury is some cause for concern, if it were something having to do with his back, legs, or feet, teams might cool off on him. If you have a big man hindered with that kind of an injury, it makes you wonder if it'll linger. However, with Oden, he's got a clean bill of health. To me, that will help his NBA career about as much as anything else he puts on his resume, considering his level of athleticism and talent.

[Keener98]

Well not surprising but Oden tested as the strongest player in the draft. However Kevin Durant tested umm a little weak. Durant couldnt bench press 180lbs 1 time wow. I knew he wasnt that strong, but 180lbs? not once?

[RynoRules]

Well not surprising but Oden tested as the strongest player in the draft. However Kevin Durant tested umm a little weak. Durant couldnt bench press 180lbs 1 time wow. I knew he wasnt that strong, but 180lbs? not once?

 

I'd bet Scottie Pippen had the same issue when he came out. He'll get stronger.

[CubColtPacer]

Well not surprising but Oden tested as the strongest player in the draft. However Kevin Durant tested umm a little weak. Durant couldnt bench press 180lbs 1 time wow. I knew he wasnt that strong, but 180lbs? not once?

 

I'd bet Scottie Pippen had the same issue when he came out. He'll get stronger.

 

I also heard Chad Ford this morning, and he said that while many people train for these specific drills, Durant hasn't done any training on those drills because it didn't really matter how he performed on them. He said that it was quite possible that Durant had never even tried to bench with a bar (as opposed to a machine) and that basketball players don't do much weight training by rule. Basically, he blamed it on his agent for not recommending that Durant train for these things-even though they really have no impact on what he can do on a basketball court, but the perception that these drills are important should have had the agent concerned.