2009 NBA Draft Thread

[Warpticon]

Joe Alexander?

[imb]

Joe Alexander?

 

no, a good one

[wolf stansson]

Unfortunately, there's no sortable stat category of "White Guy" on basketballreference.com. I guess it'd be between guys like Lee, Hinrich and various other scrubs like Birdman.

[Exile on Waveland]

didn't chase jump 38.5 at the combine? he would instantly be the best american born white player in the NBA

 

also, i really wish tyreke evans didn't look like an idiot when he shoots a jumper. he'd be the second best prospect in the draft.

 

I think very highly of Evans. Much higher than most, it seems (though obviously some of that is relative to this subpar draft class).

[imb]

didn't chase jump 38.5 at the combine? he would instantly be the best american born white player in the NBA

 

also, i really wish tyreke evans didn't look like an idiot when he shoots a jumper. he'd be the second best prospect in the draft.

 

I think very highly of Evans. Much higher than most, it seems (though obviously some of that is relative to this subpar draft class).

 

he reminds me of jerry stackhouse without the ability to shoot. i guess that's not necessarily a good thing.

[Guest]

Larry Bird?

[hawkeyecub]

Unfortunately, there's no sortable stat category of "White Guy" on basketballreference.com. I guess it'd be between guys like Lee, Hinrich and various other scrubs like Birdman.

 

Off the top of my head I would say it's Lee. Kevin Love was pretty solid for a rookie post-Christmas and would be in that next group.

[Guest]

Nice. By next year, UCLA will have pumped out the greatest current white American NBA player. That's one way to get more recruits to Westwood.

[Flames24Rulz]

I remember the good old days when I could say Kirk Hinrich was the best white American player in the NBA. Yeah, that didn't really last all that long.

[rawaction]

didn't chase jump 38.5 at the combine? he would instantly be the best american born white player in the NBA

 

also, i really wish tyreke evans didn't look like an idiot when he shoots a jumper. he'd be the second best prospect in the draft.

 

I think very highly of Evans. Much higher than most, it seems (though obviously some of that is relative to this subpar draft class).

 

he reminds me of jerry stackhouse without the ability to shoot. i guess that's not necessarily a good thing.

 

I like Evans too. I think he could be an NBA point guard. He not lightning quick like a lot of PGs, but at 6'5"- 6'6" I think he can be a guy that can run the halfcourt and do a lot of things for his team. He can see and shoot or pass over smaller PGs. He can create his own shot and/or get to the line and should be tough to guard on the pick and roll. I think putting the ball in his hands also takes the emphasis off of him being able to make a jumpshot.

 

I keep seeing the Larry Hughes comparison and their college games were a lot alike, but Evans has much better handles and is more of a willing passer than Hughes ever was.

[illiniguy]

With the way baseball heads are all worried about african americans losing interest in baseball, I am suprised David Stern isn't freaking out about the white guys not being in the NBA. Could you imagine the awesome awkwardness of a reporter asking him about that?

[SouthSideRyan]

With the way baseball heads are all worried about african americans losing interest in baseball, I am suprised David Stern isn't freaking out about the white guys not being in the NBA. Could you imagine the awesome awkwardness of a reporter asking him about that?

 

There's a pretty big difference between the 2. My only complaint with the baseball situation is how people continue to phrase it as "not enough blacks in the game" while only counting US born of African heritage. It's not a racism thing, it's a money thing. Nobody has the interest in reaching out to poor Americans, building them up in the game, and then having to pay them big money. There's no need to when you go to Latin America and pay them nothing.

[sneakypower]

Unfortunately, there's no sortable stat category of "White Guy" on basketballreference.com. I guess it'd be between guys like Lee, Hinrich and various other scrubs like Birdman.

um...

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/ChrisKaman_20060409.jpg/200px-ChrisKaman_20060409.jpg

[rawaction]

With the way baseball heads are all worried about african americans losing interest in baseball, I am suprised David Stern isn't freaking out about the white guys not being in the NBA. Could you imagine the awesome awkwardness of a reporter asking him about that?

 

There's a pretty big difference between the 2. My only complaint with the baseball situation is how people continue to phrase it as "not enough blacks in the game" while only counting US born of African heritage. It's not a racism thing, it's a money thing. Nobody has the interest in reaching out to poor Americans, building them up in the game, and then having to pay them big money. There's no need to when you go to Latin America and pay them nothing.

 

Nobody reaches out to white kids to try to get them to play baseball either. Also, if I'm not mistaken, isn't there more African Americans now than there was a few years ago.

[illiniguy]

Robert Swift FTL.

[wolf stansson]

With the way baseball heads are all worried about african americans losing interest in baseball, I am suprised David Stern isn't freaking out about the white guys not being in the NBA. Could you imagine the awesome awkwardness of a reporter asking him about that?

The issue isn't just a lack of African American players in MLB. It's a systemic lack of African Americans playing baseball from MLB down to t-ball.

 

Basketball doesn't have that problem. White Americans play basketball at all levels, slowly getting filtered out because they aren't good enough.

[nick23]

didn't chase jump 38.5 at the combine? he would instantly be the best american born white player in the NBA

 

also, i really wish tyreke evans didn't look like an idiot when he shoots a jumper. he'd be the second best prospect in the draft.

 

I think very highly of Evans. Much higher than most, it seems (though obviously some of that is relative to this subpar draft class).

 

he reminds me of jerry stackhouse without the ability to shoot. i guess that's not necessarily a good thing.

 

I like Evans too. I think he could be an NBA point guard. He not lightning quick like a lot of PGs, but at 6'5"- 6'6" I think he can be a guy that can run the halfcourt and do a lot of things for his team. He can see and shoot or pass over smaller PGs. He can create his own shot and/or get to the line and should be tough to guard on the pick and roll. I think putting the ball in his hands also takes the emphasis off of him being able to make a jumpshot.

 

I keep seeing the Larry Hughes comparison and their college games were a lot alike, but Evans has much better handles and is more of a willing passer than Hughes ever was.

I don't like Evans nearly as much. While he could probably play PG in the NBA I don't think he'd be anything special. His handles are nothing special and he's not very quick/fast. To be honest he's not especially athletic either. He was able to get to the rim in college partially because he was just bigger/stronger than most of his competition but also because he really has some awkward looking moves. I don't see how his game is going to translate well to the NBA. He's not much of a shooter and I can't see him getting off his shot against guys just as big and strong as he is but quicker. He really reminds me of a Chris Dougless-Roberts with more court vision. Just IMO. Also, don't forget, Calipari tried three other players at PG before letting Evans try it out. The results were good but they also coincided with C-USA league play beginning.

[illiniguy]

didn't chase jump 38.5 at the combine? he would instantly be the best american born white player in the NBA

 

also, i really wish tyreke evans didn't look like an idiot when he shoots a jumper. he'd be the second best prospect in the draft.

 

I think very highly of Evans. Much higher than most, it seems (though obviously some of that is relative to this subpar draft class).

 

he reminds me of jerry stackhouse without the ability to shoot. i guess that's not necessarily a good thing.

 

I like Evans too. I think he could be an NBA point guard. He not lightning quick like a lot of PGs, but at 6'5"- 6'6" I think he can be a guy that can run the halfcourt and do a lot of things for his team. He can see and shoot or pass over smaller PGs. He can create his own shot and/or get to the line and should be tough to guard on the pick and roll. I think putting the ball in his hands also takes the emphasis off of him being able to make a jumpshot.

 

I keep seeing the Larry Hughes comparison and their college games were a lot alike, but Evans has much better handles and is more of a willing passer than Hughes ever was.

I don't like Evans nearly as much. While he could probably play PG in the NBA I don't think he'd be anything special. His handles are nothing special and he's not very quick/fast. To be honest he's not especially athletic either. He was able to get to the rim in college partially because he was just bigger/stronger than most of his competition but also because he really has some awkward looking moves. I don't see how his game is going to translate well to the NBA. He's not much of a shooter and I can't see him getting off his shot against guys just as big and strong as he is but quicker. He really reminds me of a Chris Dougless-Roberts with more court vision. Just IMO. Also, don't forget, Calipari tried three other players at PG before letting Evans try it out. The results were good but they also coincided with C-USA league play beginning.

Kinda sounds a bit like Jalen Rose. Not a true point guard, awful shot. Not super atheltic.

[rawaction]

Kinda sounds a bit like Jalen Rose. Not a true point guard, awful shot. Not super atheltic.

 

Jalen was bigger and probably quicker. But it's a decent comparison.

[Guest]

Speaking of Jalen Rose, I got out of work very late yesterday and saw him loitering around downtown LA after the Lakers game in a suit. Guess he does some sort of analysis for FOX Sports or ESPN.

[illiniguy]

Speaking of Jalen Rose, I got out of work very late yesterday and saw him loitering around downtown LA after the Lakers game in a suit. Guess he does some sort of analysis for FOX Sports or ESPN.

ESPN

[snoodmonger]

I actually kinda like Jalen on ESPN.

[rawaction]

I actually kinda like Jalen on ESPN.

 

Agreed. Jalen's a lot better than expected. He may be ESPN's best studio analyst other than Jaws. Their baseball and hockey guys are horrible. Football isn't much better.

[dew1679666265]

Tyler Smith is returning to Tennessee for his senior season.

 

Smith, a projected second-round NBA draft pick, had contemplated playing professionally in Europe.

[Andy]

Harangody's coming back! :D

 

Per Mike Brey's Twitter.