scuse me while I rant a bit. perhaps if a prospect jumps up my list during workouts, like Rodney Hood from 20 to 12 yesteryear, Ill come thru with my 'final rankings list'. til then.. Arrivederci
Just say no to Kaminsky; Didnt yall learn from Trey that these "America's sweetheart" types are overhyped and overvalued?? Unless your stance is that Kaminsky will eventually usurp Favors' starting spot, it seems wasteful.
IMO - Frank stacks up poorly vs future 3pt shooting 7' lottery prospects such as Thon Maker, Skal and Dragan Bender, in my book thats basically a redflag (why aim so low?). Considering that this is likely the last lotto pick for some time, I dunno why the Jazz would pigeon hole a player with little positional flexibility, who turns 23 rookie season and is most likely a soft spot in the defense, all to fill the role of Favors backup?? Has Trevor Booker really been that bad?!
- Im not gonna throw shade at Frank without telling yall who i'd prefer. I'm very, very, very high on Jakob Poeltl.. even with his current evaluation I think hes flying under the radar.. I have him top 8 or 9 right now (expecting some big movements during workouts though), I think hes an excellent fit on the Jazz, as a two way player capable of spot minutes, but whos main concern is improving his skill and frame, you cannot teach that kind of aggressiveness and agility he plays with at 7' with a 7'3 wingspan, Jakob seems like a Jazz type of player thru and thru, he reminds me a rich mans version of a Robin Lopez/Jonas Val fusion, which im sure doesnt sound all that appealing, I suspect he's got a very low learning curve, and a ton more killer instinct than your average 7'er, I think he's gonna really surprise folks around here with his progress in just a few seasons.
-I had Frank pegged at 14 in this draft, since this time last year, he really didnt do anything for me to change that opinion, the landscape is whats changed. I'd say Frank is 6'11½" btw, I thought he might have been 6'10½ish but he only looked fractionally shorter than Tarczewski. I still dislike Myles Turner, hes near the 20's in my book, Even with that sort of grade, it probably makes more sense for the Jazz to gamble on him instead of going with Frank (if Turner is healthy that is).
- At the end of the day, I dont think the pick is a PF though.. Lyles, Kaminsky Looney and Portis all look like fringe lottery/top-20 guys imo, Im not sure if the upside of these players are worth the cost, especially for the Jazz, who should be drafting Greed over Need at this point(get the best players and see what happens..)., Cliff Alexander in the 2nd round is all i need to see to be skeptical, there's obviously low hanging fruit at PF somewhere in this draft.... I cant help but gravitate towards the value that is Chris McCullough at the top of the 2nd round, hes gotta be one of the most athletically gifted 2nd round picks I've ever seen, up there with Monta Ellis and DeAndre Jordan.. he's a SF/PF tweener but not in a bad way, hes 6'9" 7'2" wingspan, freakishly athletic (nightmare matchup vs "stretch 4's") he runs like a track a field athelete and anchored the back line of the 2-3 zone before injury... Dude declared because his GF's pregnant, no doubt in my mind that he wouldve secured himself in the 1st round next year, this ones a layup for the Jazz imo, super value, little risk(worst case, hes Earl Clark that moves at guardspeed)... (I thought I hit pretty well on the 2nd rounders i liked last year, Mainly Jordan Clarkson, Jerami Grant, Spencer Dinwiddie, I even liked Markel Brown, and my boy Walter Tavares is feasting in the ACB, he'll be a factor for the Hawks next season.)
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The best answer to the question 'How can the Jazz add to their offense without subtracting from the defense/rebounding this offseason' I can give ya is D'Angelo Russell, it might be in landslide fashion too... I have him graded out as the best guard in several years, on par with Wiggins, whom I had #1 for the entirety of the 2014 draft process...
I'd compare him to Steph Curry and James Harden...
Always been super high on Russell, before he ever played a game at OSU I thought his ranking in the teens by all services was too low, they said his handle was sloppy and when I saw the tape the dude is pulling off these crazy *** crossovers very low to the ground, changing directions, draining all sorts of shots, etc, yall already know, off the charts instincts. Some of the weaknesses listed in those HS scouting reports couldnt have been more incorrect.
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I went way out of my way to see a bunch of Mudiay's games this year ima keep it short and just say I think its heinous to have him rated over Russell at this point, Mudiay is fantastic at a few things, was very impressed with his post entry passes(2-man game ability), he can get to the FT line at will and drag defenders with him as if their a backpack, all that talent in that frame its easy to see why he's safely in the top 5, he seems to me like more of a project than advertised, and kind of flawed at this point, Mudiay's shot selection is truly awful, I had the misfortune of watching some really egregious shot attempts that left me asking 'am i seeing the bad end of a small sample size?' , He also seems at least, one click slower, and 2 clicks less vertically explosive than pre-draft John Wall imo. Call me crazy but I prefer Exum, who looks like hes on the fast track to being pretty damn good from 3 next year, and deadly from 3 in his prime.
Im also left with the indelible image of Mudiay gettng his pull-up jump shot from 17' blocked volleyball spike style, in a close game, in the waning minutes of overtime during an elimination playoff game, by a skinny 6'5" Chinese defender. while Marbury on the other end of the court running basically a layup drill, treating defenders like an afterthought.
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Kris Dunn figures to be one of the biggest steals this year, he's got the best hands of any guard in this draft, hes got great balance and anticipation too, making him a terror in the passing lanes and dangerous in the open court, which is a nice combo. hes also a legit PG with a full arsenal of NBA level fakes, hesitations and gears of playing speed, his floater is damn reliable, At full speed hes really impressive imo, capable of really fancy dribbling, footwork and passes. kinda seems like a player who might be better in the NBA than he was in college, his game is best suited surrounded by NBA athletes who can catch for sure. watching Providence this year I wished he teammates who could keep up with him, too often it was a 1 man fast break, totally got the impression he was a big fish in a little pond this year, he was obviously trying to do too much in the tournament, and Dayton was totally ready for him...
apparently he wasn't setting his feet before shots as a freshman, theres a huge improvement in the YOY %'s I watched him some last year and plenty this, hes a tough study on any given night, mainly because he was asked to do way too much, ya gotta remember hes truly a pass first type of player.. his shooting doesnt appear nearly as broken as lets say, Elfrid Payton's was last year, hes got a fairly reliable stepback J and a fast enough 1st step to keep the defense guessing. lottery grade for sure.
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-I'd consider taking Zhou Qi with the lottery pick, he is infact much better than advertised, its easy to see why certain factions wouldnt want his stock to go too high.
-One player im super high on that gets little press is Frenchman, Isaia Cordinier, born in late 96' this dude is seriously athletic, abnormally so for a euro player... 6'6" SG, hes lanky as ****, looks like a hell of a prospect to groom if ya ask me. I hope one of the reasons the Jazz are stacking 2nd round picks is so they can try to coerce players like this into the draft with a promise.
- I also like probable 2nd round picks Robert Upshaw, Norman Powell, Michael Qualls, Nedim Buza, I'd gamble on George Lucas, I think Andrew Harrison is going to make one team very happy tbh, he's been tagged with such negativity in the court of public opinion, its obviously overblown and past the point of logic and reason.
- Cameron Payne over Tyus Jones, and Jerian Grant imo. you may remember me repping Jerian last year, saying theres no way he should be projected in the 50's, well i dont think hes lottery grade either.
- I have the wings in this order; Hezonja(been on the bandwagon for 3 years) Stanley Johnson, Justise Winslow, Kelly Oubre as of today.
-I think Stanley has gotten a raw deal in the court of public opinion of late, He can really do a bit of everything for an NBA team, 37% from 3 on over 3 attempts per game was better than anyone could've expected, its crazy to see his value is lower than when the season began... low-hanging fruit?
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Final rant; I saw Derryck Thornton the other day on TV in a loss to Montverde, and he looked .. terrible, I'm glad UK's gonna miss on him. they had 27 turnovers, he got called for a carry trying to dribble the ball over a defenders head in overtime.. damn fine player, and hes in a loaded class at the most loaded position, truth is hes not even remotely close to as good as Dennis Smith Jr, and would be best served competing with the Demetrius Jacksons of the world for a spot in next years draft, than proving his mettle in his natural class. I'm convinced that players such as Lonzo Ball, Kobi Simmons and De'Aaron Fox would eat his food. Let me also add Jamal Murray to that list, who looks every bit of a 5 star prospect at this Summit, stealing the show again this year.
