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Official 2014 Draft "Final Call" Thread

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QuinSnydersHair said:
I agree on most but not on Randle (he's gonna be good, perhaps an empty stats guy like Parker, but he'll score and rebound well) or Payton. I am a HUGE believer that players succeed at an insanely high level if their dad/mom played in the NBA or were elite athletes. Kobe, Thompson, Curry, Love, hell even Brewer and a guy like Mike Conley whose dad was an Olympic Gold medalist. The list goes on and on. These kids have been groomed their whole lives to be pros, work their tails off, learn the game, and maximize their abilities for the pro game. If Payton had glaring holes, I'd be scared. But he's got size, great athleticism, a good feel for the game, and so forth. I think he'll struggle a little early but 4-6 years from now be a very good point much like the aforementioned Mike Conley.

There are exceptions to this but in a league where 80% of the guys become nobodies, they're sort of rare.
Click to expand...

Is Payton the son of the glove? Had never heard of the dude til like 3 days ago. Watched one vid of him, looked incredibly meh, then I read he cannot shoot at all.


£¥£
 
Guess 1 post only plz is out the window already...


I want Gordon at 5, trade Favors for a risk on Vonleh (and to get younger/cheaper).

McDermott will be lucky to have his 3rd year option picked up.

Kyle Anderson will make a solid pro if he gets drafted into a good system. His passing, rebounding, and shooting are all excellent.
 
Randle and Smart are my top two for the Jazz and I like Gordon's potential.

Stay the hell away from Mike Mamu- er, Noah Vonleh. And Dante Exum.

I also like Doug McDermott, TJ Warren, Jordan Adams and Payne.
 
Cool thread. Ok, here goes....

first 4 or 5 years:

Wiggins
16-18ppg, good defense, good rebounding. If he lucks into a good situation/system, then I think he's a 20ppg scorer by the end of this window. I think people are exaggerating his flaws; his athleticism will allow him to assert himself and get offense from where he wants to get it. And, he'll be able to be productive when his number isn't called.

Jabari
This has been said already many times, but I see an empty stats guy. Very natural scorer, but I don't see a defender or a natural position. I'm weary of guys like this. I've also been really unimpressed with his interviews... I think he has a lot of growing up to do. If he gets surrounded by the right pieces, then he could prove me wrong. I'm sure most of you have heard all this talk about how Carmelo's best situation is in Chicago? Yeah, that's what Jabari needs: Joakim Noahs, Taj Gibsons, and Jimmy Butlers.

Exum
His first step is tantalizing. At the beginning of this whole process I predicted he'd drop on draft day. If he's there at 5, it'll be hard to pass by him. But, ****, I know so little about him. He'll definitely struggle for the first couple of years. If he works hard, he starts to take shape in year 3, at the earliest.

Embiid
He definitely deserved the hype he was getting by the end of the college season. If healthy, he's the most impactful player in this draft class. Big "if", though. I'd guess that, at best, he'll be struggling to stay in game shape for the first couple of seasons. If he gets healthy after that, then the team that drafted him is really happy. For me, he's entered into "Exum territory": too many unknowns at this point to make specific guesses about his vector, but the potential is there.

Gordon
I like his intangibles as much as any other player in this draft. He's a worker and a winner. I like the way he pours himself into the game and impacts the playing field: high-motor, good IQ, makes chaos as a defender. With him out there, you'll be able to switch a lot of stuff (especially if you don't have a little guy playing PG [*cough, Burke*]). I really think he's gonna figure out how to contribute on the offensive end -- especially if he's in a good system. First, he'll develop a 3pt shot that defenses have to respect. He's already got the skills to attack the guy closing out on him. Next, he'll get a little mid-range jumper off the dribble. That's really all he needs. Everything else can come from his skills as a garbage man. I really like his creativity. I don't think he'll be an all-star in the first 5 years (especially if he ends up in the West), but, by the end of this window, I can see him on that fringe.

Vonleh
More "Exum territory". I really like his physical profile. I can see how he'll create matchup problems. I think he's a bigger project that most people are saying he is. While I understand the problems at IU, and how his transition to a paint-roaming big can help him, I just don't think he has very much of a mastery over anything. I fear he's a wallflower, which might stunt his growth. I'd say during his first 5 years he'll look like a solid rotational player by the back-half of that window. That's all I can really say.

Smart
I really like this kid even though I worry about how efficient he'll be in the NBA. That's a rare thing for me to say. If he can learn to embody Tony Parker (i.e. only take shots when and where he knows he's good), then I think he can be great. He's fearless, knows how to push tempo, and sees the floor really well considering he hasn't played PG for that long. He needs space to operate, so fit is really important. I love it when defenses can start with the PG, and he brings all of that in spades. It's hard to see him as anything less than a solid starter; if he gets in the right situation, he'll be spoken of in more glowing terms. He's got teh nasty.

other guys:

Stauskas
A guy who can shoot like this has obvious value. His defense worries me, but he's gonna have a career. I like him a lot around 14, maybe a little bit earlier.

Harris
I see a Spurs player. Good, hardworking defender. Good shooter. He can read defenses and do a handful of nice things. He won't pop off the screen too often, but he won't be a weak link, either. Like Stauskas, I like him around 14. I think people have been sleeping on him for a while.

LaVine
Right now, he's a track star and not much else. I'm flabbergasted at how many people are on his jock. He looked so timid and soft on the defensive end; totally outmatched. I wouldn't touch him before the mid-20s because I'm not sure he'll ever figure it out.

Inglis
The little bit of tape I've seen makes me like him quite a bit. He's the Jimmy Butler of this draft (minus a little shooting, I guess).

Payton
I like this kid, but his meteoric rise in the mocks is out of step with reality. I was hoping he'd be there at 23. He has lots to work on.


Alright... tired of typing.
 
Jazz stay at 5 and take A-God

Jazz trade Burke and our unguaranteed contracts to the Lakers for #7 and Steve Nash and take Marcus Smart. Draft Clint Capela, Jusuf Nurkic, Bogdan Bogdanavic, Damien Ingles... basically some foreign dude at 23. At 35 we take the steal of the draft Spencer Dinwiddie. He becomes better than Hayward at basketball and starcraft and eventually replaces him in all the moving guy ads.

Jazz suck again next year, but are funner to watch.
 
Also, part of me dies tonight when we don't get Staskaus.
 
Won't get another chance closer to the draft so I am locking this now in accordance with Bodhi's request and stickying for the tonight.
 
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