Draft Thread, Bigs that Can Help Options

[Chisoxfn]

I was going to ask, who are the top bigs in this upcoming draft. I know you have Joakim Noah and Al Horford who are both bigger guys out of Florida that will be top picks. McRoberts out of Duke (but I think he's more of a top 15-top 20 guy) and than who else are there?

I haven't gotten fully into college basketball season yet cause I've been working pretty late so I was kind of curious.

Obviously I know this is supposed to be the best big man draft in a while but I just wanted to get an idea of who is out there?

Also: I figure it could be cool to kind of update this thread throughout the season so we can see the progress of some of the guys that could be the final piece to our championship team

[hinrich fan]

Thought UCLA had a 7 footer...I'd have to checkout the name though....

[Chisoxfn]

Thought UCLA had a 7 footer...I'd have to checkout the name though....

They have Collins I think.

But they will lose to Cal State Fullerton tonight

[hinrich fan]

They have Collins I think.

But they will lose to Cal State Fullerton tonight

Afflalo is 6'5...but from my beloved KU Jayhawks...Chicago's own Julian Wright at 6'8...

[madisonsmadhouse]

Oden obviously heads the list, but there are legitmate centers like Hibbert from Georgetown, Gary from Pitt, and Thabeet from Uconn, before you get into the smaller centers/PFs. Guys from that group include guys like Noah, Wright, and Fazekas from Nevada.

[DrunkBomber]

I hope the Knicks completely tank and we can somehow get Oden. I think he is gonna be a monster in the pros.

[Chisoxfn]

I hope the Knicks completely tank and we can somehow get Oden. I think he is gonna be a monster in the pros.

A bigger question will be whether Oden goes pro at the end of the year. I think he should since he'd be the #1 pick, but I don't know if he will.

[madisonsmadhouse]

A bigger question will be whether Oden goes pro at the end of the year. I think he should since he'd be the #1 pick, but I don't know if he will.

I can't imagine the kid passing up being the #1 pick in the NBA draft. I know he has said it in the past, but when you have eight digits waved in your face, before endorsements, how do you say no?

[ZoomSlowik]

McRoberts is actually projected to go higher, more in the 5-10 range because of his talent, but he hasn't really shown much yet. I don't know what happened, he looked like a great inside-outside threat in the high school All-star games I saw, he hasn't shown that at Duke though. He has legit 3-point range but has only attempted 19 3's so far in his career at Duke. Makes me wonder if he's the next Shavlik Randolph...

He may not be a big man, but if he's there we HAVE to take Kevin Durant. The guy is an absolute monster. He's a true small forward even at 6'10". He is a heck of an athlete, he's a very good ball-handler (especially for his size), and he has a nice outside shot. He can also do some damage inside, though he needs to bulk up to do it at the next level. The guys looks like he's going to be an absolute star, if we got him I'd happily send off some of our forwards.

Another big-time prospect is Brandan Wright at North Carolina. He's basically a Tyrus Thomas clone, only he's a little bigger and from what I've seen a little more polished (especially in the ball-handling department). Like Tyrus, he still needs more strength, doesn't have a go-to post move, and is probably a tweener until he bulks up more. He might not make much sense for us, but he looks like a potential star. He'll probably go in the top 5 if he comes out.

One of the fastest risers in this draft right now is Darrell Arthur from Kansas. He's not quite the athlete that Wright or Kevin Durant are, but he's fairly impressive in that area. He's also shown some nice post moves and a pretty good mid-range game. However, he really needs to bulk up and his ball-handling is weak. He also seems to disappear for long stretches from what I've seen. He's got significant talent though, so he's a probable lottery pick. Build-wise he's not the kind of guy we'd want, but he could be the post-scorer we're looking for if he develops a bit more.

Another guy I like is Jermareo Davidson from Alabama. He's listed at 6'10" 230. He's a force as a rebounder and shot-blocker, and his offense has improved a lot. However, he's still far from an offensive star, and he has a really low shooting percentage. Some scouts worry that he won't be as effective as a banger in the pros. He's more of a late-round guy, but he could soar in the rankings if he displays more offensive skills or wows in pre-draft workouts (the latter is highly possible).

Two other college guys we might consider are Hasheem Thabeet (UConn) and Spencer Hawes (Washington). They're basically polar opposites right now. Thabeet is absolutely huge, listed at 7'3" and 265 pounds with a huge wingspan. He's a beast of a defender, averaging over 5 blocks per game so far at UConn. He's also a pretty good rebounder. So far he's EXTREMELY raw offensively though, he's barely averaging 7 points per game so far. He's a bit of a project, but he could turn into a monster. Hawes is much more skilled offensively. He's already very polished in the post and has a good mid-range jumper. However, he's not a very good rebounder or defender so far, and he'll probably need to get stronger. If he works on that he could turn into a more gifted version of Brad Miller. Both figure to go in the late lottery to mid first round if they come out.

Two other foreign guys that I can't really expound on very much are Tiago Splitter and Yi Jianlian. The former is listed at 7 foot and 240. He's supposedly a good but not great athlete that specializes in rebounding and shot-blocking. He's a bit lost offensively though, lacking post moves and deep range on his shot. Jianlian is listed at 7 foot 230, and sounds a lot like Andrea Bargnani. Supposedly he's athletic and very skilled. He's more of a face-up big man that doesn't bang inside much. Neither sounds like a great fit for us.

[Balta1701-B]

I can't imagine the kid passing up being the #1 pick in the NBA draft. I know he has said it in the past, but when you have eight digits waved in your face, before endorsements, how do you say no?

Because you don't want to end up being drafted by the Grizzlies so you decide to wait a year?

[madisonsmadhouse]

Because you don't want to end up being drafted by the Grizzlies so you decide to wait a year?

Do you have to declare before the lottery, or after?

[ZoomSlowik]

Oden obviously heads the list, but there are legitmate centers like Hibbert from Georgetown, Gary from Pitt, and Thabeet from Uconn, before you get into the smaller centers/PFs. Guys from that group include guys like Noah, Wright, and Fazekas from Nevada.

Man, I'm really slacking, I forgot to put some of those guys on the list.

Hibbert is obviously huge, he's listed at 7'2" 265. He's got some pretty good offensive moves, though he probably isn't aggressive enough (part of that could be that he's an AWFUL fit for the Princeton offense). He's got good hands and is strong. He's a good rebounder and shot-blocker at the college level, but I really think those could be weaknesses in the NBA. He's a very ordinary athlete, so he could get exposed against quicker forwards, especially in transition. I'm thinking something like a taller Michael Sweetney, though he'll be better defensively. He's probably a mid-first guy that might sneak into the lottery.

I'm not a big Gray fan, I think he's going to end up as a bench player. Very Chris Mihm-like. He's big, pretty strong, and has some okay post moves. He's not a good athlete though, and he'll probably be a defensive liability in the pros. He's likely a late-first rounder.


Fazekas is probably a 2nd rounder. He's a classic tweener, not big enough to play in the post and not quick enough to play on the perimeter. He looks like a definite defensive liability, and it's hard to imagine he'll rebound as well as he did in college. He can definitely shoot though and is pretty skilled, so he could stick as a bench player.

Do you have to declare before the lottery, or after?

IIRC you had to declare for the draft by mid-May last year, and the lottery is in June. He can still pull-out of the draft after that, up until a week or two before it I think. Plus if he doesn't hire an agent he can still go back to college after the draft, though the team that drafted him would still own his rights...

[TeaLeafReaderII]

I can't imagine the kid passing up being the #1 pick in the NBA draft. I know he has said it in the past, but when you have eight digits waved in your face, before endorsements, how do you say no?

Noah turned down being in the top 3 to go back to school

[madisonsmadhouse]

Noah turned down being in the top 3 to go back to school

To be honest, I think Noah is an idiot too. The guy has zero offensive game right now, and he could have been a top pick. At least an Oden is an all around talent, Noah has some real holes in his game. Heck ask Matt Leinart what waiting a year too long will do to you

[Chisoxfn]

Man, I'm really slacking, I forgot to put some of those guys on the list.

Hibbert is obviously huge, he's listed at 7'2" 265. He's got some pretty good offensive moves, though he probably isn't aggressive enough (part of that could be that he's an AWFUL fit for the Princeton offense). He's got good hands and is strong. He's a good rebounder and shot-blocker at the college level, but I really think those could be weaknesses in the NBA. He's a very ordinary athlete, so he could get exposed against quicker forwards, especially in transition. I'm thinking something like a taller Michael Sweetney, though he'll be better defensively. He's probably a mid-first guy that might sneak into the lottery.

I'm not a big Gray fan, I think he's going to end up as a bench player. Very Chris Mihm-like. He's big, pretty strong, and has some okay post moves. He's not a good athlete though, and he'll probably be a defensive liability in the pros. He's likely a late-first rounder.
Fazekas is probably a 2nd rounder. He's a classic tweener, not big enough to play in the post and not quick enough to play on the perimeter. He looks like a definite defensive liability, and it's hard to imagine he'll rebound as well as he did in college. He can definitely shoot though and is pretty skilled, so he could stick as a bench player.
IIRC you had to declare for the draft by mid-May last year, and the lottery is in June. He can still pull-out of the draft after that, up until a week or two before it I think. Plus if he doesn't hire an agent he can still go back to college after the draft, though the team that drafted him would still own his rights...

I didn't realize you could still go back to college even after being drafted? I thought there was a deadline for when you had to pull out of the draft. Oh I see, he would go back to college but couldn't get any higher draft position (since he wouldn't be eligible for the next draft? Or would the team that drafted him lose his rights when he suited back up, kind of like they do in baseball).