NBA Draft Thread

[EagerBeaver]

We are moments away from the start. The biggest questions are the number of trades that will be made in this very weak draft and where Kemba Walker of the defending national champion UConn Huskies will be drafted.

Most experts have Kemba going #5-#13 overall. I will be surprised if he goes higher or lower. If you have not seen him play much, Kemba is undersized at 6'1" for an NBA point guard, but he is extremely athletic, is a very hard worker and has great leadership ability. Kemba was the star player and leading scorer of a UConn team that was unranked in the preseason and from which not much was really expected. It was believed they would be lucky to make the 64 team NCAA tournament, and they ended up winning it all with Kemba leading a team that had 5 freshmen in its regular rotation. Kemba is a classic pride, guts and determination type player.

Beyond the Kemba question, we are looking at some foreign big men going very high. Look for Turkish big man Enes Kantner and Lithuania's Jonas Valanciunas to go in the top 5.

A disaster could occur if Kemba goes #7 to Sacramento. Sacramento is team stocked with cancerous players like DeMarcus Cousins, and many UConn fans fear Kemba has no chance to succeed if he ends up in this cauldron of cancer. Sacramento is widely considered a toxic stew of a team and the worst city to play in in the NBA. Hopefully Kemba can stay away from this team!

Kyrie Irving or Derrick Williams will go #1 and Jimmer Fedette is expected to go #12-#20. Jimmer is a nice kid and great shooter, but lots of questions on his defense and ability to play point guard. He is a shooting guard trapped in a point guard's body. He does have an NBA type body though, and is especially strong in the upper body. His shooting ability is unquestioned, and he may make it in the NBA based on being a one dimensional shooter.

Starting 7:30 pm we will find out the answers to these questions!

 

[EagerBeaver]

Sacramento Trades #7 Pick!

Charlotte gets the #7 pick in a trade with Sacramento! Kemba ducks having to go for radiation therapy!

 

[Merlot]

Hmmm,

Celtics trade pick for Purdue center JaJuan Johnson

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/...lect_providences_marshon_brooks_in_nba_draft/

The Celtics [team stats] picked Providence scorer Marshon Brooks with the 25th pick tonight, but reportedly traded the 6-5 guard to New Jersey in exchange for Purdue center JaJuan Johnson, who the Nets took on behalf of the Celtics at No. 27.

Deprived of a chance at Reggie Jackson when Oklahoma City picked the Boston College guard with the 24th pick, the Celtics looked down in the draft for a big man.

Johnson, an offensively skilled player who needs to add muscle and strength in his lower body, displayed a well-rounded arsenal that included range out to the college 3-point line.

His immediate value will be as a pick-and-pop shooter and a good scorer in transition. Though he was named both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the Big Ten, Johnson has seasons to go before he is able to defend the post.

For now, he is considered too thin to hold his own against an NBA-level center.

He averaged 20.5 points and 6.1 rebounds for the Boilermakers last season, and also shot a healthy .494.

The Celtics tried to insure themselves of having more impact big men by signing Jermaine O'Neal and Shaquille O'Neal in view of the questionable status of Kendrick Perkins after knee surgery, and to give Kevin Garnett help and flexibility. But after Perkins was traded in mid-season, and both O'Neals suffered injuries either drastically limiting playing time or the ability to produce, the need for a younger solution in Johnson was obvious.

The lack of ability to control the boards and an aging team with injuries were two of several factors leading to their defeat by the Heat in last years playoffs, a team the Celtics had competed well against during the regular season. Thus the pick a for a young big man in JaJuan Johnson with some promising potential. Guard E’Twaun Moore, who has excellent pick and roll moves and ball control, should help Rondo move the ball and penetrate the opposition, while adding higher percentage shooting.

Cheers,

Merlot

 

[EagerBeaver]

Merlot,

The thought seems to be that Johnson has limited potential. He is a pretty good shot blocker and he could possibly give the Celtics what Perkins gave them but I doubt he will give them more. Personally, I think Perkins has a much better body and Johnson's body is not all that great for a defense first player.

I was very happy to see Kemba Walker picked 9th albeit by a terrible team, the Bobcats. He is going to start for them and they will rely on him for scoring.

 

[EagerBeaver]

One other thing - I noticed that another ex UConn player, Ater Majok, was drafted #58 in the second round by the Lakers. I am really surprised by him being drafted. He played for UConn 2 years ago after being one of the most highly anticipated recruits in years, and was a complete dud, leading to UConn basically taking away his scholarship and forcing him to go pro in Australia. He had played high school ball in Australian after immigrating there from Sudan. He was a player who gave a lot of effort but physically he was overwhelmed at UConn and unless he has dramatically improved his body, he will also be physically overwhelmed in the NBA.

My overall thoughts on this draft are that there are a lot of players who could be busts. The most curious pick was Tristan Thompson going #4 to Cleveland. I really thought that Cleveland should have taken one of the foreign big men as Thompson is very undersized for a power forward and from what I have seen of him has no skills to play the 3 or small forward.

Also, did anyone notice how Mark Jones condescendingly insulted Jonas Valanciunas' English after their interview? I know Jonas did not exactly speak English in the prose of Charles Dickens, but how could you insult a Lithuanian kid like that at the greatest moment of his life? Jones and ESPN should be ashamed of themselves!