Chad Ford "C's like Luke Babbit (Nevada) a lot"

[Fan from VT]

Pre draft measurements: http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-draft-measurements/?year=2010&sort2=DESC&draft=&pos=&sort=1

Larry Sanders: 6'10.5" with shoes on, 7'6" wingspan, 9'4" reach, 4.6 body fat.

Udoh -- 6-9 and three quarters with a 7-4 and a half inch wingspan leading to a 8 foot 10.5 inch standing reach

Davis -- 6-9 and three quarters with a 7-0 wingspan leading to a 9 foot standing reach

Seriously, how big is Udoh's neck? His arms are four inches longer and yet his standing reach is almost two inches shorter?

Impressive measurements from Larry Sanders. Also, DeMarcus Cousins. Still looking down the list to see if anyone else pops out ...

I'm still on Sanders' bandwagon. Already adding weight since working out with a pro trainer. Potential to be a huge impact player. One of ford's mocks had Xavier Henry slipping to 19 which would be unlikely, but huge and the definite play if it happens. Also liking George. Apparently stood out at the pre-draft camp, looking skilled, smooth, and a shooter.

[Tradetime]

Like most of us on here, I basically know nothing about Babbit.  One thing to keep in mind, though, is that Danny is pretty good at smokescreens when it comes to the draft.  Perhaps he is "leaking" how much he likes Babbit in the hope that someone drafts him before the Cs, thereby dropping someone else of value to the Cs.

I've started to do my research on various draft possibilities, and my feeling is that the way to go is either with someone who looks ready to contribute right away (eg: Pondexter) or, if we go the project route, go for a position of value (I am specifically thinking big man -- eg: Sanders, Alabi).

this is the perfect draft for Danny to do something like that because we have a high enough draft pick that someone could definitely slide to us as a result.

also, you have teams like MEM and MIN that could be very susceptible to the idea of Danny scooping guys like Babbitt and Hayward before they pick again later in the first round.

I'm all for us going for a guy like Alabi this draft. If Udoh is still around, however, I'd love to snag him up. It'd be nice to have a guy put in the game when Perkins sits that can still block and alter shots; Alabi or Udoh would be suitable in that area.

[Change]

I'm all for us going for a guy like Alabi this draft. If Udoh is still around, however, I'd love to snag him up. It'd be nice to have a guy put in the game when Perkins sits that can still block and alter shots; Alabi or Udoh would be suitable in that area.

It'll be hard to find a future starting wing @ 19. A lot of these guys aren't starting material. And chances are they won't get any run for a year or two. If a big is available @ 19, you always take the big. Even if he's project. Solomon Alabi intrigues me a lot. The number that jumped out is his 80% from the FT line, meaning he has a nice touch. Anyone would like to share info on Solomon Alabi?

[wiley]

I say don't take Babbit.

I want someone who can effect a game even when he's not scoring.....in other words, a major rebounder and major defender....who can do the fast-break with the best of them....
I think Babbit would fit in better on a number of other teams.....

Both Babbit and Hayward are considered highly skilled.....there's a slight question mark about Hayward's shooting...but mainly, as with Babbit, the question is how well can he defend, rebound, and generally play in a league that's much bigger and faster than college....

The only way I'd want to grab one of these high-skilled dudes (who if they do work out are great beacause offensively they're a big help with ball movement, low number of mistakes, etc..) is if we also bought another pick and took someone more athletic....like Stanley Robinson (wherever he ends up...he's a second rounder on NBAdraft.net)......

As well as we're doing now, we are an old team and getting less athletic, that's my major concern in going with a high-skilled, lesser athlete....

If I knew who our free agent signing/s would be I might feel differently..

And I agree with some that if Danny doesn't like the wing crop, why not take a project big like Alabi or Kevin Seraphin?  or a known defensive quantity like Sanders if he's there and Danny likes him..

[GranTur]

1. Gordon Hayward
2. Luke Babbit
3. Paul George

Gordon Hayward fits best with the Celtic system and mindset, and I see him as creating for himself more than the other three.

That said, Danny should be picking one of these three from the draft. We NEED a SF who can hit the outside shot to grow with Rondo and Perkins.

[nickagneta]

1. Gordon Hayward
2. Luke Babbit
3. Paul George

Gordon Hayward fits best with the Celtic system and mindset, and I see him as creating for himself more than the other three.

That said, Danny should be picking one of these three from the draft. We NEED a SF who can hit the outside shot to grow with Rondo and Perkins.

Funny of the SFs in this draft, I think these are the three you want to avoid and the three with higher upside and ability to contribute faster would be

1. Damion James
2. Qunicy Pondexter
3. Stanley Robinson

What the three I like have over those other guys are outstanding athleticism, NBA ready bodies and frames and plus defensive skills. Pondexter and James could both be elite defenders at the next level.

To each his own I guess but I have been pushing these guys a while and I still think that a one them will end up a Celtic.

[rondohondo]

1. Gordon Hayward
2. Luke Babbit
3. Paul George

Gordon Hayward fits best with the Celtic system and mindset, and I see him as creating for himself more than the other three.

That said, Danny should be picking one of these three from the draft. We NEED a SF who can hit the outside shot to grow with Rondo and Perkins.

Funny of the SFs in this draft, I think these are the three you want to avoid and the three with higher upside and ability to contribute faster would be

1. Damion James
2. Qunicy Pondexter
3. Stanley Robinson

What the three I like have over those other guys are outstanding athleticism, NBA ready bodies and frames and plus defensive skills. Pondexter and James could both be elite defenders at the next level.

To each his own I guess but I have been pushing these guys a while and I still think that a one them will end up a Celtic.

The reason I would go with skill over athleticism at the SF spot is because we already have TA who is turning into one of the best man on man defenders in the leauge, he is still pretty young and has regained a lot of his athleticism. I want a guy coming in for PP that can spead the floor and score in many different ways.

Plus we all saw what happened the last time we drafted high athletic players with not great BBIQ. Giddens and walker barely even saw playing time. I think with a high bbiq and high skill guy , you can put him in there without having to worry about missed assignments.

Now if we are talking big men, I would probably go with athleticism over skill because we don't have any athletic big men.

[nickagneta]

1. Gordon Hayward
2. Luke Babbit
3. Paul George

Gordon Hayward fits best with the Celtic system and mindset, and I see him as creating for himself more than the other three.

That said, Danny should be picking one of these three from the draft. We NEED a SF who can hit the outside shot to grow with Rondo and Perkins.

Funny of the SFs in this draft, I think these are the three you want to avoid and the three with higher upside and ability to contribute faster would be

1. Damion James
2. Qunicy Pondexter
3. Stanley Robinson

What the three I like have over those other guys are outstanding athleticism, NBA ready bodies and frames and plus defensive skills. Pondexter and James could both be elite defenders at the next level.

To each his own I guess but I have been pushing these guys a while and I still think that a one them will end up a Celtic.

The reason I would go with skill over athleticism at the SF spot is because we already have TA who is turning into one of the best man on man defenders in the leauge, he is still pretty young and has regained a lot of his athleticism. I want a guy coming in for PP that can spead the floor and score in many different ways.

Plus we all saw what happened the last time we drafted high athletic players with not great BBIQ. Giddens and walker barely even saw playing time. I think with a high bbiq and high skill guy , you can put him in there without having to worry about missed assignments.

Now if we are talking big men, I would probably go with athleticism over skill because we don't have any athletic big men.

Who said these guys have low BBIQ? None of the scouting reports mention anything like that. Also, all three are versatile players.

James is the leading rebounder in Big 12 history shot 50% from the field and 38% for three point land and has NBA three point range. He is also a beast in the open floor.

Here's a quick diddy from Draftexpress about Pondexter that refutes everything you imply about him:

Pondexter’s production and efficiency levels have both skyrocketed this season, and most importantly, he’s shown a very high feel for the game as well as an understanding of his own strengths and weaknesses.

Generating most of his offense out of isolation situations in the pinch post and short baseline areas, Pondexter has an excellent first step, very rangy strides, and simple but effective ball-handling ability, allowing him to get separation fairly easily against most opponents, either going to the basket or pulling up for a shot in his defender’s face. Despite operating out of an area of the floor that doesn’t lend itself to high scoring efficiency, Pondexter is posting a very high 63% TS% this season, evidence of his wise shot selection. Pondexter is also turning the ball over on just 12% of his possessions, a very low number for someone who generates so much offense through individual shot creation.

Pondexter shot 53% from the field, 34% from three and 83% from the line.

Robinson is both effect in the open floor and has some nice low post moves as well as an ever improving outside shot. He shot 53% from the field and 34% from three and scouts say he still has room for improvement in his shooting.

I would label these guys as Tony Allen type players. They all three bring much more to the table offensively than Tony ever did. And there's very little evidence or even a hint of word that they have low BBIQ's, especially in James and Pondexter's cases.

[GranTur]

1. Gordon Hayward
2. Luke Babbit
3. Paul George

Gordon Hayward fits best with the Celtic system and mindset, and I see him as creating for himself more than the other three.

That said, Danny should be picking one of these three from the draft. We NEED a SF who can hit the outside shot to grow with Rondo and Perkins.

Funny of the SFs in this draft, I think these are the three you want to avoid and the three with higher upside and ability to contribute faster would be

1. Damion James
2. Qunicy Pondexter
3. Stanley Robinson

What the three I like have over those other guys are outstanding athleticism, NBA ready bodies and frames and plus defensive skills. Pondexter and James could both be elite defenders at the next level.

To each his own I guess but I have been pushing these guys a while and I still think that a one them will end up a Celtic.

We don't need the next Michael Jordan. Rondo and TA are plenty athletic enough for our team. We need consistent, smart players who can make plays when Rondo delivers them the ball in their spots.

[Silent Storm]

Looks like someone else agrees with me: http://dimemag.com/2010/04/dime-nba-draft-profile-larry-sanders/

[nickagneta]

Looks like someone else agrees with me: http://dimemag.com/2010/04/dime-nba-draft-profile-larry-sanders/

Saw Sanders play a bunch as I went to two of his games at Northeatsern(one was his freshman year where I honestly couldn't tell you if he played or not but I was at that VCU game)over the last few years and watched as many Northeastern games as made television. Watched him in the CAA tourney as I became aware of him as a possible draft prospect around Christmas when I started playing attention to college ball again(that's the time of year I usually start watching and following college ball again).

As much as I see why people might think he could be an NBA player, when I saw him play, I never thought even for a minute "Now there's an future great NBA talent". Can't put my foot on why. Level of competition I saw him play against? Level with which he dominated his direct competition? Ability to take control of a game? Maybe all those things? Don't know.

And I've been known to be wrong about this with big men from college as I seemed to remember thinking the same thing about David Lee, Roy Hibbert, and Kevin Love and thought Sean Williams was a sure fire hit.

[jr_3421]

Looks like someone else agrees with me: http://dimemag.com/2010/04/dime-nba-draft-profile-larry-sanders/

Saw Sanders play a bunch as I went to two of his games at Northeatsern(one was his freshman year where I honestly couldn't tell you if he played or not but I was at that VCU game)over the last few years and watched as many Northeastern games as made television. Watched him in the CAA tourney as I became aware of him as a possible draft prospect around Christmas when I started playing attention to college ball again(that's the time of year I usually start watching and following college ball again).

As much as I see why people might think he could be an NBA player, when I saw him play, I never thought even for a minute "Now there's an future great NBA talent". Can't put my foot on why. Level of competition I saw him play against? Level with which he dominated his direct competition? Ability to take control of a game? Maybe all those things? Don't know.

And I've been known to be wrong about this with big men from college as I seemed to remember thinking the same thing about David Lee, Roy Hibbert, and Kevin Love and thought Sean Williams was a sure fire hit.

My outlook on this is that Sanders started playing organized ball as a JR in HS. However, he has improved in every aspect of his game every year at VCU which is a great sign. Plus I thought he had one of the best interviews at the combine.

Another player I'm going to throw out there and will probably get a lot of heat for is Lance Stephenson (CIN). He is a lottery talent that has dropped because maturity issues and weight problems. At the combine he said he has dropped 16 lbs and looked cut. He is a SG with good size and length. Offensively he uses the iso way too often but at times shows amazing court vision. Probably has the best crossover in the draft and is a good shooter especially off the dribble. Defensively he plays aggressive on ball defense but is limited by his lateral movement. I thought is combine interview was great compared to my expectations and think he could fit in very nicely with our veterans and grow into a starter in the future.

[nickagneta]

1. Gordon Hayward
2. Luke Babbit
3. Paul George

Gordon Hayward fits best with the Celtic system and mindset, and I see him as creating for himself more than the other three.

That said, Danny should be picking one of these three from the draft. We NEED a SF who can hit the outside shot to grow with Rondo and Perkins.

Funny of the SFs in this draft, I think these are the three you want to avoid and the three with higher upside and ability to contribute faster would be

1. Damion James
2. Qunicy Pondexter
3. Stanley Robinson

What the three I like have over those other guys are outstanding athleticism, NBA ready bodies and frames and plus defensive skills. Pondexter and James could both be elite defenders at the next level.

To each his own I guess but I have been pushing these guys a while and I still think that a one them will end up a Celtic.

We don't need the next Michael Jordan...we need consistent, smart players who can make plays when Rondo delivers them the ball in their spots.

Okay, I need you to re-read what you typed here because.....well re-read it. Let's just say I would have no problem having the next Michael Jordan on my team.

[Silent Storm]

Good piece on Sanders here: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=16081

[jr_3421]

Looks like someone else agrees with me: http://dimemag.com/2010/04/dime-nba-draft-profile-larry-sanders/

Love it.