2011 Draft

[PseudoElite]

Assuming there is one this year, who do you think the Celtics should try to get? What position do we need filled the most?

Here is a link to a mock draft.

http://www.nbadraft.net/2011mock_draft

I think we need a tall+strong power forward we can mold into the team over the years. KG is going to be gone eventually and most of the dominant NBA PFs are locked into their respective teams.

Thoughts?

[Mr October]

draft plan - just get the best player available, regardless of position.

Although... I don't want another Avery Bradley project. There aren't enough minutes to develop 2 raw backup 1's behind Rondo.

Who will be available at #25? Not much. Generally at 25 and beyond you are looking at some combination of: undersized for their position, raw, character issues, slow and un-athletic, can't shoot, etc.

So I wouldn't expect much. I'm always in favor of either a wing who can play right away, or a raw big man - with good size.

[GreenFaith1819]

Well, I have not seen the draft list, but I saw a note on NBATV about how David Aldridge was commenting on how this year's draft will have a good number of PF's available.

I know that Danny has a plan.

[PseudoElite]

Well, I have not seen the draft list, but I saw a note on NBATV about how David Aldridge was commenting on how this year's draft will have a good number of PF's available.

I know that Danny has a plan.

That would be sweet. Historically Danny hasn't been that great at drafting big men, so fingers crossed.

[Rondo2287]

Well, I have not seen the draft list, but I saw a note on NBATV about how David Aldridge was commenting on how this year's draft will have a good number of PF's available.

I know that Danny has a plan.

That would be sweet. Historically Danny hasn't been that great at drafting big men, so fingers crossed.

Big Baby, Gomes and Powe all second round big men...

[KGDunks]

We need a 6'10 power forward

[Rondo2287]

My Dream would be Chris Singleton out of FSU.  I normally hate FSU and everything they stand for in sport.  But this guy is a 6'9 lockdown wing defender.

I also would really like Jordan Williams from Maryland.  The kid is a stud.  He is projected to be a later first pick, but after watching him in the ACC this year, I am convinced that he is better than alot of guys going in the top 10

[hpantazo]

Well, I have not seen the draft list, but I saw a note on NBATV about how David Aldridge was commenting on how this year's draft will have a good number of PF's available.

I know that Danny has a plan.

That would be sweet. Historically Danny hasn't been that great at drafting big men, so fingers crossed.

Big Baby, Gomes and Powe all second round big men...

Didn't Danny draft big Al as well? And don't forget Semih as the last pick of the 2nd round.

[Rondo2287]

Well, I have not seen the draft list, but I saw a note on NBATV about how David Aldridge was commenting on how this year's draft will have a good number of PF's available.

I know that Danny has a plan.

That would be sweet. Historically Danny hasn't been that great at drafting big men, so fingers crossed.

Big Baby, Gomes and Powe all second round big men...

Didn't Danny draft big Al as well? And don't forget Semih as the last pick of the 2nd round.

Haha thanks for backing me up, also very good points.  And didnt he draft perk too?  Or was that before his regime...  thinking about this, isnt Danny very good at drafting big men?

[Who]

I also would really like Jordan Williams from Maryland.  The kid is a stud.  He is projected to be a later first pick, but after watching him in the ACC this year, I am convinced that he is better than alot of guys going in the top 10

I have never seen him ... just going by what Draftexpress says about him

Despite making strides in his post-game, Williams still has a considerable amount of question marks on how well, if at all, that will translate to the next level when he faces the length of NBA frontcourts, when he won't have a decided strength advantage over the man guarding him.

He's often times slow and predictable with his moves, which when combined with his lack of vertical explosion leads to difficulty getting his shot off at times. While his footwork has improved, he still lacks a go-to move and has little diversity when going over his right shoulder, showing a weak left hand in these situations and more often than not settling for a difficult fade away jump shot.

On the defensive side of the ball, Williams does a solid job using his size and strength when engaged in the post, although he suffers at times from waiting too long to deny post position before his man gets the ball. He has decent enough fundamentals showing on the pick and roll, but lacks the foot speed to recover, a problem that looks to be a serious one when trying to project his defense against the face-up big men he would encounter in the NBA. The same lateral mobility issues creep up when defending a good isolation big.

While Williams has solid timing and good length, and thus will get the occasional block, he isn't quick enough or explosive enough off his feet to project to being a consistent shot blocking threat in the NBA. Gary Williams' largely man to man defensive scheme gives us a solid look at the difficulties Williams will have when trying to defend NBA big men.

That doesn't sound particularly enticing. Good second round pick, I suppose.

-----------------------------------------------

My Dream would be Chris Singleton out of FSU.  I normally hate FSU and everything they stand for in sport.  But this guy is a 6'9 lockdown wing defender.

Chris Singleton does sound very interesting though.

Him and Lucas Nogueira sound the most interesting amongst the final 10 projected picks of the first round.

[Rondo2287]

I also would really like Jordan Williams from Maryland.  The kid is a stud.  He is projected to be a later first pick, but after watching him in the ACC this year, I am convinced that he is better than alot of guys going in the top 10

I have never seen him ... just going by what Draftexpress says about him

Despite making strides in his post-game, Williams still has a considerable amount of question marks on how well, if at all, that will translate to the next level when he faces the length of NBA frontcourts, when he won't have a decided strength advantage over the man guarding him.

He's often times slow and predictable with his moves, which when combined with his lack of vertical explosion leads to difficulty getting his shot off at times. While his footwork has improved, he still lacks a go-to move and has little diversity when going over his right shoulder, showing a weak left hand in these situations and more often than not settling for a difficult fade away jump shot.

On the defensive side of the ball, Williams does a solid job using his size and strength when engaged in the post, although he suffers at times from waiting too long to deny post position before his man gets the ball. He has decent enough fundamentals showing on the pick and roll, but lacks the foot speed to recover, a problem that looks to be a serious one when trying to project his defense against the face-up big men he would encounter in the NBA. The same lateral mobility issues creep up when defending a good isolation big.

While Williams has solid timing and good length, and thus will get the occasional block, he isn't quick enough or explosive enough off his feet to project to being a consistent shot blocking threat in the NBA. Gary Williams' largely man to man defensive scheme gives us a solid look at the difficulties Williams will have when trying to defend NBA big men.

That doesn't sound particularly enticing. Good second round pick, I suppose.

I would say alot of those points are fair ones.  It is just tough because the PF especially in the ACC is different than what you would see in the NBA.  You got guys like Joe Trapani and Singler playing the 4 and hanging out by the 3 point line.  So defending guys like that is going to be tough for a guy that is a good low post offensive and defensive player.  He is also a very good rebounder.

[the_Bird]

Well, I have not seen the draft list, but I saw a note on NBATV about how David Aldridge was commenting on how this year's draft will have a good number of PF's available.

I know that Danny has a plan.

That would be sweet. Historically Danny hasn't been that great at drafting big men, so fingers crossed.

Big Baby, Gomes and Powe all second round big men...

Didn't Danny draft big Al as well? And don't forget Semih as the last pick of the 2nd round.

Big men Danny has drafted (or whose draft rights he acquired on draft night, as far as I'm concerned the same thing).

2003: Perk (technically a trade, but Memphis picked who we wanted)
2004: Al Jefferson
2005: Ryan Gomes (quasi-big man)
2006: Powe (swapped a future 2nd to Denver for his draft rights)
2007: Baby Davis
2008: Semih
2009: None
2010: 'Gody

There really isn't a miss there (IMHO), certainly based on where they were picked.  Baby has sucked recently, but he's been a good player for most of his career and certainly was a good pick at ~#33.  Powe was a great rebounder, great scoring down low; injuries and issues playing D hurt him, but again...  got a guy who helped us win a few playoff games in the second round, that's a win.  Semih wasn't THAT bad, and when you look at other "Mr. Irrelevants" over the years his contributions are about as much as anyone drafted at that spot has given.  Big Al's had his injuries, but he got us KG. 

Everyone except 'Gody has been a contributor at some point.  Lot of undersized PF-types, but that's also a reflection of where he's been picking.  Semih and Perk have been the only true 5's that he's drafted.

[Who]

Tyler Honeycutt sounds very interesting


http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Tyler-Honeycutt-5247/

Showing excellent size for a small forward at 6-8, to go along with a nice wingspan and better athleticism than you might expect on first glance, Honeycutt is a very smooth, very versatile wing player with a big upside and an outstanding feel for the game.

Defensively, Honeycutt has outstanding potential with his terrific size, length, smarts and anticipation skills, and he's already one of the more productive players in the NCAA on this end in terms of the amount of rebounds (9.6), steals (2.2) and blocks [1.8] he puts up on a per-40 minute basis. Honeycutt moves his feet well on the perimeter and does a very good job of using his length to contest shots

The fact that Honeycutt is already such a good rebounder despite lacking a significant amount of strength and spending heavy minutes at the small forward (as well as the power forward) position is a great sign. He has an excellent feel for tracking down loose balls and doesn't seem to lack much in the ways of toughness or hustle the way some other skinny players do.

I think he would be my first choice pick.

[Rondo2287]

Tyler Honeycutt sounds very interesting


http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Tyler-Honeycutt-5247/

Showing excellent size for a small forward at 6-8, to go along with a nice wingspan and better athleticism than you might expect on first glance, Honeycutt is a very smooth, very versatile wing player with a big upside and an outstanding feel for the game.

Defensively, Honeycutt has outstanding potential with his terrific size, length, smarts and anticipation skills, and he's already one of the more productive players in the NCAA on this end in terms of the amount of rebounds (9.6), steals (2.2) and blocks [1.8] he puts up on a per-40 minute basis. Honeycutt moves his feet well on the perimeter and does a very good job of using his length to contest shots

The fact that Honeycutt is already such a good rebounder despite lacking a significant amount of strength and spending heavy minutes at the small forward (as well as the power forward) position is a great sign. He has an excellent feel for tracking down loose balls and doesn't seem to lack much in the ways of toughness or hustle the way some other skinny players do.

I think he would be my first choice pick.

He does look good, but check out singleton!

[the_Bird]

Tyler Honeycutt sounds very interesting


http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Tyler-Honeycutt-5247/

Showing excellent size for a small forward at 6-8, to go along with a nice wingspan and better athleticism than you might expect on first glance, Honeycutt is a very smooth, very versatile wing player with a big upside and an outstanding feel for the game.

Defensively, Honeycutt has outstanding potential with his terrific size, length, smarts and anticipation skills, and he's already one of the more productive players in the NCAA on this end in terms of the amount of rebounds (9.6), steals (2.2) and blocks [1.8] he puts up on a per-40 minute basis. Honeycutt moves his feet well on the perimeter and does a very good job of using his length to contest shots

The fact that Honeycutt is already such a good rebounder despite lacking a significant amount of strength and spending heavy minutes at the small forward (as well as the power forward) position is a great sign. He has an excellent feel for tracking down loose balls and doesn't seem to lack much in the ways of toughness or hustle the way some other skinny players do.

I think he would be my first choice pick.

I don't watch enough college hoops to know these guys very well, but why would you go after a small forward?  That's the last position I'd draft, all things being equal.

Center, it would obviously have to be a project but our issues there are obvious.

PF, KG's only under contract one more season, COULD be used in a trade if they decide to totally rebuild, and BBD has got to be shown the door.

SG: Ray also could be traded, he's playing well but the oldest and only under contract one more season.

PG: Rondo's on a team-friendly deal, but also has by far the most trade value if you wanted to make a major deal for someone like Dwight.

Small forward...  Pierce isn't being traded, he's under contract for several more seasons, and he's still playing at a very high level.  Plus, they well might re-sign Jeff Green.  Where's a small forward going to fit in, even if they do decide to rebuild?  

I know you want to take the best player available...  to a certain extent.  It doesn't make sense to me to draft a small forward when there are needs at at least three of the five spots.  Why draft a player who stands little chance of being able to crack the rotation, just because of guy in front of him?