It's too early to talk draft but some positive observations

[TheTruthFot18]

Thoughts on taking Turner with our first pick then Hollis-Jefferson and Dakari Johnson with our late firsts (assuming we keep them).

Smart, Nelson
AB, Young,
Turner, Hollis-Jefferson, Wallace
Sully, KO
Turner/Zeller, Johnson

If we are able to move Green for a small salary or even an expiring, after the draft we will still only have a salary of around $40 mil which obviously allows for a max contract. Not sure who it would be since I like that roster 

[Evantime34]

How about WCS and one of Dakari/Kaminsky/Upshaw?  I'm feeling hungry for centers these days.

No chance, IMO. Ainge and Stevens may draft one center and one scorer. I don't know the order of the picks, it depends of our position. If they can't pick Okafor, Towns (both very unlikely) and WCS (much possible), I see them drafting someone like Hezonja or Winslow and using the second pick to grab Dakari or Kaminsky.

I also think your scenario is very possible.  SF would be a nice place to staff with a stud young prospect.

No interest in Myles Turner if they can't reach the top tier?

Maybe, but I still think he's way too thin, and too much a PF-style.

He's only 18 and already 242 pounds.

He is skinny but he has broad shoulders so I expect him to be able to put on the weight he needs to function. I don't think he'll ever be a low post banger on offense but he can shoot it and block shots.

[CFAN38]

The big from St Johns looked like Bill freakin Russell the other day against Tulane-- man can block shots.    Anyone know his deal?   Doesn't seem to be highly touted...

Obekpa I believe is his name.

He has really good defensive potential in the NBA particularly as a help defender and against pick and role. His two big issues are a complete lack of offense and most concerning a lack of lower body strength. If he can get stronger he will carve out a role as a bench big in the NBA. A stronger Obekpa would be a big in the Ben Wallace mold.

[CFAN38]

How about WCS and one of Dakari/Kaminsky/Upshaw?  I'm feeling hungry for centers these days.

No chance, IMO. Ainge and Stevens may draft one center and one scorer. I don't know the order of the picks, it depends of our position. If they can't pick Okafor, Towns (both very unlikely) and WCS (much possible), I see them drafting someone like Hezonja or Winslow and using the second pick to grab Dakari or Kaminsky.

I also think your scenario is very possible.  SF would be a nice place to staff with a stud young prospect.

No interest in Myles Turner if they can't reach the top tier?

Maybe, but I still think he's way too thin, and too much a PF-style.

He's only 18 and already 242 pounds.

He is skinny but he has broad shoulders so I expect him to be able to put on the weight he needs to function. I don't think he'll ever be a low post banger on offense but he can shoot it and block shots.

I dont think size will be Turners problem as a pro he is 6'10 (with out shoes) and 243lb at 18. He also has a 7'4 wingspan giving him great length. As he matures he will easily be a 255lb NBA center. My main concern is his ability to run the court and the health issues that may arries from his strange gate. Watch him play and you will see what I mean the kid just runs weird and has already had knee issues. This is a major red flag for me. I think skill and frame wise he is an excellent prospect but health concerns put him out of my top 10.

[Evantime34]

How about WCS and one of Dakari/Kaminsky/Upshaw?  I'm feeling hungry for centers these days.

No chance, IMO. Ainge and Stevens may draft one center and one scorer. I don't know the order of the picks, it depends of our position. If they can't pick Okafor, Towns (both very unlikely) and WCS (much possible), I see them drafting someone like Hezonja or Winslow and using the second pick to grab Dakari or Kaminsky.

I also think your scenario is very possible.  SF would be a nice place to staff with a stud young prospect.

No interest in Myles Turner if they can't reach the top tier?

Maybe, but I still think he's way too thin, and too much a PF-style.

He's only 18 and already 242 pounds.

He is skinny but he has broad shoulders so I expect him to be able to put on the weight he needs to function. I don't think he'll ever be a low post banger on offense but he can shoot it and block shots.

I dont think size will be Turners problem as a pro he is 6'10 (with out shoes) and 243lb at 18. He also has a 7'4 wingspan giving him great length. As he matures he will easily be a 255lb NBA center. My main concern is his ability to run the court and the health issues that may arries from his strange gate. Watch him play and you will see what I mean the kid just runs weird and has already had knee issues. This is a major red flag for me. I think skill and frame wise he is an excellent prospect but health concerns put him out of my top 10.

Yeah his running motion isn't fluid at all and makes me think he might get injured. However, I talked to someone who watched him in high school and said his running looked significantly worse back then. This leads me to believe that maybe his awkward running is coming from getting used to his new body/recovering from knee surgery.

Make no mistake, even though he can shoot and block shots, his awkward running is why he is behind Okafor, Towns, and WCS on my center list.

[CFAN38]

also wanted to point out my new favorite guard prospect,

I know he has been mentioned before but


Jerian Grant,

I made the mistake of thinking he was a SG. I failed to notice that he averages 6AST a game and only 1.6 TO. As a PG prospect I really like this kid. He can shoot (35% from 3, 78%FT), has great size 6'5 200lbs, is very athletic (see video below), and comes from an NBA family. Seems like a great fit if he is available at the 76ers pick. I can see him as a bench 1/2 in the reggie jackson mold. I would put his floor at Etwan Moore.

ND vs UNC tonight at 7 ESPN

[hwangjini_1]

The big from St Johns looked like Bill freakin Russell the other day against Tulane-- man can block shots.    Anyone know his deal?   Doesn't seem to be highly touted...

Obekpa I believe is his name.

draft express has him ranked 41st in the draft this coming year.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Chris-Obekpa-7086/

he is 6'9", very good defense, zero offense right now. to be honest, there are 7-8 centers/tall pf i would take before him in this draft.

[CFAN38]

Some prospect watch games tonight,


Duke vs Wake Forest @ 9 ESPN 3

The usuals for Duke, Wake has some good size

Wisconsin vs Purdue (not sure if on TV)

Purdue has two really big guys in Haas and Hammons. No real stars on the team but they are well rounded.

Utah has Kaminsky and Dekker to watch

Utah vs Colorado @9 on ESPN2

Poeltl vs Josh Scott is the matchup to watch here. I havent seen Scott play but draft express has him as a 2nd rd pick and he puts up a nice stat line 15pt 8rb 2blk. He is described as a highly mobile 6'10 4/5 with good length. Seems like a nice test for the freshman Poeltl. Scott is coming back from a back injury for this game. They also have a 6'9 forward who averages 8pt 7rb 1.6blks.

Kansas vs Baylor 9 on ESPNU

Another chance to watch Oubre. Also interesting matchup of under sized 5 who will need to play the 4 in the NBA with Gathers vs Alexander.

 

[TwinTower14]

Some prospect watch games tonight,


Duke vs Wake Forest @ 9 ESPN 3

The usuals for Duke, Wake has some good size

Wisconsin vs Purdue (not sure if on TV)

Purdue has two really big guys in Haas and Hammons. No real stars on the team but they are well rounded.

Utah has Kaminsky and Dekker to watch

Utah vs Colorado @9 on ESPN2

Poeltl vs Josh Scott is the matchup to watch here. I havent seen Scott play but draft express has him as a 2nd rd pick and he puts up a nice stat line 15pt 8rb 2blk. He is described as a highly mobile 6'10 4/5 with good length. Seems like a nice test for the freshman Poeltl. Scott is coming back from a back injury for this game. They also have a 6'9 forward who averages 8pt 7rb 1.6blks.

Kansas vs Baylor 9 on ESPNU

Another chance to watch Oubre. Also interesting matchup of under sized 5 who will need to play the 4 in the NBA with Gathers vs Alexander.

Oubre really has settled in at Kansas, tough seeing him fall out of the top 10 now...

On a side note - If the C's don't land Okafor ( wishful thinking ) I think WCS is the guy, he can really effect the game in so many ways...

[CFAN38]

Some prospect watch games tonight,


Duke vs Wake Forest @ 9 ESPN 3

The usuals for Duke, Wake has some good size

Wisconsin vs Purdue (not sure if on TV)

Purdue has two really big guys in Haas and Hammons. No real stars on the team but they are well rounded.

Utah has Kaminsky and Dekker to watch

Utah vs Colorado @9 on ESPN2

Poeltl vs Josh Scott is the matchup to watch here. I havent seen Scott play but draft express has him as a 2nd rd pick and he puts up a nice stat line 15pt 8rb 2blk. He is described as a highly mobile 6'10 4/5 with good length. Seems like a nice test for the freshman Poeltl. Scott is coming back from a back injury for this game. They also have a 6'9 forward who averages 8pt 7rb 1.6blks.

Kansas vs Baylor 9 on ESPNU

Another chance to watch Oubre. Also interesting matchup of under sized 5 who will need to play the 4 in the NBA with Gathers vs Alexander.

Duke vs Wake Forest

The parts of the game I watched Duke was struggling with turn overs and getting the ball in the post. Okafor had a decent 12pt 11rb 1blk game

Wisconsin vs Purdue

Didn't see any of this game but looking at the stats Kaminsky was unguardable 21pts most coming from FT (11-14). Dekker had another frustrating game with only 6pts

Utah vs Colorado

Watched a good chuck of the 1st half. Poeltl's stats where nothing amazing 24min 6pt 8rb 1blk 1stl 4TO 4PF. But outside the stat sheet he has very active on D and still impresses me with his mobility.

Bill Walton was the commentator and this is what he had to say about Poeltl " Jakob doesnt realize how good he is and his teammates do not realize how good he is, they need to involve him on offense."

I agree at the very least this kid should see a few pick and role rim diving lobs when teams play man to man. With all that I still think this kid has a bright future as an NBA big. Aside from WCS and maybe Town he has the most potential to anchor a defense in the NBA. Should be both a rim protector and a solid P+R defender down the road.


Kansas vs Baylor

rough night for Oubre 1-5 from 3, 1-7FG. Only played 24 minutes but he did stay active with 5rb, 2 ast and most impressive 4 stl. Alexander has a quiet but sold 4pt 4rb 2blk in 20min

[CFAN38]

Ive talked about him before but after watching Kevon Looney last night I'm even more impressed with him. UCLA played Stanford and at one point UCLA went down by 12 and the game looked to be going the way of another blow out loss for UCLA. This kid showed a second guard and really ramped up the intensity leading them back into what ended up being a double overtime win. His final stat line 47min 27pts 19rb 3ast 1blk 1to 2-3 3pt 11-17 ft.

My prior assessment of him still stands. If he refines his perimeter game he can be a stud SF and if not he needs to bulk up to play the 4. However I'm starting to think his ceiling as a 4 is better then I thought. He has a very unique profile much like Aminu of the Mavs. Their college stats are also very similar. Looney is slightly taller at 6'9.5" compared to 6'8.5 and appears better off the dribble.  He really is a player who could move up in this draft.

 

[Smartacus]

Ive talked about him before but after watching Kevon Looney last night I'm even more impressed with him. UCLA played Stanford and at one point UCLA went down by 12 and the game looked to be going the way of another blow out loss for UCLA. This kid showed a second guard and really ramped up the intensity leading them back into what ended up being a double overtime win. His final stat line 47min 27pts 19rb 3ast 1blk 1to 2-3 3pt 11-17 ft.

My prior assessment of him still stands. If he refines his perimeter game he can be a stud SF and if not he needs to bulk up to play the 4. However I'm starting to think his ceiling as a 4 is better then I thought. He has a very unique profile much like Aminu of the Mavs. Their college stats are also very similar. Looney is slightly taller at 6'9.5" compared to 6'8.5 and appears better off the dribble.  He really is a player who could move up in this draft.

 

I'm with you on all the way on this one. He's got rare body control for his size. Hard nosed, mixes it up with bigger players for rebounds around the basket. That stat line is nuts for a college game, imagine what he could put up with NBA caliber spacing.

Also for what it's worth they're might not be a player in the league better proportioned to check Kevin Durant. Very similar measurements. He's used to be likened to Durant a in high school albeit a less skilled but possibly grittier version of KD.

[wiley]

Edit: forgot to quote the post above^

I'm with both of you all the way on this one. 

I like Kelly off the bench at 4 and 5, so slot this guy in as the Celtics starting
PF of the future who can also be our backup 3.  Let's watch him chase
down Rodman's rebound record here in Boston!

ps:  if that dynamic came into play would it be the first time in history
a starting PF was also a team's backup 3? EDIT:  of course not, I lost my mind...

I don't like the Aminu comparison aside from the numbers thing heh heh...
I think this guy will out IQ Aminu and become a starter in year 2 or 3.

[CFAN38]

Edit: forgot to quote the post above^

I'm with both of you all the way on this one. 

I like Kelly off the bench at 4 and 5, so slot this guy in as the Celtics starting
PF of the future who can also be our backup 3.  Let's watch him chase
down Rodman's rebound record here in Boston!

ps:  if that dynamic came into play would it be the first time in history
a starting PF was also a team's backup 3? EDIT:  of course not, I lost my mind...

I don't like the Aminu comparison aside from the numbers thing heh heh...
I think this guy will out IQ Aminu and become a starter in year 2 or 3.

For me the Looney and Aminu are comparable in size, athleticism and college stats. Aminu averaged 3 TO per game as a soph so compared to Kevon's 1.5 that may be an early indicator of BBIQ. Lets not for get Aminu's physical profile and stats made him the 8th pick after coming out as a soph. I think Aminu will be Looney's floor as a prospect his ceiling could be elite. 

[wiley]

Edit: forgot to quote the post above^

I'm with both of you all the way on this one. 

I like Kelly off the bench at 4 and 5, so slot this guy in as the Celtics starting
PF of the future who can also be our backup 3.  Let's watch him chase
down Rodman's rebound record here in Boston!

ps:  if that dynamic came into play would it be the first time in history
a starting PF was also a team's backup 3? EDIT:  of course not, I lost my mind...

I don't like the Aminu comparison aside from the numbers thing heh heh...
I think this guy will out IQ Aminu and become a starter in year 2 or 3.

For me the Looney and Aminu are comparable in size, athleticism and college stats. Aminu averaged 3 TO per game as a soph so compared to Kevon's 1.5 that may be an early indicator of BBIQ. Lets not for get Aminu's physical profile and stats made him the 8th pick after coming out as a soph. I think Aminu will be Looney's floor as a prospect his ceiling could be elite.

Okay.  i picture Aminu as a little beefy and I picture Looney as more wiry...in any case not far off.  Hopefully Looney is more of a ball handler too.  So many interesting and good players 1-10 in this draft.  I'm hoping we don't get Hezonja.  But he could prove me wrong any second now..