2008 NBA Draft Thread

[Who]

Okay there's a bunch of picks there

Pekovic - Well okay. It's good to hold his draft rights. Smart move.

Mario Chalmers - Fantastic pick. Chalmers and OJ give Big Al two teammates that can knock down perimeter shots, can create a bit, and play tough defense. I'm very happy with those two picks.

DeAndre Jordan - Possibly the steal of the draft. He's walking into a great situation down there in LA. He'll learn from a coach that teaches post play well and he'll get to compete and learn from Elton Brand and Chris Kaman every day. The Clippers need a backup big man too so it's a solid fit.

Joey Dorsey - Not wild about the fit. He could be fantastic but I like surrounding Oden with bigs who can make shots. Dorsey is an excellent acquisition for a second round pick because he has some talents. He'll be a very nice power forward in this league. I think the floor for him will be something like Reggie Evans and he has good upside from there.

[Atzar]

Read up on Giddens a little bit, guys.  Everything I've read says that he's really matured a lot over the past season.  His talent has always been undeniable - he was a McDonalds All American - but he made foolish decisions off the court.  

If he doesn't work out, then Danny wasted a #30 pick - I'm not too worried about that.  If he does work out, though, this could be one heck of a steal.

[BudweiserCeltic]

Mayo, Pekovic and Chalmers. Outstanding draft for Minny (if he's ready to pay big money to Pekovic in 3 years).

Where can I get footage from Giddens?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rD58bsFoSGo&feature=related

Well, even though I was hoping for Walker... I'm starting to like this Giddens pick.

Hey, and players keep dropping. Let's trade Scal and our 60th and move up lol.

[cordobes]

Thanks Budweiser, but I meant footage from games, not highlights. That's a nice dunk though.

[Chris]

Mayo, Pekovic and Chalmers. Outstanding draft for Minny (if he's ready to pay big money to Pekovic in 3 years).

Where can I get footage from Giddens?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rD58bsFoSGo&feature=related

Well, even though I was hoping for Walker... I'm starting to like this Giddens pick.

Hey, and players keep dropping. Let's trade Scal and our 60th and move up lol.

The Carlton Banks dance won me over.  I am officially on the Giddens bandwagon.

They just need to make sure that he spends as much time around KG as possible this offseason, to see if his character rubs off.

[Donoghus]

I'll try and update the front page board when I can. No in-thread updates for 2nd Round.  Keep getting Joomla errors. 

[cordobes]

I know why CDR fell: because teams couldn't know how good he was because of Calipari's dribble motion system and he was probably bad working out (and that doesn't entirely surprises me).

[Who]

Excellent pick for the Nets getting Chris Douglas-Roberts. I wouldn't be surprised if he's starting on that team next season alongside Vince Carter. He's a smart versatile efficient scorer. He'll be a good pro.

[Who]

If you asked me before the draft would I be happy with JR Giddens at #30 I would have said yes so I am pleased with the selection. There was just guys on the board that slipped that I wanted more. Douglas-Roberts was the one that headed that list.

[Edgar]

lol at all talk of bosh playing at 5  

where was Giddens projected?

[Jon]

Well, I do have to say that I've spent less time watching college basketball then any year before, so I'm by no means an authority.  But I'll give Danny credit for going with a risky high potential guy.  This closely follows the mold that he used to take guys like Allen, Baby, and Powe.  While I can't speak authoritatively, guys like Jordan and Ibaka, while also risky, are risky because they're projects that don't really have basketball skills.  Players like that have a high chance of turning into Kedrick Brown, Jerome Moiso, or Gerald Green.  However, Ainge has made a killing when he's taken guys that have basketball skills, but something that makes teams pass on them.  For Allen, Baby, and Powe it was height (Powe had injury concerns as wel).  At least from scouting reports, Giddens seems to have the skills, but questionable attitude. 

That shouldn't be a problem with KG, Paul, and Ray around. 

If they can control him, it seems like Ainge might look good. 

[rondofan1255]

Lol at Devon Hardin at 50.... =/

[cordobes]

Another trade: Arthur to Houston; Blazers get Batum
Posted by Jason Quick, The Oregonian June 26, 2008 19:49PM
Categories: Draft news

The Blazers have traded Darrell Arthur, whom they took with the 27th pick, and traded him to Houston for the rights to Nicolas Batum, who was taken with the 25th pick.

The Blazers also gave the Rockets a second round pick, which is believed to be the 33rd pick, which was Joey Dorsey.

*Update: Confirmation - Blazers trade Arthur and Dorsey to Houston for Batum.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2008/06/another_trade_arthur_to_housto.html

Portland stole Batum from the Spurs.

[Roy Hobbs]

I thought Batum made a lot of sense for Portland.  Good move by them.

[MaxwellSmart]

Lakers future as "Kings of the West" is looking shaky with the Beast that Portland is becoming.