2008 CelticsBlog draft board.

[JSD]

Yesterday's Bulls pick...Shareef Abdur-Rahim...

-sw

Was wondering when someone would call his number. Good value at this point.

After doing a little research I found he might be out again this season...

[wdleehi]

I still think Gainsville brought up a point that people are ignoring.  The knicks are being hugely overrated in this league because they have three celtics on their team.  He has time and again brought up stats based on KG not succeeding when he is the prime offensive target and it is ignored.  Well i agree with him and really think they are an average to below average team. 

Then why did he make it the West Finals when there were so many injuries on that team.


But look at his teammates

Lewis, 18 pts a game.  40% from the outside  playoff team
Miller, 17pts, 7 assists.   Playoff team
Azubuike (as a starter) 13 pts.  Shot 36% from outside.  Was GS's best perimeter defender last year.  Going into his third year.
Dampier. (as a starter)  6.5pts, 7.8 rebounds.  


And the bench.

We know what Posey and House brings.

Add Berry and his playoff play.

A nice mix of experience and youth at the big positions, (Lopez, Humphries and Skinner)


2nd only to the Magic in the East (with the Nets right there with those two)

 

[celticmaestro]

The West was a little tougher in the middle so I have 5 tiers for the west where tiers 2 and 3 could be combined, but anyways I feel like everything isn't 100% updated (I know the clipps aren't).  Anyways if the season started today this is how I rank the Talent

Tier 1: Blazers, Mavs, Rockets
Tier 2: Twolves, Warriors
Tier 3: Clippers, Nuggets
Tier 4: Jazz, Lakers, Suns, Grizzlies
Tier 5: Spurs, Thunder, Kings, Hornets

Really seems like that 8th spot would be up for grabs.

i'm happy being in contention for an 8th spot considering this team is built for the future as opposed to right now.

[JSD]

East:
1) Nets
2) Magic
3) Pistons
4) Knicks

[Lucky17]

Yesterday's Bulls pick...Shareef Abdur-Rahim...

-sw

Was wondering when someone would call his number. Good value at this point.

After doing a little research I found he might be out again this season...

Wow. Really? Knee trouble?

[RebusRankin]

The Wolves team with KG that made the WCF had injuries (Hudson, Wally and Kandi) but his two main teammates Cassell and Sprewell were both healthy. KG was great that year but had two others who could step up and make big shots. I agree that its a valid point that others are raising. KG is great but he needs another scorer to go with him. The Knicks team he is on doesn't have it. Lewis/Miller isn't Pierce/Allen or Cassell/Sprewell. Its closer to Wally/Brandon or Wally/Hudson.

[Steve Weinman]

Yesterday's Bulls pick...Shareef Abdur-Rahim...

-sw

Was wondering when someone would call his number. Good value at this point.

After doing a little research I found he might be out again this season...

Wow. Really? Knee trouble?

After doing a little research of my own, I found out that the guy I originally picked in this spot yesterday was already on a team.  Dopey me.

As for Shareef, yep, we'll be looking to pick up the injury exception for cap purposes...

-sw

[bucknersrevenge]

To tell ya the truth, i think our team (Indi) is at least comparable, if not better than the Wizards, Bulls, and Bucks. Rose/Ellis/Jones/'Sheed/Dalembert.

Sure we have our concerns - 'Sheed is more of a natural center, james jones is a role player, rose is unproven.  However, i think we have a lot of aspects of the game covered - Dalembert/'Sheed is one of the best defensive big man combo's in the east, 'Sheed, Jones, and Ellis are great from distance, Rose and Ellis can slash effectively.  i'm not saying we're a lock for the playoffs, but i think a team like ours (depending on how our bench rounds out) would take a run at one of the last few playoff spots.

The Bulls are a one man show with a lot riding on Bayless as well, their supporting cast of Foster, Mohammed, and Q-Rich isn't anything to write home about.

The Wiz lack a true point guard and center - great wing play, but will get eaten alive on the glass with Blatche and marion in charge.  they'd be a great fast breaking team if they could move Felton to the 2.

The Bucks have a lot of potential, but Hinrich is a question mark right now while MycDyess is out of position.  i like brandon rush a lot but not sure if he's ready for starter's minutes.  Josh Smith will have to lead that team, not sure how capable he is of that right now.

Check for updated rosters. There have been some changes from the rosters I think you're looking at. Rush isn't a starter on my team. Nor is Mcdyess. The Bucks have traded Josh Smith and the Wiz have traded Marion.

I think Rose has just as much if not more riding on him at pg then Bayless. In Bayless' case while he has virtually no  pg instincts hes not gonna be asked to make the plays with Kobe on the squad. And Hinrich has 5 years in the league. He's not unproven. While coming off a bad year for the entire team the previous year he had his best year shooting 45% from the floor 42% from 3, almost 17 points and 6 assists a game all while being named to the NBA's 2nd team All-Defensive. His entire career through college he's been an excellent defensive guard who on offense has probably been stifled more than anything in the pros by a halfcourt squad that tried to cater to mediocre halfcourt post big men.

Speaking of which, I think it maybe asking a lot for Sheed to be a top tier post scoring option again. What's a question mark is whether Ellis can now accept the mantle of being a prime scorer and team leader rather than the secondary role he's been accustomed to up to this point.

[bucknersrevenge]

the carmelo trade... whoever made that trade that gets carmelo, big big winners. whoever got iverson, big winners. peja trade seems fair.

That was me. Thank ya kind sir. To be truthful it was tough. with the pieces I gave up the 76ers cleared out a logjam a bit and now look like a defensive juggernaut.

[StartOrien]

I don't see how the Pacers are getting hated on still.

The interior defense is very, very strong with Sheed playing the primary block scorer which clears up for Dalembert to be an amazing team shot blocker. We have a strong young point guard who was taken #1 this year and Monta Ellis (I won't revisit, but I feel strongly about his talents).

[wdleehi]

The Wolves team with KG that made the WCF had injuries (Hudson, Wally and Kandi) but his two main teammates Cassell and Sprewell were both healthy. KG was great that year but had two others who could step up and make big shots. I agree that its a valid point that others are raising. KG is great but he needs another scorer to go with him. The Knicks team he is on doesn't have it. Lewis/Miller isn't Pierce/Allen or Cassell/Sprewell. Its closer to Wally/Brandon or Wally/Hudson.

That year Cassell averaged 19.8.  Spree, 16.8.


The C, Olowokandi.


Lewis averaged before this year, 20, 20, and 22

Scoring will not be a problem for that team.    

[Lucky17]

I don't see how the Pacers are getting hated on still.

The interior defense is very, very strong with Sheed playing the primary block scorer which clears up for Dalembert to be an amazing team shot blocker. We have a strong young point guard who was taken #1 this year and Monta Ellis (I won't revisit, but I feel strongly about his talents).

I like Rose, but that's a lot of pressure on a rookie. Starting PG, with no backup.

James Jones is not a starting SF in the league. Great off the bench as a 3-pt threat, but I think he's a liability on defense.

[bucknersrevenge]

To tell ya the truth, i think our team (Indi) is at least comparable, if not better than the Wizards, Bulls, and Bucks. Rose/Ellis/Jones/'Sheed/Dalembert.

Sure we have our concerns - 'Sheed is more of a natural center, james jones is a role player, rose is unproven.  However, i think we have a lot of aspects of the game covered - Dalembert/'Sheed is one of the best defensive big man combo's in the east, 'Sheed, Jones, and Ellis are great from distance, Rose and Ellis can slash effectively.  i'm not saying we're a lock for the playoffs, but i think a team like ours (depending on how our bench rounds out) would take a run at one of the last few playoff spots.

The Bulls are a one man show with a lot riding on Bayless as well, their supporting cast of Foster, Mohammed, and Q-Rich isn't anything to write home about.

The Wiz lack a true point guard and center - great wing play, but will get eaten alive on the glass with Blatche and marion in charge.  they'd be a great fast breaking team if they could move Felton to the 2.

The Bucks have a lot of potential, but Hinrich is a question mark right now while MycDyess is out of position.  i like brandon rush a lot but not sure if he's ready for starter's minutes.  Josh Smith will have to lead that team, not sure how capable he is of that right now.

i see that as over valuing your own team. we all do it, but in reality your team really doesn't stand that much of a chance.

I don't think i'm overrating it when i say we could "take a run at one of the last playoff spots."  It's nice to have great wing players, but none of those teams can match wallace and dalembert inside.  We'd get eaten up by a fast breaking team, but none of those teams i named really have a true fast-breaking point guard to make it work.

I think both Felton and Hinrich can handle an up-tempo team with little problem. Both played under Roy Williams in college a coach who in his career have put together some surpremely high-scoring up-tempo teams. Roy won a title with a high-scoring fastbreak team that Felton ran. Hinrich helped quarterback a high scoring Kansas team that lost to Carmelo's Syracuse team in the championship game. Problem has been I think both guys have been shackled in the pros by offenses that were geared more toward halfcourt offense using mediocre offensive big men. If put in a true fastbreak team with finishers on the wing I think both pgs revert back to the form that got them drafted out of college in the lottery.

[Kwhit10]

I don't see how the Pacers are getting hated on still.

The interior defense is very, very strong with Sheed playing the primary block scorer which clears up for Dalembert to be an amazing team shot blocker. We have a strong young point guard who was taken #1 this year and Monta Ellis (I won't revisit, but I feel strongly about his talents).

Sheed is getting up there in age, and as you can see with the (real) pistons when he doesn't do well the team doesn't do as well.  Your team lacks quite a bit of depth in my opinion and I'm not sure Ellis can handle being the number one.  But if Sheed could be turned into some nice young talents you'd have a nice set up for the future definitely with a backcourt of ellis/rose.

[bucknersrevenge]

I don't see how the Pacers are getting hated on still.

The interior defense is very, very strong with Sheed playing the primary block scorer which clears up for Dalembert to be an amazing team shot blocker. We have a strong young point guard who was taken #1 this year and Monta Ellis (I won't revisit, but I feel strongly about his talents).

Any team starting a backcourt combo of Derrick Rose and Monta Ellis should CLEARLY be looking towards the future and all the rest of their top talent should reflect that direction. Wallace seems kinda counter to that direction.