Saric will only play for Celtics or Lakers

[clover]

I wonder if Charlotte is interested in #6? Seems to me that if Danny wants Saric the perfect scenario is swap 6 for 9 and 24, draft Dario then either have extra pick or package with 17 to move up for a guy like Stauskas.

Wouldn't there be a concern the Lakers would take him at 7?

[footey]

David 'Dubi' Pick: Dario Saric, I'm told, has let it be known he plans to go to NBA next season if drafted by Celtics or Lakers. Twitter @IAmDPick

Rumors tagsBoston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Draft, Dario Saric
- See more at: http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm#sthash.Yjqgkark.dpuf

Interesting. I don't see Saric going at 6 or 7...Would teams pass on him to let him trickle down to 17? And if so would we pick him there?

I'm pretty sure a big part of "only for C's/Lakers" is that if he's picked he wants to be picked highly and get paid more.

No one is putting him in the top 5, so C's/Lakers is as high as he can go. If another team selects him he could make them wait a year or more to come over.

You are probably correct here.nonetheless, it does make me smile to think that all the other teams pass on Saric as being too risky, and he falls to the celtics at #17, not completely unlike sully did two years ago.

Still three weeks to the draft... We can still dream.

I doubt he comes if he slides to 17, only if he is in top 10.  That is the whole point of his agent's info.

[mmmmm]

Well, this has gotten unpleasant quickly.   

On topic, I think it's perfectly fair for someone who has little exposure or information on a player to downgrade them in their rankings.   Uncertainty is risk and risk is a negative in the valuation of any of these players.

That said, we know that Danny himself has spent a significant amount of time in person and probably also via vids and staff actually scouting Saric.

So if he decides to take him "early" at 6, my take is that he'll have done so with a lot more information than most of the commenters on the blog probably have on the typical 'domestic' prospect.

Personally, if I was to take Saric, I would only do so if I traded into the 9-13 range, but that's my own hedge against uncertainty.   I also would tend to downgrade Exum for the same reasons.

I do think some folks don't realize just how strong the level of competition has gotten in international professional leagues.  The talent pool is not as big when it comes to the extreme athletes, but the average athlete in these leagues is definitely on a par with NCAA players.   Remember - the vast majority of NCAA players aren't going to play a minute in the NBA either.  Heck, a lot of them go on to play professionally in Europe (as older, better players than they were in college, though not necessarily good enough for the NBA).  And an important distinction is that these are paid, professional players.   Their priorities and time are not necessarily as conflicted and constrained as it is with NCAA 'students'.   And some have been playing in these leagues for multiple years (compared to the one-and-done dominated NCAA).   So while the best players in the European leagues may not be able to leap as high in a vertical leap test as the very best players from the NCAA, their skill level is often very good.

[footey]

I think some pundits would draft Roseanne Barr if she was a Euro with no film.

Scouting Report on Barr:  Very "offensive", can trash talk better than Lance Stephenson.

[NorthernLightning]

I wonder if Charlotte is interested in #6? Seems to me that if Danny wants Saric the perfect scenario is swap 6 for 9 and 24, draft Dario then either have extra pick or package with 17 to move up for a guy like Stauskas.

My concern with that isn't that Saric might get drafted by the Lakers. if he is, it would just bump another good player down to 9.

I read that Saric's earning ability in Europe is about what an NBA contract offers the 6th pick or the 7th pick, and that part of Saric's reasoning is he doesn't want to take a big pay cut to play in the USA.

But I sure would love to get my hands on another late first round pick, or even to take 3 second rounders from PHI to move down from 6 to 10.

At the same time I also hope Danny and Brad take somebody at 6 that they are really excited about and that fits perfectly into their plans.

[D.o.s.]

I think the real solution is to hold the draft exactly one week after the draft lottery, so that we don't all blow up at each other with anticipation in the meantime.

[NorthernLightning]

It's worth pointing out that Dallas last year apparently told Saric they would draft him at 13 in last year's draft if he agreed to come over right away.

Saric decided to stay in Europe another year, and he improved his body and game significantly, but as of last year an NBA front office team decided that he was a lottery worthy pick last year, and he is significantly better now.

[Donoghus]

I will say that I do like the kid's handle & his passing ability.  Reminds me a bit of Kukoc in that aspect.

[footey]

The first person I thought of when I read his scouting report was Olynk. I like Kelly enough but we don't need two of them around.

This is a bad comparison.  Kelly's style is laid back L.A., Saric is NYC intense. Completely different personnas on the court.

[footey]

The bias against European players here is astounding. He's a legit, highly touted and highly scouted prospect, yet here most people dump on him. How is he any different or more risky than Exum? Exum is even more unknown IMO.

For you guys who hate euro players, Dirk , Pau , Dragic. Marc Gasol, and technically even Manu and Tony Parker among a few, say hello.

Being foreign is only part of the knock on him, and that knock has nothing to do with his ethnicity, but rather his level of competition.  He's never been tested in a top European league (the Adriatic league is the 9th best league in Europe, and the Croatian league is lower than that), or the Euroleague.  At the highest level of competition he played -- the Eurocup, a second-tier league -- he was mediocre. 

The other criticisms of him are at least as serious, though:  he's not particularly athletic, and he doesn't seem all that strong.  His defense is considered weak in Europe, and that's without playing NBA-quality players.  He's presumed too slow to defend SFs, and not strong enough to defend PFs.  His shot is a work in progress. 

Here's nbadraft.net's description of his weaknesses:

Saric would have a much better NBA outlook if not for his lack of foot speed and athleticism ... His quickness and elevation might be enough to finish in Europe, but without the ability to finish above the rim, things will likely prove more difficult for him in the NBA ... He is quick and mobile for a player his height but clearly lacks the foot speed to stay in front of NBA wing forwards ... In addition he lacks ideal strength to battle NBA PFs on the block ... He projects as a 4, despite his excellent face the basket skills, due to his size and lack of foot speed. Sort of a stretch 4 without great shooting ability ... The best way to describe Saric's game is a jack of all trades, master of nothing type ... His lack of quickness will not allow him to beat anybody off the dribble 1 on 1, and the inconsistent shooting will not help in creating offense ... In transition he will still be able to create but despite a good use of both ends his lack of explosiveness above the rim makes every lay-up very blockable ... 3 turnovers per game are way too much for a player like him and it shows his lack of good decision making on a consistent base. In the NBA facing better athletes, it will be harder and harder for him to be effective in offense ... Things get worse if we take a look at his shooting percentages. The mechanics are not one of a pure shooter, and he is making only 30% of his 3 pointers right now ... With a longer NBA 3 point line it is safe to assume those percentages will not go up, though to his credit when he is in rhythm and his feet are set he can make around 40% at FIBA level ... Defensively as we said, he struggles to defend both the 3 and the 4 positions. His wingspan is just 6?10 so he will be much harder for him to recover from his lack of foot speed ... He does play really hard, and seems to have an aggressive mentality on every play but he will have to overcome many weaknesses and really develop as a player and as an athlete in the next couple of years to have a legitimate impact in the NBA ...

That's what concerns me.

You made a similar point about him on another thread.  Would you turn down trading Exum if he fell to 6th for the same reason?  If not, why not?  He plays in a far less competitive league than Saric. 

[Fred Roberts]

not too interested in this guy. we already have scorers who play poor defense. another? we'd have to shuffle pieces assuming he is better than Kelly/Sully.

I'd rather nab TJ Warren at #17, and get a guy who can play both ends and benefit from nearly the same length. Maybe I'm missing the point on Saric but I'm not enthused. . .

[NorthernLightning]

This is the ABA Championship game I linked to above, but I realize it can be difficult to identify which player Saric is. He is the guy in the white uniform with the big blue elbow pad on his arm. If you are viewing on a smartphone this detail is especially useful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnWeihy97yM

[footey]

The bias against European players here is astounding. He's a legit, highly touted and highly scouted prospect, yet here most people dump on him. How is he any different or more risky than Exum? Exum is even more unknown IMO.

For you guys who hate euro players, Dirk , Pau , Dragic. Marc Gasol, and technically even Manu and Tony Parker among a few, say hello.

Being foreign is only part of the knock on him, and that knock has nothing to do with his ethnicity, but rather his level of competition.  He's never been tested in a top European league (the Adriatic league is the 9th best league in Europe, and the Croatian league is lower than that), or the Euroleague.  At the highest level of competition he played -- the Eurocup, a second-tier league -- he was mediocre. 

The other criticisms of him are at least as serious, though:  he's not particularly athletic, and he doesn't seem all that strong.  His defense is considered weak in Europe, and that's without playing NBA-quality players.  He's presumed too slow to defend SFs, and not strong enough to defend PFs.  His shot is a work in progress. 

Here's nbadraft.net's description of his weaknesses:

Saric would have a much better NBA outlook if not for his lack of foot speed and athleticism ... His quickness and elevation might be enough to finish in Europe, but without the ability to finish above the rim, things will likely prove more difficult for him in the NBA ... He is quick and mobile for a player his height but clearly lacks the foot speed to stay in front of NBA wing forwards ... In addition he lacks ideal strength to battle NBA PFs on the block ... He projects as a 4, despite his excellent face the basket skills, due to his size and lack of foot speed. Sort of a stretch 4 without great shooting ability ... The best way to describe Saric's game is a jack of all trades, master of nothing type ... His lack of quickness will not allow him to beat anybody off the dribble 1 on 1, and the inconsistent shooting will not help in creating offense ... In transition he will still be able to create but despite a good use of both ends his lack of explosiveness above the rim makes every lay-up very blockable ... 3 turnovers per game are way too much for a player like him and it shows his lack of good decision making on a consistent base. In the NBA facing better athletes, it will be harder and harder for him to be effective in offense ... Things get worse if we take a look at his shooting percentages. The mechanics are not one of a pure shooter, and he is making only 30% of his 3 pointers right now ... With a longer NBA 3 point line it is safe to assume those percentages will not go up, though to his credit when he is in rhythm and his feet are set he can make around 40% at FIBA level ... Defensively as we said, he struggles to defend both the 3 and the 4 positions. His wingspan is just 6?10 so he will be much harder for him to recover from his lack of foot speed ... He does play really hard, and seems to have an aggressive mentality on every play but he will have to overcome many weaknesses and really develop as a player and as an athlete in the next couple of years to have a legitimate impact in the NBA ...

That's what concerns me.

NBA Draft.net report was written back in February.  His superlative performance since then has contributed greatly to his climbing up in the draft, along with more recent indications that he would come if picked in the top 10.  More recent scouting reports portray his skills and athleticism more favorably than the older one you attached.

[Murta]

The Adriatic League is far more talented than the NCAA and those jokes are just a waste of breath.

Yeah... no, it isn't.

Do you know that, or are you being keyboard Rambo and speaking with great authority on that which you know not?

"Keyboard Rambo". Look who's talking.

I'm from there. I've seen enough regional European league basketball to know this isn't true. The world is full of GROWN MEN who are not good enough to play in the NCAA, you know. Some of them are pro players in Europe.

Co-signed. Emphasis in typography is not the stuff of which facts are borne.

That was true in the 80s when most NCAA players stayed in college for more than 2 seasons. It was tougher to be a champion of Yugoslavia than Euroleague but Yugo-national team that was bulit from all the best played  used to lose with 20 pt difference against major and mid-major US colleges.

But as European basketball heavily progressed and NCAA deeply regressed, there are about 10 European leagues that are stronger than NCAA, only they don't have players with such potential as Wiggins, Embiid, Vonleh. But none of those guys won the NCAA tournament because more mature team did.

Most of European teams are bulit from guys who led their NCAA teams but usually don't have the physical abilities to make it in the NBA. They play the same competition Wiggins, Parker, etc. played but with a few years added, which means a few more years of progress.

ABA League lower tier was unexpectedly bad this season, but top 4 teams were as strong as ever. Red Star would have surely been a F4 team in NCAA and Cibona/Partizan/Cedevita surely Elite 8, if not more. He basically dominated all of those teams in 2014.

BTW, I saw this thing that said Saric was worse in Eurocup than in ABA League (Eurocup is indeed stronger). He played 7/10 of these games with the old coach who used him as a role-player, as 4th option on the team. His new coach made him no. 1 option and since then the team has been brilliant.
If you compare his Eurocup stats with his ABA League stats until round 13, you'll see they are basically the same.

[NorthernLightning]

not too interested in this guy. we already have scorers who play poor defense. another? we'd have to shuffle pieces assuming he is better than Kelly/Sully.

I'd rather nab TJ Warren at #17, and get a guy who can play both ends and benefit from nearly the same length. Maybe I'm missing the point on Saric but I'm not enthused. . .

I'm a big big fan of Warren and would be very satisfied if we drafted him at 17, but I'd still take Saric if he were available at 17 and agreed to come over.

Saric plays defense at least as well as Warren at the SF, but plays better defense at the 4 because he is 1.5-2" taller and appears to have longer arms as well.

Also, Warren isn't a good passer, even though he is adequate there.

But I think both Saric and Warren would be long term upgrades over Jeff Green.