Thon Maker declares for the 2016 NBA Draft; must be ruled eligible.

[Eddie20]

10 pages and counting....imagine if he were a lottery pick

[Lucky17]

ESPN has us drafting him at 23.

Just a thought,

I wonder if the Cs good make a predraft deal with Maker that if he is available at #23 they will take him as long as he agrees to a Josh Huestis OKC type deal. Huestis was drafted in the first round but signed with OKCs D-league team for one season before signing with OKC the following year.

Not likely but a good situation for the Cs.

I think the only reason Huestis agreed to that was because he wasn't regarded as a 1st round prospect.

OKC got a player essentially willing to defer for a year, and Huestis got a bigger contract than what he might have otherwise expected. Win-win.

This kind of situation doesn't seem like it would apply to Maker, who most have pegged for selection in the mid 1st round.

[EzraM9]

Thon if available is a definite pick up. With BS's grooming (and more time in the weight room) he could be the center we have dreamed of. He's raw no doubt but, I can see the next coming of KG with a three to boot.

[Celtics18]

Do you pronounce the H, or is it silent?

[alldaboston]

ESPN has us drafting him at 23.

Just a thought,

I wonder if the Cs good make a predraft deal with Maker that if he is available at #23 they will take him as long as he agrees to a Josh Huestis OKC type deal. Huestis was drafted in the first round but signed with OKCs D-league team for one season before signing with OKC the following year.

Not likely but a good situation for the Cs.

That's pretty smart. Hadn't thought of that. I'd be on board.

[Emmette Bryant]

http://www.si.com/nba/2016/04/05/thon-maker-nba-draft-analysis-prospects

[mmmmm]

ESPN has us drafting him at 23.

Just a thought,

I wonder if the Cs good make a predraft deal with Maker that if he is available at #23 they will take him as long as he agrees to a Josh Huestis OKC type deal. Huestis was drafted in the first round but signed with OKCs D-league team for one season before signing with OKC the following year.

Not likely but a good situation for the Cs.

I think the only reason Huestis agreed to that was because he wasn't regarded as a 1st round prospect.

OKC got a player essentially willing to defer for a year, and Huestis got a bigger contract than what he might have otherwise expected. Win-win.

This kind of situation doesn't seem like it would apply to Maker, who most have pegged for selection in the mid 1st round.

The Celtics wouldn't have the same tax-avoidance motivation to do this that GSW had with Huestis either, so this seems like an unlikely scenario.

The only motivation the C's might have to do this would be, of course, to mitigate the roster crunch.  However, given that Maker is likely to get picked by _someone_ in the first round, his motivation to go along with that seems dubious.

Maybe if Danny could find a Euro or Australian team that would sign him to a year at a semi-decent salary (D-League pay is terrible) he might be amenable to a stash.

[gift]

In order for a draft and stash to be a possibility, the Celtics would have to be willing to draft him higher (probably significantly higher) than he otherwise would go. So I'd say that would have to be the at least the Dallas pick.

[CelticsFan166]

Imagine this...
We get lucky and get a top 2 pick, draft Simmons or Ingram.
Labissiere falls to Mavs pick, Danny takes a flyer on him.
We take Maker with our pick.

If that core develops to its potential we're the scariest matchup in the league in 5 years.

[Adelaide Celt]

Maybe if Danny could find a Euro or Australian team that would sign him to a year at a semi-decent salary (D-League pay is terrible) he might be amenable to a stash.

I think having him play a year or 2 in the Australian NBL would be a great idea. Could possibly stay with his family in Perth. Would be a great set up.

Thon reportedly was inspired to take up basketball while watching KG and the Celtics during the 2008 NBA Finals. This kid has Celtics Destiny written all over him.

I wonder what role his 'guardian' Ed Smith has played in this decision. This article from August 2013 gives more information about him.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/basketball/refugees-escaping-war-are-aiming-for-the-stars-20130810-2rovx.html

Couple of pertinent quotes in that article.

The gist from those who didn't want to be quoted was that Smith is a dedicated coach with a good heart, who gets his students fit and strong. However, against better competition in latter stages, their fundamentals fall down. Logistically, he has little understanding of the proper pathway to elite sports levels and doesn't listen to those who do. He has been barred from at least two local associations for bad behaviour and antagonised many in the Sydney basketball community.

Sounds a lot like what is apparently happening with Thon now. Struggling against better competition and now trying to enter the NBA Draft through a loophole/technicality. I eagerly await to see if he is ruled eligible.

[Dino Pitino]

http://www.si.com/nba/2016/04/05/thon-maker-nba-draft-analysis-prospects

"his weak handle, shaky shot and somewhat clumsy mobility"

This is what I was talking about. This NBA scout wants readers to believe that the mixtapes, which there are now more of than just that first one, plus also now the basic highlight reels of workouts and summits and whatnot, are all edited so well that it completely reversed the reality. Not just made a weak dribbler look competent, but made a weak dribbler look like the most skilled 7-footer dribbler of all time. That most of the time Maker is dribbling like Perk, but that there have been a handful of times when Maker has dribbled coast to coast, gone behind his back and/or spun 360° with authority, and drove by and crossed over defenders, and those times were just a small batch of well-curated outliers, exceptions. On all of the various YouTube clips. That the footage editors, all of them, are careful enough to capture the very few times when Maker swished a stationary three, a baseline KG-style turnaround, a fall away jumper, a free throw. "Shaky" shooters rattle in way more of their makes, swish way fewer. "Shaky" shooters don't hit 75-80% of their free throws or have a polished routine at the line, definitely not when they're 7'1". And can you think of a single good player 7'1" or taller whose mobility couldn't have been described as "somewhat clumsy"? Kareem and Shaq were mobile a.f. but they were also somewhat clumsy.

It feels less like it could be a "smear campaign" and more like it could be a semi-collusive gentle gaslighting. NBA headquarters and ownership have always been more subtle at exerting administrative power than their stupid goon equivalents in the NFL.

Or maybe it's just the power of suggestion, on full-blown display in both the early hype and now the late backlash. Sharp's right, it does raise meta questions. Here's one: Are scouts and basketball journalists any less affected by viral groupthink and cognitive/professional bias than social media casuals?

[mmmmm]

http://www.si.com/nba/2016/04/05/thon-maker-nba-draft-analysis-prospects

"his weak handle, shaky shot and somewhat clumsy mobility"

This is what I was talking about. This NBA scout wants readers to believe that the mixtapes, which there are now more of than just that first one, plus also now the basic highlight reels of workouts and summits and whatnot, are all edited so well that it completely reversed the reality. Not just made a weak dribbler look competent, but made a weak dribbler look like the most skilled 7-footer dribbler of all time. That most of the time Maker is dribbling like Perk, but that there have been a handful of times when Maker has dribbled coast to coast, gone behind his back and/or spun 360° with authority, and drove by and crossed over defenders, and those times were just a small batch of well-curated outliers, exceptions. On all of the various YouTube clips. That the footage editors, all of them, are careful enough to capture the very few times when Maker swished a stationary three, a baseline KG-style turnaround, a fall away jumper, a free throw. "Shaky" shooters rattle in way more of their makes, swish way fewer. "Shaky" shooters don't hit 75-80% of their free throws or have a polished routine at the line, definitely not when they're 7'1". And can you think of a single good player 7'1" or taller whose mobility couldn't have been described as "somewhat clumsy"? Kareem and Shaq were mobile a.f. but they were also somewhat clumsy.

It feels less like it could be a "smear campaign" and more like it could be a semi-collusive gentle gaslighting. NBA headquarters and ownership have always been more subtle at exerting administrative power than their stupid goon equivalents in the NFL.

Or maybe it's just the power of suggestion, on full-blown display in both the early hype and now the late backlash. Sharp's right, it does raise meta questions. Here's one: Are scouts and basketball journalists any less affected by viral groupthink and cognitive/professional bias than social media casuals?

I don't know about any collusion or viral groupthink, but in old fashioned terms, I would never underestimate the power of laziness.

The fact is, the vast majority of talking heads in this space don't necessarily have easy access to any more data on a player like Maker than you do.  And I would not put much faith in them putting in the effort to actually become informed in their opinions rather than to simply parrot others in wise, all-knowing tones.   Do your best to look at the real information that is available and form your own opinion whenever you can.

I fully expect Ainge to do his own research and form his own opinions on all the players, rather than be too heavily influenced by sportswriters, blogs and mocks.

If Maker does well in workouts then he'll climb Danny's board.  If he doesn't, he won't.   Whether he gets picked would still then depend on whether he is still available and higher on the board than one of Danny's picks when it happens.

[vjcsmoke]

I like the risk of taking Thon in the 16-23 range more than gambling our top 4 pick on  Bender.

At 4, we are probably going to go with a scorer like Hield or Brown.

[SHAQATTACK]

Just draft him

He can terrorize the Lakers for the next 10 years.

[alldaboston]

I like the risk of taking Thon in the 16-23 range more than gambling our top 4 pick on  Bender.

At 4, we are probably going to go with a scorer like Hield or Brown.

This is honestly an underrated comment. The risk that comes with Bender is HUGE in my opinion. For 2 players that honestly seem fairy similar in terms of theoretical skill set and eventual impact, I'd much rather take Thon later with our pick than possibly waste our most prized asset on a European stranger who (in my opinion) will be a bust. As I've said before, come tell me I was wrong if bender becomes a stud. I'll admit I was wrong then. But now, I'd go with a safe pick. Murray, Hield, Brown, etc. These guys play positions that we could use some help in too.