2011 NBA Draft

[Sizzle]

This draft is notable in that there were no boneheaded moves at the top. Everybody went pretty much with the consensus. Leonard was the only player who slipped, and he only fell from about 8 to 15, IMO.

After the 1st 2, there was so little separation between the players that it would have been hard to screw up too bad. Still, its surprising when no GM did.

Also, I think Jordan and Charlotte had a terrific draft.

Jordan Hamilton also slid from a lottery pick almost out of the first round. Granted, his window looked like 10-18 or so, but he dropped down to the mid to late 20s.

[Jacob]

Jeremy Tyler. Jordan sucks at drafting. Biyombo, Kemba, and Tyler. Plus they trade away Wallace last year and now Cap'n Jack. Their roster sucks.

And he has nothing to base that on. But Chuck is great, and I'll quit sounding like a pessimist because I really do like the Jazz draft. It's exactly what I said I wanted a while back.

Barkley just told Dan Patrick that if he had the #1 pick he would have selected Kanter.[YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]

Jordan Hamilton also slid from a lottery pick almost out of the first round. Granted, his window looked like 10-18 or so, but he dropped down to the mid to late 20s.

Good point. But in this case, there wasn't much difference between 15 and 25 or so. There were good pick available at both.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

Barkley just told Dan Patrick that if he had the #1 pick he would have selected Kanter.[YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]

Barkley mentioned something one time about Dirk tearing it up at that Nike Basketball tournament which is the same tourney where Kanter scored 30+ points or whatever. I may be off, but I'm having a dim recollection here. I think Kanter was a good pick.

I'm not sold on Irving and Williams looks like a tweener.

[MartyFunkhouser]

This draft is notable in that there were no boneheaded moves at the top. Everybody went pretty much with the consensus. Leonard was the only player who slipped, and he only fell from about 8 to 15, IMO.

After the 1st 2, there was so little separation between the players that it would have been hard to screw up too bad. Still, its surprising when no GM did.

Also, I think Jordan and Charlotte had a terrific draft.

Was it Jordan or Cho drafting?

[Jacob]

Was it Jordan or Cho drafting?

I'm sure both were involved. And I don't really care. They even said Jordan was really wowed with a workout he had with Biyombo the day before. So looks like Jordan made that pick, though Cho probably agreed, since it was a great pick (IMHO).

[MarkGrace]

This draft is notable in that there were no boneheaded moves at the top. Everybody went pretty much with the consensus. Leonard was the only player who slipped, and he only fell from about 8 to 15, IMO.

After the 1st 2, there was so little separation between the players that it would have been hard to screw up too bad. Still, its surprising when no GM did.

Also, I think Jordan and Charlotte had a terrific draft.

Wasn't thompson projected in the 10-14 range in most mocks? I was floored when he went at 4.

[Non Sequitur]

I'm sure both were involved. And I don't really care. They even said Jordan was really wowed with a workout he had with Biyombo the day before. So looks like Jordan made that pick, though Cho probably agreed, since it was a great pick (IMHO).

Biyambo was a terrible pick for Charlotte. A defensive specialist is not a good fit for a team that has no offensive talent. Charlotte was next to last in team scoring last year. How can they justify spending a lottery pick on someone with no offensive game? Biyambo is a much better fit for a team like New York, where they're already stacked with offensive talent but have no defense.

[Pelado]

Biyambo was a terrible pick for Charlotte. A defensive specialist is not a good fit for a team that has no offensive talent. Charlotte was next to last in team scoring last year. How can they justify spending a lottery pick on someone with no offensive game? Biyambo is a much better fit for a team like New York, where they're already stacked with offensive talent but have no defense.

Teams draft what they value. Charlotte apparently values defensive-minded players, perhaps to the detriment of the team overall.

[smokymountainrain]

Teams draft what they value. Charlotte apparently values defensive-minded players, perhaps to the detriment of the team overall.

While I understand Non-seq's point, I think people tend to over analyze this stuff. Ultimately, the only thing that matters with the draft is if you draft a guy who can play. If Biyombo turns into a great player, it was a great draft. It's really that simple. If he does become that player and they need offense, they can draft offense the next year, sign a FA or trade for offense.

Portland didn't need another wing and they didn't need offense in 84'. They needed size.

[Non Sequitur]

While I understand Non-seq's point, I think people tend to over analyze this stuff. Ultimately, the only thing that matters with the draft is if you draft a guy who can play. If Biyombo turns into a great player, it was a great draft. It's really that simple. If he does become that player and they need offense, they can draft offense the next year, sign a FA or trade for offense.

Portland didn't need another wing and they didn't need offense in 84'. They needed size.

Though Biyombo has a huge upside, he was still the biggest gamble in the lottery. And Charlotte is not in a position to gamble. The only way this pick makes sense to me is if Charlotte turns around and packages him in a deal for a couple of more established players from a team in a better position to roll the dice.

[CardiacCoug]

I loved reading this. You may not. (Bill Simmons Draft Diary)

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/...draft-diary-xv

Bill Simmons believes in Jimmer. This was good:

8:30 -- Whether that Jimmer pick works or not, can't we do Hard Knocks or 24/7 with the Kings next year? Jimmer, Tyreke, DeMarcus Cousins, Pooh Jeter, Omri Casspi, the Maloofs going broke, Mayor Kevin Johnson going for a new stadium … you're not watching that show?

[happyone]

I want to thank those who took the time to analyze the draft and post their thoughts and conclusions. I personally am not very knowledgable and this thread was very educational for me and I think I have increased my basketball knowledge quite abit by reading your posts.

[Jacob]

Wasn't thompson projected in the 10-14 range in most mocks? I was floored when he went at 4.

Yeah, I remembered later. Thompson was a reach at 4, and I'd say a bad pick. But there was a lot of talk that Detroit was going to take him or Biyombo at 8 and that's part of the reason Charlotte traded up to get Biyombo at 7.

Still, that was the one big reach of the draft, IMO.

[MarkGrace]

Ford saying 2012 looks like the best draft since '03.

The 2011 NBA draft had one of the weaker classes of prospects we've seen, particularly at the top. With a number of the best underclassmen deciding to stay in school another year, the draft lacked the usual quantity of top-tier talent.

The flip side: The 2012 draft is looking awesome.

With so many returning college players eligible for the 2012draft, plus a stellar freshman group streaming in, our 2012 Top 100 list will be very strong -- in fact, one NBA scout says it's the strongest draft class since the famous LeBron-Melo-Bosh-Wade class of 2003.

[ame="http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog?name=nba_draft&id=6699875"]NBA Draft: A weak draft class in 2011 will give way to an absolutely loaded 2012 crop - ESPN[/ame]

[Non Sequitur]

Ford saying 2012 looks like the best draft since '03.


NBA Draft: A weak draft class in 2011 will give way to an absolutely loaded 2012 crop - ESPN

Do we still have New Jersey's 2011 pick and is it lottery-protected?