2012 NBA Draft

[smokymountainrain]

I think Draymond Green will be the steal of the draft.

Sent from my SGH-T839 using Tapatalk 2

I think there are a few guys slotted for the early second who could be steals, and I agree - Green being one of them. Kevin Jones, Doron Lamb, John Jenkins and Will Barton are the others.

[Maximus]

I think there are a few guys slotted for the early second who could be steals, and I agree - Green being one of them. Kevin Jones, Doron Lamb, John Jenkins and Will Barton are the others.

lamb is projects to go to phoneix at 13 or higher

[Jacob]

lamb is projects to go to phoneix at 13 or higher

You are thinking of the other Lamb from UCONN, Jeremy.

[smokymountainrain]

DX has their athletic numbers posted. Some that stood out to me:

Miles Plumlee - 40.5 inch vert. DX database goes back to the mid-90s and there isn't another 7 footer who jumped that high. His lane agility of 10.64 puts him in the top 10 of all prospects. 15 reps on the bench is also very impressive for a 7'. Not sure if he can play, but he's an athletic SOB.

Perry Jones with a nearly as impressive 38.5.

Festus Ezeli jumped higher on the no step vert than the max. 34 no step puts him elite company, but the 33.5 on the max is just above average.

Harrison Barnes no step vert of 38" is almost unheard of. The next highest is 34" and there are only 3 guys in the entire database with a higher no step. His max vert is a still impressive 39.5".

Jeremy Lamb with a solid 38" max

Bradley Beal 39"

Kendall Marshall a surprising 37"

Marquis Teague 40.5"

Lillard at 39.5"

Machado 33.5"

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

DX has their athletic numbers posted. Some that stood out to me:

Miles Plumlee - 40.5 inch vert. DX database goes back to the mid-90s and there isn't another 7 footer who jumped that high. His lane agility of 10.64 puts him in the top 10 of all prospects. 15 reps on the bench is also very impressive for a 7'. Not sure if he can play, but he's an athletic SOB.

Harrison Barnes no step vert of 38" is almost unheard of. The next highest is 34" and there are only 3 guys in the entire database with a higher no step. His max vert is a still impressive 39.5".
"

Plumlee's career at Duke was a disappointment, but it might have helped him carve out an NBA career. Instead of being a primary offensive option with limited skills, he was forced into being a screener, offensive rebounder, who also had to focus on defense. Pretty much exactly what he'll be asked to do in the NBA. He didn't do it on an elite level in college, but he might be a guy who just wasn't in the right fit...you know, a guy who will probably get picked by the Spurs and excel.

Barnes seemed to come up with a incredible finish off an offensive rebound where he'd gather in the lane and explode for the slam. Makes sense now I guess. I'm still beating the drum of Barnes being a Paul Pierce clone. He isn't someone you throw the ball to 23 ft from the hoop and tell him to beat his guy off the dribble. But he's so strong, instead give him the ball near Pierce's sweet spots or on the block and let him work from there.

[DrumNFeather]

David Stern and Jim Rome have a little back and forth...I think the commish got the better of ole Van Smack...

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/80...me-get-lottery

NBA commissioner David Stern got into a heated exchange with Jim Rome Wednesday when the radio host asked him if the Hornets winning the draft lottery was fixed.

"I know that you appreciate a good conspiracy theory as much as the next guy, was the fix in for the lottery?" asked Rome, who hosts a daily show on CBS Sports Network.

"I have two answers for that," Stern said. "The simple easy one, no, the second, a statement, shame on you for asking."

Rome went on to say that he thought it was his job to ask because people wonder.

"No, it's ridiculous, but that's OK," Stern said.

Rome, who used to host the show "Jim Rome is Burning" on ESPN, said he didn't think the question was ridiculous.

Stern responded: "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?"

Since Rome has no history of spousal abuse, it appears that the commissioner was using a traditional loaded question as a tool to make his point: that the question itself, in this case about the lottery, presumes guilt.

Rome responded: "I don't think that's fair."

After a little more back and forth, Rome said he hoped Stern wouldn't hold the question against him.

"I wouldn't hold it against you," Stern said. "You and I have been in more contentious talks that that. But it's good copy. You do these things for cheap thrills."

Rome took offense to that statement, and Stern changed his characterization.

"Cheap trick," he said. "You've been successful in making a career of it, and I keep coming on."

That prompted a flurry of exchanges:

Rome: "Making a career of it? Making a career of what? What? Cheap thrills?"

Stern: "Now you're getting mad. You're taking on the world and now Jim Rome is pouting."

Rome: "I'm not pouting, I'm taking offense."

Stern: "You want to hang up on me?"

Rome: "No, I'm seriously running out of time."

Stern: "Listen, I gotta go call somebody important like Stephen A. Smith back. He's next."

Rome: "OK, you go make that call and I'll go talk to somebody else too I guess. Have a nice day. I did not hang up on him, we are officially out of time."

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

David Stern and Jim Rome have a little back and forth...I think the commish got the better of ole Van Smack...

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/80...me-get-lottery

Cool, I didn't know Jim Rome was still a thing.

[MarkGrace]

That exchange made me laugh.

[Jacob]

If any team is interested in trading with the Hornets for the $10 pick, they'd be better off paying the Hornets a bundle of cash and telling NO to amnesty him rather than taking on Trevor Ariza.

[MarkGrace]

If any team is interested in trading with the Hornets for the $10 pick, they'd be better off paying the Hornets a bundle of cash and telling NO to amnesty him rather than taking on Trevor Ariza.

Why do you say that?

[MarkGrace]

Charlotte has apparently said the #2 pick is available. I don't blame them -- nobody really seems like a #2 in this draft.

[smokymountainrain]

Charlotte has apparently said the #2 pick is available. I don't blame them -- nobody really seems like a #2 in this draft.

Agreed. It would be really great to get a guy like MKG or Beal on your team, but probably not for what it would take to get them. For the Jazz to get there, it would take Favors and that is laughable.

[Jacob]

Why do you say that?

Because Ariza is terrible. There is a reason NO would require him included in a deal. 30% or less from 3 and 40% from the field. Over 7m per year. No thanks.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Charlotte has apparently said the #2 pick is available. I don't blame them -- nobody really seems like a #2 in this draft.

I thought the trade idea on ESPN today was interesting. Derrick Williams and the #18 pick to Charlotte in exchange for Minnesota moving up to #2.

Williams was the #2 pick last year, but didn't play up to #2 pick potential as a rookie. But he definitely showed signs, especially when his playing time was up, and Charlotte would also add the 18th pick to try to add some depth to a weak, weak team.

Minnesota is a team that the #2 pick makes sense for. They've got Love, Rubio, and a solid team of role players around them. Beal or MK-G would appear to be terrific fits.

[MarkGrace]

Because Ariza is terrible. There is a reason NO would require him included in a deal. 30% or less from 3 and 40% from the field. Over 7m per year. No thanks.

He shot 42% from the field and 33% from 3. He's not terrible, he's just not worth what he's being paid, which is why NO wants to move him. And of course since they're over the cap he's effectively costing them a lot more than what his salary actually is.

If you're a team under the cap, I don't see the big deal in taking him on. He averaged 11/5/3 with a PER of 14.23 and is still a quality defender -- that level of production is far from terrible and he's still 26 so it's not like it's going to drop off significantly in the next year to two. But it's also not worth 7mm. I would say at that level of production he's worth about 3-4mm. The excess is in essence what you're paying for the pick. Is 3.5-7mm worth a top 10 pick in the deepest draft in ten years? What's a pick like that typically worth? I've tried finding info on what picks have been sold for but didn't come up with much. I remember Phoenix sold a non-lotto 1st rounder a few years back and I want to say 3mm?

Anyway, if I was a team with financial flexibility I would do it. If you get lucky he's doesn't pick up his option and is only there one year. At worst he's an expiring K in year 2. I wouldn't do it for Okafor. He's just too expensive.